Yohanes 3:14

3:14 Just as ¹  Moses lifted up the serpent ²  in the wilderness, ³  so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ⁴ 

Yohanes 6:17

6:17 got into a boat, and started to cross the lake ⁵  to Capernaum. ⁶  (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.) ⁷ 

Yohanes 7:7

7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil.

Yohanes 7:44

7:44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. ⁸ 

Yohanes 20:23

20:23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; ⁹  if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” ¹⁰ 

[3:14]  ¹ tn Grk “And just as.”

[3:14]  ² sn Or the snake, referring to the bronze serpent mentioned in Num 21:9.

[3:14]  ³ sn An allusion to Num 21:5-9.

[3:14]  ⁴ sn So must the Son of Man be lifted up. This is ultimately a prediction of Jesus’ crucifixion. Nicodemus could not have understood this, but John’s readers, the audience to whom the Gospel is addressed, certainly could have (compare the wording of John 12:32). In John, being lifted up refers to one continuous action of ascent, beginning with the cross but ending at the right hand of the Father. Step 1 is Jesus’ death; step 2 is his resurrection; and step 3 is the ascension back to heaven. It is the upward swing of the “pendulum” which began with the incarnation, the descent of the Word become flesh from heaven to earth (cf. Paul in Phil 2:5-11). See also the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.

[6:17]  ⁵ tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in the previous verse.

[6:17]  ⁶ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[6:17]  ⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[7:44]  ⁸ sn Compare John 7:30 regarding the attempt to seize Jesus.

[20:23]  ⁹ tn Grk “they are forgiven to them.” The words “to them” are unnecessary in English and somewhat redundant.

[20:23]  ¹⁰ sn The statement by Jesus about forgive or retaining anyone’s sins finds its closest parallel in Matt 16:19 and 18:18. This is probably not referring to apostolic power to forgive or retain the sins of individuals (as it is sometimes understood), but to the “power” of proclaiming this forgiveness which was entrusted to the disciples. This is consistent with the idea that the disciples are to carry on the ministry of Jesus after he has departed from the world and returned to the Father, a theme which occurred in the Farewell Discourse (cf. 15:27, 16:1-4, and 17:18).