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Intro and Recap: John writes, and witnesses about Jesus, that Jesus is the word, is God, the one that was present at the beginning, that all who receive Jesus, would be born again by God, and become the children of God. John the Baptist, witness and say that, Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes the sins og the world, Andrew said we have found the Messiah, the Christ. Philip said: we have found him Moses and the law and the prophets wrote about. Nathanael says: Son of God, The King of Israel. Jesus turns water in to wine and shows his glory as Lord of creation, Jesus made a wipe and cleansed the temple of false worship, declaring that His body will be the way to God, by his death and resurrection.
Today:
Verses 23-25 sum up the passage from last time and it makes a bridge to the next story, the next story with Nikodemus takes up and expands what was said in the introduction, 1:13. Born of God, born again. And that will be how Jesus snows his glory in the two stories today. (Two stories that fail to see Jesus full glory).
People’s agenda – Jesus’ mission.
Jesus did not need people – men to say who he was or indorse who he was. Because Jesus knew who he was, and he knew, what was in people, and that they did not understand why he and come, the people had believed because of the signs, but they did not understand Jesus’ mission.
Jesus knew all people, he knew what was in them, he also knew that it was not what people said about him that was important, but what God said. Jesus did not need the praise of man and, he has the praise of God to trust in. The text says: Jesus did not believe in the people, -the opposite of the people believed in Jesus’ name because of his signs. Jesus shows his glory by trusting in God and not people, that did not understand who and why Jesus came. PPT A faith by only signs, historical is weak, - As the next story teaches people have to be made new from above.
Jesus = Trust in God and not people, - we should properly do the same, don’t trust the praise of men, and people witness about you, trust in God’s word and what God has done and what can be said about you from the scripture. And this works both ways for good and bad. Because God reveals the truth, most people don’t. (Agenda or view point or something to sell/endorse).
Jesus will say in the next story, you need to be born again to see the kingdom, Paul would write we are lost in our sin and trespassed against God and are children of wrath, Jesus will call many people blind. Are you blind or born again from above? Have you seen the glory of Jesus and who he is?
Nicodemus a Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews come to Jesus at night, (cover of night?) His testimony is that “we” know that you are a teacher come from God, because you could not do the signs you do unless God is with Him. (This is what a good student does, seek out the answers, we know something but we don’t know it all who are you?) (This is an undervelmeing statement about Jesus compared to the disciples and John the Baptist statements about Jesus).
In a way that Jesus does many times he does not respond to his question, but gives him the response he needs. (Jesus knows that Nicodemus is looking for the kingdom of God but he does not know how to get there). Therefore, Jesus tells him, Amen Amen, unless one is born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. (ppt- about again and above).This does not open the eyes of Nicodemus, instead it seems to make him more confused, granted this seems like a new thing Jesus is introducing. Nicodemus, ask how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb, and be born?
Jesus responds: “You have to be born of water and the Spirt, or you can’t enter the kingdom of God.
Jesus explains the differences between normal birth in the flesh and the rebirth by the Spirit, that the natural/flesh can’t see the kingdom of God, only by rebirth by the power of God in Spirit, and Jesus presses and say don’t marvel that I said you must be born again. You should know this… That the Spirit moves like the wind, you don’t see it but you see the effects, you should look at the works I do and believe not only the works but who I am and what I have come to do, not just that I came from God, but why I came.
Nicodemus, - seems very confused, stunned, asking how can this be, can God make people new, rebirth, the Spirt on people? How can this work? (Jesus is breaking all the exptactions and theology Nicodemus has, and is inviting him to understand who Jesus is). Frist he will rebuke him, Jesus ask Nicodemus; Are you the teacher of Isael yet you do not understand these things? (PPT Ezekiel 25-28) In other words, you have the stewardship/ of the Law and prophets and to teach them to Israel and you don’t understand, Moses and the prophets? You are ignorant of what you should be teaching, you have misunderstood most things.
Verse 11. Amen Amen, the witness we, (Jesus and the disciples), what we have seen, Jesus signs and all the things said about him, the cleansing of the temple water to wine, raising the temple in 3 days. But when we tell you, you don’t believe, our testimony. (“You” is plural – meaning the Jewish leaders). Then how will you understand? If you don’t trust what we say and do? Jesus could have stopped here and sent him away, but he does not, he invites Nicodemus closer, very close to the core of the good news about Jesus.
First one more challenge, if I tell you about what I have done on earth and you don’t believe, then how will you understand if I share God’s plan/ heavenly things?
Jesus keeps going, it could be that Nicodemus was silent – 13. No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the son of man. Jesus saying that he is from heaven he is from God, awsering the question that Nicodemus had to begin with, Yes, I am sent from God. I am the Son of Man. And the son of man is not fitting your understating of the Christ/Messiah, so I will tell you what will happen. The son of man will be lifted up, as Moses did with the serpent (tell the story – people complain PPT) Therefore whoever believes in him will have eternal life. When the son of man is lifted up as the serpent, the sin, wrath, poison, complaning, will be taken away as people look to the son of man lifted up, - healing and eternal life will come (born again from above). Entering the kingdom of God.
And in 16, the son of man becomes the son of God, -That God so loved the world, he gave his son, - that we will explore next time more.
But what about you? How do you respond to Jesus? Are you born again? Do you trust in Jesus? What does that look like daily? John wants you to know who Jesus is. And find him and trust in Him and born again from Above.
