Our time this week will take us through the first half of John’s gospel. It is the most unique of the four gospels and is written specifically so that people may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing they may have life in his name. Pay attention to each of these themes as you read: belief, Christ, Son of God, eternal life, and discipleship.
Jesus’ mission of “purification” which was hinted at in chapter 2 is brought into clearer focus in John 3-4. In John 3, Jesus engages in a lengthy conversation with the Jewish leader, Nicodemas, who has failed to understand the things of the Lord. John 3 concludes with a transition from the ministry of John the Baptist to the ministry of Jesus. But the account takes a surprising turn in John 4 when Jesus passed through Samaria to talk about “pure worship” with an outcast Samaritan woman.
If you want to get to the heart of the Christian life, John 5 has everything you need to know. Jesus the Son reveals the Father. The Son loves the Father and does the Father’s will. The proper response is to hear Jesus’ word and believe in him who sent the Son. In believing him, the Father and Son share their very life with us (by the Spirit). The heart of the Christian life is rooted and grounded in the very life of the Trinity. We receive this knowledge through the Scriptures, through which the Spirit points us to the Son, who reveals the Father, who points us back to the Son. You will spend eternity exploring this reality shown to us in John 5. In John 6, we get the “theological” reflection on the feeding of the five thousand connecting it to Moses and the manna in the wilderness. The manna was a lifeline for the people – but Jesus is the greater manna. He himself is the bread of life who gives eternal life.
John always links Jesus’s signs with Jesus’s sayings. They go together and interpret the other. We see this in chapter 9-10. On the Sabbath, Jesus heals a man born blind which causes quite a stir among the town – and backlash from the Pharisees. The man born blind perceives things very clearly which is an affront to the Pharisees’ “learning.” But following closely behind this scene is Jesus’s statement “I Am the Good Shepherd” which is also an accusation against the Pharisees, who should be shepherding Israel. To further his point (and John’s), Jesus connects his words and his actions to his oneness with the Father. His words and actions are interconnected because they mutually interpret one another.
John 11 shows us a variety of responses to death. No matter where you’re coming from, we will all confront death. We each will respond differently. Perhaps you resonate with Martha, who came to Jesus with facts, maybe attempting to ignore her emotions by focusing on the facts. Perhaps you resonate with Mary, who came to Jesus with emotion. Maybe you resonate with the Jews, who want to be nearby to show care and comfort to those who are grieving. But perhaps the one who we should look to is Jesus – who teaches us how to grieve. As NYC pastor Tim Keller has noted about this text, we see from Jesus truth, tears, anger, and grace. Truth because he points everyone to himself saying “I am the resurrection and the life.” Tears because he weeps with those who weep. Anger because death is an interruption in the original creation design. Grace because he calls Lazarus from the grave. The plot to kill Jesus intensifies after the Lazarus scene. The events of John 12 take us into Jerusalem for the final week leading us to the cross.
John 13 is unique among the gospels. Only John includes the washing of the disciples’ feet and the extended “farewell discourse” which will carry us through chapter 17. Before they finish the meal, Jesus speaks a final word of comfort and encouragement to the disciples. He gives a new command to his disciples: love one another in the same way Jesus loved them. He reminds them that he is the way, the truth, and the life. He promises the Holy Spirit who will dwell with them and remind them of all Jesus said to them.
Jesus’ farewell discourse in the Upper Room continues through these chapters. He encourages the disciples to abide in him – just as a branch abides and receives strength and life from the vine. They will need this life and strength as they face a world that hates them and wants them to fall away from Christ. But, the Helper (Holy Spirit) will convict the world, guide the disciples into truth, and turn their sorrow into joy. Amid their coming struggles, the disciples can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world.