22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. 23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized— 24 for John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25 Therefore there arose a debate between John’s disciples and a Jew about purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have borne witness, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” 27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ 29 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. So this joy of mine has been made full. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no one receives His witness. 33 He who has received His witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3: 22-36 LSB
John 3: 22-36 John The Baptist Right Before Prison
V. 22 After these things - After Jesus' meeting with John the Baptist where He drops the bomb of "Being Born Again" or born from above, basically declaring justification by faith to a man who had been trying to find his justification through the works of the law. The essence being that the law condemns you if you think it's the way, faith applied by the Holy Spirit opens a man's eyes to his actual place in comparison to the law. The law instructs by the Spirit, it shows a man the worthless nature of his own righteousness, causes him to beg like Job, for a Mediator. It realizes that outward ritualism is no good measure against a Holy, Holy, Holy God Who looks past outward expressions, dress, whitewash, straight into the heart, to the very thoughts of man.
Then Job answered and said,
2 “In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a man be in the right before God?
3 If one desired to contend with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4 Wise in heart and mighty in power,
Who has stiffened his neck against Him and been at peace?
5 God is the One who removes the mountains, they know not how,
When He overturns them in His anger;
6 The One who shakes the earth out of its place,
And its pillars tremble;
7 The One who says for the sun not to shine,
And sets a seal upon the stars;
8 Who alone stretches out the heavens,
And tramples down the waves of the sea;
9 Who makes the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
10 Who does great things, unsearchable,
And wondrous works, innumerable.
11 Were He to sweep by me, I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12 Were He to snatch away, who could turn Him back?
Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’
13 “God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him crouch the helpers of Rahab.
14 How then can I answer Him,
And choose my words before Him?
15 For though I were right, I could not answer;
I would have to plead for the grace of my judge.
16 If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was giving ear to my voice.
17 For He bruises me with a tempest
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18 He will not allow me to get my breath,
But saturates me with bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the mighty one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can make Him testify?
20 Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me;
Though I am blameless, He will declare me perverse.
21 I am blameless;
I do not know my soul;
I reject my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He consumes the blameless and the wicked.’
23 If the scourge puts to death suddenly,
He mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
He covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?
25 “Now my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away; they do not see good.
26 They sweep by like reed boats,
Like an eagle that swoops on its food.
27 Though I say, ‘I will forget my musing,
I will forsake my sad countenance and be cheerful,’
28 I am afraid of all my pains;
I know that You will not acquit me.
29 I am accounted wicked;
Why then should I toil in vain?
30 If I should wash myself with snow
And cleanse my hands with lye,
31 Yet You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would abhor me.
32 For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court for judgment together.
33 There is no adjudicator between us,
Who may lay his hand upon us both.
34 Let Him remove His rod from me,
And let not dread of Him terrify me.
35 Then I would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself. Job 9 LSB
V.24 For John had not yet been thrown into prison - That is coming soon, John the Baptist had a great ministry, preaching and baptizing people unto repentance. He was considered a prophet by many, even King Herod would listen to him preach on occasion, but he was no respecter of persons, and he will call out Herod for his sinful, incestuous life. It is the wife of Herod who will be most offended by a subject of her kingdom pointing out her wrong doing. To be a prophet of God is to say what God says, and that will always fly in the face of what cultural has, in it's own wisdom, decided to esteem as right or wrong. He will go to jail for saying what God says; for this he will lose his head.
MacArthur explains why John inserts this verse in his account - The statement informs readers that this incident took place between Jesus’ temptation (Mt 4:1ff+, Lk 4:1ff) and John’s imprisonment, a period of time about which the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are silent. The Synoptics begin their account of Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee after John is already in prison (Matt. 4:12+; Mark 1:14). The Gospel of John supplements them by recording these earlier events from Jesus’ ministry (ED: SEE UNSHADED AREA TO LEFT SIDE OF CHART BELOW), events that were simultaneous with John the Baptist’s ministry in Samaria. The apostle John clarifies the timing here so that his readers will not be confused. (See John 1-11 MacArthur New Testament Commentary)
If you are still somewhat confused (as I was), below is a chart to help visualize the record of Jesus' ministry in Judea which is not found in the Synoptic Gospels. There are a couple of points you need to notice. Notice that Mt 4:12+, Mk 1:14+ and Lk 4:14+ each mark the beginning of Jesus' Galilean Ministry, but only Matthew and Mark specifically associate this beginning with John the Baptist's imprisonment. Luke 4:14+ does not say anything about the imprisonment. Luke (and here is where one could be easily confused) actually describes the imprisonment of John the Baptist in Luke 3:19-20+, which is BEFORE his description of Jesus' Baptism and Temptation in the chart below. Here is what you need to understand -- Luke is not giving a chronological description. William Hendriksen agrees that "As is so often the case, Luke’s account here is not chronological....But though not always chronological, Luke’s account is logical. He wishes to bring the story of John’s ministry to a close, in order to write the story of Christ’s ministry. There surely can be no objection to that." (BNTC-Luke) - Precept Austin
V. 25 Therefore there arose a debate - Without the context coming from John's answer to his disciples it would be difficult to understand this interaction, but it becomes evident in the loyalties that John's disciples show their teacher. Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest born of women. His ministry has been before Israel and their royalty. Israel has not known a prophet like this in 400 years, and he is the last of the OT style prophets, the beautiful best man at the wedding, trying to stay behind the scenes, pushing forward the Groom.
The Greek word for on the part of is the preposition "ek" which indicates the source of the activity as coming out of John's disciples. Stated another way John’s disciples were the instigators. The Jew is not specified as a follower of Jesus or John. The phrase about purification does not refer to purification is general, that is the old Jewish rules and rituals but centers on the issue of baptism (Jesus and John's baptisms). The specify issue that is under dispute is left unstated. Lenski proposes that "All we can gather from the complaint of the Baptist’s disciples in v. 26 is that the Jew maintained the superiority of Jesus’ Baptism over that of the Baptist, which the disciples of the latter refused to admit as it would also involve that men should leave the Baptist and go to Jesus." (Borrow The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel) - Precept Austin
V. 26 Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have borne witness - This Jesus, who you said you point to, His ministry is growing and He is baptizing people not far from here. Instead of coming to you the people are going to Him.
V. 27 A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven - Ministry comes from God, both call and extent. If you are a Christian then whatever title you hold, whatever your vocation, you are a minister, doing your work as unto the Lord. John played his part as the Messenger, the finger pointing to Christ. If you are a parent you are the first mouth from which your children should hear about God, your actions are their first glimpse at the Christian life, what does born again look like compared to the world? If you are an employer, how much do you serve like Christ, what is your witness? Competition is not against others but against the old self. In other words, don't think so highly about yourself, for you did not make yourself nor assign your gifts, do not look down on another's gifts or stations, for if they are obedient to God, do not block the view to Christ, they are more His true ministers then the pastor with the biggest church who thinks it is all about him.
V. 28 I am not the Christ but I have been sent ahead of Him - He knew his place, his job to proclaim, prepare the way, that burned and welled up within him. This is so beautiful, and I see so many pastors and Christians today that will not get out of the way like this. John has an immense following, and he is like water in a drought, telling the truth that others won't, but he is deliberate in making sure that you understand, he is not the Savior, but that guy, Jesus, He's the One.
“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
2 “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her warfare has been fulfilled,
That her iniquity has been removed,
That she has received from the hand of Yahweh
Double for all her sins.”
3 A voice is calling,
“Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 Then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.” Isaiah 40: 1-5
V. 29 He Who has the bride is the Bridegroom - Jesus is the Kinsman Redeemer, the one Who will pay the bride price, and in Isaiah 53 you can see what that cost was.
V. 29b Rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice - No jealousy here, he knows who he is and who he is not. He knows the Bridegroom most importantly and he loves Him as a best friend.
V. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease - The candle of night gives way to the sun of morning. I watch a comet in my own time, and it has reached the point where one perceives it's light diminishing, and it is a sad thing for me, like it would be for John's disciples, but these shooting stars, these blips on the radar, did not exist without the One through whom life was called. Their ministries were known by Christ before time, and their great honor was that Jesus be glorified. God has invested so much power in His word that the men who realize it stay very close to it, trying not to mess it up in the proclaiming.
V. 31 He who comes from above is above all - His origin is eternal and heavenly. He speaks from what He knows, which is above all earthly wisdom.
…5Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6
You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You. 7You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham.… Nehemiah 9: 5-7
Craig Evans - Just as Nicodemus must be born “from above” (Jn 3:3), so now John the Baptist becomes a witness to Jesus as one who is “from above” (Jn 3:31) Jesus has descended from heaven (Jn 3:12–13) bringing heavenly gifts of Spirit and rebirth—he is a messenger who reveals what he has seen and heard in heaven’s precincts (Jn 3:31–32). Just as Nicodemus represents Jewish leadership in Jerusalem, so now, John the Baptist is a Jewish prophet. Both men are from “the earth” while Jesus is “from above.” Acts 19:1–7 mentions followers of John the Baptist living in Ephesus who did not believe in Jesus. Later post-apostolic evidence even suggests that such communities continued to exist a few generations later. They were communities which elevated John the Baptist and rejected Jesus’ messiahship. If such a polemic existed in the communities that would read the Fourth Gospel, John 3:22–36 becomes a potent corrective. John the Baptist becomes a premier witness to Jesus dispelling rumors of a rivalry with Jesus and urging his followers to believe in him. The Baptist devalues his own status—as the friend (3:29) compared with the bridegroom—and says explicitly that “he must become greater; I must become less” (Jn 3:30). (The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary) - Precept Austin
V. 32 And no one receives His witness - This is the condemnation that light, Christ has come into the world. He is the fulfillment of the Seed promised in Genesis 3 after the fall. He is the Ram that replaces Isaac on the altar, the threshing floor of Mt. Moriah. He is lifted up on the cross as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. He is the Lamb without spot, the scarlet thread, the Kinsman Redeemer, the One Who Davide describes as brutally sacrificed in a crucifixion in Psalm 22, a thousand years before it happens, and the faithful Servant of Isaiah, Who is so clearly pictured in the passion of Isaiah 53. He is born in Bethlehem, of the root of Jesse, the Son of David, all the OT points to Him as every preacher and believer should. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, God testifies in a voice from heaven at His baptism, the Spirit descends on Him, and John the Baptist is there to bear witness of God's own testimony about the Son, but they won't receive it. See why you have to be born from above?
V. 33 That God is true - The ones who believed what John 3:16 said, That God loved, that He gave His Son, that Jesus is the Son, the Messiah, the Savior, the fulfillment of God's Word, the Word become flesh, those are the ones sealed in Him. They have been born again. They believed what God said about His Son.
V. 34 For He gives the Spirit without measure - Infinite.
He gives the Spirit without measure - The subject He is God the Father giving the Spirit to His Son and underscoring the intimate interconnectedness of the Father and the Son.
THOUGHT - "This brings out the full humanity of Jesus. As a man, He had to rely constantly on the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17; 15:26), which enabled Him to speak the true words of God. In this, He modeled for us how we are to live in dependence on God’s Spirit." (Steven Cole). (See also The Holy Spirit-Walking Like Jesus Walked!)
Leon Morris - There is perfect communion between them, and no limit to the gift. His perfect endowment with the Spirit guarantees the truth of his words. (Borrow The Gospel according to John)
MacArthur adds that "Since “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 2:9+), there were no limits to the Spirit’s power working through Him." (See John Commentary)
What does it mean that the Father gave the Son the Spirit without measure? Not in a small degree, but fully, completely. The literal Greek reads "for not by measure does he give the Spirit" which was an ancient idiomatic way to describe something with a limit. And so we read in Leviticus Rabbah 15:2 "The Holy Spirit rested on the prophets by measure." That is to say the prophets had a "limit"! But John contrasts Jesus, by stating that the Spirit rests upon Him without measure (or without limit as in NIV, NLT). And so Guzik explains that "Jesus is a uniquely reliable revelation, because He has the Holy Spirit without measure, in contrast to the previous prophets." The Old Testament prophets were anointed with the Holy Spirit only when they were speaking for God, but Jesus always had the Spirit. - Precept Austin
V. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand - We are a gift from the Father to the Son.
As Carson says "Even the unfolding of redemptive history finds its ultimate source in the loving relationships in the Godhead." (Borrow The Gospel according to John) - Precept Austin
V. 36a He who believes in the Son has eternal life - This is the way God provided to be made right with Him, through His Son. He accepts the Son and so accepts you in the Son.
V. 36b But he who does not obey the Son will not see life - What has been the command to obey throughout here? Believe. Believe what? Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Savior of the World. We obey what is Lord in our life, if Jesus is Lord then it will show in our obedience to Him.
14If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it. 15
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—… John 14: 14-16
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