He Who Comes From Heaven Is Above All

A study of John 3:31–33

“He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭31‬-‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-From Above: “anōthen”, “ἄνωθεν”; adverb — from above, from a higher place; used of things which come from heaven, or from God as dwelling in heaven.

-Above: “epanō”, “ἐπάνω”; adverb — of dignity and power.

-Of: “ek”, “ἐκ”; preposition — is of an earthly nature.

-Earth: “gē”, “γῆ”; feminine noun — the earth as opposed to the heavens; in contrast with Christ as having come from heaven; he who is of earthly (human) origin, has an earthly nature, and speaks as his earthly origin and nature prompt.

-Heaven: “Ouranos”, “οὐρανός”; masculine noun — the seat of an order of things eternal and consummately perfect, where God dwells and the other heavenly beings; from where Christ is said to have come.

-He Testifies: “martyreō”, “μαρτυρέω”; verb — to testify a thing, bear witness to (of) anything.

-No One: “oudeis”, “οὐδείς”; pronoun — and no one, no one, none, no.

-Receive (Accept): “lambanō”, “λαμβάνω”; verb — to admit or receive into the mind; to believe the testimony.

-Sets His Seal To This: “sphragizō”, “σφραγίζω”; verb — in order to prove, confirm, or attest a thing; hence, tropically, to confirm, authenticate, place beyond doubt.

-True: “alēthēs”, “ἀληθής”; adjective — loving the truth, speaking the truth, truthful.

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

As John the Baptist (JB) continues to explain to his disciples why he is overjoyed to see the ministry and following of Jesus growing far beyond his own, he speaks of where Jesus the Christ has come from. Jesus is “from above” and is above all. In contrast to someone like JB who is “of the earth,” Jesus came from heaven and is therefore above all of us, including JB. Jesus came from heaven to testify to the world of the salvation available to everyone in Him, but many people did not and still do not receive this testimony. Everyone who does receive His testimony “sets his seal” to the fact that God is true.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

Note: For John 3:31–36: There is some debate as to whether these are the words of John the Baptist (JB), or if John the apostle and writer of this gospel wrote these words to expand on the point made by JB in verses 27–30. For the purpose of this study I will treat these words as having been said by JB, but whether we understand them to be from JB, or a supplemental explanation from John the apostle, the meaning and truth of the words remains unchanged.

This passage is part of a discussion between JB and his disciples. His disciples were upset and concerned to see the following of Jesus growing while their teacher’s dwindled. In the verses previous to these JB reminds them Jesus is the Christ who he was sent to proclaim and prepare the way for. Now that Jesus the Christ had come, JB was overjoyed to see people flocking to Him. He then told his disciples what should be the desire of every Christian in regards to Jesus, saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Our call is to make the name of Jesus known, not our own. JB models this humility for us and his followers in this passage.

Continuing to explain the reason for his joy, JB tells his disciples more of the Deity and heavenly origin of Jesus. In fact, more than just telling them, JB is reminding them of what he has been saying for a long time. In John 1:15, 27, JB declared he was not even worthy to untie the sandal of Jesus, because he was so far below His rank. In John 1:29, 35, he declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. From this language and more, all who heard JB, especially his disciples, should have understood he was proclaiming Jesus to be the Son of God from heaven, the promised Messiah. For this reason his disciples should not have been alarmed to see Jesus’ following increasing. This was all a part of the plan.

JB tells his followers that, “He who comes from above is above all.” These words are also very similar to the words of Jesus in John 3:13 where He said, “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” This means, Jesus, who came from heaven, is above all people in rank and authority. There is no higher name in heaven or on earth. Jesus, “the Word who became flesh” is the God of all creation, and all things are subject to Him; including JB. Jesus is unlike anyone else in all of time and space. He is not just another teacher like JB; He is God Himself who came from heaven.

As God who came down to earth from heaven, Jesus has authority to tell us of heavenly things. And He came to tell us of many glorious things as we can read in His conversation with Nicodemus in the first half of John 3. He came to lovingly warn us about the condemnation all of us are under for sin, and that everyone must be born again to a new, righteous life by the power of the Holy Spirit to be cleansed of sin and therefore granted entrance into God’s Kingdom. He also came to tell us this free gift of salvation is found only in Him, and His salvation is available to everyone because He loves everyone and does not desire that anyone should perish. Jesus left the splendor of heaven to live the perfect life we never could, and die the death we deserve because of His love for us and to display His unparalleled glory for all to see. He came from heaven to tell us of heavenly things (John 3:12), and as the only Son of God who descended from heaven, He alone is qualified to speak on these matters.

“If we want information about a family, we will get it at first hand only from a member of that family. If we want information about a town we will get it at first hand only from someone who comes from that town. So, then, if we want information about God, we will get it only from the Son of God; and if we want information about heaven and heaven’s life, we will get it only from him who comes from heaven.” (Barclay)

All this and more, Jesus came from heaven to earth to tell us about and to accomplish. “Yet no one receives his testimony” as we read here in verse 32. We also read in John 1:11 that His own people did not “receive Him,” and in John 3:11 that many people did not “receive” His testimony. To receive in this case means to believe to be true by receiving this information into the soul, heart and mind in true belief. Jesus humbly condescended from heaven to earth to illuminate our darkened hearts and minds with Divine truth and a gracious message of salvation, but many people even still today “do not receive Him.” Like the similar verses listed, this does not literally mean that no one at all believed in Jesus. This means that compared to the large number of people who reject Jesus, very few “receive” and believe in Him.

However, those who do receive Jesus, “set [their] seal to this, that God is true.” In other words those who receive the testimony of Jesus in genuine faith, “certify” or “guarantee” by their belief that they believe God is true, Jesus Christ is God, and His testimony is trustworthy.

Application (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

From this we learn Jesus Christ is God Who came down from heaven, and therefore He has the authority to speak to us of heavenly matters. This includes the way to be redeemed of our sin and saved from the eternal punishment we justly deserve. Although Jesus came in humility and love, many people have, do, and will continue to reject His message in unbelief. For this reason we must not be shocked, as Christians, when we encounter either active or passive hostility to the gospel. The only two possible responses to Jesus are love or hatred, belief or unbelief. Indifference is only a passive form of hate and rejection.

This should not discourage us from sharing the gospel with words, and showing the love of Christ with action. Our Lord descended into the darkness to open our eyes to see Him resplendent in glory, and full of love, grace and truth. As His followers He now sends us into this fallen and dark world to shine His light with our words and deeds. While many will continue to reject Him, He is working in the hearts of many to grant repentance and salvation, just as He has in our hearts. Our role is to represent Him to a world in rebellion, and shine His light on a world that loves the darkness. As we do so, there will be people who respond to His loving call in faith. Rejection from many did not stop Jesus from coming to save the relative few, and by the power of His Spirit in us, rejection will not stop us. We live and serve to honor our Father in heaven, not to receive praise and accolades from people. But we do love people. For this reason we must shine Jesus’ light for all to see with both word and action as we pray earnestly for Him to save the people He has sent us to bear witness of Him to.

Self Reflection:

How does the fact that Jesus is God who came down from heaven, in love and humility to save me, shape my understanding of His character?

Do I respond with frustration or patient love and respectful courtesy when I experience rejection from people as I testify of Jesus Christ?

Am I prepared to give a reason why I have “set [my] seal” to the fact that God is true when people ask me? In other words, how can I prepare to give a reason to any who ask about the hope I have in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:15)?