Chapter 3

John: -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10- -11- -12- -13- -14- -15- -16- -17- -18- -19- -20- -21-

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3:1 There was at that time a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Judeans. 2 Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that you have come from God as a teacher, for no one could do these signs that You do if God were not with Him.”

• 3 Jesus answered him, “Let it be so, it is so, as I say to you. If anyone is not conceived from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How is a man able to be conceived, being old? Is he able to enter the womb of his mother a second time to be born?” • 5 Jesus answered, “Let it be so, it is so, as I say to you, If anyone is not conceived out from water and out from Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God. • 6 Whatever is conceived from the flesh is flesh; in the same way, whatever is conceived out from the Spirit is spirit [i). 7 Do not wonder that I said to you, ‘It is necessary for you to be conceived from above.’ • 8 As the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but do not know from where it comes and to where it goes, even so is everyone who has been conceived out from the Spirit.

9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “You are a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not know these things? 11 Let it be so, it is so, as I say to you. We speak of what we know and we testify of what we have seen, yet you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have spoken of earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 No one ascends up into heaven except the One who has descended out from heaven, the Son of man who is inside of heaven. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so it is inevitable that the Son of man be lifted up in the same way, 15 so that everyone believing inside of Him might possess age-unfolding life. • 16 For God loves the world-cosmos such that He gave His Son, His Only Seed-Kind, so that everyone believing into Him should not perish, but should possess age-unfolding life. • 17 For God did not send His Son into the world-cosmos that He might judge the world-cosmos, but so that the world-cosmos might be saved through Him.

• 18 The one believing into Him is not judged, the one not believing, however, has already been judged, because he has not believed into the name of the Only Seed-Kind, the Son out from God. • 19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the cosmos and men love the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds are evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, that his works might not be exposed. • 21 The one practicing the truth, however, comes to the light, that his works might be made visible that they have been done inside of God.

22 After these things Jesus came with His disciples into the land of the Judeans and there stayed with them and was immersing people in water. 23 John was also immersing people at Aenon, near Salim, because there was much water there and many were coming to be immersed. 24 At this point, John had not yet been thrown into prison. 25 A debate then arose between the disciples of John and a certain Judean about purification. 26 They came to John and said to him, ‘Teacher, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One to whom you gave witness, look, He immerses people in water, and everyone is going to Him.”

27 John answered them, “A man is able to receive nothing unless it is given to him out from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear witness of me that I said that I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. Now, the friend of the bridegroom, the one stands and listens for Him, rejoices with joy when he hears the voice of the bridegroom. Thus is my joy fulfilled. • 30 It is inevitable for Him to increase and for me to be made less [j]. 31 The One coming from above is above all. The one whose being is out from the earth is out from the earth and speaks out from the earth. The One coming out from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies of what He has seen and heard, but no one receives His testimony. The one who receives and seizes hold of His testimony has set his seal that God is true and is telling us the truth. • 33 Indeed, the One whom God sends speaks God’s words, for God does not limit the giving of His Spirit. 34 The Father loves the Son and has given all into His hand. 35 The one who believes into the Son possesses age-unfolding life. The one who will not hear the words of the Son, however, will not see life, but the settled anger and opposition of God remains upon him.

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Gospel Comments	Notes
• Life: The reproduction of life, whether it be of human seed or of plant seed, is the most important metaphor in the Bible. Jesus is comparing being conceived of God with how human life is conceived in this world. Specifically, the sperm of the father enters into the womb of the mother where it pierces into the mother’s egg, and thus sparks the rapid growth of a new living child, out from the father, out from the mother, and also brand new as a unique expression. Our Father is God. • Covenant: The word Jesus uses is gennao. Gennao is related to tikto (Luke 2:7 and Revelation 12:5), as conception to the child coming out of the womb. We know that Jesus is the imperishable Seed planted into us, the only Seed of God, the living Flow of Gospel Word (see 1 Peter 1:23). By this conception we see the Kingdom, before we take the next step. • Life: We are going directly from “God is Word” to that same Word now planted in our own hearts as the Sperm of God, now sharing the same Word, Jesus, with the Father. By that Word, we are conceived of God. Yet this is now what enables us to SEE the Kingdom, that is, the Church. As we are flooded with the Spirit as well, so we are able to enter that Kingdom. • Kingdom: The Kingdom is every next moment of Life shared with God, age-unfolding Life, and every next step we take with Him. In this way, the Kingdom becomes first the Church, the life we share together inside of Love.

Gospel Comments

Notes

• Life: The reproduction of life, whether it be of human seed or of plant seed, is the most important metaphor in the Bible. Jesus is comparing being conceived of God with how human life is conceived in this world. Specifically, the sperm of the father enters into the womb of the mother where it pierces into the mother’s egg, and thus sparks the rapid growth of a new living child, out from the father, out from the mother, and also brand new as a unique expression. Our Father is God.

• Covenant: The word Jesus uses is gennao. Gennao is related to tikto (Luke 2:7 and Revelation 12:5), as conception to the child coming out of the womb. We know that Jesus is the imperishable Seed planted into us, the only Seed of God, the living Flow of Gospel Word (see 1 Peter 1:23). By this conception we see the Kingdom, before we take the next step.

• Life: We are going directly from “God is Word” to that same Word now planted in our own hearts as the Sperm of God, now sharing the same Word, Jesus, with the Father. By that Word, we are conceived of God. Yet this is now what enables us to SEE the Kingdom, that is, the Church. As we are flooded with the Spirit as well, so we are able to enter that Kingdom.

• Kingdom: The Kingdom is every next moment of Life shared with God, age-unfolding Life, and every next step we take with Him. In this way, the Kingdom becomes first the Church, the life we share together inside of Love.