Disappearing Jesus - 2

6. John 8.59

So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

This attempt to stone Jesus to death comes after some banter and name calling between Jesus and some of his Jewish brothers. Jesus says they are of the devil; they say that Jesus is demon possessed. Jesus claims to have known Abraham; they counter this ridiculous statement by saying, “You’re not even fifty years old.” To which Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” It’s not for the bad grammar that they become angry enough to murder him; it’s his implied claim to be divine, even to the point of using the Divine Name—I AM. But, somehow, Jesus hides from them and escapes from the temple precincts.

7. John 10.39

Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.

Earlier in this chapter Jesus makes this statement: “I and the Father are one.” This statement sparks indignation by the Jewish opposition. They pick up stones to kill him (verse 31). But before they can throw one stone Jesus engages them in more dialogue. They accuse him of claiming to be equal with God. Jesus turns the tables on them by quoting their Scriptures which say that they are all gods (Psalm 82.6). Jesus reiterates his claim for himself, saying, “The Father is in me, and I am in the Father.” Now they try to arrest him. But he escapes.

8. John 11.54

Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples.

Chapter eleven is a turning point in John. Jesus brings Lazarus back from the dead. The Pharisees are informed of this miraculous feat. The great Jewish Council is convened to discuss this development and how they will respond. The high priest Caiaphas makes his infamous statement: “It is better for one man to die for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed.” This section ends by saying, “From that day on they plotted to kill him.” So, Jesus withdraws from public ministry and leaves Jerusalem.

9. John 12.36

 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.

In chapter twelve Jesus begins to speak more clearly about his pending death and its meaning. The crowds question him about his talk of death. They question his designation as ‘Son of Man’ – an apocalyptic title. They remind Jesus that the Messiah is not supposed to die. Jesus returns to his imagery of himself as the Light of the world. He contrasts living in spiritual light and spiritual darkness and urges them to trust him. Then he goes away—into the shadows as it were.

(continued in next post)

 

Disappearing Jesus

DISAPPEARING JESUS

In John’s gospel Jesus keeps disappearing. He does so whenever he is in danger of being ‘caught.’ Here is the way John clearly shows us this truth—ten times in his story.

1. John 5.13

Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there.

The danger here is oblique. After healing a man on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders are stirred up because the holy day observance has been broken. Jesus told the man to take up his mat and go. And he did. But carrying a mat on the Sabbath is unlawful. The healed man is asked who the healer is, but the man doesn’t know his name; and Jesus has disappeared, remaining unnamed for the moment. Verse 16 says that the leaders ‘started making a lot of trouble for Jesus’ (CEV) because of this.

2. John 6.15

When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Jesus has fed the 5000. Although not campaigning for office, the people are so impressed with his ability to provide for their needs, that they want to declare him King. Not wanting his Messiahship to be defined by a materialistic measure, Jesus takes off toward an isolated place.

3. John 7.10

But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret.

Jesus has left Judea because the leaders want to kill him (7.1). Now, at the time of the Festival of Booths, Jesus urges his brothers to go to Judea without him. After they have left, Jesus decides that he will go too, but he will go in secret. The authorities were looking for him during the Festival (7.11); arguments about him were breaking out about his identity. Jesus purposefully stays out of sight until he is ready to show up on his own terms. He will not be manipulated.

4. John 7.34

 You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.

While the Festival was still going on, temple police were sent to arrest Jesus. When the police arrive Jesus tells them that they will not be able to lay a hand on him because no matter how hard they search, they will not find him. And no arrest takes place.

5. John 7.44

Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

This scene is still during the Festival of Booths. After Jesus speaks publicly about his offer of the Holy Spirit some people proclaim him Messiah. But others thought he was just a trouble-maker and an imposter. They want him arrested. But Jesus is not arrested. No one even grabs hold of him. It appears that the desire to arrest Jesus is itself somehow mysteriously arrested.

(continued in next post)

 

John, the Mystical Gospel

We’ve all seen it during an NFL game or a major league baseball game on TV—someone holding a large sign that says, “John 3:16.” The person holding the sign perceives what he/she is doing as an evangelistic act. In evangelical circles the sixteenth verse of chapter three of John is called ‘the gospel in a nutshell.’ (Not-so-nice non-evangelicals have said that it is the ‘nut’ who is holding the sign.) For Evangelicals John’s gospel is the gospel of choice. Ask them why and their answer is, “It’s the simplest gospel.” That’s where the trouble begins.

The truth is: John’s gospel is the most difficult of the four. It is a different animal than the other three. Scholars refer to Matthew, Mark and Luke collectively as the Synoptic Gospels. ‘Syn-optic’ literally means ‘to see together.’ Matthew, Mark and Luke are similar in many ways. They have similar structures, chronologies, vocabularies and themes. They present Jesus in much the same way, with variations of course.

The Gospel of John is off in another world. Here are some differences:

• A different chronology; Jesus is in Jerusalem more often; his ministry lasts longer; the cleansing of the temple takes place at the beginning instead of at the end.
• The major teaching of Jesus in the Synoptics is the Kingdom of God; in John it is eternal life.
• The death of Jesus in the Synoptics takes place on Friday; in John it is on Thursday.
• In John there is no Last Supper as such; and only in John does Jesus wash the disciples’ feet.
• There is no baptism of Jesus in John.
• The Synoptics have miracles (or marvels); John has ‘signs.’
• In the Synoptics Jesus teaches with parables; in John there is not one parable.
• In Matthew and Luke we find the stories of the birth of Jesus; in John there is no birth story.
• The Synoptics are based in historical events and persons with purposeful elaboration and embellishment; John’s gospel is virtually a complete fiction. (The first three gospels might be compared to historical fiction; and John might be called epic poetry.)
• Much of the narrative of Matthew, Mark and Luke are written to be understood literally, though symbolism is frequent, and parable is non-literal form; but the Gospel of John is totally symbolic.

I’m sure that somewhere in my seminary education I read that John’s gospel was referred to as a ‘mystical’ gospel. But it didn’t sink in. What I remember is years later attending a lecture by the Catholic theologian David Tracy and hearing him say that the Gospel of John is understood as a mystical gospel. That stuck with me. And ever since then, I have thought about that.

Here are some historical references: In the second century, Clement of Alexandria, seeking to distinguish John’s gospel from the other three, referred to the fourth Gospel as a ‘spiritual gospel.’ The third century theologian named Origen called John’s Gospel a ‘mystical gospel.’ In the twentieth century the Jungian analyst John Sanford wrote a commentary on John titled, Mystical Christianity: A Psychological Commentary on the Gospel of John. The New Testament scholar L. William Countryman wrote They Mystical Way in the Fourth Gospel: Crossing Over into God.

In 2001 Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B. published A Mystical Portrait of Jesus: New Perspectives on John’s Gospel. A monk, priest and professor of New Testament Theology, Dumm does a contemplative reading of John’s Gospel, stressing the symbolic nature of its content and the mystical thrust toward union with God.

Bishop John Spong has persisted in scholarly work in the Biblical materials to update the Christian Faith for contemporary seekers after truth. His recent book The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic has clarified for me what I have suspected about the Fourth Gospel for a long time. Spong’s approach to John’s Gospel will not be accepted by much of the mainstream scholarship, but its basic premise resonates with my reading of John.

(to be continued)

 

Corralling Jesus

Corralling Jesus

I've been trying to catch Jesus all my life. I was raised as a Southern Baptist; baptized at eight years of age. Heard the call to preach at age ten. Licensed to preach when I was 19 years old. The youngest person to be ordained a deacon at my church. Ordained to pastoral ministry in 1970 (age 22). I've served as pastor of churches in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Alabama—Baptist, Presbyterian and Lutheran churches.

I've been very religious to say the least. I received my Master of Divinity degree from a Southern Baptist seminary. I took a theology course (on Tillich's theology) at a Disciples of Christ seminary. I studied Feminist Theology (taught by a nun) at a Catholic University. And I took a graduate course in liturgy at the University of Notre Dame (taught by a female Lutheran liturgical scholar).

For a long time I was sure I had caught Jesus. My granddaughter likes to watch cooking shows. (She is only five years old as I write this.) Occasionally I will sit down with her and watch The Pioneer Woman. The cook on the show is Ree Drummond, and she lives on a ranch. There will be scenes of her husband and their children out in the fields, mounted on their horses and rounding up cattle. Those scenes remind me of my Biblical and theological studies through the years. Through study I have tried to corral Jesus. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Jesus kept slipping through the fence. I thought I could bring him back to the ranch because he had our brand on him. But it never worked out. Everyone else claimed he had their brand.

Which brings me to the Gospel of John.

(continued in next post)