John 3 Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: John 3:1-6: Nicodemus comes to Jesus

A. Find Out:

1. Who was Nicodemus? v.1
   •  Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.
2. When did he come to Jesus? v.2a
   • He came to Jesus at night
3. How did he know God was with Jesus? v.2b
   • ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’
4. What did Jesus say had to happen? v.3
   • Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’
5. What was Nicodemus’s problem with that? v.4
   • Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’
6. What sort of birth was Jesus talking about? v.6
   • Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

B. Think:

1. Why do you think Nicodemus came to Jesus at night?
2. What do you think is the link between Nicodemus’s comment and Jesus’ response?
3. Why was Nicodemus having trouble with Jesus response?

C. Comment:

We now come to a personal exchange between Jesus and this senior religious leader who came somewhat furtively at nighttime (v.2a), presumably so his colleagues wouldn’t know he had come. He apparently has an interest in Jesus and so comes to find out for himself.

Nicodemus is a good diplomat and starts with praise of Jesus (v.2). The only thing is that Jesus isn’t an ordinary man and doesn’t need praise. Instead, he takes the opportunity to see just how open Nicodemus is to some teaching.

The “kingdom of God” (v.3) refers to the rule or activity of God, and so when Nicodemus says there are clearly signs of God’s activity in what Jesus is doing (v.2), Jesus responds saying you can’t really see God’s activity for what it really is unless you have got a new life. Nicodemus took literally Jesus’ words (v.4) and so Jesus indicates that there are two births (v.5), the natural birth when we come into this world (v.6a), and a spiritual birth that comes about by the Holy Spirit (v.6b).

Until the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and brings life to our spirit, we are as it were blind to spiritual realities. When He comes it is as if we start life completely afresh, with a new life source within.

D. Application?

1. A Christian is one in whom God has placed His own Holy Spirit, one who has a new life.
2. It is the Holy Spirit who brings revelation.

Passage: John 3:7-15: Jesus challengws Nicodemus

A. Find Out:

1. To what does Jesus liken being born again? v.7,8
   • You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’
2. Of what does Jesus say he spoke? v.11
   • Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen,
3. What was Jesus’ problem? v.11b,12
   • but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
4. Where had the “Son of Man” come from? v.13
   • No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man.
5. What must happen to him? v.14
   • Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
6. Why? v.15
   • that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’

B. Think:

1. Why was Jesus qualified to speak about heavenly or spiritual matters?
2. Read Numbers 21:6-9 What was the point of the bronze snake?
3. How according to Jesus is he going to be like that?

C. Comment:

When Jesus teaches, it is only the childlike, open hearted who will listen, ask and believe, who will understand. Continuing from yesterday, Jesus, speaking about being born again of the Spirit, says it is a bit like the wind (v.8), you feel it but don’t know where it comes from or when it will come. It is a mystery. When Nicodemus stumbles over this (v.9) Jesus seems to almost despair of these people (v.10) who won’t listen to what he says and believe him.

Look, says Jesus, I’ve come from heaven (v.12,13) and you still won’t believe me; who more qualified could you ask for? What is more, he adds, in the same way that God appointed a bronze snake to be the focus of people’s faith in the Old Testament (v.14a), so I will be the same sort of focus when I am lifted up on the Cross (v.14b) so all who believe when they see or hear about my death will receive eternal life (v.15).

Right, it’s not as clearly spelt out as that, but that is what Jesus is saying to Nicodemus in Old Testament prophetic language that he ought to understand. Do we understand it?

D. Application?

1. When Jesus speaks, it is frequently in ways that are not obvious to the hard hearted. He speaks like this so that only the open-hearted seeker will hear, understand and believe
2. Salvation is not for the indifferent but for the honest seeker (see Isaiah 6:9,10)

Passage: John 3:16-21: About believing

A. Find Out:

1. What is the consequence of believing? v.16
   • 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.
2. Why did God send His Son into the world? v.17
   • For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
3. What is the position of the unbeliever? v.18
   • Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
4. How were men shown up? v.19
   • This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil
5. Why do evil people hate light? v.20
   • Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
6. Who will come into the light? v.21
   • But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

B. Think:

1. How, according to this passage, do people judge themselves?
2. What, in this passage, is seen to be the key to salvation?
3. How are God’s intentions towards mankind seen to be utterly good?

C. Comment:

Here we have, perhaps, one of the most well known verses in the New Testament (v.16). God loved the world so much that, to ensure its salvation, He gave His one and only Son, so that He would stand in our place, the place of guilt and punishment, and we would stand in his place, the place of sonship and eternal life.

Such is the wonder of the Gospel. Indeed this is so wonderful that in one way it acts as a means of judging men. If any man can look upon Jesus, read of who he is and what he has done, and then remain unmoved, that man condemns himself (v.18) as hard hearted and godless. Jesus came into this world like a wonderful light, showing goodness unlimited and love incarnate and yet, many people completely rejected him, thus showing the awfulness of their state (v.19).

The fact is that Jesus is not only a Saviour but he is also an exposer. He exposes men’s hearts and shows them up for what they are (v.20). A person of truth comes joyfully to Jesus (v.21), while the self-centred, self-deceived, deluded, evil man shies away and rejects Him.

D. Application?

1. Jesus is God’s means of providing for your sin and mine to be dealt with  so  that we may then be accepted by God. This is salvation.
2. Jesus exposes men’s hearts by the way they respond to the wonder of who He is.

Passage: John 3:22-30: John speaks about Jesus

A. Find Out:

1. What were John and Jesus both doing? v.22,23
   • After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.
2. What were John’s disciples worried about? v.26
   • They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan – the one you testified about – look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.’
3. What did John say you can receive? v.27
   • To this John replied, ‘A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.
4. And of what was he aware? v.28
   • You yourselves can testify that I said, “I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.”
5. To whom did he liken himself? v.29
   •  The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
6. What did he say must happen? v.30
   • He must become greater; I must become less.’

B. Think:

1. How is John able to rest in his diminishing ministry?
2. How does he refer to Jesus?
3. What does he say his own position is?

C. Comment:

Jesus apparently was also now baptizing people (v.22). We don’t hear much about this but it appears to have happened. Jesus baptized his disciples and taught them to baptize – where there was plenty of water (v.23), so it was clearly by immersion.

But then some of John’s disciples (v.25,26) got into a place of questioning and wondered what was going on, with the two groups now baptising. It’s all right, says John, Jesus is starting his ministry and I’m winding mine up (v.30). John is able to rest in this situation because he has a clear awareness of his calling. He knows that you can only minister with what God gives you; you are first and foremost a servant of the Lord, and if He starts winding up your ministry, so be it!

Second, John sees that the need for his ministry is coming to an end because Jesus is now being received, and he uses this simple illustration of Jewish wedding practice (v.29). The “best man” waited for the bridegroom to come, just as he has been waiting for Jesus to come. The bridegroom is the all-important one, not the best man; that is John’s attitude, so the bridegroom will be seen more and more and his friend less and less. What an illustration of a servant-hearted minister!

D. Application?

1. Our lives are to point to Jesus, HE is the all-important one.
2. We are what we are because of what God has given us, we serve Him    with what He gives.

Passage: John 3:31-36: Jesus’ testimony

A. Find Out:

1. Why is Jesus greater than all? v.31
   •  The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.
2. What does Jesus tell? v.32
   • He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
3. What does Jesus speak? v.34
   • For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
4. What has the Father done? v.35
   • The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands
5. What do believers receive? v.36a
   • Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
6. What do rejecters receive? v.36b
   • but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

B. Think:

1. Why is Jesus qualified to speak for God and what should be our response therefore to what he says?
2. What does man’s rejecting Jesus say about man?
3. Why is believing in Jesus so important?

C. Comment:

In these few verses we get a truth that comes again and again in John’s Gospel, that Jesus has come from heaven (v.31). Jesus did not come into being when he was born in Bethlehem, he already existed before taking the form of that little baby, he lived with His Father in heaven.

The words in today’s passage were spoken by John the Baptist, to whom God had revealed these truths. The one from heaven was Jesus, the one from earth was John. Having come from heaven, Jesus spoke of what he knew but men couldn’t or wouldn’t understand or accept it.

The one person who did accept it was John and he testified to the truth of what Jesus was saying. Jesus, says John, speaks God’s words (v.34) for, unlike me, he has the Spirit without limit. Not only that, the Father has put the means of salvation fully into his hands (v.35). He is responsible for bringing salvation at this time.

To conclude this, John says that believing in Jesus brings eternal life (v.36), but refusing him brings God’s anger, and death is the only alternative. If we want eternal life the one condition is that we believe in Jesus, for there is NO other means of receiving it.

D. Application?

1. Jesus existed before he came to earth. he lived in heaven, came from heaven and returned to heaven. He is worthy of our worship.
2. Jesus is God’s focus of faith for us and as we believe He imparts eternal life.