. . . and ye receive not our witness. (John 3:11)
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What is included in this "witness"? In verse 12,
Jesus said,
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If I have told you earthly things, and ye
believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell
you of heavenly things? (John 3:12)
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They did not even believe when Jesus spoke of
earthly things, so how would they be able to believe
if He spoke of heavenly things? Even though
they had the words of the scriptures that God had
given to them the words that had been passed
down to them through the prophets and even
though they had heard the parables Jesus had told
them, they did not believe. How then would they
believe if He spoke to them about heavenly things?
To what can we compare the message Jesus gave
Nicodemus regarding the path to the kingdom of
heaven? Perhaps an example from daily life will
serve to explain. When I was in the United States
some time ago, I noticed that the person driving
me around always used a map to find his way. He
had a map of the area, and it covered not only the
main roads, but all the side streets as well. Wherever
we went, he consulted the map. A map is a
kind of guide. It tells us how to arrive at our destination.
Our guide to the kingdom of God is the holy Bible.
Even though Jesus taught these people the way to
the kingdom of God, they failed to understand Him.
Let's take another look at what Jesus said.
If I have told you earthly things, and ye
believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell
you of heavenly things? And no man hath
ascended up to heaven, but he that came
down from heaven, even the Son of man
which is in heaven.
(John 3:12-13)
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Who is the One who came down from heaven? It
is Jesus. And no one except Jesus has ascended into
heaven. He was also in heaven at the time of the
creation. In Proverbs chapter 8 it says,
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Then I was by him, as one brought up with
him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing
always before him (verse 30).
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell,
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
Oh love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song.9
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God's Son came down from heaven, such a far away
place! He came from a distance beyond our imagination,
and yet the Bible says,
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Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the
Lord. (Jeremiah 23:24)
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As it says in this verse, God fills the whole of the
heavens and the earth. Let's turn now to Proverbs
chapter 30. As you can see, these verses are full of
the humbleness of the writer before God.
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Surely I am more brutish than any man, and
have not the understanding of a man. I
neither learned wisdom, nor have the
knowledge of the holy. Who hath ascended
up into heaven, or descended? Who hath
gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath
bound the waters in a garment? Who hath
established all the ends of the earth? What
is his name, and what is his son's name, if
thou canst tell? (Proverbs 30:2-4)
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More than 700 years before Jesus came to the earth,
the writer of the Proverbs asked, "What is his name,
and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?" No
one knew at that time, but 700 years later, an angel
appeared to Mary and said,
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"A virgin shall. . . bring forth a son, and
they shall call his name Emmanuel"
(Matthew 1:23).
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Two thousand years have passed since then, and
now we know what the Son's name is. There is a
hymn that says:
A little child may know
Our Father's name of love;
'Tis written on the earth below,
And on the sky above.10
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This is a hymn that children often sing. We know
the name of Jesus, but this great name of the Son
of God is not known to just anyone.
?9 Frederick M. Lehman (1868-1953),
The Love of God Is Greater Far
10 Augustine (354-430),
A Little Child May Know
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