Before we give a little more detail let us think about the context of this verse. It is night. A Jewish leader called Nicodemus comes to see Jesus under cover of darkness. He wants to talk to Jesus but he doesn’t want his friends to know. They discuss a number of issues, some of which confuse Nicodemus. He was the Jewish equivalent of a vicar and there was a lot he didn’t know. Jesus was a little surprised at this and asked, If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? John 3:12 (RSV)
If you want to you can find out more about the context by looking at our message on our poster about John 3;17. Here is a hyperlink to that message.
The fact that God has a Son has been the subject of much debate by theologians. They have asked – How can God be One and have a Son? How can the Father and the Son be separate Persons and yet still be One? I am not going to enter into this debate here. I will just point out that the words one and only Son have been traditionally written only begotten Son. I do not think that Jesus wanted Nicodemus to think about complicated things at all. I think He wanted Nicodemus to realize that God has only one Son, that He, Jesus, is an only child. He wanted to make the point that it is difficult for a human father to lose a son in, say, the army in Afghanistan. This is a terrible loss. But if the dad has other sons it is a little easier than losing an only son. The loss of an only son is a great tragedy.
Secondly we learn that Father God volunteered His only Son to die for us. It was
God’s idea that Jesus should die for our sins. Jesus was willing to die, but the
original idea came from Father God. Again imagine that dad sending his only son
to Afghanistan and deliberately instructing him to put his life at risk. Most dads
with sons in the army just hope they will come back home in one piece. When Jesus
was born at Bethlehem He was born to die on the Cross as a kind of saviour sibling.
Let me give you two other New Testament verses which prove this. For God sent Christ
Jesus to take the punishment for our sins …..Romans 3:25 (Living) Consequently,
when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not
desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me ……..Then I said, 'Lo, I have come to
do thy will, O God,' as it is written of me in the roll of the book." Heb 10:5-
