1.
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2.
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Verse 2
By night; secretly, for fear of his associates and friends.
3.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Verse 3
Jesus answered, &c. There is no apparent connection between the reply of Jesus and the words of Nicodemus. Undoubtedly much of the conversation was omitted.--Be born again; altogether and entirely changed in the temper and disposition of the mind.
4.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Verse 4
How can a man, &c. We are not to suppose that Nicodemus seriously understood our Lord as using the language in its literal signification; but, not knowing precisely what he did intend, he employs these expressions as an emphatic mode of asking an explanation. In fact, the Savior's reply seems to indicate, not so much that Nicodemus misunderstood what he meant to say, as that he was our surprised at its extraordinary import.
John 3:5 Of water and of the Spirit. Water is emblematical of the public profession of repentance, and the Spirit is the agent that produces the inward change. The meaning, therefore, is, that an entire change in the spiritual condition of the soul must be openly avowed and truly experienced, to fit the sinner for the kingdom of heaven.
5.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of 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.
Verse 6
The meaning seems to be, that the qualities which are inherited by natural birth are earthly and sensual, and that a great change, to be wrought only by the Holy Spirit, will make man heavenly-minded and pure.
7.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Verse 8
Where it listeth; where it will--Thou hearest, &c.; that is, we see the effect produced, but we cannot understand the operation of the cause.
9.
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Verse 10
He ought to have known them, for the power of God, in respect to the renewal of the heart, is often recognized in the Old Testament, especially in the book of Psalms.
11.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12.
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13.
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Verse 14
Be lifted up. It is uncertain whether the meaning is exalted in honor, as expressed Matthew 28:18 or whether the reference is to his being raised upon the cross in ignominy, as in John 12:32-34.
15.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Verse 16
With the John 3:1-15 appears to end our Savior's conversation with Nicodemus; the remarks which follow, John 3:16-21, inclusive, being probably the comments made by John upon the conversation; for they resemble very much, both in sentiment and diction, the composition of the evangelist, while they are unlike the sayings of the Savior. Other similar cases of this character hereafter occur. For evidence of the effect which this conversation, and the Savior's ministry in general, produced on Nicodemus, see John 7:50,John 7:51,John 7:19:39.
17.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Verse 19
The condemnation; the ground of their condemnation. Compare John 3:19,John 3:20; John 1:1-14, for evidence that these are the remarks of the evangelist, and not of Jesus.
20.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21.
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
22.
After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
23.
And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
24.
For John was not yet cast into prison.
Verse 24
For John was not yell cast into prison. From the first three Evangelists one would naturally conclude that our Lord's public ministry only began after the Baptist's imprisonment. But here, about six months, probably, after our Lord had entered upon His public ministry, we find the Baptist still at his work of preaching and baptizing. How much longer this continued cannot be determined with certainty; but probably not very long. For the great importance of this little verse for the right harmonizing of the Gospels, and determining the probable duration of our Lord's ministry, see on Matthew 4:12.
25.
Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
Verse 25
Purifying; baptism.
26.
And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
Verse 26
They expected to have excited a feeling of displeasure in the mind of John, that Jesus, who had been among his disciples, and was baptized by him, and indebted to him for a public testimonial in his favor, should now be advancing beyond John in popular regard.
27.
John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28.
Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29.
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
Verse 29
This my joy; that is, the joy of the friend of the bridegroom. John means to say that he rejoiced in the success and celebrity of the Savior's ministry, instead of regarding it, as his disciples had anticipated, with envy and chagrin.
30.
He must increase, but I must decrease.
31.
He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
Verse 31
It has been considered uncertain whether the words which follow, John 3:31-36, are a continuation of the conversation of John the Baptist, or the remarks of St. John, the author of this Gospel. On the one hand, there is nothing to mark a transition; but, then, on the other hand, the John 3:31-36 exhibit strikingly the style and mode of expression characteristic of the evangelist. It is, perhaps, most probable that they are intended to represent the general sentiments of the speaker, but clothed in language by the writer,--and thus exhibiting the peculiarities of his diction.
32.
And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
Verse 32
And no man receiveth, &c.; a remark more likely to be made by John the evangelist, when writing his history long after our Savior's death, and when he had been so decidedly rejected by the Jews, than by John the Baptist, just at the commencement of his ministry, when, as it is expressed in John 3:26, all men were coming unto him.
33.
He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
34.
For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Verse 34
By measure; sparingly.
35.
The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
36.
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.