In our Bible study, we are currently studying the book of John. I do love this book of the Bible. I like that it is a different gospel from the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark or Luke. John is more spiritual in his account of Jesus life. He wants people to understand WHO Jesus truly is.
John wants us to understand the difference in the spiritual and physical world. To him, life and death, light and darkness, are to represent our spiritual status rather than a physical state. Just as Adam and Eve lost their life by eating the forbidden fruit, they didn't physically die, but their spirit died. They were separated from the light into a world of spiritual darkness and loneliness. Guilt, shame, fear, sinfulness all were a result of their alienation from God.
Sometimes I have a hard time reconciling who God is as described in the Old Testament versus who Jesus tells and shows us God is in the New Testament. I guess we are not intended to truly understand this mystery. During our bible study, I mentioned this in class and Jodi, our pastor, asked me how I would explain this to a person that is searching and needs reassuring in their faith. So I thought about it and what I believe is that God has always been in control, yet purposely given us all freewill. You must choose to love or it isn't love at all. If you forced behavior and belief, then you get a bunch of Stepford people that just go through the motions. Also, you can't have good without evil. But that's another subject.
Jesus has been with God in the very beginning. He was not a creation that he sent to earth just for the purpose of salvation for his people. Jesus is his beloved son that was there with him as they created the earth. (John 1: 1-5, "the Word" is Jesus (in Hebrew and Greek) Jesus was with God though all of the Old Testament. The world of that day was very different than today and they had not really had an organized belief. Sacrifices and Prostitution for the sake of worship was commonplace in those days. In order to train God's chosen people, the Jews, to spread his desires for the world, he needed to set some rules in place to change their current way of life. They were strict and hard to follow rules. If you think about it, even though we are broken humans that are unable to live completely sin free, the rules that God handed down are for our own good. He knew that any deviation from these rules would only result in pain for ourselves, our loved ones, and for mankind as a whole. We can justify our own circumstances for every broken rule, but when everyone is doing that, there is sure destruction as we have seen. Also to get this world headed in the direction God wants he probably had to make some major decisions that we can not understand because we can't see from his perspective. The Old Testament is a preparation for Jesus as we can see in the prophetic books in the Old Testament (the last books of the Old Testament). Reading those still amazes me. God does have a plan. For God to send his Son to this cruel world and know that he will have to suffer had to be a sacrifice for God and Jesus. But he did so that Jesus can offer us LIFE not only after we die, but now. The spirit that had died with Adam and Eve, could be reborn with Jesus. This is what John wants us to understand.
Jodi did bring it to our attention that Nicodemus in John 3 is visiting Jesus at night in the protection of darkness to ask questions of Jesus and Jesus, clever as ever, replies that people that do evil love darkness. John 3: 19. Jesus explains that people say they need to see to believe, but he is giving them something to see and they still don't believe.
I also like how he uses the woman at the well to spread his ministry. A woman that was not accepted in polite society. (She was at the well during the heat of the day instead of in the evening with the other women). A sinner by all accounts, he revealed his identity to her and she told her village and many believed because of her account. Wow the first woman evangelist, by Jesus choosing. I love when he says "I am he". "I am he", sounds too normal in English. In Greek and Hebrew it means God. He said it to the captors that took him to be crucified and they fell back. It is the way the God introduced himself to Moses on the mountain. "I Am" (Yahweh). Just a little tidbit that I think loses some clarity in the translation. (Along with plenty of other things in the Bible)
As I have said before, I love my bible study. I always come out of it with clarity about something that I just can't wait to share. This insight is not really mine, but from our Disciple I study guide, Jodi our pastor, my classmates, my study Bible, and sometimes a little leading from the Holy Spirit. It all comes together. My hope is that anyone that reads this wants to learn more or has more to share with me or others.
