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d.         Christ foreshadowed His later work as judge (John 5:22; Acts 17:31).

B.        Jesus Gave the Sign of the Temple (John 2:18-22).

1.   The Jews ask for a sign (John 2:18).

a.         This is the practice of the Jews (1Corinthians 1:22).

b.        On another occasion Christ gives them the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:38-39), which is the same sign He gives in this passage. Christ also states here that it is an adulterous and evil generation that seeks after a sign.

c.         As demonstration of this last point, the Jews seek for a sign from Jesus (John 6:30) immediately after they saw Him feed the five thousand (John 6:1-13).

2.   Jesus gives the sign of the temple (John 2:19-22).

a.         He had just cleansed the temple and now He presents Himself as the temple (John 2:19-20).

(1)      Destroy this temple

(2)      In three days I will raise it up. Notice that He raises up this temple Himself (John 10:17).

b.        The Jews understood Him to refer to Herod’s temple (John 2:20-21).

(1)      In building for 46 years

(2)      Still not completed

(3)      But He spake of His body.

(4)      Note: If this is at the beginning of His ministry, Herod’s temple would be 49 years in building at His death three years later. Forty-nine is seven times seven. At this point, the temple of His body was destroyed and raised again in three days while Herod’s temple had its veil rent in twain from top to bottom and was made superfluous.

c.         The disciples remembered the words of Jesus after His resurrection (John 2:22).

3.   The typology of the temple

a.         Various types

(1)      Jesus Christ (John 2:19-21)

a)         The tabernacle is a picture of the earthly Christ. Note: Peter referred to his earthly body as a tabernacle that he was preparing to put off—emphasizing its temporary nature (2Peter 1:13-14; see also 2Corinthians 5:1, 4).

b)        The temple is a picture of the glorified Christ.

(2)      The New Testament body of believers (Ephesians 2:19-22; 2Corinthians 6:16; compare 1Timothy 3:15)

(3)      The individual New Testament believer (1Corinthians 6:19-20)

(4)      The individual local church (1Corinthians 3:16-17); Note: many believe that this refers only to the individual believer.

b.        Resources

(1)      Solomon’s Temple Spiritualized by John Bunyan (1688)

(2)      The Temple and Its Teaching by Arthur E. Smith (1956) by Moody Press

(3)      The Temple of Solomon by Kevin J. Conner (1988) by City Bible Publishing

(4)      Note: much benefit can be found in a study of Solomon’s temple as it is a picture of Christ and of the New Testament believers. This is a much neglected study today.

C.       Jesus Responded to the Results (John 2:23-25).

1.   The many (John 2:23)

a.         They saw the miracles.

b.        They believed in His name.

2.   The man Jesus (John 2:24-25)

a.         His knowledge

(1)      He knew all men (John 2:24; John 5:42; John 6:64).

(2)      He knew what was in man (John 2:25; Psalm 44:21; Psalm 90:8; Jeremiah 17:9-10; John 21:17)

b.        His response

(1)      He did not commit Himself to men John 2:.24).

(2)      He needed not that any should testify of man (John 2:25).
 

The New Birth

John 3:1-36

I.                    THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS (John 3:1-21)

A.       The Necessity of the New Birth (John 3:1-3)

1.   The man Nicodemus

a.         Mentioned on three occasions

(1)      He desired an understanding of Jesus (John 3:1-12).

(2)      He defended an injustice against Jesus (John 7:45-53).

(3)      He delivered a gift for the burial of Jesus (John 19:39-40).

b.        His identity

(1)      A man of the Pharisees (John 3:1)

(2)      A ruler of the Jews (John 3:1)

(3)      A master of Israel (John 3:10); Note: a master often (and probably here) refers to a teacher (Malachi 2:12). So, here, we have a teacher who needs to be taught (Isaiah 29:11-12; 1Timothy 1:6-7).

(4)      One of them (John 7:50; see John 7:48)

(5)      Nicodemus means victor over the people.

c.         His character

(1)      Fearful or shy

a)         He is always identified as the one who came to Jesus by night (John 3:2; John 7:50; John 19:39).

b)        A study of his three mentions in John is a good lesson on what the shy can do for the Lord.

(2)       Natural in his understanding, he has trouble grasping the spiritual concepts presented by Jesus (John 3:4, 9-10).

(3)      Hungry to know the truth, as indicated by his coming to Jesus (Jeremiah 29:13)

(4)      Willing to stand for justice (John 7:50-51)

(5)      Willing to make a stand in the end (John 19:39)

2.   The knowledge of the Pharisees

a.         Explanation

(1)      The Pharisees and rulers of the Jews did not receive Jesus as their Messiah.

(2)      However, they knew that He was from God.

(3)      And in this knowledge, they rejected Him.

b.        Evidence

(1)      The testimony of Nicodemus (John 3:2)

a)         We know that thou art a teacher come from God.

b)        No man can do these miracles…except God.

(2)      The testimony of the council (John 11:47-48)

a)         He does many miracles (they knew He was doing these miracles).

b)        All men will believe on Him.

c)         We will lose our place and nation. Note: this was their real fear. They knew who He was but refused to believe on Him.

(3)      The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Matthew 12:22-32)

a)         They knew Jesus did the miracle.

b)        They knew that it had to be by the power of God.

c)         They purposefully rejected Him and accused Him of doing this work by the power of the devil.

d)        This explains the hideous evil of their sin and why the punishment (of never receiving forgiveness) was so great.

(4)      They were indeed born of the devil who is a liar and the father of it (John 8:41-44). Although this passage certainly refers to every lost man as having the devil as his father, it may refer further to a new birth substitute that the devil gives to those who hear him. He may give them a false religious experience in order to counterfeit the genuine one offered by Jesus Christ (2Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-15).

3.   The kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5)

a.         Its identity

(1)      A king(dom) is the (dom)ain of a king.

(2)      The kingdom of God is the domain of God as King.

(3)      Here, and in other New Testament passages, the kingdom of God refers to a spiritual kingdom (see Luke 17:20; Romans 14:17; 1Corinthians 15:50).

b.        Its necessity

(1)      We see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

a)         This requires the new birth.

b)        This refers to discernment; to spiritual sight (1Corinthians 2:9-14).

(2)      We enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5).

a)         This requires the new birth.

b)        Cannot be done by riches (Matthew 19:24; Mark 10:24)

c)         This is the only alternative to hell (Mark 9:47).

d)        Must be entered in the spirit of a child (Mark 10:14-15; Luke 18:17)

e)         Often entered through much tribulation (Acts 14:22)

(3)      We receive the kingdom of God (Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17); compare to our receiving of Christ (John 1:12; Colossians 2:6).

B.        The Nature of the New Birth (John 3:4-8)

1.   The identity of the water (John 3:5)

a.         Used as a proof text for baptismal regeneration.

(1)      But baptism is never used as a picture of birth but of death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4).

(2)      Also, the immediate context gives no support for this interpretation.

(3)      Therefore, we reject this interpretation as doctrinally false.

b.        Water is one of the most versatile types in the gospel of John.

(1)      Everlasting life (John 4:14-15)

(2)      Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39)

(3)      Word of God (cp. John 15:3 with Ephesians 5:26)

c.         In each of the above types, the meaning is easily identified by the context (try making all of them refer to water baptism). The context in John, chapter three, also identifies the meaning.

(1)      Nicodemus asks (John 3:4).

a)         The first birth was in the mother’s womb.

b)        How can we return to our mother’s womb?

(2)      Jesus answers (John 3:5).

a)         You must be born of water.

b)        And, you must be born of the Spirit.

(3)      Jesus interprets (John 3:6).

a)         That which is born of the flesh is flesh – the first birth.

b)        That which is born of the Spirit is spirit – the second birth.

(4)      In order to do justice to the parallelism of this passage, the birth of water must be the first birth of the flesh.

a)         In order to enter the kingdom of God, it is not enough to be born (that is, of water). You must be born a second time of the Spirit. Though this may seem common sense to us today, the Jews thought that they would go to heaven because they were born of Abraham. One of the great teachings of the New Testament is to explain to these who were the people of God by natural birth that this was not enough for them to enter the kingdom of God (John 8:33, 37-39; Romans 3:28-29; Romans 9:7-8; cp. Matthew 8:11-12 with Matthew 13:38).

b)        Water is an appropriate picture of the physical birth since the infant is preserved in a sack of water in the womb.

c)         This is probably the meaning of water in 1John 5:6.