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.
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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.

The Cast

Aloha friends,

It can be difficult to remember who's who as we jump around John especially since no one seems to have a last name.  In ancient Israel people were often associated with their father ("...son of Joseph"), their tribe ("...the Levite"), or their profession ("...the tanner").

In an effort to make it a bit easier, here's a crib sheet.

John: There are 3 Johns in the gospel of the same name.  The name John means, "YHWH is gracious"

• John, the Author.  The gospel is attributed to John.  Is this John the apostle mentioned in the synoptic gospels?  If so, then that'd make the author around 90 years old when he wrote the gospel.  While not impossible, it's important to note that he'd be nearly twice the average life span in that day.  Is the author John the Baptist (JB)?  Not likely as John 3 tells us JB is later imprisoned and the synoptic gospels tell us that JB was executed while Jesus was alive.  Is this the John who was in exile on Patmos, the one who wrote Revelation?  The time

  

  John on Patmos

  frame seems to line up but wow are the styles and themes in Revelation different from the gospel (and the letters attributed to John which sound a lot like the Gospel of John).  Perhaps it is John Mark mentioned in the book of Acts?  Much of Christian tradition and scholarship consider him to have been the author of the Gospel of Mark (writing both would have been tough as Mark was written about 50 years prior to John, so again, age).  Frankly, the authorship of John has been debated for over 1500 years and to make matters more complicated it was not uncommon in ancient times to attribute authorship to another person.  This was typically done as a sign of deference and respect to a teacher, mentor, or other exalted member of tradition.
• John, the Baptist.  This John (JB) is the cousin of Jesus (the son of Mary's sister Elizabeth).  JB acted in line and accordance with Hebrew prophets of old.  While the Gospel of John does not portray him with the obvious trappings of the prophet Elijah like the synoptic gospels do, it does however tie him to the prophetic tradition with the reference to the prophet Isaiah.
• John, the father of Simon (aka Cephas, aka Peter).  In the Gospel of John, the apostle Peter is called the son of John.  The interesting thing about this is that in the Gospel of Matthew, the apostle Peter is called the son of Jonah.  Scribal copying error?  Father with two names, like a nickname?  Two fathers?  One is a literal designation (ie your dad is named John) and the other is a metaphorical designation (ie you act like Jonah did)?

Mary: The Gospel of John ups the ante (and confusion) with 4 Marys.  The meaning of the name Mary is not entirely clear.  It may have derived from an Egyptian name meaning "Beloved" (several Hebrew names derived from Egyptian names).  The name is also related to the Hebrew word for "Bitter".

• Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  Technically, the mother of Jesus is never named in John.  While Jesus' mother appears prominently in the gospel, she is never named.  If we didn't have the synoptic gospels we wouldn't know what to call her.
• Mary, of Bethany.  This is the sister of Martha and Lazarus.  This Mary is at the center of one of the most intimate stories of Jesus, the washing of his feet with her hair.
• Mary Magdalene.  Yeah a last name!  Well, not really.

  

  Mary Magdalene

   Magdalene is believed to mean, "of Magda" referencing a town on the shore of Galilee.  In the Gospel of John this Mary only appears in name at Jesus' death and at the resurrection.  This close association strongly implies her presence throughout the ministry of Jesus.
• Mary, the wife of Clopas.  So who's Clopas?!  No idea.  Theories abound on who this Mary is (eg Jesus' mother, or Jesus' aunt, or wife of Cleopas, etc).  No one knows.  What we do know is that she was present at the crucifixion, a place not even the disciples dared to tread.

The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (aka The Beloved Disciple):  Who is this unnamed disciple that pops up all of sudden with such prominence?  As you might be able to guess, theories abound.

• Lazarus.  John's Gospel straight up names Lazarus as "he whom you (Jesus) love."  Mystery solved, right?  Well, not so
  
  much.  It's implied that not long after Lazarus' resurrection, he is assassinated.  Also, the Beloved Disciple appears to be the author of the gospel.  Did Lazarus write about himself, his death, all that happened while he was dead, and his resurrection in the third person?
• Mary Magdalene.  Mary's position at the high point of the gospel (the death and resurrection) imply a close association with Jesus and his followers before those specific moments.  Could she have been the unnamed Beloved Disciple?  This theory is tough to sustain as the Beloved Disciple and Mary appear in the same place at the same time.
• John, the Author.  As mentioned earlier the Beloved Disciple appears to claim authorship of the gospel.  Of course this doesn't help too much as it brings us full circle to the question, "Who is John?" 

Session 2: Recap

Aloha friends!

I am way late with this week's recap.  Capturing, editing, and posting the videos is taking longer than I expected!  Hopefully, in time, I'll get quicker.

I hope to see you this Tuesday as we'll be looking at the stories of Nicodemus, Lazarus, and the principle of the already/not yet.

Session 1: Recap

Aloha friends!

After each Tuesday night session I'll upload a video recapping the material.  Check out the first entry into this little experiment.

Quick note, I'm still working on the sound.  I encourage you to turn up your speakers and/or turn on closed captioning on the video (click the "CC" icon on the bottom right of the video).

Be-Loved: John & Synoptics (sounds like a Christian soft rock band)

What's the big deal?  Aren't all of the gospels a bit different?

Yes, and John is definitely the odd one of the bunch.  Check out some of the differences between John and the other three gospels.

Unique to John:

• The Story of Jesus Turning Water to Wine
• The Story of Jesus and the Woman at the Well
• The Story of Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery
• The Story of the Resurrection of Lazarus
• The Story of Jesus Washing the Disciples Feet
• The Post Resurrection Story of Jesus and Thomas

Material in the Synoptics but Missing in John:

• Jesus' Baptism and Time in the Wilderness
• Parables, ie "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..."
• Transfiguration
• Exorcisms
• A Call to Repent (Jesus does tell someone to "go and sin no more")
• The Institution of Holy Communion

Material in the Synoptics that is Clearly Different in John:

The Gospel of John is Traditionally
Symbolized with an Eagle

• Jesus' Trips to Jerusalem
• Jesus and John the Baptist
• The Composition of the 12 Apostles
• Crucifixion Story

Be-Loved: Reading Plan

Aloha friends,

Trying to cover the Gospel of John in 6 sessions means we're going to skip around quite a bit, but it doesn't mean you have to miss anything.

Here is a daily reading plan to get you through the Gospel of John and to help you prepare for each week.  I tried to make each day's allotment of verses take less than 2 minutes to read.

02-Sep 1:1-28
03-Sep 1:29-51
04-Sep 2:1-25
05-Sep 3:1-21
06-Sep 3:22-36
07-Sep 4:1-30

08-Sep 4:31-54

John knows you can do it!

09-Sep 5:1-29
10-Sep 5:30-6:15
11-Sep 6:16-40
12-Sep 6:41-71
13-Sep 7:1-24
14-Sep 7:25-52
15-Sep 7:53-8:30
16-Sep 8:31-59
17-Sep 9:1-34
18-Sep 9:35-10:21
19-Sep 10:22-42
20-Sep 11:1-27
21-Sep 11:28-57
22-Sep 12:1-26
23-Sep 12:27-50
24-Sep 13:1-30
25-Sep 13:31-14:17
26-Sep 14:18-15:11
27-Sep 15:12-16:11
28-Sep 16:12-33
29-Sep 17:1-26
30-Sep 18:1-27
01-Oct 18:28-19:16a
02-Oct 19:16b-42
03-Oct 20:1-31

04-Oct 21:1-25

Be-Loved: Terminology

Aloha friends,

Throughout our time together I'm prone to lapse into jargon.  Please forgive me and call me on it if start using terminology that's distracting.  Also, here are a few common terms used in Biblical studies:

• Canon: A collection of sacred texts deemed authoritative for life and faith.  In particular, writings that are suitable as a foundation for a theological teaching.  All of the books in the Bible are canon.  At times I may mention other books that are non-canonical but still helpful or interesting as we study the Gospel of John.  Such non-canonical books may include: the Apocrypha, other Gospels (eg Gospel of Thomas or Gospel of Mary), the Didache, or letters of ancient church fathers (eg Eusebius or Irenaeus).
• Context: As I mentioned in the first class, context plays a massive role in understanding scripture.  When we talk about context we'll often be looking at it in three different ways.
• Historical Context will refer to the early 1st century during the time of Christ and specifically the region around Jerusalem.
• Author's Context will refer to the end of the 1st century/beginning of the 2nd century when the author was composing the gospel.  While we do not know the exact location where John was written (most scholars think somewhere in Syria), it is best to think of it as any place where nascent Christian communities lived under Roman rule and were under threat of persecution having been expelled from the synagogue.
• Our Context will refer to the worldview we bring as 21st century Americans living in Hawai'i. 
• Gospel: Gospel is derived from the Greek word evangelion (which is also the root for "evangelism").  The word literally means "good news" and was often used as a announcement of a military victory.
• Synagogue: The synagogue is a house of prayer and worship which grew in prominence after the Babylonian captivity in 587 BC and became even more central in Jewish religious life after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.
• Synoptic: Mark, Matthew, and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels.  The term refers to the idea of "seeing all together" as these three gospels share a good deal of content and language.  While each does present a unique point of view their strong parallelism is revealed when contrasted with the Gospel of John.

We'll add to this list as we go.

Be-Loved: Covenant

Aloha friends, on Tuesday night we began our sessions with a simple pledge to one another about how we would move through our time together.

This covenant is based upon the conviction that the spirit of God stirs within each participant in the group.  It is this conviction that inspires us to give all an opportunity to speak, to listen deeply to what is said and to be at peace in the silence.

Each time we give voice to the covenant think of it as a pledge we make to one another, an affirmation of the Creator's promise to creation, and a prayer we offer together.

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One: We know from experience that through Scripture, our words, and moments of silence God’s Spirit works to transform the words of the Bible into the Living Word of God for our lives.

Therefore…

All: We covenant with one another to:

• Listen attentively to the specific words of Scripture,
• Listen respectfully to each person’s comments allowing each the opportunity to contribute,
• Give space for silence,
• Speak so that all can hear and,
• Empower the designated leader to guide the group through this process.