Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Friday, March 14, 2014 Read John 12:20-36 Having connected with the “Passion Narrative” in Mark’s gospel, John now ventures out on his own again. What we read in the rest of chapter 12 is unique to John and serves in some senses as a summary of the first half of the gospel. Biblical scholars have sometimes spoken of the first twelve chapters of John as the “Book of Sign” and some have even speculated that these first twelve chapters once stood on their own. Such a view seem highly speculative to me, but we do need to acknowledge that there is a transition involved in moving from chapter 12 into chapter 13. It seems to me to be better to think of this as one continuous story flowing from beginning to end. Before we look specifically at what John tells us it is important that we think about the things that are missing at this point in John’s gospel when compared with Mark. The first glaring omission from the story as Mark tells it is Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple. Of course John has already told his readers that story way back at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. But, think of the climax that the story of the cleansing of the Temple provides for Mark’s story. It is the dramatic event that results in the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. We have already talked some about the difference in the placement of this event in John and Mark. While it is possible it is highly unlikely that Jesus cleansed the Temple twice – in fact Mark’s storyline will not permit such a thing. So, we likely need to ponder why each writer told the story as they did. An important thing for us to consider is that by the time all of the gospel writers wrote their gospels the Temple in Jerusalem was lying in ruins. The Romans destroyed it at the end of the Jewish War in 70 AD. For all of the gospel writers, the cleansing of the Temple is a reference to this destruction. Why was the Temple destroyed? What is the meaning of its destruction? All want to say that the Temple was destroyed because it had become perverted. We already noted that John tells of the cleansing of the Temple as his way of speaking of Jesus replacing the Temple – Jesus becomes the Temple. For John the destroyed Temple is not a problem because Jesus is the Temple. What better place for John to tell his readers this than at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry? For Mark the cleansing of the Temple became the final event which pushed things over an edge and resulted in the death of Jesus. From a strictly historical point of view it seems more likely that the event of the cleansing of the Temple happened in the last days of Jesus’ life. So, Mark is likely reflecting historical accuracy more clearly than John. The important thing to notice here is that John has moved the event forward. A second, more subtle thing that is missing from John’s gospel at this point is the brutal and hostile Temple Controversy that unfolds in Mark’s story. In John’s gospel, once Jesus enters Jerusalem in the triumphal entry the controversy goes underground and is not part of the story. The important thing that we have noticed is that John does tell of great controversy between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders but that he has told that story over about a five-month period of time from the Feast of Booths in the fall of the previous year up until this time. Now, it is highly likely that John is reflecting historical accuracy more fully. Mark could not tell the story of Temple Controversy earlier because Jesus wasn’t in Jerusalem. So all of the material is compressed in Mark into one day! Likely the debate was much longer and over a much longer period of time. In place of these events that John does not share with Mark in his “Passion Narrative” John has provided his readers with some very important information. We turn now to consider what John tells us. We have just heard the story of Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem – it is a highly symbolic story of the coming of the King. John has referenced both Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9:9 which looked forward to the coming one. Several times in the story Jesus has spoken of the coming of his “hour” – a time which was often delayed because this was not the right hour. John tells us of some Greeks who now come to see Jesus. Their coming triggers for Jesus the reality that his “hour” has now arrived. Why the coming of these Greeks should have triggered the coming of the “hour” is not revealed by John – so we are left only to speculate about that. Was it because they were Gentiles? We Gentiles like to think that, but John doesn’t really say that. Perhaps only Jesus knows why this is now the “hour” – in John’s gospel Jesus does control his destiny. At any rate the event leads Jesus to announce that his “hour” has now come. What sort of “hour” is it? Jesus says it is the “hour for the Son of Man to be glorified.” But, what does it mean to be glorified? Jesus begins immediately to speak of his death/resurrection/ascension – that is the meaning of his glory. We have noted that in John’s gospel Jesus does not tell parables. At this point, however, Jesus comes as close to telling a parable as at any other point. Jesus uses the symbol of a grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying in order to produce an abundant harvest to speak of the meaning of his impending death. In all of the gospels Jesus spoke about his impending death. In all of the gospels Jesus goes willingly to his death. John does not repeat the “passion predictions” that Mark used so skillfully, yet in John’s gospel, maybe more than in the others, Jesus speaks of his death. His death is the meaning of the “hour” of which Jesus spoke. We need to also note at this point that John does not tell the story of Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. John does tell of Jesus in the garden and we will look at that story later, but it is critical for us to notice that the agony over dying is absent from John – Jesus never prays asking the Father to remove the cup from him! As we return to chapter 12 we do hear words that are somewhat similar to those spoken by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in the synoptic gospels. John tells us that Jesus says his soul is troubled. Jesus asks, “What should I say? – ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.” John speaks of the death of Jesus as his glorification – his death is not a defeat but a victory! And John now tells us that a voice speaks from heaven verifying all that Jesus has said. Mark and the synoptic writers also have told us of a voice from heaven speaking to Jesus. Twice in their story, at his baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration a voice spoke to Jesus telling him that he was God’s own beloved Son. Both times the words came as verification to Jesus. The words are different but the verification is the same – only here Jesus says the words are spoken for those around to hear. Of course they had that effect in the synoptic gospels too, but there they were also for the benefit of Jesus. We have noticed before that John often provides theological commentary on events. To a point that is true here too. What is the meaning of Jesus’ death? Two things – judgment on this world, but more importantly is the grace of God through which God intends to draw all people to himself. Twice before Jesus has used the image of the serpent lifted up in the wilderness, once in the story of Nicodemus (John 3:14-15) and again in the controversy with the religious leaders (John 8:28). The purpose of the death of Jesus will be to draw all people to him. It is important that we remember John’s love of words with double meaning. The word “lifted up” can mean to be exalted or it can mean to be crucified. For Jesus, it means both – his crucifixion is his exaltation – his glorification.