Abstract
The Gospel of John contains some of the more fascinating, challenging, and enigmatic passages in Scripture. Interpreters throughout the centuries have engaged the lengthy narratives, with their vivid imagery and complex theological content. Understanding the Jesus we meet in John, his relationship to his Father, what he demands of his disciples, and the precise sense of certain terms (e.g., the use of “Jews” or “Jewish authorities”) are demanding interpretive tasks, especially in our complex, multicultural context. The current issue of Interpretation brings together five well-known experts to help us think about some of the more interesting and critical questions when studying the Fourth Gospel.
First is the essay from Mary L. Coloe, who addresses the famous encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3). She demonstrates in rich and convincing detail that Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28 and the dazzling language in the Wisdom of Solomon play important intertextual roles in this foundational story. The Wisdom figure is key background for John 3, as she is the one in antecedent texts who guides Israel and bestows knowledge of God’s kingdom. Coloe’s essay is an important reminder that motifs from sapiential literature, especially the preexistent Wisdom figure, have influenced John.
Alicia Myers also engages the Nicodemus story, but from a different angle. Using the work of Kathy Reiko Maxwell, Myers utilizes rhetorical analysis to consider the nature of the exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus. In her creative essay, she demonstrates that this pericope invites audience participation, since the audience is privy to terminological connections with other narratives and favorite phrases of the author. As Myers argues, “When audiences assent to the Gospel’s epistemology, the world created does not remain in the Gospel, it becomes the reality in which believers live and which they live out.”
The Gospel of John contains important passages on hospitality, and Francisco Lozada looks at these with an eye towards the present day. In his “literary-ideological” exploration, Lozada does not minimize the places where Jesus is unwelcome in the Gospel, nor does he ignore how cultural difference can make hospitality more of a challenge. He examines the complex power dynamic between host and guest in John and the possibility of applying humility to our present interactions, with Jesus the host as a model.
Moving to the Farewell Discourses in John 14–17, Jaime Clark-Soles provides a sensory analysis of what it means to experience God in the Gospel. Working through all of the senses, Clark-Soles takes the reader on an illuminating tour of the Gospel’s evocative language and the manner in which “seeing,” “hearing,” and “tasting” draw the listener closer to God. She pays close attention to antecedents in the Hebrew Bible and the divine names in John, through which the believer is invited into a mystical union with God.
Finally, David Ford takes the reader on a theological tour of the Gospel of John, with particular attention to ch. 20 and the giving of the Spirit to the disciples. According to Ford’s argument, the Gospel of John is about desire and where one places trust: “The whole of John’s Gospel is centered on who Jesus is, and the desirability of finding him, trusting him, loving him, following him, and abiding in him permanently.” With careful consideration of the language in the text, this essay offers a helpful presentation of how discipleship works in John, both for ancient audience and for today.