John

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John, by Willard M. Swartley (Believers Church Bible Commentary)

Introduction

Relevance

When John begins his gospel with the words “In the beginning,” he leads his audience through a telling of Jesus’ life that is grounded in Scripture but rich with surprises. He shifts from the synoptic gospels’ focus on what Jesus taught in his ministry to what that ministry reveals about who Jesus is. As a result, the gospel of John provides some of the clearest statements of Jesus’ divine authority, status as the Son of God, and the salvific purpose of his incarnation, death, and resurrection. Moreover, the gospel includes significant details about the Spirit. Consequently, the gospel played a central role in the development of Christian triune theology. For modern believers, the gospel continues to play a significant role by supplying meaningful metaphors and imagery with which to express faith. In the latter part of the twentieth century, with what theologians call “the narrative turn,” John’s storytelling has gained renewed attention. By telling Jesus’ story through the careful selection of a limited number of episodes that focus upon dialogues with individuals, believers are invited to explore their own understanding of their relationship with Christ. (All biblical quotations are from the NRSVue.)

Authorship

The fourth gospel identifies the authoritative witness to the events narrated within the gospel as the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (e.g., 13:23; 20:2, henceforth, the Beloved Disciple). Early Christian scholars understood John the son of Zebedee to be the Beloved Disciple. Eusebius (Hist. eccl. 5.8.4) attributes his knowledge of this fact to Irenaeus (ca. 180† CE; Haer. 3.1.1). The attribution to John makes good sense given that he—along with James the son of Zebedee, Bartholomew, Matthew the tax collector, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot—is never named in the gospel. Moreover, the gospel frequently pairs the Beloved Disciple with Simon Peter, something the book of Acts also does (Acts 3–4; 8:14; cf. Matt 17:1; 26:37; Mark 5:37; Luke 9:28; 22:8).

Modern arguments about authorship have widened the scope of possible candidates to include such witnesses as Mary Magdalene, Lazarus, and Thomas Didymus (11:16; 20:24; 21:2), or an idealized witness rather than a specific person. Whoever is named as the author, any attribution ought to recognize the gospel’s own emphasis upon the anonymity of the witness upon which it is based (e.g., 20:31) and that the process of composition entailed, at the very least, one hand other than the Beloved Disciple (21:24-25).The use of the plural first person pronoun (e.g., 1:14, 16; 21:24) suggests to some that the gospel should be attributed to a Johannine school, but there is sufficient stylistic evidence to suggest one strong narrative voice. What might be important to Anabaptists is the fact that the author’s authority is based upon being both a witness to the events and a recipient of Jesus’ love.

Date and Provenance

Rylands Papyrus 457—P52, containing John 18:31-33 and 37-38 dated to ca. 130 CE—provides the latest possible date for composition. A majority of scholars suggest the earliest date is after the destruction of the temple in 70 CE when Christians and Jews slowly begin to define themselves in mutually exclusive terms. Some argue for a later date because of John’s advanced Christology, but similarity with Pauline understanding of Jesus’ equality with God (see Phil 2:6-11) undermines such contention.

Two locations have been contenders for the place of composition. Tradition describes Ephesus as the place where the Beloved Disciple took Jesus’ mother to live. Irenaeus, writing sometime between 174 and 189 CE, affirms that John resided and wrote his gospel there (Haer. 3.1.1). The logos theology of the gospel makes Egypt an equally worthy contender for its location due to the possible influence of the Hellenistic milieu in which Philo of Alexandria wrote (20 BCE–50 CE). The earliest manuscripts of John or with references to John come from Egypt, but this may be attributed to the dry climate conducive to their preservation.

Rhetoric and Style

The gospel of John has generated a debate among contemporary scholars about its primary rhetorical aim. Is it primarily deliberative in form, seeking to persuade its audience to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and is able to ensure their eternal life? Or is its goal forensic in that it seeks to condemn those Jews who participated in Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion and rejected him? Many scholars warn readers that the rhetoric of the gospel crosses the line into anti-Judaism. However, some scholars have suggested that the targets of this rhetoric were other Christian groups (not Jewish) and that the gospel of John is a sectarian document. Or could it be a piece of epideictic literature seeking to strengthen the faith and deepen the understanding of those who have already recognized Jesus to be the Christ?

Whether just one or all of these informed the gospel’s composition, the author employed a wide variety of rhetorical strategies and figures of speech to appeal to the book’s audience. The prologue (1:1-18), narrative asides, and dramatic irony emphasize the privileged knowledge of the audience as insiders. The author also enjoys alliteration, so that in places, the Greek trips off the reader’s tongue. See for example John 5:23 with its repetition of t and p that get lost in translation: hina pantes timōsin ton Huion kathōs timōsin ton Patera. Ho mē timōn ton Huion ou tima ton Patera ton pempsanta auton. The use of poetic devices such as metaphor render the reading of the gospel a worshipful event. The language of the gospel is also fraught with double entendre and ambiguous terms that force translators to make difficult decisions. Because most readers of the gospel are limited to translations, they ought to look for editions with good notes that alert them to alternative translations of key words, such as logos, often translated as word in the prologue (1:1, 14), and anōthen, which can mean either “again” or “above,” in Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus (3:3, 7, 31).

Outline of John

(Adapted from Swartley, 497-501)

John 1:1-18 Prologue: Overture to the Gospel AThe Preexistent Word, Agent of Creation, 1:1–5

BJohn: Witness to the Light, 1:6–8

CThe True Light, 1:9–11

DGod’s Gift to Those Who Receive the Logos, 1:12–13

C´Word Made Flesh, Resplendent in Glory, 1:14

B´Witness to the Word Made Flesh, 1:15–17

A´The Incarnate Word, Revealing God, 1:18

John 1:19–12:50 Jesus’ Itinerant Ministry (Book of Signs)

A Week of New Creation, 1:19–2:12

From Old to New: Temple, Birth, Baptism; Communities in Conflict, 2:13–4:3

Jesus’ Peace Mission: Savior of the World, 4:4-54

Jesus Does God’s Work; “Trial” Begins, 5:1-47

Jesus Is the Bread of Life, 6:1-71

Jesus: Living Water, at the Feast of Tabernacles, 7:1-53

Truth on Trial: Jesus, the Pharisees, and the Jews, 8:1-59

Blindness and Sight: Who Is Jesus? 9:1-41

Shepherds: True and False, 10:1-42

Jesus’ Climactic Sign: Lazarus’s Death, Raising, and Aftermath, 11:1–12:11

Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem, 12:12-50

John 13:1–20:31 Passover, Passion, and Resurrection (Book of Glory)

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet, 13:1-38

Jesus’ Love; the Way, the Truth, and the Life, 14:1-31

Abiding, Loving, Facing Hatred, 15:1–16:4

The Paraclete’s Work, Jesus’ Departure and Consolation, 16:5-33

Jesus Prays to His Father, 17:1-26

Jesus’ Arrest, Jewish Trial, and Peter’s Denials, 18:1-27

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate, 18:28–19:16a

Jesus’ Crucifixion and Burial, 19:16b-42

The Risen Jesus Ignites Mission and New Community, 20:1-31

John 21:1-25 Epilogue: New Horizons and Destinies

A Great Catch of Fish, 21:1-14

Jesus Restores and Commissions Simon Peter, 21:15-19

The Beloved Disciple and His Testimony, 21:20-25

Summary and Comment

John’s gospel is episodic in nature. Each episode is defined by a distinct action (usually a sign/miracle of which there are seven), in a specified setting, that provokes debate about Jesus’ identity. Jesus frequently picks up an element from the episode as a metaphor to proclaim his identity using an “I am” formula. The narrator provides short bridges between the episodes by describing Jesus’ movement from one setting to another. The gospel has a unified plot in which the tension between Jesus and the Jerusalem authorities builds slowly but steadily to a climax, Jesus’ death on the cross. The narrative is divided into two halves: the first gives an account of Jesus’ itinerant ministry, and the second recounts the final week of Jesus’ life. John takes care to strategically lay out the order of information to create both suspense—even though the reader knows what is to come—and irony, in which the reader enjoys the privilege of being in the know.

John 1:1-18 Prologue

Referred to as the prologue, the opening of the book identifies Jesus in poetic terms as the logos and makes clear his coidentity with God as well as the identity of readers of faith as children of God.

John 1:19–12:50 Jesus’ Itinerant Ministry

Sometimes called the Book of Signs, this section includes several trips to Jerusalem and episodes that often occur during Jewish festivals.

In the Galilee

John 1:19–2:12 John the Baptist is the first witness to Jesus’ identity and Jesus reveals his glory to his disciples during a wedding in Cana by performing his first sign, changing water into wine.

Passover in Jerusalem

John 2:13-25 Jesus protests the presence of economic activity in the temple, predicts his own death and resurrection by referring to his body as the temple. John 3:1-21 Nicodemus visits Jesus, and Jesus explains in symbolically dense terms the necessity of rebirth from water and spirit, his own heavenly descent, and God’s purpose for sending him into the world.

In Samaria

3:22-36 The Baptist learns that Jesus is baptizing in Judean territory and concedes that it is time for his ministry to give way to that of Jesus. 4:1-42 Jesus discusses true worship with a Samaritan woman at a well, identifies himself as the source of living water, and subsequently enjoys the hospitality of a Samaritan village.

In the Galilee

4:43-54 Jesus performs his second sign by healing a royal official’s son

In Jerusalem at a Jewish Festival

5:1-47 In the third sign, Jesus heals a lame man on the Sabbath, provoking a debate with the Jews over his authority.

In the Galilee

John 6:1-71 The fourth sign is the feeding of the 5,000 in which Jesus proclaims “I am the bread of life” (vv. 35, 48, 51). This is quickly followed by a fifth sign, Jesus walking on the water. When the Jews protest Jesus’ claim that “I am the bread that came down from heaven” (v. 41), the debate becomes more heated, and Jesus’ assertions more provocative, with the end result that many of his disciples cease following him.

7:1-9 Jesus’ brothers seem to taunt Jesus about going to the Festival of Booths. Jesus states he will not go to the festival because it is not his time. In Jerusalem at the Festival of Booths

7:10-52 Jesus goes to the festival in secret and encounters a crowd engaged in a debate about whether he is a good man and even the Messiah or simply a deceiver, one who is leading the people astray. The authorities send officers to arrest Jesus, but they are distracted by Jesus’ teachings. They report back to the authorities empty handed. When the Pharisees call the crowd accursed, Nicodemus protests and is silenced.

7:53–8:11 The debate about Jesus’ identity is interrupted by the story of the woman caught in adultery.

8:12–59 The debate resumes with Jesus’ assertion “I am the light of the world” (8:12; 9:5). The Pharisees accuse Jesus of testifying on his own behalf. As Jesus describes the nature of true discipleship and contends that the Pharisees are not Abraham’s children but that the devil is their father, the atmosphere becomes increasingly heated until the Jews pick up stones to throw at Jesus, and he slips away into the temple.

9:1–10:21 Jesus performs his sixth sign by restoring sight to a blind man. The action shifts to the Pharisees’ interrogation of the man’s parents and the man himself. They first seek evidence that the healing was fabricated and then pressure the man to deny that Jesus is from God. When Jesus learns that the Pharisees have driven the man out, he finds the man who affirms that Jesus is the Son of Man. Jesus then accuses the Pharisees of being the ones who are blind. He proceeds to use the illustration of the good shepherd in which he claims “I am the gate for the sheep” (10:7, 9) and “I am the good shepherd” (10:11, 14) and implies that the Pharisees are thieves and wolves. The episode ends with the crowd debating whether or not Jesus has a demon.

In Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication

10:22-42 While walking in the temple, Jesus is confronted by a group of Jews demanding to know if he is the Messiah. Jesus responds by pointing to the evidence that should lead them to an affirmative answer and accuses them of being without belief. At this point they take up stones again and accuse him of blasphemy, but Jesus once more evades arrest.

In Bethany near Jerusalem

John 11:1–12:11 The story of Jesus’ seventh sign, the raising of Lazarus, is told in a series of episodes that build suspense in anticipation of the passion narrative. Jesus and his disciples are somewhere east of the Jordan River when they receive word that Lazarus is ill. Jesus delays going to see him and, as a result, arrives after Lazarus has been dead for four days. Martha greets Jesus by saying that if he had come earlier, Lazarus would not have died. In a brief dialogue, Jesus proclaims, “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25). When confronted similarly by Mary, he weeps and asks to be taken to the tomb, from which he calls Lazarus back to life. When word of the resurrection reaches Jerusalem, Caiaphas proclaims to his council with unintended irony that Jesus must die for the people. Some time passes and Jesus is again in Bethany six days before the Passover. Mary expresses her gratitude to Jesus by anointing his feet. Jesus’ counters Judas’s objection by turning her gesture into preparation for his burial. As the Passover crowd gathers in Jerusalem and learns of Lazarus’s resurrection, the chief priests decide that Lazarus also must be put to death.

In Jerusalem

John 12:12-19 Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey in fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9.

John 12:20-36 When a group of Greek speaking pilgrims ask to speak with Jesus, Jesus speaks about his imminent death in poetic terms and then hides himself.

John 12:37-43 The narrator’s voice provides an unusually long commentary on the disbelief of the authorities.

John 12:44-50 Jesus ends his public ministry with a summary of his teachings that emphasizes that his purpose is to save the world.

John 13:1–20:31 Jesus’ Glory

Often referred to as the Book of Glory, this section contains the account of Jesus’ arrest and interrogations before Jewish and Roman authorities, his crucifixion and resurrection appearances.

In Jerusalem at Passover

John 13:1–17:26 The Upper Room and Jesus’ Prayer

The last evening with the disciples is the longest episode in the gospel. It contains the following, not precisely in this order: the account of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, prophecy of Judas’s betrayal and Peter’s denial, the giving of the commandment to love one another and the metaphor of the vine, words of comfort that Jesus’ death is part of God’s plan, that Jesus has conquered the world and that he will return and their sorrow will turn to joy, the prediction of the disciple’s persecution with the assurance that Jesus will send an advocate on their behalf, and Jesus’ wish for peace for the disciples. He proclaims “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6) and “I am the true vine” (15:1, 5). He ends his speech with a prayer on behalf of the disciples and all who believe in him that God will protect them and sanctify them.

John 18:1–19:42 The Passion Narrative

John gives much more narrative time to recount Jesus’ arrest, interrogation, and crucifixion than that found in the synoptic gospels. The quick interlacing episodes in the narrative place stress upon the folly of the priests, Pilate, and Peter, and upon Jesus’ constancy and dignity in the face of his imminent death.

18:1-11 Judas comes to Jesus’ arrest in order to identify him, and a large contingent of armed men come in order to restrain him, but Jesus controls the action. He identifies himself twice with the words “I am he,” and the guards stumble and fall as Jesus hands himself over.

18:12-14 In a quick scene without dialogue, Jesus is first taken to the house of Annas, the former high priest and Caiaphas’s father-in-law. The readers are expected to know that Annas is a sort of high priestly godfather.

18:15-18 While Jesus is inside, Peter stands outside in the courtyard and is recognized—but denies that he is a disciple. In counterpoint to Jesus’ “I am he,” Peter says, “I am not.”

18:19-24 Annas interrogates Jesus about his teachings, but Jesus protests that he has spoken openly and that Annas should call witnesses. A guard strikes Jesus, to which Jesus responds with assertive words. Annas sends Jesus on to Caiaphas.

18:25-27 The action returns to the courtyard where Peter is warming himself. He denies his identity as a disciple two more times before the cock crows.

18:28–19:16 The interrogation by Pilate moves back and forth from inside Pilate’s palace to outside where Pilate argues with the priests, forming a chiastic pattern:

Exterior: the priests demand Jesus’ death without a charge; Pilate refuses

Interior: Pilate asks Jesus if he is king of the Jews

Exterior: Pilate dismisses the case against Jesus; the priests ask that Barabbas be released

Interior: the soldiers scourge Jesus and mock him as king

Exterior: Pilate finds no harm in Jesus saying “Behold the man!”; the priests bring a capital charge of calling himself a god and demand Jesus' crucifixion.

Interior: Pilate asks Jesus about his origins

Exterior: the priests again demand Jesus’ crucifixion, accusing Pilate of being unfaithful to the emperor, contending that Jesus has committed sedition, and conceding that they have no king but Caesar; Pilate grants their request.

19:16b-42 The Crucifixion. John again breaks the narrative into a series of discrete actions with the accent falling on the folly of those who are crucifying Jesus and Jesus’ control over his own fate, even to the point of giving up his spirit. The way John handles the action confirms that Jesus’ death is not an hour of humiliation but the hour of his glory (cf. 12:23). Jesus carries his own cross and is crucified (vv. 16b-18). Some priests ask that the titulus reading “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” be revised and are denied (vv. 19-22). Some soldiers gamble over Jesus’ clothes (vv. 23-25a). Jesus names the Beloved Disciple and his mother to now be son and mother (vv. 25b-27). Jesus proclaims “It is finished” and gives up his spirit (vv. 28-30). A soldier pierces Jesus’ body from which pours water and blood (vv. 31-37), and then Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus entomb Jesus’ body (vv. 38-42).

John 20:1-31 The Resurrection

In the resurrection scenes, John structures the action to emphasize recognition of Jesus and a reversal of emotions, fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy that their sorrow will turn to joy (cf. John 16:20). This is achieved in part by using interactions with individuals.

20:1-18 Mary Magdalene discovers the empty tomb and reports back to the disciples. The Beloved Disciple and Peter confirm her report and leave her weeping alone before the tomb. At first she thinks that Jesus is the gardener, but when he says her name, she recognizes him and cries “Rabbouni (my rabbi).”

20:19-23 When Jesus appears to the disciples who have been hiding in fear, they rejoice.

20:24-29 Thomas is not present at this appearance and doubts their report. When Jesus appears to him, his doubt turns into an enthusiastic confession, “My Lord and my God!”

20:30-31 The Jerusalem appearances now end, and the narrator explains that these signs were selected so that the audience will believe and have life in Jesus’ name.

John 21:1-25 Epilogue

In the Galilee

21:1-14 Several disciples, including the Beloved Disciple and Peter, decide to go fishing. While they are in a boat on the sea, a man appears to them standing on the beach and instructs them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, whereupon their net is filled with fish. The Beloved Disciple then recognizes Jesus and, in his enthusiasm, Peter dives off the boat and swims to shore where he finds that Jesus has prepared a meal of roasted fish and bread.

21:15-23 In a private dialogue, in which the Beloved Disciple is pictured overhearing, Jesus asks Peter three times whether he loves him, and Peter affirms his love for Jesus three times in the reversal of his earlier denial. With each confession, Jesus instructs Peter to feed his flock.

21:24-25 The narrator concludes with a second epilogue affirming that the Beloved Disciple is the witness to the account given in the gospel.

Conclusion and the Anabaptist Tradition

Besides providing Christians with language and imagery that enhance devotional and worship activities, there are several aspects of John’s gospel that are of particular importance to Anabaptism. Although the gospel does not explicitly describe baptism, there are several themes that have been important to Anabaptist understanding of this rite of passage. Baptism typically is understood to signify becoming disciples and members of the body of Christ. It is the latter of these two that is an important Johannine theme. The importance of unity with Christ is perhaps clearest in John 17:21-23. The vine metaphor (15:1-11), with its call to abide in Christ and to love one another in order to bear fruit, supports the Anabaptist understanding that the divine love of Jesus and God is made manifest in the actions of the church. The gospel of John’s teachings about the Spirit inform the Anabaptist understandings of both this unity and discipleship. John makes pronounced use of the language of being sent. God sends his only Son to save the world (3:17) and sends him with the full measure of the Spirit (3:34). The Spirit is connected with the living water that flows from Jesus and, according to Dirk Philips, also from the believer (4:10; 7:37-38, cited in Swartley, 209). Jesus in turn promises to send the Spirit to the disciples as an advocate (14:16-17) and later, after saying “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” Jesus blows the spirit into the disciples during a resurrection appearance (20:22). In Anabaptist understanding, the abiding presence of the Spirit animates the love that church members show each other and the world. Its presence signifies that this love is not our love but that acts of charity and Christian obedience manifest the love of Christ and God.

Anabaptists have consistently emphasized conforming one’s actions to the ethical teachings of Jesus; therefore, not surprisingly, the gospel of Matthew with its Sermon on the Mount was the most cited of the gospels by the early Anabaptists, and the gospel of Luke is often a favorite for modern Anabaptists. John’s gospel also emphasizes the instruction of Christ. In particular, 7:16-18 was central to Anabaptist understanding that to know the truth and to know Christ means to obey him: “No one may truly know Christ except one who follows him in life” (Hans Denck, cited in Swartley, 208). Such obedience requires Gelassenheit, an emptying of oneself, to be obedient to the point of death if necessary. Jesus’ sheep hear his voice and follow him (10:27-28). To love Jesus is to keep his commands (14:15, 21-24; 15:9-12, 17; see McDermond, 86–87, 102-7). Early Anabaptist martyrs appealed to the statements of Jesus in 11:25-26; 12:25; and 12:48 as sources of encouragement (Swartley, 208, 268, 294, 311–12).

While Anabaptism has not placed the same emphasis upon theology and Christology as upon the norms for Christian community and actions that reflect our relationship with God and Christ, the gospel of John has fulfilled an important role by providing the language of faith (note Swartley, 188). Moreover, John’s story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and the injunction for disciples to wash each other’s feet (13:1-17), informs our understanding of the Lord’s Supper as a meal of love and the importance of an ethic of love (13:34-35) expressed through service to others. In the Lord’s Supper, many early Anabaptists emphasized reconciled community with impetus for mission (Swartley, 189).

One of the distinctive features of the gospel of John is the way that it blends future and realized eschatology. While affirming the tradition of resurrection of the dead as a future redemptive event (5:28), the gift of eternal life also happens in this life (5:25). This eschatology informs an Anabaptist ethos in which service to others is central but does not constitute works that seek the reward of future salvation. Jesus describes the experience of faith as joy (see 16:20-22, 24; 17:13). The anxiety that the disciples feel at Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion is displaced by joy at his resurrection (20:19-23). The Johannine Jesus states the significant claim, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (8:32), only once, but he echoes terminology that Paul uses frequently. Paul’s freedom is a social reality in which men and women, masters and slaves, Jews and Greeks can enter into fellowship with each other at a time when such social distinctions kept people separate and incapable of true friendship (see Gal 3:28). The freedom that Jesus brings is the comfort that those who acknowledge Jesus openly, even though one is rejected by the powers that be in this world (see 9:22 and 34), can be assured that God will call them God’s own. Freedom is a social status that allows one to act out of God’s love rather than from social pressures. Aristotle describes happiness as the effect of virtue.(Eth. nic. 1–2). John sees it as the result of a relationship with Jesus and God that then motivates good actions and courage (John ??).

Another distinctive feature of the gospel is the seeming dualistic language that separates Jesus and the community of faith from the world (e.g., 8:22). The world does not know the logos (1:10), and the world hates the disciples (7:7; 15:18-19; 17:14). Separation from the world has been a defining feature of the Anabaptist tradition to which this gospel should add significant facets. The world is a divine creation, the sphere in which God’s glory is revealed (1:9-10), and the object of God’s redemptive love (3:16-17; 4:42). The defining act in the hour of divine judgment is the casting out of “the ruler of this world” (12:31; see also 14:30; 16:11). Separation from the world is, therefore, not cutting oneself off from all interactions with the world and with people who are not members of one’s community. In the language of the gospel, it is about refraining from seeking the honors granted by the powers and conventions of this world but rather enjoying witnessing God’s glory. Separation from the world is seeking the sort of peace that Jesus gives rather than the peace that the world offers (14:27). John does not provide an explicit definition of what peace is, but the acts of hospitality and shared abundance—seen in the provision of wine at Cana (2:1-11), the welcome of the Samaritans (4:39-42), the feeding of the large crowd (5:6-14), Mary’s gift of nard (12:1-3), Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet (13:1-11), and his provision of a hot breakfast for some of them (21:9)—point toward an understanding of peace as shared wellbeing. Moreover, John’s version of the passion narrative provides support for the path of nonresistance (see esp. 18:36).

John uses the verb pisteuō (to believe) seven times more often than any of the synoptic gospels (Costa). Faith in the gospel of John is an epistemological act (concerns knowing, see discussion of 7:16-18 above), but close examination of its function in the narratives indicates that it is not a decision that one makes to believe or not to believe but rather a realization. It is an act in which characters within the story recognize that Jesus’ signs point to his identity as the Son of God. Those who reject Jesus fail to recognize God’s glory manifest in Jesus’ signs (8:48-50). Readers are given a special vantage point from which they can watch the cognitive struggles of characters. This has led some scholars to conclude that our role as readers is to judge the adequacy of the faith of each character, but if this were John’s intent, surely he would have provided more evidence with which to make such assessments. The frame of the gospel suggests that John’s emphasis is upon inviting readers to join those who recognize Jesus; this happens through the gestures of including the reader in language of “we” in the prologue and the blessing of those who believe without having been present at the resurrection appearance. Rather than the sort of certitude that we who have been educated in the light of modern science have come to associate with knowledge, Johannine faith should also be understood as trust and hope, actions oriented toward the future and not just the past (Kysar; Larsen).

Two aspects of the gospel of John have come to trouble the sensibilities of many believers: the anti-Jewish polemic and the exclusivism. J. Louis Martyn posited the theory that this polemic was the result of the Johannine community’s expulsion from the community (Martyn). Raymond E. Brown posited that the exclusivism reflected the Johannine community’s break from a larger Petrine community. Both of these theories have proven to be flawed. Many scholars have tried to limit the term Ioudaioi (typically translated Jews or Judeans) to the Jerusalem authorities, but John is not explicit in his designation. Sometimes he seems to use it as a metonym for the world (7:1–8:59). Jesus goes so far as to call his Jewish interlocutors children and followers of the devil (8:44). On many occasions, the Johannine Jesus makes clear that eternal life or salvation is contingent upon expressions of faith in Jesus. One must be born again of the Spirit (3:3), something that, in John, is Jesus’ gift (20:22). One must “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood” (6:53). The disciples cannot bear fruit unless they abide in Jesus (15:4). At the same time, Jesus claims that when he is lifted up he will draw all to him (12:32) and that he has come to save the world (12:47). Looking at the gospel of John from the perspective of a narrative told to a community of believers, John provides us with a picture of the human predicament, with its conflicting traditions and fear of ostracism and humiliation, which makes clear why some reject Jesus’ invitation. If we understand the rhetorical goal of the gospel as the strengthening of faith, the gospel helps us name the fears and complications upon which we might stumble (see Swartley, “The Jews,” 520–25).

Recommended Essays in the Commentary

Belief/Unbelief Disciples and Discipleship Eternal Life Glory and Glorify “The Jews” Love Ethic Signs and Works Women

Bibliography

• Brant, Jo-Ann A. John. Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011.
• Brown, Raymond E. The Community of the Beloved Disciple. New York: Paulist, 1979.
• Costa, Tony. “The Use of πιστεύω in the Gospel of John: Some Considerations on Meaning and Issues of Consistency and Ambiguity.” Conspectus 32 (2021) 93–108.
• Frey, Jörg, The Glory of the Crucified One. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2018.
• Kysar, Robert. “The Dismantling of Decisional Faith: A Reading of John 6:25-71,” pages 161–81 in Critical Readings of John 6, edited by R. Alan Culpepper. Leiden: Brill, 1997.
• Larsen, Kasper Bro. Recognizing the Stranger: Recognition Scenes in the Gospel of John. Leiden: Brill 2008.
• Martyn, J. Louis. History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel. New York: Harper and Row, 1968.
• McDermond, J. E. 1, 2, 3 John. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Harrisonburg, VA: Herald, 2011.
• Painter, John, R. Alan Culpepper, and Fernando F. Segovia, eds. Word, Theology and Community in John. St. Louis: Chalice, 2002.
• Reinhartz, Adele. Cast Out of the Covenant: Jews and Anti-Judaism in the Gospel of John. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2018.
• Rensberger, David. Johannine Faith and Liberating Community. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster, 1988
• Swartley, Willard M. John. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Harrisonburg, VA: Herald, 2013.

Recommended Essays in the Commentary

Disciples and Discipleship
“The Jews”
Love Ethic in John
Women in John

Web Supplement to the Commentary

Web Supplement to Gospel of John Commentary (pdf)

—Willard M. Swartley