Week 6 John Class Woman caught in adultery Problem with the text - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Week 6 John Class

Woman caught in adultery • Problem with the text • Ancient manuscripts either omit text, put it somewhere else, even in Luke’s gospel. • However, it is a part of the canonical text

• Mercy is in the news • Jesus shows the proper way to give mercy: forgiveness for the past, but reform for the future

i am the light of the world • Theology again • Controversy with Pharisees: "Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."" (Joh 8:12 NAB)

• Relationship between Jesus and Abraham • Recurring accusation that Jesus has a demon. • Obviously there is spiritual power. But, adversaries are convinced it is not of divine origin.

Healing of the Man born blind • important story for the liturgy • Blindness • physical • spiritual • Note the man has both blindnesses taken away during the course of the story.

• Lengthy discourse • Multiple investigations and interrogations

• Theology attached to narrative • Healing of physical blindness leads to discussion of spiritual blindness

good shepherd • Jesus the good shepherd. Another theological excursus.

• Identity of the Christ • "So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."" (Joh 10:24 NAB) • "The Father and I are one." The Jews again picked up rocks to stone him.” (Joh 10:30-31 NAB)

Book of signs part 4 • Healing of Lazarus • Preparation of Jesus for death • Entrance into the City • Plotting to put Jesus to death • Summary of book of signs.

• Another important story: Jesus triumphs over death. • So much of the whole gospel is contained here in this one story.

• Characters: • Lazarus • Martha & Mary

• Lazarus. Name also appears in Luke, but not the same person: "And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores." (Luk 16:20-21 NAB). • Lazarus was a common name in the first century, there are inscriptions with this name on ossuaries. • Name means “God helps” • Lazarus: the one who Jesus loves • Symbol for all humanity

• Martha and Mary • Mary is identified as the one who anoints Jesus. When does that happen? • "They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil." (Joh 12:2-3 NAB) • Sequence is a bit off

• Jesus loves this whole family. This story shows the solidarity of Christ with human families. • Lazarus is dead. A great sign is to follow • Interesting reaction from the disciples: • "So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go to die with him."" (Joh 11:16 NAB)

• I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25) • This time the theology is part of the story

• Jesus wept (John 11:35) • CCC 470: The Son of God. . . worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like to us in all things except sin. • CCC 478: Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us: "The Son of God. . . loved me and gave himself for me."116 He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation,117 "is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that. . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings" without exception

• Why does Jesus weep? • He was sad for Lazarus? • "When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."" (Joh 11:4 NAB) • He was sad for Martha and Mary? • "Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." (Joh 11:24 NAB) • Jesus weeps because he is moved at the plight of the human race.

• Jesus is the voice calling the dead to new life. • "Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." (Joh 5:25 NAB) • CCC 988: The Christian Creed - the profession of our faith in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and in God's creative, saving, and sanctifying action - culminates in the proclamation of the resurrection of the dead on the last day and in life everlasting.

• After the death and resurrection of Lazarus, the death and resurrection of Jesus takes over. • This explains, perhaps, the reordering about the anointing. • The anointing of Mary directly points to the death of Jesus. • By changing the order the sequence of his death is clearly revealed.

• Again, be careful with the word “Jews.” • "Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done." (Joh 11:45-46 NAB) • Not simple (review Brown 157-175)

• The passage about Caiaphas is dripping with irony • Fear of the Romans. • In fact, the Romans came to Jerusalem in 70AD and destroyed the Temple • "But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.” (Joh 11:49-52 NAB) • In fact, Jesus does die to save the “nation,” the people.

Mary anoints • Interesting historical details • The anointing takes place 6 days before. Saturday evening. The next day would be Palm Sunday (in fact, Jesus enters the city the following day). • Pound of costly ointment, pure nard. • Nard (or spikenard) fragrant oil from the root of the nard plant that grows in the mountains of northern India. • 300 denarii. A denarius was a Roman silver coin. It was about the daily wage of a laborer. • Exotic and costly

• Ironic that Judas is the one quibbling for money. He will betray Jesus for much less. • "He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions." (Joh 12:6 NAB) • "You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."" (Joh 12:8 NAB) • Not indifferent to the poor, think of this as a reminder that the poor can be helped all the time. • "The land will never lack for needy persons; that is why I command you: "Open your hand freely to your poor and to your needy kin in your land."" (Deu 15:11 NAB)

Jesus enters the City • Entrance into Jerusalem fulfills the prophecies about the Messiah. • "Exult greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! Behold: your king is coming to you, a just savior is he, Humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zec 9:9 NAB) • Reminiscent of the entrance of Solomon after David appointed him as king to follow him: "Then Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram's horn and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!” Then all the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing so much the earth split with their shouting." 1Ki 1:39-40 NAB)

• Jesus is the Savior for the people of Israel. • Immediately, Greeks come to find him. • He is the Savior of Jew and Gentile. • The hour finally comes.

The Hour of Jesus • There are 17 mentions of the hour of Jesus in the Gospel. • Before chapter 12, the hour is always in the distance. • At chapter 12, the hour has arrived. • Hour refers to fulfillment. It is the decisive moment. • Sometimes the hour is good: • "Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." (Joh 12:23 NAB) • "Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." (Joh 5:25 NAB)