Samaritans; to catechize new converts; to establish Jesus’
superiority over other religious leaders (such as Moses and John the Baptist); to promote the credentials of the com- munity’s founder; to bring the community more in line with other Christian groups; to serve the liturgical needs of those who worship Jesus as the Son of God; to argue for particular doctrinal points; to sustain a counterculture fostered in opposition to the corrupt and unjust Roman world. The book’s author(s) no doubt would have been happy to discover that the work had any or all of these ef- fects, but certain passages in the text itself point to a more general and transcendent purpose:
• “I say these things so that you may be saved” (5:34).
• “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (8:32).
• “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling” (16:1).
And the book concludes with an explicit indication of purpose:
• “These (things) are written so that you may come to believe [or, ‘continue to believe’] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (20:31).
We might say that the purpose of this Gospel is to do what it says Jesus came to do. Jesus came that people might be saved, set free, and kept from stumbling, and this Gospel seeks to inspire and sustain faith to those same ends. Jesus came so that people might have life (John 10:10), and this Gospel has been written so that people might have life in his name.
What Is Distinctive about the Gospel of John?
When asked to consider what is distinctive about John’s Gospel, we might be tempted to answer, “Everything!” This is only a slight exaggeration, since more than 90 percent of the material in this book is without parallel in any of the other three Gospels. Still, it is the same basic story that is being told, and the testimony of John’s Gospel is congruent with that of the Synoptics on all essential points: Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God; his life and teachings
hyperlink 8.3 Box 8.4
Possible Sources for John’s Gospel
• a “Signs Gospel” that recorded seven or eight miracle stories (2:1–12; 4:46–54; 5:1–9; 6:1–13;
9:1–7; 11:1–44; 21:1–6; maybe 6:15–25) and may have included an account of the passion and resurrection
• a collection of remembrances of one called the “beloved dis- ciple,” dealing mostly with the last week of Jesus’ life
• a body of material underlying the great discourses of Jesus, possibly sermons by the beloved disciple or another prominent member of the community
reveal God’s character and will for humanity; his death and resurrection bring forgiveness of sins; salvation is found through faith in him; and a godly life is obtained through obedience to his commandments.
Nevertheless, to become aware of what is distinctive about this Gospel, students should first familiarize themselves with the data contained in boxes 8.5 and 8.6:
• John’s Gospel contains many stories not told elsewhere in the New Testa- ment, and some of these stories are exceptionally long ones. We should also note that stories in John that are found in the other Gospels are sometimes told quite differently by John. John’s account of the crucifixion includes three words “from the cross” not reported anywhere else and, conversely, includes no words from the cross that are reported in the other Gospels (see box 4.7 on p. 95).
• John’s Gospel is also striking for what it does not include. Readers fa- miliar with the story of Jesus from the other Gospels may find it hard to imagine a Jesus who never tells parables, casts out demons, or eats with outcasts, much less a Jesus who has almost nothing to say about the end times, the kingdom of God, or the call for God’s people to deny themselves, love their neighbors, renounce their possessions, or help the poor. Some of this can be overstated: although the word repentance is never used, Jesus does tell a woman, “Do not sin again” (8:11); though Jesus does not tell actual parables, he does use figurative speech that is
“parable-like” (4:35–37; 8:35; 10:1–5; 12:24; 16:21; cf. 10:6; 16:25). Still,
Box 8.5
Some Stories about Jesus Unique to John’s Gospel
Calling of Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael (1:35–51) Changing of water into wine at Cana (2:1–12) Conversation with Nicodemus (3:1–21)
Encounter with Samaritan woman at a well (4:1–42) Healing of a crippled man at Pool of Bethzatha (5:1–18) Rescue of an adulterous woman from stoning (7:53–8:11) Healing of a man born blind (9:1–41)
Raising of Lazarus (11:1–44) Washing of disciples’ feet (13:1–20) Prayer for believers to be united (17:1–26) Resurrection appearance to Thomas (20:24–29)
179 What Is Distinctive about the Gospel of John?
an initial awareness of what is not found in John may alert us to how different this Gospel is and also may serve as a springboard for coming to a positive recognition of what John does have to offer.
John’s Gospel is unique in other ways as well. It presents Jesus’ ministry as extending over a three-year period and concentrates on happenings in and around Jerusalem; the other Gospels suggest a more compact time period and have a much heavier focus on events in Galilee. Whereas Jesus is noted for short, pithy sayings in the other Gospels, the Johannine Jesus delivers long, philosophical discourses (5:19–47; 6:25–70; 7:14–52; 8:12–59; 10:1–18, 22–39;
12:23–46; 14:1–16:33). Furthermore, where the Synoptic Gospels summarize the content of Jesus’ proclamation as “the good news of the kingdom of God” (see, e.g., Matt. 4:23; Mark 1:14–15), in John, Jesus talks mostly about himself: he talks about his identity as the one who comes to reveal the Father and about what it means for people to believe in him, love him, obey him, and abide in him.
Finally, John is notable for its abundant use of symbolism, which is accom- panied by the intriguing literary motif of misunderstanding. Characters in the
hyperlink 8.4
Box 8.6
Material Not Found in John’s Gospel
John’s Gospel is notable for its lack of material that is very familiar in the other Gospels:
No stories of Jesus’ birth No mention of Jesus’ baptism
Nothing about Jesus being tempted or tested by Satan No mention of Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners No transfiguration of Jesus
No parables No exorcisms
No condemnations of the rich or words about helping the poor Nothing about loving one’s neighbor (or one’s enemy)
No call for people to repent (from either John the Baptist or Jesus) No call for disciples to deny themselves or renounce their possessions No predictions of Jerusalem’s downfall (but cf. 2:19–22)
No mention of Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper (but cf. 6:53–56) Almost no mention of the kingdom of God (only in 3:3–5; but cf. 18:36)
Almost no references to a second coming (just once: 21:22–23; John 14:3, 18, and 28 are usually read as Jesus coming for individuals at the hour of their death)
story frequently misunderstand things that Jesus says, such that the narrator or Jesus himself needs to clarify the matter (unless the correct meaning is assumed to be obvious). People think that Jesus is talking about the temple in Jerusalem when he is really speaking of his body as a temple (2:19–22). Jesus says that his friend Lazarus has “fallen asleep” (i.e., died), and Jesus’ disciples think that Lazarus is getting some healthy rest (11:12). This device infuses the narrative with a dramatic irony that is alternately humorous and hopeful, peculiar and purposeful. At another level, the device serves to train readers to look more closely, to be aware that there may be deeper or multiple levels of meaning elsewhere as well. Thus, readers are encouraged to look for symbolism even where it is not explicit, and much Johannine interpretation has been devoted to determining what is or is not symbolic and how that which is symbolic is to be understood. Why do the disciples catch 153 fish? Does that number mean something? What do the “water and blood” that come from Jesus’ side stand for? Is it baptism and Eucharist (a popular Roman Catholic interpretation), or
hyperlink 8.6
hyperlink 8.5
Fig. 8.3. Washing the Feet. A Persian tapestry from the thirteenth century depicts Jesus washing his disciples’ feet (John 13:3–17). By assuming the role of a lowly servant, Jesus exemplifies the unselfish love that is to be the defining mark of his followers. (Bridgeman Art Library)
181 Major Themes in the Gospel of John is it the gift of the Spirit and forgiveness of sins (a popular Baptist interpreta- tion), or is it simply a gruesome detail having no symbolic meaning at all?