{John 3:13} No man has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of the Man*. [many manuscripts add, "who is in heaven."] -- Restoration Light Improved Version.
Jesus had just told Nicodemus about being begotten again by water and spirit. Jesus did not consider what he told Nicodemus to be "heavenly things", but "earthly things". But many cannot even understand Jesus' teachings when he speaks of earthly things, as when he spoke of being begotten again by water and spirit.
Jesus continued by saying, "No man has ascended into heaven". Many disconnect this from what Jesus spoke in the verse before and often come to wrong conclusions. Jesus was here reminding Nicodemus that no man had ascended into heaven and thus that he should not expect from such men who have never ascended to heaven to be able to know from experience about heavenly things. Not even Enoch, Elijah, Moses, David, or any of the prophets of old could know from experience about heavenly things. They many have had some knowledge as revealed to them through visions or some kind of manifestation, but they did not have such knowledge by the experience of having been in heaven.
Jesus continues "but he who descended out of heaven." Here Jesus is definitely speaking of himself as having descended out of heaven. No one else in the Bible ever makes such a claim. The point is that Jesus had descended out of heaven and thus knew by experience heavenly things. No other human can say such.
Oddly, many somehow read Jesus' words in John 3:13 as though he in some way was talking about his ascension into heaven, rather than his having descended out of heaven. They would want for Jesus to be speaking about his future ascension. They wish to in a vague manner to connect what Jesus said in John 3:13 to Jesus' ascension to heaven as spoken of in Acts 1:1-11. Usually this is done in a effort to deny that Jesus actually had a sentient existence before he became flesh.
One misquotes John 3:13 by claiming that Jesus stated "that no man but he 'hath ascended up to to heaven.'" However, Jesus never said anything at all in John 3:13 about his ascending to heaven. This kind of reasoning actually twists what Jesus said to make it appear that he said something he did not say.
Another claims: "John 3:13 teaches that no man but Jesus has AS YET been raptured to Heaven." The reality is that Jesus said nothing about all in John 3:13 about his being "raptured to Heaven."
One states: "Jesus the Son of God has ascended and come down from heaven (John 3:13)." The implication is that John 3:13 is some way states that Jesus has ascended and come down from heaven. The reality, that is not at all what Jesus said as recorded in John 3:13. No man has ascended into heaven so as know heavenly things, but he who descended from heaven who having been in heaven, does know heavenly things.
Some point to John 6:33-35 as though Jesus was speaking of the same thing as he spoke of in John 3:13.
John 6:33 - For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."
John 6:34 - They said therefore to him, "Lord, always give us this bread."
John 6:35 - Jesus said to them. "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:51 - I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world."
Actually, in John 6:33-35 Jesus is not speaking of himself as a person who descended out of heaven, but he is speaking of himself as his flesh as being represented by the manna, the bread, that God caused to come out of the sky to feed the children of Israel in the wilderness. (John 6:31,32; Exodus 16:4-16) The manna was a type of the reality, which is Jesus' flesh, which God, in sending Jesus to earth, prepared for Jesus. -- Hebrews 10:5.
Jesus came to offer his body of flesh for our sins. (**** Add scriptures; Hebrews 10:5,10,12) To figuratively eat of this flesh is put faith in his sacrifice. (**** Add scriptures) Thus, that flesh is the reality of the figure of the manna, the bread that descended out of the sky to feed to children of Israel.
In John 3:12,13, however, Jesus is not speaking figuratively. He is actually speaking of himself as having been in heaven to know of heavenly things and having descended out of heaven. If he had been speaking of having figuratively descended from heaven, then to be consistent, one would have to conclude that he was speaking figurative when he said no man has ascended to heaven. Jesus is the only person in the Bible who speaks of himself as having descended from heaven.
Jesus is certainly speaking of himself as having descended out of heaven, which can only mean that he had been in heaven before he descended out of heaven. Jesus speaks of himself as being the Son of the Man, that is, the Son of the Man, David, the promised Messiah, as having descended out of heaven. Jesus, of course, was not the Son of the Man, David, until he became flesh in the womb of Mary. Jesus did not say that he, the Son of the Man, was the Son of the Man before he descended out of heaven.
We should also note that we do not believe that Jesus was speaking of the spiritual understanding of things as Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 2:14, although what Paul said is related. Such understanding as Paul wrote about does not mean that one has descended out of heaven and thus has a knowledge of heavenly things by experience as Jesus is speaking of in John 3:12,13.
To be added, God willing: Jesus' declaration of the Heavenly Father whom he had seen in heaven.
More may be added later, God willing.....
No comments:
Post a Comment