John 18

Introduction

• The Johannine Passion Narrative (JPN; John 18-19) is the most intricate of the four passion narratives, both in theological symbolism and literary terminology.
• The JPN is held together by an inclusio, a literary device that builds a frame around similar material. It is also called an “envelope structure.”
  a. 18:1—Jesus goes to pray in a garden and is eventually arrested.
  b. 19:41—Jesus will be buried in a garden tomb.

John 18:1-14

• 18:1—The stream in the Kidron Valley was dry except during the rainy season.
• 18:2—Judas was familiar with the Garden because Jesus often prayed there with His disciples. Where is your secret place to meet with Jesus?
• 18:3—It appears that Judas is guiding two groups:
  a. Temple police who were sent to arrest Jesus.
  b. Roman soldiers who were sent for riot control. A “detachment” was around 600 men, although it is unlikely that all of them came.
• 18:4—Jesus is not caught off guard, whether He knows the final act or not (Morris, p. 658).
• 18:5; cf., Exodus 3:16—Jesus says, “I am he,” to identify Himself. Is a double-meaning here?
  a. 18:6—The soldiers, both Jewish and Roman, are amazed at the statement.
  b. 18:8-9; cf., 6:39, 10:11—Jesus, confronting armed soldiers, asks that the disciples be released, just as a good shepherd would do when trying to protect his flock.
• 18:10—Peter seeks to stop Jesus’ arrest. While his actions are rash, Peter is certainly not a coward.
• 18:11 and 36—Some use this as supporting pacifism.
• 18:12—Annas was high priest from AD 6-15.
  a. Luke 3:2—Caiaphas (AD 18-36) was Annas’ son-in-law, and it appears that they ruled together.
  b. John 18:14; cf., 11:49-52—Caiaphas said that it was better “to have one man die for the people.”

John 18:15-27

• 18:15—Who is this disciple?
  a. He was someone known to the high priest.
  b. Floyd Filson says that this is another reference to Lazarus because he was influential and loved by Jesus.
• 18:17—Peter’ first denial was only a short time after cutting an ear off.
  a. Jesus will confess three times and Peter will deny being a disciple three times.
  b. 18:18—Peter is standing with the same crowd that arrested Jesus.
  c. 18:5—This is the same crowd that Judas guided.
• 18:19-24—Jesus is questioned by Annas.
  a. 18:23—Jesus says, “Produce witnesses!”
  b. Deuteronomy 13:1-10—God forbade Israel from listening to those who would teach in secret.
• 18:25-27—Peter’s second and third denials.
  a. 18:25—He is still with the crowd that arrested Jesus.
  b. 18:27—With the crowing of the rooster, Peter’s world falls apart; he is now lost and without direction.
  c. We most often deny or fail Jesus when we follow at a distance or get caught up in being “comfortable.”

John 18:28-32

• 18:28-32—Jesus’ trial before Pilate.
  a. 18:28a—Romans went to work around 6 a.m.
  b. 18:28b—What is inconsistent about the religious leaders’ concern about entering Pilate’s palace and their present course of action?
  i. The irony is that the Jewish leaders have already performed an illegal trial.
  ii. Where do we see this in our own lives?
  c. If Jesus is to be lifted up, it will be by Roman hands.
  d. How do we answer the charges of John being anti-Semitic? He has gone to great lengths to distinguish between the religious leaders and the crowds.

John 18:33-40

• 18:33-38a—Dodd says that neither one of these people wants to be here (p. 427).
  a. Pilate knows that Rome has made special concessions with the Jews and he wants to avoid any theological (or political) debates.
  b. 18:36—Did Jesus intend on establishing an earthly kingdom? What does this mean to our understanding of how the Church functions and is to function?
  c. 18:38a—Pilate’s only encounter with the Truth is standing before him and he dismisses Him. Pilate says he lives in an expedient world where he has no time for this discussion.
• 18:38b-40—Pilate releases Barabbas, a “bandit.”
  a. 18:39; cf., Mark 15:6—This appears to be a custom of Pilate’s alone (Morris, p. 683).
  b. Barabbas means “son of Abba (or, “son of the father”). Is there any irony in this?
  c. 10:8—The people choose a false shepherd.
  d. 18:38b—Brown says that John lessens Rome’s guilt, although it appears worse because it is Rome that ultimately dismisses Jesus (1970, p. 871-872).
  e. The world is on trial because Rome and the Jewish leaders wind up in bed together.

References

Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI, Anchor Bible 29a (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1970).

C. H. Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1953).

Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, rev. ed., New International Commentary on the New Testament 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995).

John 19

John 19:1-16a

• 19:1—This flogging was the most severe type of flogging, where someone was beaten to the bone.
• 19:4—Pilate says three times that he finds no guilt in Jesus.
  a. 12:34—The people did not know the Light.
  b. 19:5—The irony is that here stands the Man.
  c. 19:11—Judas, Caiaphas and the soldiers are really the Evil One.
• 19:13—The Greek is unclear who sat down on the Judgment Seat (Morris, p. 707).
  a. This place has been discovered within the last century.
  b. What is clear is that Pilate and the crowd are on trial (Brown, 1970, p. 893-896).
• 19:14—Noon was the time of day when work ceased, when the leaven was prepared, and when the animals were slaughtered (Talbert, p. 250).
• 19:15—This is a renunciation of their identity as God’s people.

John 19:16b-25a

• Additions and subtractions from the Johannine Passion Narrative (JPN):
  a. Additional Material:
  i. Scripture quotations.
  ii. Care of Jesus’ mother to the Beloved Disciple.
  iii. “It is finished” statement.
  iv. The piercing of Jesus’ side.
  b. Subtracted Material:
  i. The cry of dereliction.
  ii. The tearing of the Temple curtain.
  iii. The centurion’s confession.
• 19:19-20—This was likely to goad the Jews as Pilate gets his revenge through falling back onto his role as governor (Morris, p. 713-714).
  a. Whether or not this is to get the people to change their minds, Pilate is saying that Rome will not be manipulated.
  b. The irony is that Pilate puts “The King of the Jews” up for all the world to see and refuses to change the inscription.
• 19:23—The seamless robe woven from the top is a symbol for the Church, which will not be torn by Rome (Morris, p. 715).

John 19:25b-30

• 19:25—How many women were present?
• 19:26—Longstanding Roman Catholic tradition says that when Mary was commended into the care of the Beloved Disciple, she became the mother of all disciples (and, thus, the Church).
  a. This gives way to the tradition of Mary becoming the new Eve (Brown, 1970, p. 924-925).
  b. How far do we push the symbolism of Jesus commending the care of His mother?
• 19:28; cf., 4:7—This is a reflection on the Samaritan Woman narrative.
  a. 19:29; cf., 2:9-10—Was this is a demonstration of kindness or was it an aggravation? Is there any symbolism in the “sour wine?”
  b. The hyssop was used to brush the blood over the door mantle during the original Passover.
  c. 19:30—Jesus accomplishes His mission and gives up His pneuma (“spirit”). He is trusting and obedient, and Adam and God at the same time (Brown, 1970, p. 930-931).

John 19:31-37

• 19:35; cf., 1:14—This is the eyewitness Apostolic account.
  a. 19:34; cf., 7:38-39; 1 John 5:6-7—Although some will see Eucharistic and baptismal themes in this verse, Brown sees the physical life being given up by Jesus and the eternal life He gives through His death (1970, p. 952).
  b. This text connects Jesus to the Old Testament prophecies.

John 19:38-42

• 19:39—This is the third cameo appearance by Nicodemus. This is the first of a cascade of people pledging their allegiance to Christ.
• 19:41—Since He was executed as a capital criminal, Jesus could not just be thrown into a common grave.
  a. Jesus is buried in a new tomb.
  b. Jesus is anointed with a lavish amount of spices, meaning the women did not need to return.
  c. Jesus’ tomb is well-known, meaning the disciples would not have gotten confused or lost.

References

Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John XXXI-XXI, Anchor Bible 29a (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1970).

Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, rev. ed., New International Commentary on the New Testament 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995).

Charles H. Talbert, Reading John: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles, rev. ed., Reading the New Testament (Macon, GA: Smyth and Helwys, 2005).

John 20

John 20:1-10

• 20:2; cf., Matthew 28:9—Who are the “we”?
• 20:3—This equates “the disciple Jesus loved” and “the other disciple” (Brown, 1970, p. 1004-1007).
  a. The testimony of women would not have been regarded as valid in the ancient world.
  b. 20:6-7—Are they there because the body passed through the burial clothes or have they been properly removed (Talbert, p. 259)?
  i. Matthew 28:11-15—The religious leaders devised a scheme to accuse Jesus’ disciples of stealing His body.
  ii. Both Justin Martyr and Tertullian confront this accusation.
  c. 20:8—What did the other disciple believe?
  d. 20:9; cf., 1 Corinthians 15:4—What Scriptures are being referred to here? How would the early Church understand this?

John 20:11-18

• 20:12—Angels appear to Mary Magdalene.
  a. The angels serve as the symbol that reality is different.
  b. It appears that Mary mourns for two reasons (Morris, p. 739-740):
  i. Her own personal grief over Jesus’ death.
  ii. The concern about one having a proper burial.
  c. 20:16-17—Jesus stops Mary Magdalene from embracing Him, although it is not clear if He stops her before and after she embraces Him (Barnett, p. 470). Why would Jesus do this?
  d. 20:17—Jesus is present with the Church although He is not present in the flesh. This is the first reference to the disciples being referred to as “brothers.”
  e. 20:18—Why is it told this way, since it does come across as somewhat embarrassing?
  i. Celsus says that this was nothing more than a hallucination by “a hysterical woman” (Origen, Against Celsus 2.55; MacDonald, p. 1-7).
  ii. There is more emphasis on her experience with the risen Christ than on the accuracy of what He said to her (Morris, p. 744).
  iii. It was written this way so that we would believe!
• Talbert notes the following about this text (p. 260):
  a. 20:16; cf., 19:25—The One she encounters is the same One she saw crucified.
  b. 20:17—The One who can pass through burial clothes (20:5-7) and doors (20:19 and 26) is still physical.
  c. 20:17—The Ascension follows the Resurrection.
  i. It was a popular Gnostic teaching to say that Christ ascended before the Crucifixion (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1.26.1).
  ii. 2 John 7-9—One of the most destructive false teachings is to deny that Jesus rose from the grave in human form (Hughes, p. 382).

John 20:19-23

• 20:19—This may have been because the religious leaders wanted to stomp out Jesus’ movement.
  a. 20:20—Ignatius says that Jesus maintains the marks of the Crucifixion in order to confirm His identity (Epistle to the Smyrneans 3:1-2; Talbert, p. 262).
  b. 20:21-22—Jesus brings a new eschatological peace not only to the disciples but to the Church (Morris, p. 746-748).
  c. 20:23—This is the establishment of the ability to forgive sins (Brown, 1970, p. 1030-1031).
  i. This is the establishment of the office of confessor.
  ii. This is a statement about the preaching of the Gospel.

John 20:24-31

• 20:24-29—Jesus appears to Thomas.
  a. This is why we remember Thomas as a doubter and a coward. What does Thomas have in common with us (before seeing Jesus)?
  b. 11:16—Thomas said that they should go and die with Jesus.
  c. 20:26—Why keep mentioning what day it is?
  i. It appears that the Church met with an anticipation that Jesus would return on Sunday.
  ii. Luke 24:35—The Church gathers on Sunday to break bread and remember the Resurrection.
  d. John 20:28—We do not read that Thomas touched Jesus, yet he believed it was Him.
  i. 4:53—The nobleman believed the words of Jesus.
  ii. There is an old rabbinical proverb that says that proselytes are closer to God than those Jews who were at Sinai (Barrett, p. 478).
• 20:30-31—Is this the end?
  a. This was a common way to conclude an ancient biography (1 Maccabees 9:22; Lucian, Life of Demonax 67; Talbert, p. 268).
  b. We are invited to find our place in the story.
  c. Brown says that the purpose of this statement is “to deepen the faith of those who are already Christians so that they would appreciate Jesus’ unique relation to the Father” (1970, p. 1060).

References

C. K. Barnett, The Gospel According to St. John (London: SPCK, 1958).

Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI, Anchor Bible 29a (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1970).

Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, The True Image (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1989).

Margaret Y. MacDonald, Early Christian Women and Pagan Opinion: The Power of the Hysterical Woman (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1996).

Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, rev. ed., New International Commentary on the New Testament 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995).

Charles H. Talbert, Reading John: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles, rev. ed., Reading the New Testament (Macon, GA: Smyth and Helwys, 2005).

John 21

Introduction

• 20:30-31—This looks like the end of the Gospel.
• No manuscript that has ever circulated has done so without chapter 21, although there are some differences.
  a. This chapter contains 28 words that are unique to John’s Gospel, and it contains grammatical and syntactical differences that cannot be dismissed.
  b. Would the original writer water down the impact of chapter 20 or the commissioning of the disciples by showing them returning to their original occupations in chapter 21?
  c. 21:24 appears to reference the writer of the Gospel as a whole, yet distinguishes him from the writer of this chapter. Some suggest that the occasion for this addition is seen in 21:20-23.
  d. Additional objectives of this chapter:
  i. To provide a restoration of Peter.
  ii. To provide clarification on the relationship between Peter and John.
  iii. To encourage the post-Apostolic Church following the death of John.
  iv. To provide a Galilean setting.
• This chapter might be the result of an editor, through the work of the Paraclete, who is clarifying the theological misunderstandings.

John 21:1-8

• 21:1, 14—This section contains an inclusio, where Jesus reveals Himself in 21:1 and is revealed in 21:14.
• 21:2; cf. 17:11—This is a fascinating trick because he leaves two disciples unnamed. The idea, however, is that the disciples are together as a community (Talbert, p. 269).
• 21:3—Brown says that Peter is expressing more than “momentary intention: Peter is going back to his earlier way of life and will stay with it” (1970, p. 1069).

John 21:9-14

• 21:9; cf., 18:18—John points out that Jesus has stated a “charcoal fire.”
• 21:11—This is the same language as when Jesus talked about drawing all men unto Himself.
  a. The number 153 (12 squared + 3 squared) is symbolic for a universal catch of fish, which makes this an image of the Church’s mission to the world.
  i. Jerome says that “Greek zoologists had recorded 153 different kinds of fish,” and Augustine says that 153 is the “sum of all numbers from 1 to 17 (Brown, 1970, p. 1074).
  ii. Morris, however, says that “must confess to being completely unimpressed” with any interpretation and decides “to view the number as a fisherman’s record of a fact” (p. 765; cf., Robinson, p. 164).
  b. The untorn net reflects back onto the untorn robe of Jesus, and serves as a symbol for the Church (Bruce, p. 402-404; Talbert, p. 270).
• 21:12—The resurrected Jesus invites the Church to “come and eat.”
  a. There does appear to be Eucharistic language at work here (Cullman, 1978, p. 15-17).
  b. Without Acts, we would still have Jesus standing on the shore directing the mission of the Church.
  c. If we commit ourselves to full-time ministry, then God will provide for us. If we commit ourselves to maintaining our security, then we will never find peace and contentment.

John 21:15-19

• It appears that John uses agapao and phileo interchangeably for “love” in the dialogue between Jesus and Peter.
• 21:18; cf., 13:36-38—The phrase “stretch out your hands” was symbolic for being crucified
• Legend of Peter’s death by crucifixion in Rome (Quo Vadis, Domini? legend—Acts of Peter 35-40).

John 21:20-25

• 21:20-23—Was there a question about John being immortal?
• 21:24-25—This positions us to stand within the Apostolic tradition and allows us to hold fast to the truth. The Gnostics claimed to have a true oral tradition, however it was Irenaeus who said that the ecclesiastical community has the true tradition because it was written down for us (Against Heresies 3.3.1).

References

Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI, Anchor Bible 29a (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1970).

F. F. Bruce, The Gospel of John: Introduction, Exposition, and Notes (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1994).

Oscar Cullmann, Early Christian Worship, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1978).

Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, rev. ed., New International Commentary on the New Testament 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995).

John A. T. Robinson, The Priority of Jesus (New York: HarperCollins, 1987).

Charles H. Talbert, Reading John: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles, rev. ed., Reading the New Testament (Macon, GA: Smyth and Helwys, 2005).