Gospel Notes
The discourse that connects the basis for the most common expression of popular piety ("born again" in v. 3) and the most quoted verse of the New Testament (v. 16) is surprisingly cryptic. One of the clearest allusions is in v. 14, which recalls the serpent lifted up by Moses in Numbers 21:9ff., the very sight of which cured the Israelites of snake bite. The implication that merely beholding the crucified Christ cures sin points to the in…