2:18 So then the Jewish leaders 1 responded, 2 “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” 3
21:1 After this 13 Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. 14 Now this is how he did so. 15
1 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. Here the author refers to the authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.)
2 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
3 sn The request “What sign can you show us” by Jesus’ adversaries was a request for a defense of his actions – a mark of divine authentication. Whether this was a request for a miracle is not entirely clear. Jesus never obliged such a request. Yet, ironically, the only sign the Jewish leadership will get is that predicted by Jesus in 2:19 – his crucifixion and resurrection. Cf. the “sign of Jonah” in the synoptics (Matt 12:39, 40; Luke 11:29-32).
4 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to him.”
5 sn Jesus’ question “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things?” implies that Nicodemus had enough information at his disposal from the OT scriptures to have understood Jesus’ statements about the necessity of being born from above by the regenerating work of the Spirit. Isa 44:3-5 and Ezek 37:9-10 are passages Nicodemus might have known which would have given him insight into Jesus’ words. Another significant passage which contains many of these concepts is Prov 30:4-5.
7 tn Or “I do not receive.”
10 tn Or “the sayings.”
11 tn Grk “open the eyes of the blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
12 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “can it?”).
13 tn Grk “These things I have spoken to you.”
16 tn Or “because of.”
17 tn Jesus is referring to God as “the one who sent me.”
19 tn The time reference indicated by μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta) is indefinite, in comparison with the specific “after eight days” (μεθ᾿ ἡμέρας ὀκτώ, meq’ Jhmera" oktw) between the two postresurrection appearances of Jesus in 20:26.
20 sn The Sea of Tiberias is another name for the Sea of Galilee (see 6:1).
21 tn Grk “how he revealed himself.”