A Reading of John

Copyright © 2017 by Richard Ferguson.

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ESV

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®). Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

KJV

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Rev. date: 01/30/2017

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CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The Text Of The Gospel Of John

a)    Outline of the form this takes

Reading Between the Lines

Reflections On The Gospel Passage By Passage

a)    Outline of the form this takes

PREFACE

The Gospel of John is not for the faint-hearted. Many of us have our favourite moments when unfathomable truths are presented to us, but they are jewels in a setting that in turn puzzles and infuriates – and just occasionally shocks. Above all, John refuses to be pigeonholed, and so many of our expectations are left unfulfilled and our assumptions rendered wide of the mark. If in John we are expecting a Gospel like the other Gospels, the first two or three chapters will be enough to show us that this Gospel is utterly different in its methods and its patterns of thought. What we have in front of us is challenging and at times difficult. It always demands of us that we venture beyond our comfort zone to encounter the eternal Word and his challenge to lay hold on life in all its fullness.

Over the years, this Gospel has been understood, if that is the right word, in many different ways. It is almost as if every generation must make its own attempt to understand it, and to expound this Gospel to the world of its day. That is the challenge which is presented to us in A Reading of John. Its writer has been nourished and guided by writers of previous generations. In particular, William Temple’s Readings in St John’s Gospel was a book to which I returned many times some fifty years ago, and who can forget hearing Professor C. K. Barrett lecturing at Durham on John while the bells of the cathedral called the faithful to Evensong (afternoon lectures were never my favourite: thank goodness for his learned and weighty commentary!)? I tremble at the thought of following in their footsteps.

And yet it must be done. I am torn between feeling that I am utterly inadequate to undertake such a task, and an inner compulsion both to explore and expound the Gospel of John from a stand-point which speaks to the modern day. It is to this Gospel that the Church often turns at the high points of the Christian year, and it is from this Gospel that we discover insights which feed the soul and deepen our faith. My stumbling across a copy of Readings in St John’s Gospel has prompted me to begin this project. It was like meeting a long-lost friend, but the more I read, the more I realised how much things have changed since I last read the book. I have changed. Forty years of pastoral ministry have intervened, and the Church and the world around are utterly different. For that reason, if for no other, this will be a very different book from any I have drawn on in past years. But the purpose is the same. My hope is that whoever opens A Reading of John will be fed and informed, guided and inspired by this most magnificent Gospel.

Writing books should come with a warning attached. To the writer should go the warning that everything in print is set, not necessarily in stone, and is open to the gaze and scrutiny of all. To the reader should go the warning that this is as far as the writer has got at this particular moment in time. But life has a habit of moving us on, and the fresh insights of today are but the foundations for making tomorrow’s discoveries. The process of writing about the Gospel of John has itself moved me on. I also have to admit that I have only got this far, and that there are bound to be new truths and fresh understandings waiting to be discovered. My hope is that reading this book will also help you, dear reader, make new discoveries and come to new understandings, not only about this Gospel but also about truth and Christ and God.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are a number of people I wish to thank, friends to whom I sent a copy of the first draft with the question, Should I burn it or try to complete it? Each made encouraging and helpful comments, and the fact that A Reading of John has seen the light of day is greatly down to their encouragement. Some of the insights they shared with me have changed the shape of the book, which now is rather different from that first draft I sent out. I hope they are not too shocked at the result! I particularly want to thank Canon Richard Bryant, whose careful, detailed, and knowledgeable comments have helped immeasurably.

INTRODUCTION

It has always struck me as very odd that all the Gospel commentaries I have ever read have introductions of such length that the reader is almost faint with exhaustion by the time the actual text of the Gospel is reached. I hope this introduction will be different. It is, after all, the Gospel itself which is of supreme importance, and it must be allowed to speak. Introductions which parade background, theories of authorship, explanations of the Gospel’s importance, and expositions of its stance risk muffling the message of the Gospel – and, just possibly, so emphasising what the commentator thinks important that the Gospel itself is placed in a straitjacket which limits the insights and gems of truth that the Gospel can impart. If readers are told to expect certain things, then inevitably they find it difficult to see beyond them. If themes and features are explored before the text can speak, then it is difficult to avoid noticing what we are told to expect. It is easy to get so engaged with what we are told about the text that the text itself comes second.

At the risk of putting the cart before the horse, the approach of A Reading of John will be different. This Introduction will be short enough, I hope, to encourage you to turn the page and be met by the text of the Gospel and its profound beginning. Most of us have some experience of John. Time and again we have heard the great passages. But our experience of the Gospel is piecemeal, and that is bound to hamper any rounded appreciation of what has come down to us from the first century of Christian faith. We may well be aware of some of the unique features which set this Gospel apart from the others. These will be addressed, but first the text as a whole is set out.

What is offered to us is a fresh translation from the Greek. That always has its problems. Some may well feel alienated, because a number of the most famous passages are not rendered in quite the same words as we are used to – and familiar words are important, because they bring with them, perhaps unconsciously, memories, understandings, and meanings which have long been valued. At no stage has the familiar been jettisoned just for the sake of doing so. Translating is an art, and translating the Gospel of John presents particular challenges. Many a time there are no other words to convey the plain meaning of the Greek; on other occasions, different idioms and phrases which might lift the text and help it to flow simply cannot be used because they introduce nuances which are not in the original text. At times, the language feels a little wooden – but so does the Greek – and it is in an attempt not to dress it up (and in this way to be faithful to what we have received) that the translation often follows the less adventurous way.

Once we have experienced the Gospel as a whole, and all its unique features in the setting they have been given, we shall explore what this Gospel is telling us about its purpose, its intended audience, and the influences which have shaped the way the Good News of Jesus of Nazareth is expressed. It is this part of the exploration of John’s Gospel which will follow a path which has not been travelled very often. This Gospel, after all, has carried the name of John since the end of the first century. An ancient tradition has it that the John in question is the disciple John, the fisherman who responded to Jesus’ call, and who stood at the foot of the cross with the mother of Jesus. It was into his care that Jesus commended his mother, and the ancient tradition is that in time John and Mary made their way to Ephesus, where the former lived to a ripe old age. Who would not want this to be so?

But the question has to be asked, what does the Gospel itself say? Perhaps it should be recognised at this point that every act of communication carries within itself a kind of literary DNA, and it is as this is explored that the nature of each work shows itself. So, the oral is different from the written; history is expressed differently from prayer; and communications with those outside the community of faith will be different in pattern and content from passages through which the faithful are being addressed. A Greek audience will think in different patterns from a Jewish one, and those whose cultural roots are in scripture will express their understanding of truth in different ways from those steeped in philosophy. What this reveals is that it is the nature of the audience – and the purpose for which that audience is being addressed – which dictates how communication is attempted.

Although we have four Gospels, each of the Gospels is different. Where they start and how they finish says a great deal about what kind of work each is – for whom each is intended, and how it is intended to be used. Calling each of them Gospel has short-circuited any exploration of their nature, purpose, and message. It is this exploration of John’s Gospel which will enable us to listen to the Gospel at some depth. This very twenty-first-century approach does not diminish the Gospel; rather, it focuses our attention on it all the more, and is an essential preparation for the final stages of A Reading of John – ref lection, and expounding the Gospel passage by passage.

If that is to be the shape of the book ahead, then no one should be surprised that our exploration begins with the text of the Gospel itself.

THE TEXT OF THE

GOSPEL OF JOHN

Outline of the form this takes

In almost every printed version of the Gospel of John chapters and verses are marked for ease of reference. But chapters and verses were not part of the original way in which the Gospel was presented, and were added to assist those using the text. The danger is that such additions can divide up the text and at times disguise features of the storyline, not least the frequent changes of time and place which are a feature of this Gospel.

For this reason verse numbers are not included in this presentation of the text. Some guidance, however, is needed – not least when important features of the Gospel are discussed in Reading Between the Lines. Throughout the text the beginning of chapters are marked – but as unobtrusively as possible so that the text is not interrupted but the needed guidance is given. The beginning of each chapter will be indicated by a figure in brackets eg: (2). It is hoped that this will provide sufficient guidance without intruding on the text.

To begin with, there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. This Word was with God when creation began, and through this Word everything came into being; without the Word not a single thing that exists came to be. Whatever was brought into being by the Word had life – and life was the light of the human race. This light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has neither understood it nor overwhelmed it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness – to point people to the light – so that everyone should believe through him. He was not the light, but he existed to point to the light. This true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. It was in the world which owed its existence to him, yet the world did not recognise him. He came to his own creation, but his own people did not welcome him. Yet as many as responded to him with faith, to them he gave the right to become Children of God – that is, to those who believed in his name, who came to birth not by blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor through the will of a man, but of God. So the Word became flesh and lived among us. We have seen his true glory – the glory which belongs to the uniquely- begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John testified about him – he made it very clear – saying emphatically, He is the one of whom I spoke when I said, ‘The one who comes after me existed before me, because he existed before ever I was born.’

We have all received from his fullness – grace upon grace; for the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God: the uniquely-begotten Son who lives in the Father’s presence – he has made him known.

Now this is the evidence John gave when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you? He agreed – he did not decline to answer, but readily agreed – saying, I am not the Christ. They then asked him, Then who are you? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not. Are you The Prophet? And he answered, No! So they said to him, Who are you – so that we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself? He said, I am a voice crying out; ‘In the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said. Now, they were sent by the Pharisees, so they questioned him, Why, then, are you baptising, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor The Prophet? John answered, I baptise with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know. He comes after me, but I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals. These things happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan where he was baptising.

On the next day, John saw Jesus coming towards him. He said, Look! Here is the Lamb of God, the One who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is ranked before me – because he existed before ever I did.’ I did not know him, but I have come baptising in water so that he might be revealed to Israel. John gave this testimony: I have seen the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it settled on him. Although I did not know him, the one who sent me to baptise in water said to me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and settle, he it is who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ Now, I have seen, and I have given my testimony – that he is the Son of God.

On the next day, John was once again standing with two of his disciples. He saw Jesus walking by, and said, There is the Lamb of God. The disciples heard him speak of Jesus in this way, and followed him. Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, What are you looking for? They said to him, Rabbi (that means teacher), where are you staying? He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him for the rest of the day. It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard John and followed Jesus. The first thing he did was to find his brother – the selfsame Simon. He said to him, We have found the Messiah (that is translated into Greek as Christ), and brought Simon to Jesus. On seeing him, Jesus said, You are Simon, son of John: you shall be called Kephas (that is Peter).

On the next day, Jesus wanted to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, Follow me. Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Simon. Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, We have found the person of whom Moses and the prophets wrote – Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth. Nathaniel retorted, What good could possibly come from Nazareth? Philip said, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming towards him and said of him, Now there is a true Israelite! There is nothing deceitful about him. Nathaniel said to him, How do you know me? Jesus said, Before Philip talked to you, I saw you under the fig tree. Nathaniel answered him, Rabbi! You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! Jesus said, Do you believe because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that. And he said to him, In truth, in very truth I tell you, you will see the gates of heaven wide open, and the angels of God passing up and down to the Son of Man.

(2)

On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. Jesus was also invited to the wedding, along with his disciples. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, They have no wine. Jesus replied, Mother, what concern is that to either of us? My time has not yet come. His mother said to those waiting at table, Do whatever he tells you. Now there were six stone water jars there to provide for the Jewish rites of purification (each jar held twenty to thirty gallons). Jesus said to them, Fill the water jars with water. They filled them – to the brim. Then he said to them, Now take a draught, and serve it to the Master of Ceremonies.

They did so. The Master of Ceremonies tasted the water (which by now had become wine); he did not know where it had come from (although the attendants who had drawn the water knew), and he summoned the bridegroom, and said to him, It is usual to serve the good wine at the beginning, and when people are the worse for wear, then inferior wine is served – but you have reserved the good wine until now. This first sign Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee; he displayed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

After this, Jesus went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers, as well as his disciples. They stayed there for a few days.

As it happened, the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the Temple, he found traders in cattle and sheep and pigeons, and money changers at their stalls. He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the Temple – cattle, sheep, and all – overturning the tables of the money changers, and scattering their coins. He told those who sold pigeons, Take these things out of here. How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market! The disciples remembered what had been written, Passion for your house consumes me. The Jews responded by asking, What sign can you show us to justify what you have done? Jesus’ answer to them was, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews said, This Temple has been forty-six years in the building – and you will raise it up in three days? But he had been talking about his body. So, when he had risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the text and what Jesus had said.

While he was in Jerusalem for the Passover festival, many came to believe in his name because of the signs he performed. But Jesus did not trust himself to them, because he was well aware of what people are like. He had no need for anyone to instruct him about human nature.

(3)

There was a Pharisee called Nicodemus – a member of the Jewish hierarchy. This man visited Jesus one night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent from God; no one can do the signs you are performing unless God is with him. Jesus said in reply, In truth, in very truth I tell you, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said, How is it possible for a man to be born when he is old? Surely, he cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born? Jesus replied, In truth I tell you, unless a person is born from water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. It is flesh which gives birth to flesh; what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised that I have told you that you must be born from above. The wind blows where it wills; you hear the sound of it, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it is going. That is how everyone is who is born from the Spirit.

How is this possible? Nicodemus asked. Jesus replied, "You – a teacher in Israel – but you do not know this? In truth I tell you, we speak about what we know, and give evidence about what we have seen – but you do not understand what we are talking about! If I talk to you about material things and you do not believe me, how will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven, except the one who has come down from heaven – the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him shall not die, but have eternal life. For such is God’s love for the world that he gave his uniquely-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through him. The person who believes in him is not judged; the person who does not believe is already judged, because he has not believed in the uniquely-begotten Son of God.

And this is judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light – because their deeds were evil. For everyone who is evil- spirited hates the light, and does not come to the light for the quality of his actions to be displayed. But the true- spirited come to the light, so their actions can be openly displayed – that they are done in God.

After this, Jesus and his disciples went to Judea. He spent some time there with them, and baptised. John was also baptising at Ainon, near Salem, where there was plenty of water, and people were readily able to gather there and be baptised. This was before John was thrown into prison.

A controversy arose between John’s disciples and the Jews on the question of purification. So they went to John and spoke to him: Teacher, the man who was with you beyond the Jordan – the one you gave your testimony about – he is baptising, and everyone is going to him. John answered, "A man cannot achieve anything unless it is given him from above. You are witnesses to the fact that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ He who is married to the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom – who is at his side and hears his voice – delights at the joy in the bridegroom’s voice. This is the delight I have. He must increase; I am to decrease. He who comes from above is above all things; he who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of earthly things. He who comes from heaven is above all things. What he sees and hears, he speaks about, but no one accepts his evidence.

Whoever accepts what he says has God’s approval, because God is true. The person God sends speaks the truth of God – for there is no limit to what the Spirit gives. The Father loves the Son and puts everything into his hands. The person who believes in the Son has eternal life; the person who rejects the Son will not see life, because the wrath of God remains on him."

(4)

The Lord was aware that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making more disciples and baptising more than John – although it was not Jesus himself who was baptising, but his disciples – and he left Judea and once again went to Galilee. His route took him through Samaria. He came to the Samaritan town of Sychar, close to the plot of ground which Jacob gave to his son Joseph (Jacob’s well was also there). Jesus was tired after the journey, and he sat down beside the well; it was the sixth hour. A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give me a drink. The disciples had gone into the town to buy provisions. The Samaritan woman said to him, What? You, a Jew, ask me – a Samaritan woman – for a drink? (You should know that Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, If only you knew what God can give, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would be asking him, and he would give you living water. She said, Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where will you get ‘living water’? Surely, you are not greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well – and he drank from it himself, as well as his sons and their flocks?

Jesus answered her, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water which I shall give shall never be thirsty again. It will become in him a well springing up to eternal life. The woman said to Jesus, Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty – or have to come here to draw. He said, Go and fetch your husband, and come back here. She replied, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You are right to say that you have no husband. You have had five husbands, and the man you are living with at present is not your husband. That is the truth.

The woman said to him, Sir, I realise that you are a prophet. Our fathers have worshipped on this mountain, but you say that Jerusalem is the place where God should be worshipped. Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the time is coming when worship shall be offered to the Father neither on this mountain nor at