Episode 27 - The Son of Man must be lifted up
John 3:9-15
John 3:9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
We pick up where we left off in the middle of a conversation between a man named Nicodemus, who was a religious leader of the Jews, and Jesus. Nicodemus has approached Jesus, addressed him as Rabbi and acknowledged that he is a teacher who is from God. He says “We know that you’ve come from God because no man can do these things you’re doing unless God is with him.”
But, Jesus takes the discussion to a different level by explaining that everyone needs a spiritual birth from God to even see God’s kingdom. Nicodemus does not understand what Jesus is explaining to him and we come to this point where Jesus is not just indicting Nicodemus, he’s indicting those who consider themselves the authority of God’s word to the Jews. When Jesus says “you” in verse 10 and the first part of verse 11, it is in the singular. However, it can mean a group of people. This becomes evident in verse 11 when he says, “You do not receive our testimony.” The verb is clearly in the second person plural meaning the indictment is against the people whom Nicodemus represents. Jesus then explains that if he ( or others ) cannot believe truths he’s giving them in the earthly context in which they live and their physical senses perceive, how can they believe in things of heavenly and spiritual nature? This is Jesus’ answer to Nicodemus’ question.
The other element of this dialogue that fascinates me is how Jesus also begins to speak in the first person plural “we” and “our.” Just like Nicodemus has said “We know . . . ,” Jesus does the same thing when he says in verse 11, “we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.” The question here is, “Who is ‘we’?” Some scholars believe that Jesus is referring to his disciples as well as himself. That’s entirely possible and reasonable. However, I’m inclined to believe that He is speaking of God the Father, the Hebrew Scriptures, John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit, and the signs that he is working. But, we’ll hold off on developing that idea right now. I’ll attempt to point out my support for this view in future episodes. At the very least, however one takes this, the text is communicating that Jesus is not alone in his testimony. He has support. He has witnesses. But, Nicodemus and the religious rulers do not believe all the testimony.
Perhaps as you read this and think about it you are asking yourself the question, “if Jesus doesn’t believe Nicodemus can believe his answer, is it fair to come down so hard on him?” To answer that, you may want to look at passages like Isaiah 32:15-20, Isaiah 44:3, Joel 2:28 and Ezekiel 36:25-27. These are passages that Nicodemus and other religious rulers would have been familiar with and they speak of God pouring out His Spirit upon people for the purpose of spiritual cleansing and restoration. Look at the Ezekiel passage for instance:
Ezekiel 36:25-27
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules
Does this not speak of mankind’s need for God to bring spiritual renewal and His promise to do so? If so, how was it that Nicodemus, as “the teacher of Israel” had such a difficult time with Jesus’ words? It sounds like Nicodemus is still in “the dark” and he has not understood the Light.
Verse 13 says, “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” It’s important to know that this term, “Son of Man” is a term used in Daniel 7:13-14 in which the Son of Man is given authority and an eternal kingdom from God the Father. Nicodemus has already said, “We know that you are a teacher come from God.” This verse is suggesting that if Nicodemus and others recognized that Jesus was from God, they should recognize that he is the Son of Man prophesied in Daniel and therefore by implication, they should believe everything he says. But, there is more information that is important about the Son of Man that follows.
In verse 14-15, John writes, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” It’s not absolutely clear whether these are Jesus’ words to Nicodemus or John’s words explaining what was important for them and us to believe about the Son of Man. He uses the story from Numbers 21 when the Israelites were in the wilderness complaining against God and God sent venomous serpents among them. Then when Moses interceded for the people, God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent. Moses did that and put in on a pole. If people looked at the serpent, they would live. (Numbers 21:4-9)
In John 3, this story is recalled because it is interpreted not only as a historical event and God’s mercy to the Israelites but also as a prophecy of the crucifixion of the Son of Man. Everyone who would look to him in faith would live. Jesus is claiming to be the Son of Man.
As you can tell there is quite a bit to take from this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. Don’t worry about getting it all. Think about it and we’ll move on. As you return to this gospel later on, more things will catch your attention.