THE KING’S BUSINESS
403
draws him out from behind the “we” and places him as an individual beside every other sinner, but while specifying Nicodemus, He does not limit it to Nicodemus. What is said applies to •“any one.” The word translated “again” in the Authorized Version, and “anew” in the Revised Version, has a two-fold meaning. It' could be properly rendered either “from above,” or “anew,” or “over again.” It is often used of things which come from heaven, or from God as dwelling in heaven (see v. 31; ch. 19:11; Jas. 1:17; 3:15, 17). It does not matter greatly which meaning we put upon it here, for if we render it “from above,” thus emphasizing the Divine origin of regeneration, still the thought .that it is a new birth is here; for natural birth is not from above (v. 6). If, on the other hand, we render it as in the Revised Version “anew,” still the thought that this new birth is from above, from heaven, from God is found in the fifth verse as in other places (e. g. ch. 1 :12, 13; Jas. 1:18). Nicodemus evidently was especially impressed with the thought that it was a new birth (v. 4). It is best to take it as having both the thought of the newness of the birth and the Divine origin of the birth in the one word. The word “see” is often taken in the sense of enjoy or experience as in Luke 2 :26; Hebrews 11:5; Acts 2 :27; 1 Peter 3 :10. But it really means more than that in this instance; it has its exact and full force, otie who is not born again can not even see, or perceive the kingdom of God (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14). He is utterly blind to it. The thought of entering into it comes later, in the 5th verse. The phrase, “the kingdom of God,” is found nowhere else in John’s Gospel except in this verse and in the 5th verse (though the Lord is represented as speaking of “My kingdom” in John 18:36, 37 and
the kingdom of God is spoken about in Revelations 12:10). The phrase is frequently used in the Synoptic Gospels. The use of the expression here when it is not used elsewhere by John is one of the many minute indications of the historical accuracy of John’s Gospel. By “the kingdom of God” here is not meant simply the Messianic kingdom that was to be established on earth, but the kingdom of God in its larger, more spiritual sense, which one sees when he is born again. The impossibility of any one who has not passed through the profound experience of the new birth even seeing the kingdom of God is put in the strongest possible way: “he cannot see the kingdom of God.” No man, no matter how pious and moral and religious and well instructed, not even “the teacher of Israel” can see the kingdom, which is essentially spiritual, unless first he be born of the Spirit. As there comes a warm sunbeam into every cottage window, so comes a love-beam of God’s care and pity for every separate need.—Nathaniel Hawthorne. Love Him and keep Him for thy friend, who, when all go away, will not forsake thee, nor suffer thee to perish at the last.—Thomas a’ Kempis. Even the darkness has a message of cheer. The shadows point to the dawn. As I wake in the twilight of the morning, I often see the glimmer of the street-lamps falling upon the walls of my chamber, but in a little while the lamp-lighter passes by and turns out one after another, leaving the room in deeper darkness than it had been at any time during the whole night. Yet I know that he is only putting out the street-lamps because the sun is about to rise and flood all the heavens with its light. So the darkness heralds the dawn.— A. J. Gordon.
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker