John’s gospel gives guidance for living

The John gospel is a special target for textual, historical and theological criticism. To be accepted as significant Christian writing, the John gospel has to be understood as historical fiction. It was written many decades after the death of Jesus. The author was obviously not an eye witness. The John gospel was written hundreds of miles from Jerusalem in a very different culture. It sets out theology that is foreign to the other three gospels and is many times strange to the Jesus into whose mouth much of the narrative is placed.

Yet, the John gospel became powerfully influential in the early Christian churches and continues to be central to Christian churches to this very day. How did this happen? I can only venture an informed guess. The John writer was a master story teller. The stories that he tells are not found in the other three gospel narratives. However, the stories are memorable and have some very memorable aphorisms and key statements. I have recently written about some of the John stories and the memorable comments from the writer.

To the crippled man at the Bethesda pool Jesus addresses one of the key problems of life. “Do you want to be whole?” The John gospel writer believed Jesus wanted everyone to be whole. However, a person must want it. Only the motivated person gets there.

Nicodemus wanted to know how to get involved in God’s kingdom. Jesus was to the point. There was nothing Nicodemus could do. “You must be born anew from above. “ Rebirth stands in contrast to requirements of ritual or good works.

Religious people brought a woman to Jesus, who had been caught in the act of adultery. They wanted Jesus to join in condemnation. Jesus refused. “Let the person who is without fault throw the first stone! “ The accusers disappeared. Jesus concluded “I have no words of condemnation for you.”

The Samaritan woman at the well is yet another case. She was a low classed women and racially mixed. Most Jews did not even speak to Samaritans. Jesus accepted her and talked with her freely. She shared her experience in her village. Samaritan men offered hospitality to Jesus. According to Torah, there was no greater act of kindness than hospitality. The John writer in this one story erased every barrier that separates human beings. Race, gender, social class and religion. All were gone.

What I am suggesting is that the John gospel writer got a lot of things correct about following Jesus. The John gospel writer was not writing about a church triumphant and ruling. He wrote about the virtues that were to be practiced in everyday life by being whole persons loving, serving and helping, always with kindness and without judgments.

This brings me to another of the John writer’s stories.

Lazarus was a brother of two special friends of Jesus, Mary and Martha. Lazarus fell seriously ill. The sisters sent word to Jesus. Jesus was busy with other things and was slow in responding. By the time Jesus arrived at the women’s home, Lazarus was dead and buried. When Jesus arrived there was much sorrow and weeping. Jesus assured the family and friends that Lazarus was okay and asked to be taken to the grave.

According to the John narrative, Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave and Lazarus emerged, still bound in wrappings that had been wound around him several days earlier before his burial. “Unbind him and set him free!” were Jesus’ words to those who were present at the resurrection.

Some of Jesus’ reported miracles in all the gospels bring a response of skepticism. This one certainly does. My conclusion is that the John writer is NOT reporting history. The John writer is a writer of fiction, but wrote for a purpose. The story was written as a setting to a great assertion from the lips of Jesus. “I am the resurrection and the life! “

I live in a modern, scientific world. I do not believe my body (or that of anyone else) will someday be resurrected from a grave. (I do believe that I will live in some form after I die, but I have no idea what the form of my life may take.) Is there anything in the Lazarus story for me?

My answer is “yes.” I cannot get past “Unbind him and set him free.” This is the great mission of devoted followers of Jesus. We are to help set people free from superstitious beliefs, destructive behavior, harmful habits and selfish patterns of living. The life of the follower of Jesus is neither inactive nor passive. No human being should live in bondage of any kind. I can think of no more exciting life than a life given to setting others free.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.