He must increase, I must decrease

And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  --John 8:23

One of the criticisms of modern worship is that it has become less Christ centered and more "me" centered.  There are choruses that many churches sing, such as "Lord I come, I confess/Bowing here I find my rest/Without You I fall apart/You're the One that guides my heart."  Another example is "I am who You say I am."  Then there's "Reckless Love", which begins: "Before I spoke a word/You were singing over me/You have been so, so good to me/Before I took a breath/You breathed Your life in me/You have been so, so kind to me." In some of these churches, you begin to wonder who is the subject of these praise songs, Jesus or me?

Before we lament, "When did worship become all about me?" we have to remember the book of Jonah.  God told Jonah to go preach to his enemies, the people of Ninevah.  Jonah went the other way, because He did not like them.  When God sent a storm that threatened everyone on the ship, Jonah confessed and got thrown overboard.  Then, when Jonah was swallowed by the great fish, he sang a song of praise:

I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction/And He answered me/Out of the belly of Sheol I cried/and You heard my voice/The waters surrounded me, even to my soul/the deep closed around me/weeds were wrapped around my head/I went down to the moorings of the mountains/the earth with its bars closed behind me forever/yet You have brought up my life from the pit/O Lord my God/When my soul fainted within me/I remembered the Lord/and my prayer went up to You/into Your holy temple.  --Jonah 2:2, 5-7

You remember the rest of the story.  The big fish transported Jonah back to the coast of Israel and spat him out on dry land.  Jonah went to Ninevah, and preached against them.  After 3 days, he climbed up on a hill overlooking the city to see Ninevah burn.  But Ninevah did not burn; the people repented.  Jonah pouted.  God planted a gourd to give Jonah some shade, and he was happy again.  But when the shady plant died, Jonah was angry again.  God's final message to Jonah was basically, "Why are you being so selfish? You pitied the plant, which you did not make grow and had no power over; but you did not have that same compassion for the people of Ninevah--120,000 souls that would have perished if you'd had your way."

We see some of that same selfishness in our passage today.  If you have not read my previous posts, we are walking our way through the Gospel of John.  Today let's read John 3:22 - 4:3.

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.  And they came and were baptized.  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.  Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.  And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified--behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"  John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.  For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."  Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptized, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.

You generally don't see a lot of preachers preaching on this text.  Maybe because it is sandwiched between the stories of Nicodemus and the woman at the well, which are both so much more familiar.  Maybe because it contains some hard truths.  So let's go against the grain, and study what this passage has to tell us.

The Test

The Pulpit Commentary suggests that when Jesus took His disciples to Judea, to the country outside the city of Jerusalem (where He had worked so many miracles), He wanted to teach the disciples so that they could learn from Him.  This may have been an extended period of time, where the disciples could hear Jesus speak without the distractions, away from the masses of people in the city.  Whether it was a period of 40 days or longer, we don't know.

We do know that when the people of Jerusalem found out where Jesus went, they started gathering around Him to hear some of His teaching.  Since they were right there on the river, some of the people asked if they could be immersed in a form of Jewish purification, as a sign of repentance.  John was doing the same thing upriver from Jesus, near a town called Salim.  Over time, more people came to Jesus for baptism than came to John (although we see in chapter 4 that Jesus did not baptize anybody; His disciples did the baptizing.)  Even though John had been baptizing longer, he could see that Jesus was getting more attention.

John's disciples were seeing this as well.  They may have begun to feel emotional about this--were they following the wrong rabbi? Was John's ministry coming to an end?  And if so, what would they do?  On top of all of this, one or more devout Jews came in and started arguing with them about the purpose of baptism as a form of purification.

According to Biblehub.com, "The Jewish rites of purification are not merely ritualistic but are deeply symbolic of the holiness required by God. They serve as a constant reminder of the need for spiritual cleanliness and the separation from sin. These practices highlight the importance of obedience to God's commandments and the desire to live a life pleasing to Him."   Devout Jews were all familiar with the purification rites outlined in Leviticus 12-15.  God commanded that men be immersed in water after a bodily emission or discharge; women were commanded to wash with water after menstruation or childbirth.  There was also a specific process of purification for those who had been healed from leprosy--not only did they have to wash, but they also had to go before the priests, then wait a week and go see the priest again.  The ceremony also had a blood component; the priest was to sprinkle blood on the right ear, the right thumb, and right great toe of the leper, then wash off the blood with oil.

John the disciple does not go into detail about what the dispute was about, but it may have been an accusation that John the Baptist was not of the priestly tribe of Levi, that he was not qualified for the rites of cleansing as outlined in the Torah, and that the work he was doing was incomplete, in that he was only immersing people in water.  There was no priest on site to administer the sacrifice or to sprinkle the blood, so his whole ministry was unnecessary, unscriptural, and undermining God's law.  After arguing for their rabbi, John's disciples were quite discouraged.  "Jesus is stealing your ministry," they said.  "He is taking away the crowds that use to follow you.  Aren't you going to do something about that?"

The Testimony

John had to sit them down and explain his ministry to them.  He was not the Christ, only a forerunner of Christ.  Just like the best man at a wedding, John was not the most important guy at the party.  Jesus was.  "He must increase," John said.  "I must decrease."

John came from the world.  Jesus came down from heaven.  As heaven is greater than earth, so is Jesus greater than John the Baptist.

If you listen to John speak and disagree, there would be no fallout, no consequences.  If you listen to the testimony of Jesus, however, you had to know that Jesus's words were certified by God to be true.  If you reject the testimony of Jesus, then you would be rejecting God Himself.

The Geneva Study Bible says, "Satan inflames the disciples of John with a fond emulation of their master in order to hinder the course of the gospel: but John, being mindful of his office, not only puts a stop to their endeavors, but also takes occasion by that means to give testimony of Christ, that in him alone the Father has set forth everlasting life."

Paul wrote in Romans 12:3, "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."  John the Baptist was not jealous of Jesus.  He was not selfish.  His job was to glorify Jesus, not to say "look at me!"  All glory was returned to God.  You'd never hear John singing "Reckless Love."

The Truth

Look again at verse 34.  "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God."  Was John the Baptist speaking about himself?  No, I don't think so.  Notice that the NKJV capitalizes "He", which means he is talking about Jesus.  Jesus is the one whom God has sent.  Jesus is the one who speaks the words of God. The rest of that verse invokes the Trinity; already having spoken about God the Father and Jesus the Son, it goes on to say, "for God does not give the Spirit by measure."

What does that mean exactly?  I think it means that in the Old Testament God spoke through the prophets, but they did not have the whole story.  The prophets spoke the words that God had given them, but their message was incomplete.  When Jesus came, He had the entire message of God.  He was the rest of the story.  If we hold to the Old Testament, if we hold to tradition, we are doomed because God has revealed the entire truth through His Son, Jesus Christ.  "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand."

And what is that truth that God gave His Son? "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."  We do not hear so much about the wrath of God these days, especially in those churches that sing the shallow praise lyrics about "me, me, me."  Hardened hearts want to hear about grace, about God loving us even in our sin.  We don't always like the part about "sin no more," or "turn from your sins."  We don't like to think about the wrath of God, and as a result the world hears a half-truth from the church.  They hear "don't judge", but they do not hear "bear fruit in keeping with repentance."  They hear Jesus say, "I have not come into the world to condemn the world," but they ignore the very next verse that says, "but he who does not believe is condemned already."

I'm afraid we overemphasize John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life," while we underemphasize John 3:36 (in the same chapter), "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

Let us swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God.  Let us humbly honor Him in our praise and worship, and not glorify ourselves.  It's not about me, or my finding God, or my redemption.  It's all about Him, how He took our sin and suffering upon Himself, about how He breathed new life into people dead in our trespasses and sins.  Hallelujah, what a Savior!

“Man of Sorrows!” what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
“Full atonement!” can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

Lifted up was He to die;
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in Heav’n exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Mind Blown

 

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.  --John 12:32

British evangelist J John is always looking for ways to point people to Jesus, even in his everyday experiences.  He said that one day he was at a supermarket checkout, and the clerk on the cash register was wearing a cross on a chain around her neck.  J John asked her about it.  "Hey," he said, "I noticed you are wearing a cross around your neck.  Are you a Christian?"  

The girl's hand instinctively went to her neck, and she touched the cross.  "Yeah," she said, "I suppose.  I just think it's nice."

"The cross, you mean?" JJohn shot back.  "It's not nice at all.  It was an instrument of torture and death." The girl looked at him like he was an alien from another planet.  He went on.  "Look, if I had an earring in my ear right here, and you said what's that earring about, and I said Oh, it's a gas chamber.  You'd say Eww, why are you wearing a gas chamber in your ear?  And I'd say, well I want to remember how millions of Jewish people died in the second world war.  And then what if you said to me well what's the other earring?  And I said well, that's an electric chair.  You'd say no way, why would you wear an electric chair earring?  And I'd say I want to remember how certain criminals got executed in the United States.  So, what would you say to me if I were walking around with an electric chair on one ear, and a gas chamber on the other?"

She answered him, "Well, I'd think you'd totally lost it!"

He said, "Why is that? Is it because they are both symbols of execution?"

She said, "Well, yeah."

He said, "Well, then, what do you think you are wearing around your neck?" He continued, "You've got to remember something about the cross.  Jesus didn't wear it around His neck; He wore it on His back.  Big difference."

The whole exchange lasted just a couple of minutes, but it blew her mind.

In my last posting we started reading in John chapter 3 about a Jewish leader named Nicodemus who came to Jesus with questions.  Jesus answered Nicodemus's questions, and those answers blew his mind.  Let's read on:

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen that they have been done in God."  --John 3:9-21

Jesus turned Nicodemus's own words against him. In verse 2 Nicodemus had said, "Rabbi, we know You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus turned his statement back against him by saying, "We speak of what we know (heaven) and testify of what We have seen (God's glory), but you do not receive Our testimony."  Here Jesus is not just speaking in the "royal we" or "editorial we"; He is not being pretentious.  He is invoking the Trinity--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, because under Jewish law a man's testimony must be corroborated by two or three witnesses.  

Jesus explains how He was a reliable witness to what He had seen.  He said no one on earth had ascended into heaven and come back to tell of it.  But He knew what He was talking about, because He had descended from heaven.  Jesus was a witness of heavenly things.  Not only that, but He was showing us what it takes to get there.

Jesus used a Jewish historical reference to illustrate His point, one that Nicodemus would be familiar with.  In Numbers 21, God sent judgment to the people for a certain sin they had committed.  That judgment came in the form of a bunch of fiery serpents who bit the people, and many of them died.  As people were dying in their sin from the serpent's poison, they repented and asked Moses to pray to God on their behalf.  When Moses prayed, God told him to fashion a serpent out of bronze, to put it on a pole, and to tell the people to look up to it and be healed.  All who looked up to the bronze serpent lived; those who refused to look upon it died in their sin.

In the same way Satan has infiltrated humanity, slithering in like a serpent.  People are being poisoned by sin, and as a result are experiencing spiritual death.  They are hell-bound unless they look up to Jesus, who was lifted up on a cross as a sacrifice for our sin.  Those of us who look up to Him and believe are spared the consequences of sin; those who are hell-bound to refuse to look up to Him, who look away from the light He offers will die in their sins.  There is hope for those that believe.  For those who do not believe, there is no hope.

At this point in time, as Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He had not yet been crucified.  So all of what He said here was prophecy.  The point that Jesus made, the application of His sermon if you will, was that God loved the sinful, hell-bent world so much that He gave His one and only Son, who would be lifted up on a cross one day.  Whoever believes in Him would not perish, that is they would not die in their sins, but would have everlasting life.  Jesus didn't come to condemn people, as they are already under the condemnation of sin--the serpent has already bitten them.  For those people who are resistant to the Gospel, who ask, "Why would a loving God send people to hell?" here is the answer: People are already headed to hell.  That's their default destination.  God does not want us to go there, which is why He sent His Son to die in our place.  If you feel condemned by God, then you need to repent and believe; if not, then you have pretty much sealed your fate--you remain in a state of self-condemnation.

"And this is the condemnation," Jesus said, "that the light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light."  Jesus is the light.  We can either look to the light and walk in the light as He is in the light, or we can continue in darkness.

Suppose you were in a movie theater.  The lights go down, and the image is projected on the screen.  You are really into the movie--the actors are believable, the plot is engaging, the music draws you in.  Suddenly, the movie stops and the house lights come up.  Worse yet, someone opens an outside exit door, and sunlight comes streaming in.  Everyone in the theater shuts their eyes to avoid the light, as it is painful to see.  Plus, someone starts shouting to the crowd from the exit, "There is a fire in the building!  Get out now!"

If you were in that theater, what would you do?  Would you listen to the one who came to save you from the blazing inferno?  Or would you stop your ears, and whine that the movie was just getting good and some crazy person had to come in and interrupt it?  Those are the two responses.  Some will get up and follow the light.  Those people will live.  Others will ignore the warning, and stay in their seats waiting for the movie to re-start.  Those people long for the darkness, but it leads to death. 

Jesus has entered this dark world, and has thrown open the door to let the light shine in.  His motivation is love, and He has done it at considerable cost to Himself.  Yet most people question His motivation, and accuse Him of bringing condemnation to them.  They prefer the darkness.  They remain condemned in and of themselves, and do not recognize Jesus as the savior that He is.

Commentator David Guzik says, "We may say there are Seven Wonders in John 3:16:"

God	The Almighty Authority
So loved the world	The Mightiest Motive
That He gave His only begotten Son	The Greatest Gift
That whoever	The Widest Welcome
Believes in Him	The Easiest Escape
Should not perish	The Divine Deliverance
But have everlasting life	The Priceless Possession

British Bible scholar F. F. Bruce said, “If there is one sentence more than another which sums up the message of the Fourth Gospel, it is this. The love of God is limitless; it embraces all mankind. No sacrifice was too great to bring its unmeasured intensity home to men and women: the best that God had to give, he gave — his only Son, his well-beloved.”  1 John 3:1 says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!"

Doesn't that just blow your mind?

Reborn, Renewed, Regenerated--You Must Be Born Again

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  --2 Corinthians 5:17

Why did Jesus speak in parables?  Throughout the New Testament, whenever people would question Jesus, He seemed to always couch His answers in arcane stories that were difficult for the masses to comprehend.  The reason for this was two-fold.  According to simplybible.com, Jesus spoke in parables to give His enemies no ground.  Most of the people who asked Him questions were trying to catch Him in something He said, so that they could use it against Him, either to discredit Him among the people, or later to bring a legal case against Him.  The Parable of the Ten Virgins, for example is a simple story about people’s behavior at a wedding (Matthew 25:1-13). Clearly, as the Bridegroom in the story, Jesus is representing Himself as God with the power to open and shut the doors of Heaven (Revelation 3:7). But nobody could prove he was saying that.

The second reason was to enlighten the true-hearted.  Jesus took advantage of occasions when multitudes flocked to hear him speak. Through the parables he could enlighten those whose hearts were sincere and receptive and who were hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matthew 5:6).  To truly understand, a sincere follower would have to listen carefully, and put in some effort--either by prayer for discernment, or by listening to and meditating on what He said in light of other Scripture.  

Let's look at how the Pharisee (and most likely a member of the Sanhedrin) named Nicodemus responded to indirect answers from Jesus.

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the Feast, many believed in His Name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knows what was in man.  There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sounds of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  --John 2:23 - 3:8

When John said that Jesus "did not commit Himself to them," it means He didn't fully entrust Himself to them.  He didn't have full faith in humanity, because He knew what was in their hearts.  The Greek word here is πιστεύω, transliterated pisteuō meaning to put one's full faith and trust in.  Interestingly, we are asked to place our full faith and trust in Jesus, but not the other way around.  If we were to put our full faith and trust in people, then we could excuse their sinful proclivities as "something they are born with" and we would have no authority to ask them to change.  

Remember Jesus had just cleansed the Temple, throwing out the traders and the money-changers.  He then followed up by performing miracles and preaching God's truth to them.  Many followed Him after this, sensing that He may be the Messiah written about in the Scriptures.  Many doubted, and I'm sure that many followed out of curiosity.  The crowds grew, and the buzz was exciting, but Jesus did not commit Himself to them.

This becomes even more evident when Nicodemus approaches Jesus one night, after the Passover festivities were done.  He starts out respectfully, calling Him Rabbi.  "We know You come from God because of all the signs."  Jesus almost interrupts Nicodemus, cutting straight to the heart of his questions.  "Here's the truth," Jesus was saying.  "You want to see the Kingdom of God? You must be born again."

Jews had a pretty firm idea of what the Kingdom of God looked like, and they were certain that Jews would hold a prominent place in it, followed by Gentiles who converted to Judaism in this life.  In fact, many commentaries I read on this passage said that Jews already had some idea of rebirth.  They just didn't think they had to do it.  Proselytes would have to immerse themselves in water to symbolize the washing away of their sins (see prior blog post on the ministry of John the Baptist).  But for Jesus to say that it was necessary for devout Jews like Himself--this was truly mind-blowing.

David Guzik writes, "It was taught widely among the Jews at that time that since they descended from Abraham, they were automatically assured of heaven. In fact, some Rabbis taught that Abraham stood watch at the gate of hell, just to make sure that none of his descendants accidentally wandered in there."  This may be why we see confusion in Nicodemus's answer.  Jesus couldn't possibly mean that Nicodemus or other Jewish leaders would need a spiritual rebirth.  We see that his mind automatically went to physical birth.  "What, you mean to go back into the womb again, and go through the physical process of birth again? 

Barclay's Commentary points out that "all over the New Testament this idea of rebirth, re-creation occurs."

• 1 Peter speaks of being born anew by God’s great mercy (1 Peter 1:3).
• 1 Peter speaks of being born anew from an imperishable seed (1 Peter 1:22-23).
• James speaks of God bringing us forth by the word of truth (James 1:18).
• Titus speaks to us of the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5).
• Romans speaks of dying with Jesus and rising anew (Romans 6:1-11).
• 1 Corinthians speaks of new believers as new-born babes (1 Corinthians 3:1-2).
• 2 Corinthians speaks of us being a new creation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).
• Galatians says that in Jesus we are a new creation (Galatians 6:15).
• Ephesians says the new man is created after God in righteousness (Ephesians 4:22-24).
• Hebrews says that at the beginning of our Christian life we are like children (Hebrews 5:12-14).

The New Testament concept of rebirth, however, was foreign to Nicodemus.  So Jesus tries to elaborate. "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven."  He goes on, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."  I think this is a reference to Nicodemus's question about re-entering his mother's womb; this would be a physical rebirth, which was not what Jesus was talking about at all.  Jesus was calling him to a spiritual rebirth.

A lot of people have different ideas about what Jesus meant when He said "born of water and the Spirit."  Some say this is a reference to baptism.  I don't think so.  Aside from my Baptist upbringing, which denies baptism as a requirement for salvation, there is also the fact that whenever Jesus speaks of baptism in Scripture, He is more direct.  Also, we know that Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus here, who is an Old Testament scholar; there is no real foundation for this in the Old Testament.  Think of the Judaizers in the book of Acts whom Paul refutes in his epistles.  They did not demand that the Gentiles submit to baptism, but rather that they should submit to circumcision.

Others think it refers to a physical birth, contrasting sharply with that which is born of the Spirit.  This, I think, is a bit pedantic.  If someone has not been born, then we would not be speaking of him needing to be re-born.  Jesus was not prone to existential ramblings.  Plus, Jesus had already made that contrast in the prior verse, when He said "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."  There was no need, I don't think, to reiterate it.

Some have thought that "born of water" means to be born again by the Word of God. In other passages of Scripture, water represents the Word, as we are washed by the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26).  This may have some merit.  So also does the thought that "born of water" means to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, the living water of John 7:38-39.

Some have thought that born of water means to receive the water of cleansing prophesied in Ezekiel 36:25-28 as part of the New Covenant. This is the approach has the most weight (though it is a tough call), because of its firm connections to Old Testament prophecy — which Jesus says Nicodemus should have know to understand these things. (David Guzik)

The point Jesus was making was that we have a desperate need to be born of the Spirit.  Jesus chides Nicodemus, saying "Do not marvel (or be surprised) when I tell you that you must be born again."  Jesus again goes into parable mode, comparing the Spirit of God to the wind.  You can't see the wind, where it is headed or where it came from.  So it is with the Spirit, and those who are born of the Spirit.  The work of the Spirit cannot be directly observed, but you can see its effects.  

There is more to this exchange, which we will discuss in more detail next time.  Let it suffice that Nicodemus is not fully convinced at this stage.  He still puts up roadblocks to the message.  He still quenches the Spirit.  I was at a men's Bible study this morning where the teacher was discussing (in passing) the work of an evangelist.  He said some respond to the Gospel by converting; that is, they fully trust and believe and put their faith in Christ.  Others, though not fully converted, may be "awakened" to spiritual things.  Their eyes are opened, and they realize their need for a Savior but have yet to act in faith to fulfill that need.  

I think Nicodemus falls into this latter category.  He was "awakened" to the message of Jesus, but not fully converted.  We see later in Scripture mentions of Nicodemus--that he gives a half-hearted defense of Jesus when the chief priests and rulers talked of arresting Him (see John 7:50-51).  He also was one who took Jesus off the cross and prepared His body for burial (John 19:39).  Perhaps Nicodemus finally gave his whole heart to Christ and was truly born again.  We may never know this side of Heaven.

Wrath and Grace

 

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.  --Romans 1:18

Sometimes the good is the enemy of perfection.  When we try to make something more convenient, especially in worship, the original meaning is lost.  Let me give you an example.  When God originally set up the system of animal sacrifice, He wanted people to bring from what they had.  Most of the ancient Israelites were shepherds, so it made sense for them to bring a sacrifice from their flocks.  They were to bring a perfect lamb, one without blemish, to the Temple to be sacrificed on their behalf.  For people too poor to have their own flock, they were allowed to sacrifice a pigeon.

As time went on, and Jewish life become more diversified, fewer and fewer of them were shepherds.  Some were bankers, or tradesmen who would have to buy a lamp for the sacrifice.  These people saw a need--tradesmen and skilled craftsmen needed to buy lambs, as well; so why not set up a booth and sell livestock to pilgrims who traveled to Jerusalem for the high holy days?  Meanwhile, the priests were accepting tithes at the Temple, but as more and more Jews were living in foreign lands and traveling to the Temple with money from the countries that they lived in, the priests decided it was better to have a currency exchange, so that the tithes could be paid in the Temple coinage.  Bankers were involved in that enterprise, as well, as they could set up exchange rates for the foreign currencies being brought from all over the known world.

More time passed, and this convenience got closer and closer to the Temple, so that by the time of Jesus, the money changes and livestock traders were doing business on the actual Temple grounds, in what was called The Court Of The Gentiles.  This court was originally designed for non-Jews to come and worship the True God, but when Jesus arrived at the Temple on the Passover, the place was anything but worshipful.  There were birdcages, and sheep pens, and tables where currency was exchanged.  The sights, sounds, and smells were not what was originally intended when God first set up the Tabernacle and the system of blood sacrifice.

Let's read about it here:

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the Temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the Temple, with the sheep and oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of HIs body.  Therefore when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.  --John 2:13-22

John's Gospel has just spoken of a very intimate, very private, very gracious event when Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana.  John contrasts that with a very public, very boisterous, very harsh rebuke of the priests and businessmen who had made themselves comfortable, who were using the Court Of The Gentiles in the Temple of God as a profit center.

Now John puts this event near the beginning of Jesus's ministry, where the other Gospels (called the Synoptic Gospels, because they "see with one eye") describe a similar event later, near the time of His crucifixion.  Whether these were two separate events or the same event simply re-ordered in John's narrative to make a point, we don't know.  If you listen to a very literal pastor, he may truly believe that there were two separate Temple cleanings, because he takes the Bible literally, and the chronology of each Gospel writer literally.  If your pastor is less literal and more liberal minded, he may believe that this is the same event, but emphasized early in the book of John (rather than described later as it was in Matthew, Mark, and Luke) to make a point.

Whatever your thinking on this issue, John does give a striking contrast between the Temple cleansing and the Wedding at Cana.  Bible commentator David Guzik writes: 

The glory of Jesus is found in His compassion, and this was a miracle full of compassion. The wine was not an absolute necessity; no one would die drinking water. All at risk was the embarrassment, reputation, and perhaps the bank account of the bridal couple. Yet, Jesus — and His Father — counted that enough to do this first public miracle and sign.

Yet the second public event described by John has Jesus exhibiting the wrath of God, not His love or compassion.  The glory of God can certainly be seen in His wrath.  Ezekiel 25:17 says, "I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”  Any theology that emphasizes the love of God while downplaying the wrath of God is an incomplete Gospel, bordering on heresy.

We see in this passage that Jesus didn't just go berserk; He didn't have a moment where He lost His mind and lashed out recklessly.  There was forethought put into this, as He took the time to fashion a scourge or whip out of cords.  He did deliberately and with aforethought drive out the sheep and oxen.  He may have even used the scourge on the vendors and bankers there.  We do know He overturned the tables, and poured the money from the cash boxes, letting the different currencies fall on the ground and intermingle.  Jesus was no respecter of persons; when He saw a wrong being committed, He did whatever it took to make it right.

That's what makes his conversation with the priests so telling.  "By what authority do You do this?" they demanded.  "What sign can you give us?"  Jesus responded by pointing to Himself, and saying, "You want a sign?  I'll give you a sign.  Destroy this temple (meaning Himself) and in three days I will raise it up."  The Jews did not understand His reference, and scoffed at Him.  Herod's Temple had been under construction for 46 years to this point, and it would not be fully completed for another 18 years.  Who in their right mind would think that the entire campus could be destroyed and then restored in just three days?

The disciples' heads were spinning.  They remembered Psalm 69:9, which says about the Messiah, "Zeal for Your house has consumed me."  And after Jesus's resurrection they remembered this event and believed in Him all the more.  “Jesus’ technique of using a paradoxical statement to bewilder his enemies, which he subsequently explained for his disciples, frequently appears in John’s Gospel.” (Tenney)

To sum up, Jesus went to Jerusalem during the Feast of Passover, because many people were there to worship.   The activities of the tradesmen and money-changers was distracting from the worship of God; in fact, what had probably begun as an act of convenience for the faithful had turned into a chance to make a serious profit, which was not what the Temple or the system of blood sacrifice had intended at all.  When we go to worship, we should not be distracted.  We should not be concerned with business or profit or anything else other than glorifying God.  Sometimes glorifying God looks like loving people, and showing them mercy.  Sometimes glorifying God means confrontation and righteous condemnation (of practices, not people).  

We should not bow down to conveniences, like watching church services on television or online--you can't serve God from your couch.  We should not accommodate those who bring outside influences into the body of Christ.  Motivations matter.  How much better to be confronted by a pastor and a few godly church members, and to be given the chance to repent, rather than to meet an angry God at the final judgement?  Yes, God is merciful, but He is also vengeful.  We'd best not forget that.