3:7 Ye. Jesus did not say “they” or “we,” but “ye.” He himself did not require a new birth, for He was not born with the sin nature nor did He ever commit sin. Even godly, righteous, scholarly Nicodemus must be born again, and therefore so must every other individual.

3:8 The wind. The only New Testament use of pneuma (meaning “spirit”) for “wind” is in this verse, although the Old Testament writers commonly used the same Hebrew word (ruach) for both “wind” and “spirit.” The reason for its unique use in this case is obviously to emphasize the similarity of the operation of the Holy Spirit to that of the wind. As the wind is invisible and gentle, so is the Spirit. And as the wind also exhibits great power on occasion, so does the Spirit (e.g., Acts 1:8).

3:8 so. As one cannot see the wind at work but can see its results, so it is with the new birth. It may come about slowly or suddenly, from one direction or another. One cannot detail the mechanics of the regeneration process. Just as one does not remember his physical birth, he may be unable to pinpoint his spiritual birth. As the proof of the one is the reality of his physical life, so the proof of the other is the reality of his spiritual life.

3:9 How. Nicodemus was not necessarily doubting them, but seeking to understand.

3:10 a master of Israel. “A master” should be read “the teacher,” for Nicodemus was evidently the preeminent Bible scholar among the Jewish leaders. As such, he should have been able to discern these truths from the prophetic Scriptures of the Old Testament (e.g., Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 36:24-28, as well as the many Messianic prophecies).

3:11 we do know. The “we” here is probably meant to include John the Baptist, whose witness the Pharisees had already rejected.

3:12 earthly things. If men will not believe the “earthly things” of the Bible (Creation, Flood, dispersion, etc.), which human records and research can verify, then why should they believe the “heavenly things” it speaks about (salvation, heaven, eternal life, etc.) which must be accepted strictly on faith. Many modern evangelicals have become involved in this inconsistency, rejecting the earthly things while still credulously accepting the heavenly things.

3:13 ascended up to heaven. This is an emphatic claim to deity, as Christ here refers to Proverbs 30:4, and appropriates it as applying uniquely to Himself, thus claiming to be the only begotten Son of God. Not even David had yet “ascended into the heavens” (Acts 2:34), but Jesus had descended from heaven (note also John 3:31), and would soon ascend back to heaven (John 20:17) and even now (by virtue of the indissoluble union of the triune Godhead) was still “in heaven.”

3:14 be lifted up. The means by which the new birth and the promised kingdom could be made effectual was the “lifting up” of the Son of man in a way analogous to the manner in which Moses lifted up the brasen serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 21:5-9). The dying Israelites who, by faith, would simply look on the impaled serpent (symbolizing judgment on their sins) would be healed of the deadly poison in their bodies and live.

3:15 should not perish. In comparison, if any lost sinner would merely look in faith to the Lord Jesus, “lifted up” (John 12:32) to die in judgment for his sins on the cross, he also will not only not die, but will receive eternal life. If “ye must be born again,” then “even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” Genuine saving faith, therefore, involves belief in the deity of Christ (John 3:13) and His substitutionary death (John 3:14). It will then result in the new birth (John 3:7-8) and everlasting life (John 3:15).