John 3:14

"No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven."

Key Reflection

In the first-century Jewish context, this statement by Jesus would have been profoundly significant because it tied together ideas of divine authority and messianic expectation. The phrase "he who descended out of heaven" echoed the language used in Ezekiel 1:26 to describe the glory of God, while also alluding to the story of Elijah being taken up into heaven in 2 Kings 2:11. By identifying himself as one who had both ascended and descended, Jesus claimed a unique relationship with the divine, setting him apart as the expected Messiah and redeemer.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 14. And as Moses. Jesus proceeds in this and the following verses to state the reason why he came into the world; and, in order to this, he illustrates his design, and the efficacy of his coming, by a reference to the case of the brazen serpent, recorded in Nu 21:8,9. The people were bitten by flying fiery serpents. There was no cure for the bite. Moses was directed to make an image of the serpent, and place it in sight of the people, that they might look on it and be healed. There is no evidence that this was intended to be a type of the Messiah, but it is used by Jesus as strikingly illustrating his work. Men are sinners.

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