ARE YOU DEVOTED TO ME? JESUS ASKS

JOHN 21:15	So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."	&ote ou\n hjrivsthsan levgei tw'/ Sivmwni Pevtrw/ oJ #Ihsou'ß, Sivmwn #Iwavnnou, ajgapa'/ß me plevon touvtwn; levgei aujtw'/, Naiv, kuvrie, su; oi\daß o&ti filw' se. levgei aujtw'/, Bovske ta; ajrniva mou.
16	He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."	levgei aujtw'/ pavlin deuvteron, Sivmwn #Iwavnnou, ajgapa'/ß me; levgei aujtw'/, Naiv, kuvrie, su; oi\daß o&ti filw' se. levgei aujtw'/, Poivmaine ta; provbatav mou.
17	He says to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?" Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, "Do you have affection for me?" He said to him, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.	levgei aujtw'/ to; trivton, Sivmwn #Iwavnnou, filei'ß me; ejluphvqh oJ Pevtroß o&ti ei\pen aujtw'/ to; trivton, Filei'ß me; kai; levgei aujtw'/, Kuvrie, pavnta su; oi\daß, su; ginwvskeiß o&ti filw' se. levgei aujtw'/ ÍoJ #Ihsou'sÑ, Bovske ta; provbatav mou.

PETER ANSWERS JESUS' QUESTION OF

 "DO YOU LOVE ME?"

Verse 14 Now the third time (to hdh triton). "To the disciples" (apostles) John says, the two others being told by him ( 20:19,26) on the two Sunday evenings. There were four other appearances already (to Mary Magdalene, to the group of women, to the two on the way to Emmaus, to Peter).

Verse 15 Lovest thou me more than these? (agapaiß me pleon toutwn;). Ablative case of comparison toutwn (disciples) after pleon. Peter had even boasted that he would stand by Christ though all men forsook him (Mark 14:29). We do not know what passed between Jesus and Peter when Jesus first appeared to him (Luke 24:34). But here Christ probes the inmost recesses of Peter's heart to secure the humility necessary for service. I love thee (pilw su).  Peter makes no claim here to superior love and passes by the "more than these" and does not even use Christ's word agapaw for high and devoted love, but the humbler word pilew for love as a friend. He insists that Christ knows this in spite of his conduct. Feed my lambs (Boske ta arnia mou). For the old word boskw (to feed as a herdsman) see Matthew 8:33. Present active imperative here. Arnia is a diminutive of arnoß (lamb

Christ's word agapaw for high and devoted love

Peter's word is the humbler word pilew for love as a friend

JOHN 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Ou&twß ga;r hjgavphsen oJ qeo;ß to;n kovsmon, w&ste to;n uiJo;n to;n monogenh' e~dwken, i&na pa'ß oJ pisteuvwn eijß aujto;n mh; ajpovlhtai ajll# e~ch/ zwh;n aijwvnion.

Verse 16 For so

(outwß gar). This use of gar is quite in John's style in introducing his comments ( 2:25; 4:8; 5:13, etc.). This "Little Gospel" as it is often called, this "comfortable word" (the Anglican Liturgy), while not a quotation from Jesus is a just and marvellous interpretation of the mission and message of our Lord. In verses 16-21 John recapitulates in summary fashion the teaching of Jesus to Nicodemus. Loved (hgaphsen).

 First aorist active indicative of agapaw, the noble word so common in the Gospels for the highest form of love, used here as often in John ( 14:23; 17:23; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:10) of God's love for man (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4).

 In 21:15 John presents a distinction between agapaw and pilew. Agapaw is used also for love of men for men ( 13:34), for Jesus ( 8:42), for God (1 John 4:10). The world (ton kosmon). The whole cosmos of men, including Gentiles, the whole human race.

This universal aspect of God's love appears also in 2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 5:8. That he gave (wste edwken). The usual classical construction with wste and the indicative (first aorist active) practical result, the only example in the N.T. save that in Galatians 2:13. Elsewhere wste with the infinitive occurs for actual result (Matthew 13:32) as well as purpose (Matthew 10:1), though even this is rare. His only begotten Son (ton uion ton monogenh). "The Son the only begotten." For this word see on Matthew 1:14,18; Matthew 3:18. The rest of the sentence, the purpose clause with ina-ech precisely reproduces the close of Matthew 3:15 save that eiß auton takes the place of en autwi (see Matthew 1:12) and goes certainly with pisteuwn (not with ech as en autwi in verse 3:15) and the added clause "should not perish but" (mh apolhtai alla, second aorist middle subjunctive, intransitive, of apollumi, to destroy). The same contrast between "perish" and "eternal life" (for this world and the next) appears also in 10:28. On "perish" see also 17:12.

NICODEMUS' QUESTIONS BORN AGAIN....

JESUS RESPONDS TO NICODEMUS'  QUESTION....

The same came to him by night, and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him."	outoV hlqen proV auton nuktoV kai eipen autw rabbi oidamen oti apo qeou elhluqaV didaskaloV oudeiV gar dunatai tauta ta shmeia poiein a su poieiV ean mh h o qeoV met autou
Jesus answered him, "Most assuredly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can`t see the kingdom of God."	apekriqh ihsouV kai eipen autw amhn amhn legw soi ean mh tiV gennhqh anwqen ou dunatai idein thn basileian tou qeou
Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother`s womb, and be born?"	legei proV auton [o] nikodhmoV pwV dunatai anqrwpoV gennhqhnai gerwn wn mh dunatai eiV thn koilian thV mhtroV autou deuteron eiselqein kai gennhqhnai
Jesus answered, "Most assuredly I tell you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he can`t enter into the kingdom of God!	apekriqh [o] ihsouV amhn amhn legw soi ean mh tiV gennhqh ex udatoV kai pneumatoV ou dunatai eiselqein eiV thn basileian tou qeou
That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.	to gegennhmenon ek thV sarkoV sarx estin kai to gegennhmenon ek tou pneumatoV pneuma estin

JOHN 3 Verse 1 Now (de). O Often John is explanatory and transitional, not adversative,  using a parenthetical style, and writing in the simplest of common Greek.   John also translates the Hebrew terms into Greek meanings, obviously for Greek readers.  He explains Jewish traditions for gentile readers, (John 1:38, 41; 4:9, 25, 9:7, etc.).  All of which proves he initially wrote in a non-Hebrew Greek language. Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews which meant that he was a member of the court of seventy elders, known as the Sanhedrin, which was the highest religious body among the Jews. He also was described as “the” (article present in Gr.) teacher of Israel. This did not mean that he was a teacher superior to all other teachers, but simply that he was the well-known and acknowledged teacher who even had a place in the Sanhedrin. It could be expected of such a man that he knew the OT well indeed. As a teacher “of Israel” it was pointed out that he had a special responsibility for the religious instruction of the people of God.  So Nicodemus was no unlearned, "uneducated, and  untrained"  person as Peter and John were later judged (Acts 4:13), but he was a well-known and acknowledged teacher, a member of the highest religeous court in Israel--the Sanhedrin.  And Jesus, a poor carpenter--uneducated and untrained person was teaching him about "understanding" entering "the Kingdom of God."  The fact that Nicodemus was a Pharisee was related directly to the conversation which Jesus had with him, for such a conversation would have been impossible with a Sadducee or a Herodian.  Nicodemus was of interest to the author of the fourth gospel because he afforded an opportunity to set out Jesus’ teaching. Only the first part of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus is set in dialogue (3:2-10).  What else may have been said by Nicodemus was set aside by John because the subject introduced through him upon which Jesus commented was the all important consideration. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus’ entire religious hope rested upon his lineage, a physical descent from Abraham.  The Pharisees were noted for their claim to be Abraham’s seed. It was this heir of Pharisaic teaching concerning the importance of racial heritage in religion that was introduced to Jesus’ teaching concerning the necessity of a new birth. Nicodemus is represented as having misunderstood the teaching about being born again. This came from the fact that the word “again” in Gr. was capable of other meanings, esp. important in the instance was the meaning “from above,” therefore “from God.”  The lesson taught through the encounter with Nicodemus was the necessity of spiritual generation for the man who possessed God’s life, as against the teaching of the Pharisees who emphasized natural generation through Abraham. (So it would follow Jesus later mentioning "born of water (flesh) and the Spirit....) Many have observed a progression in Nicodemus’ relationship to Jesus. He began with Jesus in “the night” which has suggested to most of the interpreters that he was hesitant and afraid to be seen with Jesus, coming as he did in secrecy out of regard for his reputation and to protect himself.  At a later time Nicodemus defended, even if hesitantly, Jesus before the Sanhedrin, insisting “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” (7:51). This brought the taunting reply, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee” (7:52). At the time of Jesus’ burial he came out into the open and brought spices with which to anoint the body and assisted in the burial (19:39-42). Nothing else is known of him from Scripture l" (Marcus Dods).  Named Nicodemus (Nikodhmoß onoma). Same construction as in Acts 1:6, "Nicodemus name to him." So Revelation 6:8. It is a Greek name and occurs in Josephus (Ant. XIV. iii. 2) as the name of an ambassador from Aristobulus to Pompey. Only in John in N.T. (here, Revelation 7:50; Revelation 19:39). He was a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, and wealthy. There is no evidence that he was the young ruler of Luke 18:18 because of arcwn (ruler) here.