Exegesis of John 3:1-17
DPE
Step I - (Initial) Acquaintance
A. Comparison of English translations: (John 3:3 NRSV) Jesus answered him, "Very
truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
(John 3:3 NIV) In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the
kingdom of God unless he is born again."
(John 3:6 NRSV) What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6 NIV) Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
(John 3:7 NRSV) Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' (John 3:7 NIV) You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'
The key issue between the NIV and the NRSV is the translation of the Greek word anothen which can be translated "from above" or "again." The NIV does not really show the word game John is playing here.
B. Greek/Hebrew Textual Criticism: In verse 5 Codex Bezae and other Western
witnesses have kingdom of heaven instead of kingdom of God. (1) In verse 15 it can be
read either "that everyone who believes in him shall not perish" or "that everyone who
believes shall not perish but have eternal life in him."
C. One's Own Rough Translation: (I have opted to use Raymond Browns translation in his commentary on the Gospel of John. He shows the interesting way John uses the same word with different meanings attached to them, like anothen which means both "from above" and again. This is significant for understanding the use of misunderstanding at work here in the text.
1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, 2 who came to him at night. "Rabbi," he said to Jesus, "we know you are a teacher who has come from God; for, unless God is with him, no one can perform the signs that you perform." 3 Jesus gave him this answer:
"I solemnly assure you,
no one can see the kingdom of God
without being begotten from above."
4 "How can a man be born again once he is old?" retorted Nicodemus. "Can he re-enter his mother's womb and be born all over again?"
5 Jesus replied:
"I solemnly assure you,
no one can enter the kingdom of God
without being begotten of water and Spirit.
6 Flesh begets flesh,
and spirit begets spirit.
7 Do not be surprised that I told you:
You must all be begotten from above.
8 the wind blows about at will;
you hear the sound it makes
but do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
So it is with everyone begotten of the spirit.
9 Nicodemus replied, "How can things like this happen?" 10 Jesus answered, "You hold the office of teacher of Israel, and still you don't understand these things?"
11 I solemnly assure you,
we are talking about what we know,
and we are testifying to what we have seen;
but you people do not accept our testimony.
12 If you do not believe
when I tell you earthly things,
how are you going to believe
when I tell you about heavenly things?
13 Now, no one has gone up into heaven
except the one who came down from heaven-
the Son of Man [who is in heaven].
14 and just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that everyone who believes
may have eternal life in him.
16 Yes, God loved the world so much
that he gave the only Son,
that everyone who believes in him may not perish
but may have eternal life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world
to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him. (2)
Step II - Disposition
A. Genre - How the text says what it says: The text is a narrative of a discussion
between Jesus and a religious leader. The religious leader speaks three times. Each
time Jesus answers him in the same way "I solemnly assure you." After Jesus speaks
the third time the text becomes a monologue. Many elements characteristic of John's
literary style are present in this text. 1) John is written in a more poetic format and the
words of Jesus are more solemn and sacral than in the synoptics. 2) The text makes
use of the technique of misunderstanding. Jesus is speaking at one level but he is
misunderstood because the religious leader responds at another level. Hence, the
born from above and born again comments. 3) Many of the words in this text have two
or more meanings to them. This is very much like John. The biggest instance is the
word anothen which can mean from above or again. Another is wind and spirit.
Another iis lifted up which means both lifted up and exalted. 4) The author also uses
contrasts to make his point in the text. A good example is the contrast between light
and darkness. Nicodemus comes to him at night. Another is between flesh and spirit.
5) The author uses a lot of irony in this gospel and it is apparent here in this text. For
example, Nicodemus says that he knows but he does not know. It should be noted that
John 11 appears to be the voice of John's community as opposed to the voice of Jesus.
B. Personal Interaction - Questions and observations: How can you preach this text? It
is a long text with a lot of different issues? Who was Nicodemus? Why did he come to
Jesus at night? What does he represent for the author? What kind of faith does he
have in Jesus? The significance of miracles is mentioned over and over again. What is
the importance of signs and wonders for author and what is their relationship to faith?
What does it mean to be born form above? What is going on here with this flesh and
spirit division? Sounds a bit like Gnosticism to me. Obviously Jesus is more than a
teacher from God. Who is Jesus for the author? What kind of Christology is going on
in this text? What does it mean to believe in Jesus? How do you get into the saved
group of people Nicodemus and his group are looking at things from a human
perspective. Jesus tells him that he can't possibly get it from that perspective. What is
needed is a new life, new sight, a new light from above? How do you get it if it is as
elusive as the wind blowing wherever it pleases. I'm left wondering about theological
certainty. Nicodemus says we know. But he does not know. It sounds as if revelation
is closed to him and that to believe he must open himself up to the possibility of a new
revelation. This is a risky venture. If he steps into this new paradigm his whole world
will change. How does that relate to us in the present? What are earthly things and
what are heavenly things.
C. Organization - Where the elements of "B" are located: The answers are found in
Step I, Step III, Step IV, and Step V, and Step VI.
Step III- Composition
A. Immediate Context - preceding/following pericope: The text must be interpreted from
the point of view of 2:23-25 where it says that many in Jerusalem believed in Jesus
because they saw the signs that he was doing. Nicodemus enters the story at this
point saying they know he is a teacher from God because of the signs. For John this is
falls short of what genuine faith ought to be. Following the conversation with
Nicodemus is a monologue in verses 10-21. The monologue describes what the author
means by genuine faith. Genuine faith is the person who believes in Jesus because
God has been revealed incarnate in Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus will not be
condemned. The whole light versus the dark issues is dealt with here.
B. Organization of the Compositional Whole: This story is the first in a series encounters Jesus has with specific characters struggling to know what to believe about him. John 4:5-42; 9:1-41; 11:1-45. Nicodemus represents a type of people who do not have a genuine faith. Jesus is calling them out of the darkness and into the light. As well, the significance of miracles is raised over and over again in John 4:48; 6:2,14,26,30; 7:31; 9:16; 12:37,20:29.
C. Issues of Authorship: John or whoever the author may be uses this passage to
demonstrate what constitutes authentic faith. Authentic faith in Jesus does not base
itself on signs. It is obvious that Nicodemus represents a whole group of people who
were curios to learn more about Jesus. We may not know what group he represents,
but it is obvious from the conversation with Jesus that this group was on the threshold
of becoming a part of the Christian movement. They were those who believed in Jesus
but did not have the genuine faith, as John's community understood it. It is obvious
that John was trying to appeal to a Jewish audience that was curious about the person
of Jesus.
Step IV - Context
A. Primitive Christianity: There are no other references to Nicodemus in the synoptic
gospels. The dialogue with Nicodemus contains some of the key theological concepts
in John's Gospel. This sermon probably had significance for Christians in John's
community with regard to baptism. Some think that portions of John's community spun
off into gnosticism.
B. Old Testament and Judaism: Nicodemus probably belonged to the Sanhedrin that was composed of Pharisees, Sadducees, and lay elders. They were the highest governing body among the Jews. Nicodemus is mentioned on two other occasions in John's Gospel in John 7:50 and 19:39. in 7:50 he stands up for Jesus among the Jewish leadership. In 19:39 he makes arrangement with Joseph of Arimethea for the burial of Jesus. John 3:14 is a reference to Numbers 21:8-9
C. Hellenistic World: "John is often characterized as a Hellenistic Gospel. It's uses of
abstract ideas like light and truth; its dualistic division of humanity into light and
darkness, truth and falsehood; its concept of the Word - all these were once widely
held to be the product of Greek philosophical thought, or of combinations of philosophy
and religion (e.g., the Hermetic literature), or of the Pagan Mystery religions." (3) Some
scholars have stressed the relationship of John to Gnosticism.
Step V - Distillation
A. Summary of Salient Features: The text at hand is a conversation between two
religious leaders with a summary at the end. The summary at the end is found in John
3:16-17. The conversation must be seen in the context of John 2:23-25. I found this
summary helpful in the New Interpreters Bible. " Belief in Jesus changes one's life so
that one can, indeed, speak of being "born again," not because of an intrinsic change in
human nature, but because of the new beginnings that comes with the full character of
God revealed in Jesus. To believe in Jesus is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God
and that God loved the world so much that God gave the son as a gift. The God
revealed in Jesus is a God who love knows no bounds and who asks only that one
receive the gift." (4) The whole point of the text is that one must be born from above to
experience the new life that only God can give. To be born from above involves an act
of God and it is not something that we do. This is all possible because of the love that
God has for the whole world. However, this is all contingent of our believing in Jesus
as the Son of God. Belief in Jesus is a requirement. But the right kind of belief - not on
the basis of signs. And it is a gift that we cannot control or possess.
B. Smooth Translation:
C. Hermeneutical Bridge: Nicodemus has gotten a bad rap over the years as a dimwitted religious leader who just doesn't get it. Thousands of sermons have been preached about a religious man whose learning has interfered with his knowing God. Others have portrayed him as a coward who waits until it is dark to go to Jesus. He's either a coward or a dimwit. But I don't think such stereotyping is really fair. When I read the story I see religious seeker. I see someone who is searching for something he senses is missing in his life. Something about Jesus caused him to seek something deeper for his life. What he learns from his encounter is that he did not possess an authentic faith. His faith was based on signs and wonders and he says that God must be with Jesus. But for John that was not good enough. What John does with the text then is lay out for us what an authentic faith looks like.
1) An Authentic faith seeks a first hand knowledge of God. It is the person who is not content to read books about God or to listen to sermons about God but who wants to find out who God is for himself.
2) An Authentic faith is a faith that is born from above. This means that it is something that comes from God. Many translate this as being born again. But that is really a misunderstanding of the text. To be born from above means that your faith has come from God.
a. This is not something that we have any control over at all.
b. This means that we must always be open to new revelations from God.
3) An Authentic faith understands that it is a gift from God. It is not something that we earn for ourselves. But rather it is something that God does for us.
4) An Authentic faith understands that this gift is rooted in the depth of God's love for us. Psalm 103 is a really good reference for us here. I also think of the story of the man who was kidnapped for a 100,000 ransom but his wife negotiated them down to 30,000. God held nothing back in his love for us.
5) An authentic faith understands that God's love is for the whole world. Not just for the church. Not just for North Americans. Not just for Christians. But for the whole world.
Are we open to new revelation from God? My experience at TCU - everything I believed about the world and about God was challenged. Spent 3 semesters resisting everything I was being taught. Finally one night I lay in my bed I felt as if I were standing on the edge of a new world that God was opening up to me. So consciously and deliberately I just let Go and gave myself to this new world that God was opening up for me. We do not go to God to confirm what we already believe. We should go to God to allow God to open us up to new revelation. That's why there is more here to this story than just a salvation story.
Today I want to examine the subject of a conversion. What is it? What does it look like?
Professional golfer Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer at age 33. He had just won
a PGA championship and had ten tournament victories to his credit.
He wrote, "A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then
another reality hit me even harder. I'm going to die eventually anyway, whether from
cancer or something else. It's just a question of when. Everything I had accomplished in
golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was live."
Then he remembered something that Larry Moody, who teaches a Bible study on the
tour, had said to him. "Zinger, we're not in the land of the living going to the land of the
dying. We're in the land of the dying trying to get to the land of the living."
Golfer Paul Azinger recovered from chemotherapy and returned to the PGA tour. He's
done pretty well. But that bout with cancer deepened his perspective. He wrote, "I've
made a lot of money since I've been on the tour, and I've won a lot of tournaments, but
that happiness is always temporary. The only way you will ever have true contentment
is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that nothing ever bothers
me and I don't have problems, but I feel like I've found the answer to the six-foot hole."
When I was seventeen years old I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, made my public confession, and was baptized. I had gone to church most of my life and had already been baptized. Though I had been aware of God most of my life it was at that point it became personal for me. It all occurred when I asked someone what it meant to be born again. They then told me this story from John 3:1-17. It was this story that helped me understand for the first time what it meant to be a Christian. I needed to be born again. Which meant God Loved me. Which meant that he gave his son for me. Which mean I needed to accept Jesus as my Lord and savior. There was more to it than just going to church. Once I understood this story I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior. Soon afterwards I was baptized. When People ask me to tell them About my own conversion to Jesus Christ this is the story that I would tell them.
But when I was converted to Christ. In fact, I still have not been converted to Christ. What I described is a very typical conversion experience. Since then I've come to understand that conversion a little differently. When you accept Christ it is only the beginning of the process and I suppose that you are never fully converted until the day that you die. It is going to take my whole life to be converted. The conversion is only the beginning.
You certainly see that in the person of Nicodemus in this passage. Here he comes to Jesus. But he does not understand. Later we see him defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin. Later we see him helping prepare the body of Jesus for burial. Nothing is said about whether or not he accepts Christ. But you see that this initial contact with Christ is just the beginning. We sometime paint Nicodemus as a dimwit. But that's not really very fair is it. He was just at the beginning of his conversion. We also see this in the person of Peter - he follows Jesus, he confesses Jesus, he fails Jesus but is forgiven, he rejects the gentiles but then God shows him and he is accepted back in.
The Protestant reformers thought we are so deep in sin and that Christ's ways are so different from our ways that it will take a person's entire life to be converted to Jesus Christ.
So now when I look back at my life I can see some moments when some real turns were taken for me. When I was at TCU is a good example. This is why the phrase being born from above makes so much sense. It implies that it comes from God and that we must be open to it
Take a look now at a few lines in this passage in relationship to this stuff. The wind blowing where it will. The idea that it is a gift. The idea that it is founded in love. The idea that it is for the whole world.
Step VI - Contemporary Address
A. Description of Audience: The text presents some difficulties for my audience. Most
everyone in my congregation will be familiar with the religious language of being born
again. Some will have an aversion to it because of previous experiences with the
religious right. Some people who come from such traditions will hear it the way that
they have always heard it. To get at the text will require dealing with these pre-understandings. The phrase born again is a loaded phrase. The same thing applies to
John 3:16. Everyone in my congregation will be familiar with it. Like Nicodemus we will
have to let go of what we know to enter into the life of this text.
B. Intended Goals for the Address: To examine the conversion process. Conversion is a life long process and not a momentary event. When we use the phrase born again we make it sound like a one time event. This is why we should say that we have been born from above. Purpose then is to encourage people to embrace their conversion as a life time event.
(1) The Gospel According to John, Doubleday & Co., 1966, Raymond Brown, pp. 131
(2) Ibid., pp. 128-129
(3) An Introduction To The New Testament, Raymond Brown , Doubleday, 1997, pp. 371-372.
(4) New Interpreters Bible: Volume IX, Abingdon Press, 1995, pp. 555.
C. Address:
A Real Conversion Lasts A Lifetime
John 3:1-17
Today I want to look at the subject of our conversions to Christ. What is a conversion? What does it look like?
Professional golfer Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer at age 33. He had just
won a PGA championship and had ten tournament victories to his credit.
He wrote, "A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then
another reality hit me even harder. I'm going to die eventually anyway, whether from
cancer or something else. It's just a question of when. everything I had accomplished in
golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was live."
Then he remembered something that Larry Moody, who teaches a Bible study on
the tour, had said to him. "Zinger, we're not in the land of the living going to the land of
the dying. We're in the land of the dying trying to get to the land of the living."
Golfer Paul Azinger recovered from chemotherapy and returned to the PGA tour. He's done pretty well. But that bout with cancer deepened his perspective. He wrote, "I've made a lot of money since I've been on the tour, and I've won a lot of tournaments, but that happiness is always temporary. The only way you will ever have true contentment is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that nothing ever bothers me and I don't have problems, but I feel like I've found the answer to the six-foot hole."
When I was sixteen years old I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, made my public confession of faith, and was baptized a second time. It happened when I asked a friend who belonged to the Baptist Church what it meant to be born again. The religious T-Shirt he was wearing prompted my question.
To answer my question he turned to the story of Nicodemus in John's Gospel. Verse by verse he led me through the chapter explaining as he went. He told me that God loved me so much that he gave his only son for me. He told me that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. That's what Jesus meant when he said the son of man would be lifted up. He told me that eternal life came to those who believe in Jesus and accept him as personal Lord and Savior. Then he taught me the sinner's prayer. "Lord I am a sinner…." Pray that prayer he said and you will be born again. I had been in and out of church most of my life.
I had already joined the church and been baptized. However, this was the first time anyone ever taken the time to explain the gospel to me. It was so attractive I got down on knees that very evening and invited Jesus into my life. When people ask me to tell them about my conversion experience, this is the story that I usually tell them.
But as powerful as that experience was for me, I still haven't been converted to Christ. That's Right! Your minister hasn't been converted to Jesus Christ. If you speak of conversion in terms of becoming a Christian, then I have been converted. But if you are talking about conversion in terms of becoming the person Christ wants me to be I haven't been converted. In fact, I'm not even close. Actually it would be better to say I'm in the process of being converted.
At one time I thought that a conversion to Christ was a one-time event. When I accepted Jesus, confessed my faith, and was baptized that was my conversion. However, with time I've come to believe that the conversion process is a lifetime event. Accepting Christ it is only the beginning of the process. A person isn't completely converted until the day her crosses from this life to the next. It is going to take my whole life to be converted. My initial conversion was only the beginning.
You certainly see this in the person of Nicodemus. He only appears three times in John's gospel. In our text for today he comes to Jesus at night seeking some answers. But he does not understand what Jesus is telling him. Then in John 7:50 Nicodemus asks the Sanhedrin to listen to Jesus before they condemn him. Finally, in John 19:39 he helps Joseph of Arimathea prepare the body of Jesus for burial. Nothing is said about whether or not he ever accepts Christ. But what you see in the gospel of John is a gradual movement toward Christ. We sometime paint Nicodemus as a dimwit. But that's not really very fair is it? He was just at the beginning of his conversion process.
Think about Peter for a moment. When was Peter converted to Christ? When Peter put down his fishing nets to follow Jesus? When Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ? When Peter was forgiven by Jesus for denying him three times? When Christ showed Peter that the Gentiles were to be included in the church? You cannot just pick one moment out of Peter's life and say that was the moment he was converted to Christ. All of those moments were steps down the road toward complete conversion.
"The great Protestant Reformers - (Martin Luther- John Calvin) - were so convinced that sin is so deep-rooted in human thinking and willing, that the gospel is so demanding and different, that only a life time of conversion can change us into the new creations God has in mind for us. The modern evangelical notion that conversion is an instantaneous, momentary phenomenon is not rooted in the thought of the Reformers, nor the Bible for that matter. …Presumably we never become too old, too adept at living the Christian life to be exempt from the need for more conversion. Conversion is more of a process than a moment. …Accepting Christ is just the beginning of the Christian journey, not the final destination." (1).
Therefore, describing just one event when talking about my conversion to Christ is insufficient. Since I accepted Christ at 16 my life there have been many minor and major turns toward Christ. There was my calling to the ministry. There was intellectual growth at TCU. There was my first position as a pastor. There was my marriage to Teresa. There was my near burnout two years ago. And I expect it has been the same for you.
Consider the following references, which point to the process of becoming over a solitary moment.
(Phil 2:12-13 NIV) Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
(1 Pet 2:2-3 NIV) Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
(Rom 8:28 NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Meaning everything in your life when you are in Christ becomes an opportunity for God to use it toward your conversion.
Standing at the other end of this process is a God who loves us and is wooing us toward him.
Born again vs Born from Above. There is a play on words in this text. Through out John the author uses Greek words that have double meanings. The Greek word here is anothen. It can be born from above or again. Important that it is interepreted correctly. When Jesus uses it should be born from above and not again. When Nicodemus uses it, it should be again. So Jesus says you must be born from above. Nicodemus replies how can I be born again. The difference is critical. Born again implies a solitary salvific event. However, that we must be born from above implies something to the contrary. It implies three things.
1. It is something that God does and not something that we do.
2. The conversion process is an ongoing process as opposed to a solitary event.
3. We must be open to new revelations from God.
In Nicodemus case, he said we know you are a teacher from God. We have seen all the signs you have been performing. We know then that God is with you. The new revelation for Nicodemus is that God isn't with Jesus as God was with the Prophets. Jesus is the Word of God. He is God incarnate. Which is something quite different from what Nicodemus proposed.
What is the point then? Why is it important that we know that our acceptance of Christ is only the beginning? Why is it important that we know that our conversion will last a lifetime?
1) Encourages us to commit ourselves to the whole process of our spiritual growth.
2) Helps us to see God's hand in all the details of our lives shaping us into his new creations.
3) It embraces people who never had that big flash of light or that dramatic conversion experience.
4) Soul winning is not the only purpose of the church. It is an important part of our ministry. But it is only the beginning.
The Foreign Film Chocolate has a great climax. At the climax of the movie the Priest in the little community delivers a sermon on Easter Sunday. "I do not want to speak on Christ's divine transformation - his divinity. I'd rather talk about his humanity. We can't go around measuring our goodness by what we don't do, by what we deny ourselves, what we resist, and who we exclude. I think we have to measure our goodness by what we embrace, what we create, and who we include."
(John 3:16-17 NIV) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we journey forward in Lent our call is to embrace it for a lifetime.
(1) Interpretation: Acts, William Willimon, John Knox Press, 1988, page 102-103