From: Harold R. Holmyard III (hholmyard@ont.com)
Date: Sat Apr 01 2000 - 18:04:31 EST
Dear Joe,
In your explanation of the connection between John 3:16 and John 3:15,
I am not sure that your bring out one idea inherent in hOUTWS in 3:15.
I checked your devotional at your web page, and it did not explicitly
mention the implied death in the word "lifted up" in 3:15. The bronze
serpent suffered no harm when lifted, but Jesus knew that His lifting would
bring death:
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth may in him have
eternal life.
John 8:28 Jesus therefore said, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then
shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the
Father taught me, I speak these things.
John 12:32-34 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men
unto myself. But this he said, signifying by what manner of death he should
die. The multitude therefore answered him, We have heard out of the law
that the Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must
be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
At Jesus' arrest the demand for a Roman death pointed to a crucifixion,
which fulfilled Jesus' prophecy as to how He should die:
John 18:31-32 Pilate therefore said unto them, Take him yourselves, and
judge him according to your law. The Jews said unto him, It is not lawful
for us to put any man to death: that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled,
which he spake, signifying by what manner of death he should die.
Jesus' first statement of this reality was in John 3:14-15 at the start of
His ministry. John 3:16 may explain that Jesus' being lifted up was an
expression of the Father's love for the world: "For God in this way
(hOUTWS) loved the world, that He gave His unique Son, . . ." As you
suggest, hOUTWS in 3:16 could recall hOUTWS in verse 15, while hWSTE in
verse 16b introduces a result clause characterizing the lifting up of the
Son as a gift out of the Father's love. The fact that verses 15 and 16 are
parallel in the second halves also points in this direction.
Yours,
Harold Holmyard
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