In this Word for the Week we do not spend most of our time in John 3 on the famous verse, John 3:16. That's because the chapter doesn't stress that, but both ends and places the emphasis on verse 36.

And that's where this whole conversation with Nicodemus gets resolved.

In this Word for the Week we look closely at one Greek word, ἀπειθῶν (apeithōn), the word John chooses at the climax of the chapter instead of the simpler "does not believe" he had already used just a few verses earlier, and we trace what that choice means through the rest of John's Gospel.

We also look at what πιστεύω (believe) actually means in John, not mere agreement but movement toward and reception of a person.

We look at μένει, "remains," and why the 'wrath' in this verse is present tense, not future.

And we trace Nicodemus himself from a wary night-time visit in chapter 3, to a risky word in his own defence in chapter 7, then on to a costly, public act of devotion in chapter 19.

This is a steady, up-close reading of a verse that gets overlooked as the emphasis drops onto John 3:16 ... but which carries the witness theme and theological weight of the whole chapter.

Info Retention Quiz

1. Which Passover event immediately precedes Nicodemus's visit to Jesus in John's narrative?

A. The wedding at Cana
B. The temple cleansing
C. The feeding of the five thousand
D. The raising of Lazarus

2. Why does John call Jesus "the teacher of Israel" when addressing Nicodemus?

A. It's a title John invented for dramatic effect
B. Nicodemus used the definite article, implying this one man if any might be accorded such a distinguished title
C. It refers to Nicodemus's students
D. It's a later scribal addition

3. What is the plural noun the crowd uses in John 6:28 when asking what they must do?

A. τὰ ἔργα ("the works")
B. ἡ πίστις ("the faith")
C. ὁ νόμος ("the law")
D. τὰ σημεῖα ("the signs")

4. What does Jesus collapse the plural "works" into in John 6:29?

A. A list of five commandments
B. Belief in the one God has sent
C. Repentance and baptism
D. Almsgiving

5. What Greek word lies behind "does not obey" in John 3:36, and what does it literally mean?

A. ἀπιστῶν, "not believing"
B. ἀπειθῶν, "unpersuaded" or "refusing to be persuaded"
C. ἀσεβῶν, "ungodly"
D. ἀθετῶν, "rejecting a covenant"

6. What preposition and case does πιστεύω εἰς use, and what does this convey?
A. The genitive, conveying possession
B. The dative, conveying static location
C. The accusative with a preposition of motion, conveying movement toward
D. The vocative, conveying direct address

7. In John 1:12, what does John treat as a near-equivalent of "believed in his name"?

A. "Kept the law"
B. "Received him"
C. "Followed the crowd"
D. "Saw the signs"

8. What tense is the verb μένει ("remains") in John 3:36c, and what does this imply?

A. Future tense; wrath will come later
B. Present tense; wrath already remains on the one who refuses
C. Aorist tense; wrath came once and passed
D. Perfect tense; wrath ended in the past

9. Where else in John's Gospel does the same verb and preposition (μένω ἐπί) appear earlier, describing something else remaining on Jesus?

A. Chapter 15, the vine discourse
B. Chapter 1, the Spirit descending like a dove
C. Chapter 21, the resurrection appearance
D. Chapter 11, the raising of Lazarus

10. What does Nicodemus do in John chapter 19 that shows how far he has travelled since chapter 3?
A. He publicly denies knowing Jesus
B. He brings seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes to bury Jesus
C. He is baptised by John the Baptist
D. He becomes a disciple of Peter

Answers:

B
B
A
B
B
C
B
B
B
B

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