John 18-21: An Enactment of New Creation

John 18-21: An Enactment of New Creation The present note is part of a series of notes intended to highlight how certain narratives in the Gospels resonate with—or ask to be read in light of—certain OT narratives. The imagery and detail of John 18.1-21.25 imbue it with a number of important theological implications. These include the concepts of substitutionary atonement, a new kingdom, a new power structure on the earth, and more besides. In the present note, I discuss the extent to which our text depicts Jesus’ death and resurrection as the start of a new divine creation. John’s narrative has a number of contact-points with Gen. 1.1-3.24, which cast it as a creation story, but not just any old creation narrative: Jesus’ triumph in John’s ‘garden’ is set in deliberate contrast to Adam’s failure; as such, it depicts a new redeemed creation as opposed to an old fallen creation. New creation, then, is not an interpretation theme which must be superimposed on top of John’s narrative; rather, it is an integral part of the plot and drama of John’s view of Christ’s crucifixion. Creation week The first two chapters of John’s Gospel resonates with the Mosaic creation narrative (Gen. 1.1-3.24) in a number of important ways. Jesus is explicitly revealed as the Creator of all things (1.3)1 and as the one who causes light to shine forth from the midst of darkness (1.5, 8.12, Gen. 1.3-5). Just as the Holy Spirit ‘hovers’ above the face of the world’s waters at the outset of Genesis, so the Holy Spirit ‘hovers’ (in the form of a dove) above the waters of baptism at the outset of Jesus’ ministry (1.32-33, Gen. 1.2). Just as God creates two lights in Genesis—a greater and a lesser light—to illuminate the earth and announce its ‘signs and seasons’, so God sends forth two lights at the outset of John’s Gospel (Jesus and John the Baptist) to bring light to Israel and to serve as ‘signs’ of its divinely-appointed ‘season’ (1.6-9, Gen. 1.15-16). And just as Gen. 1 describes six days’ worth of activity, so does John 1.1-2.2 1 Consider how John’s en archē (lit., ‘in a beginning’: 1.1) resonates with Moses’s bĕrē ֓šît (lit., ‘in a beginning’: Gen. 1.1). 2 1.29 is ‘day one’; 1.35 is ‘the next day’; 1.43 is ‘the day after (day two)’; and 2.1 describes ‘three more days’. 1 Similar resonances connect the text of 18.1-19.42 with the Creation narrative. Both narratives are set in a garden (Jesus is both arrested in a garden and buried in a garden3 ). Both centre around a “tree” connected with both good and evil.4 Both reach a preliminary climax with the completion of a week’s work (Jesus is anointed in Bethany “six days before the Passover”: 12.15 ) followed by a declaration of the form ‘My work is finished!’ and a day of rest.6 And both look forward to a ‘test’ where a son of God—an Adamic figure fashioned in God’s own image—is tested by Satan’s representatives (8.447 ), the consequences of which will echo throughout creation (Rom. 5.12-21). We can legitimately, therefore, see 18.1-19.42 as ‘creative’ in some way. More precisely—given the location of John’s narrative in history and its relationship to the new covenant—, we can see it as a drama which ushers in a new creation. That connection is reinforced by a number of 20.1-21.25’s details and imagery. At the close of 18.1-19.42, Jesus, like Adam, is put into a ‘deep sleep’, and new life comes from his opened side—a fountain, as it were, for sin and uncleanness (19.34-37, Gen. 2.21-23 cf. Zech. 12.10-13.1). Jesus is thereby made a prototype of all those who believe, as per his proclaimation, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” ’ (7.38). Ch. 20 then opens in darkness on “the 1st day” of a week in order to emphasise the end of an old week and the dawn of a new one. Just as, in the garden of Eden, God fashions mankind in his image, breathes life into him, and gives him authority over Creation (Gen. 1.26-28, 2.7), so, when Jesus appears to his disciples, he fashions them in his image (“as the Father has sent me, so also I send you” 8 ), breathes life and power into them (20.22), and gives them authority over the forgiveness of sins (20.23). 20.26-29 describes Jesus’ appearance to the Twelve “eight” days later—and ch. 21 describes eight men stood on the far side of the resurrection—, which locate whatever follows these events in a ‘new era’. (Consider, for instance, how the post-flood world is repopulated by eight people,9 the Levitical priesthood is inaugurated on the eighth day,10 Israelites are circumcised on the eighth day,11 3 18.1, 19.41-42. Adam and Eve eat fruit from a “tree”, while Jesus is hung on a tree (Acts 5.30, 10.39, 13.29), which reveals both the goodness of God and the evil heart of man. 5 For a full chronology, see «academia.edu/24267678/A_Chronology_of_Jesus_Ministry». 6 teleō in 19.30, sunteleō in Gen. 2.1. In each case, the days of rest are described immediately afterwards (19.31, Gen. 2.2). 7 where Jesus’ accusers are referred to as ‘sons of the devil’ 8 Author’s trans. Consider also how Jesus commissions Peter to feed his sheep, and hence appoints Peter to a similar role as him (a shepherd). 9 1 Pet. 3.20. 10 Lev. 9.1. 11 Lev. 12.3. 4 2 and Solomon’s temple is, like Ezekiel’s, inaugurated on the eighth day.12 ) Jesus’ body has been ‘planted’ in a new garden and has now borne new fruit, just as he promised. (“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit”: 12.24.) As such, the advent of 20.1 marks the inauguration of a new creation. A new Adam The sense in which 18.1-21.25 as a whole depicts the inauguration of a new creation is emphasised by its parallels to Adam’s ‘test’ in Gen. 3. That 18.121.25 portrays Jesus as an ‘Adamic’ figure seems beyond dispute. Consider, for instance, Pilate’s declaration, “Behold the man!”. Pilate, of course, does not have Adam in mind as he utters these words. The sense of Pilate’s statement in its original context is, ‘Here! Is this beaten-up and defenceless peasant the ‘king’ who you’re making all this fuss about?’. But, as usual, John wants us to look beyond the face-value implication of the text. Jesus is portrayed in John’s narrative precisely as “the man”. He is man as he should be—man made in and undeparted from God’s image, man in the midst of and yet untainted by a fallen Creation. Adam is the first man, and Jesus “the second”—the head of a new order (1 Cor. 15.47). When, therefore, Mary ‘mistakes’ Jesus for a gardener (20.14-15), her identification of Jesus is not far off the mark, for Jesus is precisely the man whom God has appointed to rule over and tend to his new ‘garden’ (Gen. 2.15). Also in John’s mind, perhaps, are Zechariah’s words: “Behold, [the] man whose name is ‘[the] branch’, for he will branch forth from where he is, and hence rebuild the temple of YHWH” (Zech. 6.1213 ). Jesus has indeed ‘branched forth’ (from the dead), and hence rebuilt the temple destroyed by the Jewish people (2.19). New life has ‘sprouted forth’ from the seed planted in the garden (19.41-42 cf. 1 Cor. 15.4 with 15.36-38). Like Adam, Jesus has become a bearer of new life, and the Church, like Eve, will receive new life by virtue of her connection with him (“Because I live, you also will live”: 14.19b, Eph. 5.22-32, Gen. 2.21-22). He has at the same time—insofar as he has been “lifted up from the earth”—triumphed over ‘the prince of this world’ (Satan), as represented in Jesus’ accusers (8.44-45, 12.31, 16.11). As such, he has become the very fulfilment of Gen. 3.15. The accusations14 of Satan’s representatives (8.44-45) have ‘bruised his heel’ (on the 12 1 Kgs. 8.66, 2 Chr. 7.9, Ezek. 43.18-27. Author’s trans, where the adv. ‘hence’ represents a wĕqāt.al conj. 14 The Jews bring accusations [katēgoria] against Jesus, which is shares a common root with the title given to Satan in Rev. 12.10 (‘the accuser’, Gr. katēgōr ), as also in Rabbinic literature (Heb. qāt.îgôr ). 13 3 cross), but, by means of his death, he has ‘bruised Satan’s head’, i.e., dealt Satan a fatal blow. The link between John’s narrative and new creation becomes stronger when we consider its contrasts with the narrative of Gen. 3, i.e., when we contrast the actions and experiences of the last Adam with those of the first Adam. As mentioned previously, insofar as both Adams faced a ‘test’ (of sorts), their experiences were similar, but their experiences—and, more particularly, their actions—also differed in many ways, as we will now consider, since where the first Adam fell, the last Adam triumphed. The first Adam’s trial took place in Eden in the ‘cool’ of the day, while the last Adam’s trial began in Gethsemane in the dead of night (18.1, Gen. 3.8). The first Adam is provided with a helper, while no man is able to help the last Adam in his duties; he must enter the sanctuary alone (18.12, 18.33, Gen. 2.18 cf. Lev. 16.17). In Eden, a sword is unsheathed in order to keep the first Adam from the tree of life, while, in Gethsemane, a sword is sheathed in order to allow the last Adam to proceed to the tree of death (18.11, Gen. 3.24). The first Adam hides in the garden since he is naked, while the last Adam steps forward in the garden since he knows he must become unclothed (19.23, Gen. 3.10, 2 Cor. 5.1-5). The first Adam incriminates his helper and fails in his duty to protect her (“The woman...gave me fruit!”), while the last Adam gives himself up on his disciples’ behalf (“Let these go their way!”) and loses none of those entrusted to him (18.8-9, Gen. 3.12). The first Adam falls in the midst of a perfect world, while the last Adam stands firm in the midst of a fallen world; more specifically, the first Adam wrongfully takes the fruit from the hand of Eve, while Jesus rightly takes the cup from the hand of his father (18.11, Gen. 3.6). The first Adam betrays God, while the last Adam is betrayed by man (18.2-3, Gen. 3.6). The first Adam is found guilty by God, while no man finds any hint of guilt in the last Adam (18.38, Gen. 3.17). God clothes the first Adam in animal skins in order to preserve his honour, while man divide up the clothes of the last Adam and clothe him in purple in order to mock his majesty (19.5, 19.24, Gen. 3.21). The first Adam is initially given a crown yet later promised “thorns”, while the last Adam is initially crowned with thorns yet later crowned with glory (19.2, Gen. 1.26, 3.18). At the end of the first Adam’s trial, God declares “Behold the man!” since man has “become like God”, while, at the end of the last Adam’s trial, man says “Behold the man!” since God has become like a man (19.5, Gen. 3.22 cf. 1.14). The first Adam’s failure brings death on his ancestors, while the last Adam’s triumph brings life on his ancestors: as per Caiaphas’s suggestion, one man ‘dies for the people’ (18.14, Rom. 5.12-21). 4 In the aftermath of the first Adam’s rebellion, hardship in childbirth is promised to ‘the mother of life’ (Eve), while, in the aftermath of the last Adam’s obedience, ‘the mother of the one in whom is life’ (Mary) is given a son who will be a comfort to her (“Woman, behold your son”: 1.4, 19.26-27, Gen. 3.16). In sum, then, John’s portrays Jesus as a progenitor who triumphs precisely where Adam fails, and who regains what Adam lost (and more besides). The creation inaugurated by Jesus is a restoration and augmentation of God’s initial creation—new life in a new Eden. But, of course, while the world of John 20.121.25 is a new and glorious one, it is nevertheless continuous with the old world. It is still beset by fear of persecution (20.19); it is still plagued by doubt and uncertainty (20.24-25); Jesus is still (to some extent) recognisable and is identifiable by his wounds (20.26-28); and Adam’s initial commission (“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it”) is still incomplete (Gen. 1.26-28). As such, Jesus’ disciples must not ‘cling to him’, but, rather, spread the good news (20.17). They must act as Jesus’ image-bearers in order to carry forth his life to a fallen and death-stricken world (20.21-23). Consequently, it is helpful to consider how John’s narrative alludes to various ‘transfer of authority’ narratives in the OT. One such narrative is found in 27.12-23, where Moses passes his authority on to Joshua. The time of Moses’ departure is imminent, and Moses is concerned for the future welfare of his people. (He does not want them to be like ‘sheep without a shepherd’.) So, he takes a man indwelt by God’s spirit and appoints him to care for the sheep of Israel (Num. 27.12-23). Later, opposite Jericho, Joshua divides the Jordan, just as Moses divided the Red Sea, and the people pass over the Jordan safely (Josh. 3.1-4.24). The implication is clear: the God of Moses is also present with Joshua. A similar sequence of events unfolds in John 21.1517. The time of Jesus’ departure is at hand, and Jesus, the good shepherd, is concerned for the future welfare of his people. (He does not want them to be like ‘sheep without a shepherd’: 10.11-16 cf. Matt. 9.36.) So, Jesus takes a man indwelt by God’s spirit (Peter: 20.22) and appoints him to “shepherd [the] sheep” (21.16). Later, Peter sees Jesus ascend into the heavens (Acts 1.8-11 cf. 2 Kgs. 2.10,15 discussed below), and heals a man in the Temple complex in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 3.1-13). The implication is clear: the God of Jesus is also present with Peter. A number-based resonance reinforces the connection between John’s narrative and Joshua. Just as Joshua will have to lead the people on ‘the 15 “If you [Elisha] see me [Elijah] as I am...taken from you, [you shall have two shares of my spirit]” (2 Kgs. 2.10) 5 other side of Moses’ Passover’, so Peter will have to lead the apostles on ‘the other side of Jesus’ Passover’, which is significant because the Gematrial value16 of the word ‘Passover’ is 153,17 the number of fish caught by the disciples in Galilee (21.11). YHWH’s statement about Joshua in Deut. 1.38 (“Joshua...shall enter [the promised land],...[and] he shall cause Israel to inherit it”) underlines the connection, since the Heb. word yanh.ilenâh (‘he will cause [Israel] to inherit it [i.e., the land]’) likewise has a Gematrial value of 153,18 which it possesses only because it is spelt defectively.19 A new generation of Israelites (descended from Jesus’ disciples) will inherit the promised land, while the ‘old generation’ will be left in a spiritual wilderness (cf. 9.2820 ). A second ‘transfer of power’ narrative, which is connected to both Num. 27.12-23 and to John 21, is found in 2 Kgs. 1.1-2.15. The time of Elijah’s departure is at hand, and Elijah is about to perform his final miracle. The king of Israel has lapsed back into his old ways (consultation with foreign gods). So, Elijah speaks a word of judgment against him, in response to which Ahaziah sends three groups of fifty men (plus their three captains) to ‘commune’ with Elijah, but God gives Elijah mastery over them all. Afterwards, as Elijah stands opposite Jericho, power is transferred from him to Elisha, as Elisha parts the Jordan. The connections between the Elijah-Elisha narrative and the texts discussed above are not difficult to see. The second half of the Elijah-Elisha narrative parallels the events of Josh. 3.1-4.24 (power is transferred as the Jordan is divided in two), while the first half parallels the events of John 21.1-25. The time of Jesus’ departure is at hand as ch. 21 begins, and Jesus is about to perform his final miracle (the miraculous catch of fish). The disciples have lapsed back into their old ways (they are back in their boat, in Galilee). So, Jesus speaks a word of command to them (“Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat”), and hence demonstrates his mastery over the situation. In reference to their catch, Jesus says, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught”. The power of Jesus is, therefore, present with his disciples. 16 Gematria may seem a rather ‘gnostic’ concept to many modern readers of Scripture, but it is not really ‘gnostic’ at all. It is just a means by which numbers can be represented by way of letters (consider how we often enumerate things a], b], c], d], etc., or i], ii], iii], iv], etc.), and was commonly employed in Israel. Indeed, in Israel today, Gematrial convention is still employed to number pages, buses, classes, etc. And, in Greek manuscripts, the number 666 (in Rev. 13.18) is commonly ‘spelt’ by means of Gematrial values, as is reflected in the Greek Orthodox Church 1904 text, the Tischendorf 8th Ed., the Stephanus Textus Receptus 1550, etc. 17 hpsh. = 5 + 80 + 60 + 8. 18 ynh.lnh = 10 + 50 + 8 + 30 + 50 + 5. 19 It would normally be spelt with an î instead of an i, which would give it a Gematrial value of 163. 20 “You, [a healed sinner], are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses” (9.28). 6 As before, a number-based resonance reinforces the connection between the two narratives. The number of fish caught by the disciples (153) is equal to the number of people subdued by Elijah (three groups of fifty-one). In addition, “the net” has a Gematrial value of 153x8, i.e., 153 multiplied by the number of new creation.21 The mention of 153 also connects John’s narrative to a second OT passage (as noted by Richard Bauckham22 ), namely Ezek. 47. Ezek. 47 describes a creation renewed by means of Israel’s renewal, where the Dead Sea is no longer a place of death, but of life, “from the springs of Gedi [as far as] the springs of Eglaim” (Ezek. 47.1023 ). Both of these place names are significant: Gedi has a numerical value of 17, and Eglaim has a numerical value of 153, which is the 17th triangular number. The context of Ezek. 47.10 strengthens the connection. “Waters [will] go forth”, Ezekiel tells us, “[from the Temple] towards the sea,...and the waters of the sea become fresh [lit., ‘healed’],...and there will be very many fish, for..everything will live where the river goes,...and...fishermen will stand beside it: from the spring of Gedi to the spring of Eglaim, there will be a place for the spreading of nets” (Ezek. 47.8-1024 ). The flow of water from the Temple also looks back to a text we consider earlier, namely 7.38 (“Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”), and possibly also 19.37 (cf. Zech. 12.10). A new temple has been established in a new post-resurrection world, from which rivers of fresh life-infused waters will now go forth and water the whole earth, and they will do so by means of God’s people in line with Jesus’ promise: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” ’ (7.38). The ‘translations’ of the place names Gedi (‘kid’) and Eglaim (‘calves’) add further colour insofar as they resonate with Jesus’ command to Peter, “Feed my lambs!” (21.15). Jesus is about to ascend, and appoints Peter as a new shepherd for his sheep. Summary thoughts ‘New creation’ is not merely a theological construct which (if desired) can be superimposed on top of the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. On the contrary, it is hard-baked into the events of Jesus’ ministry, and constitutes an integral part of the plot and drama of John’s Gospel. New life has been planted in the garden of Jesus’ tomb, and the disciples’ task is (like Adam’s) to continue 21 to diktuon = 300 + 70 + 4 + 10 + 20 + 300 + 400 + 70 + 50. As a further connection between the passages, we can consider the pattern of two identical incidents followed by a third subtly different variation (21.15-17 cf. 2 Kgs. 1.9-15). 22 Bauckham 2002:77-88. 23 Author’s trans. The prefix “En-” in place names refers to a ‘spring’ of water. 24 Author’s trans. 7 the work of Jesus, the gardener, namely to tend it and cultivate it. Obviously, many things can be said by way of expansion here, but the primary purpose of the present series of notes is to establish textual connections rather than to explore their full theological implications. Suffice it to say, the post-resurrection world depicted by John is not the same world as before but with an extra miracle to its name. It is a different world altogether. With the resurrection of Jesus, an entirely new era has begun in Israel’s history. As such, we can compare the moment when Jesus rises from the grave to other ‘new creative’ events in Scripture, such as the moment when Noah emerges from the ark and sets foot on a new earth, or when Moses and the Israelites emerge on the far side of the Red Sea, or when Joshua and the Israelites arrive on the far side of the Jordan, or when Zerubbabel and Joshua arrive back in Judah (compare the close of Jer. 4.13-30 with Gen. 1.1-3). We can also, perhaps, connect the way in which Israel must ‘drive out’ (Gr. ekballō) the nations before them in Canaan (Exod. 23.28-30) with how Jesus gave the disciples authority to ‘drive out’ (Gr. ekballō: Matt. 10.1) demons from Israel.25 The battles of the present age do not primarily concern flesh and blood, but spiritual powers and principalities, yet our task remains the same: to subdue and to undo the devil’s work on the basis of God’s power over his Creation, and we look forward to the time when God’s Creation and God’s new Creation denote one and the same entity, i.e., when the earth is full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11.9, Hab. 2.4). 25 Note also how ekballein (‘to drive out’) has a Gematrial value of 153. 8