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1–21. Conversation of Jesus Christ with Nicodemus. – 22–36. The activity of Christ in Judea and the last testimony of the Baptist. Christ's conversation with Nicodemus is divided into two parts: in the first part (verses 3-12) we are talking about the spiritual rebirth of man, which is necessary for a person to become a member of the Kingdom of the Messiah, and in the second (verses 13-21) Christ offers a teaching about Himself and about His atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world and indicates the need for faith in Him as the Only Begotten Son of God. John 3:1. Among the Pharisees there was someone named Nicodemus, one of the leaders of the Jews. The Lord, in all likelihood, had not yet left Jerusalem when the Pharisee Nicodemus appeared to Him. This was one of the Jewish leaders, i.e. member of the Sanhedrin (cf. John 7:26, 50). A Pharisee could get into the Sanhedrin only if he belonged to the ranks of rabbis or scribes (οἱ γραμματεῖς), because the main contingent of the Sanhedrin consisted of representatives of the priesthood, which, being imbued with the spirit of Sadducees, would not allow a simple representative of the Pharisaic party hostile to it to be among the members of the Sanhedrin. Thus, it can be argued that Nicodemus became a member of the Sanhedrin as a rabbi. Christ himself calls Nicodemus “teacher” (verse 10). As a Pharisee and, moreover, a rabbi, Nicodemus could not remain an indifferent witness to what was happening before his eyes in Jerusalem: he observed the signs that Christ performed, listened to His sermon and came, like many others, to the conviction that Christ is the true messenger of God. John 3:2. He came to Jesus at night and said to Him: Rabbi! we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do such miracles as You do unless God is with him. Nicodemus came to Christ at night because it probably seemed inconvenient for him to go to Christ openly: he was bound in this case by his position as a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. In addition, the night time provided a great opportunity to have a detailed conversation with Christ, Who, of course, was constantly surrounded by listeners during the day. Like the disciples of Christ (John 1:38–49), Nicodemus calls Christ a teacher and, moreover, says that he recognizes Him, along with some others (“we know”), precisely as a teacher, although sent by God. More precisely, his appeal to Christ can be conveyed as follows: “we know that you came from God as a teacher.” The fact that Christ did not come of his own free will, but was sent by God, Nicodemus was convinced of this by the signs that Christ performed in Jerusalem. Nicodemus obviously still knows nothing about any special revelations of Christ regarding His Divine dignity, and from this we can conclude that at that time Christ had not yet communicated such a teaching to the people and did not want to increase the number of His closest disciples at all. John 3:3. Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus had not yet asked Christ anything, but Christ, Who “Himself knew what was in man” (John 2:25), directly answers the question that Nicodemus wanted to ask him. And why else could Nicodemus come to Christ, if not to learn from Him, if possible, about the path leading to the Kingdom of the Messiah? (Of course, it was the Kingdom of the Messiah that Christ meant by the Kingdom of God, because, according to the beliefs of the Jews, the Messiah was supposed to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.) And Christ with special solemnity (“truly, truly”, i.e. the real truth) tells Nicodemus that only one who is born again can enter the Kingdom of the Messiah or God (ἄνωθεν - first; cf. Acts 26:5; Clement of Alexandria, “Pedagogue”, 56, 5; 7, 4 and most ancient translations - Latin, Coptic, Syriac, as well as Justin, Tertullian). “To see” means to enter, to participate, to benefit from the benefits of the new Kingdom (cf. John 3:36). John 3:4. Nicodemus said to Him: How can a man be born when he is old? Can he really enter his mother’s womb another time and be born? From the words of Christ, Nicodemus had to conclude that He recognizes that it is not “learning” that is necessary for entering the new Kingdom, but “renewal” of all life, such an internal change in a person that can only be compared with natural birth. And Nicodemus really understood that Christ here demands something completely different than John the Baptist, who called for repentance (μετανοεῖσθαι). In repentance, man himself, although not without the help of God, tried to change his life, and in that new birth about which Christ spoke to Nicodemus, man appeared as a suffering being, completely subordinate to the power of God, just as a child is born into the world without any of his own consent (Christ does not yet speak about the conditions that are presented to the person seeking rebirth, they will be discussed specifically in verses 12-21). Nicodemus would like to relive his life, which he had almost lived so unsuccessfully. But is it possible to hope that in this new second life - if it were possible - he would be free from his natural weaknesses and sinful habits that made it impossible for him to achieve the ideal? Where is the guarantee that such a new life, life “from the beginning” could really go in a new way? This is the meaning of Nicodemus’s first question. With the second question, he wants to say that the impossibility of repeating birth is quite clear to him and that, therefore, he cannot satisfy Christ’s demand (see verse 3). John 3:5. Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus did not understand how a person can be born for a new life, and Christ shows him two factors under the influence of which this new birth is possible. This is, firstly, “water”, i.e. what is closest is water, which in John’s baptism served as a symbol of cleansing from sins. Nicodemus must first be baptized with the baptism of John and confess his sins with all sincerity. This will be the first step towards revival for him. Then he must receive the Holy Spirit - this will be given to him from God over time. Both are necessary for everyone who wants to enter the Kingdom of God. And it was not too late for Nicodemus to fulfill the first condition, because John still continued to baptize, and in addition, Christ Himself, through His disciples, also performed the baptism of repentance (John 3:22–4:2). He was supposed to receive the Holy Spirit later. So, therefore, the first half of Nicodemus’ question has found its solution. Although he, Nicodemus, is old and has therefore become accustomed to his prejudices and inclinations, nevertheless he must realize and confess his sinfulness, and then the Holy Spirit will give him strength for a new life 14. John 3:6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. In response to the second half of Nicodemus’ question, whether it is possible to be born again according to the flesh, Christ says that in such a second birth according to the flesh - which, of course, is impossible - there is no benefit. Everything that is born of the flesh is a general rule that also applies to that second birth that Nicodemus thinks about - “is flesh,” i.e. subject to sinful inclinations (Gen. 6:3, etc.). A new spiritual, holy life can arise only under the influence of the Spirit of God. This will truly be a revival. John 3:7. Do not be surprised at what I said to you: you must be born again. Christ sees that Nicodemus is surprised at such a decisive statement about the need for revival, and therefore invites Nicodemus to move from surprise to the speedy implementation of the demand presented to him by Christ 15. John 3:8. The Spirit breathes where it wants, and you hear its voice, but you do not know where it comes from and where it goes: this is what happens to everyone born of the Spirit. Nicodemus, apparently, never ceased to wonder how it was possible for him, an old man, to renounce all sinful inclinations and habits. He wanted to understand how this process of human spiritual rebirth takes place. But Christ explains to him in a parable that he cannot understand everything with his own mind. Here, for example, is “wind” (in Russian, inaccurately, “spirit”) 16. Is Nicodemus able to explain to himself where the wind comes from and where it goes? In the same way, it is not surprising that Nicodemus does not understand how the Spirit of God works on man. Let us, however, consider in detail the comparison used by Christ. First, He says of the wind that it has complete freedom of movement: man cannot calm the wind or force it to change its direction. Secondly, the effect of the wind is felt even when one protects oneself from it in every possible way: it can be heard even with the doors locked. Thirdly, they do not know the point from which the movement of the wind begins in each given case, and the final point to which this movement reaches. The action of the wind is similar to the action of the Spirit of God in man. Firstly, the Spirit acts where He wants (cf. 1 Cor. 12:11), and He cannot be appropriated by force, but can only be received as a gift (John 7:39). Secondly, the presence of the Spirit cannot but be noticed by those who are reborn by the Spirit: even others, who are not completely deaf and blind, feel that this Spirit is present and active in the regenerated (John 7:38). Thirdly, neither the regenerate himself nor anyone else can determine where, when and how the Spirit began to act on him. The regenerated know just as little about their final state, to which the Spirit leads them (1 John 3:2). The origin and consummation of the life of regenerate man is a mystery, and yet this does not prevent, or rather should not induce a person to doubt the truth of regeneration. John 3:9. Nicodemus answered Him: How can this be? Nicodemus now asks how what Christ said (ταῦτα - “this”, plural) can come to fruition. What is heard here is not doubt about the possibility of the very fact of revival, but a desire to find out the path by which one can come to revival. At the same time, Nicodemus does not ask: “What should I do?” He wants to know what he needs to expect from God, since he has realized that regeneration must be God's work, not man's. John 3:10. Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and do you not know this?” In a tone of slight reproach, Christ tells Nicodemus that as a professional teacher of the people of Israel, a rabbi (cf. verse 1), he should have known what the Old Testament said about the process of regeneration itself. The prophets spoke a lot about the outpouring of a new spirit, about the gift of new hearts to people, about the fullness of the knowledge of God and about the awakening in man of an inclination to fulfill the will of God. They often said that a person’s turning to God, calling on God, is a necessary condition for receiving messianic salvation. John 3:11. Truly, truly, I say to you: We speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept Our testimony. Christ now begins to teach Nicodemus what he did not learn from Scripture, although he could have learned. First of all, He complains about the lack of faith of Nicodemus and the entire learned class of rabbis. "We" . Christ in the Gospels nowhere speaks of Himself in the plural, therefore, here He means someone else besides Himself. Who? Your disciples? No, His disciples had not yet acted with Him as preachers. It is most natural to see here a reference to John the Baptist, who at that time successfully continued his activities (John 3:23 et seq.). The activity of John and the activity of Christ are two stages of the single revelation of God. Both of them are completely trustworthy witnesses, because they speak of what they saw (John, of course, in a state of prophetic inspiration - cf. John 1:34: “and I saw and testified” - and Christ by virtue of His continuous communication with the Father, John 1:18). However, Nicodemus and others like him “do not accept” the testimony of John and Christ. Thus, faith due to signs, which many who were at the Passover festival in Jerusalem discovered at that time, is not recognized by Christ as real faith - it can rather be called unbelief! John 3:12. If I told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? But John’s activity is already coming to an end, while Christ is just beginning His. Therefore, casting a glance at the near future, He speaks only about how the Jewish rabbis will treat Him. This attitude is unlikely to be friendly. They do not believe Christ even now when He tells them about earthly things (τὰ ἐπίγεια), i.e. about the Kingdom of God as it manifests itself in earthly relationships. Christ, by “earthly”, could mean here everything that hitherto (John 2–3) He said about the church and worship, about repentance and faith, about water baptism and rebirth. Can the rabbis accept His teaching about “heavenly things” (τὰ ἐπουράνια) with faith? Here Christ, of course, had in mind the higher, heavenly side of the Kingdom of God, which He could not help but tell His listeners over time, otherwise His teaching would have remained incomplete, and therefore only half true. But people like Nicodemus are unlikely to trust the testimony of Christ about such subjects that are beyond their understanding and generally cannot be verified by experience. John 3:13. No one has ascended into heaven except the Son of Man, who is in heaven, who came down from heaven. However, does Christ have the right to say that He also knows what is above the world, what constitutes the secret of heaven? Yes, He has such a right. In fact, it is entirely possible for someone who has been in heaven to speak about heavenly things, but Christ, and He alone, truly was and constantly continues to be in heaven. He came down from heaven. Some interpreters (for example, Prof. Bogoslovsky) understand the expression used here by Christ “to ascend into heaven” in a figurative sense, as meaning “full and perfect knowledge of the mysteries of God.” But we cannot agree with such an interpretation, because in this case we would have to deprive the verb “to ascend” (ἀναβαίνειν) from the connection with the verb “to descend” (“descended from heaven” - καταβαίνειν), and there is undoubtedly a close relationship between these two verbs. If we understand the verb “to ascend” in a figurative sense, then in the same sense we must understand the verb “to descend.” But what, in this case, will the expression “descended from heaven” mean? Will this not destroy the idea of ​​the existence of the Logos even before His incarnation? Therefore, without imagining the ascension and descent of Christ from heaven in a gross spatial sense, it is still necessary to see in the place under consideration the teaching that Christ as a person already existed in God before His incarnation. And the meaning of verse 13 can be conveyed as follows: “no man (Angels are not meant here, since they “always see the face of the Heavenly Father” - Matthew 18:10) has ascended into heaven - and that means was not in heaven before living on earth - except that Son of Man (see John 1:51), Who came down from heaven and even now with the divine side of His being abides in heaven" (the expression “who is in heaven” is not found in all codes, but the newest critics are more inclined to recognize it as genuine rather than inserted after; see, for example, Tsang, p. 197) 17. John 3:14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, John 3:15. so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. Christ had just told Nicodemus about His eternal existence according to His Divinity and about His incarnation. Now He tells him another great secret - the secret of the salvation of all people by His death on the cross and His subsequent glorification. Christ reveals this teaching by comparing the copper serpent raised by Moses to a pole with Himself. There, in the desert, Moses put a copper image of a serpent in front of the entire Israeli camp so that every Jew bitten by a snake could turn his gaze to this image and, with faith in Jehovah, expect healing. Christ will also be ascended first to the cross, and then to heaven (the expression ὑψωθῆναι - “to ascend” has a dual meaning here 18 so that everyone who believes will have eternal life in Him (“he who believes in Him” is an inaccurate translation, because the expression ἐν αὐτῷ, “in Him” cannot be made dependent on the verb πιστεύειν; the reading εἰς αὐτόν, “in Him,” is considered less attested). But despite the similarities between the bronze serpent and Christ, there is an important difference. Firstly, the saving action of the first extended only to one people, but the saving action of the Second will extend to humanity in general: “everyone” can be saved thanks to Christ. Secondly, the serpent gave salvation only from temporary death and then only in one case, but Christ gives “eternal” life, i.e. He who believes in Christ will enter the Kingdom of God. It should be noted that all the fathers and teachers of the Church, on the basis of these words of Christ, consider the copper serpent as a prototype of the Messiah, and such a view has quite sufficient grounds (Tzan too narrows the meaning of Christ’s reference to the copper serpent, finding here “only a comparison” - p. 200). 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 eternal life. The reason why the Only Begotten Son of God (see John 1:14, 18) must be exalted - first to the shameful instrument of execution, and then to the glorious throne of heaven - is that God loves people to the utmost. "Loved" The evangelist speaks of the love of God as a fact already known from history (therefore, in the Greek text here the verb is put in the aorist form), because the coming of the Son of God to earth to save people was at that time a fact that had already happened. "World" . By “world” here Christ does not mean nature in general, but conscious and responsible for their actions beings inhabiting the earth, i.e. all humanity is in a state of fall (cf. verse 17). "Gave" . As can be concluded based on what was said in verses 14–15, here Christ had in mind God’s handing over of the Son to suffering and death (cf. Rom. 8:32) 19 . John 3:17. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Christ mentioned twice that He came to give people eternal life or, what is the same, salvation. Such a statement might seem to Nicodemus somewhat inconsistent with Christ’s recent appearance in the church, where He appeared as an accuser and judge over the desecrators of the church. Moreover, Judaism of that time generally expected to see in the Messiah a Judge, and, moreover, a Judge, mainly, over the pagan world, which had hitherto oppressed the chosen Jewish nation. Therefore, Christ says that the most essential thing in His calling as the Messiah is precisely the salvation of the world, and not the execution of judgment on the world (this, of course, does not exclude the future judgment that Christ will eventually perform over the entire universe; see John 5:27-29). John 3:18. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God. However, judgment on the world, and most importantly on the Jews, is already underway. This judgment, one might say, takes place by itself: some accept the Messiah and are not, cannot be, subjected to judgment in the sense of condemnation. Others have already clearly revealed their unbelief in Christ, and therefore their fate has already been decided: they are now condemned for not believing in the name of the Son of God, i.e. They did not recognize in Him the One who received such clear and definite testimony about Himself from God’s messenger John as the Only Begotten Son of God, existing eternally in the bosom of the Father (John 1:15–18). The last, Last Judgment, in fact, will not bring anything new in determining the fate of such people: it will only testify to everyone their guilt. John 3:19. The judgment is that light has come into the world; but people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil; Christ here makes clear what kind of "judgment" He had in mind in the preceding verse. The essence of this judgment is that the “light”, i.e. the light of Christ's truth shone in a world that was in the darkness of sins and all kinds of prejudices. “People”, i.e. those unbelievers who were discussed in the previous verse (besides these, there were also people who believed in Christ) moved away from this light; they were pleased to remain in the former darkness. Why? Because “their works”, i.e. all their behavior, their moral character, did not allow them to go towards the light (πονηρὰ τὰ ἔργα - morally evil, insidious deeds). John 3:20. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed, because they are evil, John 3:21. but he who does righteousness comes to the light, so that his deeds may be revealed, because they are done in God. Christ now spoke about a certain circle of people from the Jewish people who did not want to go to the light of Christ’s truth. Now He, first in relation to evil people, and then in relation to good people, clarifies the reason for the different attitude of all people to the light of truth. An evil person does not want the light to illuminate his deeds, which, due to their uselessness, do not deserve the respect that has hitherto been given to them (this is the meaning of the expression φαῦλα used in the 20th century - deeds that are insignificant, bad, although perhaps not always harmful or insidious). So, the Apostle Paul said: “everything that is revealed is made clear by the light” (Eph. 5:13). On the other hand, there are people who act “in truth” or, more precisely, who do the truth (ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν), i.e. people are honest, sincere, free from all hypocrisy (cf. John 1:47). Such people willingly go towards the light, strive to acquire the truth that has appeared in Christ - not in order, of course, to become famous before other people, but in order to know themselves and properly evaluate their behavior. Then such people “are inspired by even greater zeal to achieve the highest moral ideal” (Prof. Bogoslovsky). And they are not afraid of their deeds being discovered, because they know that they did them “in God,” i.e. for God and with His help. It should be noted that by saying that a person who sincerely loves the truth is not afraid to let “his deeds be revealed,” Christ thereby makes some reproach to Nicodemus, who considered himself a man who treasures the truth (cf. verse 2), and at the same time feared that his work - a visit to Christ - would be discovered, which is why he came to Christ only at night. This reproach obviously had an effect on Nicodemus, because he later even began to defend Christ in the Sanhedrin (John 7:50) and took part in His burial (John 19:38–40). Tradition reports that after the resurrection of Christ he was baptized by the apostles Peter and John and died a martyr's death (his memory is celebrated on August 2). The second half of the chapter deals with the activity of Christ in Judea. This activity was unusually successful, and the disciples of the Baptist even felt jealous of Christ (verses 22–26). Then the Baptist's final testimony about Christ is given. First the Baptist speaks of himself and his relationship to Christ (verses 27-30), and then of the divine dignity of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ (verses 31-36). John 3:22. After this Jesus came with His disciples to the land of Judea and lived there with them and baptized. At the end of the holiday (“after this” – μετὰ ταῦτα, i.e. after all the incidents described from the 13th verse of the 2nd chapter) Christ set off from Jerusalem to the land of Judea. At that time, the “land of Judea” meant the area bounded from the north by the extreme borders of Samaria, from the south by the edge of the desert near Bathsheba, from the west by the lowlands of the Philistine plain and from the east by the line of Jordan and the Dead Sea (Prof. Theologian, p. 248). Jerusalem, as the main city of the Promised Land, stood out from this area. It is very likely that Christ’s stay in the land of Judea was quite long, so that He managed to preach the news of the approach of the Kingdom of Heaven throughout all the borders of Judea. During his preaching, he also performed the rite of baptism, like John, but there was quite a big difference between the baptism of John and the baptism of Christ. Firstly, Christ performed baptism not Himself, but through His disciples (John 4:2), and secondly, His baptism was not only an external sign of repentance for those who were baptized, but a special rite through which people joined the ranks of Christ's followers (cf. John 4:1). Then, John baptized, preaching about the approach of the Messiah, and Christ - preaching about the Kingdom of Heaven. Of course, He pointed to Himself as the Founder of this Kingdom and began to form a large community of believers around Him (cf. John 7:3). This He did not do when He was in Jerusalem. John 3:23. And John also baptized in Aenon, near Salem, because there was a lot of water there; and they came there and were baptized, At this time, John the Baptist continued his activities, since he, having entered the ministry at the command of God (Luke 3:2), could not voluntarily, without a new command of God, stop his activities. But where was Aenon, in whose waters John baptized then? “Near Salim,” notes the evangelist. Meanwhile, we do not know where Salim was. There is only no doubt that this place was located west of the Jordan, since the disciples of the Baptist in their address to John make it clear that they are with their teacher on the western side of the Jordan (verse 26, where it should be more correctly read: “Rabbi, the One who was with you on the other side of the Jordan,” in the Russian translation - “by the Jordan”). And the very dispute between John’s disciples about the comparative merits of the baptism of Christ and John becomes understandable only on the assumption that Christ and John were at that time in the same area, i.e. in Judea (see verse 25). It is impossible to pinpoint the exact location of Aenon. But it is likely that he was located near one of the streams that flowed into the Dead Sea from the west. There was a lot of water in this stream, which attracted the Baptist here. John 3:24. for John was not yet imprisoned. The evangelist makes the remark that John was not yet imprisoned in prison due to the fact that, according to weather forecasters, for example, Matthew, John was imprisoned almost immediately after the baptism of Christ (Matthew 4:12), and, therefore, there is no time left for his activity, which the evangelist John speaks of in the section under consideration. So that readers do not be tempted by the contradiction presented here, the evangelist hastens to correct the testimony of the weather forecasters about the time of the Baptist’s imprisonment. John 3:25. Then John's disciples had a dispute with the Jews about cleansing. Some Jews (or, according to another reading, one Jew) entered into a dispute with the disciples of John “about purification” (περὶ καθαρισμοῦ), i.e., about the customs of the Jews to wash dishes and wash themselves (cf. John 2:6), and from here, probably, they moved on to a dispute about comparative dignity the baptism performed by John and the baptism performed by Christ. It may very well be that the Jews pointed out to the disciples of the Baptist the futility of his activities, when the One to whom John himself turned the gaze of his disciples already appeared. They also talked, of course, about the extraordinary success that the new preacher had. John 3:26. And they came to John and said to him: Rabbi! He who was with you at the Jordan and about whom you testified, behold He baptizes, and everyone comes to Him. The activity of Christ aroused envy in the disciples of the Baptist and, at the same time, jealousy about the glory of their teacher, which now, apparently, was waning. They express their irritation to John, hoping that he will take some measures to induce Christ to withdraw from the area where John has chosen the place of his activity. After all, the Baptist did so much for Christ with his testimony of Him as the Messiah! John 3:27. John answered: a man cannot take upon himself anything unless it is given to him from heaven. In response to his disciples, the Baptist first of all says that any success that anyone has in his business depends entirely on the will of God. This is a gift from God. John 3:28. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said: I am not the Christ, but I was sent before Him. Next, John recalls to his disciples exactly the words that he said about Christ and which, of course, were not unknown to his disciples. And he said (cf. John 1:15, 20, 27, 30) that it was not he, John, who was Christ, but only sent before Him, i.e. before Jesus as the Christ. John 3:29. He who has the bride is the groom, and the friend of the groom, standing and listening to him, rejoices with joy, hearing the voice of the groom. This is my joy fulfilled. Explaining his attitude towards Christ, the Baptist compares himself to the “friend of the groom,” who among the Jews played the main role in the entire process of marriage. Of course, this friend was very pleased when he saw that his matchmaking business had come to the desired end and when he heard the conversation of the newlywed couple. The Baptist also prepared people to accept Christ, who was now gathering around Him a community of believers or the Church, for the Church was the bride of this Heavenly Bridegroom (2 Cor. 11:2). From these words of the Baptist we have the right to conclude that he already knew, even earlier than his disciples reported, about the success that Christ had in Judea, and this gave him joyful confidence that the work of Christ would reach the desired goal. John 3:30. He must increase, but I must decrease. If the activity of John is now coming to an end, and the activity of Christ is increasing, then this is how it should be. An explanation of this statement is given below in the discourse on the dignity of Christ. John 3:31. He who comes from above is above all; but he who is from the earth is and speaks as he who is from the earth; He who comes from heaven is above all, The first advantage of the Face of the Lord Jesus Christ is His heavenly (“from above”) origin. The expression “coming from above” denotes precisely the ineffable birth of the Word from God the Father, and not the sending of Christ to serve (St. Cyril of Alexandria), because the Baptist himself was also sent from above (cf. John 1:6). This superiority of Christ eliminates any thought that there could be any competition with Him: He is above all. But who does the Baptist further mean by “earthly” and “speaking from the earth”? Many interpreters believe that he is talking about himself here, but one cannot agree with this opinion. John was, after all, a prophet, awarded divine revelations and speaking to the people as a messenger of Heaven (John 1:29–34). He testified before his disciples and the people about what he heard and saw (John 1:34, 3:11). It is better to see here an indication of other, ordinary Jewish teachers, with whom, of course, Christ was then compared as the new rabbi. John 3:32. and what He saw and heard, He testifies to; and no one accepts His testimony. The second advantage of Christ is the incomparable excellence of His teaching. The Lord spoke only what he knew directly, what he heard and saw in heaven (cf. verse 11). That is why the number of followers of Christ, which seemed too large to the disciples of the Baptist, seems to him to be very insignificant, in view of the high dignity of the teachings of Christ. John 3:33. He who received His testimony has thus sealed that God is true, John hastens, however, to divert the gaze of his disciples from the sad picture presented by the unbelieving sermons of Christ, and draws their attention to the results that are experienced by those who believe in His word. The lives of these believers have completely changed, and they, receiving the grace of God in Christ (John 1:16), thereby testify with all firmness (“they put their seal”) that the promises that God gave them through John the Baptist (John 1:29) really come to fulfillment: they have become much better than they were before, and they themselves are a “seal” certifying the truth of God’s promises. John 3:34. for He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; For God does not give the Spirit by measure. These promises, however, could not remain unfulfilled, because they were spoken by the messengers of God - the prophets and, in particular, John the Baptist himself. They were given revelation from the Spirit of God, and, moreover, not sparingly (“without measure” - οὐἐκ μέτρου). The entire verse, according to the best codes, should look like this: “one sent from God” (or a messenger of God) speaks the words of God, for the Spirit gives (of course, his gifts) not by measure (that is, not stingily, but generously) 20 . John 3:35. The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand. The third and final advantage of Christ is that God, out of His special love for the Son, gave everything into His power. John here calls Christ the Son of God because this name was revealed to him during the baptism of Christ in the Jordan (Matthew 3:17). John 3:36. He who believes in the Son has eternal life, and he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. Here John indicates the high purpose that God had in giving such power to the Son (cf. verses 15-16), and thereby makes it clear to his disciples how much they are losing by not joining the ranks of the followers of Christ. Some Church Fathers saw in Christ's words about water and the Spirit a prophecy or teaching about Christian baptism (Justin, Irenaeus, etc.). According to Edersheim, Nicodemus, as a Pharisee, although he recognized the need for rebirth, saw in this, so to speak, second birth a consequence of entry into the Kingdom of the Messiah, and not a cause and condition (p. 486). The Greek word πνεῦμα found here can mean both “spirit” and “wind,” although the Greeks actually had a special word for wind - ἄνεμος. At least 70 more interpreters used the word πνεῦμα in both meanings (cf. Is. 61:1 and Job 1:19). Here the word pneama undoubtedly means "wind." This is evident, firstly, from the fact that Nicodemus, who had not yet believed, could not be said to “hear” the voice of the Spirit (St. John Chrysostom). Secondly, it cannot be said about the Spirit that He breathes (more precisely, “blows”), that His voice can be heard. Thirdly, it is known about the Spirit that He comes from God and goes to God (Ps. 103:29; Eccl. 12:7). The adverb “so” (οὕτως), which begins the second half of the verse, shows that in this half we are not talking about the spirit (wind) that is spoken of in the first half, but about the Spirit of God. In this verse, therefore, the following idea is established: no one living on earth has an eternal, heavenly or divine existence, except the Son of Man, who appeared on earth as having come down from heaven, and who, while remaining on earth, does not cease to be the possessor of an eternal divine nature. But many scientists do not agree with this understanding of the place in question. For example, according to Beischlag, there is no talk here about the “real” eternal existence of the Son of Man and, therefore, about His Divine nature, but only about His “ideal” pre-existence “in the thoughts” of God the Father. But Beischlag does not pay attention to the most important thing: he does not notice that Christ speaks of His descent from heaven as an act of the Son of Man himself, as an act of a Person who already existed before he performed a certain act. This thought was expressed more clearly by the Apostle Paul, depicting the Messiah, the Son of God, saying even before His incarnation: “Behold, I come to do Your will, O God” (Heb. 10:9). Through this, support is taken away from representatives of the so-called kenotic theory, which believes that with His incarnation Christ entered into a purely human relationship with God the Father and lost His divine nature (see Znamensky, pp. 291–294). “The faith that saves is not faith in Christ, glorified after that and because He was crucified” (Loisy, p. 323)? Tsang and some other exegetes see here an indication only of Christ's embassy in the world, but after what Christ said about His ascension to the cross (verses 14-15); such a thought would be a slight weakening of the one contained above. According to our accepted text, in this verse you also need to insert the word “God”, which is the subject, and “Spirit” becomes the complement. But such a reading is rejected by critics of the biblical text (see Tischendorf, 8th ed.). In the same way, this expression (gives) is incorrectly attributed to Christ, because here we are talking about the ongoing gift of the Spirit of God (δίδωσιν - present tense), and about Christ it should be said that God gave Him (ἔδωκεν) the Spirit. Further, in the reading adopted in the new editions, the verb “gives” remains without an object. But that doesn't matter. Where the idea is clear, the addition of this verb is sometimes released (Matthew 10:6, 13:2; James 1:5). You might be interested in: