Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 3:2
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
2. we know ] Others are disposed to believe as well as Nicodemus.
a teacher come from God ] In the Greek the order is, that Thou art come from God as teacher. We are not sure that ‘come from God’ points to the Messiah, ‘He that should come.’ But if so, we see the timidity of Nicodemus; he begins with an admission of Christ’s Messiahship, and ends with the weak word ‘teacher;’ the Messiah was never thought of as a mere teacher. But ‘come from God’ may only mean divinely sent, as a Prophet (Joh 1:6), or even less.
these miracles ] Better, these signs, as in Joh 2:11.
except God be with him ] A similarly weak conclusion, shewing timidity: one expects ‘unless he be a Prophet,’ or ‘the Messiah.’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The same came to Jesus – The design of his coming seems to have been to inquire more fully of Jesus what was the doctrine which he came to teach. He seems to have been convinced that he was the Messiah, and desired to be further instructed in private respecting his doctrine, It was not usual for a man of rank, power, and riches to come to inquire of Jesus in this manner; yet we may learn that the most favorable opportunity for teaching such men the nature of personal religion is when they are alone. Scarcely any man, of any rank, will refuse to converse on this subject when addressed respectfully and tenderly in private. In the midst of their companions, or engaged in business, they may refuse to listen or may cavil. When alone, they will hear the voice of entreaty and persuasion, and be willing to converse on the great subjects of judgment and eternity. Thus Paul says Gal 2:2, privately to them which are of reputation, evincing his consummate prudence, and his profound knowledge of human nature.
By night – It is not mentioned why he came by night. It might have been that, being a member of the Sanhedrin, he was engaged all the day; or it may have been because the Lord Jesus was occupied all the day in teaching publicly and in working miracles, and that there was no opportunity for conversing with him as freely as he desired; or it may have been that he was afraid of the ridicule and contempt of those in power, and fearful that it might involve him in danger if publicly known; or it may have been that he was afraid that if it were publicly known that he was disposed to favor the Lord Jesus, it might provoke more opposition against him and endanger his life. Since no bad motive is imputed to him, it is most in accordance with Christian charity to suppose that his motives were such as God would approve, especially as the Saviour did not reprove him. We should not be disposed to blame men where Jesus did not, and we should desire to find goodness in every man rather than be ever on the search for evil motives. See 1Co 13:4-7. We may learn here:
- That our Saviour, though engaged during the day, did nor refuse to converse with an inquiring sinner at night. Ministers of the gospel at all times should welcome those who are asking the way to life.
- That it is proper for men, even those of elevated rank, to inquire on the subject of religion. Nothing is so important as religion, and no temper of mind is more lovely than a disposition to ask the way to heaven. At all times men should seek the way of salvation, and especially in times of great religions excitement they should make inquiry. At Jerusalem, at the time referred to here, there was great solicitude. Many believed on Jesus. He performed miracles, and preached, and many were converted. There was what would now be called a revival of religion, having all the features of a work of grace. At such a season it was proper, as it is now, that not only the poor, but the rich and great, should inquire the path to life.
Rabbi – This was a title of respect conferred on distinguished Jewish teachers, somewhat in the way that the title Doctor of Divinity is now conferred. See the notes at Joh 1:38. Our Saviour forbade his disciples to wear that title (see the notes at Mat 23:8), though it was proper for Him to do it, as being the great Teacher of mankind. It literally signifies great, and was given by Nicodemus, doubtless, because Jesus gave distinguished proofs that he came as a teacher from God.
We know – I know, and those with whom I am connected. Perhaps he was acquainted with some of the Pharisees who entertained the same opinion about Jesus that he did, and he came to be more fully confirmed in the belief.
Come from God – Sent by God. This implies his readiness to hear him, and his desire to be instructed. He acknowledges the divine mission of Jesus, and delicately asks him to instruct him in the truth of religion. When we read the words of Jesus in the Bible, it should be with a belief that he came from God, and was therefore qualified and authorized to teach us the way of life.
These miracles – The miracles which he performed in the Temple and at Jerusalem, Joh 2:23.
Except God be with him – Except God aid him, and except his instructions are approved by God. Miracles show that a prophet or religious teacher comes from God, because God would nor work a miracle in attestation of a falsehood or to give countenance to a false teacher. If God gives a man power to work a miracle, it is proof that he approves the teaching of that man, and the miracle is the proof or the credential that he came from God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 2. Came to Jesus by night] He had matters of the utmost importance, on which he wished to consult Christ; and he chose the night season, perhaps less through the fear of man than through a desire to have Jesus alone, as he found him all the day encompassed with the multitude; so that it was impossible for him to get an opportunity to speak fully on those weighty affairs concerning which he intended to consult him. However, we may take it for granted that he had no design at present to become his disciple; as baptism and circumcision, which were the initiating ordinances among the Jews, were never administered in the night time. If any person received baptism by night, he was not acknowledged for a proselyte. See Wetstein. But as Jews were not obliged to be baptized, they being circumcised, and consequently in the covenant, he, being a Jew, would not feel any necessity of submitting to this rite.
Rabbi] My Master, or Teacher, a title of respect given to the Jewish doctors, something like our Doctor of Divinity, i.e. teacher of Divine things. But as there may be many found among us who, though they bear the title, are no teachers, so it was among the Jews; and perhaps it was in reference to this that Nicodemus uses the word , didaskalos, immediately after, by which, in Joh 1:38, St. John translates the word rabbi. Rabbi, teacher, is often no more than a title of respect: didaskolos signifies a person who not only has the name of teacher, but who actually does teach.
We know that thou art a teacher come from God] We, all the members of the grand Sanhedrin, and all the rulers of the people, who have paid proper attention to thy doctrine and miracles. We are all convinced of this, though we are not all candid enough to own it. It is possible, however, that , we know, signifies no more than, it is known, it is generally acknowledged and allowed, that thou art a teacher come from God.
No man can do these miracles] It is on the evidence of thy miracles that I ground my opinion of thee. No man can do what thou dost, unless the omnipotence of God be with him.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He came by night to Christ, not, as some (too charitably) possibly may think, that he might have the freer and less interrupted communion and discourse with him; but either through fear, or possibly shame, being a master in Israel, to be looked upon as a scholar going to learn of another. He saluteth him by the name they usually gave to their teachers, (as we showed, Joh 1:49), and saith,
we know, by which he hints to us, that not only he, but others of the Pharisees also, knew that he was a teacher sent from God in a more extraordinary manner; and he giveth the reason of this their knowledge, because of those miraculous operations which he had wrought. God hath his number among all orders and sorts of men; and those that are his shall come unto Christ. There was a weakness in the faith and love of this Nicodemus; (his station amongst the Jews was a great temptation to him); but yet there was a truth of both in him, which further discovered itself, Joh 7:50, and more upon Christs death, Joh 19:39. But here ariseth a greater question, viz. How Nicodemus could conclude that Christ was a teacher sent from God, by his miracles.
Answer. It is to be observed, that he doth not say, in the general, that no man does signs or wonders of any kind, unless the power and favour of God be with him. But he speaks particularly and eminently of those things which Jesus did; they were so great in their nature, so real and solid in their proof, so Divine in the manner of performing them by the empire of his will; so holy in their end, to confirm a doctrine most becoming the wisdom and other glorious attributes of God, and that were the verification of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, whose coming it was foretold should be with miraculous healing benefits; that there was the greatest assurance, that none without the omnipotent hand of God could do them; for it is clear by the light of reason and Scripture, that God will not assist by his almighty power the ministers of Satan, to induce those who sincerely search for truth to believe a lie. The magicians indeed performed divers wonders in Egypt, but they were outdone by Moses, to convince the spectators that he was sent from a power infinitely superior to that of evil spirits. Real miracles, that are contrary to the order and exceed the power of nature, can only be produced by creating power, and are wrought to give credit to those who are sent from God. And when God permits false miracles to be done by seducers, that would thereby obtain authority and credit amongst men, the deception is not invincible; for it is foretold expressly to give us warning, that the man of sin shall come with lying wonders, by the working of Satan, 2Th 2:9; and the heavenly doctrine of the gospel has been confirmed by real miracles, incomparably greater than all the strange things done to give credit to doctrines opposite to it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. came to Jesus by nightOneof those superficial “believers” mentioned in Joh 2:23;Joh 2:24, yet inwardly cravingfurther satisfaction, Nicodemus comes to Jesus in quest of it, butcomes “by night” (see Joh 19:38;Joh 19:39; Joh 12:42);he avows his conviction that He was
come from Godanexpression never applied to a merely human messenger, andprobably meaning more herebut only as “a teacher,“and in His miracles he sees a proof merely that “God is withHim.” Thus, while unable to repress his convictions, he isafraid of committing himself too far.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The same came to Jesus by night,…. Through fear of the Jews, of being reproached or turned out of his place by them; or through shame, that such a doctor as he was, should be known to go to Jesus of Nazareth, to be instructed by him; or lest he should offend any of his brethren of the sanhedrim: though some things may be said in favour of this conduct of Nicodemus; for since Christ would not trust himself with those that believed in him upon seeing his miracles, Joh 2:23, among whom Nicodemus seems to be; or would not admit them into his company, and enter into a free conversation with him; it was necessary, that if he would have any discourse with him, that he should take this method; and if it was the same night, in which he had seen his miracles in the day, as is probable, he took the first opportunity he could, and which shows great readiness and respect; add to which, that it was very common with the Jewish doctors, to meet and converse together, and study the law in the night.
“R. Aba rose, , “in the middle of the night”, and the rest of the companions, to study in the law e.”
And it is often f said of R. Simeon ben Joehal, and Eleazar his son, that they sat in the night and laboured in the law; and it was reckoned very commendable so to do, and highly pleasing to God: it is said g,
“whoever studies in the law in the night, the holy blessed God draws a thread of mercy upon him in the day:”
and likewise h, that
“every one that studies in the law in the night, the Shekinah is over against him.”
But it seems, the Babylonian Jews did not study in the law in the night i: it might seem a needless question to ask, whether Nicodemus came alone, or not, were it not that according to the Jewish canon k a scholar might not go out in the night alone, because of suspicion:
and said unto him, Rabbi; a title which now greatly obtained among the Jewish doctors, and of which they were very fond;
[See comments on Mt 23:7]. It comes from a word, which signifies great and large; and was used by them, to suggest the large compass, and great plenty of knowledge they would be thought to have had; and best becomes and suits with our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are: salutations among the Jews, were forbidden in the night l;
“says R. Jochanan, it is forbidden a man to salute his neighbour in the night, lest it should be a demon:”
but here was no such danger; nor was this salutation made in the street, and in the dark, which the canon seems to respect:
we know that thou art a teacher come from God; the Jews expected the Messiah as a teacher, which they might learn from many prophecies, as from Isa 2:2. Upon the first of which, and on that passage in it, “he will teach us of his ways”, a noted commentator m of theirs has this remark;
“hrwmh, “the teacher”, he is the King Messiah.”
And the Targum on Joe 2:23 paraphrases the words thus:
“O ye children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the word of the Lord your God, for he will return , “your teacher” to you.”
And Nicodemus acknowledges Jesus as such; and as one that did not come, or was sent by men, as their doctors were; nor did he come of himself, as false teachers did; but he came from God, and had his mission and commission from him: and this was a known case, a clear point, not only to himself, but to many of the Jews; and even to some of his brethren, the members of the sanhedrim; who upon hearing of, and seeing the miracles done by Christ, might meet and converse freely together about him; and give their sentiments of him; and might then agree pretty much in this at that time, that he was at least a prophet, and some extraordinary teacher, whom God had sent among them; and Nicodemus coming directly from them, repeats his own sense and theirs, supported by the following reason:
for no man can do these miracles that thou dost, [except] God be with him: referring to the miracles he had done at the passover in Jerusalem, very lately; see Joh 2:23. And which, though they are not particularly mentioned, may be concluded to be such, as the dispossessing of devils, the curing of all manner of diseases by a word, or touch, from what he at other times, and elsewhere did. Miracles were expected by the Jews, to be wrought by the Messiah, and many believed in Jesus on this account; see Joh 6:14; though the modern Jews deny it to be necessary, that miracles should be done by the Messiah n; but Nicodemus, and other Jews, thought otherwise, and considered the miracles of Christ as such, as could never be done by man, nor without the presence and power of God; and concluded that he was with God, and God with him, and was the true Immanuel, who is God with us.
e Zohar in Exod. fol. 84. 1. f Ib. fol. 8S. 2. in Lev. fol. 5. 3, 4. & 10. 1. & passim. g T. Bab. Chagiga, fol. 12. 2. Avoda Zara, fol. 3. 2. Maimon. Hilch. Talmud Tora, c. 3. sect. 13. h T. Bab. Tamid. foi. 32. 2. i T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 9. 2. k T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 91. 1. Piske Tosephot Pesach, art. 12. & Maimon. Hilch, Deyot. c. 5. sect. 9. l T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 44. 1. & Megilla, fol. 3. 1. & Piske Tosephot Megilla, art. 4. & in Yebamot, art. 238. m R David Kimchi in loc. n Maimon. Hilch. Melacim, c. 11. sect. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The same (). “This one.”
By night (). Genitive of time. That he came at all is remarkable, not because there was any danger as was true at a later period, but because of his own prominence. He wished to avoid comment by other members of the Sanhedrin and others. Jesus had already provoked the opposition of the ecclesiastics by his assumption of Messianic authority over the temple. There is no ground for assigning this incident to a later period, for it suits perfectly here. Jesus was already in the public eye (2:23) and the interest of Nicodemus was real and yet he wished to be cautious.
Rabbi (). See on 1:38. Technically Jesus was not an acknowledged Rabbi of the schools, but Nicodemus does recognize him as such and calls him “My Master” just as Andrew and John did (1:38). It was a long step for Nicodemus as a Pharisee to take, for the Pharisees had closely scrutinized the credentials of the Baptist in 1:19-24 (Milligan and Moulton’s Comm.).
We know (). Second perfect indicative first person plural. He seems to speak for others of his class as the blind man does in 9:31. Westcott thinks that Nicodemus has been influenced partly by the report of the commission sent to the Baptist (1:19-27).
Thou art a teacher come from God ( ). “Thou hast come from God as a teacher.” Second perfect active indicative of and predicative nominative . This is the explanation of Nicodemus for coming to Jesus, obscure Galilean peasant as he seemed, evidence that satisfied one of the leaders in Pharisaism.
Can do ( ). “Can go on doing” (present active infinitive of and so linear).
These signs that thou doest ( ). Those mentioned in 2:23 that convinced so many in the crowd and that now appeal to the scholar. Note (thou) as quite out of the ordinary. The scorn of Jesus by the rulers held many back to the end (Joh 12:42), but Nicodemus dares to feel his way.
Except God be with him ( ‘ ). Condition of the third class, presented as a probability, not as a definite fact. He wanted to know more of the teaching accredited thus by God. Jesus went about doing good because God was with him, Peter says (Ac 10:38).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
To Jesus. The best texts substitute prov aujton, to him.
By night. Through timidity, fearing to compromise his dignity, and possibly his safety. The fact is noticed again, Joh 19:39 (see on 7 50). By night, “when Jewish superstition would keep men at home.” He could reach Jesus ‘ apartment without being observed by the other inmates of the house, for an outside stair led to the upper room.
Rabbi. The teacher of Israel (ver. 10) addresses Jesus by the title applied by his own disciples to himself – my master (see on 1 38). “We may be sure that a member of the sect that carefully scrutinized the Baptist’s credentials (i. 19 – 24) would not lightly address Jesus by this title of honor, or acknowledge Him as teacher” (Milligan and Moulton).
We know [] . Assured conviction based on Jesus ‘ miracles (see on 2 24).
Thou art a teacher. According to the Greek order, that thou art come from God as teacher.
From God. These words stand first in the sentence as emphatic. It is from God that thou hast come.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “The same came to Jesus by night,” (houtos elthen pros auton nuktos) “This one came to him (to Jesus) by night,” out of darkness of the night, of his own choice, volition, will, and accord, convicted that he needed help from Jesus, the fountain of redemption, knowledge, and wisdom. He came by night from apparent fear of exclusion from the synagogue, and loss of his position of rulership, Joh 12:42-43; Joh 9:22.
2) “And said unto him, Rabbi,” (kai eipen auto hrabbi) “And addressed him, Rabbi,” meaning “respectable teacher,” to whom he came for explanations of questions in his own mind, and found that Jesus would not turn an honest inquirer away, without offered help, Joh 6:37; Joh 7:17.
3) “We know that thou art a teacher come from God: (oidamen hoti apo theou eleluthas didaskalos) “We perceive that you are a teacher who has come from God: The term “we” is believed to be the expressed convictions of the Sanhedrin rulers, as well as that of Nicodemus, though the other rulers did not have the honesty or courage of their convictions to come to Jesus as Nicodemus did.
4) “For no man can do these miracles that thou doest,” (oudeis gar dunatai tauta ta semeia poiein ha su poieis) “Because no one is able (or enabled) to do the miracles which you do repeatedly;- Nicodemus thus confirmed his belief that the miracles Jesus performed, verified or authenticated His Divinity, His mission from God to mankind, as also affirmed, Joh 20:30-31.
5) “Except God be with him.” (ean me e ho theos met’ autou) “If God does not exist with him,” or unless God empowers Him to do the miracles. It appears that Nicodemus even felt that Jesus was the Messiah, more than just a true teacher come from God, Joh 3:17; Act 10:38.
Note that the miracles that Jesus did were a physical and visual kind of evidence that the ministry of Jesus was not a fake, or a matter that could be ignored, even by the Sanhedrin rulers of Israel, Joh 9:16; Joh 9:33; Act 2:22; Joh 10:25; Joh 10:38; Joh 15:24.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
2. He came to Jesus by night. From the circumstance of his coming by night we infer that his timidity was excessive; for his eyes were dazzled, as it were, by the splendor of his own greatness and reputation. (55) Perhaps too he was hindered by shame, for ambitious men think that their reputation is utterly ruined, if they have once descended from the dignity of teachers to the rank of scholars; and he was unquestionably puffed up with a foolish opinion of his knowledge. In short, as he had a high opinion of himself, he was unwilling to lose any part of his elevation. And yet there appears in him some seed of piety; for hearing that a Prophet of God had appeared, he does not despise or spurn the doctrine which has been brought from heaven, and is moved by some desire to obtain it, — a desire which sprung from nothing else than fear and reverence for God. Many are tickled by an idle curiosity to inquire eagerly about any thing that is new, but there is no reason to doubt that it was religious principle and conscientious feeling that excited in Nicodemus the desire to gain a more intimate knowledge of the doctrine of Christ. And although that seed remained long concealed and apparently dead, yet after the death of Christ it yielded fruit, such as no man would ever have expected, (Joh 19:39.)
Rabbi, we know. The meaning of these words is, “ Master, we know that thou art come to be a teacher. ” But as learned men, at that time, were generally called Masters, Nicodemus first salutes Christ according to custom, and gives him the ordinary designation, Rabbi, (which means Master, (56)) and afterwards declares that he was sent by God to perform the office of a Master. And on this principle depends all the authority of the teachers in the Church; for as it is only from the word of God that we must learn wisdom, we ought not to listen to any other persons than those by whose mouth God speaks. And it ought to be observed, that though religion was greatly corrupted and almost destroyed among the Jews, still they always held this principle, that no man was a lawful teacher, unless he had been sent by God. But as there are none who more haughtily and more daringly boast of having been sent by God than the false prophets do, we need discernment in this case for trying the spirits. Accordingly Nicodemus adds:
For no man can do the signs which thou doest, unless God be with him. It is evident, he says, that Christ has been sent by God, because God displays his power in him so illustriously, that it cannot be denied that God is with him He takes for granted that God is not accustomed to work but by his ministers, so as to seal the office which he has entrusted to them. And he had good grounds for thinking so, because God always intended that miracles should be seals of his doctrine. Justly therefore does he make God the sole Author of miracles, when he says that no man can do these signs, unless God be with him; for what he says amounts to a declaration that miracles are not performed by the arm of man, but that the power of God reigns, and is illustriously displayed in them. In a word, as miracles have a twofold advantage, to prepare the mind for faith, and, when it has been formed by the word, to confirm it still more, Nicodemus had profited aright in the former part, because by miracles he recognizes Christ as a true prophet of God.
Yet his argument appears not to be conclusive; for since the false prophets deceive the ignorant by their impostures as fully as if they had proved by true signs that they are the ministers of God, what difference will there be between truth and falsehood, if faith depends on miracles? Nay, Moses expressly says that God employs this method to try if we love him, (Deu 13:3.) We know also, the warning of Christ, (Mat 24:14,) and of Paul, (2Th 2:9,) that believers ought to beware of lying signs, by which Anti-Christ dazzles the eyes of many. I answer, God may justly permit this to be done, that those who deserve it may be deceived by the enchantments of Satan. But I say that this does not hinder the elect from perceiving in miracles the power of God, which is to them an undoubted confirmation of true and sound doctrine. Thus, Paul boasts that his apostleship was confirmed by signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds, (2Co 12:12.) To whatever extent Satan may, like an ape, counterfeit the works of God in the dark, yet when the eyes are opened and the light of spiritual wisdom shines, miracles are a sufficiently powerful attestation of the presence of God, as Nicodemus here declares it to be.
(55) “ De sa grandeur et reputation.”
(56) “ Qui signific Maistre.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(2) By night.This has impressed itself upon the writers mind, so that it becomes part of the description of Nicodemus in Joh. 19:39, and in some MSS. in Joh. 7:50. We have to think of him as having heard the answer of the messengers sent to the Baptist (Joh. 1:20 et seq.), as present at the cleansing of the Temple, as the witness of miracles in Jerusalem, as by these means convinced that this Teacher had a message from God, and resolved to hear it. But the Sanhedrin had officially taken a hostile position, and an individual member of it dare not openly take any other. His own conviction is expressed by his coming to Jesus at all; his fear of public opinion and of the possible exclusion from the synagogue by his coming at night. (Comp. Joh. 12:42-43.)
Rabbi.The customary title of reverence for a teacher (comp. Note on Joh. 1:38), but given here by a technically trained Rabbi to One who had no formal title to it (Joh. 7:15).
We know that thou art a teacher come from God.This explains the title he has used. He does not go beyond this. There has been, -as in the case of John the Baptist, sufficient to prove a more than human mission, but with this there has been nothing to meet the common Messianic expectation. Still, if this is a Prophet, working miracles like those of old, and evidently sent from God, He will be able to solve all doubts, and answer the questions pressing on the hearts of men. The plural pronoun expresses nothing more than the general conviction that the power to work miracles was a divine attestation of the teaching (Joh. 9:16; Joh. 9:33). There were, indeed, others in the same mental position as Nicodemus, but none accompanied him; and it is not probable that his visit was known to any of them. The we occurs again in our Lords reply in Joh. 3:11, and it may be that both find their true explanation in the fact that this interview took place in the house, and in the presence of John, who had led Nicodemus to come, as he himself had gone, with doubting heart, to the place where Jesus was dwelling (Joh. 1:38).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
(2) The word for bloweth, breatheth, is of the same root as . It is used in the New Testament with wind, but naturally has the meaning of its cognate substantive. The Vulgate can exactly render it by Spiritus ubi vult spirat, but we have in English no verb cognate with Spirit.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. By night Night studies of the law were a great merit with the rabbis. “Around him who studies by night,” was their maxim, “God draws a thread of mercy by day.” But fear for the Jews and a regard for his reputation no doubt were the cause of this nightly visit. Compare notes on Joh 19:38-39. He had a head conviction, but little of the martyr spirit. He could not trust God, because he feared man.
Rabbi Nicodemus addresses him as a teacher, yea, a God-sent teacher, but not as the Messiah.
We know This we includes the class of thinkers to which he belonged, namely, the many specified in Joh 2:23. See notes.
Come from God Not as the scribes and doctors, with mere human authority; but with a commission fresh from Jehovah, and so at least a prophet, if not the Messiah.
Miracles except God be with him For these miracles are too great to be done by man, and too good to be done by devils.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘The same came to him by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no man can do these signs except God be with him”.’
This Pharisee acknowledged that Jesus was a teacher ‘come from God’ and that ‘God was with Him’ because he was impressed by the ‘signs’ that He had done. In other words while not being a recognised teacher of the schools Jesus had in Nicodemus’ eyes satisfactorily demonstrated that He was in the prophetic mould. But Nicodemus had not rightly interpreted the signs, for he had come short of a recognition that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God. Furthermore the good opinion of his compatriots was so important to him that he ‘came by night’. He was still in darkness. He was one of those who had ‘believed’ but to whom Jesus was not willing to trust Himself (Joh 2:23-25). To put it in the best light, he wanted to make sure of Jesus before he committed himself. Later he will help in the decent burial of the body of Jesus and will at that stage be remembered by the fact that previously he had come at night (Joh 19:39).
‘Came to him by night’. ‘By night’ suggests that he did not want to be observed. But for John it probably has another meaning, that the man who was in darkness was approaching the light of the world. John draws out these nuances, compare Joh 13:30 where Judas the betrayer goes out ‘and it was night’.
‘A teacher come from God.’ This in contrast with teachers of the recognised kind who had received their training through the Rabbinic schools.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Joh 3:2. The same came to Jesus by night, Lest any offence should be taken at his conversing openly with Jesus, by his brethren of the council, who from the very beginning were Christ’s enemies, he came secretly, by night, in order to have a private conference with him at his own lodgings; and with the greatest reverence and respect said to him, in his own name, as well as in the name of several of his brethren, Rabbi,a very remarkable appellation from a person of so great dignity, to one, who, in regard to his education and rank in secular life, made so low an appearance as our blessed Lord: We know, &c. Christ’s miracles left Nicodemus no room to doubt of his mission from God; yet they did not fully prove him to be the Messiah, because he had not as yet called himself by that name, at least in the hearing of Nicodemus. Wherefore, when he told Jesus that he believed him to be a teacher come from God; he insinuated, that at present he did not believe in him as the Messiah; but that he would believe, if he assumed that character; and by these insinuations modestly requested Jesus to explain himself with regard to his pretensions. We may just observe, upon the foundation of that strong assertion which Nicodemus makes, No man can do these miracles, &c. that the miracles ascribed to Christ and his apostles recommend themselves to us, on the following account, exclusive of theirbeing always esteemed among the Jews as credentials and proofs of the divine mission of those who claimed to themselves the authority ofprophets and teachers: they were wrought by persons who solemnly appealed to God; they were wrought in a public manner, before enemies and unbelievers; in a learned age and civilized country; not with any air of pride, vanity, and ostentation; not for the sake of lucre, or for worldly advantage; in confirmation of doctrines good and useful for mankind; at a time when men wanted neither power nor inclination to expose them, if they were impostures, and were in no danger of being called atheists and heretics, of being insulted by the populace, and persecuted by the civil magistrate, if they ridiculed and exposed them: theywere various and numerous; of a permanent nature, and might be reviewed and re-examined; had nothing fantastical and cruel in them, but were acts of kindness and beneficence: they ceased for a long time before Christ appeared, and therefore would raise the attention of men. They were the means of converting multitudes to the faith; were attested by proper witnesses; foretold by prophets; were such as the Jews expected from the Messiah, and were acknowledged even by adversaries. Nicodemus, therefore, had great reason to be swayed by them, and to acknowledge their force.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Ver. 2. We know ] But will not know. Hence they became sinners against the Holy Ghost,Mat 12:23Mat 12:23 , &c. The devil that commits this sin every day, is full of objective knowledge, and thence hath his name. a
No man can do these miracles ] Those magicians of Egypt, Jannes and Jambres, did but cast a mist, and beguile the sight of Pharaoh and his followers. How Tyndale hindered the magician of Antwerp, that he could not do his feats, see Acts and Monuments, fol. 985.
a quasi . Plato. Miracula a diabolo edita sunt praestigiae, imposturae, phantasmata, ludibria. Bacholcer.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2. ] for fear of the Jews: see ch. Joh 12:42 . The discourse seems to have taken place between Jesus and Nicodemus alone , and may have been related by our Lord to the Evangelist afterwards. If this be deemed improbable (though I do not see why it should), of the two other alternatives I would rather believe that John was present, than that Nicodemus should have so minutely related a conversation which in his then position he could not understand.
] This plural may be merely an allusion to others who had come to the same conclusion, e.g. Joseph of Arimathea; or it may express that Nicodemus was sent in the name of several who wished to know the real character of this Person who wrought such miracles. It is harsh, in this private conversation, to take the plural as merely of singular import, as Lightfoot seems to do. His other rendering, “ vulgo agnoscitur ,” is better, but not satisfactory; for the common people did not generally confess it, and Nicodemus, as an , would not be likely to speak in their name (see ch. Joh 7:49 ). I would rather take it to express the true conviction respecting Jesus, of that class to which Nicodemus belonged the : and see in it an important fact, that their persecutions and murder of the Prince of Life hence found their greatest aggravation, that they were carried on against the conclusions of their own minds , out of bitter malice, and worldly disappointment at His humble and unobtrusive character, and the spiritual purity and self-sacrifice which He inculcated. Still this must not, though undoubtedly it has truth in it, be carried too far: cf. Act 3:17 note, and Act 13:27 ; 1Co 2:8 . Some degree of ignorance there must necessarily have been in all of them, even Caiaphas included, of our Lord’s Office and Person. Stier (iv. 11 ff., edn. 2) seems to think that Nicodemus, by using the plural, is sheltering himself from expressing his own conviction, so as to be able to draw back again if necessary.
] Stier (and Schleiermacher, cited by Stier, iv. 12, edn. 2, note) thinks that there is involved in this word a recognition by Nicodemus of the Messianic mission of Jesus: that it expresses His being ( Mat 11:3 alli [42] .). It is never used of any but the Messiah, except by the Lord Himself, when speaking of John the Baptist as the subject of prophecy (see Mat 11:14 alli [43] .).
[42] alli = some cursive mss.
[43] alli = some cursive mss.
] In this and the following words, Nicodemus seems to be cautiously withdrawing from his admission being taken as expressing too much. For who of the Jews ever expected a teacher to come from God? They looked for a King , to sit on David’s throne, a Prophet , to declare the divine will; but the Messiah was never designated as a mere teacher , till the days of modern Socinianism. So that he seems trying to qualify or recall his by this addition.
The following words exhibit the same cautious inconsistency. No one can do , &c. unless we expect some strong expression of the truth, such as we had from Nathanael in ch. Joh 1:50 , but the sentence drops to merely ‘ God be with him ,’ which is a very poor and insufficient exponent of . . Against this inconsistency, the inner knowledge that the Kingdom of God was come, and He who was to found it, on the one hand, and the rationalizing endeavour to reduce this heavenly kingdom to mere learning , and its Founder to a mere teacher , on the other, is the following discourse directed.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 3:2 . . The pronoun instead of the name Jesus, as Holtzmann remarks, shows the close connection with the closing verses of the last chapter. Nicodemus came to the fountain head, dissatisfied with the way in which his colleagues were dealing with Jesus, and resolved to judge for himself. Nothing could be more hopeful than such a state of mind. When a man says, I will see for myself what Jesus is, not influenced by what other men say; before I sleep I will settle this matter, the result is fairly certain to be good. See chap. Joh 7:50 , Joh 19:39 . He came , certainly with the purpose of secrecy, and yet for a man in his position to come at all was much. No timidity is shown in Joh 7:50 . In Joh 19:39 John still identifies him as “he that came to Jesus by night,” but adds “at the first” in contrast to the courage he afterwards showed. Similarly, as Grotius tells us, Euclid of Megara visited Socrates by night when Athens was closed by edict against the Megarians. Modestly and as if not presuming to speak as an individual but as representing a party however small (Joh 3:2 ), he says, , “Rabbi, we know that Thou art come from God as a teacher”. We need not see in the words anything either patronising or flattering, but merely the natural first utterance of a man wishing to show the state of his mind. He was convinced that Jesus was a divinely commissioned teacher. He came to hear what He had to teach. His teaching, in the judgment of Nicodemus, was divinely authenticated by the miracles; but to Nicodemus at any rate the teaching was that for which the miracles existed. They were , and though not recorded, they must have been of a kind to strike a thoughtful mind , the emphatic pronoun, as if other miracles might not have been so convincing. At the same time the reply of Jesus shows that behind this cautious designation of “teacher” there lay in the mind of Nicodemus a suspicion that this might be the Messiah. Nicodemus may have taken to heart the Baptist’s proclamation. Grotius supposes the conversation is abridged, and that Nicodemus had intimated that he wished to learn something about the kingdom which formed the subject of our Lord’s teaching. “Responsio tacite innuit, quod adjectum a Nicodemo fuerat, nempe, velle se scire, quandoquidem Jesus Regni coelestis inter docendum mentionem saepe faceret, quae ratio esset eo perveniendi.” But with the introduction to this incident (Joh 2:23-25 ) in our mind, it seems gratuitous to suppose that part of the conversation is here omitted. Jesus speaks to the intention and mental attitude of His interlocutor rather than to his words. He saw that Nicodemus was conceiving it as a possible thing that these miracles might be the signs of the kingdom; and in this visit of Nicodemus He sees what may be construed into an overture from the Pharisaic party. And so He cuts Nicodemus remorselessly short. As when the Pharisees (Luk 17:20 ) demand of Him when the Kingdom of God should come, He replied: The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation , not with signs which the natural man can measure, it comes within you; so here in strikingly similar language He says, , . This allusion to the kingdom, which is not a favourite idea of John’s, is one of the incidental marks of his historical trustworthiness. is sometimes local = , from above; sometimes temporal = , de novo . The former meaning is advocated here by Baur, Lcke, Meyer, and others. But the use of and the difficulty stated by Nicodemus in Joh 3:4 rather indicate that the Syriac and Vulgate [nisi quis renatus fuerit], Augustine, Calvin, and among many others Weiss are right in adopting the temporal meaning and rendering with R.V [38] “anew”. [Wetstein, in proof of this meaning, quotes from Artemidorus, who tells of a father who dreamt that there was born to him a child exactly like himself; “he seemed,” he says, “to be born a second time,” . And in the touching story which gave rise to the Domine quo vadis Church at Rome where Peter met Christ, the words of the Lord, as given in the Acta Pauli, are .] The answer of Nicodemus might seem to indicate that he had understood as equivalent to his own . But it is impossible to determine with certainty which is the correct meaning. A man must be born again, says our Lord, because otherwise . Is here to be taken in the sense of “seeing” or of “enjoying,” “partaking”? Meyer and Weiss, resting on such expressions as (Luk 2:26 , Heb 11:5 ), (Act 2:27 ), (1Pe 3:10 ), understand that “participation” is meant. So Calvin, “ videre regnum Dei idem valet ac ingredi in regnum Dei,” and Grotius, “participem fieri”. Confirmation of this view is at first sight given by the of Joh 3:5 . But it is of “signs” Nicodemus has been speaking, of observing the kingdom coming; and Christ says: To see the kingdom you must be spiritual, born anew, for the signs are spiritual. In this language there should have been nothing to stumble Nicodemus. All Jerusalem was ringing with the echoes of the Baptist’s preaching, the essence of which was “ye must be born again”. To be children of Abraham is nothing. There is nothing moral, nothing spiritual, nothing of the will, nothing related to the Kingdom of God in being children of Abraham. As regards your fleshly birth you are as passive as stones and as truly outside the kingdom. In fact John had excommunicated the whole nation, and expressly told them that they must submit to baptism, like Gentile proselytes, if they were to be prepared for the Messiah’s reign. The language may not have puzzled Nicodemus. Had our Lord said: “Every Gentile must be born again,” he would have understood. It is the idea that staggers him. His bewilderment he utters in the words:
[38] Revised Version.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
John
TEACHER OR SAVIOUR?
Joh 3:2
The connection in which the Evangelist introduces the story of Nicodemus throws great light on the aspect under which we are to regard it. He has just been saying that upon our Lord’s first visit to Jerusalem at the Passover there was a considerable amount of interest excited, and a kind of imperfect faith in Him drawn out, based solely on His miracles. He adds that this faith was regarded by Christ as unreliable; and he goes on to explain that our Lord exercised great reserve in His dealings with the persons who professed it, for the reason that ‘He knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.’
Now, if you note that reiteration of the word ‘man,’ you will understand the description which is given of the person who is next introduced. ‘He knew what was in man. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.’ It would have been enough to have said, ‘There was a Pharisee.’ When John says ‘a man of the Pharisees,’ he is not merely carried away by the echo in his ears of his own last words, but it is as if he had said, ‘Now, here is one illustration of the sort of thing that I have been speaking about; one specimen of an imperfect faith built upon miracles; and one illustration of the way in which Jesus Christ dealt with it.’
Nicodemus was ‘a Pharisee.’ That tells us the school to which he belonged, and the general drift of his thought. He was ‘a ruler of the Jews.’ That tells us that he held an official position in the supreme court of the nation, to which the Romans had left some considerable shadow of power in ecclesiastical matters. And this man comes to Christ and acknowledges Him. Christ deals with him in a very suggestive fashion. His confession, and the way in which our Lord received it, are what I desire to consider briefly in this sermon.
I. Note then, first, this imperfect confession.
Nicodemus ‘came to Jesus by night,’ and therein condemned himself. He said, ‘Rabbi, we know.’ There is more than a soupcon of patronage in that. He is giving Jesus Christ a certificate, duly signed and sealed by Rabbinical authority. He evidently thinks that it is no small matter that he and some of his fellows should have been disposed to look with favour upon this new Teacher. And so he comes, if not patronising the young man, at all events extremely conscious of his own condescension in recognising Him with his ‘We know.’
Had he the right to speak for any of his colleagues? If so, then at that very early stage of our Lord’s ministry there was a conviction beginning to work in that body of ecclesiastics which casts a very lurid light on their subsequent proceedings. It was a good long while after, when Jesus Christ’s attitude towards them had been a little more clearly made out than it was at the beginning, that they said officially, ‘As for this fellow, we know not whence He is.’ They ‘knew’ when He did not seem to be trenching on their prerogatives, or driving His Ithuriel-spear through their traditional professions of orthodoxy and punctilious casuistries. But when He trod on their toes, when He ripped up their pretensions, when He began to show His antagonism to their formalism and traditionalism, then they did not know where He came from. And there are many of us who are very polite to Jesus Christ as long as He does not interfere with us, and who begin to doubt His authority when He begins to rebuke our sins.
The man that said ‘We know,’ and then proceeded to tell Christ the grounds upon which He was accepted by him, was not in the position which becomes sinful men drawing near to their Saviour. ‘We know that Thou art a Teacher’-contrast that, with its ring of complacency, and, if not superior, at least co-ordinate, authority, with ‘Jesus! Master! have mercy on me,’ or with ‘Lord! save or I perish,’ and you get the difference between the way in which a formalist, conceited of his knowledge, and a poor, perishing sinner, conscious of his ignorance and need, go to the Saviour.
Further, this imperfect confession was of secondary value, because it was built altogether upon miraculous evidence. Now, there has been a great deal of exaggeration about the value of the evidence of miracle. The undue elevation to which it was lifted in the apologetic literature of the eighteenth century, when it was almost made out as if there was no other proof that Jesus came from God than that He wrought miracles, has naturally led, in this generation and in the last one, to an equally exaggerated undervaluing of its worth. Jesus Christ did appeal to signs; He did also most distinctly place faith that rested merely upon miracle as second best; when He said, for instance, ‘If ye believe not Me, yet believe the works.’ Nicodemus says, ‘We know that Thou art a Teacher sent from God, because no man can do these miracles except God be with him.’ Ah! Nicodemus! did not the substance of the teaching reveal the source of the teaching even more completely than the miracles that accompanied it? Surely, if I may use an old illustration, the bell that rings in to the sermon which is the miracles is less conclusive as to the divine source of the teaching than is the sermon itself. Christ Himself is His own best evidence, and His words shine in their own light, and need no signs in order to authenticate their source. The signs are there, and are precious in my eyes less as credentials of His authority than as revelations of His character and His work. They are wonders; that is much. They are proofs; as I believe. But, high above both of these characteristics, they are signs of the spiritual work that He does, and manifestations of His redeeming power. And so a faith that had no ears for the ring of the divine voice in the words, and no eyes for the beauty and perfection of the character, was vulgar and low and unreliable, inasmuch as it could give no better reason for itself than that Jesus had wrought miracles,
I need not remind you of how noticeable it is that at this very early stage in our Lord’s ministry there were a sufficient number of miracles done to be qualified by the Evangelist as ‘many,’ and to have been a very powerful factor in bringing about this real, though imperfect, faith. John has only told us of one miracle prior to this; and the other Evangelists do not touch upon these early days of our Lord’s ministry at all. So that we are to think of a whole series of works of power and supernatural grace which have found no record in these short narratives. How much more Jesus Christ was, and did, and said, than any book can ever tell! These are but parts of His ways; a whisper of His power. The fulness of it remains unrevealed after all revelation.
But the central deficiency of this confession lies in the altogether inadequate conception of Jesus Christ and His work which it embodies. ‘We know that Thou art a Teacher, a miracle-worker, a man sent from God, and in communion with Him.’ These are large recognitions, far too large to be spoken of any but a select few of the sons of men. But they fall miserably beneath the grandeur, and do not even approach within sight of the central characteristic, of Christ and of His work. Nicodemus is the type of large numbers of men nowadays. All the people that have a kind of loose, superficial connection with Christianity re-echo substantially his words. They compliment Jesus Christ out of His divinity and out of His redeeming work, and seem to think that they are rather conferring an honour upon Christianity when they condescend to say, ‘We, the learned pundits of literature; we, the arbiters of taste; we, the guides of opinion; we, the writers in newspapers and magazines and periodicals; we, the leaders in social and philanthropic movements-we recognise that Thou art a Teacher.’ Yes, brethren, and the recognition is utterly inadequate to the facts of the case, and is insult, and not recognition.
II. Let me ask you to look now, in the next place, at the way in which Jesus Christ deals with this imperfect confession.
So, notice how our Lord meets the imperfections of this acknowledgment. He begins by pointing out what is the deepest and universal need of men. Nicodemus had said, ‘Rabbi, we know that Thou art a Teacher come from God.’ And Christ says, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must be born again.’ What has that to do with Nicodemus’s acknowledgment? Apparently nothing; really everything. For, if you will think for a moment, you will see how it meets it precisely, and forces the Rabbi to deepen his conception of the Lord. The first thing that you and I want, for our participation in the Kingdom of God, is a radical out-and-out change in our whole character and nature. ‘Ye must be born again’; now, whatever more that means, it means, at all events, this-a thorough-going renovation and metamorphosis of a man’s nature, as the sorest need that the world and all the individuals that make up the world have.
The deepest ground of that necessity lies in the fact of sin. Brother, we can only verify our Lord’s assertion by honestly searching the depths of our own hearts, and looking at ourselves in the light of God. Think what is meant when we say, ‘He is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all.’ Think of that absolute purity, that, to us, awful aversion from all that is evil, from all that is sinful. Think of what sort of men they must be who can see the Lord. And then look at yourself. Are we fit to pass that threshold? Are we fit to gaze into that Face? Is it possible that we should have fellowship with Him? Oh, brethren, if we rightly meditate upon two facts, the holiness of God and our own characters, I think we shall feel that Jesus Christ has truly stated the case when He says, ‘Ye must be born again.’ Unless you and I can get ourselves radically changed, there is no Heaven for us; there is no fellowship with God for us. We must stand before Him, and feel that a great gulf is fixed between us and Him.
And so when a man comes with his poor little ‘Thou art a Teacher,’ no words are wanted in order to set in glaring light the utter inadequacy of such a conception as that. What the world wants is not a Teacher, it is a Life-giver. What men want is not to be told the truth; they know it already. What they want is not to be told their duty; they know that too. What they want is some power that shall turn them clean round. And what each of us wants before we can see the Lord is that, if it may be, something shall lay hold of us, and utterly change our natures, and express from our hearts the black drop that lies there tainting everything.
Now, this necessity is met in Jesus Christ. For there were two ‘musts’ in His talk with Nicodemus, and both of them bore directly on the one purpose of deepening Nicodemus’s inadequate conception of what He was and what He did. He said, ‘Ye must be born again,’ in order that his hearer, and we, might lay to heart this, that we need something more than a Teacher, even a Life-giver; and He said, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up,’ in order that we might all know that in Him the necessity is met, and that the Son of Man, who came down from Heaven, and is in Heaven, even whilst He is on earth, is the sole ladder by which men can ascend into Heaven and gaze upon God.
Thus it is Christ’s work as Redeemer, Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, Christ’s power as bringing to the world a new and holy life, and breathing it into all that trust in Him, which make the very centre of His work. Set by the side of that this other, ‘Thou art a Teacher sent from God.’ Ah, brethren, that will not do; it will not do for you and me! We want something a great deal deeper than that. The secret of Jesus is not disclosed until we have passed into the inner shrine, where we learn that He is the Sacrifice for the world, and the Source and Fountain of a new life. I beseech you, take Christ’s way of dealing with this certificate of His character given by the Rabbi who did not know his own necessities, and ponder it.
Mark the underlying principle which is here-viz. if you want to understand Christ you must understand sin; and whoever thinks lightly of it will think meanly of Him. An underestimate of the reality, the universality, the gravity of the fact of sin lands men in the superficial and wholly impotent conception, ‘Rabbi! Thou art a Teacher sent from God.’ A true knowledge of myself as a sinful man, of my need of pardon, of my need of cleansing, of my need of a new nature, which must be given from above, and cannot be evolved from within, leads me, and I pray it may lead you, to cast yourself down before Him, with no complaisant words of intellectual recognition upon your lips, but with the old cry, ‘Lord! be merciful to me a sinner.’
III. And now, dear friends, one last word. Notice when and where this imperfect disciple was transformed into a courageous confessor.
But when the Cross came, and it had become more dangerous to avow discipleship, he plucked up courage, or rather courage flowed into him from that Cross, and he went boldly and ‘craved the body of Jesus,’ and got it, and buried it. No doubt when he looked at Jesus hanging on the Cross, he remembered that night in Jerusalem when the Lord had said, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up,’ and he remembered how He had spoken about the serpent lifted in the wilderness, and a great light blazed in upon him, which for ever ended all hesitation and timidity for him. And so he was ready to be a martyr, or anything else, for the sake of Him whom he now found to be far more than a ‘Teacher,’ even the Sacrifice by whose stripes he was healed.
Dear brethren, I bring that Cross to you now, and pray you to see there Christ’s real work for us, and for the world. He has taught us, but He has done more. He has not only spoken, He has died. He has not only shown us the path on which to walk, He has made it possible for us to walk in it. He is not merely one amongst the noble band that have guided and inspired and instructed humanity, but He stands alone-not a Teacher, but the Redeemer, ‘the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.’
If He is a Teacher, take His teachings, and what are they? These, that He is the Son of God; that ‘He came from God’; that He ‘went to God’; that He ‘gives His life a ransom for many’; that He is to be the Judge of mankind; that if we trust in Him, our sins are forgiven and our nature is renewed. Do not go picking and choosing amongst His teachings, for these which I have named are as surely His as ‘Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them,’ or any other of the moral teachings which the world professes to admire. Take the whole teachings of the whole Christ, and you will confess Him to be the Redeemer of your souls, and the Life-giver by whom, and by whom alone, we enter the Kingdom of God.
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
to. Greek. pros. App-104.
Jesus. App-98.
by night. See Joh 7:50; Joh 19:39.
Rabbi. App-98.
know. Greek. oida. App-132.
teacher. Compare Joh 3:10. Greek. didaskalos. App-98. Joh 3:4.
come from God. Render: “Thou art come from God as Teacher”.
from. Greek. apo. App-104.
God. App-98.
no man = no one. Compound of ou. App-105.
miracles = signs. See note on Joh 2:11.
doest = art doing.
except = if . . . not. Greek. ean me. App-118and App-105.
with. Greek. meta. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
2.] -for fear of the Jews: see ch. Joh 12:42. The discourse seems to have taken place between Jesus and Nicodemus alone,-and may have been related by our Lord to the Evangelist afterwards. If this be deemed improbable (though I do not see why it should),-of the two other alternatives I would rather believe that John was present, than that Nicodemus should have so minutely related a conversation which in his then position he could not understand.
] This plural may be merely an allusion to others who had come to the same conclusion, e.g. Joseph of Arimathea; or it may express that Nicodemus was sent in the name of several who wished to know the real character of this Person who wrought such miracles. It is harsh, in this private conversation, to take the plural as merely of singular import, as Lightfoot seems to do. His other rendering, vulgo agnoscitur, is better,-but not satisfactory; for the common people did not generally confess it, and Nicodemus, as an , would not be likely to speak in their name (see ch. Joh 7:49). I would rather take it to express the true conviction respecting Jesus, of that class to which Nicodemus belonged-the : and see in it an important fact, that their persecutions and murder of the Prince of Life hence found their greatest aggravation, that they were carried on against the conclusions of their own minds, out of bitter malice, and worldly disappointment at His humble and unobtrusive character, and the spiritual purity and self-sacrifice which He inculcated. Still this must not, though undoubtedly it has truth in it, be carried too far: cf. Act 3:17 note, and Act 13:27; 1Co 2:8. Some degree of ignorance there must necessarily have been in all of them, even Caiaphas included, of our Lords Office and Person. Stier (iv. 11 ff., edn. 2) seems to think that Nicodemus, by using the plural, is sheltering himself from expressing his own conviction, so as to be able to draw back again if necessary.
] Stier (and Schleiermacher, cited by Stier, iv. 12, edn. 2, note) thinks that there is involved in this word a recognition by Nicodemus of the Messianic mission of Jesus:-that it expresses His being (Mat 11:3 alli[42].). It is never used of any but the Messiah, except by the Lord Himself, when speaking of John the Baptist as the subject of prophecy (see Mat 11:14 alli[43].).
[42] alli = some cursive mss.
[43] alli = some cursive mss.
] In this and the following words, Nicodemus seems to be cautiously withdrawing from his admission being taken as expressing too much. For who of the Jews ever expected a teacher to come from God? They looked for a King, to sit on Davids throne,-a Prophet, to declare the divine will;-but the Messiah was never designated as a mere teacher, till the days of modern Socinianism. So that he seems trying to qualify or recall his by this addition.
The following words exhibit the same cautious inconsistency. No one can do, &c. unless-we expect some strong expression of the truth, such as we had from Nathanael in ch. Joh 1:50, but the sentence drops to merely-God be with him, which is a very poor and insufficient exponent of . . Against this inconsistency,-the inner knowledge that the Kingdom of God was come, and He who was to found it, on the one hand,-and the rationalizing endeavour to reduce this heavenly kingdom to mere learning, and its Founder to a mere teacher, on the other,-is the following discourse directed.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 3:2. , by night) There is never a time that Christ does not receive comers to Him.-, we know) I, and those like me: the rulers rather than the Pharisees, ch. Joh 12:42. To this plural answers the plural, Joh 3:7, Ye must be born again. The Antecedent is put by Nicodemus as the consequent: For this reason I wished to confer with Thee. He wished to hear as to heavenly things and as to sublime things, Joh 3:12 [but Jesus brings him up to first principles.-V. g.]-[49] , signs) ch. Joh 2:23, At the passover, on the feast day, many believed on Him when they saw the miracles which He did.
[49] , master, [teacher]) That indeed is true; but it by no means carries with it every point [that is needed for salvation]; ver. 14, 16, As Moses lifted up the serpent, etc., so must the Son of Man be lifted up, etc.: for God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, etc.-V. g.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 3:2
Joh 3:2
the same came unto him by night,-[Why he came at night is a guess of no value. Possibly he desired to avoid publicity, or he found Jesus more at leisure; possibly he had more leisure himself.]
and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him.-The object of miracles was to convince the people that God was with or in those who wrought them and to give assurance to the people that when they heard him they heard God. The person acted and spoke by the authority of God. He came to Jesus that he might learn the will of God. Jesus had come and had given a number of signs or worked miracles that attracted the attention of the observant and thoughtful. Nicodemus was an honest, sincere Pharisee, a ruler and teacher among the Jews, who saw and heard these things. A persons working miracles was the token of a new message from the Father. Nicodemus came to Jesus modestly to inquire the meaning of the miracles and what truths they heralded.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
came: Joh 7:50, Joh 7:51, Joh 12:42, Joh 12:43, Joh 19:38, Joh 19:39, Jdg 6:27, Isa 51:7, Phi 1:14
Rabbi: Joh 3:26, Joh 1:38, Joh 20:16
we know: Mat 22:16, Mar 12:14
for: Joh 5:36, Joh 7:31, Joh 9:16, Joh 9:30-33, Joh 11:47, Joh 11:48, Joh 12:37, Joh 15:24, Act 2:22, Act 4:16, Act 4:17, Act 10:38
Reciprocal: 1Ki 17:24 – Now by this Pro 29:25 – fear Jer 38:16 – sware Mat 10:7 – preach Mat 11:5 – blind Mat 23:7 – Rabbi Mar 10:17 – Good Luk 7:40 – Master Luk 20:21 – Master Luk 24:19 – Concerning Joh 1:24 – were of Joh 2:11 – did Joh 2:23 – many Joh 4:45 – having Joh 7:13 – spake Joh 7:28 – and I Joh 9:33 – were Joh 10:25 – the works Joh 10:38 – believe the Rom 12:7 – or he 1Jo 5:18 – whosoever
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A MOMENTOUS INTERVIEW
The same came to Jesus by night and said unto Him Jesus answered and said unto him Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Joh 3:2-3
Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus by night? You say that it was through fear. Perhaps it was. We do not know what men will do when they are afraid (Pro 29:25; Luk 12:4). But it may have been zeal. His duties would occupy him during the day, but sooner than neglect his souls welfare, he stole the hours from the night (Luk 13:24; Php 3:14). Or, again, it may have been consideration. He would know how busy Christ was in the day, and might feel it impossible to gain a quiet interview, so he came by night (Eph 5:15-17). At all events, what a grand thing it is to see a man coming to Jesus (Joh 6:37; Joh 6:44; Joh 7:37; Mat 11:28; Rev 22:17), so many refuse to come at all (Joh 5:40). Have you come?
Two things require our attention in studying the narrative.
I. What brought him to the Saviour?We are not told directly in the passage, but we may infer from our Lords discourse that he was dissatisfied with his religious state, that he was anxious about his soul (Job 23:3; Isa 26:9). He was a Pharisee (Joh 3:1). strict in the outward forms of religion (Act 26:5); but that would not satisfy (Php 3:4-14). He had a certain knowledge of Jesus (Joh 3:2), that He was a Divine Teacher (Mat 22:6), but that would not satisfy (1Co 1:20-24). There was sin demanding atonement (Eze 18:4). His soul was craving for peace (Isa 57:19-21; Rom 5:1). This want brought him to the Saviour.
II. What the Saviour said to him.Jesus knew that the matter in his heart was the Kingdom of God. What is that? (Rom 14:17; Luk 17:21). It is of a spiritual character (Rom 8:6). To see it and understand it, therefore, Nicodemus must be spiritual (1Co 2:14-15). He must be born again (Joh 3:3, chap. Joh 1:12-13; 1Jn 5:1). Nicodemus is carnal in his notions, and does not understand (Joh 3:4). So Jesus tells him, that for entrance into the Kingdom he must be born of water and of the Spirit (Joh 3:5). Nicodemus would know to what Christ referred (Eze 36:25-29). The reason is plain: (Joh 3:6). All born of sinful man are sinful. All born of God by the Spirit are spiritual (1Co 15:22; Rom 5:12-21). It is as inexplicable as many a thing in nature (Joh 3:8). But there is the facta fact which would meet the want of the soulYe must be born again.
Bishop Rowley Hill.
Illustration
What had Christ to say to Nicodemus that would come to him as fresh light? The Kingdom of God could not come merely as a development from existing human circumstances. It must he a new creation. It must come, not as the completion of an old order, but as the manifestation of a new. There must be a fresh beginning. That which had been born into the old could not, without re-birth, behold the new. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. In other words, Nicodemus did not realise the full significance of sin. He saw that the problems created by the fall of man ran deep, but he failed to appreciate how deep. He felt, as did others, the essential need of redemption and restoration; but he failed to grasp how much was implied in the ideas of pardon and of renewal. He imagined that things could move forward on the same plane until the glorious goal was attained. And the first of the two supreme lessons which our Lord sought to teach him was the fundamental character of this mistake. No principle can produce results superior to itself. If man is to enjoy a spiritual life, that by which he enters ithis birthmust be of a corresponding character, Ye must be born anew. It was a wholly fresh thought, and it naturally presented itself to Nicodemus as strange and perplexing.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
2
The scripture does not even intimate why Nicodemus chose the nighttime for his visit with Jesus, hence it would be speculation for me to attempt an explanation. Had it been worth-while for us to know the reason, doubtless John would have been inspired to tell us. However, there are indications that he left the presence of Jesus with a favorable attitude toward him and his disciples. (See chapter 7:50, 51; 19:39.) Rabbi is a Greek word, and has been transferred into the text of the New Testa- ment by the King James translators in its original form. Thayer defines it, “my great one, my honorable sir.” It has been used as a proper noun 8 times, and translated by the simple term “master” 9 times. The complimentary things Nicodemus said were not mere flattery, for he gave a logical reason for his statement. In truth, the very reason he gave for saying that Jesus was from God, was the one that. John states to be the purpose for performing the miracles (chapter 20:30, 31).
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
[We know.] It may be a question whether Nicodemus, using the plural number [we know], does by that seem to own that the whole Sanhedrim (of which himself was a member) acknowledge the same thing. I am apt to think the fathers of the Sanhedrim could not well tell how indeed to deny it: which will be more largely discussed upon Joh 11:48. But we know may either be the plural or the singular, which in the first person is most commonly used in all languages. Or else, we know; may signify as much as, it is commonly owned and acknowledged.
[Thou art a teacher come from God.] Nicodemus seems to have reference to the long cessation of prophecy which had not been known in that nation for above four hundred years now past; in which space of time there had been no masters or teachers of the people instituted but by men and the imposition of hands; nor had there in that appeared any one person that would pretend to teach them by a spirit of prophecy: — But we see that thou art a teacher sent from God.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Joh 3:2. The same came to him by night. Chap. Joh 19:38-39, seems clearly to show that the motive of Nicodemus in thus coming by night was the same as the cause of Josephs secret discipleshipthe fear of the Jews. That he himself was one of the Jews only makes this explanation more probable. We cannot doubt that he came alone; whether Jesus also was alone, or whether John or other disciples were present at the interview, we cannot tell.
And said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art come from God, a teacher. Every word here is of importance. On Rabbi see the note, chap. Joh 1:38. We may be sure that a member of the sect that carefully scrutinised the Baptists credentials (chap. Joh 1:19-24) would not lightly address Jesus by this title of honour, or acknowledge him as Teacher. But the words Thou art come from God will appear even more significant, if we keep in mind that the most familiar designation of the Messiah was the coming One, He that should come. The appearing of the Baptist quickened in the minds of all men(Luk 3:15) the recollection of Gods great promise; and the signs lately wrought by Jesus in Jerusalem may well have excited in the mind of this Pharisee hopes which find a hesitating expression in his words. No ordinary prophet would have been thus acknowledged as one come from God. At the very least, the confession assigns to Jesus a supreme authority as Teacher. The confession of Nicodemus was made in the name of others besides himself. We know;others amongst the Pharisees, perhaps already others amongst the rulers (chap. Joh 12:42), had reached the same point. No doubt the number was but small, too small to make confession easy, or to banish the very natural fear of the Jews which brought Nicodemus to Jesus by night.
For no one can do these signs that thou doest except God be with him. Nicodemus acknowledges the works to be signs(not so the Jews, chap. Joh 2:18), and he shows that in him the signs had precisely answered the designed end. The faith indeed which rested on these alone was imperfect, but it was faith; more could be gained; the faith could be educated, raised higher, and made more complete. How truly this faith has been educated will be shown when (chap. Joh 19:39) it shall come forth in honour of that crucified Redeemer who is here to be proclaimed (Joh 3:14). Such education, however, can be effected only by the word of Jesus, leading to fellowship with Himself. For this word Nicodemus now comes. In reading the following verses we must bear in mind that, as Jesus would train and strengthen the faith of Nicodemus, it is the weak side of this faith that is kept in view; but the Saviours acceptance of the faith as real is plainly to be seen in the openness and unreservedness of the teaching He vouchsafes. Many have pointed out the contrast between this discourse and those related in the other Gospels; but had there been no difference between discourses delivered to the half-instructed excitable multitudes of Galilee and those intended for a teacher of Israel, the apparent agreement would have been a discord which no argument could explain away (see Introduction).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Ver. 2. He came to him by night and said: Master, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these miracles which thou doest, except God be with him.
What was the purpose of this visit? These first words of Nicodemus are only a preamble; it would be idle to seek here the revelation of the purpose of his procedure. Koppe has supposed that he came to act as a spy on the Lord. But Jesus treats him as an honest person, and Nicodemus shows himself sincere during the course of the conversation, and also afterwards. Meyerhas supposed that he came to inquire about the way to be saved. But as a good Jew and pious Pharisee, he by no means doubted as to his own salvation. We must, rather, suppose that he had discerned in Jesus an extraordinary being, and as he must have known the answer of the forerunner to the deputation of the Sanhedrim, he asked himself seriously whether Jesus might not be the Messiah announced by John as already present. In that case he would try to sound His plans respecting the decisive revolution which His coming was to involve. This supposition appears to me more natural than that of Weiss, who, because of the title of teacher with which Nicodemus salutes Jesus, thinks that he wished to question Him concerning what new teaching He had just given. But Nicodemus evidently could not salute Jesus by any other title than that of teacher, even if, as he must have had from the testimony of John the Baptist and in consequence of the expulsion of the traders, he had a presentiment that there was in Him something still greater. The plural , we know, proves that He did not take this step solely in his own name, but that a certain number of his colleagues entertained the same thoughts with himself.He comes by night.
This circumstance, noticed expressly in Joh 19:39 and perhaps also in Joh 7:50, is easily explained by the fear which he had of compromising himself before the other members of the Sanhedrim, and even before the people. Perhaps, also, he wished to avoid further increasing, through a step taken in broad daylight, the reputation of the young teacher. Nicodemus gives Him the title of , Master; this is saying very much on his part; since Jesus had not passed through the different degrees of rabbinical studies which gave a right to this title. Comp. Joh 7:15 : The Jews were astonished, saying: How does this man know the Scriptures, not being a man who has studied? It is precisely this extraordinary course of the development of Jesus which Nicodemus characterizes by saying: a teacher come from God. , from God, is placed at the beginning as the principal idea, opposed to that of a regular doctorate. The same contrast is found in Joh 7:16 in the mouth of Jesus Himself. This designation: from God, depends neither on the verb, come, nor on the word teacher, separately, but on the complex phrase; the sense is: come as a teacher from God. The argument is consonant with theocratic precedents (Exodus 4). Miracles prove divine assistance, and this proves the divine mission. But this formal demonstration, intended to prove to Jesus a truth which he does not doubt, is somewhat pedantic and must have shocked the ear of Him to whom it was addressed. So Jesus cuts short the discourse thus commenced by a sudden apostrophe, intended rather to answer the inmost thoughts of His interlocutor than his spoken words.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
Verse 2
By night; secretly, for fear of his associates and friends.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a {b} teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, {c} except God be with him.
(b) We know that you are sent from God to teach us.
(c) But he in whom some part of the excellency of God appears. And if Nicodemus had rightly known Christ, he would not only have said that God was with him, but in him, as Paul does in 2Co 1:19 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
John probably would not have mentioned that Nicodemus called on Jesus at night if that fact was insignificant. Probably the prominent Pharisee made his call at night to keep his visit private and uninterrupted (cf. Joh 19:39). The Pharisees generally were antagonistic toward Jesus, and he apparently wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict with his brethren. Nighttime probably promised a greater chance for uninterrupted conversation as well. Whenever else John referred to night in his Gospel the word has moral and spiritual connotations of darkness (cf. Joh 9:4; Joh 11:10; Joh 13:30). Nicodemus was in spiritual and intellectual darkness as well as natural darkness when he came to Jesus (cf. Joh 3:10). [Note: E. W. Hengstenberg, Commentary on the Gospel of John , 1:157-58; R. H. Lightfoot, St. John’s Gospel: A Commentary, p. 116.]
Nicodemus addressed Jesus as "Rabbi," a respectful title that recognized Him as a teacher. One rabbi was coming to another for discussion. However, this title also indicated the extent of this man’s faith. He did not address Jesus as the Messiah or the Son of God or his Lord. Moreover he expressed belief that Jesus had come from God, in contrast to Satan (cf. Joh 8:48; Joh 8:52), in view of the miracles that He was performing (cf. Joh 2:23; Joh 20:30; Joh 21:24-25). This suggests that Nicodemus may have wanted to determine if Jesus was a prophet as well as a teacher. To the Jews of Jesus’ day, no unusual teaching would have been acceptable without the evidence of miracles. [Note: Edersheim, 1:380.]
"We" could be a way of saying himself (cf. Joh 3:11). Alternatively Nicodemus could have been representing others on the Sanhedrin beside himself such as Joseph of Arimathea (cf. Joh 19:38). Note Nicodemus’ courtesy and lack of hostility. These qualities mark him as a non-typical Pharisee.