I John 1, God is Light

The author of the fourth gospel also wrote several letters to churches. Here is the beginning of his longer letter, I John. This first chapter is quite short but packed....

1 John 1:1-4, The Word of Life
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

NIV footnotes: Some manuscripts say "make your joy complete" instead of "make our joy complete".

This letter, written as a general pastoral letter, might be a follow-up to the gospel of John. The goal is to reinforce belief by emphasizing the eternal fellowship that should flow out of belief.

There is a progression from "seen with our eyes" to "we looked at".  The latter phrase implies an investigation.

When was "the beginning"? At Creation? Or the Incarnation?  Contrast/compare this passage with the first four verses of the gospel of John.

The Father and Son are mentioned but not (yet) the Holy Spirit. Why?

The words "testify" and "appeared" emphasize a clear historical event; Jesus appeared at one moment in history; John was fortunate enough to be able to "testify" to that occurrence. Christianity is foremost a response to a historical event.

Comments (A little Greek): There is a process described here in the Greek words angelia (1:5, message), koinoinia (1:3, twice, fellowship) and chara (1:4, joy). The message leads to fellowship and then joy.

1 John 1:5-7, God is light, not dark -- we must live this way
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

What are qualities of light?
What does it mean, "God is light"?
What are the results of "walking in the light"?
Are you purified from all sin? What does this mean?

I once met one who claimed that as a Christian he was completely sinless.  He cited some Bible verses and I countered with others and then he lost his temper and slammed his door in my face.

There are only two options portrayed here: light, purity, fellowship, truth vs. darkness, sin, separation, lies.  This stark contrast is characteristic of John.

1 John 1:8-10, Recognition of sin
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Some questions: So -- wait a minute -- which are we? Are we light? Or are we in sin?

Why this digression in verses 8-10? Is this a statement about salvation? Or a statement after salvation (about sanctification)?

What two attributes of God are mentioned in verse 9? Why is God just to forgive sin?

According to verse 9, what are the two results of confessing sin? What is the meaning of "word" in verse 10. Compare with verse 1.

Comments: John Stott (in The Letters of John) puts verse 10 with the first two verses of chapter 2.

For further contemplation: What exactly is "sin"?  Although the word and related concepts appear throughout the Bible, common attempts to explain "sin" degenerate into a legalistic list of things one should do or not do. Such superficial approaches to the concept of sin are convenient, but detrimental.
So ... what is "sin" -- and how does it pervade the human race?

The First Epistle of John

Towards the end of the New Testament appear three letters apparently written by the apostle John, author of the fourth gospel.  The first is not long (105 verses); the other two are much shorter.

The first letter is a general pastoral letter, concerned about the growth of people in a church.  (The other two letters are addressed to individuals.  II John is addressed to an unknown "lady chosen by God", possibly a single individual, possibly a more general address to the Church personified.  III John is addressed to Gaius, "my dear friend."  Both of these letters address the issue of hospitality to visiting ministers.)

The theme of the first letter of John is that True Christianity has three parts:

1. Belief that Jesus came in the flesh;
2. Obedience to God;
3. Love for others.

The certainty of one's relationship with God is theological, moral and social.

I John includes Hebrew parallelisms. In this book there are sharp contrasts: antichrists/Christ, light/darkness, purity/sin. At each turn, the reader is presented with only two options; everything is black or white. The World is an important topic in this book, as is true Christian fellowship.

Like the book of Hebrews, the teaching is cyclical (or spiral), returning to the same concepts again and again.  Like the book of Hebrews, there is no named author or reader; like the book of Hebrews the concern is of believers, those already committed to following Jesus.

(The book contains 105 verses, could be memorized in 15 weeks at a verse a day.)

I have, as a reference, a nice commentary by John Stott, The Letters of John, from InterVarsity Press, 1988. (At this time, used copies are available from Amazon for 99 cents.)

Other online resources for I John

There is a nice summary of I John at OverviewBible.com.  Summaries of the second and third letters are here and here. The Bible Project now has a nice video summary here.)

Wikipedia, of course, covers I John, II John and III John, and also has an overview of the three Johannine epistles.

The Comma

There is a fairly notorious medieval corruption of Scripture in I John 5: 7-8, where presumably a scribe elaborated on the concept of the Trinity in the margins of an ancient text and the elaboration crept into medieval translations. An account of this insertion is given here on the evangelical Christian website of Bible.org. Appearing in the King James translation of the Bible, this added sentence has been removed and footnoted in more modern translations. This medieval corruption of Scripture was noted by Erasmus, who refused to put it into his New Testament translation of Greek. As a mathematician, I will point out that Sir Isaac Newton (!!) wrote a paper, An Historical Account of Two Corruptions of Scripture, on this very problem.

John 21, Epilogue (On the Sea of Galilee)

Jesus has reappeared to the disciples several times in Jerusalem. John records one more appearance, this time later in Galilee.

John 21: 1-3, Fishing
Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

The disciples, mostly fishermen, have returned to their roots.

The Sea of Tiberias is the same as the Sea of Galilee.

John 21: 4-8, Jesus at the lake side
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" 

"No," they answered.

He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." 

When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.

The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.

This event is a bookend to a miracle at the beginning of Jesus's ministry. Not recorded in John, but recorded in the other three gospels (see Luke 5:1-11),  is an early event in which Jesus begins his discipling of Peter by helping him fish.

The distance from shore is (translated from Greek) "about two hundred cubits", that is, about 90 meters.

John 21: 9-14, Fire, fish, bread
When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.  Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."  Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. 

Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.

This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus already has breakfast cooking for them, with a fire and some fish already on it.  He also has bread for them but invites them to add some of their fish to the meal.  In the final chapter of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis has the lion, Aslan, turn into a lamb and re-enact this scene. (See this blog post.)

Some try to make something out of the number 153. I suspect it simply represents a very large catch!

John 21: 15-19, Simon, do you love me?
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "

Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." 

Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."  Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" 

He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." 

Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" 

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." 

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."

Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

This is a strange conversation, recorded by John standing nearby. Peter, who when frightened, denied Jesus three times, is now being given instructions, with a three-times emphasis. Jesus has a plan for Peter but Peter is unsure as to what it is.

John 21: 20-23, Peter & John

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"

Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."

Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"

John responds, half a century later, to speculation that he will never die.  Not so, he assures his readers.

John 21: 24-25, John's testimony
This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

John repeats the earlier theme, from the end of the previous chapter, claiming that he was an eyewitness to all of these events and  -- added as an afterthought --  that there are many, many more things that could be written about the time Jesus spent on earth.

John 20, Easter

Jesus has been crucified and buried.

John 20: 1-9, An empty tomb

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

The "disciple Jesus loved" is John. Young John outruns the older Peter to the tomb. (This race is recalled by the elderly John fifty to sixty years later!)  John records that he finally "believed" at this moment and so began to truly understand the meaning of the events that had occurred.

John 20: 10-17, Mary at the tomb

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" 

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" 

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

Jesus said to her, "Mary." 

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, `I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

Mary sees angels. They are only described as "in white".  She does not react to them, other than asking where Jesus is. Then, a moment later, when Jesus appears, she does not recognize him, either blinded by her tears or because he is, in some fundamental way, different. (Luke, see Luke 24: 13-35, records two disciples on the road to Emmaus who also do not recognize Jesus for a time.)

It is not clear what Jesus means by "Do not hold on to me."  It may simply be that he has things to do?

John 20: 18-23, Sunday evening appearance

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

The disciples are afraid that they will be rounded up and so they are in hiding. John reports that the doors are locked so that no one can easily enter, yet Jesus appears.

The disciples react with joy and then Jesus "breathes on them" and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. The gospel writer does not elaborate.

John 20: 24-28, Appearance to Thomas

Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"  Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Thomas, "the Doubter", is given convincing evidence. First, Jesus acknowledges Thomas's earlier challenge, made in his absence, and then Jesus makes it clear to Thomas that he, Jesus, is physically present. Thomas, of course, quickly concedes.

I empathize with Thomas!

John 20: 30-31, That you may believe

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

This passage is a theme of the book -- it has been written "That you may believe..."

The book almost ends here.  But John has a bit more to say, describing one last appearance of Jesus.

John 19, Crucifixion

Jesus has been arrested and tried before Annas & Caiphas, then before Pilate. Pilate, knowing that the Jewish leaders want Jesus crucified, attempts to placate the leaders.

John 19: 1-7, Beaten, taunted, flogged
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" 

But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

Jesus is to be executed for blasphemy. Pilate taunts the Jewish leaders by telling them to do it themselves, knowing that they have no authority to do so.

John 19: 8-15, No king but Caesar
When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).  It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" 

"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. 

"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

The Jewish leaders have a clear threat. If it gets back to Rome that Pilate has been soft on one claiming to be a king, Pilate's career, and life, might be in danger.  But John also records a sad note: the Jewish leaders, supposedly waiting for a Messiah, have instead pledged allegiance to Rome.

John 19: 16-20, Golgotha

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.

The crucifixion is described quickly simply. Jesus is crucified alongside a highway. Presumably this was common, to publicize what happens to those who disobey the Roman emperor and Roman law. The notice Pilate prepares shows his anger with the Jews. It effectively says, "This is what happens to your kings."

John 19: 21-22, What I have written...
The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write `The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."

Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

The leaders take offense to Pilate's summary and Pilate is in no mood to listen.

John 19: 23-24,
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." 

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

The robe is kept, not ripped apart.

The quote in verse 24 about the garments is from Psalm 22:18.

John 19: 25-27, Beneath the cross

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

"This disciple" is the writer of the gospel, John.  He records being assigned to take care of Mary after Jesus's death.

John 19: 28-30, Death
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The ending is quick and dramatic; Jesus drinks a little bit of wine vinegar, announces that all has been done and dies. John records this as a deliberate act of Jesus, bowing his head and "giving up" his spirit, with the knowledge that he has completed his task. In this light, the statement, "It is over" represents triumph, not despair.

To provide Jesus with the wine vinegar, the people at the foot of the cross have to design a makeshift tool to get the moisture to him, wet sponge places on a stalk, held up high to reach his lips.

John 19: 31-37, Pierced
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

Breaking the legs apparently hastened death because it made it difficult for the condemned man to push up and breathe. It also was a traumatic injury more likely to help bring on shock.

The quote in verse 36, "Not one of his bones shall be broken" reflects instructions about sacrificing the passover lamb (see Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12) and is a phrase which also appears in Psalm 34:20. The second quote, verse 37, is from Zechariah 12:10.

John 19: 38-42, Burial

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.  Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea are Jewish leaders who have been following Jesus and now take some risks by making sure that he has a proper burial. The Sabbath sunset is approaching, so these things must be done quickly.

The mixture of spices provided by Nicodemus was considerable, a hundred litrai, about 34 kilograms (say the NIV footnotes.) Like the earlier anointing by Mary, it is a touching sign of grief.

John 18, Arrested!

Jesus has finished his last instructions to his disciples.  Those teachings began in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem and moved on to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives. Now the night will do its dirty work.

John 18: 1-9, Garden of Olives
When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"

"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. 

"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.

Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" 

And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."

"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."

Judas and an attachment of soldiers expect conflict.  But Jesus is passive and ready to be arrested.

The prophecy described at the end was made from earlier in the text, from John 6:39.

John 18: 10-14, Arrest

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.

John even records the name of the servant who lost his ear! Peter's actions oscillate between anger and fear. A more stable Peter will appear after Pentecost.

Apparently Annas was a sort of "high-priest emeritus", retired but still very influential.  (So says commentator Merrill Tenney.)

John 18: 15-18 Denial #1

Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

"You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter. 

He replied, "I am not."

It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

Poor frightened Peter. If even Peter can be a disciple, then so can you and I!

John 18: 19-24, Jesus before the high priest
Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."

When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded.

"If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?"

Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

Jesus will not play games with the rulers tonight. They have had ample opportunity to observe and question him.

It is not clear if this interview is before Annas or Caiphas. It could be before Annas, in his role as high priest emeritus or it could be before the current high priest, Caiphas. Apparently this last sentence could be in the past tense; for example, the NIV footnotes give "Now Annas had sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest."

Jesus's response to the slap is a simple one. If he is guilty, prove it so. If not, why the bullying and attempts at intimidation? John records this event so that we may know that the trial is unjust.

John 18: 25-27 Denials #2 and #3

As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it, saying, "I am not."

 One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove?"

Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Peter's denial is recorded in all four gospels. Peter, a church leader after Pentecost, could have attempted to paint over this shame and embarrassment, but humility and confession form the structure of the early church and so we all know of Peter's cowardice. May our churches today be so transparent!

John 18: 28-32, Before Pilate

Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"

"If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."

Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." 

"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected.

 This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.

Again John records the injustice of the trial.  When asked for their evidence against Jesus, the Jewish leaders deflect the question with "If he were not a criminal...," a statement intended to push Pilate to jump to the verdict without a trial.

The Jews want an execution and Pilate is reluctant to give that to them. The gospel writer will record Pilate's timid and frightened response to the proceedings, showing him as a weak ruler. The other gospels report a third interview, before Herod, but John skips over that part of the trial.

John 18: 33-40, Jesus before Pilate
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. 

Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

"What is truth?" Pilate asked. 

With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release `the king of the Jews'?"

They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.

Pilate is trapped. He is half fearful that Jesus might really be a "son of a god", common in Roman mythology. He wants Jesus to talk to him.  But Jesus will not. And although Pilate recognizes the trumped up trial, he is too weak to rule for justice. Running back and forth between the crowd and the palace, Pilate will make one more attempt to mollify the Jewish leaders.

John 17, Jesus's Prayer

Jesus is with his disciples, probably at the foot of the Mount of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane, or walking that way.  In these final hours, he stops and prays.  The other gospels report that Jesus prayed; John here records some details of the prayer.

John 17: 1-5, Glorify your Son
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Longtime plans are coming to fruition. In them, the glorified Son, and the eternal life created by the upcoming sacrifice, will demonstrate the glory and majesty of God.

John 17: 6-8, These human followers...
"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

A small set of followers are here with Jesus in the garden.  They believe Jesus and -- at least partially -- recognize that he is the Messiah.  But they are frail.

In verses 6 and 26, Jesus says to God, "I have made you known..."  According to the NIV footnotes, the phrase is really "I have made your name known." But in Biblical times God's name was identified with God.

John 17: 9-13, That they may be one
I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.   All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. 

Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name‑‑the name you gave me‑‑so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

Jesus prays for this small frail band of men which he has protected up to this time.  One aspect of his prayer is for unity, that they "be one". We should continue to pray this prayer.

John 17: 14-19, World and Word
I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

NIV footnotes: "Sanctify" is a translation of the Greek hagiazo which means "set apart for sacred use or make holy". The disciples are to have the same mission as Jesus, representing a different world, owning a different citizenship, part of an eternal kingdom.

John 17: 20-24, Prayer for those that will follow
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

Jesus prays that all his followers will act in unity and that they will see his "glory", his attributes, available before Creation.

John 17: 25-26, Transferable love
"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

The prayer includes the request that these disciples pass on this love coming to them through Jesus.

John 16, I Am Leaving

Jesus has just said that he is the True Vine, the source of all spiritual truth and power.  But staying close to Jesus, relying on him -- that will not be easy.

John 16:1-4, Persecution
"All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.

I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.

Even being on the Messiah's team does not offer protection from persecution, even death.  There is a deeper goal here....

John 16: 5‑11, The work of the Counselor
"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

The Counselor bring a certain light and transparency.  Under that light, people see their inherent selfishness.  Under that light, Jesus is revealed as righteous and as savior of the world, defeating evil.

John 16: 12‑15, The work of the Counselor
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

"All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you."

The disciples will no longer receive direct teaching from Jesus.  But the Counselor, the "Spirit of Truth" will teach them further.  And for that to happen, Jesus must leave....

John 16:16‑23, Childbirth
"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, `In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and `Because I am going to the Father'?" They kept asking, "What does he mean by `a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying."

Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, `In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

The disciples didn't understand Jesus's timetable.  The timetable is still unclear, but the temporary defeat, followed by victory, is described by John later in his gospel.

Two statements, seemingly contradictory, appear together here.  "You will grieve..." and "ask me anything." The disciples are alerted to a pending time of grief, while assured that this is all part of a plan.

John 16: 24-28

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

"Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. 

I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."

There is a transition of some type that will occur rapidly.  Soon the figurative speech will end.  In this new age, the disciples will ask God directly for aid and it will be freely given.

John 16: 29-32, You came from God
Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."

"You believe at last!" Jesus answered. "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

The disciples' statement of affirmation is met with a reality check.

I wonder which disciple was speaking here.  Apparently his opinion is reflected by most of them?

John 16: 33, I have overcome the World

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

The final statement is a clear summary of this passage and possibly a theme for John.  The Logos has overcome the World.  Do not expect the World to bring safety or fulfillment, but expect this of the Logos.

What exactly is the new relationship here between the disciples and Jesus-God?

For further thought and meditation: What exactly is to be our relationship with the world? It is a beautiful world, with many good things in it.