We have seen the condition and need of man in these nine cases. Now we must see how the Lord is able to come into man’s fallen condition and meet his every need. In every case, the Lord presents Himself as the One who could fulfill the deficiencies of man. These nine cases fully prove the Lord’s sufficiency to meet man’s every need.
The first case shows that the Lord can afford us regeneration, which even a superior person such as Nicodemus needed that he might have the life of God for the entrance into the kingdom of God. The case of the Samaritan woman, a sinful and unsatisfied woman, reveals how much the Lord can satisfy such a person with His living water. For the case of the dying man, the Lord is the healing power of life. The case of the weak man who had been sick for thirty-eight years demonstrates the enlivening power of the Lord’s life. In the case of the hungry multitude which needed something to feed on, the Lord presents Himself as the bread of life. In the case of the thirsty people, the Lord assures them that He can quench their thirst by the flowing river of living water. In the case of the woman living in sin, we see that the Lord is able to deliver such a one from her sinful situation and release her from the bondage of sin. In the case of the blind man, the Lord opens his eyes and gives him sight. Finally, in the case of Lazarus, who had died, had been buried, and was even decaying in the grave, the power of the Lord’s resurrection life is fully exhibited.
In all of these cases the Lord’s sufficiency in meeting man’s need is adequately proved. There is not one of man’s conditions that He cannot solve. There is not a need that He cannot meet. He is able! He is sufficient! He can deal with all our problems and supply all our needs! Praise His name!
All aspects of the Lord’s work as shown and signified in these nine cases are the different aspects of the Lord’s full salvation, which are 1) regeneration, 2) the satisfaction with the living water, 3) the healing power of life, 4) the enlivening with the power of life, 5) the feeding with the bread of life, 6) the quenching of thirst with the rivers of living water, 7) the deliverance from sin, 8) the opening of the blind eyes, and 9) resurrection. All of these items are included in the Lord’s salvation, the first of which is regeneration. Regeneration is the start of the spiritual life. All spiritual experiences begin with regeneration. If we have regeneration, we are then qualified to participate in all the other items of the Lord’s salvation. Regeneration is a prerequisite to the experience of all the other items of the Lord’s salvation. This is the reason that the case of regeneration is recorded as the first one. All the experiences of the other items depend upon the experience of regeneration. Before we can be satisfied with the living water, we must first be regenerated. The living water issues from the initial experience of regeneration. Without regeneration, the Lord’s living water can never be in you. The principle is the same with all the other experiences. A dying person needs to be regenerated that he may be healed and live eternally. A weak person must first be regenerated; then he can be enlivened with the power of life. A person must first be regenerated before he can feed upon the Lord as the bread of life. To enjoy the nourishment of life depends very much upon regeneration. To have the flow of living water is also dependent upon regeneration. If you are not regenerated, you could never have your thirst quenched by the Lord’s living water. To be delivered from sin and to have our blind eyes opened both require that we first be regenerated. Without regeneration, it is impossible for anyone to partake of the deliverance from sin or to receive spiritual sight. Furthermore, no one can participate in resurrection life before experiencing regeneration. The Lord’s salvation begins with regeneration and ends with resurrection life. Thus, we need to examine very carefully the first case, the case of Nicodemus, which reveals man’s need for regeneration.
Before we consider the case of Nicodemus, we need to realize that the Lord’s commitment to man is not in miracles, but in life (2:23—3:1).
The word “But” in 3:1 indicates that the case of Nicodemus differs from the cases in the foregoing verses, 2:23-25. All the cases there are cases of people believing in the Lord because of seeing the miracles He did. The Lord could not commit Himself to such people. But the case of Nicodemus, a case of life in regeneration, reveals that the Gospel of John is not for miraculous things, but only for life. This is why even the miracles done by the Lord are called signs in this book, signifying that the Lord came for life, not for miracles.