I need to revisit Nicodemus’ conversation with Christ once more. Nicodemus couldn’t understand what Jesus was saying, mainly because he and all the other teachers of Israel had everything God had said concerning the coming Messiah through his servants, the Prophets. When Jesus spoke of his death in John 2:19 the rulers of the Jews didn’t understand (John 2:20), so they couldn’t believe. When Jesus spoke of man’s need to be reborn spiritually (John 3:3), even Nicodemus, who had come to seek answers, couldn’t understand and, therefore, couldn’t believe, because the teachers had not considered their need (Ezekiel 11:19: Jeremiah 4:4; 17:9; 31:30-34).
In asking “How can these things be?” (John 3:9) Nicodemus’ lack of understanding exposed his unbelief. In speaking of the water and the wind, Jesus used tools of understanding that Nicodemus should have been able to apply, in order to recognize what Jesus was saying. Nevertheless, he still needed clarification. Jesus responded with: “…we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.” Of whom was Jesus speaking in saying this? He couldn’t have been speaking of his disciples, since they hadn’t a clear understanding of Jesus’ message at this point. Was he referring to the Prophets that Nicodemus and the other rulers/teachers of Israel should have investigated and believed? Perhaps, but the direct context of Jesus’ remark points to Jesus and the Father!
Jesus seems to be referring to why Nicodemus and the rulers of the Jews had come to the conclusion that Jesus was sent by God (John 3:1-2). Nicodemus had referred to the signs or miracles that Jesus had recently done on behalf of the people (John 2:23). Consider that Jesus’ next remark to Nicodemus was that just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man/Messiah must be lifted up. What is the context of Jesus’ remark here?
In Numbers 21:4-9 God’s people were in the wilderness and growing weary of the manna that they were eating every day. This correlates to the rulers of the Jews in Jesus’ day being weary of the word of God (spiritual food from heaven). They didn’t really investigate it properly, showing their spiritual understanding was undernourished. In Moses day God sent in poisonous serpents and many of God’s people died and/or were in great pain. Moses prayed and God instructed him to raise up a serpent of brass on a pole, and anyone who looked to that serpent would live.
Therefore, when Nicodemus spoke of Jesus miracles (John 3:2), which Jesus had recently done among the people (John 2:23), it pointed to the fact that the people were afflicted, answering to the poisonous serpents in Moses’ day. This implies the judgment of unbelief was already in the land. The people of Moses day didn’t believe God, and neither did those in Jesus day believe God, hence the need for the serpent/Messiah to be lifted up for the sake of the people’s sin of unbelief. “God so loved the world…” (John 3:16) shows that God has complete authority to punish us for unbelief, but his love for us demands that he take upon himself the penalty demanded by his justice.
The whole prospect of becoming a child of God, living in his Kingdom and having eternal life, is the work of God. We are, as Nicodemus, in a helpless state. We may know Jesus is a teacher sent by God, but this, of and by itself, has no power to make us a child of God and permit us to come near him and live eternally. The whole work of salvation is completely in the Lord’s hands. If by Jesus being lifted up in order to satisfy the punishment that should be ours, due to our own rebellion against God, he has proven himself trustworthy. So, can we trust him to make us a child of God, bring us into his Kingdom and give us eternal life? In other words, what are we going to do with Jesus?
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