Session 6: Recap

Hi friends, this is it, our final recap.  This video touches on the scripture several of you requested for the final session, John 2:1-12, the wedding at Cana.

There was a small mail room task to be done at the church so I thought I'd try to do two things at once.

I thoroughly enjoyed our sessions on the Gospel of John.  I hope that through it you grew in knowledge, compassion, and love.  I'm looking forward to next time.

Prophetic Tradition

During our final session I'm pretty sure I used the phrase, "the prophetic tradition" and I don't think I did anything to define what I meant by that.  In fact, I'm thinking I've used that phrase a few times without unpacking it at all.  So allow me to geek out a bit.

When I say something like, "Jesus is acting in accordance with the prophetic tradition" what I mean is that Jesus is acting/speaking in ways that are consistent with how Hebrew prophets acted for centuries before him.

The prophet tradition encompasses particular methods and metaphors used by Hebrew prophets to convey a message from God.

The Methods?

• Prophetic Drama - Think of a street performer with an act that's less about entertainment and more about illustrating a point.  The prophet Jeremiah was commanded by God to walk around town with a yoke to symbolize God's will that the people of God would be subject to Babylon.  The prophet Isaiah was supposed to walk around naked for three years to symbolize God's judgement on Egypt and Ethiopia.  Jesus' triumphal entry and cleansing of the temple are right in line with prophetic drama.

• Signs and Wonders - Prophets often performed miracles as a way to illustrate their message.  Moses brings water from a rock (God will provide).  Elijah calls fire from heaven (YHWH, not Baal, is God).  Jesus changes water to wine as a sign that the joy and life of God is present in him.

The Metaphors?
There are several common metaphors and images employed by Hebrew prophets:

• Vineyard

• Wedding

• Marriage

• Sheep and Shepherd

Jesus used each of these metaphors in his teaching.

The Message?Moses was the prophetic prototype.  So, starting with Moses, the Hebrew prophets span nearly 1,000 years.  Throughout the centuries each prophet faced struggles particular to their time and place.  However, pretty much all of their messages can be reduced to this; the relationship between God and the people of God is breaking (or has broken) and God seeks to heal it.

Typically the break in the relationship was created by the people's willful neglect of the relationship manifested in the worship of other gods, the reliance on other kingdoms, or (very often) the oppression or neglect of the poor.


The prophet names the community's complicity in the breakdown of the relationship and typically ends with a message of hope, based in God's faithfulness, of an eventual restoration of relationship.

Jesus fits right into the prophetic tradition.  His first sermon is a direct quotation from the prophet Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

It's important to keep this context in mind as we seek to interpret and understand his actions.  It's also important to keep in mind that Jesus goes beyond the prophetic tradition.  After reading this section from Isaiah 61 Jesus then says,

'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing'

Cue mic drop.

I hope that helps shed some light on the prophetic tradition.  If you want to go deeper and unpack "prophet" then by all means keep reading.
--
What comes to mind when you think of a prophet?

• Someone who predicts future events...

• A grizzled, unkempt, old man with a chip on his shoulder...

• A miracle worker...

• Something else entirely.

Prophets play a significant role in the scriptures.  The Hebrew term for prophet can be defined as "one who is called."  When looking at the actions of prophets in the Bible (i.e. what are they called to do), a prophet can simply be defined as, one who speaks truth (i.e. the word of God) to power.

The ultimate Hebrew prophet is Moses.  Moses spoke truth to power when he confronted the Pharaoh.  He spoke the word of

God to the people when he brought the 10 Commandments to them.  Moses even spoke truth to God when he advocated that God spare the Hebrew people.  The signs/miracles of Moses all served to convey and further the words/promises of God (e.g. the 10 plagues of Egypt were signs that YHWH not any Egyptian deity was the true God and the Hebrews were YHWH's people).  In the book of Deuteronomy Moses makes a number of predictions regarding the future of the people of God.  Predictions of the future can be seen as foresight and/or the application of wisdom.  Moses had seen the cycles of the relationship between God and the people of God.

As the practice of Israel's faith (and the development of their political/social structure) evolved so did the role of the prophet.  The specific duties, societal esteem, and location of the role changed.  Two major categories of prophet emerged.

	Role(s)	Notable Examples	Notable Stories
Inside Prophet	-Court Prophets who occupied an advisory position in the court of the King/Queen -Cult Prophets attached to official holy sites and often held a priestly role as well	-Nathan is an ideal example of a Court Prophet.  Samuel is an example a Cult Prophet. -Scripture often casts Court Prophets in a negative light (i.e. telling rulers what they want to hear instead of truth).	-Nathan’s consult to David about building a temple and Nathan’s rebuke of David. -Samuel’s follows God’s lead in anointing Saul as king and leads the people in worship.
Outside Prophet	-Independent Prophets were attached to unofficial holy sites or operated outside of the religious institution (although it was not uncommon for them to come from priestly families).	-Elijah, Jeremiah, Amos, etc. -Many of the noteworthy prophets in the scriptures are independent prophets from the margins.	-Elijah confronts King Ahab and Queen Jezebel -Jeremiah confronts the people of Israel and Judah

Micaiah before Ahab

There's a peculiar little story about the decision to go to war.  The story involves Ahab (King of Israel), Micaiah (Independent Prophet), and Zedekiah (Court Prophet) and it illustrates the prophetic dynamic very well.

Session 5: Recap

This recap from our 5th session brings us beyond the cross and to one of resurrection stories.  The Gospel of John includes more resurrection stories than any other gospel.  John 20:19-29 holds one of the more popular after Easter stories, "Doubting Thomas" or as I prefer to call him, "Faith-Seeking-to-Understand Thomas."

In our final session we'll dive into a story or theme of your choosing.  Check of the list of possibilities here.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Session 4: Recap

This recap from our 4th session focuses on John 13 (I know it's a bit dark, ironing night always goes a little late).  John 13 is the beginning of John's retelling of the upper room when Jesus gathered with his friends on the night before his betrayal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion.

Next week we'll dive into some of the resurrection stories unique to John.  I look forward to seeing you then.

Choose Your Own Adventure

The final session in our Be-Loved series is in your hands.

There is so much in the Gospel of John that we will not be able to cover in only six weeks.  Is there anything though that you would really like us to touch on before we say goodbye to this series?

Here's a list of significant themes in John as well as stories unique to John.  Let me know in the comments below or in an email if there is something in particular you'd like to hear about in our final session.

• The Holy Spirit.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks about the Holy Spirit more than in any other gospel.  What does he say about the third person of the Trinity?
• The High Priestly Prayer.  In John's Upper Room scene Jesus offers a long prayer for his disciples and for us.  This prayer includes a core verse for the United Church of Christ.
• The Wedding at Cana.  John tells us that Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine.  Why lead off with such an obscure miracle?
• The Seven "I am"s.  Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus
  
  makes seven strong statements about his nature and his work.  What's the significance of these seven metaphors?
• Caught in the Act.  The story of the woman (and the man) caught in adultery is powerful and a bit mysterious.  What was Jesus writing in the sand with his finger?
• Well Woman.  The story of the woman at the well is another powerful story about Jesus and his mission.  How does this story connect for us today?
• All I Know.  The story of the man born blind is a terrific story within John that weaves together so many of the gospel's themes.
• Another Idea?

I've heard from a few of you.  Let me know what you'd like to be included on our final session.

What in the devil?

Our fourth session focused on John 13.  In this opening chapter of the Upper Room scene an enigmatic character is brought to the forefront.

"The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him" - John 13:2

Discerning the character and work of the devil is no easy task.  The layers of cultural beliefs and historical assumptions that have accreted around this character coupled with the often abstract biblical references make it a challenge to understand the devil.  In order to get our head around this topic we'll narrow our scope.  As we're studying the Gospel of John, we'll focus on John's references to the devil.

In John there appear to be four ways of talking about Old Scratch.

The devil.  The devil is the most common designation for this character or idea in the Gospel of John.  Jesus speaks of the devil in his confrontation with a group of Jews in John 8.  Jesus makes the case that their false accusations and desire to kill him reveals their connection to the devil because the devil is a murderer and a liar.  A similar idea is expressed in 1 John 3.  Are they motivated to kill Jesus because of the work of the devil or is the idea of the devil a way of talking about and understanding their actions which are so diametrically opposed to the faith of Abraham?

In the Greek devil is dia-bolos, which literally means, "the one who casts apart".  With that literal understanding of devil in mind read verse 13:2 above again.  To me it sounds more or less like, "The one who casts apart thrust Judas apart from Jesus".  The description of "the one who casts apart" sounds similar to the Hebrew word often used for this character, the Satan.

The Satan.  Only once does the Gospel of John translate this word in reference to this idea.  However, the idea the word conveys appears often.  Satan is literally translated as, "the accuser".  In the Hebrew scriptures the Satan, or the Accuser, functions like a prosecuting attorney pointing out the flaws and evil in humanity before YHWH the just judge (check out Zechariah and Job).  In John 13:27 it says Satan entered Judas and Jesus told him to go do what he was going to do.  In this I hear, "the Accuser entered Judas and Jesus told the Accuser/Betrayer to go get those who have been and will again accuse Jesus" unjustly.

The ruler of this world.  This title is easy to ascribe to the person of the devil and yet on closer inspection perhaps this title helps us to see the devil in a different light altogether.  The "ruler of this world" appears three times:

1. "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out." - John 12:31
2. "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me" - John 14:30
3. "And when the Advocate (ie Holy Spirit) comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment...because the ruler of this world has been condemned."  John 16:8, 11

However, before all three of these references the Greek word "archon" translated here as ruler had exclusively referred to Jewish religious leadership, such as the Sanhedrin.  Furthermore, the term "ruler of this world" was not used in rabbinical writings as a term for the Satan.

Consider again the Gospel of John's audience at the end of the first century; Christians who had been exiled from the synagogue and who on some level were facing persecution from the Roman empire.  Who is the ruler of this world to them?  Look again at the reference from John 14:30 spoken in the Upper Room.  Now look at John 19:11 as Jesus speaks to Pontius Pilate:

"Jesus answered, 'You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.'"

The evil one.  This title only appears once in the Gospel of John as Jesus prays for his disciples.  Is the evil one a particular person or, like in the Gospel of Matthew, is it a reference to the devil?  The context of the verse focuses the presence of the evil one in the world and implies that the evil one has power in the world.

From this brief look into the devil in the Gospel of John we're left with questions.  Is the devil a spiritual entity with the power and permission to influence human affairs?  Is it a dark power we are made vulnerable to, or that we submit to, when we choose that which is not love?  Is it a way the ancient Christian community talked about the irrational and indiscernible hatred and evil that is manifested in our world, in others, and in our selves?  Is it some mix of all three or something else entirely?

What is made clear in the Gospel of John is that no devil or darkness or death can compare to he that is the resurrection and life.  In his Upper Room speech Jesus comforts his disciples saying, "I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!"  Jesus did not conquer with violence or dominance but with a life giving love that casts out fear.  Again, it's the very beginning of John 1 that makes it plain:

"What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."

Session 3: Recap

As I mentioned on the first night, I try to keep touch on historical/literary context and biblical scholarship without going full Bible geek.  Well this past Tuesday I think I drifted a bit too much into geekiness.

So, with this week's recap* I wanted to pull back a bit and look at the bigger picture of the stories (Nicodemus and Lazarus) we explored.

*In re-watching the video I realize that I say, "sister Lazarus" when I meant to say "brother Lazarus" and I say, "I think of life in temporal terms" when I meant to say, "I usually think of eternity exclusively in temporal terms"  Oops.