God Comes Down - Spiritual Geography
One of the most profound spiritual metaphors in the Gospel of John is the imagery of "coming down." In John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that the Son of Man has "come down from heaven" (John 3:13). This language is not isolated nor merely poetic. It reflects a rich biblical metaphor rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures.
This article examines the symbolic geography of up and down and how Jesus conveys the hope of Messianic redemption in John 3.
The God Who Comes Down From Heaven
In the Bible, God is not distant but intimately involved with creation. He is a God who comes down, intervening in the events of humanity, revealing, judging, redeeming, and restoring.
In Genesis 11, as the people attempt to build a “tower that reaches the heavens” to “make a name for themselves,” God comes down to reveal Himself and judge their actions.
Genesis 11:5 — "But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built."
In the book of Exodus, God intervenes in human events to save, reveal His name, and ultimately redeem His people, Israel. (see also Ex. 19:18-20 and Ex. 34:5)
Exodus 3:7-8 – “The Lord said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt...So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians.”
This pattern recurs throughout the Book of Exodus and is fundamental to the biblical message of redemption—God restoring His relationship with His people, who will dwell in His presence. The story of redemption culminates in Jesus, who tells Nicodemus that He has descended from heaven to bring new life (John 3:13).
Spiritual Geography: The Metaphor of Up and Down
In their groundbreaking work, Metaphors We Live By, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson demonstrate how metaphor shapes human thought. One of the most universal metaphors is spatial: up equates to good and down to bad.
We say we are “feeling down” when sad, and “looking up” when hopeful.
People “rise above” their struggles or “sink into” depression.
“Up” represents goodness, truth, order, and love. We embody goodness when we act from our “higher self.”
“Down” is the opposite: chaos, disorder, bitterness, and hatred. When we act from our lower selves, our actions tend to be impulsive, selfish, and destructive.
This universal metaphor is reflected throughout the Bible. God is up. His presence dwells in Jerusalem. Any movement to Jerusalem is a spiritual movement up to God.
Psalm 122:3-4 – Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. That is where the tribes go up – the tribes of the LORD – to praise the name of the LORD according to the statute given to Israel.
John 2:13 – “Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”
Heaven is above (Psalm 103:11), while Sheol, the grave, is below (Job 11:8). Moses ascends Mount Sinai to receive the revelation of God’s will (Exodus 24:12-18). In contrast, Jesus ascends Mount Hermon and is transfigured (Matt. 17:1-2), revealing the true nature of his being.
Jesus and the New Exodus
The Gospel of John presents Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the Exodus story—a New Exodus in which God once again comes down to save, reveal, judge, and dwell with His people. This theme is not simply symbolic; it follows a deliberate sequence rooted in the narrative arc of the Book of Exodus.
In the Exodus story, we see a repeated pattern:
Exodus 3:8 – God says, “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians.”
Exodus 3:13-14 – God comes down and reveals his name: “I AM WHO I AM.”
Exodus 4-14 – God comes down and judges Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt.
Exodus 19-20 – God comes down to reveal his will.
Exodus 34:5 – The Lord descends in the cloud to reveal his character
Exodus 40:34-35 – God dwells with his people in the “tabernacle.”
This descending movement is the essence of redemption: God returning to dwell among his people.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus recapitulates this same pattern in a fuller, more profound way:
Delivers us from the bondage of sin and death, which is a greater Pharaoh for all humanity. (Romans 6:7).
Reveals God’s name and character – “I have revealed Your name to those You gave me” (John 17:6).
Judges the world – “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31).
Dwells among us – “The Word became flesh and dwelt [tabernacled] among us” (John 1:14).
This is the Gospel: not that we ascend to God, but that God has descended to us again. In Jesus, God's presence enters the world anew, inviting us into the same relationship He once initiated with Israel in the wilderness, now available to all people through the Messiah.
Born From Above or Born Again?
The discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3 focuses on entering the kingdom of God and being born again of the Spirit. Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again (anōthen), he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Here, John is engaging in the literary device of wordplay.
The Greek word anōthen means "again" and "from above." This dual meaning is intentional and highlights humanity's desire for renewal, on the one hand, and the power from heaven, which has “come down” to effect this transformation.
Across cultures and throughout history, human beings have expressed an inherent longing for renewal and new beginnings. In the ancient world, religious rituals frequently reflected this yearning.
Many ancient religions practiced ritual purification through water, fire, or symbolic acts to dissolve the impurity of the old and prepare the individual to re-enter sacred space. These ceremonies marked a transition from one state of being to another, often symbolizing a kind of spiritual rebirth.
In Jewish tradition, the concept of spiritual renewal was formalized in the conversion process. When a Gentile converted to Judaism, the rabbis described that person as being "born again." This was not merely a change in belief or religious affiliation but a profound identity transformation.
The convert was seen as starting a new life, shedding their former associations and entering into a covenant relationship with the God of Israel. As Rabbi Yosei says in Talmud Yevamot 48b, "A convert who just converted is like a child just born,"[1] indicating that they retain no connection to their past life and are not punished for deeds before conversion. It was a complete reorientation of the self.
Even in our modern, often secular context, the desire for renewal persists. Consider the rituals of New Year’s Eve. We speak of closing one chapter and starting a new one. Father Time has grown old, and we welcome in Baby New Year.
We make resolutions, vowing to leave behind bad habits and embrace better ways of living. The passing of time becomes a symbolic moment of judgment and hope, where the old self is discarded and the new self is welcomed. In all these expressions—ancient, rabbinic, and modern—the human soul reveals a deep longing for transformation, a rebirth that brings us closer to what is good, true, and divine.
The Son of Man is Lifted Up
Immediately after his declaration that one must be “born anōthen,” Jesus includes an obscure reference to an event in Israel’s past, which helps us understand the direction of this transformational renewal. Jesus says,
John 3:14-15 – “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.”
This is a reference to Numbers 21:8-9, which includes an important Hebrew word, Nes:
"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole (Nes)... everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, will live.' So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the pole; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived."
The Hebrew word for "pole" here is nes (נֶּס), which means a signal pole or standard. According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT), it refers to "a signal pole, sometimes with an ensign attached, [that] could be raised as a point of focus or object of hope."
In the Hebrew Bible, nes can mean "banner," "standard," or "sign," something conspicuous that symbolizes a greater reality. In modern Hebrew, nes is the standard word for "miracle."
The first occurrence of nes is in Exodus 17:15, where Moses builds an altar following Israel’s victory in battle and names it Adonai Nissi — "The Lord is my banner." The altar signifies a sacred place where God acted, reminding the Israelites that their help and success came from the Lord.
In this context, “nes” refers to Moses’ actions on the hill during battle. When Moses raised his arms, the people looked upward and began to prevail. Moses’ hands served as a “sign” that directed the Israelites' faith toward God's power rather than their own strength. The sign, “nes," points upward to the power of God who intervenes, saves, and provides divine power to His people.
This concept is echoed in the Apocryphal work Wisdom of Solomon 16:6-7, which interprets the bronze serpent event:
"They were afflicted for a short time as a warning, and were given a symbol of salvation to remind them of your law. For the one who turned toward it was saved, not by what he saw, but by you, the Savior of all."
The bronze serpent does not have the power to heal, but points the Israelites upward to the God who saves. The Israelites lost sight of this and kept the brazen serpent as an idol (2 Kings 18:4)! They confused the “nes” with the One it points to.
Isaiah expands this image further with a messianic prophecy:
Isaiah 11:10-12 — “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner (nes)for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious...He will lift up a standard (nes) for the nations and assemble the banished of Israel."
All of this comes together in the person of Jesus. As He is lifted up on the cross, in resurrection, and in glory, He becomes the true nes. He is the rallying point for God's people. He draws our eyes upward, focusing our attention on God’s saving power.
Conclusion
We are rejuvenated and reborn from above, transformed by divine power. The strength of our salvation originates from above, and it is essential to stay focused on His power through Jesus, “Nissi”—our only true “nes.”
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
To be born from above is to recognize the One who descends. It is to lift our eyes toward the nes, to be drawn out of the darkness and into the light.
John 3:21 – “But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.”
[1] Yevamot 48b(15) - https://www.sefaria.org/Yevamot.48b.15?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en
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