Jesus in the Gospel of John

In the magnificent prologue to this Gospel, God who spoke creation into existence by the Word is now speaking salvation into existence. This time God’s Word takes on human form and enters history in the person of Jesus. Jesus speaks the Word and it happens. Jesus who is one with God, active in creation, full of life, light and power became human and shared our life; Jesus who made the world and came to redeem that world was rejected by many, but transformed the lives of those who did believe him so that they too could be born of the Spirit and become children of God. The other gospels commence the story with a human birth; John (I take the Apostle to be the author), tells a story of cosmic proportions and in this prologue, this first chapter, we are introduced to all his themes and the Jesus he presents could not be more significant-God Creator, God’s Word, Life-Light, Redeemer, full of God’s glory enabling those who believe to become God’s children.

And into this great hymn of praise are two bits of prose which tell how one called John, at God’s command had been prepared to identify the Word, the Life-Light, to tell everyone ‘This is the One’.(1:6-8,15). John’s role is significant, like the warm-up act before the star appears on stage. By the time Jesus comes on scene there is a great furore of expectation, with multitudes being baptised and reporters arriving from Jerusalem to investigate. (1:19) (1:15, 29-34, 36)  He testifies to them all that he is but the forerunner to proclaimed that Jesus is the Anointed One of God who is baptised by the Spirit and will himself baptise others in the Spirit. He introduces Andrew and another (John?), who finds Simon. Jesus then calls Philip who fetches Nathaniel and so on. Each recognises Jesus’ as their Messiah amazingly quickly (1:41, 45, 49). Throughout the gospel we find others who believe. An unnamed Samaritan woman is convinced and witnesses to others (4:29) who also believe that ‘this man really is the Saviour of the world.’ (4:42) and a certain Royal official and his family believed (4:55). Simon Peter speaks for the Twelve (4:69) and some others were convinced in Jerusalem (7:41, 8:30, 9:38). One of the best known declarations is by Thomas who in the end worshipped the Risen Jesus (20:21). Jesus is recognized as the Christ, Anointed One, at the beginning and as God at the end.

By the end of the first chapter we have an abstract or summary of the Gospel, beginning and ending in God, full of the significance of Jesus. Just as the witness of John and the first disciples develops throughout the story, other main themes are also developed in more detail in the rest of the Gospel. Jesus is identified as the Messiah (1:41), the Son of God (1:49) and speaks of himself as ‘Son of Man’ (1:51). There is continuity from creation in Genesis, through the preparation of Israel for the Messiah, to his coming, by allusion to Moses and the Law twice (1:17& 44) to Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb twice (1:29 & 36), and to Jesus who ‘tabernacled’ among us (1.14) and to Bethel (1:51). As Kleine says Jesus in this gospel, is presented as the new Moses.[i]

The titles Messiah (Christ), Son of God and Son of Man are all titles used for Jesus by John.  In Jewish messianic tradition messiah refers to a ‘future King of Israel from the Davidic line who will rule the people of Israel and herald the Messianic age of global peace’. There had been many who had falsely claimed to be Christ and no doubt there was some surprise that the Baptist denied he was either Christ or the Prophet foretold by Moses(1:19-21). It is a title used especially by the disciples when they first meet Jesus and later by the Samaritan woman (1:41, 4:25); otherwise the Greek form ‘Christ’ is used as when the  people of Jerusalem puzzle over his identity (7:25-42). They are also watching out for the Prophet foretold through Moses (Deut. 18:18, 1:21, and 7:40) who is, it transpires, not John the Baptizer, but Christ. For John, Jesus is the Christ, not a human King to fight the Romans, but the Son of God (20:31). However it is not a title Jesus uses of himself.

Son of Man –son of Adam-is not in itself challenging as it can just mean man or ‘mankind’ (Ps. 8:4) but Jesus uses it of himself in a way that is synonymous with Son of God (3:13-17, 5: 25-30). The reference is probably to Daniel’s vision of one who looked like a man but was gloriously of God (Dan. 7:13-14). Jesus seems here to be identifying himself in his humanity, the one whose life will be given –lifted up on the cross (3:14) - to save the world (7:17, see also 8:28)

Son of God -or sons-is also used generally on occasion, as when peacemakers are called sons of God (Mat 5:9) or the curious reference in Genesis (6:2) but in this Gospel concerns Jesus the Son of God who brings life (20:31) the One and Only who came from the Father (1:14) Jesus is clearly speaking of his relationship to his Father God (5:16-23). God as Father is mentioned over 100 times in this Gospel and Jesus says ‘my Father’ 39 times.[ii]

One way in which John confirms that Jesus is the incarnate Son of God, the one baptised in the Holy Spirit, is in his description of the man Jesus exercising Divine power. John describes every miracle of Jesus as a ‘sign’ (Gk semeia) in order to indicate that there is a special power at work in each miracle.

1          Water changed to wine; His power over quality (2:11)

2          Healing of the nobleman’s son: His power over space (4:46-54)

3          Healing of the man at the pool; His power over time (5:1-15)-

4          Feeding of the five thousand; His power over quantity (6:1.15)

5          Walking on water; His power over nature (6:16-24)

6          Healing of the blind man; His power over misfortune (9:1-41)

7          Raising of Lazarus; His power over death (11:1-44)

Some omit the walking on water (5 above) and include the draught of fishes (21:6) retaining the same number of signs. This bit may have been added later but it does suggest that post resurrection Jesus is recognised by the Disciples by his power in a miracle and his sharing of a simple meal with them.

In biblical numerology ‘seven’ has meaning as ‘spiritual perfection’, so John is deliberately using this to show the spiritual perfection of the ‘signs’ that Jesus is the Christ. This use of seven appears more than once.

‘I AM’ is the name by which God is known in Judaism. (Ezekiel 3:13-14). When Jesus refers to himself in this way his hearers know this; his enemies cried ‘blasphemy’! There are seven examples of Jesus using this name to describe himself.

He says ‘I AM :-

The Bread of Life (6:35)

The Light of the World (8:12)

The Door (10:9)

The Good Shepherd (10:11

The Resurrection and the Life (11:25)

The Way, the Truth and the Life (14:6)

The True Vine (15:1)

These statements in particular remind us again that Jesus is presented as the new Moses in this Gospel, the mediator of the new covenant of love and obedience to God; where Moses was God’s agent, now it is God himself in Jesus who has come to save. Moses wrote down the Law of God, the Torah, and Jesus comes to fulfil it. The layout of the Tabernacle and the materials of its construction where specified in great detail to Moses by God and this becomes a picture or foreshadowing of the reality of the truth in Jesus Christ. So Jesus is the Door or entrance, the Lamb who is sacrificed, the water for washing clean, and for life, the Light and the Bread through to the Holy Place, so in this account, Jesus shows himself to be the reality of every item in the Tabernacle.[iii] He is also the Priest (his baptism by John is as a Priest). Moreover His own reference to the significance of his coming death refers to Moses lifting up the snake in the wilderness (3:14)

The Covenant promise to love God and to obey God underlies the whole Gospel. Allan Smith states that ‘John’s Gospel may justly be called the ‘Deuteronomic’ Gospel, for many of its major verbal themes are imported directly from the book of Deuteronomy’.[iv] He goes on to quote John Prior showing that in this Gospel ‘love for God is always demonstrated by covenant obedience’.[v]

Jesus as the Son is one with the Father (10.30, 38) He is also one with the Spirit. The Spirit prepares the way as He identifies Jesus to John and empowers Jesus at his baptism.(1:32-34).The Spirit is linked with Jesus in a number of ways. They both give Life (1:12, 3:11,3:34). Jesus is the Truth and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and the Truth which the Spirit is concerned with is that Jesus is the Son[vi] 

 In an extensively researched article Chambers concludes that ‘The Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel works to glorify Jesus, as the Son of the Father. More broadly, we note that Jesus’ role is to make the Father known. The Spirit and the Son thus operate together so that the world may know the Father and in knowing him, may become his children.’[vii]

This Gospel is so rich even as we read it, but how much richer when mined in its depths. Each story has so many layers. For example Jesus more than once invites people to come to him for the ‘living water’ of new life.  Spiritually speaking, in the Bible, there is a link between water and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the woman at the well to drink of living water (John 4:7-14; 6:35). This relationship between water and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit  is contained in the symbolism of pouring out water. Isaiah 44:3 links the pouring out of water with the pouring out of God's Spirit and there are a number of references linking water with the Holy Spirit (e.g. Joel 2:23,28; Ezekiel 39:22,27-29, Zechariah 14:8)

But if we look deeper into John 7 we find that his invitation to come to him to slake our thirst is made in the context of the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Chumney tells us that  Hoshana Rabbah  (literally, the great hosanna) is the seventh day of Sukkot (Tabernacles) It was a time when the priests poured out water from a golden jug.  ‘At this season of Sukkot, Isaiah 12:3 was often quoted, as it is written, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." Yeshua (Jesus) in Hebrew means "salvation."  On the seventh day of the feast, the people circled the altar seven times. That is why the day is called Hoshanah Rabbah, as the cry, "Save now!" was repeated seven times. Yeshua's statement in John (Yochanan) 7:37-39 was said on Hoshana Rabbah’[viii].At the ceremony of the water drawing, the people's attention was focused on the pool of Siloam, where Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth (Jn.9:1-7). According to Chumney this was on the last day of Succoth. Indeed ‘Jesus is the real focal point of the Festival, inviting people to ‘come to him and drink’, to give him the place which YHWH himself would normally take in their worship.’[ix]

Jesus is the new Adam, man as we were created to be, full of God-Spirit, completely full of love for God the Father and for us and in his complete obedience to his Father, he has redeemed us to love and obey as his brothers and sisters- surely he is fully both Son of God and Man.

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[i] Melanie Kleine The Structure of Biblical Authority  quoted by Allan Smith

[ii] www.peterboroughbibleproclaimer.cagospeljohn.htm

[iii] Martyn Barrow in www.domini.org

[iv] Ralph Allan Smith The Trinitarian Covenant in John 17  Legitimacy of Covenantal Interpretation

[v] John W. Prior  John the Evangelist of the Covenant People pp 161-63

[vi] Carl M. Chambers Pneumatology in the Fourth Gospel

[vii] Op cit.

[viii] Eddie Chumney E. http://www.mayimhayim.org/Festivals/Feast9.htm

[ix] N.T.Wright Worship and the Spirit in the New Testament

Jesus Christ in the Revelation to John

The  Revelation of John at the end of the New Testament gives us 'the last word on Christ, and the word is that Christ is the centre and at the centre.' (Petersen p28) This vision of Christ in the first chapter is a glorious one. He is dressed as a priest; is a bridge between us and God, he brings together the human and divine. Christ is mediator.

    His head, ‘white as snow’, shows him to be pure and holy as well as forgiven and forgiving. He is purifying. The eyes like ‘flame of fire’ penetrate and purify. Fire is often associated with the holy- as in the ‘burning bush’and ‘pillar of fire’- and with purification, as when Isaiah was purified by the burning coal to his lips or as when metal is purified. Christ’s gaze penetrates and changes us.

In contrast to the flawed feet of the ‘great image’ in Nebuchadnezzar's dream as described by Daniel, Christ’s feet are of burnished bronze. Bronze is a combination of iron and copper. Iron is strong but it rusts, copper does not rust and is flexible, so the combination of these metals preserves the best quality of both, the strength of the iron with the endurance of copper. Christ rules a kingdom which is securely founded and magnificent, unlike the succession of kingdoms on earth which rise and collapse.

In his right hand Christ holds seven stars, which would be the seven known planets-the un-fixed stars. It was thought that the stars ruled men’s lives, so astrologers who studied and interpreted their movement were valued and had high status. Christ holds them in his right hand as though ready for action, as one would a sword or knife. He is ready for action. In fact his action is to control the cosmos. The planets do not control us, Christ rules. The stars are also angels or messengers of God (Rev 1.20). They are not as the pagans thought, gods and goddesses.

Christ’s word is like a two-edged sword. In Hebrews 4v12 we are told that God’s word is living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart’. Here the sword is not for military action. Christ’s word is power and he overcomes evil by the power of his words. 

Later (ch. 5) Christ is described as a conquering Lion and a slaughtered Lamb, by whose death/blood a multitude of people (not just Jews) are ransomed to form his kingdom on earth and by the end (ch. 19) evil is conquered and the redeemed are with their Lord in glory.

The vision of Christ is glorious. John is overwhelmed with fear and awe at first and as the vision proceeds he sees all heaven and a huge multitude praising and glorifying Christ the redeemer King.

Yet this glorious Christ is seen by John not as remote and above it all. He is standing among the seven churches of John’s pastorate, with all their messy struggling humanity. The seven lampstands around Jesus in chapter 1 represent those churches.

Most of those who knew the apostles, the first generation of Christians had gone, including their ageing Pastor, John. The younger third generation were wondering whether it was worth it, to be a persecuted minority for what purpose? They had been told Jesus would come again but where was he? In the meantime some had fallen away or fallen into sin and they were a depressed bunch of people, lonely and disheartened.

John himself is also a lonely, depressed Pastor, worrying about his people but cut off from them and at the mercy of the cruel power of Rome. Yet by virtue of this vision John is empowered, and while still cut off from his little flocks is now envisioned by the Spirit that has given sight and direction to Christians ever since. This is a vision which tells of realities, not a dream about happy endings. God’s people suffer, are persecuted and killed but beyond the veil of mortality Christ is present, victorious and reigning- and knows each one of us so that we too have a share in that glory.

When John’s pastoral letter is read in the seven churches they will know that Christ does love them and is there as their Spiritual Director. For each he has a commendation, a warning and a reward if they will ‘pull their socks up’. The vision is a glorious one swirling in eternity not our linear time; the battle has been won, it is still raging and will be won. The letter however,  is primarily a pastoral letter. The glorified Christ is judging not the Roman Emperor, but the seven churches of Asia themselves. Each of the churches receives its own individual accounting, which recognizes how each has responded to its precarious situation.

Those who remain loyal and obedient to Jesus will face opposition and persecution as our Lord did, but here we see that He is always present with His people not with an instant rescue plan but with empowerment in His Spirit to endure and with assurance that their suffering will end and they will share His glory.

For us too there is encouragement, warning and a promised reward. When we see how the Spirit has swept through China, Africa and South America and how people have responded to the Gospel in the face of persecution we give glory to God. There are more Christians, and more Christian martyrs in the last century, than ever before and the story of the persecuted church in China mirrors that recorded in the book of Acts. We in the West stand accused of having forgotten simple words like ‘sin’ and ‘repentance’ mean. We have too often avoided opposition and compromised the Truth.

The message is that if we are following our Lord obediently in His love, we will face opposition and persecution but have assurance that He is right in there with us and we will share in His victory and enjoy Him for ever.

Bibliography

John Drane INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
Eugene Petersen REVERSED THUNDER,
Virginia Stem Owens intro to Revelation of John in SPIRITUAL FORMATION BIBLE
Brother Yun THE HEAVENLY MAN