The supernatural knowledge possessed by Jesus of what was in man, and man’s refusal to recognise His true disciples, is made clearer in these verses. Any who didn’t feel the need for the radical change in human nature which He came into the world to effect, is clearly brought out in His interview with Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was a member of the ruling council, a Sanhedrin, John 3:1. Most of the Sanhedrin were Sadducees of the Priestly families, but some were of the Pharisee sect. Nicodemus was one of these, and his acceptance on the Sanhedrin council was quite an honour.
Nicodemus was genuinely impressed by what Jesus said and did; he at least didn’t attribute Jesus’ extraordinary powers to Satanic influence, as some of the other Pharisees did, Matthew 12:22-32 / Luke 11:14-23.
On the contrary, he recognised Jesus as a teacher who had come from God, John 3:2, and he is anxious to know more about Him, but he also seems anxious to avoid giving the impression that he wants to become a committed disciple.
Why he came at night is a matter of opinion and must be treated as such; here are a couple of possibilities.
1. The fact that Nicodemus came at ‘night’, John 3:2, is an indication that he didn’t want to be seen; however, it may just have been that he was too busy to see Jesus during the day, in which case it’s unlikely that the night would have been mentioned.
2. It could also have been that he wanted to see Jesus by himself to be able to ask Him questions without interruptions, and Jesus was so busy during the day with the crowds that the only time Nicodemus knew that he would get peace and quiet with Jesus was at night.
The word ‘Rabbi’ in John 3:2 is an indication of respect, so Nicodemus is being polite and cautious in this opening conversation, implying that he must have been at least a bit impressed by Jesus. He acknowledges Jesus but doesn’t declare his faith. By using the word ‘we’ in John 3:2, he is referring to the people in general. He had discussed Jesus with a group sympathetic to His cause, not necessarily people on the Sanhedrin.
Nicodemus would have been looking forward to the establishment of God’s kingdom and also a greater reward because he adhered to the Pharisaic traditions. As soon as Nicodemus has paid his compliments, John 3:3, Jesus cuts away from under his feet all grounds for self-satisfaction. Jesus’ reply isn’t as reserved.
He gets right to the heart of the matter. ‘I tell you the truth’ is a method of emphasising a point, directly translated, it would read ‘Amen, Amen’, and it is often translated as ‘Truly, Truly’ or ‘Verily, Verily’, John 3:3.
The idea of being born again, John 3:3, confuses Nicodemus; it holds the idea that a distinct change has taken place and results in his following question. The kingdom of God is for those who have received this total change. Jesus states it in the negative, John 3:3.
The Kingdom of God refers to more than the church; it was before the church and will be after it, before creation, patriarchs, the Mosaic age church, but the entire heavenly realm of God. God is present in all things.
The words ‘cannot see’, John 3:3, mean ‘cannot perceive’. It doesn’t mean see as in physical sight, but is talking about personal experience. Nicodemus asks for clarification regarding the question of being born again. Remember, Nicodemus would have to be quite old to be in the Sanhedrin, so his question seems almost comical, John 3:4.
The baptism of John was well known by this time, no matter how much the Pharisees wanted to ignore it, Matthew 3:13-17 / John 1:26-36. The answer Jesus gives confirms the doctrine of baptism and shows that it refers to the baptism of a penitent believer, John 3:5.
The new birth is demonstrated by people becoming citizens of the kingdom on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:37-47. Jesus, here at the start of His doctrinal message, begins with a similar statement to Peter in Acts 2:38.
The Spirit confirms the need to receive the post-resurrection baptism, John 3:6-8, as only that baptism gives the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:38. A play on words is made here, the Spirit and the wind are both the same word in Greek ‘pneumatos’. Wind illustrates the fact that the Holy Spirit is inexplicable to man.
The Holy Spirit uses His sword, the word of God, to produce conviction of faith, which leads to the conviction of sin, which leads to the waters of obedience, baptism, John 16:7-8 / Acts 2:36-38 / Ephesians 6:17. The message of the Spirit, Acts 2:36-41, includes conception, Acts 2:37, and delivery, Acts 2:41.
As the wind cannot be prevented from going where it wishes, nor can the Spirit, John 3:8. He enters at will but must be allowed to enter at baptism to replace the removed sin. The words, ‘born of the Spirit’, John 3:8, are a name given to all who are Christians. The point is that God isn’t restricted by human or physical boundaries; man can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit can give life from above.
In John 3:9, Nicodemus again asks for clarification, ‘how can this be’ or ‘how can this come about.’ Like the Jews generally, he fails to appreciate the meaning of the Spiritual nature of the Kingdom, Matthew 18:1 / John 20:21 / John 6:15 / Acts 1:6. Jesus’ reply seems almost rude again, John 3:10. He seems disappointed that the teacher of the Law, those who ought first to understand, cannot. It is an apparent rebuke.
The ‘we’ in John 3:11 is Jesus and the Father, or the apostles, John 4:22, or John the Baptiser. The Pharisees had rejected the baptism of John, Luke 7:29-31. The word ‘you,’ both here, John 3:11 / John 1:11, and in John 3:12, to paraphrase, says, ‘I solemnly tell you that we are reliable witnesses, but you reject our witness or testimony’. He is very straightforward.
Jesus must have seen something that He liked about Nicodemus, as He revealed Himself to Him, and gave him a good explanation of what Christ was all about. Jesus is saying to Nicodemus, ‘If you disbelieve me when I tell you about things on earth, how will you believe me when I tell you about heaven?’ John 3:12.
Jesus asserts His heavenly origin, ‘No one but me?’ John 3:12-15. Remember, Nicodemus acknowledged that Jesus is a teacher from God, and the proof was in the miracles He performed, John 3:2. And so in relation to those statements, when Jesus says to Nicodemus, ‘No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man,’ John 3:13, He’s simply telling Nicodemus that He came from heaven, and He will return to heaven, John 16:28.
He’s saying to Nicodemus, ‘If you don’t believe me when I tell you, that is, teach you, about things on earth, how will you believe me when I tell you, that is, teach you, things about heaven.’
The ‘snake’ mentioned in John 3:14 is taken from Numbers 21:9, where the bronze snake gave salvation of a physical sort to those bitten by snakes, Numbers 21:4-9. As this snake, later called ‘nehustan’, was lifted up, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, on the cross, John 3:14 / John 12:32.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that He is the Son of Man, an expression used in Psalm 8:4 and Daniel 7:13. Jesus seems to get to the heart of the matter very quickly, indicating that He may have considered Nicodemus a spiritual man.
In the first instance, the snake was lifted up so people could see and receive physical healing, and in the second case, lifting Jesus upon the cross gave all salvation from Spiritual death, Romans 3:23-26. After lifting up the Son, all who believe in Him may have eternal life, rather than eternal death without Him, John 3:15 / Mark 16:16.
The word ‘believe’, John 3:15, is ‘pisteuo’ in Greek, and it means to place one’s trust or confidence in, to rely upon by faith. Eternal life has more to do with quality than quantity; hell is eternal in time, too. The quality is there because it is life with the Eternal One.
Eternal life is more than just endless living; it is a sharing in the life of God, John 5:26 / John 17:3. 1 John 5:11-12 makes it very clear that eternal life is a dimension that means life in full fellowship and unity with God.