Day 30: The Blind Man, The Good Shepherd, Lazarus

These three chapters are so full that it seems a shame to have to read them all in one day.  In fact, I'm feeling that a lot while I'm reading John:  there are some single verses that I'd like to mull over for a long time, instead of having to hurry on through to the next portion.

I have to say, I like the extended stories in John:  the woman at the well, the man born blind, the story of Mary and Martha and Lazarus.  There's a lot of character development in these stories, and a lot of little details to pay attention to.  For example, notice that by the time the blind man goes and obeys Jesus and comes back, Jesus is already gone.  He doesn't actually see Jesus until about the end of Chapter 9. 

The basic testimony of the man born blind remains the same throughout, and it's very simple, "I was blind, and now I see." 

The story of the raising of Lazarus as well has many small details, from Thomas' brave statement, "let us go, that we may die with him," to Martha's objection to Jesus opening the tomb, "Lord, there will be a stench!"  And in the middle, there's the simple sentence, "Jesus wept."  Jesus is often portrayed in John's gospel as so God-like; he seems to know everything and be unmoved by the prospect of his own suffering.  And yet, here in John chapter 11, He simply weeps. 

In the middle Jesus calls himself both the gate and the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd who leads people out to good pasture and leads people in to the safe refuge.   Jesus as shepherd calls his own by name -- but not just to gather them in.  He also leads them out.

The question is: when he calls the sheep by name, where is he leading them?

There are many places in John's gospel where he calls people by name.  In John 11, he calls "Lazarus, Come out!"  Later on, He will say, simply, "Mary." 

Now, as chapter 11 closes, Jesus is under fire, not because he over-turned tables in the temple, but because he raised Lazarus from the dead.  Caiaphas prophecies (without knowing it) that Jesus death is necessary.  But what does this mean?

To be continued....

Day 29: Before Abraham Was, I Am

I have a confession to make:  The Gospel of John used to be my favorite gospel.  In fact, in my early college fervor, I did nightly devotions, reading and journaling my impressions of the Gospel of John.  (I sure wish I had those writings now!)

I still like John, but reading and studying have made me appreciate other gospels (perhaps the ones I did not appreciate before).  I think that I used to like the ethereal Jesus in John, the many, many memorable Bible verses found there, the deep spirituality (in John, a healing is never "just" a healing).  Now, I'm looking at tiny details, and you know what I like? 

I like that the gospel of John pays attention to a few other disciples.  It's not all Peter, all the time.  Philip and Andrew and Thomas and even Nathanael get to play a part.  I like that.

So there is more than enough spiritual depth in these three chapters of John, but I noticed that it is Philip that Jesus asks to figure out how to feed 5,000 people, and it is Andrew who finds the little boy who has the fish (a detail mentioned only in John.

Later (after Jesus walks on water, by the way), Jesus will spend many verses helping us to know that the feeding of five thousand people isn't just about feeding people, but has a deep spiritual meaning.  But at the beginning, I really enjoyed how different disciples are involved in the story.  And at the end of John 6, disciples are already beginning to desert Jesus, because they already can't get into what he is saying about being the bread of life.

And Jesus says, "well? Are you going to leave me too?"  And Peter (yes, it's Peter this time) says, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."

Jesus goes to Jerusalem (again), although notice he tries to go secretly.  Even now, he realizes that he is not safe in Jerusalem.  As in the other gospels, when he teaches, he's accused of having a demon.  His answer is slightly different:  he simply says that he only teaches what he hears from the Father, and he only does what he is told by the Father.

Chapter 7 has the wonderful verse, "Rivers of living waters will flow out from within him (Jesus)". 

You notice that the very familiar  story of the woman caught in adultery is not considered by some to be authentic.   But there are so many wonderful details in the story:  Jesus writing in the sand, the men ready to throw stones.  What do you think Jesus could have been writing? 

There's extended conversation with Jesus and the religious leaders regarding Abraham.  Who has more authority, Jesus or Abraham?  Jesus contests their authority and questions whether they are really followers of Abraham.  Do they really know the Word that they say that they follow? 

"If you continue in my word, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

At the end of this chapter, Jesus gives his most explosive "I AM" statement yet; he says, "Before Abraham was, I AM."

There seems to be no doubt about what he is claiming.

Day 28: For God so Loved the World...that he came and taught and healed

Okay, one of the things I am noticing about John is that there are so many familiar verses and stories here, but in between the familiar stories and familiar verses, there are some little sections of scripture with which I am not quite as familiar.

Take, for example, the very familiar story of Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3, and the extra-ordinarily verse within it, "For God so loved the world...." I know this story inside and out, and I suspect many of you do as well.  I have studied the nuances of the meeting in the darkness, the questions Nicodemus asks, and the mysterious portion part of the story where Jesus begins to speak in the first person plural, "we speak about what we know...."  But I have never paid much attention to what comes after this story in chapter three, which brings us back again to John the Baptist.  John the Baptist is baptizing and still preaching at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, and people have questions about that, but he is gracious, and explains that his time is coming to an end:  "he must increase, but I must decrease." 

The story of the Samaritan woman takes up most of John chapter 4, except a brief digression after Jesus leaves the village, but before we hear the results of the woman's evangelism (she is very successful; we could take lessons from her).  The digression has to do with the disciples trying to get Jesus to eat something, and Jesus telling them that he has food they don't know about.  (This is John's Gospel, and we KNOW that he doesn't literally mean bread; it's spiritual food; it's a METAPHOR).  As well (and it almost seems tacked on) there's the story about the healing of the royal official's son at the very end of chapter 4.  It is Jesus' second sign (count the signs in John; he calls them signs in stead of miracles), and the idea is that the moment Jesus said the son was healed, he was healed, even though Jesus was far away at the time.  But Jesus is the Word, and when the word is spoken, healing happens.

Chapter 5 includes the healing at the pool at Siloam (he's in Jerusalem again, by the way), and then the controversy because it was the Sabbath (notice that the initial controversy is because the man picked up his mat on the Sabbath, and only afterwards, did the fact that Jesus heal someone become a part of the equation).  Jesus says that his father is still working, and that means that God is working too.  (this implies a pretty close connectino with God, and this is another problem for the religious leaders).

Jesus makes some pretty pointed and provocative statements about himself her and later in John.  After he does a sign (and often connected to a sign), he will speak about who he is and his relationship with the father.  Often he will use the words,  "I am...."  I am the light.  I am the bread of life.  I am the resurrection and the life...." The Words "I Am" remind me of the Hebrew name for God, "Yahwah," which is often translated, 'I am.'

Jesus seems to dare people to hear his words, witness his signs, and believe in him -- or not.

Day 27: The Word Becoming Flesh, In the Beginning

I have to like the version of the New Testament I'm reading right now (Common English Bible), if only because this first section of John is written as if it were a poem -- which, of course it is.  It's not a miracle story, it's not a parable, it's not a genealogy, it's a poem, and it's meant to evoke the first chapter of Genesis (In the beginning, God created the heavens...) which, truth be told, has some poetic qualities itself.  If not poetic, at least some liturgical qualities.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God."  How this can be it appears that words cannot fully express, but John tries to share the beauty of the eternal One who walked with us, lived with us, suffered and died.... in these few opening words.

He then opens up his stories about Jesus' ministry, beginning (of course) with John the Baptist, but telling it at a slightly different angle.  Jesus being baptized is mostly a parenthesis (yes, it did happen), but what John really wants us to know is that when he sees Jesus, he says, "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."  John's first and haunting testimony is to the crowds, "standing in the midst of you is one you do not know."  Still true, even today.

Jesus calls disciples, with the simple words, "Come and see."  The same idea, but again, from a different angle.  We don't hear anything about Jesus being tempted in John.  And the words Jesus says to Nathanael at the end of chapter one, "You will see the angels ascending and descending on the son of man", is a reference to the story of Jacob and his dream of angels in Genesis 28.  Jacob dreams of a ladder of angels, and wakes up to declare, "surely God was in this place, and I did not know it.  This is the gate of heaven and the house of God."  You will see, now and again, this verse on the doorway to a church.  I would hope that the verse refers not to the church, but to Jesus.

Chapter 2 begins with the wonderful story of the wedding at Cana.  This is Jesus' first sign, and it appears he is reluctant to do it, but he does, anyway.  Everything in John is supposed to have a deep theological significance, and this story is no exception.  The jars of water for purification are changed to wine, and I'm sure John means us to raise our eyebrows at this new wine that Jesus is creating out of something meant for another (religious) use.  Still, I just love that Jesus makes wine for a wedding, so that people can continue having a good time.  Is that so wrong?

You may be wondering (if you are paying attention) why Jesus is cleansing the temple now, early in his ministry, rather than when he is supposed to, during Holy Week.  Again, the signal is that Jesus is the end of something old and the beginning of something new.  From now on, (remember chapter 1) the gate of heaven and the house of God will be him, his body, and not one particular place.  And I can't help noticing that instead of calling the temple "a den of thieves" Jesus calls it "a place of business."  Again, it's a slightly different critique of what is going on there.  What does it mean to you?

Finally, the last first of chapter 2 (in this translation) struck me  "Jesus didn't need anyone to tell him about human nature, for he knew what human nature was."

Yes, he did.

(Icon is by Igor Stoyonov and is in the Public Domain)

Day 26: Necessary to Suffer and to Enter into His Glory

Jesus is sent to Pilate, and then to Herod, and then to the crowds, and then crucified.  We've been through this now twice before.  And yet....
Did you notice that when Herod and Pilate meet, they become friends?  Formerly, Luke says, they were enemies, but as of today, they became friends.  Hmmmm.  What do you suppose that means?

When Simon helps Jesus carry his cross, Jesus has words for the women of Jerusalem, who follow him, weeping.  "Weep for yourselves," he warns them.  On Jesus' Last Day, he flashes forward to another Last Day that is coming:  the destruction of Jerusalem.

In Matthew and Mark, the only words that Jesus says from the cross are these:  "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"  (Mark takes the trouble to translate it into Aramaic.)  These words are a verse from Psalm 22, it's true, and if you read the whole lamenting Psalm, you will find comfort and hope there.  But still, this is called The Cry of Dereliction for a reason.

Luke reports three different words from the cross:  "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (to those who are crucifying him), "Today you shall be with me in Paradise" (to the repentant thief), and "Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit."  These words form a much different picture than the one in Matthew and Mark.

As in every single resurrection story, the women come to the tomb.  They are so frightened when they see the angels that they fall on their faces.  And, here's a twist:  when they try to tell the disciples what they saw and heard, the disciples consider their words to be "nonsense."  (in other translations:  an idle tale.)  By the way, did you know that in ancient times, a woman's testimony was not accepted in a court of law? 

Everyone has favorite Bible stories:  I happen to really like Matthew's account of Jesus and Peter walking on the water.  The next story, about the two disciples walking to Emmaus, is close second.  The story is full of surprise, humor and irony.  The disciples are walking with Jesus and learning from him, but they don't know it.  I imagine Jesus trying to keep a straight face when he asks them to tell him the story of the things that have happened during the past week.  "Really?"  he says.  "Is that so?"  And the two disciples begging the stranger to stay with them, and finally recognizing him once he breaks the bread.  Then they run back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples, who have the same news to share, "We have seen the Lord!"

Really, the brief recounting of Jesus' ascension is pretty anti-climactic after this.  But, when we get to Luke's 2nd volume, (his second "orderly account"), we'll get a fuller version.

That would be Acts.  Keep your finger in the page.  We have one more gospel before we return to Luke's story.

Day 25: He is Always Near

There's a little story at the beginning of Luke 21 -- the widow and her two coins.  We often use her as an example of good stewardship, because she gave all she had.  But she's not an example of good stewardship.  She's a victim of the corrupt temple system; she's taken advantage of by unscrupulous religious leaders who use her offerings to build up the temple (which is just going to be destroyed anyway)

And, she's also a picture of Jesus, who gave up everything to set us free from the power of sin and death.

Because He is always Near.  Keep alert.  Keep Awake. 

This chapter immediately precedes the beginning of the passion story, starting with Jesus celebrating the passover with his disciples.  Before that, Jesus warns the disciples that they need to always keep alert, because the end will come like a thief in the night, and they need to be ready always.  There are signs everywhere of his presence -- in the stars and the changing of the seasons, in the fig tree, in the widow and her two coins.

The end is always near.

Then the story becomes familiar:  Jesus eats with his disciples, and one of them goes to betray him.  He predicts Peter's denial; he prays, and they cannot keep their eyes open.  He is arrested, and he is mocked, and Peter does deny Jesus, and finally, he is brought before the religious leaders.

The end is always near.
We fall asleep, but he prays for us, and keeps telling us:  keep your eyes peeled.

Where do you see him? 

Day 24: From Jericho to Jerusalem

Before Jesus rides into Jerusalem to begin Holy Week, he goes through Jericho, where he meets a short tax collector named Zacchaeus, who is not only short, but universally disliked by everyone else in town (probably becomes of what he does for a living). Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus so badly that he climbs a tree, and Jesus surprises evveryone by inviting himself over to Zacchaeus' house for dinner. I mean, really! Why couldn't Jesus have gone to the house of one of the deserving people!!!

Zacchaeus responds by offering to give half of his possesssions to the poor, and offering to repay what he has cheated four times. He must not consider money quite as important as he once did. Or perhaps he thinks that now he is rich, but in a different way....

The following parable (which is similar to Matthew's Parable of the Talents) also deals with money. Where Zacchaeus distributes his money to the poor (redistribution of wealth), the parable ends by stating that 'everyone who has will be given more, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.' This is a scripture verse I've had a problem with since hearing Billie Holiday sing, "God Bless the Child." It seems to fly in the face of the extravagant grace-giving God that I encounter in other portions of scripture. I'm doing a little background study, and I'll get back to you. In the meantime, anyone who has an idea about this verse, let me know.

Jesus enters Jerusalem then, to cheering crowds and grumbling Pharisees. He weeps over Jerusalem, and then clears the temple. The house of prayer has become (in my version of the Bible) a house for crooks.

In Jerusalem, Jesus gets right into controversies, with Pharisees, Saducees and other legal experts. We have heard this before, and how he figures out how to answer every question, and confounds them all. He also tells the story of the tenant farmers who reject the son of the owner of the vineyard as well as all of the messengers he had sent before.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone, Jesus quotes Psalm 118. A fitting entry to the next few days.