Commentary

Faulkner University
Readings Project
Bible 3340 The Gospel of John
November 11, 2010
Melanie Hendricks
John 1
Chapter Summary:
Where was Jesus before he was born in Bethlehem? What did he do before he came down to
earth? The apostle John clues us in to Jesus’ whereabouts in the first chapter of the Gospel of
John. John explains that Jesus was with God in the beginning of time, John calls Jesus “the
Word,” and he says that “the Word was God.” He goes on to explain how Jesus was intimately
involved with the whole creation of the world. John identified Jesus as the Lamb of God and the
word became human.
Commentary:
1:1-18 – The Word Becomes Human
v 1 – In the beginning. It is not by accident that the Gospel begins with the same phrase
as the book of Genesis. In Genesis ‘In the beginning’ introduces the story of old
creation; here it introduces the story of the new creation. In both works of creation, the
agent is the word of God.1
v 5 – An anticipation of light/darkness duality dominates much of the rest of the book.
The darkness in John is not only absence of light, but only revelation bound up with
creation, but with salvation.2
1: 19-28 – John Prepares the Way
v 19-23 - According to the Fourth Gospel the Baptist categorically denied that he was
Elijah, the expected Prophet, or the Messiah. However, he was indeed the last of the OT
prophets, one sent by God to announce the baptism of repentance and the arrival of the
Kingdom in Christ. He preached a moral reform designed to prepare the Jews for the
advent of the Messiah.3
v 27 – The people who untied his shoe were slaves. John is actually saying that he is
lower than the lowest slave compared to Jesus.
1: 29-34 – John Identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God
v 29 – The lamb of God could mean sin offerings. John may be identifying himself as
Isaiah.
1: 35-51 – Calling of the First Disciples
v 48 – No one knows who Nathaniel is. It is possible that he is a disciple. Nazareth is a
tiny town, scholars recently found proof that it existed in the first century.
Devotional Reflection
In verses 40-42 Andrew understood who Jesus was, and wanted to tell his friends. Andrew
brought Simon to Jesus. I need to learn to have the same passion that Andrew had to tell my
friends about Jesus. It is my job as a Christian to spread the love that Jesus has for everyone to
others. I think that the best way I can achieve this goal is by asking Jesus’ for help by praying.
Lord, thank you for the most valuable gift of all – the gift of Jesus Christ. Give me a passion like
Andrew’s to tell a friend about you.
John 2
1
[ CITATION Bru83 \l 1033 ] 28
2
[ CITATION Car91 \l 1033 ] 119
3
Mciver, M. E. "John the Baptist, St." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2003.
1012-1015. Religion & Philosophy eBook Collection. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
Chapter Summary:
A wedding took place in Cana. Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. While Jesus
and his mother were at the wedding, the wine ran out. Jesus told the servers to “Fill the jars with
water.” When the people became drunk, the host served cheap wine. Jesus made his glory
public in Cana, and his disciples believed in him. Many people believed in Jesus because they
saw the miracles he performed at the Passover Festival.
Commentary:
2: 1-12 Jesus Changes Water Into Wine
v 2 – According to Greek, Jesus was called to the wedding and the disciples tagged along.
v 4 – The word “woman” does not have a negative meaning.
v 5 – Do whatever he tells you. Mary’s instruction to the servants or waiters was given
in a tone that confirms our impression that she was in some position in the responsibility
at the feast. The recorded words of Mary are few; these particular words have an
application beyond the immediate occasion, which called them forth.4
v 12 – Three theories about Jesus’ brothers: 1) The brothers of Jesus are actually the
brothers of Jesus. (Tertullian) 2) These are the children of Joseph from a previous
marriage. 3) These are simply relatives of Jesus.
2: 13-25 Jesus Throws Merchants and Moneychangers Out of the Temple Courtyard
v 13-22 – These verses comprise the Johannine account of Jesus clearing the temple.
Here emerges one of the most difficult questions facing a study of the historicity of John.
Has John thematically relocated this passage as a kind of headline to the meaning of
Jesus’ ministry and to the mixed response, Christ would receive? Or did Jesus in fact
clear the temple twice, once toward the beginning and once near the end of his public
ministry?5
v 23 – Believed in his name. This expression is episteusan eis to onoma autou, even
though their faith is spurious. To exercise faith on the grounds of having witnessed
miraculous signs is precarious. Although miracles cannot command faith, it is better to
believe on the ground of miracles than not at all.6
v 24-25 – Sadly, their faith was spurious, and Jesus knew it. Jesus did not entrust himself
to these spurious converts. By implication, Jesus wonderfully promises to entrust himself
to those who truly trust him.7
Devotional Reflection:
Anger is an important theme addressed in chapter two. Jesus did not care about making friends
in this situation. Jesus called people out of their names and was not nice to them in any manner.
Jesus demonstrated anger in a situation where God would have demonstrated anger as well.
Anger is an appropriate reaction in certain situations. I learned that I should use the emotion,
anger, only when appropriate. Instead of becoming angry at the little things that happen to me in
life, I need to learn to handle the situation in a different way.
4
5
[ CITATION Blo01 \l 1033 ] 87-88
6
7
John 3
Chapter Summary:
Nicodemus came to Jesus and started a conversation about how Jesus could not perform miracles
without the presence of God. Jesus explains, “No one can see the kingdom of God without being
born from above.” God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the
world. People loved the dark rather than the light because their actions were evil. Jesus and his
disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them and baptized
them. Whoever believes in God has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life.
Commentary:
3: 1-21 – A Conversation With Nicodemus
v 2 – Possibly Nicodemus came at night because was afraid of public association with
Jesus, or he wanted a lengthy discussion without interruptions; no explanation for the
timing of the interview is given by the Evangelist. However, the timing is significant for
John in terms of the light/darkness motif. Out of the darkness of his life and religiosity,
Nicodemus came to the Light of the World.8
v 9 – This verse concludes Nicodemus’ contribution to the conversation as he
disparagingly dismisses Jesus’ teaching. Jesus rightly chastises a leading teacher who
should understand better. The Fourth Evangelist wishes to portray Nicodemus as still
outside the community of Jesus’ followers. In the light of the more positive references
later in the Gospel, one would have expected free creation by a later writer to generate a
less negative portrait of Nicodemus here and a clearer witness to Christian truth.9
v 16 – Everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. To ‘perish’
(apolesthai) is the alternative to having ‘eternal life’ or to being ‘saved’.10
3: 22-36 John the Baptizer Talks About Christ

v 22 – The expression after this gives no indication on the length of the interval. Went
out into the Judean countryside is the most likely translation of the Greek. It seems best
to render the phrase as in NIV, and assume that John simply means Jesus and his
disciples went out from the urban to the rural areas of Judea.11
v 29 – This verse is a parable that explains John the Baptist’s understanding of his own
role. We cannot imagine that John the Baptist was ignorant of the many Old Testament
passages that depict Israel or the faithful within Israel as the bride of the Lord. Rather
obliquely, John is therefore also saying that the Jesus he has introduced to the faithful
remnant in Israel is none other than Israel’s King and Messiah.12
Verses 16-18 says that not everyone will live forever, but that believes in Jesus will have eternal
life. It is important for me to not fall from the way side of my faith by being distracted from
worldly things. I have to remember that my walk with the Lord will ultimately result in eternal
life if I stay straight. I can do this by reading in the word and praying to God more.
8
[ CITATION Har01 \l 1033 ] 56-57
9
[ CITATION Blo01 \l 1033 ] 93
10
11
12
John 4
Chapter Summary:
Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing more disciples. Actually, Jesus
was not baptizing people, his disciples were. A Samaritan woman met Jesus at a well. Jesus
reveals things to the woman pertaining her many husbands and she believed he was a prophet.
Jesus’ second miracle was curing a baby from a fever.
Commentary:
4: 1-42 A Samaritan Woman Meets Jesus at a Well
v 1-3 – By putting Jesus in the same category as John the Baptist, the Evangelist is
probably drawing on ‘ancient tradition, if not a historical fact, that the Synoptics have
suppressed or ignored’. As in the Synoptics, early in Jesus’ ministry the Pharisees prove
hostile. The antagonism here is merely implicit, but it causes Jesus to leave the region,
just as he will later leave Galilee in response to opposition there.13
v 22 – This verse should be accepted as authentic even if one rejects the bulk of this
account, precisely because it cuts against the grain of John’s tendency to criticize the
official Judaism of Jesus’ day.14
v 36 – The words Even now could be read with verse 35, but customary Johannine usage
and the pungency of the argument prefer the placement of the NIV. 15
v 40-42 – It is possible, but by no means certain, that the ‘city of Samaria’ that Philip
evangelized a few years later was a Sychar or perhaps nearby Shechem. The ready
acceptance of Phillip’s message might then find some explanation in the preparatory
work accomplished in this visit by Jesus and his disciples.16
4: 43-54 A Believing Official
v 44 – The proverb of this verse, ‘a prophet has no honour in his own home’, provides a
further comment on his departure from Judea. All three Synoptists also record him as
quoting this proverb, but with reference to his home town of Nazareth or Galilee, but
Judea – not so much because of his birth at Bethlehem, as because Judea, and more
particularly Jerusalem, constituted ‘his own place’, the headquarters of ‘his own people’,
who ‘did not receive him’.17
v 54 – The signs performed in Jerusalem do not come into the reckoning here. The
Evangelist is thinking only of Galilean signs at this point.18
Jesus knows the difference between false and true worship as portrayed in verse 23. Sometimes
when I go to church, I sing the songs of worship with disregard to the actual meanings of the
words that I am singing. I now realize that I was unfortunately practicing false worship. I need
to worship the Lord in truth and spirit and ask the Lord to be a true worshiper with a true
worshiping heart.
13
14
15
16
17
18
[ CITATION Bru83 \l 1033 ]119
John 5
Chapter Summary:
Sick people lived in Bethesda. Jesus cured a man that had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus
asked the man, “Would you like to get well?” After Jesus healed the man, he told him to stop
sinning, so nothing else bad will happen to him. Jews began to persecute Jesus because he kept
healing people on the day of worship. The Son is equal to the Father. Jesus came with the
authority of his Father had given him, but the Jews did not accept him.
Commentary:
5: 1-15 Jesus Cures a Man at the Bethesda Pool
v 2 - There has been external verification or support for some of the material in John
alone. The pool of Bethesda in John has been excavated in Jerusalem and has been found
to have five porticoes, just as John describes it.19 The name of the pool is variously
attested in the manuscripts as Bethesda, Bethzatha, Belzetha, and Behsaida. The first of
these is almost certainly right, not only on various transcriptional grounds, but because
now it is supported by the corresponding Hebrew name in the Copper Scroll from
Qumran, first published in 1960.20
5: 16-47 The Son is Equal to the Father
v 17-18 - In their synagogue services of prayer and thanksgiving the Jews were
accustomed to address God as ‘our Father; but Jesus appeared to be claiming God as ‘his
own Father’ in an exceptional, if not exclusive, sense. To the Greeks there would be
nothing extraordinary in such a claim. However, for the Jews the line of demarcation
between the divine and the human was strictly drawn; it was unthinkable that anyone
should be comparable to God.21
v 27 – in this context, three strands come together. Jesus is the apocalyptic Son of Man
who receives from the Ancient of Days the prerogatives of Deity, a kingdom that entails
total domination. At the same time, he belongs to humanity and has walked where
humans walk. It is the combination of these features that make him uniquely qualified to
judge. Third, judgment is often linked with revelation. Judgment descends because men
love darkness rather than light.22
Jesus does not want me to wallow in self-pity or bitterness. He asked the crippled man by the
Bethesda pool, and asked, “Would you like to get well?” Recently, I have been feeling
somewhat bitter because of some material items that I do not have enough money to buy.
Instead, of blaming other things or people, I need to learn to believe and trust in the Jesus. Jesus
knows what is best for me, not Melanie. I need to follow God no matter how scary or difficult it
may seem.
John 6
19
Brown, R. E., and F. J. Moloney. "John, Gospel According to." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed.
Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 902-913. Religion & Philosophy eBook Collection. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
20
21
22
Chapter Summary:
A large crowd followed Jesus because they saw the miracles that he performed for the sick.
Jesus fed more than five thousand people. Jesus walked on the sea and his disciples immediately
wanted to help him onto the boat. Jesus states, “I can guarantee this truth: Moses didn’t give you
bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. God’s bread is the man
who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus followed
God’s plan.
Commentary:
6: 1-15 Jesus Feeds More Than Five Thousand
v 1 – Some time after this renders the same Greek expression, meta tauta, which
introduces 5:1 and 6:1. This expression is vague: it establishes sequence, but not tight
chronology. The next words establish that Jesus travelled to the east side of the Sea of
Galilee, since the far shore is normally determined from the west side, the dominantly
Jewish side.23
v 3 – The Greek to oros does not necessarily refer to a particular mountain or hillside, but
may simply mean ‘the hill country’ or ‘the high ground’, referring to the area east of the
lake and well known today as the Golan Heights.24
6: 16-21 Jesus Walks on the Sea
v 17-20 – Verbal parallelism appears with the ‘boat’ (v. 17), ‘beyond’ (v. 17), ‘walking
on the water’ (v 19), and the climatic pronouncement, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid’ (v. 20). As
with the versions of the feeding of the five thousand, once this story was put into the
stylized form of the oral tradition, this amount and kind of parallelism is exactly what one
would expect. In neither instance can we prove that John was not literally dependent on
Mark. But, if he was, he has rephrased things to such an extent that we can demonstrate
it. More likely the accounts are independent.25
6:22-71 Jesus Is the Bread of Life
v 53-58 – Casey correctly stresses that Jesus could not have expected Galilean crowds a
year before his death to have understood the significance of teaching not articulated until
the last night of his life. It is not all clear that we should take this passage as John’s
equivalent to the Last Supper. It is more probable that John is playing down references to
the sacraments, which by the end of the first century have become too institutionalized
for my liking.26
It is important for me to follow God’s plan even when I become independent from my parents.
Jesus chose to follow God’s plan in verses 35-40. Jesus, with all of heaven and earth at his
command, did not demand his own way. It will be easier for me to stray from God’s plan when I
live on my own, because there will be more distractions than ever before. I need to choose
God’s way over desires for my own life. If I do this, I will begin to experience His very best in
every area of my life.
John 7
23
24
25
26
Chapter Summary:
Jesus did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews there wanted to kill him. Jesus went to the
Festival of Booths. When the festival was half way over, Jesus went to the temple courtyard and
began to teach. However, Jesus was not educated. Some of the people questioned rather Jesus
was the Messiah or not. Chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest Jesus. The
people were divided because of Jesus.
Commentary:
7: 1-53 Jesus Goes to The Festival of Booths
v 3-4 – Jesus’ ‘brothers’ here are most probably the members of his own family, as
elsewhere in the NT. They are certainly not his ‘brothers’ in the spiritual sense, for it is
plainly stated in verse 5 that they do not believe in him. One explanation of their advice
to Jesus is that there was a spirit of revolt in the air, in Galilee as well in Jerusalem. The
brothers were aware of it, and expected that it would manifest itself as Jerusalem during
the festival.27 For the several linguistic connections between verse 4 and Matthew 10:26
= Luke 12:2; Mark 4:22 = Luke 8:17. The meaning of verse 4 is quite distinct from
either pair of references. Nevertheless, there are conceptual links between this verse and
the ‘messianic secret’ theme in Mark, rightly understood. In John and Mark, Jesus
necessarily passes through a period in which his identity is wholly or partially hidden
from all witnesses, for where it otherwise his opponents could not have crucified him, his
faithful followers could not have been crushed by his death and burial.28
v 10 – The assumption in this verse is that the Father has signaled Jesus in some way, so
Jesus goes to Jerusalem, leaving Galilee for the last time before the cross. Even so, his
journey is marked by maximum discretion, exactly the opposite of what the brothers had
in mind. But John the Evangelist, far from depicting fickleness, is in fact portraying
Jesus’ firm resolve to do exactly what the Father gives him to do, and at the Father’s
time.29
v 24 – In an age when Matthew has displaced John 3:16 as the only verse in the Bible the
man in the street is likely to know, it is perhaps worth adding that Matthew 7:1 forbids
judgmentalism, not moral discernment. By contrast, John 7:24 demands moral and
theological discernment in the context of the obedient faith, while excoriating self-
righteous legalism and offering no sanction for censorious heresy hunting.30
The Jews judged Jesus by his outward appearance. Judging others by their outward appearance
is wrong, but I unconsciously do it all the time. I know that doing this wrong, but it will be hard
for me to stop because it has become second nature. In society, people are judged immediately
by how they look. If I see someone dressed dirty, I immediately assume that they do not care
about themselves and assume that they are not intelligent. Inner appearance is more important
than outer appearance. When I die, it will not matter how I look on the outside.
27
28
29
30
John 8
Chapter Summary:
Jesus taught people at the Mount of Olives. The Pharisees brought a woman forward that
committed adultery and asked Jesus about her punishment. Jesus let her free and told her not to
sin anymore. Jesus spoke with the Pharisees about his Father. When Jesus was done talking to
the Jews, some of them picked up stones and threw them at Jesus. But, Jesus was concealed and
left the temple courtyard.
Commentary:
8: 1-11 A Woman Caught in Adultery
v 1-11 – Contemporary textual critics almost unanimously agree that this famous
periscope does not form part of what John originally wrote. It is absent in all the oldest
and most reliable manuscripts, and those that do include it sometimes have only 8:2-11 or
3-11 or insert the passage after 7:36, 21:24, or even Luke 21:38. It seems to have been
transmitted in at least two somewhat different forms, one of them preserved by the
apocryphal Gospel of the Hebrews. Many scholars nevertheless suggest that it may
reflect a genuine episode from Jesus’ life, preserved in the oral tradition, and later added
to the text by Christian scribes.31
8: 12-59 Jesus Speaks With the Pharisees About His Father
v 31 – The opening clause seems innocuous, until it becomes apparent in the ensuing
verses that the Jews who had believed him, apparently referring to the ‘many’ who ‘put
their faith in him’ in the preceding verse, turn out to be, in Jesus’ view, slaves to sin,
indifferent to Jesus’ word, children of the devil, liars, and guilty of mob professed to
believe. Verse 31, or some part of it, is a gloss, i.e. a later insertion into the text. There,
is no manuscript evidence for this suggestion. Moreover, glossators are known for their
tendency to remove ostensible difficulties from the text by additional explanation, not for
any tendency to add fresh difficulties.32
v 48 - It is interesting that the Christological claims of Jesus are rejected by ‘‘the Jews’’
with the charge that He is a Samaritan.33
v 57 – A good case can be made by arguing that the Jews incredulous question should be
rendered, ‘You have seen Abraham for fewer than fifty years!’ – as if they are prepared
to grant the possibility that Jesus has communed with Abraham, but not for long.34
Devotional Refection:
Jesus discusses the issue of sin in verses 30-47. Jesus said to the Jews that people who sin are
slaves to sin. Sin can run my life and make all my decisions for me, if I let it. Sin is all around
me no matter where I go. I need to constantly pray and read the word of God in order not get
caught up in sin. It will be very easy for me to get caught up in sin, especially in today’s society.
It is important for me not underestimate the power of sin.
John 9
31
32
33
Brown, R. E., and F. J. Moloney. "Johannine Writings." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 7.
Detroit: Gale, 2003. 892-895. Religion & Philosophy eBook Collection. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
34
Chapter Summary:
A man was born blind so that God could show what he could do for him. When the blind man
was able to see, the Pharisees questioned him. The man told them, “He put a mixture of spit and
dirt on my eyes. I washed it off, and now I can see.” Until the Jews spoke to the man’s parents,
they did not believe that the man was not blind. Jesus heard that the Jews threw the man out of
the synagogue. Then Jesus asked the man, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
Commentary:
9: 1-41 Jesus Gives Sight to a Blind Man
v 4-5 – The combination of a plural pronoun and a singular pronoun (‘we must do the
work of him who sent me’) emphasizes the exclusiveness of Jesus as the sent one for
verse 7, while associating his disciples with him in the work. Martyn takes this as
evidence of a post-resurrection perspective. In one sense, that is correct, for elsewhere
Jesus looks forward to the continuation of his ministry through disciples. That surely
does not mean, however, that there was no sense of ministry while Jesus was still on the
way to thee cross – a point well attested in the Synoptics.35
v 7 – The pool of Siloam, south-west of Ophel (the city of David) near the junction of the
Tyropoeon Valley and the Valley of Hinnom, received the water which was carried, or
‘sent’, through a channel from the spring of Gihon (later called the Virgin’s Fountain) in
the Kidron Valley. It is called the ‘Pool of Shelah’ in Neh. 3:15, and it is to be identified
probably with the ‘lower pool’ or ‘old pool’, today’s Birket el-Hamra, lying a little way
to the south-east of what is now known as the Pool of Siloam.36
v 22 – A spare of studies since the 1980s has questioned whether anything like a uniform,
much less empire-wide, curse on Christians was introduced at all this early. Even if it
were, there is a reason to question the claim that Christians were its primary target. In
other words, if what John is describing in this verse and elsewhere is understood as
empire-word edict, then no such ban has occurred even by the end of the first century
when his Gospel was published.37
v 38-39 – Several manuscripts omit all of verse 38, and ‘Jesus said’ from verse 39. Some
scholars have justified the omission, partly on the ground that the verb for ‘said’ in verse
38 is rare in John, while the verb rendered ‘worshiped’ is found only in 4:20-24. These
scholars suggest that the words were added for liturgical reasons, perhaps as part of a
baptismal catechesis, where the liturgical forces were influential in shaping the
transmission of the text at an astonishingly early date, since one early papyrus omits it.38
Christ is able to bring comfort and guidance to people who find themselves stumbling around in
spiritual darkness. I think that the best way I can close behind Christ is by asking Jesus’ for help
by praying. Lord, spiritual darkness can sometimes be tempting! Help me to see the dangers
that await me when I stray from the light.
35
36
37
38
John 10
Chapter Summary:
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep respond to his voice. Jesus emphasizes the
fact that he was the gate for the shepherd and all that came before him were thieves and robbers.
The Jews were divided because of what Jesus did. The Jews rejected Jesus. They tried to arrest
Jesus but once again, he got away. Jesus went back across the Jordan River and stayed in the
place where John first baptized people.
Commentary:
10: 1-21 Jesus, the Good Shepherd
v 7 – Precisely because we might have expected some expansion of the theme, that Jesus
is the shepherd, the words “I am the gate for the sheep’ come as a bit of a surprise. For
this reason, and because the identification of Jesus with the gate introduces a little tension
with the earlier metaphors, some early manuscripts change ‘gate’ to ‘shepherd’. Though
attested early, the ‘shepherd’ reading is found in only one Greek manuscript and a few
versions.39
v 9 – According to Hegesippus, a second-century writer, James the half-brother of Jesus
was executed by Jewish opponents, in part because of his answer to the question, ‘What
is the gate of Jesus?’ When James answered in terms of reminiscent of Matthew 26:24,
he was thrown off the temple and, still alive, was stoned to death. Whatever the
reliability of this report, it attests that Jesus did indeed speak of himself as the door or
gate.40
v 16 – The AV’s ‘one fold’ instead of ‘one flock’ is based on the Latin Vulgate’s error,
unum ovile. The revisers of King James were without excuse, not only because of the
Greek, but also because the earlier work of William Tyndale had it right. The context
itself demands ‘flock’: the sheep are drawn out of the ‘fold’ or ‘sheep pen’ of Judaism,
and from other pens as well, attracted by the voice of the shepherd, and constitute one
new flock, the messianic community.41
10: 22-42 The Jews Reject Jesus
v 24 – This verse provides an important reminder that, even limiting our focus to the
Fourth Gospel, Jesus is not being portrayed as having revealed himself as unequivocally
as some later interpreters take his earlier remarks – most notably the ‘I am’ sayings. One
thinks again of Mark’s ‘messianic secret’ motif. The authorities’ question resembles that
of John the Baptist’s followers in Matthew 11:2-3 and parallel that of the high priest at
Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin.42
In John 10, Jesus provides assistance to when are spiritually “locked out”. Jesus said that he is
the gate and whoever enters into a relationship with God through him will be saved. Jesus
promised to never lock anyone out. In return, I need to promise not to lock God out of my life.
God wants me to praise him and seek him in everything that I do and always put him first.
39
40
41
[ CITATION Car91 \l 1033 ] 388-389
42
[ CITATION Blo01 \l 1033 ] 161-162
John 11
Chapter Summary:
Lazarus lived in the village that Mary and her sister Martha lived in. Lazarus was the one who
was sick. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four
days. Jesus bought Lazarus back to life. The Jewish council planned to kill Jesus. Therefore,
Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews.
Commentary:
11: 1-44 Jesus Brings Lazarus Back to Life
v 11-13 – The use of sleep as a metaphor for death became, and remains, a common
Christian locution, so common, indeed, that we may think that the disciples were
unusually obtuse not to grasp what Jesus meant. But perhaps the locution was not so
familiar to them; we may recall the bystanders’ incredulous scorn when Jesus said that
Jairus’s daughter was ‘not dead, but asleep’. That the man who was ill should have fallen
asleep seemed to the disciples to be a promising sign.43
v 14-15 – The verb behind has died (apethanen) is an aorist, and should not be taken as a
perfect with stative force. The NIV understands the clausal relationships in the Greek
text as follows: the casual ground of Jesus’ rejoicing in the fact that he was not present in
Bethany when Lazarus died; this rejoicing is not for his sake but for the sake of his
disciples; the purpose toward which Jesus’ rejoicing is oriented is the belief of the
disciples.44
v 41-42 – These verses contain the only prayer recorded in the Gospels by Jesus prior to
his working a miracle. But Jesus explicitly plays to the crowd by telling God that he is
praying aloud for the benefit of the bystanders. If any part of this passage reads like a
Johannine insertion, this is it! On the other hand, Jesus’ use of ‘Father’ recalls the
synoptic Abba, Jesus’ thanksgiving resembles Psalm 118:21 and Matthew 11:25, and the
audible prayer shows that Jesus does nothing on his own authority apart from the Father’s
will.45
11: 45-57 The Jewish Council Plans to Kill Jesus
v 47-48 – The Pharisees by themselves could not take decisive judicial action. The
highest judicial body in the land was the Sanhedrin, which under Roman authority
controlled all Jewish internal affairs. It was simultaneously a judiciary, a legislative
body, and, through the high priest, an executive; and all his authority was perceived to
rest on a theocratic basis. In Jesus’ day, the members of the Sanhedrin were dominated
by the chief priests, i.e. priests drawn from the extended family of the high priest, who
presided over it.46
When bad events happen, I sometimes question rather God’s love for us. When Mary’s brother
Lazarus died, she questioned Jesus. No matter how difficult a situation may seem, I need to trust
God’s love. I need to trust God to work out the events in my life.
John 12
43
44
[ CITATION Car91 \l 1033 ] 410-411
45
46
Chapter Summary:
Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived in Bethany. Mary took a bottle of very expensive
perfume made from pure nard and poured it on Jesus’ feet. Judas Iscariot asked, “Why wasn’t
this perfume sold for a high price and the money given to the poor?” Mary was preparing Jesus’
body for the tomb. Because the crowd heard that Jesus had performed a miracle, they came to
meet him. Some Greeks asked to see Jesus.
Commentary:
12: 1-11 Mary Prepares Jesus’ Body for the Tomb
v 3 – The ‘pound’ was slightly less than 12 oz. avoirdupois – a lavish expenditure of
perfume for such a purpose, the more so in view of the costliness of the perfume. John
calls it ‘pistic nard’ – probably a technical expression. What ‘pistic’ means in this
context is uncertain – the meaning ‘faithful’, which the adjective has in later Greek, is
hardly appropriate here, and ‘potable’, another suggested meaning, is even less
appropriate. Nard, an oriental perfume, is ‘pistic’ may be a loanword from the east.47
12: 12-19 The King Comes to Jerusalem
v 17-18 – Two crowds are depicted in these verses. The first crowd is the one that was
with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb. This may have included a number of
folk from Bethany, and perhaps a substantial number of others who had been present at
the raising of Lazarus and who had been invited back to dinner in honour of Jesus. They
would not be suppressed, and bore witness to what they had seen, thus magnifying the
witness borne by the sign itself and serving as models for all who bear witness to the
truth. The other came out from Jerusalem to meet him, stimulated in part by the reports
of the miracle.48
12: 20-50 Some Greeks Ask to See Jesus
v 49-50 – The reason why the Son’s words are so final and threaten unbelievers with
judgment is that they are the words of the Father. Many Jews saw the Law of Moses as
the source of life. Rightly understood, this was surely true. But now the law of Moses,
as gracious a gift of God as it was, is being replaced, or, better, fulfilled, by new grace,
bound up with the person and words of Jesus, the incarnate Word. For Jesus, the Father’s
command not only shapes and sanctions his speech, but leads inexorably to the cross.49
Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, raised quite a few eyebrows when, during the middle of
a formal dinner party, she got up and poured a bottle of expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus.
Mary’s attitudes and actions can help me to examine my own devotion to Christ. Sometimes I
become more concerned with pleasing people than Jesus. I need to use some that is valuable to
me (time, energy, reputation, a talent, or a possession) and use to show my love for Christ. I
think that the best way I can achieve this goal is by asking Jesus’ for help by praying. Lord,
thank you for loving me so much that you are willing to give your very life for me. Help me
love you fully today.
John 13
47
[ CITATION Bru83 \l 1033 ] 255-256
48
49
Chapter Summary:
Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. The
Father had put everything in Jesus’ control. After Jesus had washed his disciple’s feet and put on
his outer clothes, he took his place at the table again. Jesus knew who would betray him. Jesus
told Simon Peter that, “You can’t follow me now to the place where I’m going. However, you
will follow me later.” Jesus predicted Peter’s denial.
Commentary:
13: 1-20 Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
v 2 – Two textual variants control discussion of this verse: (a) the manuscript evidence
for the present participle ginomenu and for the aorist participle genomenou is very evenly
divided. The former is often taken to mean that the meal was ‘in progress’, but might
mean that it ‘was being served’; the latter is often taken to mean that supper was over, but
could be interpreted to mean that supper had just been served. Verses 4 and 26 make it
impossible to believe that supper was over, and for that reason, many prefer the present
participle.50
13: 21-32 Jesus Knows Who Will Betray Him
v 23 – The verbs for ‘reclining’ suggest that, although this meal fell ‘before the festival of
the Passover’; it was nevertheless treated by the participants as a Passover meal. The
normal posture at table was sitting, as rabbinical sources indicate clearly enough;
reclining was the posture reserved for special meals, such at parties, wedding feasts and
the like – apart from meals taken in the open air, where seats were not available.51
13: 33-38 Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
v 31-32 – Commentators have often struggled with the tenses of the verb ‘to glorify’ in
these two verses – a string of four aorists followed by two futures. The aorists, which
many grammarians judge must refer to something in the past, prompt not a few
commentators to think that John is confusing the situation in the church of his day with
the ostensible setting, the night Jesus was betrayed. The two instances of the future are
then understood either to be setting the record straight, reverting to the perspectives of the
ostensible setting; or to reflect a rather botched attempt at mingling futurist eschatology
with inaugurated eschatology.52
Jesus told his disciples in the clearest possible terms that love is the number one advertisement
for faith. The word is not impressed by what I wear or how much I know. Unbelievers do not
care how often I go to church or whether I listen to pop radio or Christian music. It is when I
love my fellow believers – deeply, unselfishly, sacrificially, and consistently – that non-
Christians sit up and take notice. I need to share this truth with my Christians today, and make
the commitment to put it into practice. Then watch what God does. I think that the best way I
can achieve this goal is by asking Jesus’ for help by praying. Lord Jesus, help me and my
Christian friends to have a love for each other that is eye-catching and overwhelming.
50
51
52
[ CITATION Car91 \l 1033 ] 486-487
John 14
Chapter Summary:
Jesus stated, “Don’t be troubled. Believe in God, and believe in me.” Phillip said to Jesus,
“Lord, show us the Father, and that will satisfy us.” Jesus said the people who believe in him
would do the things that he was doing. Jesus said that he would not leave the people who believe
in him alone. I will come back for you. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit.
Commentary:
14: 1-31 Jesus Promises to Send the Holy Spirit
v 2 – Some manuscripts insert hoti (here meaning ‘that’) before the last clause,
generating either a statement of question: ‘If not, I would have told you that I go to
prepare a place for you’, a barely possible rendering; or ‘If not, would I have told you
that go to prepare a place for you?’, a slightly strange query since up to this point Jesus
has made no such announcement. Alternatively, the hoti could mean ‘because’ or ‘for’
and be connected with the first part of verse 2: ‘In my Father’s house are many rooms,
for I am going there to prepare a place for you.’53
v 4 – Some manuscripts preserve a longer reading, ‘You know the place where I am
going, and you know the way.’ This makes for a slightly smoother transition to verse 5.
Even if the longer reading is of doubtful authenticity, the shorter reading must be
understood in much the same way.54
v 14 – This verse is omitted by a minority of witnesses, some of them important,
including a substantial number of ancient versions. Reasons why it was omitted may
have included the following: (1) A copyist’s eye may have inadvertently dropped from
the first word to the first word of verse 15, an accidental error called ‘haplography’. (2)
Alternatively, a copyist may have thought, wrongly, that the verse contradicts 16:23, and
decided to drop it. (3) Someone may have omitted it on the ground that it was too
repetitive of truth already expressed in verse 13.55
v 22 – The variants in this verse are very complex, engendering some confusion not only
over ‘Iscariot’ but also over the identity of Judas. Two Coptic versions read ‘Judas the
Cananite, apparently an attempt to identify him with Simon the Cananean. The Sinaitic
Syraic has ‘Thomas and the Curetonian Syraic ‘Judas Thomas’ for ‘Judas not Iscariot’.56
v 26 – These notes have consistently referred to the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, as a
person. Inasmuch as the Paraclete is given as, in certain respects, a personal replacement
for Jesus, and that John does not hesitate to use the personal masculine pronoun of him
even though the word ‘Spirit’ in Greek is formally neuter, this approach is entirely
justified.57
Devotional Reflection
I need help, comfort, peace, assurance of love and protection, and help remembering Jesus’
teachings. In order to have all these things in my life, I need the Holy Spirit.
John 15
53
54
55
56
57
Chapter Summary:
Jesus prunes every branch that produces fruit to make it produce more fruit. A branch cannot
produce fruit by itself. It has to stay attached to the vine. In the same way, one cannot produce
fruit unless you live in Jesus. Jesus loves you the same way the Father has loved him. If Jesus
had not dome among them what no one else did, then people would not have sin. Jesus is the
true vine.
Commentary:
15: 1-27 Jesus, the True Vine
v 5 - For the author of John, this central feature of John’s Gospel had not become a
reality in the lives of the subsequent members of those communities who looked back to
the story of Jesus as it had been passed down to them in the Gospel of John. The author
seeks the fruits, which should be visible, but abiding fruits that should flow from the
initiative of God in choosing his disciples are hard to find among some. But not all is
anger and pain. The members of the communities are reminded of fundamental principles
of the Gospel of John. The author faces the inevitable difficulty of looking to a document
from the past as he tries to make it relevant to his present situation.58
v 10 – This verse affirms what John’s epistles will develop at length – the mutual
interchangeably of love and obeying Christ’s commands. But there is synoptic precedent
for this combination in Jesus’ replies both to the rich young ruler and to the lawyer who
asked about the greatest commandment.59
v 15 – We should not infer from ‘no longer’ that Jesus had formerly called his disciples
‘slaves’ (douloi), or treated them as such. The point is rather that now, in the upper
room, he is admitting them to the inner motives of his ministry and impending sacrifice.
It is not for the slave to know why his master says, ‘Do this’; it is for the slave to do it:
his not to reason why.60
v 22-25 – It is emphasized repeatedly in the Synoptic Gospels that the generation to
which Jesus came to bore a greater responsibility that any previous generation, because
men and women of earlier days had not heard his teaching or seen his mighty works, as
his own contemporaries did. His own contemporaries for the most part rejected his
teaching and refused to admit the evidence of his works; therefore, they compared
unfavourably with pagans like the queen of Sheba who was impressed by Solomon’s
wisdom or the people of Nineveh who repented at Jonah’s preaching.61
Jesus used an agricultural analogy to explain the Christian life. As long as I am closely
connected to Christ – loving, trusting, and obeying him – I will experience genuine growth and
see the fruit of a successful Christian life. I have a choice of a rich life of spiritual health and
growth or a frustrating life of spiritual independence and emptiness.
John 16
Chapter Summary:
58
Moloney, F. J. "John, Epistles of." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2003.
897-902. Religion & Philosophy eBook Collection. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
59
60
61
The time is coming when people who murder you will think that they are serving God. They
will do these things because they have not known the Father or Jesus. Jesus knew that these
people wanted to ask him something. So he said to them, “Are you trying to figure out among
yourselves what I meant when I said, “In a little while you won’t see me, and in a little while you
will see me again”?
Commentary:
16: 1-33 Sadness Will Turn to Joy
v 12-13 – As for ‘the things that are to come’, the Spirit’s declaration of these may be
understood as exercised through the gift of the prophecy in the church. But the verbs
‘declare’ is the same as that used in John 4:25, where the Samaritan woman says that
when the Messiah comes, ‘he will declare all things to us’. As the Messiah was expected
to bring out plainly, the fuller implications of the revelation embodied in the Messiah and
apply them relevantly to each succeeding generation.62
v 16 – This verse is transitional. By referring to Jesus’ departure, it simultaneously
closes off the topic introduced in verses 4-6, and sets the stage for the confusion of the
disciples in verses 17-18, which leads on to Jesus’ explicit treatment of his departure, as
opposed to his treatment of the work of the Paraclete who comes in consequence of
Jesus’ departure. The notes on the following verses argue that each bit of evidence
makes most sense if this verse refers to Jesus’ departure in death and his return after his
resurrection.63
v 17-19 – The disciples still have no category to allow them to make sense of a Messiah
who would die, rise from the dead, and abandon his people in favour of ‘another
Counsellor’. Their perplexity provides the justification to the assessment Jesus has just
rendered: they cannot yet bear all that Jesus wants to say to them. They ask themselves
what Jesus means by his words in verse 16, and link them to what Jesus had earlier said
about going to the Father.64
v 29-30 – As Jesus continued talking to them, the perplexity with which they received his
earlier words about going away has begun to give place to earlier words about going
away has begun to give place to clearer understanding: now they do not feel that he is
talking in riddles. Their belief in him as the revealer whom God has sent has been
confirmed because he not only answers their questions with convincing authority; he
even anticipates their questions.65
As my relationship with Christ matures, I will begin to notice changes in my feelings and
emotions. I will find that my emotions respond more and more to what affects the heart of God.
I am disturbed by sin in the world and in my own life. My heart aches over my friend’s
disinterest in Christ. I am ready to experience joy that will last forever as I grow in God.
John 17
Chapter Summary:
62
63
[ CITATION Car91 \l 1033 ] 542-543
64
65
Jesus said, “Father, the time is here. Give your Son glory so that that your Son can give you
glory. After all, you’ve given him authority over all humanity so that he can give eternal life to
all those you gave to him.” Jesus says that he will pray for them. I am not praying for the world
but for those you gave me, because they are yours. Jesus prayed for himself, his disciples, and
His Church.
Commentary:
17: 1-26 Jesus Prays for Himself, His Disciples, and His Church
v 3 – The Johannine ‘‘Gnosis’’ is fundamentally the same as the Pauline; if anything it
assumes an even more prominent role (Jn 17.3) and is more closely allied to love.
Knowing God is eternal life; it is loving God, obeying His commandments, entering into
communion with Him. John’s juxtaposition of knowledge and vision is a Hellenistic
rather than an Old Testament feature, but it is unique in its association with faith and
especially with John’s insistence on the mediation of knowledge by the incarnate Son of
God.66
v 5 – Adoptionism is presented in verse five. Adoptionism is the theory that asserts that
God adopted Jesus of Nazareth as his Son. In other words, Jesus was born human but
became God’s Son at a particular point in his life. This theory fails to reflect scriptural
texts that point to Jesus’ eternal relationship with the Father.67
v 11 – The final reason Jesus advances to ground his prayer for the disciples is the fact
that he is about to leave them. As so frequently in chapters 14-17, he describes his
passion in terms of his going to the Father. No longer will Jesus be ‘in the world’. The
disciples, aided by the Holy Spirit, will have to face the world’s temptations and the
world’s hostility without the help of his immediate physical presence and protection.68
v 24 – In manuscripts from a compelling diversity of text types, the text literally reads
‘what you have given me’. This reading has been corrected in many manuscripts to the
formally more coherent ‘those you have given me’. English syntax may well demand
that this be the translation in any case, but the neuter singular is fairly common in John
when the elect are referred to as a group.69
In John 17:14-17, Jesus prayed for Christians to realize they will never belong in a group of
people who lived according to the world’s standards. Sometimes I struggle to feel totally
accepted and understood by my friends and family members who are not Christians. The world
will never fully accept me because of the difference Christ has made in my life. Rather than
feeling depressed that I do not fit in, I should be glad that I belong to Christ instead. I can
achieve this by constantly reading the Bible and praying.
John 18
Chapter Summary:
66
Macrae, G. W. "Gnosis." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 254-255. Religion
& Philosophy eBook Collection. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
67
Grenz, Stanley, David Guretzki and Cherith Nordling. Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms. Downers Grove:
InterVarsity Press, 1999.
68
69
Judas, who betrayed Jesus, knew the place of the garden because Jesus and his disciples often
gathered there. Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him. The people were
looking for Jesus from Nazareth. Jesus replied that he was who they were looking for. Peter
denied Jesus twice. The chief priest and Pilate questioned Jesus.
Commentary:
18: 1-14 Jesus is Arrested
v 4 – All four Gospels present Jesus as knowing what would happen: in the Synoptics the
passion predictions, the agonized praying in Gethsemane and the calm insistence that he
could call on legions of angels for help are otherwise meaningless. But the theme is
especially strong in John: Jesus offers up his life in obedience to his Father, not as a
pathetic martyr buffered by the ill winds of a cruel fate.70
18: 15-18 Peter Denies Jesus
v 15-16 – Two questions of identification arise here: who is the ‘high priest’ mentioned
in these verses, and who was the ‘other disciple’? As John’s narrative proceeds, it is
natural to think that the high priest was Annas. True, he was no longer reigning high
priest, but once a man had occupied the office, the title would continue to be given to him
in an ‘emeritus’ sense.71
18: 19-24 The Chief Priest Questions Jesus
v 22-23 – One of Anna’s officials now slaps Jesus for what he perceives to be an
impudent retort, perhaps perceiving a violation of Exodus 22:28, Jesus denies that he has
broken any law and challenges his captors to specify where he has not told the truth.72
18: 25-27 Peter Denies Jesus Again
v 25 – The repetition of warming himself is often taken as evidence of a literary seam, the
opening of an otherwise smooth narrative to let in the intervening material. The fact that
a similar repetition is found in Mark’s account of Peter’s denials has generated
considerable scholarly dispute as to whether or not the parallels between Mark and John
constitute proof of literary dependence, or at least of a common source.73
18: 28-40 Pilate Questions Jesus
v 39 – There is no unambiguous extra-biblical evidence for this Passover custom, and this
has led not a few scholars to doubt its historicity. One passage in the Mishnah, Pesahim
8:6, probably refers to it: they may slaughter the Passover lamb for a variety of people
whose actual condition is uncertain, including ‘one whom they have promised to bring
out of prison’.74
Father, help me to see that you love me as I am, not just as I should be. Help me to stay close to
you, even when I cannot quite seem to get it right.
John 19
Chapter Summary:
70
[ CITATION Car91 \l 1033 ] 577-578
71
72
73
74
Pilate had Jesus taken away and whipped. The soldiers went up to Jesus and said, “Long live the
king of the Jesus and said, “Long live the king of the Jews.” The people wanted Jesus crucified.
The soldiers crucified Jesus and two other men there. Jesus was in the middle. Jesus died on the
cross. One of the soldiers stabbed Jesus’ side with his spear, and blood and water immediately
came out. Joseph and Nicodemus buried Jesus in a tomb.
Commentary:
19: 1-3 The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
v 2-3 – This scene provides indirect evidence that the charge the Sanhedrin preferred
against Jesus before Pilate is that he claimed to be the king of the Jews – from their
perspective, a messianic pretender, and in Pilate’s eyes, a rebel against Caesar. At a still
deeper level, John is writing ironically: once again Jesus’ opponents, in this case
Gentiles, speak better than they know, for Jesus is in truth the king of Israel.75
19: 4-16 The People Want Jesus Crucified
v 7 – It appeared to Jesus’ accusers that their attempt to have him convicted and
sentenced by Pilate on a charge of sedition was going to be unsuccessful. The governors
of Judea not only had the duty of enforcing Roman law in the province; they also
undertook the responsibility of respecting and enforcing Jewish religious law.76
19: 17-27 The Crucifixion
v 19-22 – It was custom for the crime of which the person doomed to crucifixion had
been found guilty to be written on a tablet or placard and hung around his neck or carried
before him as he made his way to the place of execution. Once the prisoner was
crucified, the placard was often fastened to the cross.77
19: 28-37 Jesus Dies on the Cross
v 30 – This verse states that Jesus received the drink, but this language is sufficiently
vague either to aloe for Jesus merely to have put his lips to the sponge or for him actually
to have swallowed a little.78
19: 38-42 Jesus is Buried
v 41-42 – Only John tells us that at the place where Jesus was crucified there was a
garden and a new tomb. We are not told the canonical Gospels that the garden and its
tomb belonged to Joseph of Arimathea.79
Seeing Jesus in pain, agony, and humiliation must have devastated Mary. While on the cross,
Jesus asked John to take care of his mother. Jesus knew that his mother would need special care
and attention in the days to come. I feel very sad when I see family members in pain.
Sometimes, I feel there is nothing I can do to comfort them. I realize now that I can gift the
ultimate gift, prayer.
75
76
77
78
79
John 20
Chapter Summary:
Mary saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb’s entrance. Jesus came back to life.
When Mary looked inside Jesus’ tomb, she saw two angels in white clothes. Jesus was actually
right behind her, but thought she was a gardener. Jesus appeared to Mary from Magdala. On
Sunday evening, the disciples were together behind locked doors because they were afraid of the
Jews. Jesus appeared to the disciples and Thomas.
Commentary:
20: 1-10 Jesus comes Back to Life
v 2 – The robbing of graves was a crime sufficiently common that the Emperor Claudius
eventually ordered capital punishment to be meted out to those convicted of destroying
tombs, removing bodies, or even displacing the sealing stones. John records no hint of
the Jewish allegation that Jesus’ disciples were the ones who stole Jesus’ body, but the
fact that such a charge could be leveled demonstrates that grave robbery was not
uncommon.80
20: 11-18 Jesus Appears to Mary from Magdala
v 11-13 – The incident of two angels is of special interest because of its possible bearing
on the details of the tomb. The tomb itself had been recently hewn out of the rock, and
its entrance was normally sealed by a stone. But what of the resting-place for the body?
Various provisions for such a resting place are known from that period: a loculus or
burial chamber hollowed out in the inner wall of the tomb, a bench running round the
inner wall, a bench-arcosolium, or a trough-arcosolium.81
20: 19-23 Jesus Appears to the Disciples
v 20 – When the Romans crucified someone, they either tied or nailed the victim to the
cross. If the latter, they drove the nails through his wrists; the hands would not have
supported the weight. But both the Hebrew word for hand and the Greek word can
include the wrist and forearm. Nails were commonly driven through the feet, one spike
through both feet, one foot placed on top of another.82
20: 24-31 Jesus Appears to Thomas
v 30 – The particles men oun connect verses 30-31 with what precedes. The most
common meaning of the secohjn xznd is ‘therefore’. The flow of thought seems to be:
Those who have not seen the risen Christ and yet have believed are blessed; therefore,
this book has been composed, to the end that you may believe.83
Thomas, the apostle who doubted, was not punished for his reluctance to accept the fact that
Jesus came back to life. Instead, Jesus gently allowed him to see the truth for himself. This is an
exciting promise that Jesus extended to people who were not privileged enough to walk and talk
with him. Jesus will reward me great for believing without seeing. In order to do this I need to
fully trust in Jesus.
John 21
80
81
82
83
[ CITATION Car91 \l 1033 ] 660-661
Chapter Summary:
Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. Jesus appeared to his
disciples again. Jesus took bread and 153 large fish to the disciples. This was the third time that
Jesus showed himself to the disciples after he had come back to life. Peter had felt sad because
Jesus had asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” If everything that Jesus did were written
down, there would not be enough room for the books that would be written.
Commentary:
v 2 – In this verse, John specifies several of the disciples involved. All have appeared by
name before in this Gospel, except for ‘sons of Zebedee’. This expression for James and
John would have become quickly know in the early church. Particularly if the author of
the Fourth Gospel is John, he can expect his audience to recognize who these two sons
are.84
v 8 – We are to understand that Peter impetuously swims ashore and leaves his
companions struggling to maneuver the boat to shore, towing the net full of fish. The
distance was about two hundred cubits. The fact that the narrator’s perspective stays with
the boat, instead of diverting to the encounter between Jesus and Peter, is a small
indication of eyewitness integrity.85
v 9-10 – When those in the boat landed, they saw a fire of burning coals with fish on it,
and some bread. In the days of his flesh, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. Now, as their
risen Lord, he serves them still: he meets their tiredness after a night of toil with a hot
breakfast. They can begin to eat what he has cooked while some of the fish they have
just caught are prepared.86
21: 15-25 Jesus Speaks With Peter
v 18-19 – The further words addressed to Peter in verse 18 might seem cryptic; in
themselves they could point to the weakness of old age, when he would no longer be able
to address himself or go around of his own accord. But the Evangelist’s comment in
verse 19 gives them a more sinister meaning: they indicate the manner of his death. But
the disciple’s death, like his Master’s, would be for the glory of God.87
v 24 – Here we have a plain statement that the beloved disciple is the real author of the
Gospel. Even if the words who wrote these things do not mean that, his hand held the
pen, any more than the language of John means that Pilate with his own hand wrote the
inscription that was fixed to the cross, they do not point him as the guarantor of the
record.88
Father, today help me say no to busyness and yes to people. Help me listen, really listen, to their
hearts and sincerely take time to meet their needs.
84
[ CITATION Blo01 \l 1033 ] 273-274
85
86
[ CITATION Car91 \l 1033 ] 671-672
87
88
Works Cited
Blomberg, Craig. The Historical Reliability of John's Gospel. Downers Grove: InterVarsity
Press, 2001.
Brown, R. E., and F. J. Moloney. "Johannine Writings." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed.
Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 892-895. Religion & Philosophy eBook Collection. Web.
15 Oct. 2010.
Brown, R. E., and F. J. Moloney. "John, Gospel According to." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd
ed. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 902-913. Religion & Philosophy eBook Collection.
Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
Bruce, F.F. The Gospel of John. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983.
Carson, D.A. The Gospel According To John. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1991.
Grenz, Stanley, David Guretzki and Cherith Nordling. Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms.
Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999.
Harris, Hall W. The Gospel of John. Biblical Studies Press, 2001.
Macrae, G. W. "Gnosis." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 254
255. Religion & Philosophy eBook Collection. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
Mciver, M. E. "John the Baptist, St." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale,
2003. 1012-1015. Religion & Philosophy eBook Collection. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
Moloney, F. J. "John, Epistles of." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale,
2003. 897-902. Religion & Philosophy eBook Collection. Web. 15 Oct. 2010

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Faulkner University

Bible 3340 The Gospel of John

November 11, 2010

3: 22-36 John the Baptizer Talks About Christ

Web. 15 Oct. 2010.

Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999.

Harris, Hall W. The Gospel of John. Biblical Studies Press, 2001.

255. Religion & Philosophy eBook Collection. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.

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