Footnotes John The Greek for again also means from above ; also in verse 7. John Or but spirit John The Greek is plural. John The Greek for Spirit is the same as that for wind. John Some manuscripts Man, who is in heaven John The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.
John Some interpreters end the quotation with verse More on the NIV. Later in John , after Jesus had been crucified, Nicodemus joined Joseph of Arimathea in giving Jesus a traditional Jewish burial. Share this. Alfred Edersheim. Who Was Doubting Thomas? Who Was the Apostle Philip? Nicodemus was a religious leader, a Pharisee, an educated man, and an earnest man.
By all outward appearance, he was already transformed unto God — yet he was not. That is just how it is with the birth of the Spirit. Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
How can these things be? Nicodemus was confused. He was so set in his thinking that the new birth has already happened to him and all of faithful Israel, that he had a hard time thinking differently. Jesus had to keep explaining. Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Jesus chided Nicodemus for not being aware of the need and the promise of the new birth, because these were plainly laid out in the Old Testament.
Nicodemus knew these passages well, but believed that they had been fulfilled in regard to the new birth. He should have known better. Jesus implies that as the outstanding teacher of the nation, Nicodemus should have been familiar with the teaching of the new birth. A simple look at earthly things — like the illustrations Jesus used, and even a look at his own life — should have made the point plain to Nicodemus.
If he could not see that he needed this spiritual transformation, what more could Jesus tell him? And the expression is founded upon this generally received maxim: That to be perfectly acquainted with the concerns of a place, it is necessary for a person to be on the spot.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness : Jesus made a remarkable statement, explaining that the serpent of Numbers was a picture of the Messiah and His work. Serpents are often used as pictures of evil in the Bible Genesis and Revelation So, a bronze serpent does speak of sin, but of sin judged. In the same way Jesus, who knew no sin became sin for us on the cross, and our sin was judged in Him.
A bronze serpent is a picture of sin judged and dealt with. We would have wanted to diminish our sense of sin, and put the image of a man up on the pole.
But a serpent is more apparently sinful, and shows us our true nature and true need of salvation. In addition, if the serpent lay horizontally on the vertical pole, it is easy to see how this also was a visual representation of the cross.
However, many traditions show the serpent being wrapped around the pole, and this is the source for the ancient figure of healing and medicine — a serpent, wrapped around a pole.
In the Numbers account, the people were saved not by doing anything, but by simply looking to the bronze serpent. They had to trust that something as seemingly foolish as looking at such a thing would be sufficient to save them, and surely, some perished because they thought it too foolish to do such a thing.
As it says in Isaiah Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. We might be willing to do a hundred things to earn our salvation, but God commands us to only trust in Him — to look to Him. Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up : Even though Jesus bore our sins, He never became a sinner. Even His becoming sin for us was a holy, righteous, act of love.
Jesus remained the Holy One throughout the entire ordeal of the cross. Both meanings are in view, His suffering and exaltation. Jesus was lifted up in both ways. The Son of Man is to be lifted up. He was to be conspicuous, but as the brazen serpent had been conspicuous, hanging on a pole for the healing of the people.
Should not perish but have eternal life : The idea behind eternal life means much more than a long or never ending life. Eternal life does not mean that this life goes on forever. It is the kind of life enjoyed in eternity. Belief consists of accepting something, not doing something. For God so loved the world : John has long been celebrated as a powerful, succinct, declaration of the gospel. Of the 31, verses in the Bible, it may be the most popular single verse used in evangelism.
God did not wait for the world to turn to Him before He loved the world. He loved and gave His only begotten Son to the world when it was still the world! What Jesus told Nicodemus in John You must be born again refuted the popular Jewish idea regarding the way to salvation.
Now Jesus refuted the popular Jewish idea regarding the scope of salvation: for God so loved the world. The Jews of that day rarely thought that God loved the world. Many of them thought that God only loved Israel. The universal offer of salvation and life in Jesus was revolutionary. God did something about it, and He gave the most precious thing to give: His only begotten Son. God loves the world, but the world does not receive or benefit from that love until it believes in Jesus, the gift that the Father gave.
Believes in means much more than intellectual awareness or agreement. It means to trust in , to rely on , and to cling to. God looks at fallen humanity, does not want it to perish , and so in His love He extends the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. He will never stop loving His people, even unto the furthest distance of eternity.
Jesus tenderly asks Nicodemus, how can you be a teacher and not understand these things? Jesus again changes the topic to Moses and Old Testament history, which Nicodemus would have been familiar with from his youth. Jesus explains that just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, for the healing of those who believed, so also the Son of Man must also be lifted up on the cross so that whoever believes in Him should have eternal life.
This sets the stage for one of the most famous verses in the Bible, John The second time John writes about Nicodemus is when the Jewish leaders desire to seize Jesus. Although Nicodemus does raise a verbal question in the defense of Jesus, he is not yet openly a full-fledged follower of Jesus. Nicodemus now is no longer acting in secret. He is fully supporting Jesus and His cause.
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