Nicodemus said, “how can these things be?”
Read John 3:9 – How can this be?
- Jesus was telling Nicodemus how to inherit eternal life and he was totally confused. He does not realize he is talking to the greatest teacher in history. The creator of the universe.
- Isaiah 32:15-16 – There is no doubt that Nicodemus knew this passage, but obviously he did not understand what it meant.
- Isaiah was describing what happened at Pentecost after Jesus was resurrected. The Spirit was poured out.
- Nicodemus believed that he was going to be saved because of who he was not what he believed. He was a Jew, a decedent of Abraham and because of this heritage he believed there was no question he would be saved into the Kingdom of God, not realizing that without Christ no one enters the Kingdom of Heaven. As we will see in vs. 13.
- Isaiah 32:15-16 – There is no doubt that Nicodemus knew this passage, but obviously he did not understand what it meant.
Read John 3:10 – The great teacher Nicodemus is getting knocked down a few notches by the greater teacher.
- Nicodemus was either a member of the Pharisees and knew the Tanakh or he was a distinguished teacher among the Jewish community. This is what Jesus means when He said, “are you the teacher of Israel…”
- Jesus was referencing these passages as He talked with Nicodemus, but the “teacher of Israel” was not making the connections.
- Ezekiel 36:25-26, Ezekiel 37:14, Proverbs 30:4-5
- This is also the key to John 3:16.
Read John 3:11 – Noticed Jesus switches from talking about I to saying “we”.
- Who is the “we” in the text?
- Here Jesus again uses Truly, Truly before beginning to let Nicodemus know what He is about to tell him is theological in nature and trustworthy. See previous study.
- Most likely Jesus is referring to Himself and John the Baptizer. They were both testifying to what they had seen and received from God. The Pharisees refused to be baptized by John. Luke 7:30.
- The you in this passage is not only referring to Nicodemus but also the Pharisees he is with.
- This passage could be translated like this; “you do not accept our testimony. Nicodemus, I tell you individually, we speak what we know, we testify to what we have seen; but you and those who are represented by you, Israel, you do not receive our testimony.” David B. Curtis
Read John 3:12-15 – Jesus is revealing spiritual things not earthly things.
- Jesus uses earthly analogies like birth and wind to illustrate spiritual things like the Holy Sprit and being born from heaven. If he could not understand these, how could understand spiritual things.
- Vs13. Deuteronomy 30:11-12 could be what Jesus is referencing. I like what Curtis says about this verse “The implication is that no one has both ascended to heaven to receive divine revelation and descended to earth to give an account of that revelation in the same way that Yeshua has as the incarnate Word of God.” David B. Curtis
- Vs14-15. Number 21:4-9. The story in Numbers is the shadow of the real thing that is the salvation of Jesus the Christ.
- The Son of Man is Jesus self-designation, and it comes from Daniel 7:13.
Lifted up on a cross for sins of the world that he will then reference to Nicodemus in vs. 16. Whoever believes in the Christ will receive eternal life. In John 3:16 Jesus will go right into telling Nicodemus about How God loved the world and gave. Creating the most quoted verse in all the Bible.
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