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Last week we ended with the interaction between Yeshua and Nicodemus, who was a great political and religious leader. Yeshua knew that He was the Messiah, and He knew that with His arrival, and with His death and resurrection, God was going to begin saving people and transforming people in a powerful, new way. And so He told Nicodemus: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Human beings, who have a fallen, rebellious sin nature cannot enter God’s real and glorious and eternal kingdom unless they receive a new nature. They must experience a spiritual transformation, a spiritual birth made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Yeshua used an analogy from the history of Israel to teach Nicodemus the only way to be born again: Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him. After leaving Egypt, the people became impatient and accused God and Moses of bringing them into the wilderness to kill them. And they complained that there was not enough food and water and they were sick of the miserable manna that miraculously appeared each day! God punished them for their ungrateful, rebellious attitude by sending poisonous snakes which bit many people. When many died, and the people were sufficiently disciplined, they came to Moses and apologized.

Then the Lord offered them a cure: If they made a bronze snake and put it on a pole, anyone who was bitten and looked at the snake would be healed. It is the nature of spiritual salvation that the cure is related to the disease. Snakes bit the people, and the people were required to look at a snake. Humanity has been bitten by the satanic serpent. Spiritual poison is in our bodies. If we do nothing, we will die. But, we can be healed by looking at Yeshua. When a person understands that the Son of God became a man, and died on a cross and rose from the dead, and is alive now, the risen Lord and Savior, and that person transfers his loyalties to Yeshua, that person will be healed. The Holy Spirit will be given to Him. He will be given a new nature. He will be born again and live forever in the Kingdom of God.

That interaction most likely took place in Jerusalem. Next, John tells us that after this, Yeshua and His disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them, and baptized. Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. (This was before John was put in prison.)

John the Baptist was one of the very greatest human beings who ever lived. Yeshua said that John was a prophet, and more than a prophet, and among those born of women there had not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. That means John was greater than Adam; greater than Enoch and Noah; greater than Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph; greater than Moses, Joshua and David; greater than Daniel or any of the other prophets, priest, kings and holy men and holy women who came before him.

What made John so great? He was filled by the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother’s womb. He was a very holy man. He was a priest. And he was related to Messiah. And he was a prophet – the first prophet sent by God to Israel in 400 years. And he was greater than a prophet because he was the very special forerunner of the first coming of the Messiah, sent by God to prepare the Chosen People for the arrival of the Messiah and to identify the Messiah when He arrived.

What also made John so special was the amount of revelation given to him by God about the most important subject of all – the Messiah. John understood more about the Messiah than anyone else, as we will see from this part of the divinely inspired book of John.

John’s arrival was like a blazing light. He made a tremendous impact on the nation of Israel. John’s ministry started before the ministry of Yeshua. John had disciples and was baptizing people. Yeshua’s ministry started after the ministry of John and Yeshua had a growing number of disciples and was also baptizing people. In fact Yeshua’s ministry was starting to overshadow John’s. That caused discomfort to some of John’s disciples because it’s part of our fallen nature to want to be part of the group that’s the most popular, the most successful, the most influential. And we resent competition from others whom we perceive are taking away something from our group.

John, our author, informs us that an argument over ceremonial washing provided John’s disciples an opportunity to talk to their rabbi about their concerns about Yeshua’s growing popularity. An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jewish man over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan – the one you testified about – look, He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

While some of John’s disciples may have resented Yeshua’s growing influence, John didn’t – due to his understanding of his own calling and his amazing understanding of who Yeshua is. To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from Heaven. John understood that his ministry, and the size of his ministry, were determined by God. If God wanted his ministry to diminish, that was up to God and John wouldn’t complain. John understood that the extent of the influence of his ministry was God’s decision, not his.

This applies to us as well. Heaven has given each one of us our ministries, our jobs, our careers, our gifts, our talents and our opportunities. God is the One who determines what we are able to do and the extent of our success and the extent of our influence. Knowing this should free us from being anxious or discontent about whether our lives are a success. As long as we are being faithful to what we have been given to do, the results, whether big or small, are up to Heaven. What a liberating thought!

John understood that the extent of his ministry was determined by God, and he understood what few others understood – that Yeshua was the Messiah and that he, John, was the forerunner, who was sent ahead to prepare the Chosen People for the arrival of the Messiah. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of Him.’

And John also understood that Messiah was much much greater than the forerunner. John compared his position to the Messiah to that of the best man to the groom. The bride belongs to the groom. The friend who attends the groom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the groom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. Marriage is one of the most important events in a person’s life. The coming together of a man and a woman in marriage is very special. The focus of a wedding is the bride and groom, not the maid of honor nor the best man. John understood that Yeshua was the Messiah who had come from Heaven to Earth to be united to a faithful remnant of humanity. It was the Messiah who needed to be joined to His people – not the forerunner. Therefore John was very happy, joyous that Yeshua was increasing in popularity and becoming the focus of Israel’s attention.

Knowing that Yeshua needs to be the focus of attention can also be liberating, especially when it comes to our efforts to evangelize or engage in ministry. If you’ve ever thought: I shouldn’t be in ministry or witness to others because I’m not a very good Christian or Messianic Jew. I make mistakes. I sin. I am not holy enough – all of which may be true – what is important to understand is that it’s not about you. It’s about Yeshua. We don’t point people to ourselves, and what we are doing and how holy or good we are. We fall short. We miss the mark. We will make mistakes. We will sin. We will err. In this life we will always be imperfect. Instead of pointing people to ourselves, we point people to Yeshua, and how marvelous He is, how perfect He is, and how gracious and patient He is with sinners.

John understood that Yeshua is the Messiah, and the Messiah was superior to John, and therefor Yeshua’s influence must grow, and John’s influence must lessen. He must become greater; I must become less. He must increase. I must decrease. When it comes to our ministry, Yeshua should become more and we should become less. We need to focus less and less on us, and focus more and more on Yeshua; talk less and less about ourselves and direct people more and more to the glorious Son of God.

John understood some other very important things about Yeshua. The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the Earth belongs to the Earth, and speaks as one from the Earth. The one who comes from Heaven is above all. John understood that Yeshua is unique. He has a heavenly origin. He came from Heaven. Every other human being who has ever lived has come from Earth and has an earthly origin. Because Yeshua comes from Heaven, Yeshua is greater than everyone else who has ever lived or will ever live – superior to any of the prophets of Israel or the religious or intellectual leaders of any other nation.

And John understood that because Yeshua comes from Heaven, what He says should be believed. He testifies to what He has seen and heard, but no one accepts His testimony. Because of His unique heavenly origin, Yeshua alone speaks authoritatively about heavenly realities and earthly realities and what He says should be believed. He should be obeyed. He should be followed – by everyone, everywhere. Every human being should become a disciple of the one who comes from above, the one who is above all.

But that isn’t what happened then, and that rejection of Yeshua and His message is still what happens now. He testifies to what He has seen and heard, but no one accepts His testimony. John understood that the Chosen People didn’t know who Yeshua was then, and didn’t believe Him. And it’s still that way now. 2,000 years later, the vast majority of the Jewish people and the people of the nations do not accept Yeshua or the things He said.

John also understood that a remnant will believe in Yeshua and what He says. By believing in Yeshua and accepting what Yeshua teaches, that faithful remnant certifies that God is telling the truth about Yeshua. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. God is truthful. He is full of truth. God’s nature is one of truth, pure truth, absolute truth. God only speaks the truth. He never lies.

Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. John understood that God gave the Spirit to Yeshua without limit. The giving of the Spirit to Yeshua is unlike the giving of the Spirit to anyone else. All other givings of the Spirit to all other human beings are limited, but the giving of the Spirit to Yeshua is unlimited. That means that Yeshua has a unique fullness of the Spirit, a special closeness to God, a one-of-a-kind empowerment from God and wisdom from God that is superior to anyone else.

The giving of the Spirit to Yeshua without limit, empowering Him, giving Him amazing wisdom, enabling Him to do more miracles than anyone else, is one the ways that God spoke the truth about Yeshua. The giving of the Spirit to Yeshua is God’s declaration that Yeshua is indeed the Messiah.

God has made the truth clear, in other ways, that Yeshua is the Messiah. The amazing prophecies that God gave to the prophets about the Messiah that are fulfilled in the life of Yeshua are one of God’s ways of telling us that Yeshua is the Messiah.

God has spoken the truth and made it clear that Yeshua is the Son of God when at Yeshua’s baptism He declared: This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And again on the mountain on which Yeshua was transformed: This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to Him!

God has spoken the truth and made it clear that Yeshua is the Messiah by Yeshua’s resurrection. God would not allow a sinner, a liar, a false prophet or false Messiah to be resurrected. Yeshua’s resurrection is God’s declaration that Yeshua is perfect, flawless, blameless, truthful; that Yeshua is the Messiah and the risen Lord who is to be obeyed.

Since the time that the New Testament was written, God has continued to make it clear that Yeshua is the Messiah by Yeshua’s impact on people’s lives. For 2,000 years, millions of people, Jewish people and people of the nations, have testified that they have been transformed by the risen Yeshua.

God has spoken the truth and made it clear that Yeshua is the Messiah by Yeshua’s impact on history. Rabbi Hyman Enelow, a non-Messianic rabbi, stated that Yeshua “has become the most renowned, most studied and most influential figure in the history of mankind. The love He has inspired, the comfort He has given, the good He has engendered, the hope and joy He has kindled are unequaled in human history.” Rabbi Elenow was right.

In many ways, God the Father has spoken the truth about Yeshua – that He sent Yeshua from Heaven to Earth; that Yeshua is the Messiah and the Son of God and the Savior; that Yeshua speaks the words of God and is to be believed. And so, when a human being believes in Yeshua and accepts the things Yeshua has said, he is certifying that God is truthful. He is agreeing with God about Yeshua. He is calling God a truth-teller. And the opposite is true – to reject Yeshua and the things that Yeshua says is to disagree with God and call God a liar.

John, who had great spiritual understanding, understood other things about Yeshua. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in His hands.

John understood that Yeshua is the Son of God. That does not mean that God gave birth to Yeshua in some way, or that Yeshua is a created being. It means exactly the opposite! Just as a human son shares the same human nature as his father, so Yeshua shares the same divine, eternal, uncreated nature as His Father. The sonship of Yeshua is eternal. Yeshua was eternally in relationship of Son to His Father.

John understood that Father loves His Son, has a special affection for and commitment to His Son.

John understood that the Father has placed everything into the hands of the Son. Just as a good human father wants to give his children positions of responsibility, God the Father expresses His love for His Son by giving Him authority over all things.

John, who had amazing spiritual understanding, understood other things about Yeshua. He understood that belief in Yeshua, loyalty to Yeshua is the only way for a human being to experience eternal life. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. And John understood that the opposite is true: But whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. Any human being who resists Yeshua, denies Yeshua, ignores Yeshua, does not believe in Yeshua, refuses to become loyal to Yeshua will not experience eternal life.

The Yeshua-rejecters offend God – a lot. They reject the very special Son whom the Father loves the most. They reject the truth God has spoken about His Son. They are calling God a liar. They are rejecting mankind’s one and only Savior whom the Father sent to bring salvation to the world. The Yeshua-rejecters will experience the wrath, the hot, fierce, intense anger of an offended and powerful God and King.

So, who is Yeshua according to this second part of the divinely inspired third chapter of the book of John?

Yeshua is like the groom at a wedding. He will be united to a remnant of humanity that He will redeem. Do you want to be part of a new united, perfected and eternal humanity that will be united to Son who is united to the Father? You need Yeshua!

Yeshua speaks the words of God. Do you want to hear God speaking in the clearest possible way? You need Yeshua!

Yeshua is Someone who needs to be the focus of our attention, not ourselves and our ministries. He must become greater; we must become less.

Yeshua is Someone to whom God gave the Spirit to without limit. Do you want to be full of the Spirit so that you are close to God, empowered by God, wise and successful? You need Yeshua!

Yeshua is Someone whom God has spoken the truth about and made it clear that Yeshua is the Messiah. Do you want to be in agreement with God and be blessed or do you want to disagree with God and call Him a liar?

God the Father loves Yeshua in the most special way. Do you want to love what God loves? You need to love Yeshua!

Yeshua is the Son of God. Do you want to become a son or daughter of God? You need Yeshua!

Yeshua has a heavenly origin. Do you want a heavenly ending? Do you want to enjoy the eternal blessedness of Heaven? You need Yeshua!

God the Father has placed all things for all time under the authority of Yeshua. Do you want to be part of His blessed and eternal authority structure? You need Yeshua!

Yeshua is so amazing, so wonderful, so special, so important, so essential! Let’s be get connected to Him, be continually aware of Him, stay close to Him. Let’s receive moment by moment power from Him. Let’s learn for Him and be directed by Him. And, let’s continue His ministry of teaching, evangelism and good deeds. Amen?