What is Heaven Like?

Nicodemus is still baffled about what it means to be 'born again'. As we have seen, Jesus has explained to him that a spiritual re-birth from above is necessary if anyone is to see or to enter the Kingdom of God. The educated religious teacher still struggles to understand what Jesus means:

 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 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.” 

It is now Jesus' turn to be surprised. Although a well-trained teacher of the Jewish scriptures, and despite him being a member of the Sanhedrin - which made judgements on matters of Jewish law and ethics - Nicodemus lacked understanding of issues that Jesus regarded as fairly basic.

The question, "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" probably refers to Jesus talking about the contrast between physical birth and spiritual re-birth. We looked at this issue in a previous post.

Despite Nicodemus not understanding "heavenly things", Jesus talks about them anyway. He claims to be uniquely qualified to describe the realities of God's dwelling place, having come from there originally. This is probably why Jesus uses the terms "we speak...we have seen...our testimony". He is referring to the close and intimate relationship he has with God the Father. Jesus is claiming that he is not merely an enlightened teacher. Rather, he claims to have existed before his birth - with God in heaven!

The term Son of Man refers to a divine being. The Jewish prophet Daniel used the expression centuries earlier to describe the one he saw in a dream: "He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)

This is now the second time in John's gospel that Jesus uses the term Son of Man about himself. Here, Jesus says two things about himself as the Son of Man. First, he claims to have originated in heaven with God. Secondly, he claims that he will be "lifted up" so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

The strange-sounding reference to Moses and the snake in the wilderness would make sense to a Jewish audience. It refers to a time in Israel's early history when the nation was nomadic, escaping slavery in Egypt and on a journey to their new land. An infestation of venomous snakes appeared in the camp resulting in a number of fatalities. Moses, the leader of the nation at that time, made a snake out of bronze and put it up on a pole. The story states that "when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived."

It's a strange story to modern ears, but Jesus picks up on it and uses it as a picture of himself. He predicts that the time will come when he himself will be lifted up and put on a pole. This is almost certainly a reference to his crucifixion in a few years' time. Jesus sees that in his death, he will be a means of healing to many. In fact, by believing in him, many will receive eternal life.

This is the first of a growing number of references Jesus would make to his death. In fact, the narrative around the final days of Jesus' life, his death and resurrection, takes up about one-third of the gospel accounts. It was clearly regarded as a major theme by the gospel writers. 

What do you make of claims that Jesus was an enlightened teacher? Does this match the claims he made about himself? What do you think about Jesus' claim to speak authoritatively about heavenly things? What do you find surprising or striking about this passage?

You can read he whole passage we have looked at here.

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