LOC 021 Life of Christ:
Seeing
is Believing
Last Sunday we considered the first clearing of the Temple by
Jesus as the beginning of his ministry.
We saw the zeal that consumed him for the right use of the place where
God’s presence was to dwell. The people had allowed the purpose of the place to
change through a slow unquestioned evolution. The Jews still went to the Temple
for worship and the temple was still important, but its use was merely formal,
rather than one of faith.
At the end of John 2, we read some curious words as regards The Net Effect of Jesus Ministry during
that Passover feast and his stay in Jerusalem.
Starting at John 2:23 we read:
JOH 2:23 Now when He was
in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when
they saw the signs which He did. 24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them,
because He knew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man,
for He knew what was in man.
Many “believed” as they saw many other, unrecorded signs. The fullness of Jesus ministry as the Son of
God and heaven sent Messiah has begun.
Initially, this sounds like a good thing. But our curiosity should be piqued when we
read that Jesus did not commit himself unto them. What does that mean?
Most commentators through an examination of the context of these
words, say that this “belief” was not enough.
It was a Spurious faith (Ryle & Spurgeon), a misguided faith
(Calvin), or an inadequate and spurious faith (Carson). Men can have an outward appearance of some
belief without the commitment to follow Jesus as his disciple.
Look at the text. Jesus
lack of commitment to those who exercised this type of belief is explained by
the two phrases, 1. Because he knew all men and 2. He knew what was in
man. Jesus knew their hearts and the
type of belief they had.
Theologians throughout the centuries have identified at least
three kinds of faith denoted by three Latin words: A. notitia, B. assensus, and
C. fiducia.
Notitia is a faith or belief that only takes note of the facts of
a thing. Recently one of the
presidential candidates was accused of an affair with a woman much younger than
himself. Many took notice of the facts
brought forwards and the source of the accusation and dismissed it. They did not believe it occurred, yet they
believed someone to be reporting on a alleged
occurrence. There is a great
difference.
B. Assensus is when one assents to the historical or rightful
claims of a thing to be true. This is the faith of the demons in James 2:19.
JAM 2:19 You believe
that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!
They know the facts as well as any one ese, but they do not have a
vital interest in the right use of the facts historically or practically. It is a dead faith.
Many in our day and age preach a Gospel that seeks to have the
hearers assent to the fact that Jesus lived, died and rose again. In some circles they think this historical
knowledge along with a minimalist public confession of Jesus is what will save
men. Just believe Jesus died for you by
dying for all men and you will be all set.
This faith is the type that is spurious of inadequate. Often it is a
faith based on an experience, rather than a faith in the one who alone can
deliver us from sin and bring us to heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ.
An example: A friend sent
me a note this week wanting me to check out some info on the internet. There is a man who claims to have found the
Ark of the Covenant before his death in 1982.
He believes it to be under the place where Jesus was crucified, he
believes the earthquake that accompanied the crucifixion opened a crack in the
earth so that Jesus blood trickled down upon the ancient mercy seat on the Ark.
He believed that this find would cause mass conversion to Christianity of Jews
and Arabs. He believed others would believe because of this irrefutable
sign.
Well, I have not seen this man’s evidence, though he admits to
covering up the opening to the chamber and the crack that he exposed so that
the Muslims would not come and steal this great find. And, thus it remains
hidden from the world. But I do know
that a faith based upon signs alone is not a saving faith. Assent to the truthfulness of facts or
sentiments is not what saves a man.
Belief generated from within a man is this sort of mere assent.
The third type of faith distinguished by theologians is
fiducia. In this type of faith there is
a vital interest in the thing believed.
We use the word in English to mean: One, such as an agent of a principal
or a company director, that stands in a special relation of trust, confidence,
or responsibility in certain obligations to others.
I worked for a company who fired an officer, a VP, for violating
his fiduciary responsibilities. He violated a special trust that undermined his
obligations to the companies well-being.
When someone has a fiduciary interest in something else, it is a
relationship one of utmost trust, confidence and responsibility, a whole-souled
commitment by one to another person of entity.
In the context of Scripture, it is a saving interest in Christ with a
whole-souled commitment to follow him as Lord, as his disciple.
Why is this important background information? Because the first
word in Chapter three ties into this knowledge Jesus had of men guilt of
spurious faith.
Look at the text:
The NKJV reads:
JOH 2:24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew
all men, 25 and had no need that
anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.
3:1 There was a man
of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
The NKJV does not bring out the force of an important two letter
word in the original Greek, the word “de”. “De” means: and in the sense of
chronology, and something else, or as the NIV translates it, after.
JOH 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a
member of the Jewish ruling council.
Nicodemus is intimately tied to the preceding. His identity lets
us know that he was highly likely at the Temple when Jesus cleansed it. That is where a member of the Sanhedrin, the
ruling council did their work.
Part of the function of this council was to adjudicate matters of
importance to Israel, especially of civil and religious importance.
Its jurisdiction was extremely wide. It could order arrests by its
own officers as we see in Matt 26:47, Mark 14:43, Acts 4:1ff, 5:7ff, 9:2.
It was empowered to that did not involve capital punishment.
Although, they are impugned in the decision to crucify Jesus. An important matter that allowed them to
break precedent. The only restriction
was that they were kept from usurping the rights of the Roman Emperor or
Senate. Rome used local authorities to
control local societies. It was an efficient
means to control the regions.
According to the Mashianic Tractate Sanhedrin the council met on the 2nd and 5th day of the week, never
meeting on a feast day or sabbath. The
balance of the time would have found the leaders carrying on their daily tasks
of farming, or commerce, or as priest, or teachers of the Law. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a teacher of the
Law.
Each day he would go to the temple district to teach and discuss
the Law of God. It is this prominent man, whose heart Jesus knew, who is
introduced with the Greek word de, or
the idea of a chronological sequence found in the word “now” from the end of
Chapter two to the beginning of Chapter three.
This is why John’s precision is important. Nicodemus is not a new event that stands on
its own. His coming is intimately tied
to the events at the Passover in Jerusalem.
He, as a Pharisee and a ruler of the people, or as we read in JOH
3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
John goes on to tell us more about this man and his mission:
JOH 3:2 This man came to
Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher
come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with
him."
Nicodemus comes to Jesus on what basis? The signs he did. The signs that prompted the spurious and
inadequate faith in some. Nicodemus believed
something--that Jesus had done signs, and therefore God must be with him, but
he did not understand it in order to have a saving interest in Christ with a
whole-souled commitment to follow him as Lord, as his disciple.
Nicodemus speaks the truth, but in a misunderstood manner. He had a mere historical faith and a faith
that these things happened, but not a faith that left him in awe and
reverence.
I believe the context drives the inference that Jesus had not
committed himself to Nicodemus as one of the ones who had spurious faith. As we saw, Jesus lack of commitment to those
who exercised this type of belief is explained by the two phrases, 1. Because
he knew all men and 2. He knew what was in man.
Jesus knew their hearts and the type of belief they had.
Knowing all men generally and Nicodemus specifically allows Jesus
to address the real need of Nicodemus’s spurious faith. Jesus knew his heart, too. Notice in verse two Nicodemus asked no
questions, yet Jesus gives him an answer fit to his real need.
JOH 3:3 Jesus answered
and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus had observed something special and wanted more
information about what he saw. He came
to Jesus at night. Giving him the
benefit of the doubt we should understand this as the time after his other
responsibilities were met rather than an attempt to contact Jesus secretly.
Jesus had had a rather public ministry while in Jerusalem. After the cleansing of the Temple, the Jews
were very open in the way they approached him (2:18) when they asked for a
sign. Nicodemus may have been among the
Jews who went to ask. He did not
understand, but Jesus did. Nicodemus came to the place where he believed God
was present with Jesus and had apparently worked tough Jesus, yet he was unable
to understand how it all fit together.
Jesus answers him in a way that would seem to obscure his concern,
yet addresses Nicodemus’s real need.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God."
Jesus speaks forcefully and dogmatically and with great certainty.
I tell you this, he says, unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the
kingdom of God.
Jesus is telling Nicodemus what else he need in order to only see
or realize the place where God’s true influence upon the soul in known. Implicitly, Jesus is telling Nicodemus that
he is BLIND and DEAD, being unborn in this important sense. Jesus had directed his words not to a general
audience, but to Nicodemus particularly.
Look at the text I say unto you....
Nicodemus understands the analogy, but not the born from above
part of it all. He asks, showing his
naive literalness typical of a pharisee, JOH 3:4 Nicodemus said to Him,
"How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his
mother's womb and be born?"
How can a man be born a second time? It’s impossible to enter into
a mother’s womb for a second birth. What
does this mean?
Jesus continues:
Another word of Certainty:
JOH 3:5 Jesus answered,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
An Explanation of the Metaphor
6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which
is born of the Spirit is spirit.
An Undermining of Nicodemus’s
Amazement
JOH 3:7 "Do not
marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
A Word about the means
JOH 3:8 "The wind
blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it
comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Let’s look a little more:
Another word of Certainty:
JOH 3:5 Jesus answered,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Nic, to be born from above is to be born of water and the
Spirit. Unless, this happens, a man
cannot even enter the place where God’s rule is realized. It is about purification and the work of God,
it isn’t about physical birth.
An Explanation of the Metaphor
6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which
is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Natural birth gives rise to natural beings; when the Spirit gives
birth it gives life to spiritual beings. It is another birth you need.
An Undermining of Nicodemus’s
Amazement
JOH 3:7 "Do not
marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
Don't be surprised...you need this other kind of birth. Your
natural birth is not enough.
Do you realize what this must have meant to Pharisee who gloried in his position,
education and lineage. Birth brought
privilege as a son of Abraham. He would
have thought that was all set. He had
attained what all little faithful Jewish boys were brought up to desire. He was
a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin.
If anyone had a claim to special standing before God it was
Nicodemus. Jesus shot down al of his
self-idolatry with the simple concept that Nicodemus had to be born again. And,
he told Nic to not be surprised about it.
Do you feel the force of Jesus’ words, this Jesus who knew all men?
A Word about the means
JOH 3:8 "The wind
blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it
comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
This is not a birth or a work that can be harnessed. It cannot be controlled. Nobody knows when it is coming, nor to where
it will going. But, men need this to be born again, to be born of the Spirits
work of regeneration. This work of the
Spirit opens men’s eyes to see the Kingdom of God which is a spiritual kingdom
by nature and design. If it were physical,
all could see it.
This is so far outside of the way Nicodemus has been taught to
think that he says,JOH 3:9 "How can these things be?"
He had a type of spurious believe due to the signs he witnessed
and heard surrounding Passover, but here he is incredulous, unbelieving, How can these things be true?
Jesus takes incredulousness to a new level. Nicodemus expressed
surprise or marvel that Jesus told him not to in verse 7. Jesus had warned him. Now Jesus turns the
tables on him. He says:
JOH 3:10 Jesus answered
and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these
things?
And,
JOH 3:11 "Most assuredly,
I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do
not receive Our witness. 12 "If I have told you earthly things and you do
not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
Even the doctrine of regeneration or the new birth is not a deep
thing, but a first principle that Nicodemus should have known. He had missed the point of so much in the Old
Testament. This was a matter of
relevance for the earth. Man, all men,
women and children, in order to see the place where God’s influence and reign
is manifest, must be born again.
Mere assent is not enough, spurious belief will leave men
damned. What is needed is a sovereign
work of the Spirit of God giving us new life.
Religious people often miss the simplicity and profundity of the
Gospel. They want to make it too hard and unattainable on the one hand or too
ordinary on the other. Right faith
depends on right standing before God.
That is to be born into his family by a work of his Spirit. There is nothing you can do. Your own attempts at faith will leave you
misguided and deluded. Unless, the
Spirit gives new birth, man will follow his own way to utter destruction.
Why do men follow God and his ways at all? It is the work of the Spirit in them unto
salvation by regenerating them and granting a true fiduciary faith. It is also the work of the Spirit in
sanctification--working in them Christ’s likeness until they are brought to
heaven.
Seeing the Kingdom of God by man is an act of God himself. To have
true faith is to see the rule and ways of God in everything: a new birth,
family, disposition, and purpose.
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