Presentations for Class - Chapters 10, 11 and 12

Here are the presentations for class Tuesday evening February 26, 2013:

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 10

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 11

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 12

Week Six - Chapters 8, 9 and 10

One of the things that didn't get mentioned in class this week was that the healing of the blind man in chapter nine of John is the 6th sign of the 7 signs that John uses to represent the full spectrum of Jesus' work.  The 7th sign will be the raising of Lazarus in chapter eleven. We will cover that next week.

How the blind man responds is very telling of the ascending order of response Jesus receives to the signs that John records Jesus performing through His ministry.  Among all others present during the healing and subsequent investigation, the healed blind man is the one who can truly see who Jesus is and the scope of what He has come to do. It is blindness in its full sincerity that qualifies us to be restored by Jesus.  Pretending or claiming that we can see produces long term blindness both to what Jesus desires for us and in terms of what His long term effect is on us.

I hope you caught the sense of how Jesus interprets "sin" as opposed to how the religious leaders of Judaism defined it. Jesus is talking about full alienation and death whereas the religious leaders made "sin" about transgression of the law. No wonder Jesus keeps healing on the Sabbath and challenging their view of "sin." It's not transgression of the law that He is concerned about. Everyone in that sense is a transgressor since the law is impossible for fallen humanity to keep in its entirety. The law demands that it be kept fully - not in part. No one on earth has that ability. The Jews are looking to restore immediate wholeness of Israel in terms of obedience to the law while Jesus is looking to restore humanity to relationship with the Father for eternity. In this sense the wholeness of humanity will trump keeping the law any day.

God's community is defined by its focal point: Jesus.  Jesus is the centre, the one through whom humanity is restored to community with God. Belonging does not center on rule keeping but on relationship keeping - initiated and empowered by Jesus Himself. Lazarus will become the 7th and most significant sign that speaks physically of what Jesus desires to restore to humanity.  Giving new life is what Jesus is on earth for and it will be accomplished by his own resurrection - thus disabling sin and death and giving us "life." This will be the reason the Greeks come in chapter 12 to inquire of Jesus - the one who brings people from death to life.

Lecture Recordings:

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Eight Part II

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Eight Part III

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Nine - Forgiveness of Sins

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Ten - The Shepherd and His Flock

Class Powerpoint Presentations - Introduction - Chapter 9

As promised, here are the powerpoints that I have used in class so far:

BT0212 Gospel of John - Introductory Material

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 1 and 2

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 2

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 3

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 4

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 5

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 6

BT0212 Gospel of John Chapter Seven

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 8

BT0212 Gospel of John - Chapter 9

Week Five - Chapter 6, 7 and 8

By now I'm sure you are catching on to the importance of paying attention to the imagery that John uses in his gospel to convey the importance of the person of Jesus and His mission to creation. Knowing our OT imagery goes a long way into understanding what the NT writers are communicating.  As we are now in the chapters where John records Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles, no doubt the greatest feast in Israel, the backdrop of the imagery in the feast that recalls God's provision for Israel in the wilderness, we see Jesus speaking of Himself as the focal point of the feast itself.

The Jews were celebrating God and remembering His provision in the past and Jesus is there teaching that His connection to God brings with it the presence of God in their very midst. The reason for Jesus' mission on behalf of the Father is to restore Israel and the nations to their true humanity. That true humanity exists when the Spirit resides within each one.  The result of this is like a gushing river of living water that flows from deep within each one that puts their trust in Jesus and surrenders their life to Him.

Such humanity changes the world. Living out this humanity speaks of the central connection of the human race with God Himself. The issue is whether the audience and reader will give themselves over to such a change in their life.  These words of Jesus hit people where they are and some are too comfortable in their present life to consider changing. Others are hearing and embracing Jesus' words, putting their trust in Him while others are confused and don't know quite what to make of it all. Like the Parable of the Sower that appears in the other canonical gospels, this story of John's in chapter seven shows that Jesus simple intent is that His words grab hold of some. By the seed of His word taking root in the hearts of some, the result will be an exponential growth of their new humanity which will grow over time to influence a multitude of others.

Next week we will continue through to chapter nine where the narrative of Jesus at the feast will end with the healing of the blind man. I'm looking forward to opening this part up for you to see what else Jesus does through John's recollection that paints for us the picture of who He is and what we are called to be.  Up till now, we have been encouraged by Jesus to believe in Him - put our trust in Him - surrender our lives over to His sacrifice where He will lay down His and our life in order to take it up again in the new humanity that God desires for us.

Chapter 6 Part II and Part III

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Six Part II - Real Food and Real Drink

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Six Part III - Real Food and Real Drink

Chapter 7

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Seven - Teaching at the Feast

Chapter 8

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Eight - Light of the World

Week Four - Chapters 4, 5 and 6

Hopefully you are following along in your reading in John. We reached chapter 6 of John this Tuesday and next week we will aim to finish up chapter 6 and review chapter 7 and 8.  Try to read the chapters in more than one version of the Bible so that you get a full rounded view of what John is writing. I recommend that you read the following different versions:

• For word-for-word translation try the American Standard or the New American Standard Version
• For a dynamic equivalent [where the word meanings in the original language are translated into common terms and word phrases in English] read the New Living Translation [any edition except the 1st edition] or the New International Version.
• For a very contemporary version read The Message - translation by Eugene Peterson. Some think that this is a "free" translation but actually Peterson is trained in Ancient Near Eastern Languages and as a pastor for over 30 years in the same church, Peterson put the Bible into our common language while staying true to the original.

I hope you are also getting a feel for following the imagery in John that he borrows from the Old Testament. This should make it clear to us that we need to know our OT scriptures well and follow the images and imagery that the NT writers incorporate into their writing so as to bring attention to what they are writing. You can't miss the dynamic way that John paints a backdrop for Jesus' activity while on earth. Remember that they are not just writing history but their specific take on what they saw and witnessed and hoping that we see what they want us to see.

In chapter six of John, John writes of Jesus as if Jesus is the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that guided the Israelites through the wilderness. More than the manna [or bread] that He has to offer, His desire is that people embrace Him.  He is the key to our lives going from life to death to death to life. The key to this is our connection to Him.  He has the life that we need to live beyond death and live a super-abundant life.

Week Four Audio:

Chapter Four

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Four cont'd - Sowing Seed for Eternal Harvest

Chapter Five

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Five - The Father and the Son Continually Working

Chapter Six

Portico John Lecture - Chapter Six - Real Food and Real Drink