John 3

 We just finished the third chapter of John in our Sunday evening study and it is amazing to consider the number of statements in these first three chapters that affirm the deity of Jesus. This is the beauty of studying the Bible verse by verse rather than topical studies, you get a much fuller sense of what is written and it’s much easier to understand the context as well. If you were to look up the purpose of John’s gospel on the internet, you would get something like “John wrote his gospel to clearly state the deity of Jesus.” In fact, we get John’s purpose statement in chapter 20, verse 31: “…but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (NASB) So, we only have to read the first three chapters of John to understand who Jesus was and how we can be saved. And we don’t have to read past the first half of chapter 1 to see the deity of Jesus proclaimed by John.

Of course, one of the most recognizable verses of the Bible is John 3:16, but what is often lost is the context of this statement by Jesus. Nicodemus had come to Jesus at night to ask a few questions. Although he doesn’t get to say much in this exchange, it is easy to infer from the responses of Jesus that what Nicodemus most wanted to know was this: Who are you? Jesus not only answered this question but also told him how to be saved, and connected New Testament salvation with the salvation that was offered in the wilderness when Moses lifted up the brass serpent on a pole. What vivid imagery and something that Nicodemus could really understand.

As we continue to read and study John’s gospel, we will see events chronicled, much as in the other gospels, but we will notice that in many cases, John chose to record different events. Additionally, John only records seven miracles. So, we will look for the richness of John’s narrative and see how he continues to support his mission statement by the words and actions of Jesus.