Today's passage is a little tricky. I'll try to talk slowly. I'll try to not lose you. But if you get lost about parts, I'd be happy to give you my manuscript, or answer any questions afterward.
Let's start this morning by rereading John 3:1-5 (NRSV, lightly modified):
3 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Judeans. 2 He came to Jesus[a] by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above/again.”[b] 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
If you want to "see" the kingdom of God, and "enter" it, what do you have to do?
Jesus says, there are two things you have to do, to be born "from above." Water, and Spirit. And Jesus then went on to talk with Nicodemus about the Spirit, and what that means.
But nowhere else in Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, did Jesus say anything about water. That got dropped.
So what we were supposed to make of that?
I argued, and some of you I'm sure are not convinced, that Jesus was referring to water baptism. I think Jesus was saying, you have to be born of water and of Spirit to enter God's kingdom. You have to be baptized to have eternal life (understood John 17:3 style). Both the water, and the Spirit, are necessary.
Many of you maybe struggle with this idea, because you think that the only thing that's necessary for a relationship with God is faith (along with repentance, at least, hopefully). The idea that baptism is (1) commanded, and (2) necessary, is hard.
And I get that. So let's turn to Acts 2:36-41.
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Peter said that there were three things you had to do to be saved: (1) "believe in" Jesus, (2) turn from your sins to God (=repent), and (3) be baptized. And repentance and baptism here are connected to two things: (1) forgiveness of sins, and (2) the gift of the Holy Spirit.
These verses, along with others (1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6, in particular), should make us cautious about assuming that when it comes to baptism, we are actually simple Bible believing Christians. This is one of those areas where I think what the Bible teaches is incredibly straightforward. Baptism is how you die to yourself (Romans 6) and to Sin, and how you choose God, and commit to him.
------------------------
So, what I had argued when teaching on John 3:5 was that Jesus meant, you have be born from water through baptism, and the Spirit, in order to have eternal life (17:3 style).
But I assumed, in saying this, that I wouldn't actually persuade anyone. Teaching on this feels a little bit like poking a bear, more than anything. I don't expect any good to come from it.
And I realized that it was hard to say what Jesus meant by water there, because neither Jesus, nor AJ, said anything else about water in that entire discussion.
Right? Jesus brings up water, says it's necessary, and then he drops it.
Here, that changes. And I think the best way to understand this passage, is as a partial explanation of the other half of the new birth "from above"-- of being born "of water." (And in defense of this, there's a ton of verbal links between 3:1-21, and 3:22-4:3, some of which I'll bring out below. We are supposed to read chapter 3 as a whole).
AJ starts this new scene, in verses 22-24, by drawing a picture for us (this is one of the functions of imperfect verbs). Try to get this picture in your head:
(22) After these things, Jesus came, with his disciples, to the Judean region,
and there he was spending time with him
and he was baptizing.
(23) Now, also John was baptizing at Ainon near Saleim,
because plentiful water was there,
and they were drawing near,
and they were being baptized.
(24) For John was not yet thrown into prison.
So AJ gives us this picture, right? We see Jesus and his disciples baptizing, and we also see John baptizing. And all of this is happening in Judea. Two groups of people, both seeming to do the same thing, both working in the same place. Both working with "water," which you have to be born of to enter God's kingdom.
Verse 25:
(25) Then, a controversy happened from the disciples of John with a Judean concerning purification/cleansing,
(26) and they came to John,
and they said to him,
"Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, to whom you have testified--
LOOK! This one is baptizing,
and all are coming toward him."
John's disciples come to John, and they are really bothered by Jesus. They are concerned. "All" are coming toward Jesus. And John's disciples, who are loyal to John, think that this is a bad thing. They are losing the competition for people. Their master is not receiving the honor he should be.
Does John feel the same way about all of this?
We've already seen in this gospel that John has this single-minded focused on Jesus. He refuses to talk about himself. He knows that his job is simply to point to Jesus-- that's all that HIS baptism does, is point to Jesus (John 1:31).
But, maybe, it's easy to show humility when you have a thriving ministry. Maybe it's easier to not focus on yourself, and act like you're not a big deal, when you have huge crowds, and people streaming to you. You kind of know you're important, but you don't have to toot your own horn. You can act modest about it, and hide what's actually in your heart.
But what happens when your ministry shrinks? What happens when your numbers go down?
Starting in verse 27, we hear (again) how John views his own ministry, and Jesus. Let's just work through this slowly, sentence by sentence:
(27) John answered,
and he said,
"A man can't receive even one thing,
except only if it is given to him from heaven.
John starts off by revealing a truth about ministry. Each of you have the privilege of serving God in some way. He's given you something to do-- a job. And you "receive" that job from God. "Your" ministry is not yours. You can't point to your ministry, and claim credit for starting it. You can't claim ownership of it. You serve, as God's faithful servants, doing the job God entrusted you with.
And you have nothing, except only what's given to you from God.
John knows that he received his ministry from God. God sent him to reveal Jesus. John 1:33:
33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
W. Barclay (John, 165):
"He told them that they could not receive more than God gave them. If the new teacher was winning more followers, it was not because he was stealing them from John but because God was giving them to him. There was a certain American minister called Dr Spence; once he was popular and his church was full; but as the years passed his people drifted away. To the church across the road came a new young minister who was attracting the crowds. One evening in Dr Spence’s church there was a very small gathering. The doctor looked at the little ?ock. ‘Where have all the people gone?’ he asked. There was an embarrassed silence; then one of his of?ce-bearers said: ‘I think they have gone to the church across the street to hear the new minister.’ Dr Spence was silent for a moment; then he smiled. ‘Well, then,’ he said, ‘I think we ought to follow them.’ And he descended from his pulpit and led his people across the road. What jealousies, what heartburnings, what resentfulness we might escape, if we would only remember that the success of others is given to them by God, and we were prepared to accept God’s verdict and God’s choice."
In verse 28, John continues:
(28) You yourselves testify about me that I said,
"I am not the Christ/Messiah,
but that, having been sent, I am, before that one.
John could not have been any more clear about who he is, and who Jesus is. John is not the Messiah. Jesus is. And that makes all the difference. If you're not the Messiah, your job is simple-- you point to the Messiah. He is the big deal. Your job is simply to serve.
Verse 29:
(29) The one having the bride, the bridegroom he is.
Now, the friend of the bridegroom-- the one standing and hearing him-- with joy he rejoices because of the voice of the bridegroom.
So then, this joy of mine has been completed/fulfilled.
(30) It is necessary for that one to increase.
Now, for me to decrease/lessen.
At weddings, there are really only two people who matter: the bride, and the bridegroom. And everyone else involved in wedding understands that. They understand that the wedding is not about themselves. This isn't their big moment. This is a day to rejoice for the bridegroom. And the friend of the bridegroom is happy to do this. His job is to make sure that the bridegroom is exalted. And he has to decrease.
Barclay, Gospel of John 1:168:
"John’s task had been to bring Israel and Jesus together, to arrange the marriage between Christ the bridegroom and Israel the bride. That task completed, he was happy to fade into obscurity, for his work was done. It was not with envy that he said that Jesus must increase and he must decrease; it was with joy. It may be that sometimes we would do well to remember that it is not to ourselves we must try to attach people; it is to Jesus Christ. It is not for ourselves we seek the loyalty of others; it is for him."
This brings us to verse 31.
If you read English Bibles, you'll notice that in what follows, verses 31-36, there's no agreement about who is the speaker here. The NIV thinks it's still Jesus speaking (because there's no signal that the speaker has shifted).
The NRSV thinks these are AJ's words (because of verse 32, which sound more like the retrospective words of the much later church, and contradicts verse 26 if it's in John's mouth). But in the gospel of John, Jesus' words, and AJ's words, are often impossible to really separate. They witness, together, to truth. "We" speak of what "we" know (John 3:11). So I'm not going to get hung up on who says these words. What's more important, is what is said:
(31) The one from above/again coming, above all he is (=Jesus).
The one being from earth, from the earth he is,
and from the earth he speaks (= John the Baptist).
The one from heaven coming, above all he is.
(32) What he has seen and heard, this he testifies,
and his testimony no one receives (they are like Nicodemus).
The one receiving his testimony has certified that God, true/truthful He is.
For the one whom God sent, the words of God he speaks.
For, he doesn't by measure give the Spirit.
When Jesus speaks, he speaks as one who is "from above." He's been in heaven, as the Preexistent One, as the one through whom the world was created. He's, literally, seen it all, and heard it all.
And when Jesus speaks, he talks about what he's seen and heard. Jesus' words are like no one else's. He knows and reveals heavenly truths, in a way that no one else can. Jesus is "from above," and he invites others to join him, and be born "from above."
The question is, do we believe Jesus' words? Do we trust him? Do we "receive" Jesus' words, as being God's words? Do we receive Jesus' words, as being Spirit-given words?
Lots and lots of people come partway to Jesus (John 2:23). They see Jesus' life, and know that he must be, in some sense, "from God" (John 3:1). They heard his words, and they know he must be, in some sense, a teacher "from God."
And if that's all Jesus claimed to be, people wouldn't have such a hard time with him. Nicodemus, and the other Judeans, could accept Jesus, if Jesus was like John-- if he was "of the earth, speaking only of earthly things" (compare John 3:12; 3:31).
But Jesus is more, and he speaks of higher things. And it's this, that people find to be a stretch.
The wrinkle in all of this, is that when people make a decision about whether or not to trust Jesus, and give their allegiance to him, they aren't making a decision only about Jesus. They are also making a decision about Jesus' Father.
Jesus speaks "the words of God," very literally-- and in a way that no one else does. The red letters are God's letters. And you have to make the choice-- you either believe them, or you don't. But one of the marks of Jesus' disciples, is that they believe his words (John 3:21).
Let's continue, in verse 35:
(35) The Father loves the son,
and all things He has given into his hand.
(36) The one giving allegiance to his son has eternal life.
Now, the one disobeying the son will not see life,
but God's wrath abides upon him."
Jesus is unique. The Father loves the son in a way He loves no one else. Let's reread John's first words, in verse 27:
(27) John answered,
and he said,
"A man can't receive even one thing,
except only if it is given to him from heaven.
And what did God give Jesus?
(35) The Father loves the son,
and all things He has given into his hand.
God has given Jesus everything ("all things" is focused in the Greek). And the most important thing God has given his son, is the key to eternal life. If you want to know the Father, and have a relationship with the Father-- if you want him to be YOUR Father-- you do that through Jesus (John 17:3).
And how do you do that? How do you come to Jesus? You do that by giving your allegiance, and obedience to him. Let's reread verse 36:
(36) The one giving allegiance to his son has eternal life.
Now, the one disobeying the son will not see life,
but God's wrath abides upon him."
English Bibles all talk about "believing" in Jesus here. And translating it this way encourages people to think that this is fundamentally a matter of correct thinking-- of good theology. But that's inadequate, and dangerous.
"Giving allegiance" to Jesus includes the ideas of commitment, loyalty, and obedience. How do we know that? In part, because the alternative to "giving allegiance to Jesus" is "disobeying" him.
This is maybe the most important thing I'll say, this entire series. So let me repeat myself: Part of what it means to "believe in Jesus" is to obey him. Faith and obedience are not two separate things (see James 2:14-26).
When you hear Jesus' words, and see him, you have two choices. You can either accept him, and his words, as being from God, and give yourself to him. Or you can see him, and hear him, and reject him. You can decide that he's not from God. You can disobey Jesus.
Those are your two choices. You can choose obedience, allegiance, and life. Or you can choose disobedience, rebellion, and God's wrath.
4:1-3:
(4:1) Then, when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus, many more disciples he is making and baptizing than John-- although Jesus himself wasn't baptizing, but his disciples--
(3) he left Judea,
and he departed again for Galilee.
If you want to really know God, and be cleansed from sin, come to Jesus. Become his disciple. Surrender everything to him. Pledge your loyalty to him. And get baptized. Baptism is your pledge of commitment (1 Pet. 3:21, NIV). Baptism is what marks you as Jesus' disciple.
Be born of water and Spirit (John 3:5).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I want to close this morning by talking about joy. John the Baptist was the friend of the bridegroom. And he rejoiced at the joining of the bridegroom to his bride-- of Jesus, to the church.
All of us have received different jobs from the Father. We have different responsibilities, different ministries.
Some of them are more visible than others. Some of them are bigger than others. But whatever it is that we do, we do so out of joy. It's a privilege to serve God. We serve our Father, who loves us, and gave his unique son for us, and brought us into his family.
And we do all of this together, as part of the larger church. We are not in competition with each other, or with other churches. If someone else's ministry grows, and ours is stagnant, or shrinking, we aren't envious. We aren't bothered, or wondering what we are doing wrong. We don't take offense at that. We do our best to be faithful, in whatever we have received from God.
We understand that God may have given someone else more responsibility, or more people, or more of whatever. And we understand that we are bringing people to ever-increasing allegiance to Jesus, and not to ourselves.
What do we celebrate as a church? We celebrate people coming to Jesus. We celebrate people giving their allegiance to Jesus, getting baptized, and joining God's family. We celebrate people becoming, not simply "Christians," but disciples. And whether they do that through "my" ministry, or "Pat's" ministry, or "Matthew's" ministry, makes no difference to me. I rejoice because I know my Father in heaven, and Jesus (=eternal life; John 17:3). I rejoice because I am Jesus' friend. I rejoice because I've heard Jesus' voice (John 1:29; 10:27). I rejoice because I have the privilege of serving him.
And I rejoice, because I do all of this, with you. We, together, have the privilege of serving Jesus.
Translation:
(22) After these things, Jesus came, with his disciples, to the Judean region,
and there he was spending time with him
and he was baptizing.
(23) Now, also John was baptizing at Ainon near Saleim,
because plentiful water was there,
and they were drawing near,
and they were being baptized.
(24) For John was not yet thrown into prison.
(25) Then a controversy happened from the disciples of John with a Judean concerning purification/cleansing,
(26) and they came to John,
and they said to him,
"Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, to whom you have testified--
LOOK! This one is baptizing,
and all are coming toward him."
(27) John answered,
and he said,
"A man can't receive even one thing,
except only if it is given to him from heaven.
(28) You yourselves testify about me that I said,
"I am not the Christ/Messiah,
but that, having been sent, I am, before that one.
(29) The one having the bride, the bridegroom he is.
Now, the friend of the bridegroom-- the one standing and hearing him-- with joy he rejoices because of the voice of the bridegroom.
So then, this joy of mine has been completed/fulfilled.
(30) It is necessary for that one to increase.
Now, for me to decrease/lessen.
(31) The one from above coming, above all he is.
The one being from earth, from the earth he is,
and from the earth he speaks.
The one from heaven coming, above all he is.
(32) What he has seen and heard, this he testifies,
and his testimony no one receives.
The one receiving his testimony has certified that God, true He is.
For the one whom God sent, the words of God he speaks.
For, he doesn't by measure give the Spirit.
(35) The Father loves the son,
and all things He has given into his hand.
(26) The one giving allegiance to his son has eternal life.
Now, the one disobeying the son will not see life,
but God's wrath abides upon him."
(4:1) Then, when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus, many more disciples he is making and baptizing than John-- although Jesus himself wasn't baptizing, but his disciples--
(3) he left Judea,
and he departed again for Galilee.
