John 3:13-21 -- Correcting What I Believe Are Misled Readings

John 3:13-21. How can such a short passage be misread so many different ways? One guy I found on the Internet says that Jesus, in verse 13, claims to be present simultaneously both on earth and in heaven. Vic Alexander has the verse saying that the Son of Man was in heaven, while every other source says it "is."

Many people say you must be born again (v. 7) to be saved.

I imagine most people think that Jesus spoke of hearing the physical wind and not knowing from where it came or to where it was going (v. 8).

Did Jesus really suggest that He must be physically lifted up on the cross (v. 14)?

Most of this is straightened out by Bullinger's notes on John 3:1-21 in his Companion Bible. Foremost to be noted is the fact that John stops quoting Jesus after verse 12 and switches to preaching in verse 13. Yes, John was an evangelist, and here he evangelizes from what Jesus said in his encounter with Nicodemus in John 3:1-12. I.e., John 3:13-21 is a SERMON BY THE EVANGELIST.

Nicodemus, a wealthy ruler and teacher of the Jews, flat out failed perceive the Holy Ghost. Jesus said that to live in the Kingdom (as one sent from God, which Nicodemus was aware of), one had to be born from ABOVE (v.3).

Still not getting it, Nicodemus wonders how one can be born--literally--again.

Bullinger notes the mistranslation of John 3, verse 5, which mistranslation is "of the water and of the spirit." He points out that there are no definite articles here, and not two different things. What Jesus said in effect was, "Except a man be born of water--yea, spiritual water, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." For THEN a spiritually born person will hear THE SPIRIT (pneuma; not anemos, wind) BREATHE (i.e., voice) DIRECTIONS DIRECTLY INTO THE MIND. It has nothing to do with wind whipping around or physical sounds.

Jesus seems to end on the note of, "I tell you of spiritual things I know of from experience, and you don't get it" (v. 12).

NOW (verse 13) John commences to expound on this teaching. Jesus knows spiritual things because He came down from heaven, and now, after His saving work, He has ascended BACK into heaven--"He is the Son of Man (was a human man here) Which IS (now, back) in heaven.

HERE IS WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE AN EVEN BIGGER ERROR: John 3:14. Jesus was not telling Nicodemus that He, Jesus, the Son of God, had to be crucified--"lifted up"--like the Brazen Serpent was lifted by Moses in the wilderness. I am sure I have heard that message literally hundreds of times, and I am certain that if you are a Christian, you have heard it, too. I am going with Victor Alexander on this one: JOHN, not Jesus, said in verse 14, "And just as Moses lifted the darkness by the light of life, this is how you should glorify* (lift up) the Son of Man. So that every human [being] who believes in him does not [go to] oblivion, except that they may have life everlasting* (to [the end of] the universe)." Moses lifted the darkness--the ignorance of man--in the wilderness BY TEACHING THE TORAH. THAT is what Jesus did, and it is what He commanded his followers to do: "And teach them to observe everything I commanded you" (Matthew 28:20 Alexander; see Bullinger's The Companion Bible Appendix 47, "The Book of the Law."

The idea is to make US like HIM, to make IGNORANCE into KNOWLEDGE, to give the FORM of One to the UNMANIFEST One. The Milta is on a quest, and I'll bet He is going accomplish it.