The Art of Life Bible - Flipbook - Page 37
John
3
water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip
some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So
the servants followed his instructions.
9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water
that was now wine, not knowing where it had come
from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called
the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best
wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot
to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you
have kept the best until now!”
11This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time
Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
12After the wedding he went to Capernaum for a few
days with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples.
Jesus Clears the Temple
13 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration,
so Jesus went to Jerusalem. 14 In the Temple area he saw
merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices;
he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased
them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and
cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the
floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over
to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these
things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into
a marketplace!”
17 Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from
the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume
me.”*
18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you
doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a
miraculous sign to prove it.”
19“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in
three days I will raise it up.”
20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years
to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?”
21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own
body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples
remembered he had said this, and they believed both
the Scriptures and what J esus had said.
Jesus and Nicodemus
23 Because of the miraculous signs J esus did in Jerusalem
at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him.
24 But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about
people. 25 No one needed to tell him about human nature,
for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2After dark one
evening, he came to speak with J esus. “Rabbi,” he said,
“we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your
miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born
again,* you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How
can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be
born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.*
6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy
Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.* 7 So don’t be surprised
when I say, ‘You* must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows
wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but
can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you
can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher,
and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure
you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet
you won’t believe our testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe
me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you
possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No
one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son
of Man* has come down from heaven. 14And as Moses
lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness,
so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone
who believes in him will have eternal life.*
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave* his
one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
3
1:34 Some manuscripts read the Son of God.
1:41 Messiah (a Hebrew term) and
Christ (a Greek term) both mean “anointed one.” 1:42 The names Cephas (from
Aramaic) and Peter (from Greek) both mean “rock.” 1:45 Greek Moses in the
law.
1:51 Greek going up and down on the Son of Man; see Gen 28:10-17. “Son of
Man” is a title Jesus used for himself. 2:1 Greek On the third day; see 1:35, 43.
2:6 Greek 2 or 3 measures [75 to 113 liters]. 2:17 Or “Concern for God’s house will
be my undoing.” Ps 69:9. 3:3 Or born from above; also in 3:7. 3:5 Or and spirit.
The Greek word for Spirit can also be translated wind; see 3:8. 3:6 Greek what
is born of the Spirit is spirit.
3:7 The Greek word for you is plural; also in 3:12.
3:13 Some manuscripts add who lives in heaven. “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used
for himself. 3:15 Or everyone who believes will have eternal life in him.
3:16 Or
For God loved the world so much that he gave.
Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Read John 1:29-34, especially 1:32.
The English words dove and
pigeon have become virtually
interchangeable, used to describe
birds of the family Columbidae.
At least six species of pigeon or
dove are native to Israel, and it
is unclear whether the Hebrew
terms used attempt to distinguish
between species. One species
found in Israel is the collared
dove (Streptopelia decaocto),
a medium-sized dove, slightly
smaller than the rock pigeon. The
collared dove is mostly gray in color and is named for the black half
collar around the back of its neck.
Doves have long been considered
symbolic of love and peace due to
their attention to courtship (see
Song of Songs 2:14) and the care
the parents show to each other
and toward their young.
All four Gospels indicate that
when Jesus was baptized, the Holy
Spirit descended on him like a
dove. This visual event, accompanied by a voice from heaven, enabled John to identify Jesus as the
Coming One, who would baptize
with the Holy Spirit. This episode
led to the dove being used among
Christians as a symbol for the
Holy Spirit, a natural association
for a bird that was already linked
to love, peace, and comfort.
See more about doves on page
643. See also the related notes
on the pigeon (page 168) and the
turtledove (page 850).
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