THE NEW BIRTH: JOHN 3:1-15

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1 THE NEW BIRTH: JOHN 3:1-15 What is the new birth? Why is it important? John introduces us to this vital doctrine; it is important to know and understand what he records in this Scripture. John 3:1 2 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. In verses one and two, we are introduced to a man named Nicodemus who came to speak to Jesus. He was a Pharisee, a group which hated the Lord and His work, he was a ruler of the Jews, and in verse 10 the Lord calls him the teacher of Israel. As a ruler of the Jews, he was a member of the Sanhedrin, a body of religious leaders who bitterly opposed the Lord. Calling him the teacher of Israel indicates he was the head of a rabbinical school. As a Pharisee and a teacher he would have been very well acquainted with the Scriptures. He would have memorized at least the Pentateuch, if not much more. Josephus said the Pharisees were those who are esteemed most skillful in the exact replication of their laws. But the Pharisees also elevated their oral tradition to a position of equality with the Scriptures which is one reason why the Lord denounced them as hypocrites later in His ministry. Eventually and inevitably, this kind of legalistic thinking always leads to elevating that oral tradition, which is often humanist, rational thinking and not biblical exegesis, into a position of superiority and authority over the Scriptures. The Lord s condemnation of them was His recognition their strict adherence to the letter of the Law was a façade that 1

2 masked their rejection of the truth of the Scriptures and the true spiritual nature of the godly life they were called to live under the Mosaic Law. Nicodemus came to see the Lord at night which leads many people to believe he came secretly and fearfully so that no one would know what he was doing. That is certainly possible; any Jewish leader leaning toward supporting Jesus would have been in trouble with his peers. However, when we consider that he said to Jesus, we know that You have come from God there seems to be more than an implication that he was representing other people in this meeting with the Lord. This was early in His ministry and perhaps, even probably and most likely, the animosity and hatred for the Lord among the religious authorities was only beginning at this point and they were still curious although He just cleansed the Temple for the first time and that was not an act that would have gained Him support with many of the ruling members of the Sanhedrin (see John 2:13-22). Notice the contrast between the v. 2 we know of Nicodemus a man who is representing spiritually dead, unsaved religious authority figures and the v. 3 I say of Jesus who is going to present spiritual truth. It is safe to say these religious authorities didn t know as much as they thought they knew and Jesus is about to set one of them straight. Nicodemus was an unbeliever at this point but he showed respect to Jesus by calling Him, Rabbi or teacher which is unusual because in the eyes of a Pharisee Jesus was an unschooled man not worthy of the title. By coming to Je- 2

3 sus and referring to Him as Rabbi, Nicodemus was placing himself in a subordinate pupil relationship to the Lord at that point. This address also tells us that this Pharisee had not yet come to the realization of the Messianic identity of Jesus even though he recognized the identifying, authenticating signs that were specifically said to be the identifying characteristics that the Messiah had indeed made His long-awaited appearance to Israel. He also acknowledged that Jesus had to be a man from God because of the signs He was doing. As a Pharisee and a teacher thoroughly schooled in the Scriptures Nicodemus knew the signs had the specific purpose of identifying the Messiah when He came and He knew those signs were signifying that God was with this man named Jesus. In fact, Nicodemus recognized the simple truth that no one could do the things Jesus was doing apart from God; these were not the act of a charlatan or of a fraud nor were they done as theatrics or tricks, but they were the work of God. The fact that Nicodemus recognized these signs is significant; it tells us that he recognized Scriptural truth and wanted to acknowledge its superiority even when his peers refused to do so. In fact, the majority of the Sanhedrin and the priesthood would later accuse the Lord of working in the power of Satan. Matthew 12:24 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons. It is probably significant that Nicodemus came alone; at that point no Pharisees were probably yet believers. He acknowledged that only a man of God could perform these signs but he either failed to recognize or refused to acknowledge 3

4 the true identity of Jesus. He thought Him to be merely a teacher rather than the Messiah. Nicodemus has been off track; His encounter with the Lord will begin his journey onto the right track. Isaiah described the identifying signs the Messiah would perform when He came. These signs were to be His authenticating credentials so to speak. Nicodemus recognized these signs to be the authenticating signs of a man of God. The purpose of signs was to authenticate the message and the messenger and in this case, they accomplished their purpose. Isaiah 35:5 6 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. John stated as the purpose statement of his gospel that the signs Jesus performed were specifically meant to reveal the God-man to people and to bring them to faith. Signs, wonders, and miracles are always performed in a venue that serves to authenticate the message and the messenger. In Jesus case, the signs authenticated His ministry and identified Him as the promised Messiah. John 20: Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. In the case of this Pharisee, Nicodemus recognized that the signs were from God but he didn t quite yet understand they were serving their stated purpose of identifying the Messiah. His encounter with Jesus eventually bore fruit because 4

5 he came to faith. Some people are not convinced Nicodemus became a believer but John later records that this Pharisee risked not only his reputation among his peers but even his life by trying to protect the Lord and by being very publically involved in his burial. In the first instance (John 7:50-51) where his faith is possibly evident, during a discussion with some other Pharisees and the chief priests, Nicodemus defended the Lord in their presence by questioning their right to judge Christ before He had a hearing. Such a hearing was required at the command of Moses (Dt. 1:16-17) and procedures were in place to ensure a fair judicial process. This Scripture does not indicate that Nicodemus had come to faith yet but something was apparently going on with him. Why else would he subject himself to the ridicule of the leadership of the Sanhedrin that followed his question? John 7: Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) said to them, 51 Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it? After the Lord s crucifixion, Nicodemus joined another disciple and prepared the Lord s body for burial and buried him. Up to this point, these men had been secret believers for some period of time but after this very public identification with the Lord this secrecy was certainly a thing in their past. John 19: Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 5

6 This was very obviously a public identification with Jesus Christ that placed Nicodemus in a precarious position. His standing as a Pharisee and as a member of the Sanhedrin was at stake which also placed his prestige and citizenship within the Jewish community in jeopardy. He would be banned from worship in the synagogue for his faith in Christ. Given that the Lord had just been crucified, Nicodemus life was quite possibly in danger as well. The point is this initial conversation with the Lord recorded in John 3 set Nicodemus on a path that was going to eventually lead Him to belief and to eternal life in Jesus Christ. John 9:22 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. Given his public involvement in the burial, it is difficult to suggest that Nicodemus did not become a believer. Yet, based on the initial spiritual state of Nicodemus described in our passage many theologians are strident in their declaration that Nicodemus was a coward not worthy of Christ. Their thinking is that he came to the Lord at night, making him a coward, and he didn t come in believing faith; therefore, he was and remained an unbeliever. Many of them suggest that his acknowledgement of the signs is an insignificant fact; he was merely emotionally titillated by the signs and whatever his faith was at that moment, it was a spurious faith. I am suggesting the totality of the Scriptures proves otherwise. This man became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and was saved at some point after that first conversation with Jesus. Nicodemus was certainly responding to the light he was being provided but he wasn t at the point of faith 6

7 when he first came to the Lord. To suggest that proves he never came to faith is a seriously unbiblical slur on the man. Everyone must be convinced of the truth before they can believe. Instead of condemnation, Nicodemus should be commended for honestly seeking the truth. His public support for the Lord and his involvement in the burial should put to rest any notion that he was a coward. It is also unwarranted to make any issue of the fact that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. It may have been that Nicodemus was trying to be secretive and cautious and perhaps even a bit afraid but it is more likely that it was simply the opportune time for him to seek out the Lord. Whether he was afraid or not, he overcame whatever fear he had and went to talk to the Lord. The word for night is νυκτός from νύξ. Some theologians try to equate this word with spiritual darkness and John does use the contrast of light and dark in this way in other places in his gospel ( John 1:4-8 and John 3:19-21) but there is no contextual reason to use this word as a metaphor in the context of this pericope. It is not a comment on the spiritual state of Nicodemus at this point; we know he was an unbeliever at that time so he is certainly walking in spiritual darkness. But he was an unbeliever who simply came to seek out Jesus on that night and question Him. When John contrasts light and dark as spiritual matters, it is quite evident in the context. Jesus recognized that Nicodemus was not a hostile Pharisee embarking on a mission to challenge Him or to ridicule Him because he was respectful; he was a man sincerely seeking information about this Man who suddenly appeared and was obviously sent from God performing incredible miracles in Israel. Nicodemus 7

8 seems to be a pious Jewish man, a sincere religious man of God, upright in character, and yet spiritually ignorant of the most important aspects of what it meant to be a believer. Dispensing then with inconsequential chit chat, Jesus got right to the heart of the issue concerning true spirituality and challenged the very basis for this man s religious confidence. John 3:3 3 Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. The Lord begins v. 3 by making an emphatic declaration that what He is about to say is authoritative truth. The words translated Truly, truly are ἀµήν ἀµήν from which we get our word amen. Besides this translation of Truly, truly as we see it here in the NASB, it is variously translated Verily, verily, Most assuredly, or I assure you. The NET Bible translation is, I tell you the solemn truth and that may be the best expression of what the Lord is saying. It is a strong affirmation of what the Lord is about to declare; He is declaring that which follows to be absolute truth. This word is simply a transliteration of the Hebrew אָמ ן which is a strong affirmation of something meaning surely it is true. It refers to God in Isaiah 65:16 where He is called the God of truth and in Revelation 3:14 Jesus is called the Amen, the faithful and true Witness. Nicodemus came to Jesus saying, We know, but Jesus is going to show him just how little he really knows. Jesus sets a condition for seeing the Kingdom of God by using the word unless. This word has a conditional aspect to it but it is a condition that can be met. The condition is that one must be born again or born from above. The 8

9 Greek word ἄνωθεν may be translated again but John uses it to mean from above and that is a perfectly acceptable translation. It may be better to understand Jesus saying, unless a person is born from above. This translation makes it clear that a spiritual birth rather than a second physical birth is meant. At this point, Nicodemus fails to understand this crucial distinction. One means someone, anyone without qualification; all people must experience a spiritual birth in order to see the Kingdom of God and this is a valid truth throughout all dispensations. The new birth is activated by belief. This is also a birth experience that is available to all people without qualification. It is interpreted in various translations to mean someone (which might be the best option), a person, or except a man. If a person meets the qualification of the new birth from above, then he or she can see the Messianic Kingdom of God. Every person is born with a sin nature passed down from our father Adam. Romans 5:12 12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned In order to be reconciled to God through Christ, we must experience a supernatural spiritual birth from God that removes the barrier the sin nature erects between man and God. This spiritual birth is a born again experience, a new birth, a spiritual birth, a birth from above that ultimately rectifies the defects of our physical birth and reconciles us with God. We may understand the Lord to be saying, unless a man is reborn from above because we are talking about two births here; one physical and one spiritual. Human effort cannot accomplish this; 9

10 it is and must be a divine work of God. Our physical birth is accomplished through human means; our spiritual birth is completely a work of God. Without this second birth, which is a spiritual birth, no person can be born into the family of God. John made it clear throughout his gospel that those who believe in the name of Jesus Christ receive the right to become children of God and that is not by virtue of a human birth but by the will of God and a spiritual birth. The concept of a birth from above, a spiritual birth, is articulated throughout John s writings. This was new truth to Nicodemus and he struggled to understand it. John 1: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. The Jewish mindset was one of good works and obedience to the Law which they thought enabled a person to be right with God. Christ is beginning to destroy this man s theology. Much of what Nicodemus had always believed is about to be stood on its head. As we examine this conversation, we will see that he didn t understand it very well at the time. Ultimately, he did understand it because subsequent events indicate he became a believer. Nicodemus already thought he was right with God. All the religious Jews thought they were saved simply by virtue of being born a Jew. Their thinking was that they were guaranteed their part in the Kingdom of God. The Jews actually had an understanding of being born again; it just wasn t according to what Jesus meant by being born again. That s why Nicodemus posed the question 10

11 about age; he didn t understand how an old man could be reborn. The Jews understanding was that a Gentile who converted to Judaism was born again. A Jew who was crowned king was said to be born again. As for Nicodemus, he thought he was already born again when at the age of 13 he had his bar mitzvah. At that point, a Jewish male subjects himself to the Mosaic Law and becomes responsible for his own sins. Upon marriage, a Jewish man was said to be born again. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus was a rabbi and they were considered to be born again once they were ordained. Finally, as a teacher of Israel, Nicodemus was the head of a rabbinical school and as such was considered to be born again. Obviously, none of these concepts carried the meaning of the spiritual rebirth that Jesus was introducing here. The Kingdom of God the Lord refers to is the long awaited and promised Messianic Kingdom that He came to offer to the Jewish people. The Kingdom here is not a synonym for eternal life as many commentators claim. In context then, this is the Kingdom offer to the Jews the entrance of which is dependent on this new birth, but in application, we all need this spiritual rebirth that is activated by belief. Implied in this concept of a spiritual rebirth is the idea that there are only two categories of people on earth and that is one category of those who do believe and are therefore spiritually reborn and united with God for eternity in the family of God and another category consisting of those who reject the Son, experience only their physical birth, and therefore remain spiritually dead and forever separated from God. 11

12 John 3:4-6 4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother s womb and be born, can he? 5 Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Nicodemus completely missed or possibly even rejected the concept of a spiritual second birth. His reply indicates he was clinging to his old theology and thinking only in the earthly terms of a physical birth. Actually, his reply is absurd. He had to know this man he acknowledged was a Teacher from God could not have been telling him that a person could re-enter his mother s womb and be physically born once again. Spiritual truths are impossible for the unregenerate man to understand apart from the intervention of God in conjunction with the Word of God. Nicodemus was being confronted by the living Word but as a natural man he remained spiritually blind and resistant to truth even as he sought that truth. At least he does understand the Lord to be speaking of a second birth. He did come seeking the truth so he wasn t in total active rebellion to spiritual truth but he wasn t completely receptive yet either. Nicodemus immediately connected this new birth Jesus was talking about with a physical birth. That s important because it bears on the interpretation of what it means to be born of water and Spirit. Many theologians identify being born of water as a cleansing that results from the Spirit s work. They identify this water as the washing of the Spirit by the Word of God and they base this on Titus 3:5 [He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit]. Their reasoning is that Nicodemus, a pious Jew and a teacher, would 12

13 have made a connection to Jewish ritual water cleansing. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about being born of water and the spirit, Nicodemus would have understood this as a reference to ceremonial washing and its symbolic washing and purification by the Holy Spirit. It would have made perfect sense to Nicodemus and would be consistent with what we read in other scriptural passages such as Titus 3:5 [Brannon Howse, Twisted Scripture, Twisted Theology, p. 76]. The problem is that Nicodemus made a connection with physical birth; he didn t connect the words of Christ with Jewish ritual water cleansing. The Jews did use the expression being born of water to refer to physical birth which, for a Jew, guaranteed entrance into the Kingdom. There seems to be a problem here of reading our progressively informed understanding of the baptism and work of the Holy Spirit back into a time when that was doctrine not yet revealed. It is plausible that Nicodemus would have been reminded of Ezekiel 36:24-27 in which God promised the Jewish people a new heart and a new spirit but Nicodemus didn t say that. Nicodemus set the context here in v. 4 by referring to physical birth. Jesus then contrasted the physical birth from flesh with the spiritual birth from above, the birth by the Spirit. There is also some parallelism evident in these three verses contrasting physical birth with spiritual birth. In v. 4, entering the second time into a mother s womb and in v. 5 born of water and in v. 6 born of flesh all refer to a physical birth. Each verse also contains the contrast of spiritual birth with that physical birth. In v. 4, the birth from above is mentioned and questioned and in vv. 5 and 6 born of the Spirit is contrasted with water and 13

14 flesh. While my position on the interpretation of water and Spirit is a minority position, I think there are two real births identified here. The first one is our physical birth that all people experience with the water referring to the amniotic fluid that breaks immediately before a baby is born. The second birth is the birth from above, the spiritual birth that results in new life that is life eternal. Jesus is contrasting our physical birth connected with water and flesh with our spiritual birth from above. Every believer must experience both birth events. Those who experience only the physical birth remain spiritually dead and eternally separated from God. People must be spiritually reborn subsequent to their physical birth in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus has just told this Pharisee, Nicodemus, that he is not automatically granted an entrance into the Kingdom of God simply by virtue of being born a Jew; he had to experience a spiritual rebirth based on the appropriately believing heart. I think then the overall context argues for the contrast between physical birth and spiritual birth. The other interpretation of water is that it is a reference to water baptism. Water baptism does not have a role to play in justification, the new birth. It is a sanctification issue of obedience after the new birth. This doctrine may be dismissed out of hand; it is outside the bounds of the context of this Scripture. John 3:7 8 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Jesus reiterated that a person must be born again, that is, a second birth, a spiritual birth is necessary for obtaining eternal life. Wind and Spirit are both 14

15 the same word in Greek, πνεῦµα. The primary meaning is to blow meaning wind; it is air in relatively rapid movement but without specification as to the force of the movement. It also refers to the breath. As opposed to secular Greek which views this word only in naturalistic terms, this word has spiritual connotations in the New Testament. In this context, it is referring first to the wind and then to the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. Jesus seems to be setting up another contrast here between the properties of wind and the work of the Holy Spirit. We can t see the wind but we can hear it and otherwise observe its effects. We can feel it and see it rustle the leaves and grass. We can somewhat make it out in a dust storm or a blizzard but we feel it more than see it and we are really only seeing the effects of it. We can see the damage it causes when it is strong and fierce. In the same way, we cannot see the Spirit move or work but His effects are real and the results can often be seen and felt. When a person is born again the Spirit works to regenerate the person through the new birth and they can then enter the Kingdom of God. We can t see it but the effects are real, even eternal. John 3: Nicodemus said to Him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Nicodemus is still resisting the truth concerning a spiritual birth. Some sort of spiritual renewal should have been no surprise to him; it was attested to in the Old Testament Scriptures. It was not necessarily couched in terms of a new birth, but it was presented as a new heart and a new spirit via cleanliness provided by God. 15

16 Ezekiel 36: Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. In Genesis 15:6, Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness which is the the new birth. Saul was changed into another man with a changed heart when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him (1 Sam. 10:6, 9) which is a description of that man s new birth. The New Covenant that was promised to Israel and to Judah in Jeremiah 31:31-34 speaks of internally knowing the Law and knowing God which is a description of a new birth. Habakkuk 2:4 informs us that the righteous will live by faith. A humanistic religion of rationalistic rules and regulations had replaced the Scriptures as the authority for these Jewish religious leaders of the nation, the priests, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees. These people were in a state of continual rejection and rebellion. John the Baptist had proclaimed the baptism of the Holy Spirit to them at the time Jesus publicly identified Himself (John 1:33) but they rejected it. Nicodemus should not have been ignorant of these Scriptures and the issues they identified. Jesus rebuked Nicodemus for his failure to understand this matter he was the teacher of Israel after all. The irony is that their real Teacher, Jesus Christ, was right there trying to get them to see and accept the truth. Because these religious leaders of Israel had rebelled against God and failed to do their duty and teach the people the true nature of the Scriptures, they were walking in darkness and they led the Jewish people into darkness as well. This darkness, born of 16

17 rebellion and disobedience, was so deeply ingrained into their national consciousness that when the true Light came into their midst they did not accept Him or the truth He was teaching them. John 1:5 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 3: Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? Jesus once again makes an authoritative declaration that what He is about to say is absolute truth. He speaks of Himself in the plural here. The best option is to understand this as a referral to the Triune Godhead. The other two options widely considered are that Jesus is referring to Himself in a majestic or editorial use of we, or that He is referring to Himself and the prophets. Just as Nicodemus initially came to Jesus representing other religious figures, Jesus refers to him with a plural you. He is not just addressing Nicodemus here; He is addressing all the religious authorities this man represents. All of them were rejecting His testimony. Throughout their history, the leaders of Israel, political and religious, rejected God and His prophets and rebelled against Him. Now their Messiah, authenticated by the signs the Messiah was to perform as proof of His position and authority, was in their presence and they still did not accept His testimony. They saw the signs; they acknowledged Jesus was from God because only a man 17

18 from God could perform these signs and they still rejected Him. All this was nothing new; just before he was martyred Stephen called the Council out on this very issue and scathingly pointed out their history of rebellion to them. Acts 7: You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 52 Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; 53 you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it. If Nicodemus won t believe the doctrines Jesus is talking about on earth with earthly analogies concerning the new birth, the work of the Spirit, and entrance into the long awaited Kingdom of God, then Jesus asked him how he will ever believe truth concerning the weightier, more important, abstract, and unseen things of heaven. The Lord may have been referring here not only to what He had already explained concerning the new birth but also to what He was about to explain was yet to come wherein the Son of Man was to be lifted on a cross to save whoever would believe in Him and by that belief be granted eternal life as a grace gift from God. Unbelievers cannot understand spiritual matters. The Jewish leadership was in unbelief and until they believed the doctrines Jesus was teaching them, they were never going to understand anything beyond that. Until the Jews understood the truth of the new birth, they were never going to understand the cross. To the Jews, anyone hung on a tree was accursed (Dt. 21:23) and the whole idea of crucifying the Messiah was a stumbling block to the Jew people (1 Cor. 1:23). 18

19 Deuteronomy 21:23 23 his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance. 1 Corinthians 1:23 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, John 3:13 13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. In order to credibly speak on earth about heavenly matters, one must have been in heaven and brought that information to earth. No human being has ever been in heaven. Jesus descended from heaven in the Incarnation and He ascended in the Ascension. Jesus is the bridge between heaven and earth. John 1:51 51 And He said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Some prophets have been privileged to receive some glimpses of heaven but only to the extent God allows and they were allowed to reveal only what God specifically wanted them to reveal. These prophets were not privileged to know the kind of spiritual matters the Lord is revealing to Nicodemus. Paul revealed that he had been caught up to the third heaven but he wasn t allowed to record what he heard there. Only Jesus has the credibility and the authority to speak on these things. 2 Corinthians 12:2 4 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows 4 was 19

20 caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. Ezekiel and Isaiah also come to mind in this regard. They received relatively brief, specific views of heaven and recorded those events for us in the Scriptures. Christ refers to Himself here as the Son of Man which every Jew, but especially a Pharisee, would have recognized as a Messianic title first used by the prophet Daniel. Daniel 7: I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. John 3: As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. Jesus begins to explain the cross to Nicodemus by using an Old Testament historical event chronicled in the book of Numbers. At this point, the reference to the cross is vague but it will be progressively revealed in its totality as the Scriptures progress through time. Numbers 21:6 9 6 The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 So the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us. And Moses interceded for the people. 8 Then the LORD said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live. 9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. 20

21 When the people began complaining about Moses and their journey, God exercised His prerogative to enact temporal discipline and He did it by sending serpents into their midst that had a burning, fatal bite. When the people came to Moses and admitted their sin, God provided a remedy that would be actuated by faith. A bronze representation of a serpent was to be mounted on a pole and when the people who were bitten looked upon it, they would be saved. Those who believed God and looked upon the bronze serpent were saved. Clearly, there is some typological significance between the bronze serpent raised up on a pole and the Lord raised up on the cross. This bronze representation of the serpent was without poison and harmless but what it represented was seriously harmful. The Lord appeared in the form of sinful flesh yet He was without sin. The Israelites had to exercise faith and look upon the representation of the serpent in order to be healed and we must look upon the crucified Lord in faith that we will be delivered from the deadly effects of sin. In a very real sense, Christ delivers us from the bite of that serpent of old who is called Satan and the devil. It must be kept in mind that looking at the bronze serpent, in and of itself, did not save the Israelites. It was the faith that believed God that saved them. In this dispensation, it is faith in the appropriate object of faith that saves; that object of faith is the person of Christ Jesus who died on the cross as the propitiation for sin. This was and is the only antidote for the poison of sin. 21

22 The Lord links belief in the Son of Man with eternal life. The words αἰώνιον ζωή, eternal life, not only refer to a life that never ends but they also refer to a quality of life both now and on into eternity. We have eternal life right now. At the moment we believe, we have a life that is in Christ that is a life that is life eternal. Colossians 3:1 4 1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. What lessons can we learn from this Scripture? 1. People can respond to the light God provides mankind and that response will generate more light until they either reject further light or they are confronted with the gospel message at which time they can choose to believe and be granted eternal life or they can choose to reject God s grace gift of eternal life. 2. Signs are designed to authenticate the message and the messenger. True signs will always point to God. 3. Every human being is born in accordance with a physical birth. Every person who will be granted eternal life must be born again a second time. This second birth is a spiritual birth, a birth from above. Without being regenerated by God through this second birth, no person can stand in His presence. 4. Jesus stated that the purpose for the cross was to provide all who believe with eternal life. This eternal life begins the moment a person places their faith in Him and His work on that cross. 22