(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
Nicodemus talks to Jesus
- Now, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
- This man came to Him at night and said to Him: “Rabbi, we *know that you have come from God as a teacher, for no one is able to do these signs which you do unless God is with him.”
- Jesus answered and told him: “Amen, amen I tell you: unless someone was born from above, he isn’t able to see the kingdom of God.
- Nicodemus says to Him: “How is a man able to be born while being old? He isn’t able to enter into his mother’s womb a second time and to be born again, is he?”
- Jesus answered: “Amen, amen I tell you: unless someone was born of water and the Spirit, he isn’t able to enter into the kingdom of God.
- “What has been born from the flesh is flesh; and what has been born from the Spirit is spirit.
- “Don’t marvel that I told you ‘it’s necessary for you all to be born from above’.”
- “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you don’t *know where it comes from and where it goes; it’s this way with every man who is *born from the Spirit.”
- Nicodemus answered and said to Him: “How are these things able to happen?”
- Jesus answered and told him: “You are the teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?”
- “Amen, amen I tell you that we speak of what we *know, and we testify of what we have seen, and you men aren’t receiving our testimony.
- “If I told you men about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
- “And no one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven; the Son of Man [the One who is in heaven].
- “And just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, in this way also, it’s necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up,
- “so every man believing in Him might have the life of ages.
- “For God ^loved the world in this way, that He gave His only unique Son, so that every man believing in Him might not perish, but might have the life of ages.
- “For God didn’t send the Son into the world so He might judge the world, but so the world might be saved through Him.
- “The man believing in Him isn’t judged, but the man not beliving has been judged already because he hasn’t believed in the name of the only unique Son of God.
- “And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and men ^loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil.
- “For every man practicing evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light so that his works won’t be exposed.
- “But the man practicing the truth comes to the light so that his works that have been done in God might be revealed.
John testifies again
- After these things, Jesus and His disciples went into the land of Judea, and He was staying with them there and was baptizing.
- And John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim because many waters were there, and many were arriving and were being baptized,
- for John wasn’t *thrown into prison yet.
- Therefore, a debate arose among John’s disciples with a Jew about cleansing.
- And they came to John and told him: “Rabbi, He who was with you across the Jordan, of whom you have testified, look: He baptizes and all are going to Him.”
- John answered and said: “A man isn’t able to receive [even one thing] unless it has been given to him from heaven.
- “You yourselves testify of me that I said: “I’m not the Anointed”, but that I have been sent before Him.
- “The man having the bride is a bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom (the man *standing and listening for him) rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine has been fulfilled.
- “It’s necessary for Him to increase, but for me to decrease.
- “The One coming from above is above all. The man from the earth is from the earth and speaks from the earth. The One coming from heaven is above all.
- “What He has seen and heard, of this He testifies and no one receives His testimony.
- “The man who received His testimony set his seal that God is true.
- “For He whom God sent speaks the words of God, for He doesn’t give the Spirit by measure.
- “The Father ^loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.
- “The man believing in the Son has the life of ages, but the man disbelieving the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
Next: John chapter 4
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Up: The Book of John
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