John: 6
11:47-12:50 represents the transition from the “Book of Signs” to the “Book of Glory.” In this part of the narrative the religious leaders plot to kill Jesus (11:47-57); Mary anoints Jesus, which symbolizes his preparation for his death (12:1-8); Jesus triumphantly enters into Jerusalem (12:12-19); and quite distinct from the Synoptic Gospels, John records how some Greeks came to Jerusalem to see Jesus (John 12:20-23). This incident is noteworthy b/c, according to John, it triggers the divinely set “hour” (remember: “my hour,” e.g., John 2:4) of his glorification, viz., his death on the cross. Consequently, Jesus speaks of his impending death (12:24-50). Question: Why do you think that this event (at least for John) serves as a trigger for Jesus’ death/glorification?
The Book of Glory (or Book of the Passion) consists of chapters 13 to 20. The first section is Jesus’ upper room discourse (chaps. 13-17). This discourse begins with an account of Jesus washing the feet of his 12 followers (13:1-11). On the one hand, Jesus gives us an example of humble service (few things are more humbling than washing the dirty, stinky feet of grown men!). On the other hand, the foot washing functions symbolically of Jesus cleansing his disciples of their sins—though clearly not all of them were clean (John 13:11). Jesus then predicts his betrayal (John 13:18, 21-26), and his death & resurrection. Talk of Jesus going away worries his disciples, so he speaks words of comfort to them in view of what’s about to happen (chap. 14). Here we get the 6th “I am” saying: Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (14:6). The disciples needn’t worry b/c Jesus doesn’t plan to leave them alone, but will send them someone just like him: the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). There are 2 different Greek words which can translate “another”: one means “another of a different kind,” and one means “another of the same kind.” Jesus uses the latter word in 14:16. In other words, the Holy Spirit is very much like Jesus (which makes sense, given the doctrine of the Trinity).
According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will “replace” Jesus’ role in the lives of his disciples (14:16-18). Whereas Jesus taught them, now the Spirit will teach them (John 14:26). Whereas people were seized with conviction under Jesus’ preaching, now the Spirit will convict unbelievers regarding sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8-11). Whereas Jesus guided his followers in the paths of truth, now the Spirit will guide the disciples in the truth (John 16:13). Whereas Jesus revealed the secrets of God to this followers, now the Spirit will reveal God’s truth to them (John 16:15). By doing all of this the Holy Spirit brings glory and honour to Jesus (John 16:14).
In the upper room, Jesus also teaches his disciples about the true nature of their relationship to him. Here we get the 7th and final “I am” saying: Jesus proclaims, “I am the vine” (15:1). In the OT, Israel was considered God’s vine, but now Jesus is the true vine. And although he will no longer be around, it is vital that his disciples “abide”/“continue”/“remain” in him (the specific word depends on your bible translation)—i.e., live in faithful submission to his teaching and his will (15:4-11). That is the only way for followers of Jesus to bear the fruit they are supposed to bear in their lives!
The final section of the upper room discourse (chap. 17) consists of Jesus’ prayer for his followers. Simply put, he prays that they would have joy, that they would be protected from the evil one, and that they would be sanctified, i.e., that they would become increasingly holy—in other words, increasingly like Jesus! Beyond praying for his 11 disciples (Judas had left the room: John 13:29-30), he prays for their fruit, viz., for their converts—like you and me today—that they (we) would be unified in fellowship, just as Jesus and the Father are one in unity. I have always found what Jesus says in John 17:9 fascinating: he prays for his own, but he refuses to pray for those who are not his own, i.e., the unbelieving world! Question: If Jesus prays only for his elect and is unwilling to pray for the non-elect, would he still die for those he refused to pray for? In other words, did he die just for the elect or also for the non-elect?
The next section of John is, of course, the passion narrative (18:1-20:31). Not surprisingly, it’s quite similar to what we’ve seen in the other Gospels: Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested (18:1-24); Peter denies knowing Jesus (18:25-27); Jesus is given a mock trial (18:28-40); he is scourged, crucified and buried (19:1-42), but on the 3rd day he is raised, after which he appears to Mary Magdalene, and then to the rest of his followers (20:1-23). Quite unlike the Synoptics, however, John records Jesus’ appearing to “doubting Thomas,” who wasn’t there when Jesus had appeared to his 10 friends, and who wouldn’t believe what they were saying—he needed to see it (i.e., Jesus) for himself (John 20:24-25)! And gracious Jesus gives Thomas what he was after (John 20:27). Thomas’s immediate response is worship (20:28). His later response—at least according to early church tradition—was to take the gospel to India, where he was eventually martyred.
The final chapter of John represents the Epilogue. Briefly, we have more post-resurrection appearances of Jesus to Peter, Thomas, Nathanial, James and John (21:1-14), the miraculous catch of 153 fish (don’t ask me why “153”!), and Jesus’ restoration of Peter (21:15-23). Notice here: Jesus questioned Peter 3 times b/c Peter had denied him 3 times.
Let me end our survey of John by listing some of his themes. Similar to the other Gospels, John stresses Christology, but he, more than the others, seems to combine a high view of Jesus’ divinity with his more fundamentally human traits. So, on the one hand, John tells us that Jesus is God: he is called God (1:1; 20:28), he is the Creator and Sustainer of the cosmos (1:2-3), he is equal with God (5:18), and he shares the divine name (8:58). But on the other hand, Jesus is subordinate to the Father (e.g., he is dependent upon him [5:19]; and sent by him [20:21]), he gets tired (4:6), and he gets thirsty (19:28). Is Jesus God or is he human? . . . He is fully both!
In terms of his soteriology (i.e., John’s view of salvation), John emphasizes the need to have faith in Christ (e.g., 1:12; 3:16; 3:18)—which is not as clearly evident in the Synoptics. He emphasizes the need to abide/continue/remain in Christ (e.g., 8:31; 15:4). He also distinguishes between true belief and disingenuous belief in Jesus (e.g., 2:23-24; 8:30-31). In terms of his eschatology (i.e., his view of the end times), John stresses 2 aspects. There is the future: the end is coming (similar to other Gospels); hence, there will be a future judgment (5:28-29), a future resurrection (5:28-29), and a future eternal life (11:25-26). But there is also the present aspect (scholars refer to this as “realized eschatology”): the end is already here; hence, judgment is now (3:18), the resurrection is now (11:25-26), and eternal life is now (17:2-3).
Earlier I had mentioned John’s replacement theme. For John, Jesus replaces hallowed Jewish figures and institutions: Jesus replaces Moses and the Mosaic Law (1:16-17), he replaces the Temple (2:18-22), he replaces the Jewish feasts (2:1-11; 7:37-39; 8:12), and he replaces Israel—as God’s son and God’s vine (3:16, 18; 15:1). Question: What does it mean that Jesus replaces these people/things? How does he do it?
John has a keen interest in the fulfilment of scripture, as he will at times explicitly cite it, while at other times implicitly allude to it. So, for example, on the one hand, Jesus is the true temple (2:18-22), the Jews’ response to Jesus’ words and works are the fulfilment of Isaianic prophecy (12:36-41), as is Judas’s betrayal (13:18), and Jesus’ piercing on the cross (19:33-37). More subtly, on the other hand, John alludes to creation—the beginning of the bible (Gen 1:1)—in the beginning of his Gospel (John 1:1); he alludes to Ezek 40-43 in John 2:18-22, Ezek 36:25-27 in John 3:3-5, and Ezek 34 in John 10:11-16. These more subtle allusions clearly presuppose that his original audience was thoroughly familiar enough with the scripture to be able to catch these important allusions (and they were).
That’s it for John, and the NT Gospels. Next up we turn to the Book of Acts.