John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you [of] heavenly things?
3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, [even] the Son of man which is in heaven.


How can one explain spiritual things? Spiritual things are heavenly things that people don't fully understand but try to illustrate with earthly things in an attempt to understand them. Yet earthly things fall short of explaining heavenly things. It is true that to be perfectly acquainted with the concerns of a place, it is necessary for a person to be, or have been at that place..

Who has ever experienced these heavenly things so they can explain them to us earthlings, teaching and showing us the deep things of God. Who can now explain them in their full and true meaning?
Only the Son of man!
Only the One Who was in the beginning with God, and was God and was in the beginning with God! And became flesh to dwell with mankind. (John 1:1,14)

And it is His Spirit,
for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God...Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (1Cor. 2:10,12) he will guide you into all truth: ..He shall glorify me (the Son of Man as well as the Son of God): for he shall receive of mine, and shall show [it] unto you. John 16:13-14)

John 3:14 ?And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.?

The One Who came from the very throne room of heaven down to this earth, must be lifted up towards the heavens.

He is the ladder of life from earth to heaven. The only one who can connect us with heaven.
At the cross we unload our burden of sin and place it upon the spotless lamb of God who paid the demands of the law, so we can have forgiveness and life!

He was counted as a criminal, that we might be counted as saints.

The serpent of Eden induces sin and death. Christ absorbed our sin and died that we may be healed from sin and have life eternal.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

To gain a better grasp of the magnitude of God's gift to the human race, consider the position mankind was in prior to the cross. In rebellion against God all humanity was condemned. God didn't need to condemn anyone, they were already condemned, sitting on death row. People tend to picture God as someone looking for things to condemn people.. No, the world was already condemned by the law.

Just like in the wilderness. The people were dying due to their snake bites. Without divine intervention they were doomed.
Even so the human race was bit by the serpent and sits under condemnation with the poison of sin robbing them of life..

God could have simply said, "Too bad, leave them to their chosen fate".
But no, God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so people don't need to eternally perish.
Christ, the perfectly sinless, Son of God, came and absorbed the poison of our sins into Himself and died a horrible death, so we can be forgiven, the condemnation being lifted.
We must BELIEVE and accept Him and His priceless gift, and through Him (for He is alive again) we can be saved. We need not face the second death of eternal non-existence, for He has opened the door of heaven with eternal life for all who truly believe and accept Him.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
3:1 9 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.


John often speaks of Jesus as the LIGHT!

John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
11:9-10 If any man walk in the day, he does not stumble, because he see the light of this world.
11:10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him.

John 12:34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walks in darkness knows not whither he goes.
12:36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

What does this emphses on LIGHT mean?

"John 3:19 this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil".

What is it about darkness that people cling to it and reject the light?
In the darkness we can't see very good, and sometimes we can't see at all. So why would people love darkness? The text tells us they love darkness because they don't want their evil deeds to be open to view. They want to keep doing evil without being reprimanded.

Jesus is light! When people come close to Him, their evil becomes visible. Those who love the Savior, will gladly turn from evil and follow Him. But those hiding their sins in the darkness, don't want any light to expose their evil.

This explains why people can get so intolerant under the guise of promoting tolerance. They don't want any demonstration of holiness, they resent it, why? Because they feel condemned. But instead of coming to Jesus for cleansing, they want to blot out all the light that reveals their sin,.
thus they say about people who have decided to live in the light that they are intolerant.

Yet for those crying in the dark, longing for deliverance. Jesus is the light of the world. Those who follow him now, have him as their light leading them to advance that great, and glorious day. True, that light will reveal a persons sins. Which is a precious gift ? like the fortunate early diagnosis of a deadly cancer, which is then removed, and healing takes place. But even more, Jesus as our light will reveal all that is beautiful, pure and holy. He will be the light in which we come to God ? the light of redemption, the work of salvation and a glorious future in the light that knows no darkness at all.

John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

God is holy! His light brings holiness to all who seek to dwell in that light.

People hate reproof. Thus many dwell in darkness. Not only non-believers but also the self-righteous professing Christians will not search for light. They love darkness rather than light, because they do not want to see themselves as God sees them.

But we all need to be transformed. How can we be transformed if we try to hide our sins in darkness away from Jesus the Light of the world. We need to come into the light and like David plead with the Lord --

Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
3:24 For John was not yet cast into prison.

These verses have raised many questions.
1. Were Jesus and John the Baptist both baptizing people?
2. What was this baptism, prior to the Christian era, symbolizing?
3. Why did Jesus disciples baptize people like John the Baptist was doing not far away?

In the next chapter, John 4:1-2 tells us that Jesus Himself did not baptize anyone, but His disciples did the actual baptizing, most likely under Jesus direction and authority.
The reason Jesus Himself did not baptize may well be to avoid the idea that those baptized by Jesus Himself were of a higher spiritual rank than someone baptized by one of the disciples.

But what is the reason for the disciples of Jesus to be baptizing at this point in history? The baptism described in Romans 6, commemorating Christ's death to all sin and resurrection to walk in the newness of life, was still future. The fullness of the holy Spirit was not yet poured out.

Were they simply baptizing the same as John the Baptist, whose baptism was "the baptism of repentance" in preparation to receive the Messiah? (Acts 19:4)

The question is still unanswered. Why did Jesus take His disciples to a place in Judea where His disciples could baptize people, while John the Baptist was a bit further north also baptizing people?

Remember this was before the cross and there is no mention, or reason to believe that this baptizing was any different from that administered by John the Baptist.

As we read a bit further, this caused some tension between John the Baptist's disciples and Jesus' disciples.

John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
3:24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
3:25 Then there arose a question between [some] of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all [men] come to him.

John the Baptist was a powerful preacher. He had stirred the multitudes who had flocked to the Jordan to hear him, and be baptized by him. He had totally dedicated himself to the work God had given to him. He had testified that Jesus was the Lamb of God whose shoe laces he was not worthy to tie.

Yet in these verses we see John the Baptist to be still taking an independent position. He had pointed others to Jesus, declaring Him to be the Lamb of God. He believed but yet he did not enroll himself among Christ's followers.
Was he still thinking the time was not yet, to join, waiting and thinking Christ would set up a physical kingdom? John the Baptist was also affected by the hopes of his people. The hope that the Messiah would take the throne of David and make national changes. We realize from the accounts in the other gospels (Matt. 11) after being throne into prison, of him sending his disciples to Jesus asking if He was the one, or if they were to look for another, that this may have been the case.

Jesus coming into John's territory and also having His disciples baptizing people may have been to gently show John the Baptist his task as the herald of His advent was finished?

John the Baptist was a remarkable man of energy with a great purpose, how could he just stop doing what he was doing voluntarily? So he continued it even though now it was splitting people's loyalty between him and Christ. The people came, and were baptized; as "they" had done at Bethabara. There was some rivalry developing concerning the Messianic movement , and we see the effect of it upon his disciples and him self.

Next, as we continue to the next verses, we will see John the Baptist recognizing His position to Jesus, and humbly accepting it. And in his last recorded message he points people away from himself, again pointing them to Jesus.

3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all [men] come to him.
3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
3:28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
3:29 He that hath the bide is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
3:30 He must increase, but I [must] decrease.

Satan was tempting John the Baptist! John was human and had felt success in drawing crowds. Bt now John's mission seemed about to close. Satan was there trying to arouse envy and resentment in the mind of John -- look you gave that Man good references, and now He's stealing all your audience.
What would John do? He still had influence with the people and it was still possible for him to hinder the work of Christ.
If he had felt sorry for himself, and expressed feelings that this just wasn't fair, he would have encouraged his disciples to deepen their own envy and resentment. If he would have expressed grief or disappointment at being superseded, he would have sown the seeds of dissension, would have encouraged envy and jealousy, and would seriously have hindered Christ's ministry

But John showed no sympathy with his disciples dissatisfaction. He recognized His own relationship with the Messiah. And with humbleness exclaimed -- "He must increase, I must decrease"

Self was put aside, and John the Baptist knew his own mission was simply to point and direct people to Jesus, not draw people to himself.