St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Selected Readings from the Gospel of JOHN
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, March 16, 2008

Chapter 1-12: The Book of Signs

Chapters 13-21: The Book of Glory

John 11:45-53 – 
45Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. 47So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. 48If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place£ and our nation.” 49But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! 50You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” 51He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, 52and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. 53So from that day on they planned to put him to death.

John 13:1 -- 1Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

chapters 13-17: Last Supper Narrative; no “institution narrative”; break at end of chapter 14

John 18

1After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he. ”Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6When Jesus said to them, “I am he, ”they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth. ”8Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. 11Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

12So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.

15Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.

19Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” 24Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

25Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

28Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32(This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)

33Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. 39But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 40They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.

John 19

1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” 7The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.”

8Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.”

13When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus; 17and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,

“They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
25And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

28After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” 37And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”

38After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

John 20

1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to their homes.

11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

John 21

1After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

9When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

20Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” 22Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!” 23So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. 25But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Jesus’ glorification; Jesus in control throughout; he is always in charge of his own movements and of everything that takes place

18: 5-6 “I am”

18:12-27 night trial before Annas (and Caiaphas); Annas was deposed by the Romans in 15 CE, but still continued to be “the power behind the throne” in the high priestly family through his son-in-law Caiaphas and four sons, all of whom succeeded him (Caiaphas from 18-36)
threefold denial of Peter 

18:13-14 misunderstanding by John of the term of the high priest; cf. also 11:45-53 (above)

18:28 – 19:16 morning trial before Pilate -- According to other sources, Pilate was uncompromising and a bully. John softens the picture, possibly to lessen the tension between his community and the Romans. By John’s time, much of the upper class and the priestly family, towards whom John tries to direct the blame, had been killed in Rome’s suppression of the 66-70 CE rebellion.

18:28 hypocrisy regarding purification

18:32 It is questionable whether, at this point, they were allowed by the Romans to stone people to death. Jews did not crucify people at this time. 19:6 probably means: “take the responsibility.”

18:33-38 and 19:8-11 Jesus before Pilate; Jesus in control: it is Pilate who is really on trial here, and through him the Roman Empire, which condemns itself

19:7 A claim to be the Son of God frightens Pilate.

19:9 “Where do you come from?” – the reader knows the real answer

19:15 hypocrisy again; Jesus’ accusers convict themselves by acknowledging Caesar as their only king

19:19-22 Johannine irony: what Pilate has written is true

19:23 the seamless tunic is unique to John

25 In the Synoptics, a group of women observe from a distance. In John, his mother – plus 2, 3 or 4 other women (depending on punctuation) – stand near the cross.

19:25-27 a scene unique to John; the “Beloved Disciple”

19:30 “It is finished.” – perhaps, “It is accomplished.”

19:31 “the day of Preparation”

19:33 Jesus had died more quickly than expected, perhaps reflecting John 10:18, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.”

19:38-42 Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus

20:1-10 “While it was still dark”, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb. The stone had already been rolled-back. She runs and tells Peter and the Beloved Disciple, both of whom come to the tomb. Peter is allowed to enter first, but when the Beloved Disciple enters (verse 8), “he saw and believed.” But what exactly did he believe? Cf. verse 9.

20:11-18 Mary Magdalene and Jesus at the tomb; learning through a failure to understand

17: Perhaps, “Do not continue to hold onto me…” Jesus not yet ascended to the Father

20:19-23 Jesus appears to the disciples-minus-one; the giving of the Holy Spirit

20:24-29 a second appearance; Jesus and Thomas

25 the only mention of nail-prints in the gospels; the victims of crucifixion were normally tied to the cross

20:30-31 conclusion of an earlier edition

21:1-14 an appearance to the disciples, this time in Galilee; another “first appearance”?

21:15-19 Peter’s reconciliation with Jesus and Peter’s future

21:20-23 the future of the Beloved Disciple, apparently added after his death

21:24-25 conclusion

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Selected Readings from the Gospel of JOHN
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, March 09, 2008

1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” 11 After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
[The New Revised Standard Version]

1 “Lazarus”: not mentioned in the Synoptics
“Bethany”: the place where Jesus stayed when visiting Jerusalem (Mark 11:11; 14:3); today it is know as “El ‘Azariyeh , a name derived from “Lazarus”; it is less than two miles from Jerusalem

“Martha and her sister Mary”: mentioned in John 11:5 and 19); the only place in the Synoptics where they appear is Luke 10:38

2 “Mary was the one who anointed the Lord”: obviously added by a later editor, since the scene does not occur until chapter 12

4 Jesus looks for the potential in the situation
“Son of God:” Jesus uses this title for himself only here and in 5:25

8 “Rabbi”: the last use of this title for Jesus; this title was used also in 9:2; note the similarities between 9:2-5 and 11:8-10
In this verse, “the Jews” are those who are hostile to Jesus; but, beginning with verse

19, “the Jews” are just ordinary people on the scene, some of whom might come to believe in Jesus.

9 “the light of this world”: the sun and Jesus

10 The Jews appear to have thought that light resided in the eye (cf. Matthew 6:22-23)

11-12 “our friend Lazarus”, literally, “beloved”, the same term used for Christians in 3 John 15); the implication seems to be that, just as Jesus gives life to his beloved Lazarus, so will he give life to his beloved Christians 
“fallen asleep”: in both Hebrew and Greek (including the LXX), this is used as a euphemism for dying; misunderstanding

16 “that we may die with him”: possibly Johannine irony, since in Pauline theology Christians have died with Christ (Romans 6:8; 2 Corinthians 5:14)

17 “four days”: emphasizing reality of death; an opinion among the rabbis held that the soul hovered near the body for three days

19 Since there was no embalming, burial took place quickly. A period of mourning (thirty days) followed.

22 Martha’s faith is incomplete. She recognizes Jesus as an intermediary with God (22), but does not realize that he is life itself (25).

23-24 an exchange of Pharisaic assertions about the resurrection of the dead

25-26 the resurrection personalized in Jesus

27 ”the Messiah, the Son of God”: similar to Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16 (Peter, in John 6:69, confesses Jesus to be “the Holy One of God”); This is the most complete statement of Johannine faith in the gospel.

33 “he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved”: the first of the two Greek verbs used here carries a connotation of anger and indignation (cf. Daniel 11:30 in LXX); it is used also to describe Jesus’ reaction to the afflicted in Mark 1:43 and Matthew 9:30); it may be that Jesus sees human suffering (and death) as an expression of the reign of evil with which he is in conflict

35-37 “Jesus began to weep.” These verses heighten the drama: “What will he do?”

40 “you would see the glory of God”: the focus and intent of the event

41 “looked upward”: a frequent prelude to Jesus’ prayer in the gospels

There is a sequence problem if one tries to take the geographical setting of John as it now stands. The Lazarus story is placed between Hanukkah and Passover, nearer to Passover. As the story now stands, Jesus, in a short period of time, would have had to leave his retreat in the Transjordan (10:40), come to Bethany, withdrew to Ephraim near the desert (11:54), returned to Bethany six days before Passover (12:1), then gone into hiding the next day (12:36).

Many of the details of chapter 11 work out the details of the promise of chapter 5: 
21 Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. 22 The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; 27 and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

These verses from chapter 5 seem to be describing Jesus’ works in non-literal, apocalyptic terms. Chapter 11 makes them concrete and present.

The raising of Lazarus is the final sign of “The Books of Signs”: the first eleven chapters of the Gospel according to John.
· changing water to wine at Cana (21-11)
· curing the royal official’s son at Cana (4:46-59)
· curing the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda (5:1-15)
· multiplication of the loaves in Galilee (6:1-15)
· walking upon the Sea of Galilee (6:16-21)
· curing a blind man in Jerusalem (9)
· raising Lazarus from the dead at Bethany (11)

For the Synoptics, all the signs that Jesus has done are the reason that his enemies decide upon his death. His “Cleansing of the Temple” is the trigger for action. For John, Jesus’ raising of Lazarus was the direct cause of Jesus’ death. The Sanhedrin meet in response to it (11:46-53), and decide that Jesus must die. (According to John 12:9-11, they planned to kill Lazarus also.) This theme is reflected in verse 4 (“it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it”), since Jesus’ death is part of his glorification.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Selected Readings from the Gospel of JOHN
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, March 02, 2008

1 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him.

39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” [The New Revised Standard Version]

8:59 The leaders of the Jews were trying to stone Jesus. It seems extremely unlikely that the story of chapter 9, in which Jesus stands around talking, would have immediately followed this event.

9:2 “disciples”: The Twelve has not been mentioned as being with Jesus since chapter 6, when they were in Galilee. “Disciples” might refer to the unidentified Judean disciples of 7:3.

“Who sinned?”: idea of misfortune as punishment for sin still persists.

3 The rabbis spoke of God giving people “punishments of love”, which, if accepted generously, would bring long life and rewards. Jesus seems to view sickness as an evil, and part of the work of darkness. Rather than accepting the man’s blindness as a punishment for sin, Jesus chooses to see the potential in it for good.

4 “We”: Jesus associates his disciples with him in his work.

6: “He spat”: appears in Mark (7:33, healing a deaf mute, and 8:23, healing a blind man), but not in Matthew or Luke; could have been considered magical (rejected by the rabbis along with uttering a spell over a wound)

16 “This man is not from God”: based on Deuteronomy 13:1-15 which says that a wonder-worker is not to be believed, and is to be put to death, if he leads people away from following the ways of God

“he does not observe the sabbath”: Since the affliction was not life-threatening, it was not permitted on the sabbath; kneading was not permitted on the sabbath; anointing an eye was not permitted on the sabbath.

“they were divided”: as was the crowd in 7:43

22 “put out of the synagogue”: experience of the Johannine community: an attempt to “bring the story up to date”, viz. as an expression of what was going on with the Johannine community who had been expelled from the synagogues

24 “Give glory to God!”: an oath formula, taken before giving testimony in which one was called upon to confess guilt; here, another example of Johannine irony
“We know”: contrasted with the man’s “I know” of verse 25

29 “we do not know where he comes from”: Johannine irony; may also hint at rumors of illegitimacy

30 “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.”: The man’s sarcasm parallels that of Jesus toward Nicodemus in 3:10

31 “We know”: continues the pattern of verses 24-25

32 “Never since the world began has it been heard”: literally, “not heard from of old”, which is a phrase used by the Pharisees

34 attributes congenital blindness to prenatal sin

35 contrast between Pharisees (“had driven him out”) and Jesus (“he found him”); 
cf. John 6:37, “anyone who comes to me I will never drive away”

“Son of Man”: a title that is often associated with judgment; it was possibly used here by John to prepare the way for verse 39

38 “he worshiped him.” Bowing down in worship was a usual Old Testament reaction to a theophany; people bow down and worship Jesus several times in the Synoptics (especially in Matthew), but this is the only place where this occurs in John

“The internal construction of the story shows consummate artistry; no other story in the Gospel is closely knit. We have here Johannine dramatic skill at its best... The story starts in vs. 1 with a blind man who will gain his sight; it ends in vs. 41 with the Pharisees who have become spiritually blind.” (Raymond E. Brown, John, The Anchor Bible, Vol. 29, pages 376-377)

There is a clear evolution in the blind man’s perception of Jesus: “The man called Jesus” (11),

“He is a prophet” (17), “If this man were not from God” (33), full belief “worshiped him” (38)

3 times (vss. 12, 25, 36) the man confesses his ignorance, yet he is gaining sight

3 times (vss. 16, 24, 29) the Pharisees state confidently what they “know” of Jesus, and yet they are descending further into blindness

Baptismal Intent by the Evangelist / Redactor

Unlike the healing of the paralytic in chapter 5, this healing takes place only when the man has been washed in water. The pool is “Siloam”, which John points out, means “Sent.” In John, Jesus is the one who has been “sent” by the Father (cf. 3:17, 34; 5:36, 38). Siloam was the setting of the great water ceremony of the Feast of Tabernacles (and may have been the setting for this story, which occurs somewhere in between Tabernacles and Hanukkah). In a prayer for the water needed for crops, and for life, a solemn procession went seven days in a row from the spring Gihon (from which water flows into the Pool Siloam) to the Temple. A priest carried a golden pitcher filled with water, which he then poured on the altar. On the seventh day, this pouring was preceded by a procession that continued seven times around the altar. It was in this context that Jesus proclaimed, “ Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.” (7:37-39) Jesus is the source of the true living water, and is himself the replacement for Tabernacles.

Baptismal Usage in the Early Church

This story appears several times in catacomb art, always in connection with baptism. By at least the third century, the practice of three “scrutinies” for catechumens had developed. At the conclusion of the last of these, the “great scrutiny”, once the candidate had been judged worthy of baptism, readings from the Old Testament, having to do with cleansing water, were proclaimed. Then there was a solemn opening of the Gospel book, and this story was read to them. Verse 38, “I believe,” was the climax of the reading, and was followed immediately with the candidates reciting the creed before the church for the first time.

As Jesus approaches his death, his healing power increases. Life will triumph over death. The light will shine even more brightly in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Selected Readings from the Gospel of JOHN
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, February 24, 2008

(1) Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” (2) —although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized— (3) he left Judea and started back to Galilee. (4) But he had to go through Samaria. (5) So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. (6) Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

(7) A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

(8) (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) (9) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) (10) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (11) The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? (12) Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” (13) Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, (14) but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (15) The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

(16) Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” (17) The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; (18) for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” (19) The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. (20) Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” (21) Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

(22) You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. (23) But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. (24) God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (25) The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” (26) Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

(27) Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” (28) Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, (29) “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” (30) They left the city and were on their way to him.
(31) Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” (32) But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” (33) So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” (34) Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. (35) Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. (36) The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. (37) For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ (38) I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

(39) Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” (40) So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. (41) And many more believed because of his word. (42) They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” [The New Revised Standard Version]

---------------------------------

1-2 an editor’s revision of 3:22 in which Jesus was baptizing

4 “had to go through Samaria”: a divine necessity, not a geographical one

6 “about noon”: Women went to wells in the early morning and in the evening, not during the day when men might be there. Perhaps this woman is pictured as going there at noon because the other women refused to associate with her because of her reputation.

8 Together with 31, the mention of “food” serves as an inclusion for the story.

9 Jews…Samaritans; origins of conflict from the division of the monarchy c. 922 B.C.E.; destruction of Samaria in 722 by Assyrians; Samaritans had tried to block the resettlement of Judah after the Babylonian Exile (ended in 539), had helped the Syrian monarchs in their war against the Judeans (168-164 B.C.E.); in 128 B.C.E., the Jewish high priest, John Hyrcanus, burned the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim

10-11 “living water” (flowing water as opposed to stagnant water; from a stream or fountain rather than from a well or cistern); this section is another example of Johannine misunderstanding;

Greek “phrear”, denotes a cistern (used of the well in later verses of the passage)

Greek “pege”, denotes a fountain

“gift of God” and “living water” were terms used in Judaism to refer to the Torah; John may intend to portray Jesus himself as being the replacement for the Torah
since the second century, this “living water” has been seen as referring to both Jesus’ revelation and the gift of the Spirit; Johannine symbolism is often ambivalent

11 Greek “Kyrie”: can mean “Sir” or “Lord”; probably a progression from one to the other is intended; the woman’s titles for Jesus progress from “Jew” (9, probably meant pejoratively) to “Sir” (11, 15, 20) to “prophet” (19) to “Messiah” (29); the villagers come to recognize him as “the Savior of the world” (42)

12 “greater than…Jacob”: Johannine irony; the woman is unconsciously stating a truth
“who gave us this well”: no account of this in the Bible, but a Palestinian Targum says that, when Jacob had lifted the stone from the top of the well, it overflowed for 20 years (contrasted with Jesus’ living water that flows forever)

14 “gushing up”: not used elsewhere in the Bible to refer to water: it is used for quick movement by living beings; in LXX, it is used of the Spirit of God as it leaps upon Samson, Saul and David

18 “five husbands”: Jewish women were allowed a maximum of three husbands; if the Samaritans followed this same rule, this would have placed her outside any bounds of accepted morality

19 “prophet”: Jesus not only exhibited special knowledge, but indicated that he intended to restore the moral order in this case; the Samaritans did not accept the prophetic books, so this probably referred to the Prophet-like-Moses of Deuteronomy 18:15-18), the “Taheb” (lit. “the one who returns” or “restores”)

20 “this mountain” = Gerizim, probably the original mountain referred to in Deuteronomy 27:4, on which Moses commands Joshua to set up an altar

22 Johannine dualism: “in spirit and truth”, possible a hendiadys; only those who have been born “of water and Spirit” (John 3:5) can really worship the Father in truth

23 realized and future eschatology

24 “God is spirit”; not a definition, but a description of the way that God acts toward human beings; cf. “God is light’ (1 John 1:5) and “God is love” (1 John 4:8)

26 “I am he”: perhaps with a secondary meaning of the divine “I am”; Jesus did not accept the Jewish attribution of the title “Messiah” to him, possibly because it carried with it the connotation of an earthly king; he does accept the Samaritan woman’s use of that term

29 “He cannot be the Messiah, can he?”: (Greek meti); denotes that the situation is unlikely, but leaves open the possibility

31-34 misunderstanding about food, just as the Samaritan woman had had a misunderstanding about water

34 in the Synoptics, doing the work of God is a more general term; in John, it refers directly to Jesus’ mission

35 “four months”: from sowing to harvest

42 development of belief; contrast 2:23-25 (the Jews who had a tentative “faith” in Jesus because of the signs they had seen) with 4:42 (the Samaritans who had a much deeper belief in Jesus’ own words); Here we see, not just an example of an individual coming to belief, but also the role of apostles in calling others to belief.

This story probably never happened. There is no indication in the Synoptics that Jesus entered into a ministry among the Samaritans. In fact, in Matthew 10:5, he forbad his disciples to go there. It probably reflects the fact that the Johannine community, and the early Church in general, had a number of Samaritan members (see Acts 8:1-8). This story provides a basis and a justification for their inclusion.

The story presents us with a picture of someone coming to faith at Jesus’ initiative, and then going out to share that faith with others.. John Pilch notes that this woman is the best catechized person in John’s entire gospel. He likewise notes that a cultural subversion (a “cultural innovation”) is taking place here: Jesus calls, welcomes and receives as a disciple and an apostle someone with three strikes against her in regard to fulfilling these roles in that time and culture: (1) she is a woman, (2) she is a Samaritan, (3) she is clearly living outside the law. Here is a portrait of the universality of God’s calling, of God breaking down ancient barriers between people, and of God receiving all people as equals in the new age that has come.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Selected Readings from the Gospel of JOHN
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, February 17, 2008

Sources:

1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [The New Revised Standard Version]


This passage is “the first oral exposition in John of the revelation brought by Jesus, and in capsule form it gives the principal themes of that revelation.” (Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John, I-XII, The Anchor Bible, Volume 29) The scene takes place during the Passover in Jerusalem (cf. 2:23-25). Jesus has been performing signs there even though none of these have been recounted in John. John has just said that Jesus knew what was in people’s hearts, and now he shows that Jesus knows what is in Nicodemus’ heart. Nicodemus serves as an example of one of those Jews who had come to believe that there was something special about Jesus, but only because of the signs they had seen.

Structure: In verses 2, 4 and 9, Nicodemus makes three statements; the first is an implicit question, and the other two are explicit. Jesus responds to each of them with a statement beginning “Very truly, I tell you.” The responses grow in length.

2: “a leader of the Jews” = a member of the Sanhedrin: the highest governing body in Judaism; it consisted of priests (Sadducees), scribes (Pharisees), and lay leaders of the aristocracy, and was presided over by the High Priest
“at night”: important symbol for John
“come from God”: dual meaning

2-5: “no one can” // “no one can see the kingdom of God” (vs. 4), “no one can enter the kingdom of God”; “can” is used six times in verse 2-10
“anothen”: Greek word meaning “from above” or “again”
“see” (Greek, “idein”) = “experience”, “participate in”
“kingdom of God”: in John, appears only in 3:3 and 3:5

4: Nicodemus’ failure to understand opens the way for Jesus to explain in greater detail

5: “water and Spirit” (anatrous)

6: “What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of Spirit is spirit.” (Johannine dualism); in John, “flesh” represents weakness and mortality, not sinfulness as in Paul

7: “Do not be astonished”: an introductory phrase used by the Pharisees
“you”: plural; Nicodemus came representing a group: “we”

8: “pneuma” = wind or spirit; 
“phone” (Greek), “wind” = literally, “voice” (double play on words)

9: last mention of Nicodemus in this scene; he fades back into the night from which he came

11: “speak” (lalein): in the Septuagint, refers to the transmission of the revealed word of God by a prophet; in Acts, refers to the transmission of the gospel; in John, refers to the revelation of the truth from God by Jesus
“we”: perhaps used in response to Nicodemus’ “we”

13: “has ascended”: problematic; ascension has already occurred; in Johannine writings, there is a transcendence of, and certain indifference to, “normal time”

14: reference to Numbers 21:9 ff.: “lifted up” = the first of three (3:14; 8:28; 12:32-34) uses in John; includes entire saving event (“Pascha”)

16: “loved” refers to a supreme act of love
“gave”: used in John both for incarnation and for the cross

Nicodemus reappears two times in the Gospel according to John:

John 7: 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, 51 “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” 52 They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.”

John 19: 38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
Selected Readings from the Gospel of JOHN
Lecture Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, February 10, 2008

Sources:

1) original material, similar to the Synoptics
2) Johannine patterns
3) organization into a consecutive gospel
4) secondary editing by “the evangelist”
5) redaction by a follower / disciple of the evangelist
(possible addition of chapters 11-12, 15-17, 21)

Exact information:

chap. 4, Samaritans: belief, theology, Gerizim, Jacob’s well
chap. 5, pool of Bethesda: name, location, construction
chap. 6-8: theological themes related to the Passover and the Feast of 
Tabernacles reflect accurate knowledge of practices and 
synagogue readings
details about Jerusalem: pool of Siloam (9:7); Solomon’s Portico (10:22-23);
stone pavement at the Praetorium (19:13)

Material / information not found in the Synoptics:

Jesus baptizing before his public ministry (3:22);
public ministry lasting more than one year;
several journeys to Jerusalem;
ongoing opposition of the authorities in Jerusalem (not just in last days);
many details about the passion and death

Jesus portrayed in terms of Old Testament “Wisdom”

Use of terms from the Pharisaic tradition (e.g. “Rabbi”)

Purpose: teaching to encourage believers; defense against Jewish opponents, followers of John the Baptist, and early heresies

Ecclesiology: a community of believers is assumed (“vine and branches”, “sheep and shepherds”)

Sacramentalism: no specific sayings or “institution narratives”, but references to Baptism and the Eucharist scattered throughout the gospel; used to show how the sacraments of Christian life are rooted in Jesus own words and actions

Eschatology: both realized and imminent

Poetic format: parallelism, inclusions, chiasm, double-meaning, misunderstanding

The narrator holds a key position in this Gospel. He is omniscient. He tells us from the start (1:1-18) who the central character is. He reveals the thoughts of Jesus and of several other characters. He provides many interpretive comments. He tells the story from the perspective of his contemporary community, reflecting back into Jesus’ life and ministry their affirmation of his resurrection and their experience of the Spirit.

What is this book about? What is its purpose? Gerard Sloyan (John, Interpretation series, pp. 7-8):

“There is enough of a group of the Palestinian scene reflected in this Gospel to inspire confidence in hearers who know ‘the land of Israel’ well. At the same time the Gospel seems to be the document of a community of dissident diaspora Jews, whose Bible is the Septuagint, whose grasp of basic Hebrew words is tenuous, and who are at home in the sonorous prose of a post-biblical hymnody that can be set to poetry like strophes.
“The one who speaks for them, John, is not in the first instance interested in telling the story of Jesus’ public career. He wishes to proclaim Jesus’ identity to contemporaries so that their belief in him will be correct. There is consequently the appearance of historical narrative, but behind it lies the reality of messages directed to contemporaries, friends, and foes alike. It is to engage them in the story that everything is told. John like any good storyteller – and he is one – uses his characters and events, Jesus along with the rest, to say what he wants to say about the significance of this believing community by telling of the significance of Jesus. It is this Jesus who is the center of the community’s faith.

“John does not produce a work of fiction. His narrative is historically based. But the primary goal is persuasion, not a chronicle of events. In the interest of persuading the hearer, he will use every technique known to the narrator’s art – some of them very effectively. That is why it is a mistake to approach the Fourth Gospel by putting it to a set of historical questions: Did Jesus make his utterances at the different feasts as recorded? Was his life threatened by hostile crowds bent on stopping him? Could Pilate have conducted himself in a legal proceeding in the way described? The questions are not so much unimportant as irrelevant. History is modern biblical scholarship’s primary category, largely for apologetic reasons originating early in the last century. But history is not the right measuring-rod to apply to works of religious literature. Literary canons are. This does not mean that historical and geographical questions are not to be put to the Fourth Gospel, only that they are not primary. The way the author goes about telling his story is primary.”

John and Lent:

John’s focus is on the person of Jesus and on what it means to be his disciples: obviously themes of central and critical importance as we prepare to celebrate and renew baptism at Easter.

Gerard Sloyan (p. 6, John, “Interpretation” series): “Jesus is a sign of division throughout the Gospel. Faced with him, people either come to believe in him and thereby walk in the light or choose the darkness of non-belief (8:12) and can expect judgment, that is, condemnation (3:19).” That choice is a central theme of Lent, along with the ongoing commitment to live within that choice.

John’s version of the Gospel highlights the four key baptismal symbols that we will be addressing the next four weeks: birth from above, water, light, and resurrection.

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