Bible Discussion Thread

explanation of John 3:13

Hello Clymer. As you have probably read starting from John 3:1, Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a Jewish religious leader. Firstly, Jesus had explained to him a Truth that he hadn't heard of before & even now, could grasp: that of a spiritual re-birth. So then Nicodemus asks Jesus: "How can these things be?" To which Jesus basically tells him, that even a master of Israel (i.e. one like Nicodemus who was well studied in the Scriptures & the Law) cannot know the things that someone who has a personal experience of such knowledge knows & brings. Nicodemus probably prided himself with scriptural knowledge, but here is Jesus standing before Him Who could illuminate his mind & heart with heavenly things.

And so, Jesus goes on to say in verse 13, 'no one from Earth has ever gone up to Heaven & then returned to bring you such knowledge - it has only been Jesus (the Son of Man now) Who was already in Heaven & now come down to bring such glorious news' (I've transliterated this verse liberally, so you can get a better understanding). So, did Jesus go up from Earth to Heaven & learn God's Truths & then bring them to Earth? Definately, NO. Jesus was already there, being God's Word, given humanity & sent to Earth to bring God's Word & to give His Life for all ( John 1:1-14). So Nicodemus was in a special position now to hear directly this Word of God from Jesus the Son of God, a Word that he could never dig up from the reading of the Old Testament Scriptures, but had to receive it directly from Jesus Who was in Heaven.

And this Nicodemus was one who attended to the dead Body of Jesus by bringing embalming spices for His burial ( John 19:39,40). We can't be sure about Nicodemus' salvation, but this act of love & sorrow certainly leads one to believe that this man's heart was changed & he was prepared to risk his reputation & life for his loving act - a love for the heavenly Master Who told him all he ever wanted to know.