Gospel of John
"It is finished." (John 19:30)
Purpose of the Gospel of John
The Symbol of the Gospel: The Eagle
The Son of God
High Christology: Focuses on Jesus' divinity rather than his humanity
Image of Jesus: noble and powerful, in control of every situation
John the Apostle
By Whom: unknown Jewish Christian but traditionally attributed to the Apostle John
When: c. AD 90-100
Where: Probably Ephesus but may have been Antioch or Alexandria
The Question and the Answer
The Johannine community, John's audience, is asking "Where is the Risen Christ?"
The Answer: Open your eyes and see the Risen Christ in the Church and the Sacraments. He is here right now.
The Audience
A Jewish Christian Community called the Johannine Community founded by the apostle John
The community focused on the humanity of Jesus and not enough on His divinity. John concentrates on the divinity of Christ to suit his audience.
Themes
Jesus as the Pre-existent Word of God
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
"The father and I are one." (John 10:30)
"For this reason the Jews tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God." (John 5:18)
Jesus is the Word that became flesh and dwells amongst us. John made sure to confirm and secure the Christians in their faith of Jesus as the Son of God. There are many examples in John's Gospel of the divinity of Jesus and his relationship with God.
Jesus usually showed his divinity through the words He said in Genesis: I AM. It is an allusion to Moses and the Burning Bush, when God appeared to Moses and told him that he is "I AM." This term means that Jesus is God.
Dualism in the Gospel
Light and Darkness
Life and Death
From above and From below
Unjudged and condemned
A main theme in John is that people can either believe in Jesus' word and inherit the Kingdom of God or reject Jesus and are condemned by God. There is no middle ground between belief and unbelief. Believers are united with Jesus and the Father.
In the Gospel...
YES:
- Metaphors and symbols to describe a deeper meaning
- Allegory because John wants his audience to focus on metaphorical thinking versus literal thinking
- Jesus' Long Discourses: conversations start out as a dialogue and change into a long monologue by Jesus, Jesus explains what someone has not understood
- Reference to "the Jews": in John, it is not referring to the community of Jews but those who oppose Jesus
NO:
- Parables
- Exorcisms
- Miracles are not called miracles, they are called signs
Images for Jesus in John
The Two Parts
The Book of Signs
In the Gospel of John, miracles are called signs, also called semeion. There are seven signs in all the gospel.
The signs focus on the symbolic meaning rather than the actual concrete details. There are deeper truths. These miraculous acts are done only to prove that Jesus is the son of God.
In this part of the Gospel, Jesus confronts the world and shows them His glory. The world includes those who believe in Him and those who don't believe in His divine origin.
Feeding of the Five Thousand
Walking on Water
The Raising of Lazarus
The Wedding at Cana
Only in the Gospel of John
Jesus calls his own mother "woman", which is an allusion to Eve in the Creation story. Mary, Jesus' mother, is considered the New Eve, the mother of all the living in the new spiritual order. In this sign, she represents the Church as a whole. The empty jars represent the old way of living with God and when Jesus fills them with wine, He is initiating a new way to live with Him. The water and wine represent the Eucharist and Baptism.
The message from this sign is Jesus is present in the Church and the Sacraments.
The Book of Glory
Death in Glory
Resurrection
Doubting Thomas
The Beloved Disciple
Differences between John and the Synoptic Gospels
The Synoptics
- The disciples don't know who Jesus is. The narrator and the audience are the only ones who know.
- Use parables to teach about the Kingdom of God
- Miracles are called miracles and they are done out of love
- Jesus suffers through His Passion
- Not as symbolic as John
- The Last Supper: the Eucharist, a Passover meal
John
- The disciples know the identity of Jesus
- Uses long discourses to teach when someone misunderstands His teachings
- Miracles are called signs and they are done to show that Jesus is the Son of God and demonstrate His power and control over everything
- Jesus has power over His Passion and Death
- Highly symbolic
- The Last Supper: occurs the day before the Passover, no Institution of the Eucharist, washing of the feet and the long "Last Supper Discourse"