John Wesley

Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh - Mere flesh, void of the Spirit, yea, at enmity with it; And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit - Is spiritual, heavenly, divine, like its Author.”

Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’

“Ye must be born again - To be born again, is to be inwardly changed from all sinfulness to all holiness.”

The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going.

“The wind bloweth - According to its own nature, not thy will, and thou hearest the sound thereof - Thou art sure it doth blow, but canst not explain the particular manner of its acting.”

No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.

“For no one - For here you must rely on my single testimony, whereas there you have a cloud of witnesses: Hath gone up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven.”

that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

“That whosoever - He must be lifted up, that hereby he may purchase salvation for all believers: all those who look to him by faith recover spiritual health, even as all that looked at that serpent recovered bodily health.”

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

“Whosoever believeth on him - With that faith which worketh by love, and hold fast the beginning of his confidence steadfast to the end.”

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

“He that believeth on him is not condemned - Is acquitted, is justified before God. The name of the only-begotten Son of God - The name of a person is often put for the person himself.”

But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”

“He that practiceth the truth (that is, true religion) cometh to the light - So even Nicodemus, afterward did. Are wrought in God - That is, in the light, power, and love of God.”

After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.

“Jesus went - From the capital city, Jerusalem, into the land of Judea - That is, into the country. There he baptized - Not himself; but his disciples by his order, chap. iv, 2.”

Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing.

“The Jews - Those men of Judea, who now went to be baptized by Jesus; and John's disciples, who were mostly of Galilee: about purifying - That is, baptism.”

John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.

“A man can receive nothing - Neither he nor I. Neither could he do this, unless God had sent him: nor can I receive the title of Christ, or any honour comparable to that which he hath received from heaven.”

The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice.

“But all men now come to Jesus. Hence it is plain he is the bridegroom. The friend who heareth him - Talk with the bride; rejoiceth greatly - So far from envying or resenting it.”

He must increase; I must decrease.

“He must increase, but I must decrease - So they who are now, like John, burning and shining lights, must (if not suddenly eclipsed) like him gradually decrease, while others are increasing about them; as they in their turns grew up, amidst the decays of…”

The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth.

“It is not improbable, that what is added, to the end of the chapter, are the words of the evangelist, not the Baptist. He that is of the earth - A mere man; of earthly original, has a spirit and speech answerable to it.”

Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.

“Hath set to his seal - It was customary among the Jews for the witness to set his seal to the testimony he had given. That God is true - Whose words the Messiah speaks.”

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life - He hath it already. And love is the essence of heaven. He that obeyeth not - a consequence of not believing.”

You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

“This was the place where the Samaritans used to worship in opposition to Jerusalem. And it was so near Sychar, that a man's voice might be heard from the one to the other.”

But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these…

“The true worshippers shall worship the Father - Not here or there only, but at all times and in all places.”

God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

“God is a Spirit - Not only remote from the body, and all the properties of it, but likewise full of all spiritual perfections, power, wisdom, love, holiness. And our worship should be suitable to his nature.”

Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”

“Jesus saith - Hasting to satisfy her desire before his disciples came. l am He - Our Lord did not speak this so plainly to the Jews who were so full of the Messiah's temporal kingdom.”

“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

“A man who told me all things that ever I did - Our Lord had told her but a few things. But his words awakened her conscience, which soon told her all the rest. Is not this the Christ?”

Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest.

“The fields are white already - As if he had said, The spiritual harvest is ripe already. The Samaritans, ripe for the Gospel, covered the ground round about them.”

Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together.

“He that reapeth - Whoever saves souls, receiveth wages - A peculiar blessing to himself, and gathereth fruit - Many souls: that he that soweth - Christ the great sower of the seed, and he that reapeth may rejoice together - In heaven.”

After two days, Jesus left for Galilee.

“He went into Galilee - That is, into the country of Galilee: but not to Nazareth. It was at that town only that he had no honour. Therefore he went to other towns.”

So he inquired as to the hour when his son had recovered, and they told him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.”

“He asked the hour when he amended - The more exactly the works of God are considered, the more faith is increased.”