Recap

So far in John, we've read the prologue, Jesus' public ministry, the raising of Lazarus, his journey to Jerusalem, his private ministry, and the beginning of his arrest and execution. John uniquely emphasises Jesus' divinity, presenting him as 'the Word' who existed before creation and became flesh. He is the light of Genesis and the fulfilment of the tabernacle and Passover lamb. Unlike other gospels, John omits Jesus' baptism and temptation, portraying him as God on earth, above the need for these events. His first disciples immediately recognised him as the Messiah.

Jesus engaged with four key Jewish institutions, beginning with his first miraculous sign at a wedding in Cana, where he turned water into wine, symbolising the abundance of God’s kingdom and the new covenant. In Jerusalem, he cleared the temple, foreshadowing his death and resurrection as the true temple. He then met Nicodemus, a Rabbi, explaining that people need new life through being born again, not just more teaching. At a sacred well, Jesus revealed himself as the living water to a Samaritan woman, opening worship to all people.

Jesus performed his second sign by healing an official's son, highlighting his kingdom of life and health. On the Sabbath, he performed his third sign, healing a lame man, which angered the leaders but showed his authority to work as his Father does. At Passover, Jesus performed his fourth and fifth signs—feeding 5,000 and walking on water—and declared himself the bread of life, the true Passover lamb.

During the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus taught in Jerusalem, declaring himself the light of the world and the one who leads people out of slavery. He performed his sixth sign by healing a blind man, further revealing his identity but aggravating the religious leaders. He also declared himself the Good Shepherd, echoing God’s promise in Ezekiel 34 and Moses' leadership. At the Feast of Dedication, Jesus claimed, "I and the Father are one," positioning himself as the ultimate meeting point between humanity and God.

The seventh miraculous sign followed with the resurrection of Lazarus, where Jesus demonstrated his power over life and death. This miracle enraged the religious leaders, who then plotted to kill him. Jesus was anointed with perfume and entered Jerusalem on a donkey, welcomed as a king. He taught that his death would defeat the corrupt spiritual powers.

In his private ministry during the Passover meal, Jesus washed his disciples' feet, teaching them that his kingdom is about service and love, not power. He emphasised that love should define them, and through it, they are connected to God. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide them, warning of persecution but assuring them of his continued presence through the Spirit. He concluded by praying for their protection and unity.

Finally, Jesus was arrested in a garden after Judas betrayed him. Despite declaring his divinity, which caused the guards to fall back, he was taken to the religious leaders and then to Pilate. Though Pilate found him innocent, the religious leaders insisted on his death, rejecting his claim of a heavenly kingdom.

John 19-21

Pilate hands Jesus over to his guards to be flogged. In a moment of dramatic irony, they take Jesus, the promised king, and they mock him by dressing him us a king. The place a crown of thorns on his head and royal robes on his shoulders. They hail him as king before hitting him.

Pilate then brings Jesus out to the crowd, as though showing off to them their new king. The crowd cry for him to be crucified, but Pilate refuses. So the religious leaders declare that as Jesus is claiming to be a king, he is an enemy of the emperor. If Pilate lets him go, he too must be an enemy.

Worried about what he was getting himself into, Pilate takes Jesus back inside and asks him more questions, but this time Jesus remains silent. Getting angry, Pilate points out that he has the authority to kill Jesus or let him go. Jesus answers that Pilate only has that authority because God had given it to him. At this, Pilate is even more adamant to release Jesus, but the crowds continued to call for his death, so Pilate hands him over to be crucified.

And so we come to Jesus’ crucifixion. There are a lot of details that are very similar. Jesus is crucified at a place called Golgotha. The guards gambled over Jesus’ clothes, and a man named Joseph of Arimathea came and buried his body.

But John’s version has a number of unique details. First of all, in Mathew and Mark, Jesus has a man carry his cross for him. But here in John, Jesus carries his own cross. John’s Jesus is strong and determined. He doesn’t need the help of someone else. In all four gospels, we have the inscription ‘King of the Jews’ placed over his head. John adds an extra little bit of irony. 

The religious leaders ask that the sign be changed. They argue that Jesus isn’t being crucified for being their king, but because he said he was their king. But Pilate tells them he has written what he has written. While Pilate likely only wrote this to annoy the religious leaders who had forced his hand, we, the readers, know that what he has written is correct.

Completely unique to John is Jesus handing his mother over to the protection of ‘the disciple whom he loved’. Presumably a widow by this point, Jesus’ mother needed someone to care for her. At his point of greatest suffering, Jesus is still caring for others.

John also adds another scripture reference not found in the other gospels. The Romans didn’t like to crucify people over the Sabbath. As the night drew close, Pilate called for all those being crucified to be brought down and have their legs broken so they couldn’t run away.

Jesus was already dead by this point, so the guards didn’t need to break his legs. John links this to the Passover lamb in Exodus 12:46, who, once killed, should not have any of its bones broken. This is also a call back to John 1 when John the baptist describes Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

The Sabbath has come and gone, and Mary Magdalene visits the tomb where Jesus was laid. When she gets there, she finds the tomb open and immediately runs to get Peter and the beloved disciples to tell them that Jesus’ body has been stolen.

The two race to the tomb and upon arriving saw Jesus’ linen cloths folded up neatly. The disciples saw this and believed. When it came to the ‘I am’ statements, we had seven statements that were then culminated in an eighth statement where Jesus simply said ‘I am he’ and the guards fell back in awe. Similarly, we’ve had seven miraculous signs that are now culminating in this sign. The greatest sign. Jesus’ death and resurrection.

The disciples return home, leaving Mary weeping in the garden. Two angels come to her asking her why she is weeping, and she points out that Jesus’ body is missing and she doesn’t know where to find it.

Jesus appears behind her as a gardener. This all began in a garden with Adam and Eve, who proved themselves to be bad gardeners. Now the risen Jesus stands as a true gardener, to bring order back to the garden.

At first Mary doesn’t recognise Jesus, but he calls to her and tells her to get the others and tell them that Jesus will soon leave them to go to the father. 

Jesus then appears to his disciples three times after this. The first is to reveal himself to them and breathe on them, giving them the Holy Spirit. The second is when Thomas was with them, for he had been doubting Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus allows him to touch the marks in his hands and side, but tells him that it is better for all those who are able to believe without seeing.

Then finally, Jesus comes to the disciples while they are fishing. Peter rejected Jesus three times, and that needs to be addressed. To counter the three times, Peter rejected him, Jesus asks him three times whether he loved him. Peter says yes each time, and so Jesus reminds him that loving Jesus looks like caring for his people.

And so we finish John’s gospel. When faced with the differences in this gospel, a lot of people can become unnerved. If there are difference then how can we know that is true?

And so I bring us back to what we mentioned at the start of the book. John is trying to emphasise a very different part of who Jesus is. For John, Jesus is the powerful king. The God man who is fully divine.

As the divine king, he has come to surpass all that the Old Testament offered, establishing a reign that is identified and sustained by love. In Jesus’ public ministry we learnt who Jesus is, and in his private ministry we learnt who we are called to be in him.

Psalm 109

This psalm is attributed to king David and falls into the category of lament psalm.

Psalm 109:1-5 - Cry to God and initial complaint

Psalm 109:6-19 - How the wicked talk about the psalmist

Psalm 109:20-31 - The psalmist asks for rescue, and for their enemies to get what they deserve

The psalmist opens with a cry to God. ‘Do not be silent, O God’. They then bring their complaint. The wicked have come against them. They lie about the psalmist, cursing them and attacking them. The psalmist tries to be good and loving and return they are accused and hated.

The psalmist then goes into a long section explaining what exactly their enemies are saying about them. They seek to falsely accuse the psalmist and to rig their trial to make sure they are found guilty. They seek the psalmist’s downfall, wanting to see the psalmist die, their wife become a widow and their children orphans. May the bailiffs come and take all that the psalmist had so that their children have nothing.

The psalmist’s enemies appeal to mistakes the psalmist’s parents made as justification for why the psalmist deserves death. They then make claims about the psalmist’s behaviour. The psalmist was unkind and oppressive to the poor and needy. They regularly cursed those around them.

Finishing explaining what their enemies had said, the psalmist asks that all of this be turned back onto their enemies. They then turn to the lord, asking for his support because of his steadfast love. They are weak and failing. So help O Lord. Let all that accuse the psalmist see that God is on their side. Let the accusers be filled with shame while the psalmist praises God for his goodness.

When reading this psalm, it can feel at odds with the New Testament calls to love your enemies (Matthew 5:44). In fact, we’ve read many similar calls in the Old Testament (see Exodus 23:4-5 and Leviticus 19:17-18).

One argument for this is the psalmist is concerned, primarily, for justice. They don’t want to see a society where wicked people are able to hound and oppress the innocent. So not only does the psalmist want to see themselves rescued by God, they want to make sure that no one else has to suffer at the hands of these wicked people.

In our own prayers, we have to balance these two things; loving our enemies and wanting to see injustice end.