Jesus Becoming Jesus, Volume 3: A Theological Interpretation of the Gospel of John: The Book of Glory and the Passion and Resurrection Narratives 0813230454, 9780813230450

Table of contents :
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3
Part I. The Book of Glory
1. The Passover Washing of the Disciples’ Feet
2. Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled
3. Abiding in Jesus: Bearing Much Fruit
4. The Spirit of Truth
5. Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer
Part II. The Passion and Resurrection Narrativives
6. So, You Are a King
7. It Is Finished
8. My Lord and My God
9. Do You Love Me?
Conclusion
Suggested Further Reading
Index

Citation preview

J esus Becoming J esus

J esus Becoming J esus Volu m e 3

A Theological Interpretation of the Gospel of St. John The Book of Glory and the Passion and Resurrection Narratives

Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap.

The Catholic University of America Press • Washington, D.C.

Copyright © 2022 The Catholic University of America Press All rights reserved The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standards for Information Science—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. ∞ Design and composition by Kachergis Book Design

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Weinandy, Thomas G. (Thomas Gerard), author. Title: Jesus becoming Jesus / Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap. Description: Washington, D.C. : The Catholic University of America Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017056272 | ISBN 9780813230450 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Gospels—Criticism, interpretation, etc. | Synoptic problem. | Jesus Christ—Biography. Classification: LCC BS2555.52 .W44 2018 | DDC 226/.06—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017056272

This is volume 3, A Theological Interpretation of the Gospel of John: The Book of Glory and the Passion and Resurrection Narratives, 2022. ISBN 9780813235875 (pbk.: alk. paper); ISBN 9780813235882 (ebook)

To Mary, the Mother of the Church and John the Evangelist, the Guardian of Mary In memory of Bishop William Fey, OFM, Cap.

C o ntents

Preface

ix

Acknowledgments

xv

Introduction: Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3

1

Pa rt I. Th e B o ok of Gl ory 15 1. The Passover Washing of the Disciples’ Feet

17

2. Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled

48

3. Abiding in Jesus: Bearing Much Fruit

78

4. The Spirit of Truth

104

5. Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

137

Pa rt I I. Th e Passion an d R e s u r r ect ion Na r r at iv e s 17 7 6. So, You Are a King

183

7. It Is Finished

215

8. My Lord and My God

277

9. Do You Love Me?

309

Conclusion

337



Suggested Further Reading

Index

363 365

Preface

Preface

P r efac e

In November 2014, while I was in Jerusalem on a sabbatical, I began to write what I thought would be a one-volume systematic theology. After about six weeks of writing, I found myself immersed in Scripture, though I assumed I would swiftly proceed to the patristic, medieval, and contemporary treatments of various Christian doctrines. Although I was enthused by what I was finding in my examination of the Gospels, I became somewhat confused as to how to continue, so I prayed, asking for guidance. I thought the Lord said to me, “Just stay with the Scriptures.” After almost seven years, in attempting to be faithful to the task that I thought the Lord had given me, I have now completed a three-volume work on the Gospels—Jesus Becoming Jesus. In 2018, the first volume, a theological interpretation of the Synoptic Gospels, was published. In 2021, a second volume followed, on the theological interpretation of the Gospel of John, the Prologue, and the Book of Signs. This present volume is a theological interpretation of the Book of Glory and the Passion and Resurrection Narratives within John’s Gospel. During this long undertaking, I have learned a great deal and have come to appreciate Scripture far more than I ever thought I would, for I am by training a historical systematic/doctrinal theologian and not a Scripture scholar. When the labor of thought became arduous and my ability to stick to the writing wavered, particularly when pondering John’s Gospel, I felt, at times, that I may have transgressed the Psalmist’s avowal—“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me” (Ps 131:1). Nonetheless, I resolutely stayed to the task, often calling to mind Si­ rach’s exhortation: “My son, hold fast to your duty, busy yourself with it, grow old doing your task” (Sir 11:20). Having fulfilled it, I am pleased with what I have achieved, hopefully to the glory of Jesus. In addition, I trust that those who read these volumes will also come to a greater knowledge and love of the Scriptures and the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they proclaim.

ix

x  Preface In the remainder of this introduction, I repeat some of what I wrote in both previous volumes; that is, I provide some of the theological and scriptural presuppositions that have governed my theological interpretations of all four Gospels.

Scripture and Theology I have not attempted to write, neither concerning the Synoptic Gospels nor John’s, a “normal” scriptural commentary. I have written a theological interpretation. As a systematic or doctrinal theologian, I intend to discern the theological and doctrinal content of the Gospels. This means that I do not treat many of the issues that Scripture scholars normally address when writing their scriptural commentaries, such as textual and form criticism, nor do I employ what is known as the historical-critical method. Such would be outside my competence, and more importantly, these methods of scriptural interpretation would not advance what I am attempting to achieve theologically. I believe that the strength of my theological interpretation lies in the fact that I am doing it as a systematic theologian, searching out the doctrinal content of the Gospels. This does not make my book any less scriptural. My aim is to help the reader find in the Synoptic Gospels and in John’s Gospel what is fruitful to know and so to cherish more deeply the doctrinal truth that they contain. As we saw in the first volume on John, and will now see in the second, John’s Gospel is particularly theological in nature, revealing the doctrine of the Incarnation and so Jesus’ true salvific identity as the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son. As with my previous volumes, I am attempting to apply the teaching of the Second Vatican Council as found in its Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum. There, the Council rightly perceives a close unity between the written word that is the New Testament and the oral kerygmatic preaching that gave rise to it, as well as the living magisterial and theological tradition that flows from it (see DV 9 and 11). Scripture, then, must be read within the ever-living apostolic tradition, and it must also continually be interpreted within the light of later magisterial conciliar teaching—the doctrine that flowed from it. Moreover, the living apostolic and magisterial tradition continues to be nurtured on the life-giving source of Scripture itself. Together, Scripture and tradition ever more clearly proclaim, protect, and enhance the church’s understanding of what the Father has revealed through his Word/ Son in communion with the Holy Spirit. Per Dei Verbum, “sacred Tradition and

Preface  xi sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church” (DV 10). Because Scripture and the church’s magisterial and theological tradition flourish together, I have attempted throughout my theological interpretation of the Gospels to follow Dei Verbum’s significant interpretive principle: Sacred theology relies on the written Word of God, taken together with sacred Tradition, as on a permanent foundation. By this Word it is most firmly strengthened and constantly rejuvenated, as it searches out, under the light of the faith, the full truth stored up in the mystery of Christ. Therefore, the “study of the sacred page” should be the very soul of sacred theology. (DV 24)

I have presently, then, endeavored to allow John’s Gospel to be the soul of my theological interpretation, while simultaneously employing the church’s sacred theological tradition to enhance my examination of it. Thus my goal is to provide an interpretation of John’s Gospel that would be genuinely faithful to it, as well as an interpretation that would authentically enrich and accurately illuminate its theological content. As noted in both previous volumes, I have not read or consulted any biblical commentaries either on the Synoptic Gospels or on the Gospel of John, though I have read such commentaries over the course of my academic life. I avoided such commentaries because I did not want to engage in arbitrating various scholarly debates. Thus in this volume as in the previous ones, there are no footnotes to any secondary literature other than to some of my own previous work that may be relevant to the topic at hand. I simply desired to offer, in an unencumbered manner, my theological reading of John’s Gospel. There are, as there were in the other volumes, three components that make up my present study: (1) the text of the Bible itself as canonically given, (2) my own theological and academic background, and, hopefully, (3) the light of the Spirit of truth.

Jesus Becoming Jesus: His Saving Acts As I stated in the prefaces to the previous two volumes of Jesus Becoming Jesus, I have been fascinated, since my student seminary days when studying Thomistic philosophy, by the notion of “act.” God is pure act, being itself, and in the act of creation, creatures come to be in act and so further become who they are through their subsequent actions. Later, I came to realize that the persons of the Trinity are persons-fully-in-act. The Father is the act of fatherhood-

xii  Preface fully-in-act; the Son is the act of sonship-fully-in-act; and the Holy Spirit is the act of love-fully-in-act. This threefold perichoretic act is the one God-fully-in-act. In writing my theological interpretation of the Synoptic Gospels, I came to see that although the angel Gabriel told Mary (Luke’s Gospel), and later Joseph (Matthew’s Gospel), to name their child Jesus—that is, YHWH-Saves— Jesus was only Jesus in embryo. While the Son of God had assumed his saving ministry in becoming man, he had yet to complete his saving work. He was “Jesus” in potency and not yet Jesus-fully-in-act. Thus in my interpretation of the Synoptics, I primarily focused on Jesus’ saving actions as they are narrated within Matthew, Mark, and Luke, for it was through these actions that Jesus was enacting his name and so becoming who he is—the divine Savior. Jesus becoming Jesus became, then, the overarching theological theme throughout the whole of the volume on the Synoptic Gospels. In writing the first volume on John’s Gospel, I quickly realized that “Jesus becoming Jesus” likewise dominates his Gospel as well. The act of becoming man is the primordial act by which Jesus becomes Jesus—that God’s Word commences, in coming to exist as man, his work of salvation. Thus, for John, as the Father brought all into existence through the creating action of his Word, so now through that same Word the Father is re-creating the sin-fallen world. He is doing so through the saving acts, the re-creating acts, of his now incarnate Word, Jesus, YHWH-Saves. Moreover, as testified by John the Baptist, Jesus will perform his saving acts as the sacrificial Lamb of God and so become Jesus, through the power, the divine vitality, of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that ever remains upon him. Jesus is and will become the Savior, for he is the Father’s Messianic Son, the Lord’s anointed. All the intertwining themes within John’s Gospel are, on the whole, the interweaving of Jesus’ salvific acts, acts in and through which he enacts his saving name and so becomes Jesus. Jesus’ miracles are prophetic acts that signify who Jesus is as the Father’s Son, as well as acts that testify to his being the Father’s Spirit-anointed Savior. In and through these miraculous acts, Jesus is both enacting his name and anticipating the fulfillment of his name, the saving acts of his death and resurrection. Moreover, within those miraculous signs, we behold the acts that manifest Jesus’ glory, the glory of the only begotten Son from the Father. These glory-filled action signs elicit the act of faith from those who behold them. This act of faith in turn conforms the person into an active believer—one who will consequently enact the deeds of faith. Not surprisingly, as we saw, Jesus emphasizes that if the disbelieving Jews do not believe his words, they

Preface  xiii ought to believe because of his works, for his saving actions testify that he, as YHWH-Saves, is the Father’s Son. As became apparent in the first volume on John, enmeshed in his seven miracle signs are the seven “I am” sayings of Jesus. Jesus is the living bread whom his Father sends down from heaven. As the incarnate Word, he is the life-giving light of the death-darkened world. He is the gate to the sheepfold in whom, as the good shepherd, he shepherds his flock into eternal life. He is the resurrection and the life, for he will raise up all who abided in him on earth into his Father’s heavenly glory. Moreover, Jesus is the vine wherein the abiding branches thrive and bear the fruit of love. Because of who he is and the saving work he enacts, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him. As we saw, and will see again in this volume, these “I am” sayings denote the saving actions that Jesus enacts as Savior, the acts by which he will enact his name and so become Jesus. Moreover, the reason that Jesus literally embodies these salvific “I am” sayings ultimately resides in his being the enacted divine “I AM,” He Who Is—YHWH. As the incarnate He Who Is, Jesus, the Father’s Son, is YHWH-Saves. Similar to Jesus’ miracle signs, these sayings are also prophetic in nature, for they will only be fully enacted when Jesus enacts his decisive saving deeds—his saving death and ascending resurrection. In those conclusive salvific acts Jesus will definitively become Jesus, for he will have enacted those re-creative works whereby humankind is freed from the perils of sin and death and offered the abundance of the Spirit’s eternal life. Within John’s Gospel, all of the above is enacted within the ever-approaching “hour,” an hour that commenced when Jesus enacted his first miracle sign at the wedding feast at Cana. That “hour” will be fully enacted in the dark hour of Jesus’ it-is-finished hour of his sacrificial death, yet that dark hour of his death gives rise to the enacted glorious hour of Jesus’ resurrection. On the final Passover, as the all-holy high priest, Jesus will offer himself, the Lamb of God, and so pass over from death to life. Within this conjoined sequential dark and glorious Passover hour, Jesus, for John, definitively becomes Jesus, for in finishing his Father’s work as the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son, Jesus has enacted his name—YHWH-Saves. Thus, for John, Jesus’ saving death is the last hour of sin’s death-bound creation, and his resurrection is the first hour of the world’s life-bound re-creation, a re-creation that Jesus himself now gloriously embodies. Thus the risen Jesus is the dawn of the everlasting eighth day, the dawning of the abundance of eternal life.

xiv  Preface

Jesus Becoming Jesus: His Sacramental Acts As we will see, in his farewell address to his disciples, Jesus promises to pray to his Father that his Father, together with him, will send them another Counselor, the Spirit of truth. Thus, within his death and resurrection, Jesus, in becoming the universal Savior and risen Lord, is empowered to do what John the Baptist declared of him at the onset of his public ministry—that is, to baptize in the Holy Spirit. This is the act whereby all who believe in his name are born anew in the Holy Spirit and so enter into God’s everlasting kingdom. For John, this is the initiating sacrament through which believers come to abide in Jesus and so reap, in him, the benefits of his saving works. Moreover, for John, having come to abide in Jesus through the life-giving Spirit, the faithful are able to partake of his Eucharistic risen body and blood, wherein they come to abide in Jesus himself as he now exists in his risen glory. In so abiding, they share fully in his saving sacrificial death and in his risen everlasting life. Thus Jesus’ Eucharistic sacramental presence is the ultimate culminating earthly act of his being Jesus, for the faithful literally live and abide in him who now is what he is named, YHWH-Saves. Again, as we will see in his high priestly prayer, Jesus beseeches his Father that his disciples would abide in him as he abides in his Father, so that they may share in the same love that the Father has for him. Both in the sacrament of baptism and the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus acts so as to bring about this abiding in him wherein his disciples will abide in his Father through the life-giving communion of the Holy Spirit. Thus Jesus’ sacramental baptismal and Eucharistic acts signify, and so prophetically anticipate, his enacting his name fully at the end of time. For the Evangelist, when Jesus comes and raises up into his risen glory all who have died in him, then he will become Jesus-fully-in-act, for all the saved will be the saved-fully-inact, for they will abide fully in Jesus. Jesus will have assumed all of the faithful into himself, and in so doing, they fully become new creations in him—Spirittransformed and Spirit-filled children of his, and now, their heavenly Father. In this present volume, which is a theological interpretation of John’s Book of Glory and his Passion and Resurrection Narratives, we will perceive how the Evangelist’s entire Gospel forms one complete theological whole—the complete intertwining of all his theological threads so as to form one glorious theological tapestry, the radiant portrait of Jesus becoming Jesus. In so portraying Jesus, John states that his goal is that all would come to believe that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that in believing you may have eternal life” (Jn 20:31).

Acknowledgments

Ac know l ed gmen ts

As with the previous volumes, many friends have generously helped in writing this book. First, I am indebted to my provincial, Fr. Thomas Betz, for allowing and encouraging me to pursue my academic writing. I am also grateful to my Capuchin brothers here at Capuchin College. They have been encouraging and have ever shown interest in the book’s progress, even when I repeatedly said that I still had a long way to go. Then there are many of my academic colleagues and friends who read draft chapters. They offered insightful scriptural and theological suggestions, as well as assisted me in clarifying and developing my theological interpretations. In this regard, Dr. Daniel Keating and Dr. John Yocum stand out as faithful reviewers, men who have given generously of their time among their own busy pursuits. I could always count on them. Then there is Fr. William Ryan, who ministers in the African country of Togo. Bill did yeomen’s work in correcting and improving, by way of revision, the grammatical structure of many of my overly complex sentences. Two other priests have also been most encouraging. Fr. James Thermos, of the Archdiocese of Denver, was a formator of seminarians for many years, and so his spiritual insights into John’s Gospel were always most welcome. The other is Msgr. James Overton, of the Archdiocese of Westminster, London. James, a friend of many years, always had something heartening to say upon reading my draft chapters. Moreover, I must not forget two of my women friends, Mrs. Judith Virnelson and Mrs. Kathleen Jones, who not only prayed for the success of my undertaking but also read all of the draft chapters. I asked them to do so for two reasons—to find all of the typos, of which they found many, and also to ensure that nonacademic lay readers could understand what I was attempting to communicate. I am also grateful for the encouragement, support, and prayers of other family and friends—particularly my brother, Robert; my cousins, John and Louise Pohlman; Mrs. Doris Ferlman; Mrs. Elizabeth Connor; and the Poor Clare

xv

xvi  Acknowledgments Nuns in Alexandria, Virginia. I am sure that all of the above are pleased, and maybe more so relieved, that the final volume of Jesus Becoming Jesus is now complete. For me, it was a joy to have them along on this academic journey. As I have stuck with the task, so they—maybe more so than I—have persevered with me. One of my most stalwart readers was my best Capuchin friend, the former bishop of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea, William Fey. With immense enthusiasm and in great detail, he would faithfully send back his comments and suggestions. Sadly, Bishop Bill died of COVID-19 on January 19, 2021. We had spent Christmas week together, not knowing that it would be the last time we would share our friendship here on earth. I am grateful to the Lord for granting us this time together. I have now written this final volume of Jesus Becoming Jesus in his memory, for he had a great love of Jesus. The Catholic University of America Press has now published all three volumes of Jesus Becoming Jesus. I have always been grateful that its acquisitions editor, Mr. John Martino, eagerly urged me to pursue writing these volumes. I am also once more indebted to Ms. Ashleigh McKown for her patient and meticulous work as copy editor. Furthermore, I gratefully acknowledge, again, Mr. Matthew Alderman as the artist who illustrated the front covers of all three volumes. Lastly, I would be remiss not to acknowledge all of the saints whose intercession I sought daily. Here I will only salute by name John the Evangelist and Thomas Aquinas, my patron saint. Also, there are Mary and Joseph, who at God’s command named their son “Jesus,” not fully comprehending when they did so what it would entail for him to become Jesus—YHWH-Saves. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap. The Solemnity of the Annunciation, 2021

J esus Becoming J esus

Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3

Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3

I n t r o du ct ion • C o nnec ting Volu m e 2 w it h Vo lume 3

Having completed volume 2, Jesus Becoming Jesus: A Theological Interpretation of the Gospel of John (Chapter 1–12), we can now proceed to volume 3, which interprets theologically the remainder of John’s Gospel, chapters 13–21. Before undertaking this task, it is important to review what we have learned from the first twelve chapters in order to position ourselves once again within the theological flow of John’s Gospel. In this introduction, I highlight the main points summarized in the conclusion of volume 2 and connect that volume with the present volume. Moreover, in so doing, I want to note how the “first half” of John’s Gospel, the Prologue and the Book of Signs, anticipates the “second half” of John’s Gospel, “the Book of Glory” and the Passion and Resurrection Narratives, and thus how John’s remaining narrative will develop and fulfill what has been recounted previously.1

The Historicity of John’s Gospel Before delving into the content of chapters 1–12 and how it bears upon chapters 13–21, we must first address the issue of the historicity of John’s Gospel. As observed previously, it is readily apparent that John’s Gospel differs from that of the Synoptics. For example, John’s Gospel does not narrate Jesus’ parables, many of his miracles, the Our Father, Peter’s profession of faith, and the Transfiguration. Moreover, the miracles/signs that John does narrate, except for the multiplication of the loaves, do not appear in the Synoptics, and these miracle signs abruptly end with the beginning of “the Book of Glory.” More strikingly, Jesus speaks in a more formally solemn and “divine” manner, one that is normally not found in his more down-to-earth fashion in the Synoptics. 1. While this introduction summarizes the main points contained in the conclusion to volume 2, the reader might find it helpful to read the lengthier conclusion.

1

2   Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3 This difference will become more accentuated in Jesus’ farewell address and in his “high priestly” prayer (chapters 13–17). Similarly, unlike in the Synoptics, Jesus, through his words and actions, focuses on his relationship to his Father as the Father’s Spirit-filled Son. Because of such dissimilarities between the Synoptics and John, the question of the historicity of John’s Gospel naturally arises. Is John’s depiction of Jesus historical, or is his “Jesus” theologically created? In the first volume I concluded that both are true, and I continue to hold that position in this present volume. As we saw, John’s Gospel provides more detailed accounts of historical events than the sometimes more generalized reports found in the Synoptics, such as in the cleansing of the temple and the multiplication of the loaves, as well as particulars of the temple area, the Pool of Bethsaida, and the Pool of Siloam. Similarly, although Jesus’ conversations may be theologically stylized, the narratives of such encounters are presented as historical, for example, Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. Moreover, Jesus’ disciples are given more speaking roles—besides Peter, we hear the voices of Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, James, Thomas, Judas Thaddaeus, the man born blind, Martha and Mary, and even Judas Iscariot. Likewise, the “believing” and “unbelieving” Jews are permitted to express their own opinions and arguments as to who Jesus is or is not. Again, while John may be framing all of these “actors” with their own unique voices within a theological context, who they are and what they say are founded on historical events, many of which provide evidence for John’s own historical presence and personal memory. We will find this same theologically interpreted history in the remainder of John’s Gospel. As noted in the conclusion of volume 1, the one voice we do not hear speak is that of John himself, and the reason for this absence is that John’s “voice” is found in his own theological interpretation of the historical events to which he himself was privy. Throughout volume 1, I argued that John is offering his own theological interpretation of the one apostolic kerygmatic Gospel tradition. This oral tradition finds its threefold written expression within the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The Evangelist provides his own more explicit theological portrayal of Jesus’ words and actions. He raises the one common kerygmatic tradition to a higher theological key. He achieves this by interweaving history and theology. He narrates historical events and encounters in a manner that exposes their fuller revealed meaning and so their theological significance. Moreover, as I frequently noted in volume 1, while we hear the voice of Jesus in John’s

Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3   3 Gospel, the theological content of his words often comes forth from the mind of John. This does not mean, however, that John is indiscriminately attributing to Jesus his own theology, but rather just the opposite. John is confident, being inspired by the Holy Spirit, that he has ascertained the fuller truth of Jesus’ words and actions, and so places such an inspired interpretation within Jesus’ own mouth. The source of such revelation is Jesus himself. John is simply crediting to Jesus what Jesus himself revealed within his historical words and actions. Thus, as I emphasized within John’s Gospel, we may not always hear the ipsissima verba of Jesus, his exact historical words, but what we always do hear is the fuller ipsissima sententia, the fuller meaning of Jesus’ historical words.2 This understanding accounts for why Jesus speaks in a manner different from that which we find in the Synoptics. What we have perceived in the former volume we now find accentuated in this volume. We only need to peruse Jesus’ farewell address and high priestly prayer within John’s Gospel to realize that while there may be a historical basis for both, what we are hearing from Jesus’ mouth is a Spirit-inspired Johannine theological rendition of who he is in relation to his Father as the Father’s Son, a theological interpretation of his impending salvific death and resurrection, and a prayerful proclamation of the saving benefits that will accrue to his present and future believing followers. We will find similar instances with the Passion and Resurrection Narratives. Although John is often titled “the theologian,” he is actually ensuring and confirming that Jesus himself is “the theologian”—the Word of God incarnate. John wrote his Gospel so “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son, and that in believing you may have life in his name” (Jn 20:31), and he has written his Gospel in a manner that allows Jesus himself to reveal clearly, in word and deed, that such is truly the case. There is therefore within John’s Gospel a theological interpretation of historical events—an interpretation of salvific events that John often attributes to Jesus himself, for he is the enactor, and thus the revealing interpreter, of the saving mystery that he himself is.

The Prologue John’s Prologue, as we saw in volume 1, provides the hermeneutical principle by which the ensuing Gospel must be read, for the Prologue not only sets the stage for the remainder of the Gospel, but it is also the prophetic anticipation 2. In Jn 3:31–36, for example, scholars debate as to whether Jesus continuing to speak or whether John is adding his own theological interpretation.

4   Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3 of the Gospel being fulfilled. The Prologue articulates the saving mystery of the Incarnation and the salvific benefits that flow from it. Before the beginning began, the Word was with God and was God. For John, God manifested the eternal life-giving light of his Word when he declared at the very dawn of creation, “Let there be light.” That first created light made visible the eternal divine light of God’s creative Word, and thus all that came to be did so through the life-giving light of God’s Word. Even though that Word was now coming into the world, neither the world nor God’s own people, the Jews, received him, but all who did believe in him would become God’s children, for they were born not of flesh but of God. That Word, who is God as God is God, became flesh (sarx) and dwelt/tabernacled/pitched his tent among us, and he did so with the fullness of grace and truth. Thus John’s Prologue professed the saving mystery that would govern the remainder of his Gospel. Jesus is the divine Word, the Father’s only begotten Son, who came to exist in the weakness of Adam’s human flesh, and as such, he dwelt among humankind in time and history. Within and through that human flesh we behold the glory of the only begotten Son from the Father, from whom we have received an overflowing abundance of grace. Jesus is therefore the Christ, he who possesses the fullness of the Father’s Spirit of Sonship. As the Spirit-filled Son, who resides in the bosom of his Father, Jesus has made known his Father. For John, the Incarnation is the ontological basis for Jesus being named Jesus (YHWH-Saves). It is through, in, and with Jesus that humankind will be re-created in God’s image. As humankind was first created in the life-giving light of God’s Word, the Father’s Son, so that Word, the Father’s Son, will re-create man in his own image. In volume 1, we saw that what John’s Prologue declares is prophetically enacted and so confirmed within the Book of Signs. Although John’s Gospel does not narrate the Transfiguration, through Jesus’ miracle signs we continually behold the glory of the Father’s only begotten Son, the glory of the life-giving light that overcomes the darkness of sin and death. We perceived Jesus prophetically becoming Jesus, he who saves. What we will now behold within the Book of Glory and the Passion and Resurrection Narratives is the fulfillment of Jesus becoming Jesus. Jesus will pray that his Father glorify him with the glory that he had before the foundation of the world, and that those who believe in him might share in that same divine glory. We will behold the hour of Jesus’ glory—the glory that is the darkness of Jesus’ saving death and the glory of Jesus being lifted up into the splendor of his resurrection. This divine

Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3   5 glory will shine forth from within the weakness of Jesus’ human flesh, and thus we will behold Jesus becoming Jesus—our glorious, crucified Savior and risen Lord. John’s Prologue thus finds its goal when, beholding the eternal lifegiving light of the Father’s Spirit-filled incarnate Son, we come to believe in his name, Jesus, and obtain eternal life in, through and with him.

John the Baptist and the First Disciples While the Prologue provides the initial theological basis of John’s Gospel— that is, the incarnation of the Father’s eternal Son, Jesus’ baptism, and the call of his disciples—it also introduces Jesus. John the Baptist assures his listeners that he is not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet. Rather, he is the one sent by God to prepare for the coming Lord—the expected Messiah and the foretold prophet. In baptizing with water, John is anticipating one who is greater and who existed before him. That man is Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world. Likewise, John witnessed the Spirit descend upon and remain on Jesus, and therefore he can testify that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit, for he is the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son. John’s prophetic testimony will now come to fulfillment in the Book of Glory and the Passion Narrative, where Jesus will be portrayed as the Passover Lamb of sacrifice through whom the world’s sin will be forgiven and a new covenant with his Father will be ratified. As the risen Lord, Jesus will then be empowered to baptize all who believe in him in the Holy Spirit and so transform them into new creations—Spirit-filled children of the Father. The Baptist’s declaration of who Jesus is inspires two men to follow Jesus. After residing with Jesus, one of them, Andrew (the unnamed other is probably the Evangelist himself), seeks out his brother, Peter, and proclaims to him that they had found the Messiah. Jesus seeks out Philip and bids him to follow him. Philip proceeds to inform Nathanael that they have found the one of whom Moses and the prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth. The at-first-skeptical Nathanael comes to believe, upon meeting Jesus, that he is the Son of God and the King of Israel. Thus at the onset of his ministry, Jesus’ first disciples profess that he is the anointed Messiah, the foretold prophet, the Son of God, and the King of Israel. The Book of Signs, as we saw in volume 1, narrates the ever-increasing revelation of what the Baptist declares and his disciples profess, though the Jewish leaders ardently deny that the man Jesus of Nazareth is God’s Spirit-anointed Son. The revelation of who Jesus is, as the

6   Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3 Father’s Messianic Son, will continue to advance within the Book of Glory, and it will find its culmination when the Jewish elders reject Jesus as their king and Pilate declares him to be the King of the Jews.

Signs, Feasts, and Sayings As prophetically declared in the Prologue, the seven miracle signs that Jesus performs manifest the glory of Jesus as the Father’s Son. John’s ever-progressing narrative continues to display Jesus’ glory, and now, as we turn to the Book of Glory, it will culminate in the Passion and Resurrection Narratives, wherein the fullness of Jesus’ glory will radiate from the cross and emanate from his transfigured risen humanity. The initial miracle is Jesus’ changing an abundance of water into an abundance of wine, which, as we saw, signifies both baptism and the Eucharist. Not only is one freed from sin and death within baptism’s cleansing Spirit-filled waters, but one is also ushered into the fullness of life that is Jesus’ risen body and blood. Jesus performs two further miracles that signify the healing power of baptism—the healing of the invalid at the Pool of Bethsaida and the healing of the man born blind at the Pool of Siloam. Conjoined to these baptism miracle signs is Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. Nicodemus is told that if he is to enter into the kingdom of God, he must be born anew in water and the Holy Spirit. Jesus also informs the Samaritan woman that the water he gives will well up to eternal life. The healings at both the healing at the Pool of Bethsaida and at the Pool of Siloam signify and confirm Jesus’ ability to re-create those who are reborn unto eternal life in the Spiritfilled waters of baptism. Such miracle signs are the fulfillment of the Baptist’s prophetic declaration that Jesus will baptize in the Holy Spirit, but Jesus will only do so after he has crucified the sinful nature that he inherited from Adam and has been born anew in his own resurrected life as the new Adam. Having multiplied the loaves and fish, Jesus proceeds to give his Eucharistic discourse. The abundance of bread signifies the bounteous life that is Jesus himself. Here we encountered the first of seven “I am” sayings—“I am (ego eimi) the bread of life.” As the Father’s Sent-Son, the incarnate Jesus is the bread that has come down from heaven. Those who eat his body and drink his blood, despite their death, will live forever, for they will be partaking of Jesus’ Spirit-filled risen humanity. By coming to abide in the Eucharistic risen Jesus, then, one comes to abide in He Who Is and thus comes to abide in his heavenly Father.

Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3   7 As will become evident as we examine Jesus’ farewell address and his high priestly prayer, Jesus’ salvific work will make possible the life-giving sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, through which the believer abides in him as he abides in the Father and shares in their mutual life-giving love. Moreover, from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus will come forth the re-creating Spirit-filled waters of baptism as well as his Eucharistic life-giving blood. By being sacramentally united to Jesus’ death and resurrection, and so being conjoined to Jesus himself, the faithful reap the everlasting benefits of his death and resurrection— the dying to sin and death and the rising to an abundance of everlasting life. Within his narration of Jesus’ miracle signs, John weaves accounts of Jesus’ going to Jerusalem to participate in various Jewish feasts. Jesus’ participation in these feasts prophetically anticipates his fulfillment of these feasts. Jesus first goes to Jerusalem for the Passover. There he finds his Father’s house defiled with the selling of animals and the exchanging of money. Jesus cleanses the temple, but the disgruntled Jews ask by what authority he does so. Jesus responds by informing them that if the temple is destroyed, he will raise it up in three days. The Jews sarcastically remind him that the present temple took forty-six years to build.3 The Evangelist comments that Jesus was refer3. As was evident from the first volume of our theological interpretation of John’s Gospel ( Jesus Becoming Jesus, vol. 2) the Evangelist employs the term “the Jews” to designate different groups. Sometimes, as seen above, he employs it to simply refers to “the Jews” in a generic sense—to the Jewish people as a whole. Within John’s Gospel, however, there are also two “types” of “Jews,” those who believe in Jesus and those who do not believe in him—the latter primarily composed of the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders or elite. As in the first volume on John’s Gospel, I normally specify here in this volume to whom the term “the Jews” refers—“the believing Jews” or “the unbelieving Jews.” In order to avoid further confusion, if the designation “the Jews” is within quotations marks, it alerts the reader that this is the term John is himself employing in his Gospel. Part of the motivation to bring clarity to the Evangelist’s use of the tern “the Jews” is that over the centuries Christians have often employed the term “the Jews” to designate all Jews, in so doing condemning all Jews for their disbelief, particularly in the condemnation and crucifixion of Jesus. Such a condemnation has also led to antisemitism and to the persecution of the Jews. The pretext for such condemnation of the Jews is that John’s Gospel itself is interpreted as being condemnatory and so antisemitic. As I have argued extensively in the first volume on John’s Gospel, however, the Evangelist is not antisemitic. Rather, his entire Gospel is a call specifically addressed to them so that they might come to believe in Jesus as the Father’s Messianic Son, and so their Lord and Savior. In order to call his beloved Jewish brethren to faith, John allows the unbelieving Jews, within their contentious dialogues with Jesus, to articulate their own reasons for why they do not believe that he is the Father’s Messianic Son, and only then provides Jesus’ response to their serious concerns. Thus in my first volume on John’s Gospel, I have addressed and in this present volume I will continue to address the issues of John’s supposed antisemitism and his

8   Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3 ring to the temple of his body. Jesus’ prophetic act thus bears directly on his future death and resurrection. As we will see, the crucifixion of Jesus on the Passover will fulfill what the original Passover prefigured. As the Father’s Son, Jesus will become the new high priest who will offer himself as the Lamb of God—the perfect Passover sacrifice. His sacrificial act will cleanse the world of sin and destroy death, and his rising from the dead will be the raising up of a new temple. Jesus will thus become the living temple, for he will himself be the new holy high priest who offers himself as the holiest sacrifice, a sacrifice that will empower all who believe in him to pass over from sin and death into the presence of his heavenly Father. Again, this passing over will be achieved by Jesus baptizing the faithful in the Holy Spirit and in their partaking of his Eucharistic risen body and blood. As the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves is conjoined with Jesus’ declaration that he is the bread of life, so his declaration that he is the light of the world is linked to his miracle of healing the man born blind. This sign is worked within the context of the Feast of Tabernacles, where water from the pool of Siloam is poured upon the temple altar and lights are lit within the temple courtyard. In this setting Jesus declares: “I am (ego eimi ) the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” As the eternal Word is the life-giving light of the original creation, so the incarnate Word, who now tabernacles among humankind, is the life-giving light of the new creation. The life-giving light of He Who Is now radiates from his humanity. Jesus will thus vanquish the darkness of sin and death and bring forth the new baptismal life of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ healing, the re-creation, of the man born blind prophetically enacts the truth that he is the present saving life-giving light of the world. As now expected, Jesus will truly become the life-giving light of the world through his forthcoming death and resurrection. His saving death will vanquish the darkness of sin and death, and his glorious resurrection will become the new life-giving light of the new creation, for the living Jesus, the resurrected incarnate Word of life, will forever tabernacle in humankind’s midst. love for his Jewish brothers and sisters. See, e.g., Jesus Becoming Jesus, 2:284n36, 2:313, 2:356–57, 2:389n46, and 2:442–45. In the light of past history, some would hold that Jews should not be evangelized. I would argue that, in keeping with Jesus and the Evangelist, Jesus and his Gospel should be offered to them in an appropriate and charitable manner, and in doing so, that their freedom must always be honored. See my “The Jews and the Body of Christ: An Essay in Hope,” Pro Ecclesia 37, no. 4: 412–24.

Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3   9 Within John’s Gospel narrative, Jesus quickly declares: “I am (ego eimi) the gate/door of the sheep.” This saying is intimately conjoined with “I am (ego eimi) the good shepherd.” Jesus is the door to the pasture of salvation, not in the sense that one passes through him as one passes through a door to enter another room, but rather he is himself the door in whom one enters into heavenly pastures of eternal life. To abide in Jesus’ humanity is to abide in He Who Is, the Father’s life-giving incarnate Son. The reason Jesus is the life-giving gate is that he is the good shepherd who will lay down his life for his sheep. By dying for his sheep, Jesus will free them from the marauding wolves of sin and death, and in his resurrection, he will bring them into the heavenly life-giving pastures of his heavenly Father. Thus, once more, what we find in the Book of Signs we will see fulfilled in the Book of Glory and within Jesus’ death and resurrection. As was emphasized in volume 1, the culminating and preeminent “I am” saying is Jesus’ declaration: “I am (ego eimi) the resurrection and the life.” Only if Jesus is the resurrection and the life can he be the bread of life, the lifegiving light of the world, the living gate of the sheepfold, and the good shepherd who pastors his sheep unto eternal life. Jesus being the resurrection and the life is, then, the hinge upon which hangs the truth of who Jesus is as the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son, as well as the same hinge upon which hangs the sign value of all of his miracles. The accompanying raising of Lazarus from the dead is, then, not simply Jesus’ last miracle; it is also the paramount sign that authenticates the entire Book of Signs. By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus manifests that he is the resurrection and the life, and in so doing, he likewise authenticates all of the other “I am” sayings, as well as the significance of all the other miracle signs. Moreover, by being the resurrection and the life, Jesus will himself become the true Passover, for he himself will pass over from death to life, and in so doing, he will forever tabernacle in humankind’s midst as the risen Lord of life. Thus in being the resurrection and the life as displayed in the raising of the dead Lazarus, Jesus not only validates the Book of Signs, but he also prophetically looks forward, as we will see, to his farewell address and high priestly prayer, all of which will be enacted in his salvific death and resurrection. In response to Jesus’ declaration that he is the resurrection and the life, Martha professes, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.” Martha is echoing Peter’s profession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and he is such precisely because he is, as the Father’s anointed life-

10   Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3 giving incarnate Word, the resurrection, and the life. Jesus, then, is Jesus— YHWH-Saves.

The Contentious Dialogues Throughout the Book of Signs, beginning with the cleansing of the temple, Jesus is entangled in various contentious dialogues with unbelieving Jews. These quarrels are enmeshed within Jesus’ miracle signs and often contain his “I am” sayings. They invariably take place in Jerusalem when Jesus is present for various feasts, the true meaning of which he himself will reveal and bring to fulfillment. That he worked his miracles on the Sabbath provoked hostility against him. In response, Jesus argued that as his Father continues to work, so he continues to do the works that his Father has given him to do—that is, the new work of re-creation. The implication is that Jesus is the Father’s Son and so equal to God. Although Jesus does not speak of himself as being the Son of God, he does consistently speak of God as “my Father.” He speaks and acts as the one “sent” by his Father to do his Father’s works. As the sentincarnate-Son, Jesus is always obedient to the Father. Thus there is a communion of speaking and acting between him and his Father. As the Father’s Son, he abides in the Father and the Father abides in him. If one does not believe his words, one should believe because of his works, for through his works the Father bears witness that Jesus is his Son. Not only is Jesus’ divine Sonship in question, but also his being the Spiritanointed Messiah. While some Jews do believe that such is the case because of his many signs, others argued that the Christ is to come from Bethlehem and that Jesus is from Nazareth in Galilee. Also, some note that when the Messiah comes no one will know where he is from, but everyone knows where Jesus is from. The supreme irony is evident. Jesus is from Bethlehem, and no one knows where he is from or that he is from the Father. The very ignorance of his Jewish detractors testifies that Jesus is the Messiah, the Father’s Spiritanointed Son. Within his dialogical interchanges, first with Nicodemus and later with the faithless Jews, Jesus speaks on three occasions of his being “lifted up.” Jesus informs Nicodemus that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must he be lifted up so that those who believe in him may have eternal life. Later, because “the Jews” do not believe that God is his Father, Jesus told them that when they have lifted up the Son of man, they will come to know that “I

Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3   11 am he” (ego eimi). Because Jesus is the Father’s Son, he, like his Father, is He Who Is, and his divine status will be manifested when he is lifted up upon the cross and into his glorious resurrection. The final time Jesus speaks of his being lifted up comes when his final hour approaches—the dark hour of his death. While Jesus is troubled, he is assured that his Father will glorify him, for he will cast out the ruler of this world and in so doing will draw all to himself. Again, in being lifted up upon the cross into the ascending glory of his resurrection, Jesus, as the Father’s Messianic Son, will become the salvific magnet that draws all peoples and nations to faith in him. Jesus’ contentious confrontations with the unbelieving Jews find their climactic moment when Jesus appropriates to himself the divine name YHWH— I Am, He Who Is. Although “the Jews” claim that Abraham is their father, Jesus assures them that Abraham rejoices to see his day. The reason for such rejoicing is that before Abraham came to be, Jesus already existed, for he is simply “I Am”—He Who Is. Recognizing this seeming blasphemy, “the Jews” picked up stones to throw at Jesus. By identifying himself as YHWH, Jesus not only emphatically affirmed his divinity, but he also provided the ontological foundation for all of his “I am” sayings. Jesus is the bread of life, the light of the world, the gate of the sheepfold, the good shepherd, and the resurrection and the life because, as the Father’s incarnate Son, he is Ego Eimi, the one who is. This is also why he is named Jesus—YHWH-Saves—for he is re-creating all nations as the Father’s incarnate Messianic Son. With the conclusion of the Book of Signs, Jesus’ contentious dialogues with the unbelieving Jewish leaders come to an end—at least until Jesus’ arrest and trials. Yet the effect of this conflict is always present as Jesus’ dark hour swiftly approaches. It is knowing that his final hour is at hand, the final conflict, that precipitates Jesus’ final address to his disciples and his high priestly prayer. Moreover, with the onset of Jesus’ passion, that hour of darkness engulfs the whole Johannine narrative. The very hour of darkness, however, when disbelief appears to have triumphed, becomes the hour of luminous glory, for Jesus has finished his Father’s saving work, and the Father will respond by lifting him up his heavenly glory, the glory he possessed before the foundation of the world. Thus Jesus, the eternal life-giving light of the world, will triumph over the dark nothingness of sin and death, and the dark nothingness of disbelief. In concluding this section on Jesus’ contentious confrontations with “the

12   Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3 Jews,” I want to reaffirm a thesis I offered in my first volume. I argued that John has structured his Gospel so as to win over his contemporary disbelieving Jewish brethren. The disbelieving Jews in the Gospel give voice to many of the contemporary Jewish community’s concerns as to why they do not believe that Jesus is the Father’s Messianic Son. Jesus, in turn, provides his rebuttal to these concerns and attempts to show why he is the Father’s anointed Son. While the final confrontation is yet to take place at Jesus’ various trials, the arguments that Jesus proffered earlier will be fulfilled. Jesus will be lifted up upon the cross and into his Father’s glory, for he has completed his Father’s saving work. John’s hope is that in beholding Jesus’ saving death and glorious resurrection, all disbelieving Jews will be drawn to Jesus himself.

Jesus Becoming Jesus As we saw when treating the Synoptic Gospels, and most recently in chapters 1–12 of John’s Gospel, Jesus is enacting his name—YHWH-Saves. The primordial saving act is the act of the Incarnation itself. The Word in coming to exist as man is the first act of Jesus becoming Jesus. In this incarnational act, the Son of God is able, as man, to enact the Father’s work of salvation. All of Jesus’ ensuing miracles prophetically signify his re-creating salvific work, particularly the saving work within the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. These prophetic acts, as we now see, will find their fulfillment in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus will become the new high priest who offers himself as the Lamb of God, and in so doing, he will enact the consummate Passover—the passing over from death to life. Thus Jesus becomes the new living temple of the new living covenant with his Father, the one in whom his Father can be worshipped in Spirit and Truth. Moreover, having become Jesus, he becomes the universal Savior and the definitive Lord—he who is now empowered to baptize in the Holy Spirit and to nourish the faithful on his risen body and blood. We have also perceived that all of Jesus’ “I am” sayings define the various ways in which Jesus acts. As the bread of life, Jesus gives himself in the sacrament of the Eucharist. As the light of the world, he is the life-giving light in whom those who believe are reborn in the Holy Spirit. As the good shepherd, he ushers the faithful, as the living gate, into the presence of his heavenly Father. As the resurrection and the life, he bestows everlasting life on all who come to live within his risen humanity. Ultimately, Jesus is YHWH-Saves be-

Connecting Volume 2 with Volume 3   13 cause he is He Who Is, the Saving-I-AM. Again, these defining names of Jesus, as narrated in John’s Gospel, will find their ultimate enactment, and so fulfillment, in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Thus John’s Book of Signs, with all that it prophetically signified and anticipated, points to and finds its goal in the ensuing Book of Glory and his Passion and Resurrection Narratives. Jesus’ first miracle at Cana set in motion his “hour,” which grew ever closer as his ministry unfolded, and that “hour” has now arrived. Significantly, the Book of Glory begins, “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1). The Book of Signs narrates Jesus’ humbly coming forth from his Father into the darkness of the world’s sin and death. The Book of Glory narrates Jesus’ return to his Father. Having gloriously triumphed over sin and death on the cross, he dispelled the world’s darkness by his resplendent life-giving resurrection and ascension. In this introduction, I hope to have properly conjoined volume 1 of my theological interpretation of John’s Gospel with the present second volume. In doing so, I also trust that the readers of this volume will have entered into the theological flow of John’s continuing narrative. What I hope I have not done in this introduction is give away too much of the story. Even if I have, there is still more to be told, and to that telling we now turn.

The Book of Glory

Pa rt I

T he Bo ok of G lo ry

P

a rt I of this volume theologically examines what is commonly called within the Gospel of John the Book of Glory. It comprises chapters 13–17, which all take place within the context of the Johannine account of the Last Supper, the final Passover meal that Jesus celebrates with his disciples the evening prior to his death on the feast of the Passover itself. Although these chapters are composed of various segments, they form one complete whole. Thus the several parts must not only be theologically interpreted individually, but they also must be understood within the overall Passover context. Only as these chapters form one whole is one able to obtain a complete understanding of Jesus’ Last Supper as narrated within John’s Gospel. The Book of Glory can then be divided into three sections: Jesus’ washing the feet of his disciples, followed by the exiting of Judas (13:1–30), Jesus’ farewell address (13:31 to the end of chapter 16), and Jesus’ high priestly prayer (chapter 17). Part II of our study encompasses John’s Passion and Resurrection Narratives (chapters 18–21). These concluding chapters can also be seen as the completion of the Book of Glory, for they contain the ultimate enactment, the final making real, of Jesus’ glory— the glory of his being lifted up upon the cross and his ascending into the glory of his resurrection. With this in mind, we can now commence our study of the Book of Glory by exploring chapter 13.

15

The Washing of the Feet

1 • T h e Pa s s ov e r Washing o f t h e D is c i p l e s ’ F eet

The Feast of Passover As discussed in the introduction to this volume, John begins the Book of Glory by setting the initial scene. “Now before the feast of Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1).1 Moreover, this first scene will take place “during supper” (Jn 13:2). John’s designation that “the supper” was eaten “before the feast of Passover” immediately raises the long-standing debate as to how to reconcile his timing with that of “the Last Supper” within the Synoptics, which have it taking place seemingly on the Passover itself. Various scholarly opinions have been offered, but no settled consensus has been reached.2 For our purposes here, the question is: 1. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section will be from Jn 13:1. Also, unless otherwise noted, in this volume I use the Revised Standard Version (Catholic ed.) published by Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1966. 2. All four Gospels concur that Jesus was crucified and died on Friday, prior to the beginning of the Sabbath (Friday at sundown). The Synoptics place the Passover Feast and so dinner on Thursday evening (see Mt 26:17, Mk 14:12, and Lk 22:15). But while John also has Jesus celebrating the Passover meal on Thursday, he designates it as before the Passover, which for him takes place on the Friday, the day of the crucifixion itself, which would mean that “the Jews” celebrated the Passover meal after Jesus’ crucifixion (see Jn 13:29, 18:28, and 19:14). Which day, then, was the actual Passover—Thursday (Synoptics) or Friday (John)—and which day did “the Jews” celebrate it—on Thursday (Synoptics) or Friday (John)? One proposed resolution is that Jesus was following a different calendar from that followed by the majority of Jews. The Jewish temple calendar was based on the lunar year, and so the Feast of the Passover fell on different dates from year to year. But the Essenes and the Qumran community followed a solar calendar that would have the Passover being celebrated annually on the same day. This could account for the discrepancy between the Synoptic dating and John’s. In John’s Gospel, Jesus would be celebrating the feast in accord with the solar calendar, while most Jews would be following the temple lunar calendar, and thus on different days. Another solution is that this is simply a misunderstanding. Both John’s Gospel and the

17

18  The Book of Glory For John, what revelational or theological significance resides within the relationship between the Jewish feast of Passover and Jesus’ death on the cross? A number of interconnected points can be discerned. Having raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus went, six days prior to the Passover feast, to Bethany, the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. “The Jews,” who were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration, wondered if Jesus would attend. The chief priests and Pharisees let it be known that if anyone knew where Jesus was, they should inform them so that they could arrest him (see Jn 11:55–12:1). From Bethany, Jesus has now arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover, and we presently find him celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples. Jesus is participating in his final Passover with its concluding liturgical meal. This final Passover must now be interpreted in the light of Jesus’ first Passover. On that first Passover, Jesus goes up to Jerusalem, where he finds in the temple the selling of oxen, sheep, and pigeons, as well as the money-changers going about their business. With his handmade whip, he drives them all out of the temple, for they had turned his Father’s house into a house of trade. John comments, “His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ ” Whereupon “the Jews” ask for a “sign” that would show by what authority he had done this. In response, Jesus declares: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” “The Jews” snidely remind him that the building of the temple had taken forty-six years to build, so how could he possibly raise it back up in three days? Again, John inserts a hindsight interpretation. “But he spoke of the temple of his body. When, therefore, he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken” (Jn 2:13–22). What Jesus prophetically enacted on his first Passover visit to Jerusalem, he will now fulfill on this his last Passover celebration. The leading Jews will destroy Jesus by putting him to death, but in so doing, they will simultaneously, and ironically, be destroying the stone-built temple by rendering it reSynoptic Gospels actually agree when one takes into account the fluidity of the terms “Passover” and “Passover meal.” The whole of “Passover week” could be designated the “Passover,” and the “Passover meal” could designate any of a number of sacred meals, including the Sabbath meal, celebrated during the course of that week, those preparing for the Passover and for the Passover meal itself. Being a systematic theologian and not a Scripture scholar, I am going to pass on rendering any sort of arbitration or judgment. Moreover, it does not affect, as we see presently, the Johannine theological significance of Jesus being the Passover Lamb of sacrifice, the Lamb of God who initiates the new covenant.

The Washing of the Feet   19 dundant. On this Passover feast, Jesus, in his zeal for his Father’s house, will become the new high priest who offers himself as God’s new Passover lamb, a sacrificial lamb who cleanses God’s people from sin and frees them from death, thus fulfilling what the traditional temple priesthood and ancient Passover lamb prophetically signified. Moreover, as the temple symbolized God’s covenantal presence among his chosen people, so Jesus will pass over from death to life and will become the new and living temple, in whom, as the covenantal lamb of sacrifice, humankind will obtain a new relationship with his Father as his now holy chosen people. All who believe in Jesus, the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son, will then be able to truly worship God in Spirit and Truth, for they will abide in the living Jesus—the three-day-raised temple. The risen Jesus is then himself the fulfilled sign as to his authority to cleanse the temple, the sign that the unbelieving Jews cynically requested of him at that first Passover. Thus Jesus now comes to Jerusalem for his final Passover wherein he will himself become the last Passover, for all that the Passover prophetically anticipated will now find its completion, and so its everlasting newness, in him. Jesus came to his final Passover knowing that “his hour had come for him to depart out of this world to the Father.” But his departure from this world to his Father is not an anxious fleeing from this world—a “get me out of here!” Rather, it is a departure of love. For Jesus, it is his departing hour, the “hour” he first devotedly embraced in his baptism and the “hour” he inaugurated at the wedding feast of Cana when he benevolently responded to his mother’s request, she who is the icon of the beseeching church. It is the hour when Jesus, in loving obedience, will fulfill his Father’s saving work, the hour when he will love his own in the world, for, in loving them “to the end,” he will love them in his sacrificial death.3 Upon the cross Jesus will draw all those he loves in the world to himself so that they, in love, will depart with him from this world to his Father, who is the source of all love, the fount from which the Spirit of love proceeds. This present Passover will then be a feast of passing over in love, a passing over in a love for his Father and for the world, and so a passing over from sin and death into the holy newness of everlasting life. Why John places Jesus’ death on the same day as the Passover is now clearly perceived, for his saving death and subsequent resurrection enact the reality of all that the Passover prophetically signified. The feast of Passover is alone 3. Jesus will later declare: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).

20  The Book of Glory the hermeneutical key that opens to view the full theological significance of Jesus as the incarnate mystery of humankind’s salvation. Only on the day of Passover, and in its light, could humankind rightly behold Jesus fully becoming Jesus—YHWH-Saves—for that day itself manifests Jesus, the man, as the Father’s Messianic Son. Moreover, we perceive here, at the onset of the Book of Glory, the beginning of the fulfillment of all that was prophetically anticipated in the Book of Signs. For John, Jesus, in the saving hour of his Passover, will enact all that his miracles prophetically signified. He will become the source of the new and everlasting life, and so be able to baptize in the living waters of the Holy Spirit, wherein the faithful can be ushered into full communion with him in his risen Eucharistic presence. In his Passover, Jesus will enact, will come to be, all of his “I am” sayings—the bread of life, the good shepherd who gives entrance into the heavenly pastures, and the life-giving light of the world—all of which find their source and completion in Jesus, who in passing over from death to life becomes the resurrection and the life. As is exemplified here, and as will become more evident as we proceed, John’s Book of Glory is both a theological commentary upon and the achieving enactment of his Book of Signs—Jesus being both the theological interpreter and the accomplishing enactor.

I Have Given You an Example John has thus established the chronological setting: Jesus’ Passover hour. He has set forth what that Passover hour will entail theologically: Jesus’ departure from this world to his Father, having loved his own to the end. Now he begins to narrate what takes place at Jesus’ final Passover meal. And during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside his garments and girded himself with a towel.4

In this complex sentence, John makes four interrelated points. First, before the Passover supper, the devil had already put into Judas Iscariot’s heart the resolve to betray Jesus.5 We know that Jesus is going to depart from this 4. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are from Jn 13:2–20. 5. That John designates Judas to be the son of Simon may seem superfluous since the reader already knows who Judas is—the one who would betray Jesus (see Jn 6:71 and 12:4). John

The Washing of the Feet   21 world to his Father, but now John tells us how this will transpire—Judas, the devil-inspired traitor, will hand him over to his executioners. Intimated within this statement is the cross. Jesus will depart from this world by accepting the betrayal that will lead to his death on the cross, while loving his own to the end. Moreover, as I noted in the previous volume, John once again highlights Judas’s traitorous intent within a Eucharistic setting. The first instance of this was at the end of Jesus’ Eucharistic discourse. After Peter’s profession of faith that the disciples have nowhere else to go since he has the words of eternal life, and that they have come to believe that he is the Holy One of God, Jesus states, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” John informs us: “He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was to betray him” (Jn 6:67–71). Although Jesus chose the twelve, Judas is a devil, and he is so because he will be the betrayer. Similarly, after Mary anointed Jesus during the thanksgiving (Eucharistic) supper given for him subsequent to his raising Lazarus from the dead, “Judas Iscariot, one his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ ” (Jn 12:1–5).6 The devil is adamantly opposed to the Eucharist, and so he consistently tempts Judas, who is now in his power, within this “Eucharistic” event. And, as we will see shortly, Judas initiates his act of betrayal within the present and final Passover “Eucharist.” But why do the devil and Judas, who is in league with him, find the Eucharist so odious? The reason, I propose, is that it is within the Eucharistic presence of Jesus that his followers fully abide in him and so reap the benefits of his saving death and resurrection. Thus they will no longer abide in Satan’s sinful kingdom and so be under his deadly bondage. Without the heavenly Eucharistic life-giving body and blood of the crucified and risen Jesus, the cross and resurrection would not have their full beneficial saving effect. The Eucharist is the ultimate terminus to which the Paschal Mystery (Jesus’ passing over from death to life) points and in which it finds its ever-present saving enactment. The devil, with his fiendish friend Judas, wants Jesus to be may want to again ensure, however, that this “Judas” is not to be confused with the “Judas” who is “not Iscariot” (Jn 14:22). 6. This supper, as we saw, took place “six days” before the present Passover, so five days previous to the present Passover meal, according to John’s reckoning. For a fuller theological interpretation of this prophetic “Eucharistic” meal, see my Jesus Becoming Jesus, vol. 2, A Theological Interpretation of the Gospel of John (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2021), part I, chaps 1–12, pp. 397–403. (Hereafter abbreviated JBJ 2.)

22  The Book of Glory executed in order that the Eucharist would never come to be, and thus living in communion with Jesus would become impossible. By destroying Jesus, one destroys the Eucharist—that is the devil’s endgame. What the devil seems to be unaware of, and about which Judas has not a clue, is that Jesus’ very saving death will give rise to his life-giving resurrection and so will give birth to the Eucharist. In the end, Judas hangs himself, and Satan is hoisted on his own petard. As we will see, Judas never had any “part” of the Eucharistic-Jesus. Second, even though Judas is ready to enact his devilish plan, Jesus is aware that such a betrayal will not be his undoing. Rather, Jesus knows that his Father has “given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God.” Although others will enact Jesus’ forthcoming arrest, trial, and execution—some will condemn him, others will scourge him and crown him with thorns, and, lastly, others will nail him to the cross— such actions are not ordeals that Jesus will simply endure passively. Rather, his Father has given all of these tribulations into Jesus’ very own hands. Others may appear to be in control of his passion and death, but in fact Jesus is the enactor, for through his passion and death—the condemning, the scourging, the crowning, the nailing, and the dying—he is completing his Father’s saving work. These are the “things” Jesus knew that his Father had given “into his hands.” There is here a perichoretic interplay, a co-acting, between the executioners’ death-dealing acts and Jesus’ life-giving acts. The executionary acts are simultaneously the acts by which Jesus enacts his Father’s saving work. Moreover, Jesus knew that he “had come from God,” not only in the sense that he had been sent by his Father into the world as his Father’s incarnate Son, but also, in the primordial sense, that he was from the Father as the Father’s eternally only begotten Son (see Jn 1:14). Likewise, Jesus knew that upon completing “all things”—his Father’s hand-given saving work that he was sent into the world to enact—he would triumphantly go back to God his Father, the one from whom he was eternally begotten.7 Having informed the reader of Jesus’ inner knowledge as the hour of his betrayal was upon him, John describes what Jesus did. Third, Jesus rose from the supper table and “laid aside his garments and girded himself with a towel.” What is evident is that Jesus, who is the teacher, master, and lord, is assuming the role of a servant or a slave—the laying aside of his garments and the girding of himself with a towel. The act of servitude 7. Later, Jesus himself will declare: “I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (Jn 16:28).

The Washing of the Feet   23 that Jesus is about to perform is that of washing his disciples’ feet.8 Theologically important, this act symbolizes two deeper servant-acts, one that has already been accomplished and one that is yet to come. The first is the incarnational act itself. In becoming man, the Son of God “laid aside” the garment of his divinity, not in the sense that he ceased being God, but rather in the sense that the act of becoming man was the humbling act of “girding” himself with the weakness of human flesh (sarx), and so the “hiding” of, or the putting under wraps, his divine glory. This incarnational act is the first act of becoming a humble servant. The ultimate humble servant-act that Jesus will now shortly perform, the future act, is that of offering his life, the divesting of his human life, as a cleansing sacrifice whereby humankind will be washed clean of sin and purged of the death that clings to it.9 Thus, as we have seen within his baptism, Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, becomes the Father’s suffering servant. The Father, then, is well pleased with him, for Jesus will be his obedient and loving Servant-Son who enacts his Father’s saving work—even to death on the cross.10 Because he became the Father’s servant on behalf of humankind, the Father will once more gird him in his divine glory by raising him from the dead.11 As the newly attired risen Savior and Lord, Jesus will then 8. The custom of washing the feet of visitors who have come to one’s home was normally performed by the servant of the master of the household (see 1 Sm 25:41). In John’s Gospel, Mary, the sister of Martha, anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair (see Jn 12:1–3). Such an act was an expression of humble love on Mary’s part. In Luke’s Gospel, when Simon the Pharisee was scandalized that Jesus allowed a sinful woman to anoint his feet, Jesus rebuked him, saying, “I entered your house, you gave no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment” (Lk 7:44–46). 9. Unlike the rulers of the Gentiles, who lord it over their subjects, Jesus has come into the world “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Thus Jesus tells his disciples that “whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave” (Mt 20:25–28; see also Mk 10:42–45). These sayings in Matthew and Mark both express the servant humility of Jesus in becoming man, a humility that will reach its fullness in his ransoming death. Jesus will elaborate on these points more fully at the conclusion of his washing the disciples’ feet. He has given them an example that they are now to follow. 10. For a fuller theological interpretation of Jesus’ baptism, see my Jesus Becoming Jesus: A Theological Interpretation of the Synoptic Gospels (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2018), 81–101 (hereafter abbreviated JBJ 1), and JBJ 2:50–66. 11. Theologically significant is what John here describes compared to what Jesus himself articulated earlier when referring to the laying down of his life and the taking up of it again— the Greek verbs employed are the same in both. Jn 13:4 tells us that Jesus “rose from supper, laid aside (tithesin) his garments,” and Jn 13:12 reads, “When he had washed their feet, and taken

24  The Book of Glory wash his followers in the life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit, wherein they will lay aside the garment of their sinful humanity and be born, clothed anew in Jesus’ own risen humanity, and so enter into the eternal life of his Father’s kingdom.12 Fourth and lastly, Jesus is prophetically enacting his becoming the new Passover, of which he will become the new high priest. Having passed over from his divine glory into his incarnational servitude, Jesus will now pass over, having cleansed humankind of sin and the stain of death through the priestly sacrifice of himself, into the glory of his new risen humanity. This is Jesus’ “coming from God” and his “going to God.” Those who come to faith in Jesus, the new Passover, will then participate in the Passover that he is—passing from sin and death into his new risen life of Spirit-transformed fellowship with his Father.

up (elaben) his garments.” In Jn 10:17–18, Jesus says, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down (tithemi) my life, that I may take it up (labo) again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down (tithemi) of my own accord. I have power to lay it down (theinai), and I have power to take it up (labein); this charge I have received from my Father.” Thus Jesus’ act of divesting himself of his garments, the washing of his disciples’ feet, and the reclothing of himself are prophetic signs of his laying down his human life for the salvation, the cleansing of his disciples, the consequence of which is the raising up of himself—the reclothing of himself with his risen humanity. 12. My theological interpretation contains obvious similarities to the Pauline hymn in the Letter to the Philippians 2:5–11. There, Paul exhorts the Philippians to have the mind of Christ Jesus, that is, to be loving and obedient servants. Jesus’ act of servitude parallels my reading of John. Though Jesus had the form of God, he emptied himself of his divinity in the act of becoming man, taking on the form of a servant. The incarnating act is the first act of becoming a servant. Moreover, in being born in the likeness of man, Jesus humbled himself and became obedient even unto death, death on a cross. This salvific act is the second expression of Jesus’ humble servitude. Because Jesus is the obedient suffering servant, God his Father highly exalted him and made his name greater than any other name. Thus every knee should bend, and every tongue should proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. In this risen exultation, the Father once more clothes Jesus with his eternal divine glory. For a fuller examination of the Philippian hymn, see my “Jesus Becoming Jesus: The Primacy of Christ in Paul’s Three Hymns,” in The Church and Her Scriptures: Essays in Honor of Patrick J. Hartin, edited by Catherine Brown Tkacz and Douglas Kries, 225–48 (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2022). In making this parallel, I do not want to imply that John’s Gospel and the Philippian hymn are somehow historically linked—one directly influencing the other. I do believe, however, that they both express a common early kerygmatic tradition wherein the Incarnation and Jesus’ subsequent death and resurrection are perceived as the Son of God humbling himself in becoming man and dying on humankind’s behalf, and so being the Suffering-Servant-Son. This servitude is then the causal act whereby the Father exults Jesus by raising him gloriously from the dead.

The Washing of the Feet   25

Baptism Now, having laid aside his garments and having girded himself with a towel, Jesus “poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.” Although Jesus and his disciples are engaged in a Passover meal, here in John’s Gospel we find baptismal imagery rather than, as in the Synoptics, the institution of the Eucharist. This gives rise to a twofold question. Why does the Evangelist not narrate Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist—the changing of the bread and wine into his body and blood? And why instead does he place the washing of the disciples’ feet at the onset of Jesus’ final Passover meal, which alludes to baptism? I propose that John is not simply demonstrating, by way of Jesus’ example, that the Eucharist must express itself in humble service toward others, but that he also wishes to conjoin, as he did at the miracle-sign at Cana, the sequential nature of baptism and the Eucharist—baptism ushers one into the Eucharistic Passover banquet. In its entirety, Passover symbolically initiates one’s baptismal passing over from death to life so as to then enter into full communion with Jesus in the Eucharist.13 Thus the water that Jesus pours into a basin is the water of purification, as was the water used at Cana, and with this “baptismal” water he now washes his disciples’ feet and wipes them “with the towel with which he was girded.” That Jesus wipes the disciples’ feet with the towel with which he was girded is theologically significant. This towel, as I proposed above, signifies the flesh (sarx) with which Jesus was girded in becoming man. As the new high priest of the new Passover, he will offer himself as the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice. Moreover, in that humanity he will also put to death Adam’s sinful nature, his own sin-scarred flesh. In his resurrection, Jesus will clothe himself anew with his risen humanity. These saving actions are Jesus’ baptismal Pass13. While I will discuss the historicity of John’s “Last Supper” narrative at the end of my theological exegeses, I want to note here that I think John is offering his own theological interpretation of Jesus’ final Passover meal. He is surely aware of the historical event of Jesus instituting the Eucharist, since he was himself present, as well as knowing the one kerygmatic oral tradition that finds its threefold expression within the Synoptic Gospels. Thus John knew well that Jesus instituted the Eucharist during the course of that event. John is presently offering a deeper and broader doctrinal understanding of that Passover event. Having presented Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist in chapter 6, the Evangelist now portrays Jesus, through his words and actions, doctrinally conjoining the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. We will see later, when examining Jesus’ high priestly prayer, that the Eucharistic nature of Jesus’ Last Supper is made evident within the Johannine account.

26  The Book of Glory over—his dying and rising.14 Through the washing of his disciples’ feet with the Spirit-filled purifying waters of baptism, and his wiping them with the towel of his dead-and-risen humanity, Jesus is not only prophetically enacting symbolically his own sacerdotal death and resurrection, but also, as the risen priestly baptizer in the Holy Spirit, he is prophetically enacting symbolically the baptismal death and resurrection of those who believe in him—the clothing of the baptized in his risen humanity. The sacrament of baptism is the baptismal Passover of those who believe in Jesus as the Father’s Son—he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit (see Jn 1:32–34). In baptism, one is then conjoined to, and so participates in, Jesus’ own baptism—his passing over from death to newness of life.15

Priesthood When it becomes Simon Peter’s turn for Jesus to wash his feet, he protests: “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Being Peter’s Lord, it would be unbecoming for Jesus to wash his feet. Peter is attempting to express Jesus’ superior “divine” dignity, and so his own unfitness that such an act should be performed upon him by someone who is much greater than himself. Jesus responds, “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand.” As Peter did not fully understand his own profession of faith that Jesus, as the Christ, the Son of the living God, must suffer, die, and rise, so now he does not grasp that Jesus’ washing of his feet is a symbolic gesture expressing that very truth. Jesus is the living Father’s anointed Suffering-Servant Son who will lay down his life for humankind’s salvation. Nor does Peter perceive that Jesus, as the new high priest, wishes prophetically to enact that baptismal Passover upon 14. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus declares, “I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!” (Lk 12:50). In Mark, when asked by James and John to sit at his right and left in glory, Jesus responds, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” Responding in the affirmative, Jesus states, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized” (Mk 10:38–39). Jesus’ baptism is his own death and resurrection. James and John will also actually die and rise, but only after they have been baptized by Jesus into his own death and resurrection. Jesus is presently portraying his own baptism as well as his subsequent baptizing of his disciples, the conjoining of his death and resurrection with that of the disciples’ death and resurrection in him. 15. The Evangelist’s portrayal of the interconnectedness between Jesus’ baptism and that of the disciples is theologically articulated by Paul. Paul sees baptism as the sacramental enactment of dying and rising in and with Christ (see Rom 6:3–11). Paul also declares, “For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on [have been clothed in] Christ” (Gal 3:27).

The Washing of the Feet   27 him. He, too, needs to die and rise in him so as to enter into the new life of the Holy Spirit. Peter, in his ignorant stubbornness, thus declares, “You will never wash my feet.” Peter stands firmly on the earthly principle that the master is greater than the servant, and Peter is that humble servant. Jesus seems almost to accede to Peter’s refusal; nonetheless, he apprises him of the repercussions of such a rebuff. “If I do not wash you, you have no part of me.” If one is not washed by Jesus, the risen priestly baptizer in the Holy Spirit, one will not have died and risen with him, and so will have no share in his risen life, and therefore one will have no part in his priestly saving ministry. Peter, never known for moderation, immediately demands, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”—the more of him that Jesus washes, the better. Jesus responds to Peter’s adamant request that he wash him from head to toe by stating, “ ‘He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over; and you are clean, but not all of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, ‘You are not all clean.’ ”16 That Peter is already clean and therefore only needs to have his feet washed creates an exegetical problem. I have been arguing that Jesus’ washing of his disciples’ feet is a symbolic prophetic priestly enactment of baptism—the cleansing of sin and the re-creation into the new life of the Holy Spirit. But now here with Peter, the washing appears to symbolize some lesser cleansing than that of baptism, since Jesus declares that Peter is already clean. In this case, the washing of the disciples’ feet is more a spiritual tidying up, rather than a passing over from sin and death and into a holy Spirit-filled life.17 How, then, are we to 16. Jesus’ use of the term “bathed” (leloumenos) will also be employed by Paul as a reference to baptism. “But you were washed (apelousasthe), you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11). Jesus cleanses his church “by washing (loutero) of water with the word” (Eph 5:26). We were not saved by our own righteousness but by Jesus’ mercy, “by the washing (loutrou) of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit” (Ti 3:5). Moreover, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews says that we can draw near to God with the assurance of faith because “our bodies [were] washed (lelousmenoi) with pure water” (Heb 10:22). Thus these references to a baptismal bathing support the present interpretation that the washing/bathing of the disciples’ feet is a symbolic depiction of baptism. 17. Because of this anomaly, one might interpret this “tidying up” cleansing of Peter as a reference to the sacrament of reconciliation—the forgiveness and cleansing of sins committed after baptism. But such an understanding would not be in keeping with the whole sacramental emphasis within John’s Gospel—that of baptism and the Eucharist (though see 1 Jn 1:9 for the post-baptismal forgiveness of sin). Moreover, it would be somewhat anachronistic. The sacramental forgiveness of sin, while finding its institution within Jesus’ salvific work, developed doctrinally only within the church’s later pastoral ministry. Later in John’s Gospel, in the context of Jesus being the vine and the Apostles being the branches, Jesus declares: “You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you”

28  The Book of Glory interpret theologically this Johannine narrative of Jesus’ washing of his disciples’ feet? I would propose that Jesus, within John’s narrative, has conflated, conjoined fluidly, the imagery of baptism with priestly imagery. In washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus, as indicated above, is prophetically enacting symbolically his own priestly ministry. As the new high priest, Jesus will offer himself as the holy Lamb of God, and thus he will pass over from death to life, that priestly ministry he is presently prophetically enacting in the washing of his disciples’ feet. He will baptize them in the Holy Spirit, and so they, too, will pass over from sin and death into the newness of life—that is, they will come to abide in him as their risen Savior and Lord. Moreover, with the washing of the feet of Peter, who is the head of the Apostles, the imagery evolves or progresses into Jesus prophetically commissioning Peter and the other Apostles to be sharers in his priestly ministry. In this way, the foot-washing accrues additional theological meaning. Having been baptized into him, the Apostles now participate in and possess a “part” of Jesus’ own saving priestly office.18 (Jn 15:3). By coming to faith in Jesus through belief in his word, one comes (through baptism) to abide in him as a branch is one with the vine, and so by sharing his Spirit-filled life, one is able to bear much fruit (see Jn 15:4–5). 18. Such an interpretation may find some warrant within Moses’s actions in commissioning Aaron and his sons as Israel’s first priests. God instructed Moses that, having erected the tabernacle with all of its accessories, you “shall [then] bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting, and shall wash them with water, and put upon Aaron the holy garments, and you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest” (Ex 40:12–13; see also Lv 8:5–6). Earlier, God had similarly told Moses that he should make a laver in which “Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, . . . they shall wash with water, lest they die. They shall wash their hands and their feet lest they die: it shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations” (Ex 30:17–21). Moses did as God had directed. Moses “set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet; when they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses. . . . So Moses finished the work” (Ex 40:30–33). Traditionally, it is theologically understood that Jesus ordained his Apostles to the priesthood at the Last Supper when he commissioned them to do what he did in remembrance of him. (For a theological understanding of the priesthood as found in the Synoptic accounts of the Last Supper, see my JBJ 1:306–13.) This event may be the foundational occasion whereby the Apostles came to share in Jesus’ priesthood. Yet it strikes me that Jesus could not have authentically “ordained” them to the priesthood until he himself enacted his own priesthood, that is, through his priestly sacrificial death and resurrection. Thus while the prophetic anticipatory “ordaining” action took place at the Last Supper, the actual ordaining event took place at Pentecost when Jesus poured out his Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, and in so doing founded his church. Within the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostles only preach the Gospel, baptize and

The Washing of the Feet   29 John continues: “When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his place.” We have perceived that the divesting of Jesus was the “removal” of his divine glory and that his girding of himself with a towel was both his incarnational act of becoming a servant as well as the offering of himself, as the suffering servant, as a cleansing sacrifice. Here we find that Jesus putting his garments back on and reassuming his place at table is the prophetic accomplishment of his saving work and the prophetic donning of his resurrected humanity. Thus Jesus once more manifests his eternal divine glory—his now prophetically presiding over the heavenly Passover banquet. The entire enactment of the Passover therefore embodies John’s statement concerning what Jesus already knew—that he “had come from God and was going to God.” Moreover, although it is not narrated in John’s Gospel, Jesus, in resuming his place at table, is now able to preside over the remaining liturgical Eucharistic enactment of the Passover meal. Within that liturgical setting, Jesus gives to his Apostles his risen body, which will be given up for them and his risen blood that will be poured out for them. In this light, how does what Jesus enacted within John’s Gospel relate to the Synoptic Eucharistic narratives? I would suggest that this can be perceived within Jesus’ own following interpretation.

Eucharist Having finished the washing of his disciples’ feet and having put on his garments and resuming his place at the table, Jesus says:

“break bread” after Pentecost, for only then were they empowered to exercise their ecclesial priesthood (see Acts 2:37–42). This Pentecostal outpouring would then entail the “ordaining” of the Apostles whereby they are empowered, in the Spirit, to baptize and preside over the Eucharistic ecclesial assembly. Interestingly, in John’s Gospel, this Pentecostal outpouring is enacted on the evening of Jesus’ resurrection. Having bestowed his peace upon them, Jesus declares: “ ‘As the Father has sent me, even I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’ ” (Jn 20:21–23). Within his breathing forth of the Holy Spirit, Jesus bestows upon his disciples their priestly authority and power to forgive or retain sin. With all of the above in mind, I would conclude that, through baptism, Jesus’ present disciples, and all subsequent baptized believers, come to share in his priestly ministry. Only with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost, however, were they “ordained” priests and so share in Jesus’ priestly ministry in a fuller manner. The Apostles would then subsequently ordain others as “priests.”

30  The Book of Glory Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater that he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.19

His disciples rightly call Jesus Teacher and Lord, for that is who he truly is. Yet if he, as Teacher and Lord, washes their feet, how much more should they not wash the feet of one another. In a misguided manner, Peter was correct—a servant is not greater than his master. If the master becomes the servant (Jesus, their Teacher and Lord), however, then those who are the servants of the master (his disciples), and so are to follow their master’s example, ought to serve in the same manner as their greater master. Moreover, the one who sends is greater than the one sent (apostolos—which means “sent one”).20 The Father, in sending his incarnate Son, is greater than Jesus. Thus Jesus is the sent servant of the Father, and as such he is always obedient to his Father and does what his Father wishes him to do. Likewise, Jesus, as their master, will send his Apostles (the sent ones) as his sent servants, and thus they too are to follow his own example and do what he does.21 What must now be accentuated here are the Master’s words: “you [the sent ones] also should do as I have done to you.” Likewise, “if you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” This charge is what conjoins the Evangelist’s account of “the Last Supper” with that of the Synoptic accounts, principally the Lukan narrative. Luke states, “And he [Jesus] took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them [his Apostles], saying, ‘This is my body, which is given up for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after the supper, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’ ” (Lk 22:19–20).22 Jesus’ Lukan com19. In Luke, in response to his disciples disputing among themselves over who was the greatest, Jesus responds, “For which is the greater, one who sits at table, or who serves? Is it not the one who sits at table? But I am among you as one who serves” (Lk 22:24–27). What Jesus declares in Luke he literally enacts in John. 20. This is the only occasion in his Gospel where the Evangelist employs the term apostolos. 21. We saw earlier that Jesus sent the man born blind to the pool of Siloam, which means “sent,” to wash off the clay with which Jesus anointed his eyes. Thus the Father’s Sent-Son sent the blind man to Sent, whereupon the now-seeing man begins to bear witness to Jesus, ultimately coming to believe that Jesus is his divine Lord (see Jn 9:6–38). The now-seeing blind man becomes, then, a prophetic forerunner of the Apostles, those whom Jesus will send to bear witness to him (see JBJ 2:314–37). 22. Paul’s rendering of Jesus’ words of institution are even more emphatic: “For I received

The Washing of the Feet   31 mand to enact, in remembrance of him, his liturgical Eucharistic action parallels, echoes, his Johannine mandate to do what he has done. Jesus qualifies his second rendering with a conditional clause: “if you know these things.” If the Apostles fully grasp what Jesus has done, those “things” that his Father has given into his hands, they will be blessed, for he has handed to them all of those “things.” The “things” that the Apostles must know is not simply that they are to imitate his being a humble servant, but more so what this humble service rightly entails—that, in being Jesus’ sent co-servant-priests, they are to enact sacramentally his priestly ministry of baptizing in the cleansing life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit, as well as enact sacramentally his priestly Eucharist. Only in doing both will they, as does Jesus himself, enact the entire meaning of the Passover meal that they are now sharing. The true Passover, as witnessed in Jesus’ salvific death and resurrection, embodies simultaneously both his own baptism, his dying and rising to new life, and his own Eucharist, his priestly offering of his own body and blood, the body and blood that the risen Jesus offers to those who believe in him and are baptized. As mentioned at the onset of this examination, the miracle sign of Cana finds its completion in the Johannine depiction of Jesus’ last Passover supper. Having been baptized in the abundant life-giving water of the Holy Spirit, the faithful are ushered into the abundance of Eucharistic life that is the risen Jesus himself. Having come to abide in Jesus through baptism, the faithful come to abide more fully in him in the Eucharist. Jesus enacts both as the new high priest who offers himself as the one saving sacrifice unto eternal life. The Apostles are to remember and do what the whole of the Passover embodies, all of “these things,” for they now share in Jesus’ priestly ministry. Through administering the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, the Apostles will enact their priestly sacramental acts and so become humankind’s humble servants in the priestly likeness of Jesus himself—their Teacher and Lord. This dual sacramentality of baptism and the Eucharist within the present Passover meal finds its fulfilled enactment, for John, in Jesus’ crucifixion. Upon the cross, Jesus offers himself to his Father as the sacrificial Lamb of God, and from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night before he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, and he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me’ ” (1 Cor 11:23–25). Note that Paul accentuates that what he is conveying is “from the Lord” and not simply from others.

32  The Book of Glory the salvific benefits of this sacrifice are simultaneously the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. “But one of the soldiers pierced his [Jesus’] side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” John himself “who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that what he tells is the truth—that you may believe” (Jn 19:34–35). It was upon witnessing the blood and water coming forth from the side of Jesus that, I think, John came to “know these things”—that is, the full meaning of what Jesus had prophetically enacted at his last Passover meal, the prefigurement of baptism and the Eucharist.23 Thus what John has accomplished, within his narrative of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, and which the Synoptic Last Supper accounts do not fully display, is to integrate the causal actions of three interconnected “sacraments”—that of baptism, the Eucharist, and the priesthood. The servant Jesus, as the high priest, will, in his Passover-cross and in his Passover-resurrection, institute both baptism and the Eucharist. In so doing, his servant-sent Apostles, who share in his priesthood, will sacramentally enact baptism and the Eucharist within the church, to which Jesus is united as Savior, Teacher, and Lord. This is the disciples’ humble priestly service that they will perform in memory of what Jesus has himself done—the washing of humankind’s sinful feet through sacramental instrumentality of baptism and the Eucharist, and in that humble pastoral priestly service they will be blessed.24 23. In his First Letter, John declares that whoever “is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.” The one who overcomes the world is “he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with water only but with water and blood. And the Spirit is the witness because the Spirit is the truth. There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and blood; and these three agree” (1 Jn 5:4–8). To believe that Jesus is the Son of God is to be born of God. The reason for this belief resides in the fact that Jesus came in water and blood, that is, from his crucified side came forth the Spirit-filled waters of baptism wherein one is born of God, as well as the Eucharistic blood wherein one comes to abide in him who has risen. The Spirit corroborates both, for the life-giving Spirit resides in both, and all three together come forth from he who is the Spirit-anointed Messiah, thus bearing witness together as one that Jesus is the Father’s incarnate Son. 24. John’s narrative does not explicitly make the later Catholic theological and doctrinal distinction between “the priesthood of the faithful” and “the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood” (see Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, n. 10). John may not have even been aware of such a difference—though Jesus would have. Nonetheless, one might see within the Johannine narrative a hint of such a distinction. Jesus initially washes the feet of his disciples, thus illustrating the cleansing Spirit-filled waters of baptism. In so doing, all the faithful share in Jesus’ priestly ministry—they are to do what he has done. With the washing of the feet of Pete, who as the chief of the Apostles represents the singular apostolic ministry, the symbolism moves from that of baptism to that of priesthood—a priesthood that is then tethered to the Eucharist. Thus while all of the baptized share in, have a part of, Jesus’

The Washing of the Feet   33

Judas, the Apostles, and the Eucharist Moreover, what is intriguing is that while Matthew and Mark have Jesus speaking of Judas’s betrayal immediately prior to his instituting the Eucharist (see Mt 26:20–25 and Mk 14:17–21), Luke speaks of Judas’s betrayal immediately prior to the Passover meal, and he also has Jesus speak of it immediately after his words of institution (see Lk 22:3–6 and 22:21–23). Once again, John more closely follows the Lukan pattern. First, when washing Peter’s feet, he tells Peter that because he is clean, only his feet need to be washed. Then he adds: “not all of you.” As we saw earlier, John inserts “For he [Jesus] knew who was to betray him; that was why he said ‘You are not all clean.’ ” Moreover, after directing his Apostles to do what he has just done, Jesus states: I am not speaking of you all; I know whom I have chosen, it is that scripture may be fulfilled, “He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.” I tell you this now, before it does take place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives anyone whom I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me.

Mention of Judas’s betrayal, then, bookends Jesus’ priestly baptismal and Eucharistic actions. During this Passover enactment, Jesus is not speaking to Judas. The reason is that, as noted several times previously, Judas despises Jesus’ Eucharistic teaching—he does not believe, as do Peter and the other disciples, that Jesus, as the Holy One of God, has the words of eternal life, that he is the bread of life (see Jn 6:68–71). While Jesus chose Judas, he was chosen in order to fulfill Scripture.25 Jesus quotes Psalm 41, which speaks of his enemies plotting against him: “My enemies say of me in malice: ‘When will he die, and priesthood, the Apostles share in, have a part of, Jesus’ priesthood in a unique manner. They are so conformed into Jesus’ priestly image, and so share in his priesthood, such that they are able to enact, to make present sacramentally, the Eucharist in remembrance of Jesus. Thus all generations will be able to participate in his one saving sacrifice and share in his life-giving risen body and blood. For a theological exposition of the Catholic understanding of the priesthood, particularly in relation to the Eucharist, see my “In Persona Christi: The Catholic Understanding of the Ordained Priesthood in Relation to the Eucharist,” in Sacraments and Christian Unity: Come, Let Us Eat Together, edited by G. Kalantzis and M. Cortez (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018), 48–65. Peter sees Christ as the living stone of the new temple of which Christians, as living stones, form a part. The whole temple is built into a spiritual house wherein the faithful possess a “holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pt 2:4–5; see also 2:6–10). 25. That Judas’s betrayal is in fulfillment of the Scriptures, see also Mt 26:24, Mk 14:21, and Lk 22:22. Although Judas fulfills the Scriptures, he does so of his own free will.

34  The Book of Glory his name perish?’ . . . All who hate me whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me.” Then comes the verse that Jesus quotes: “Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted his heel against me” (Ps 41:5–9). Judas is one of the twelve who ate with Jesus, but he will not eat the bread of life that Jesus is, for he lacks faith.26 Rather, he will connive with Jesus’ enemies so as to put him to death. What is becoming clearer is that, for John, Judas is the antithesis of the other eleven disciples, and in so being, Judas brings into relief the authentic nature of their apostolicity—Judas’s darkness of disbelief is counterpoised to the disciples’ light of faith. In all the Gospels this contrast is manifested within the Eucharistic setting of Jesus’ Last Supper. John, however, even more so than Luke, highlights the doctrinal difference between Judas and the other disciples. They, as servants, will share in his priestly ministry; Judas will not.27 Jesus tells his disciples of this betrayal so that when it takes place they will come to believe “that I am he (ego eimi).”28 That Jesus is cognizant of, and therefore governs, all events, even his betrayal, testifies that Jesus, as the Father’s Son, is He Who Is.29 Nothing is outside of Jesus’ providential guidance, and this will become apparent when the darkness of the cross will herald the dawn of his resurrection. In that light, his disciples will know that he truly is “I Am”—the divine author of life-giving light. Jesus also contrasts Judas with the other Apostles when he declares, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives anyone whom I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me.”30 To be an authentic Apostle (which, again, means “one who is sent”) is to be sent by Jesus, and thus to re26. Immediately following upon the verse that Jesus quotes, the Psalmist prays: “But to you, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may requite them [those who plot his death]! By this I know that you are pleased with me, in that my enemy has not triumphed over me” (Ps 41:10–11). The Father is pleased with Jesus, for he accomplishes his Father’s saving work, and therefore his Father will graciously raise him into glory. In so doing, Jesus will requite his enemies who have not triumphed over him. 27. In the next section, John will narrate more concerning Jesus, the Apostles, and Judas. 28. Later, Jesus once again tells of his going to his Father and does so “before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you will believe” (Jn 14:29). 29. Earlier, Jesus intimated that his is “I Am” when he told his Apostles that they rightly call him Teacher and Lord, “for so I am.” As the Father’s Incarnate Word, Jesus is their divine Teacher and Lord. 30. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus declares the same: “He who receives you [the Apostles] receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me” (Mt 10:40). In Luke, Jesus makes the same point, but now with a negative twist. “He who hears you [the Apostles] hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Lk 10:16).

The Washing of the Feet   35 ceive an Apostle is to receive Jesus himself, for an Apostle mediates, through his priestly sacramental ministry, the saving work of Jesus himself. In baptism the receiver is incorporated into Jesus, and in the Eucharist the receiver comes to abide in living communion with Jesus. Moreover, to abide in the risen Jesus, the Father’s Son, through baptism and the Eucharist, is to receive the Father who sent his Son and so abide in the Father as his Spirit-born children. In contrast, Judas is not sent, and therefore he is not an Apostle. Rather, as we will shortly see, Jesus will “send” him to do the devil’s work. Judas abides in the darkness of unbelief, the realm of sin and death—he has loved darkness rather than light, because the deed he does is evil. He will do his dark deed at night, lest his deed be exposed (see Jn 3:19–20). More will be said of Judas in the following section.

Jesus Becoming Jesus Before moving to the next scene within chapter 13, I want to make two final points, the first of which will not surprise my readers. Within the washing of his disciples’ feet, Jesus is becoming Jesus (YHWH-Saves). He is prophetically enacting the entire meaning of the Passover that he will himself become. He, the Father’s incarnate Son, will become the final and everlasting high priest, for he will offer himself as the perfect once for all sacrifice—the very Lamb of his Father. In this supreme sacrificial act, Jesus will definitively become the Savior who takes away the sins of the world. Moreover, this priestly act, in the eyes of his Father, will merit his reaping the benefits of his own sacrifice, that is, his Father raising him gloriously from the dead, and so establishing him as the born anew Spirit-filled Lord of all. Thus Jesus will have passed over from death to life. Lastly, from Jesus’ crucified and risen side will then flow the living waters of baptism and the life-giving blood that is the Eucharist. The effect of Jesus becoming Jesus, as prophetically enacted within his washing of his disciples’ feet, resides also in his disciples, particularly in the eleven sent Apostles. They too will come to share in his priestly ministry; they will now have a “part” of him because they will be conformed into his priestly likeness. Through his priestly Apostles, Jesus will baptize in the Holy Spirit and reenact his once-and-for-all saving Passover sacrifice wherein the faithful will come into communion with their risen Savior and Lord, the living bread that has come down from heaven. The church, then, is the everliving apostolic community in which Jesus ever abides, and within that church

36  The Book of Glory Jesus ever enacts his priestly ministry, the saving acts of the sacraments—the sacraments that make present Jesus’ salvific work. Thus, within the church, Jesus is ever enacting his name—YHWH-Saves.

Historicity Having theologically interpreted Jesus’ washing of his disciples’ feet, the historicity of the Johannine narrative must be faced, especially, as noted from the start, if it differs widely from that found in the Synoptics. I believe that Jesus did wash the feet of his disciples at his final Passover meal. John provides too many details, ones that only an eyewitness would remember. For example, Jesus’ stripping off of his garments, his wiping of the disciples’ feet with the towel, and his dialogue with Peter. Furthermore, he makes his own interpretative asides, for example, that the devil had already convinced Judas to betray Jesus and that Jesus knew who his betrayer was. Nonetheless, John skillfully composed the enactment of the foot-washing so as to provide his own inspired theological interpretation of it, as well as allowing Jesus himself, in concurrence with John’s own interpretation, to interpret theologically his own actions. As we frequently perceived in volume 1, on his Gospel, John, as the beloved disciple, weaves together Jesus and himself such that John as the composing writer and Jesus as the enacting actor together reveal the authentic deeper meaning of what Jesus is revealing through his actions and interpretive words. Within John’s Gospel, as witnessed presently in the washing of the feet, there is a symbiotic relationship, a perichoretic bosom-oneness—that is, a loving intertwining oneness—between Jesus and John. So, yes, John’s account of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet is historical, and the revelation contained within that historical account is true, though at points, for theological purposes, it may not always be narrated as it historically occurred. We may not have, in every word and action, the exact historical rendering, but what we do possess is the actual true meaning of what historically occurred as it is presently “historically” narrated in John’s account.31 31. We will see that this same issue of historicity arises with regard to Jesus’ farewell address and his high priestly prayer. Thus I will treat this issue again at the completion of theologically examining chapter 17 of John’s Gospel. I will also attempt to demonstrate how Jesus’ farewell address and high priestly prayer are to be interpreted within the entire Passover context found in chapters 13–17. Within this interpretation, it will become evident that John’s account of Jesus’ Last Supper is very much Eucharistic in nature. Lastly, as noted in the introduction, chapters 13–17 are composed of distinct segments, and yet for one whole.

The Washing of the Feet   37 Moreover, if my theological interpretation of the Johannine account of the foot-washing is correct, we have seen that John weaves together the Synoptic Eucharistic narratives with his own narrative of Jesus being the high priest who prophetically prefigures his instituting of the sacraments of the baptism and the Eucharist within his death and resurrection. John has, then, subsumed within his narrative the fuller meaning of what is anticipated in the Passover, and in so doing, he not only provides his own unique theological presentation of the priesthood and the sacraments, but he also provides a lens through which the Synoptic accounts of the Last Supper can be more fully appreciated theologically. This interweaving is in keeping with one of my principal theses—that John is writing his own theological interpretation of the one Gospel kerygmatic tradition that finds its threefold written expression within the Synoptics.

It Was Night What John narrates next is somewhat surprising: “When Jesus had thus spoken, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ ”32 Why would Jesus be “troubled in spirit” if he already knew that “the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God” (Jn 13:3)? It appears that Judas’s reclining traitorous table presence conjures up within Jesus the haunting specter of the cross—his impending hour of darkness.33 Although the Evangelist has 32. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section will be taken from Jn 13:21– 30. For the Synoptic accounts of what transpires concerning Jesus and Judas, his betrayer, during the course of the Last Supper, see Mt 26:20–25, Mk 14:17–21, and Lk 22:21–23. 33. As recent as the preceding chapter, Jesus declared, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify thy name” (Jn 12:27–28). Interestingly, Jesus is troubled here immediately after informing his disciples that his hour of glory has arrived. He then tells them that a grain of wheat must die if it is to bear much fruit. Moreover, one must lose one’s life if one is to gain eternal life. He concludes with the theme that he will enact shortly in the Passover supper. “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (Jn 12:23–26). John’s portrayal of Jesus’ “conflicted” mind, his agitated reticence to take up his cross as the hour of his death approaches, and his steadfast desire to do his Father’s will is in keeping with the Synoptic portrayals of his agony in the garden of Gethsemane. And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even unto death; remain here and watch with me.” . . . [Jesus prayed:] My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. (Mt 26:37–39; see also Mk 14:33–36 .and Lk 22:40–42)

38  The Book of Glory noted that the devil had put into Judas’s heart the resolve to betray Jesus, and while Jesus himself has said that one who ate with him and who has raised his heel against him, Jesus had yet to speak candidly of the issue. Now he does. It is one “of you,” the twelve. The surprised “disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.” In hindsight, the Evangelist has been informing the reader all along who it is, but the disciples at the time do not seem to have a clue that one of their very own would betray their Master and Lord. The deceptive Judas, like the devil, hid well his duplicity. In the midst of their ignorance, John states, “One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus; so Simon Peter beckoned to him and said, ‘Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.’ So lying thus, close to the breast of Jesus, he said to him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ ”34 Peter, as the head of the apostolic brotherhood, takes the disconcerting situation in hand, yet he looks to the beloved disciple, who lies close to Jesus’ breast, to obtain the unknown answer, for surely Jesus’ intimate beloved disciple would know of whom he speaks.35 John, however, does not know either, so he inquires of the Lord. Jesus responds, “It is he whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it.” Jesus does not simply declare for all to hear, “It is Judas.” He wanted to keep his betrayer’s identity hidden. It would appear that only the beloved disciple would come to know, for only he is aware of the sign, the dipped-given-morsel, that Jesus would have whispered in his ear—he who lay closely to Jesus’ breast. But why such circumspect reluctance on the part of Jesus, when he himself let it be known to all that one of the twelve would betray him? I suspect 34. This is the first time the designation “beloved disciple” is employed in John’s Gospel. See also Jn 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, and 21:20. Tradition has almost unanimously recognized the “beloved disciple” to be John himself. As we will see, this interplay between Peter, as the head of the Apostles, and John, as the beloved disciple, will continue to the end of the Gospel. 35. That twice the beloved disciple is said to be “close to the breast of Jesus” is theologically important within the context of John’s Gospel. Such a descriptive phrase is not simply a physical positioning. This physical proximity to Jesus denotes the intimate union between Jesus and John—they are bosom friends. Their relationship replicates the relationship between Jesus, the Father’s Son, and his Father. “No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known” (Jn 1:18). As Jesus, the Son, makes his Father known, for only he abides within the Father, so John now, through his Gospel, reveals Jesus as the Father’s Son, for he, as the beloved disciple, resides closest to Jesus’ heart—he wrote his Gospel “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (Jn 20:31). In revealing that Jesus is the anointed Son of God, John’s Gospel equally reveals the anointing Father. This bosom-oneness, then, supports my contention, as noted above and in the previous volume, that within John’s Gospel there is often a perichoretic theological interplay between Jesus and John, and together as one, the fullness of revelation is made manifest to the reader.

The Washing of the Feet   39 that Jesus knew that if he declared to all who the betrayer was, Peter would have become violently angry, and with him the others, and so Judas’s plot would have been foiled, and therefore the Scriptures would not have been fulfilled (see Mt 26:51–54 and Mk 14:47–49).36 Moreover, only after Judas’s betrayal takes place will the disciples come to know what Jesus foretold and so come to faith in Jesus. “I tell you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he” (Jn 13:19). Only in the later revealed identity of the now-hidden traitor will the now-hidden identity of Jesus be fully revealed—that Jesus is He Who Is, YHWH-Saves. John in his Gospel has been “fixated” on Judas and his devilish betrayal since the end of chapter 6, and here the reader finds the ultimate reason. While Judas is the betrayer, he is also the catalyst for the undoing of Satan, for through, and because of, his betrayal, Jesus will enact his Father’s final work of salvation and so reveal himself to be the Father’s divine Son—he who is God as his Father is God. Thus, although the devil is ruthlessly employing the hidden Judas, his implanted spy among Jesus’ close associates, to aid him in his deadly plot to kill Jesus, ironically, divine providence, as was foretold of old, would have Judas’s betrayal be the undoing of Satan’s malevolent kingdom, the reign of sin and death. For John, in the midst of the darkness of evil the light of divine goodness prevails, and in its prevailing, evil is vanquished. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn 1:5). The climactic act is now at hand. So when he [Jesus] dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what is needed for the feast”; or, that he should give something to the poor. So after receiving the morsel, he immediately went out; and it was night.

Within the Passover meal, morsels of bread would have been dipped in a blend of bitter herbs and salt water, and then eaten. This act was a symbolic 36. What Jesus may have feared concerning Peter’s aggressive reaction at learning of Judas’s betrayal actually transpires in Gethsemane. Upon Judas’s betrayal and Jesus’ arrest, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, Malchus, to which Jesus responds, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?” (Jn 18:10– 11). Peter, as we will explain later, still does not grasp that for Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, he must drink the cup given to him by his Father—he must suffer and die for the salvation of the world. In drawing his sword, Peter is voicing his “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (Mt 16:21–22). God has not only not forbidden it; he has also willed it.

40  The Book of Glory remembrance of the bitter slavery that the Israelites endured in Egypt. Judas’s eating of this bitter-dipped bread symbolizes his present enslavement to Satan, for in the very act of eating it, “Satan entered into him.” Judas will not pass over from the slavery of sin but will remain shackled to the bondage of death. But Jesus’ eating of the bitter-dipped bread foretells of his own passing over from sin and death, his bitter crucifixion, into the living freedom of his resurrected life. Likewise, his disciples, who are and will be in communion with him, will dip their morsel of bread in the honeyed wine of eternal life, for they will consume the Eucharistic risen body and blood of Jesus, and so enter, in union with him, into his Father’s heavenly promised land. Having enacted the identifying sign on behalf of the beloved disciple, Jesus immediately commands Judas to do what he is to do, and to do it promptly. In a real sense, although Judas is under the authority of Satan who now dwells within him, Jesus is still in charge—he, not Judas or Satan, set the betrayal and thus his ensuing passion and death in motion, for his “Father had given all things into his hands” (Jn 13:3).37 Unaware of the enacted identifying sign, the rest of the disciples, other than John, seemed befuddled by Jesus’ command that whatever it is that Judas is to do, he should do it quickly. So, they perplexedly speculate among themselves. Some thought that since Judas was their bursar, Jesus wanted him to purchase something for the feast.38 Others conjectured that he was to give something to the poor. Now, both hypotheses at first sight appear almost amusing, given that the reader knows, unlike the disciples, what Judas is up to. There is Johannine irony here, however—the Evangelist never narrates anything simply for the sake of padding his publisher’s word quota. Judas may be en route to sell Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, but what the Pharisees and Sadducees are purchasing, unbeknownst to them, is the lamb wherewith they will “celebrate” the feast of Passover—the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world. Similarly, Judas is giving “something to the poor.” By bartering Jesus away to the unbelieving Jews, he is giv37. We perceive here two “indwellings.” Satan dwells in Judas, and so Judas dwells in the realm of sin and death. Jesus dwells in the other disciples, and so they dwell in the realm of eternal life, freed from sin and death. 38. At first sight, this seems an odd speculation. If Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the Passover feast, one would have thought adequate preparation would have already been made (see Mt 26:17–19, Mk 14:12–16, and Lk 22:7–13). That some of the disciples thought Jesus may have sent Judas to buy what was needed for the feast would then mean that the present “Passover meal” was not actually celebrated on the feast of the Passover, but the day before. This timing would then be in accord with John’s Gospel that Jesus died on Friday, just prior to the beginning of Passover (see Jn 18:28, 19:14, and 19:42).

The Washing of the Feet   41 ing to impoverished humankind its most precious alms—its Savior and Lord. Having informed the reader of the disciples’ not-so-idle speculation, John closes the scene with Judas immediately leaving upon receiving the morsel, the very moment Satan entered into him. At that moment, “it was night.”39 Thus with Jesus’ arrest his passion and death now set in motion the darkest of all hours has arrived. The Father’s Spirit-anointed incarnate Son is to be crucified. This darkest of all nights, however, contains within its own very gloom the glory of the Father’s faithful and obedient Son. The darkness is the light! Death’s final night illumines light’s everlasting day—the radiance of the cross!40

Now Is the Son of Man Glorified Not surprisingly, then, after Judas had left, “Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified; if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and will glorify him at once.’ ”41 Judas’s exodus into the dark inaugurates the “now” of Jesus’ glory. The reason the Son of man, the incarnate Jesus, anticipates his present glorification lies in his glorifying God his Father. If Jesus glorifies his Father through the priestly offering of himself as the sacrificial all-holy Lamb of God, his Father will in turn glorify him in himself. From all eternity, in the begetting of his Son in the love of the Holy Spirit, the Father glorifies his Son and so simultaneously manifests his own loving paternal glory. Equally, from all eternity, the begotten Son, in the same love of the Spirit in whom he was begotten, glorifies his Father and so simultaneously manifests his own loving filial glory. Through their eternal perichoretic glori39. Again, John’s Gospel parallels Luke’s (or vice versa). When Judas led the chief priests and elders to arrest Jesus, Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Lk 22:52–53). 40. In Matthew’s Gospel, after Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him, they each ask, “Is it I, Lord?” Jesus tells them it is “one who has dipped his hand in the dish with me.” Judas then asks, “Is it I, Master?” to which Jesus responds, “You have said so.” Moreover, Jesus declares, “The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born” (Mt 26:20–25; see also Mk 14:17–21 and Lk 22:21–23). 41. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 13:31– 38. Later, Jesus will pray: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you” (Jn 17:1). With the exit of Judas, Jesus begins his farewell discourse to his faithful disciples. This address will conclude at the end of chapter 16. What needs to be remembered is that all of these chapters are within John’s narrative of the Last Supper.

42  The Book of Glory fication of one another in the love of the Holy Spirit, the Father and Son each manifest their own glory. Their glory resides in their complete glorifying one another in love. As the only begotten Son eternally glorifies his begetting Father in the love of the Holy Spirit, and the begetting Father eternally glorifies his only begotten Son in the love of the Holy Spirit, so now, here on earth, this same perichoretic glorification will presently be enacted in time. Thus the cross and resurrection are one perichoretic act—the darkness of the cross is Jesus’, the incarnate Son’s glorification of his Father, and so the cross is the Son’s own glorification. Jesus’ own glory resides in his glorifying of his Father in the cruciform love of the Spirit. In the very same act in which Jesus, the Son, lovingly glorifies his Father and so is himself glorified, the Father glorifies him by simultaneously raising Jesus, his Son, from the dead and so is himself glorified. The Father’s own glory resides in his glorifying his Son in the resurrection love of the Spirit. The moment of Jesus’ death, in which he fully glorifies his Father and so manifests his own filial glory, is simultaneously the same moment, the “at once,” that the Father raises Jesus, his Son, up into his resurrected glory, and so manifests his own paternal glory.42 Here we perceive the Johannine Book of Glory interpreting the Johannine Book of Signs. Within his miracle signs, Jesus manifested his glory, the “glory as of the only-begotten Son from the Father” (Jn 1:14). Moreover, Jesus’ glory is also reflected in his “I am” sayings, particularly in that he is “the light of the world,” and within his light his followers “will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). This “light of life,” in turn, is most fully displayed in his raising Lazarus from the dead, for Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25). The glory of the Father’s only begotten Son finds its apex, then, when Jesus is raised up upon the cross, for from the cross, like a beacon, 42. In the above, I have founded Jesus’ glorification of his Father and the Father’s glorification of him upon the eternal Trinitarian ontology—the eternal mutual glorification of the Father and the Son in the glorifying love of the Holy Spirit. From an epistemological perspective, however, our knowledge of this eternal Trinitarian ontology is only obtained through the economy of salvation, that is, through our learning what the persons of the Trinity have revealed through their saving actions. Thus it is only as the believer beholds Jesus, the Son, glorifying his Father, in the love of the Spirit, through his sacrificial death, and the ensuing Father’s glorification of Jesus, his Son, in the love of the Spirit, through the resurrection, that we are able to perceive the Son’s eternal glorification of the Father and the Father’s eternal glorification of his Son in their communion of Holy Spirit’s love. Thus ontology always founds what is to be known, and it is only in knowing that one comes to grasp what is. Interestingly and significantly, Jesus tells Judas to do “quickly” what he is to do, and Jesus states that because he glorifies the Father, the Father will glorify him “at once.” The quickness of Jesus’ death brings with it the “at once” of his glorification, for his death manifests his glory.

The Washing of the Feet   43 he shines forth as the saving life-giving light of the world. That the cross is the hour of Jesus’ life-giving glory is corroborated when his Father raises him up into his exalted resurrection. Again, the “now” of Jesus glorifying his Father on the cross is the “at once” of the Father glorifying him in the resurrection. Thus what Jesus presently declares looks back to the Book of Signs as well as anticipates what will shortly take place—the beholding of the glory of the Father’s only begotten crucified and risen Son. Having articulated his glorification of his Father and his Father’s glorification of him, Jesus immediately addresses the impact that this mutual glorification will have upon his disciples. “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ ” Jesus affectionately addresses the twelve as “children,” as if he were their father who wants to assure them of his watchful love even though what he is about to tell them will trouble them. There is only a little time for him to be in their midst. They will search for him, but they must remember what he has already told “the Jews.” Where he is going, they cannot come. When the chief priest and the Pharisees send officers to arrest him, Jesus says, “I shall be with you a little longer, and then I go to him who sent me; you will seek me and you will not find me; where I am you cannot come” (Jn 7:33–34). After his death, his disciples may seek Jesus, but they will not find him, at least in the manner they mistakenly desire, for he will have returned to his Father, who had sent him. So, Jesus himself now expresses here what the Evangelist noted at the beginning of the Passover meal. “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose” (Jn 13:3). Jesus’ “going” is his passing over, through his death and resurrection, from this world to his Father, to the Father who had first sent him into the world as his incarnate Word precisely to enact the true saving Passover. This being so, the disciples cannot come with him, as least for now. In the interim, Jesus informs them of what they must do. “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”43 In the Synoptics, when asked by a lawyer which is the greatest commandment, Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as 43. Jesus will give this same command of love in Jn 15:12 and 15:17. See also 1 Jn 3:23 and 2 Jn 5.

44  The Book of Glory yourself. On these two commandments depend all of the law and the prophets” (Mt 22:35–40; see also Mk 12:28–31, Lk 10:25–28, Dt 6:4–5, and Lv 19:18). Jesus fully obeyed these two commandments and so fulfilled the law and the prophets. He loved his Father fully when he laid down his life on the cross for the salvation of his “neighbor”—the whole of humankind. The new commandment that Jesus now gives to his disciples is that they, after the manner of Jesus himself, would love God with all of their heart, soul, and strength, so as to lay down their lives for one another.44 Thus as the disciples are to humbly wash one another’s feet after the example of Jesus, so they are to love one another after his example as well. By their doing so, “all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” As Jesus dying on the cross manifested his supreme love of God and of his neighbor, so in loving one another as Jesus has loved them, the faithful genuinely manifest that they are his disciples, for they emulate his sacrificial love.45 In another sense, the love that Christians manifest, a love that is willing to die for another bears witness to Jesus’ love—that he is the loving exemplar of one willing to die for the salvation of the world. Thus sacrificial love is the greatest witness to the truth of the Gospel and to Jesus as the Father’s Spirit-anointed incarnate Son. At this point, Peter, troubled about Jesus’ leaving them, asks, “Lord, where are you going?” To which Jesus responds, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow afterward.” Jesus is going to his Father, and at present Peter and his disciples cannot come with him, but later, after they glorify the Father as Jesus is about to do, the Father will glorify them as he glorified Jesus, and in that glorification they will follow Jesus into the Father’s heavenly presence.46 Peter, as is typical, is not entirely happy with Jesus’ an44. In his first letter, John articulates this same point. Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might life through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he has loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation of our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love one .another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (Jn 4:7–12) 45. In his First Letter, Peter similarly states, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Pt 1:21). 46. We saw that Jesus tells his disciples what he previously told the chief priests and the Pharisees: “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to him who sent me; you will seek me and you will not find me; where I am you cannot come” (Jn 7:33–34). But although Peter and the other disciples cannot come with Jesus “now,” they will “follow afterward.” Unlike “the Jews,” who in their disbelief can never come to where Jesus is—that is, in the presence of

The Washing of the Feet   45 swer. “Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”47 Since Peter is willing to lay down his life for Jesus, he sees no reason why he cannot follow Jesus now. Peter seemingly intuits that Jesus is about to die, to be killed, and his willingness to die, to be killed, with him necessitates that he accompany Jesus wherever he may be going.48 While Peter’s sincerity cannot be doubted, he has yet to grasp the depth of the commitment required in such dying for Jesus. Jesus, not in sarcasm but in compassionate sadness, asks rhetorically, “Will you lay down your life for me?” Jesus knows Peter better than Peter knows himself, and so he speaks the truth: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times.” In the darkness of night, before the cock heralds the dawn, Peter will have denied Jesus three times. But when the cock does awake the dawn, the daybreak of salvation, Peter will be the first repentant sinner to weep over his sins.

Conclusion Little needs to be said by way of conclusion. I will simply summarize, so as to emphasize, a few theological points found within this chapter. The Passover is the hermeneutical key for interpreting all that Jesus enacts within this chapter. Having come from his Father in his incarnation, Jesus is enacting his going, his passing over, to his Father. What we perceived is that the Passover prophetically contained, within its entirety, Jesus’ passing over from death to life through the priestly sacrifice of himself with his ensuing resurrection into the newness of life. Jesus prophetically enacted this passing over within his washing of his disciples’ feet. In the washing of their feet, Jesus was, then, not only revealing what pertained to himself, the casting off of his old fleshly garment in exchange for a new resurrected humanity, but also, in so doing, he manifested that he would be empowered to baptize them in the his heavenly Father—his disciples, because of their faith, will later join him with his Father, after his saving death and resurrection. 47. Within the Synoptics, Peter makes similar claims with similar responses from Jesus (see Mt 26:33–35, Mk 14:29–31, and Lk 22:33–34). 48. Peter is not the first disciple to trumpet his willingness to die for Jesus. When it came time for Jesus and his disciples to go to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead, “Thomas, the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him’ ” (Jn 11:16). Such sincere but shallow faith always results in failure. Peter will deny Jesus, and Thomas, on hearing that Jesus is alive and risen, will refuse to believe. But this failure of “faith” in those who love Jesus always results in a greater love for Jesus founded upon a deeper faith in Jesus, as both Peter and Thomas will exemplify (Jn 20:26–29 and 21:15–17).

46  The Book of Glory Holy Spirit. In baptism, his disciples’ sinful humanity would be cast off, and they would assume the new risen humanity of Jesus himself. They would be born anew in Christ—within the cleansing and life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, within this prophetic baptismal imagery of washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus was performing a priestly act, one that his disciples would also be empowered to perform, for they, through baptism, now abide in him and so share in his priestly ministry. They would have “a part” of him. Having themselves passed over with Jesus, from death to life within baptism, the disciples could then, in Jesus, do what he himself does—baptize in the Holy Spirit. Having come to share in Jesus’ priestly ministry, the fullness of the Passover’s passing over comes into view. While John’s Gospel does not contain, as do the Synoptic accounts, Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist, Jesus’ very act of baptizing his disciples in the Holy Spirit prophetically anticipates, as symbolized in the Cana miracle of changing water into wine, their being ushered into, passing over into, the Eucharist—a partaking of the sacrificed body and blood of the risen Jesus himself. Thus when Jesus tells his disciples that he, their Master and Lord, has given them an example, one in which they themselves would be blessed, he is commissioning them to undertake his own priestly ministry, for they now share in his own priesthood. As humble servants, in the manner of Jesus, they are to baptize in the Holy Spirit and enact the Eucharist in memory of him—after his own example. As sent Apostles, they are to perform these priestly servant sacramental acts within Jesus’ ecclesial body. As Jesus prophetically enacted the entire meaning of the Passover within the Last Supper and established the new and everlasting Passover in his death and resurrection so that new Passover, in its entirety, will now be enacted, for all time, within the church by those who share in Jesus’ priestly ministry. Having come into the world, Jesus now, having loved his own to the end, returns to his Father, taking with him all who lovingly abide in him. Since the Passover intrinsically entails a dying and rising, it contains both darkness and light. Judas, the devil-inspired traitor, personifies the dark evil of sin and death. Judas’s betrayal will usher in the dark night of Jesus’ death, but in death’s darkness shines Jesus’ glory, for in his death he is offering the priestly sacrifice of himself and so vanquishing sin’s dark death. Having glorified his Father in his death, Jesus will now be glorified by his Father, who will raise him from death’s darkness into the brilliant light of his resurrection. While his disciples cannot immediately follow Jesus, they must now love

The Washing of the Feet   47 one another as he loved them. Being humble servants after the example of their Lord and Master demands a sacrificial love on the part of Jesus’ disciples—a willingness to lay down their lives. As Jesus washed their feet in his dying and rising in his passing over, so his disciples, in their washing of one another’s feet, will pass over with him into eternal glory. In his Last Supper Passover, Jesus was prophetically enacting his name— YHWH-Saves. Moreover, in prophetically enacting his name, Jesus was also prophetically revealing to his disciples how they too must become like him, and so continue to enact his name as they assume his likeness. In loving one another as he has loved them, they become like Jesus and so manifest that they are his disciples—Christians, those who have taken on the Spirit-filled likeness of the Father’s incarnate Son, Jesus. Lastly, all of the above will come to its final and ultimate completion when the Father sends his gloriously risen, Spirit-anointed, incarnate Son back to earth at the end of time. Then Jesus will complete the washing of his disciples’ feet with the life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit so that they can pass over fully with and in him into his Father’s presence as his born anew children. Moreover, Jesus will usher the baptized into his heavenly wedding feast, prefigured in Cana, the everlasting wedding feast of the Lamb with his bride the church (see Rv 19:6–9). There they will be forever nourished on the Lamb’s sacrificed and risen body and blood, the forever living bread of life and the wine that forever brings joy. Together, within the living temple, Jesus and his heavenly disciples will offer, in the everlasting Passover, true Spirit-filled thankful worship to the Father, for Jesus, the Son, in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, will have become fully Jesus—YHWH-Saves. Having warned Peter that he would deny him three times before the cockcrow break of dawn, Jesus continues, with more intensity, his farewell address to his disciples.

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled

2 • L e t N ot Yo u r Hearts B e T r ou b l e d

Having washed his disciples’ feet and with Judas’s exodus into the night, Jesus begins his farewell address. He declares that this dark hour is the hour of his glory, for he will glorify his Father, and his Father will at once glorify him. In this luminous darkness, Jesus will return to his Father, and so his disciples will see him no longer. His final command is that they should love one another as he has loved them, that is, lovingly sacrifice themselves to death’s end. Though the disciples cannot follow him now, they will follow him later. Peter insists that he wants to follow him now even if it demands that he die for Jesus. The scene closes with Jesus informing Peter that rather than dying for him, he will actually thrice deny him before the cock crows the dawning day, the day of his life-giving crucifixion. In chapter 14 of John’s Gospel, Jesus takes up his farewell discourse in earnest.1 It would appear that this address is simply a continuation of what 1. Such farewell discourses are not unknown both within Scripture and pagan literature. Socrates, for example, having been condemned for seducing the youth with his teaching, addressed the court and his faithful friends (see Plato’s Apology and Phaedo). Within the Old Testament, Moses, as he was about to die, tells the Israelites, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them [the peoples who presently possess the land]: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you” (Dt 31:6). Immediately after he tells Joshua the same—that he too should not fear but be courageous, for “it is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you or forsake you; do not be afraid or dismayed” (Dt 31:7–8). In turn, Joshua, at the close of his life, tells the people all that God had done for them and that they should remain faithful. “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness” (Jos 24:14; see also 23:14–16 and the whole of 24). Similarly, David, upon approaching death, counsels Solomon, his son, “Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do” (1 Kgs 2:1–3). As we will shortly see, Jesus similarly exhorts his disciples not to be troubled and afraid, but rather to be courageously steadfast in faith. What is theologically significant is that instead of assuring his disciples that God will be with them, as in the Old Testament farewell addresses,

48

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   49 has gone immediately before, for Jesus exhorts his disciples to not be troubled by his departure—he just continues speaking. But although Jesus resumes speaking of his return to his Father, chapter 14 is written as if it were a selfcontained literary unit of its own. What Jesus states at the onset of chapter 14, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” he reiterates at the closing of the chapter, “Let not your hearts be troubled” (Jn 14:1 and 14:27). Thus this exhortation literarily brackets the chapter. Moreover, that the context of the Last Supper Passover meal appears to have receded likewise supports this view. Nonetheless, theologically, the Passover cannot be forgotten, for Jesus within his farewell address is informing his disciples what benefits will accrue to them because of his passing over to his Father. I believe chapter 14 is a literary unit of its own, but it is one that is theologically stitched together with chapter 13. With these introductory remarks, we can now proceed to examine the chapter itself.

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life Returning to his main concern, his sensitivity toward his disciples’ despondency over his coming absence, Jesus tenderly exhorts them: “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God (ton theon—the God), believe also in me (eme).”2 Rather than being troubled by Jesus’ pending departure, the disciples are to have faith in God, the God who providentially watches over those who lovingly trust in him. Moreover, they should now, more than ever, confidently have faith in him (in eme, in me) as the Father’s Son. As suggested in my accentuating the Greek, I think there is an eliding, a literary phonetic conjoining, of ton theon (the God) with eme (me), one that references back to John’s Prologue. “The Word was with God (ton theon—the God) and the Word was God (theon)” (Jn 1:1). Being God as “the God” is God, the Word is, then, He Who Is (YHWH—ego eimi) as “the God” is He Who Is (YHWH—ego eimi). Jesus’ eme tethers together, then, his being ego eimi (He Who Is) with God (ton theon—the God) as He Who Is. Thus as the disciples believe in “the God,” He Who Is, so they are to believe in Jesus (“in me”— eme) with equal confidence, for he is also He Who Is. As Jesus, He Who Is, is he tells them that, along with his Father, he will abide with them even though they will not see him, and that he will moreover send another advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with them. Thus he will not leave them orphaned. Although Jesus is departing from his disciples, they will continue to abide through, with, and in him, within the very life of the Trinity itself. 2. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 14:1–11.

50  The Book of Glory tethered to God, He Who Is, so the disciples’ faith in God and in him must be tethered together. They are simultaneously to believe in both, for they are inseparably conjoined as Father and Son. One cannot have faith in one without having faith in the other, for together they are the one God, and so faith in both is equally demanded. Within this confident interlacing twofold faith, the disciples’ hearts are not to be troubled. The disciples’ faith, then, must not depend upon Jesus’ physical presence nor on their ocular beholding of him.3 This knowing faith is not in what one sees with the eyes, but in the truth about him whom one beholds, whose true identity it recognizes. It grasps that Jesus is the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son, whether he is physically seen or not (see Heb 11:1). As the disciples are to believe in the unseen God, He Who is, so they are to continue to believe in Jesus, He Who Is, whom they will shortly not see. Thus the assurance of faith is to sustain the disciples when they will no longer see him. Coupled with this twofold assurance of faith, Jesus offers his disciples the conviction of future hope—the reason why he must leave them. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? I will come again and will take you to myself that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.4

In speaking of his Father’s house, Jesus is obviously referring to his Father’s heavenly abode, since that is where he is going to prepare a place for his disciples. Moreover, for Jesus to refer to “his Father’s house” also alludes to his Father’s earthly house in Jerusalem—the temple. On the occasion of his first Passover feast, Jesus cleansed the temple, saying, “you shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” The Evangelist tells the reader that the disciples remembered the Scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me” (Jn 2:16–17 quoting Ps 69:9). Moreover, when asked for a sign as to his authority to “cleanse” the temple, Jesus declared, “Destroy this temple, and in three days 3. Thus, in response to Thomas’s refusal to believe unless he sees and touches him, the risen Jesus will declare: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (Jn 20:29). In professing the risen Jesus to be his Lord (the Greek equivalent for YHWH) and God (ho theos—the God), however, Thomas is acknowledging, in faith, that Jesus is truly God (YHWH) as God (YHWH) is God (ho theos) (see Jn 20:28). The Father and the Son, as the one God, are equally divine. 4. Jesus speaks as though he had already informed his disciples that his Father’s house has many rooms, and that if it were not true, he would never have told them so. But I do not know of any passage in John’s Gospel where Jesus makes such a previous claim.

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   51 I will raise it up.” Again, the Evangelist inserts an interpretative comment: “But he spoke of the temple of his body. When, therefore, he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken” (Jn 2:19–22). To grasp fully the theological significance of what Jesus now states concerning his Father’s house, the cleansing of his Father’s house must be taken into account, for it prophetically anticipates what Jesus is presently asserting. How, then, is Jesus “going to prepare a place” for his disciples in his Father’s heavenly house? Jesus’ preparation of a heavenly place for his disciples possesses a present and a future. Presently, Jesus is preparing a place in his Father’s house through his Passover-going to his Father. Through his sacrificial death and in his resurrection, Jesus will cleanse his disciples of sin, and in his resurrection, he will vanquish death and pour out upon them his life-giving Spirit. This passing over to his Father is Jesus’ “going” to prepare a place for his disciples. Jesus’ preparation of a heavenly place for his disciples is not something he does after he arrives in heaven, but it is something he does within his very going to heaven. Moreover, within his own salvific death and life-giving resurrection, within the Paschal Mystery itself, Jesus becomes the new and living temple, for he is himself the one, everlasting, perfect sacrifice of love to his Father out of love for his disciples. Jesus, then, is the Father’s living house, the living temple, in whom there are many rooms. To abide in the risen Jesus, the Father’s house, is to take up residence in “one” of the Father’s many heavenly rooms, and so, in communion with Jesus, to offer worship to the Father in Spirit and in Truth. This present abiding in Jesus, the Father’s house, is made possible through his death and resurrection. But to abide in Jesus and so abide in the Father’s house demands, one must not only believe in God and in Jesus but also, as implied above, be baptized by Jesus with the Holy Spirit. Only within baptism does one participate in his passing over from death into the living Jesus himself. In baptism, one is born anew, takes up a new residence in Jesus, and so abides in the Father’s house as his Spirit-transformed children. Moreover, one partakes of the fare of the Father’s household menu when one feasts on the bread and wine of the heavenly banquet—the risen Jesus himself. The Eucharist is literally a foretaste of heaven, for one comes to reside most fully here on earth in the Father’s house by abiding most fully in the heavenly Jesus. The above describes what is presently taking place and what will become present within the church. The future, the not yet, is what Jesus next declares. “And when I go and

52  The Book of Glory prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” Jesus, having prepared for his disciples a place in his Father’s house through his Passover death and resurrection, and the disciples, having come to dwell in his Father’s house by abiding in Jesus within the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, assures them that he will return and take them with him. As witnessed above, the Evangelist’s eschatology, as presented by Jesus, is very much a realized eschatology, that is, the making salvifically present now what will later be fulfilled upon Jesus’ return in glory at the end of time. Nonetheless, Jesus does declare here that he will return to his disciples, even though he will shortly depart from them. When he does return, he will then take them with him. As Jesus said earlier to Peter, “Where I am going you cannot come now; but you will follow afterward” (Jn 13:36). Importantly, when he comes again, Jesus “will take them to myself that where I am you may be also.”5 Having subsumed his disciples into himself here on earth—that is, into the Father’s house that he himself is—Jesus will, upon his return, wholly conjoin them to himself so that they will pass over with him so as to fully dwell with his Father by fully residing in Jesus.6 Jesus concludes on 5. Within his high priestly prayer, Jesus will pray: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which you have given me in your love for me before the foundation of the world” (Jn 17:24). As will become evident, all that Jesus declares in his farewell address he will pray, within his high priestly prayer, that his Father will allow him to accomplish. 6. Although John highlights a “present” eschatology—that is, the making present now what will find its fulfillment in the Parousia, the coming of Jesus at the end of time—in John’s First Letter he does speak of the eschaton’s completion. He declares that “He who confesses the Son has the Father also” and that he “will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us, eternal life” (1 Jn 2:23–25). Through faith, Christians possess both the Father and the Son, and this present possession assures that Jesus’ promise to them will be fulfilled, that they will eternally abide with the Son and the Father “when he [Jesus] appears . . . at his coming” (1 Jn 2:28). John assures his readers: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he [Jesus] appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 Jn 3:1–2). In John’s final vision in the Book of Revelation, he sees the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, where God will dwell with his people, and they will dwell with him (see Rv 21:2–3). Moreover, the temple within the new Jerusalem “is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light shall nations walk” (Rv 21:22–24). The Lamb, the crucified and risen Jesus, is the lamp by which all peoples will find their way to the Father’s glory. Also, the continual entreaty of the Spirit and the Bride is “Come,” and Jesus’ response is: “Surely I am coming soon.” And John’s final acclamation is: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rv 11:17 and 20). Jesus’ Father’s-house analogy is in accord with Paul’s understanding of Christ being the head of his body, the church—all Christians are members of his Spirit-enlivened body. When

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   53 an abrupt note, a statement that his disciples should readily understand, “And you know the way where I am going.” Well, it is not so obvious to Thomas, and he presumes such ignorance does not apply to him alone: “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”7 Jesus responds by annunciating his sixth “I am” saying: I am (ego eimi) the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.

Where Jesus is going is to his Father.8 If his disciples had known that Jesus is the Father’s Son, they would have known his Father, and thus they would have concluded that he is going to his Father. Moreover, as the Father’s Son, as the incarnate “I AM,” Jesus is the singular and the only way to his Father.9 Jesus, then, does not simply show his disciples how to get to the Father, the path that they must spiritually travel. His teaching is not the finger that points the way to his Father. Rather, he is himself the way to the Father, in that to abide in him, as the Father’s Son, is to abide with his Father, as the Son’s Father. Thus to be in communion with Jesus, the incarnate Son, is to be in immediate and direct communion with his Father.10 As Jesus is himself the door in whom Jesus returns in glory, Jesus and his body will find full maturity—the whole Christ (1 Cor 12:27, Eph 1:22–23 and 4:12, Col 1:18). The significant difference is that Jesus speaks by way of analogy, while Paul speaks of a living reality—Christians are actually incorporated into Christ through the Holy Spirit and so form one living reality, one living body, with him. Paul also speaks of Jesus’ coming at the end of time (see 1 Cor 4:5 11:26; 1 Thes 4:16–17). At the end of his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul implores: “Our Lord, come!” (1 Cor 16:22). 7. The interchange between Thomas and Jesus and the following one between Philip and Jesus are similar to the literarily stylized dialogues with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. While the encounters are historical, the recorded dialogue is structured so as to aid the reader’s understanding of what Jesus is teaching. In all of these situations Jesus makes a statement; the person present misinterprets it or does not understand it; then Jesus in turn amplifies, by way of clarification, his initial declaration. In the present text, Thomas does not understand, and Jesus attempts to clarify his misunderstanding, only then to have Philip raise a new question, to which Jesus again responds by way of clarification. The purpose of this stylized dialogue is not only to engender faith within the historical persons engaged in the dialogue, but also, and even more so, to engender faith in the present readers of the Gospel. 8. Earlier, John comments, “Now before the feast of Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1). Later, Jesus will declare: “I have come from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (Jn 16:28). 9. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter, in his Pentecost sermon, declares: “And there is salvation in no one else [Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). 10. Because Jesus is in the Father, as the Father’s Son, and the Father is in him as the Son’s

54  The Book of Glory one has access to his Father, so he is himself the way in whom one possesses privileged entrée to his Father. In Jesus, one is able to pass over with him into the Father’s house so as to abide with his Father as the Father’s child.11 Jesus is not only the way to the Father, but he is also the truth. As the eternal Word of God, as “I Am,” he “embodies” the whole truth of who the Father is—He Who Is. Possessing the fullness of divine truth, the Word is God as God is God, and together they are simultaneously the great “I Am.” As the incarnate Word of God, as the incarnate “I Am,” Jesus embodies, now literally, the fullness of divine truth, the full truth of who the Father is. Moreover, as the incarnate Son of God, Jesus possesses the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the fullness of divine grace, and therefore he is the Christ, the Father’s sent salvific Messiah. Thus, in proclaiming that he is the truth, Jesus is revealing and confirming what was declared in the Prologue. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has made him known” (Jn 1:17–18).12 Being eternally in the bosom of the Father, only the Son, as God’s Word, has seen God, his Father, and so only he, as the Father’s only begotten Son, Father, so to be in communion with the incarnate Son is to be in immediate communion with Son’s Father—for he and the Father are one (see Jn 10:30). Jesus will later pray that “they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you that they also may be one is us” (Jn 17:21– 22). This is another example of what Jesus declares in his farewell address and tells his disciple; he will beseech his Father to accomplish in him. 11. After Nathanael proclaims Jesus to be the Son of God and the King of Israel, Jesus responded, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these . . . Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (Jn 1:49–51). Jesus’ words recall Jacob’s dream. “And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending on it!” (Gn 28:12). Jesus, the Son of God who exists as man, will become, in his angel-ascending resurrection, the ladder upon which the descending angels will take humankind up into the Father’s heavenly presence. In Mark’s Gospel, when he is speaking of the tribulations at the end times, Jesus says, “And then he [the Son of man] will send out his angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (Mk 13:27; see also Mt 13:39). In the Acts of the Apostles, followers of Jesus are sometimes referred to as those who belong to “the Way” (see Acts 9:2, 19:9, 22:4, 24:14, and 24:22). Here, though, “the Way” possesses the connotation of following a certain way of life. That life, nonetheless, is lived in Jesus, who is the way to the Father. 12. As we will see shortly, the Holy Spirit is not only the Spirit of grace but also the Spirit of truth. As the Word of God, Jesus possesses the fullness of truth and the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of truth, reveals, makes known, the Truth that Jesus is (see Jn 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, and 16:7).

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   55 knows the fullness of who God is.13 Jesus, as the incarnate Word and so the perfect filial image of his Father, is able to manifest through his humanity and reveal through his human words the full truth of who God is as his Father. Thus, as the truth, Jesus is also the way to the Father, for he makes his Father known. Now, while Jesus, as the truth, makes known his Father, this knowing cannot remain simply the knowing of an object outside of, or over against, oneself. To obtain the full authentic knowledge of the Father through Jesus demands that one must come into communion with the incarnate Word, so that he can reveal the full truth of his Father. One must dwell within the incarnate Son to know the Son’s Father, for only by abiding in the incarnate Son can one share in his own filial knowledge of his Father, and so know the Father, in communion with the Son, as the Father’s child. Thus as one must abide in Jesus in order for him to be the way to the Father, so one must also abide in Jesus for one to know the truth of the Father. Jesus, as the Father’s Son, is, then, the way to the Father, for he makes the truth of his Father known to those who abide in him. The way to the Father is by the way of truth—the way of truth that only Jesus is as the Father’s incarnate Word.14 So, as the incarnate “I Am,” Jesus is the way to the Father, for as “I Am,” he 13. An interesting theological point can be noted here, one relevant to John’s Gospel. As Jesus is ever in the bosom of the Father, so the beloved disciple, at the Last Supper, “was lying close to the breast of Jesus” (Jn 13:23–25). Because Jesus, as the Father’s Son, dwells within the very being of the Father, he is able to reveal fully the Father. Similarly, John, the beloved disciple, who dwells close to Jesus’ breast/bosom, is now, within his Gospel, able to make known who Jesus is as the Father’s Son (see Jn 20:31). 14. This manner of knowing the Father has its earthly natural equivalent. In coming to know an object outside of oneself, the object known does not simply remain an object over against oneself. Rather, in the knowing of an object—for example, a tree—there is an intellectual conjoining of the knower and the known. Within the mind of the knower, they become one—the knower of the tree and the known tree become intellectually one. Obviously, I am here putting forth a brief exposition of an Aristotelian/Thomistic epistemology. What is fascinating, but not surprising, is that the foundation for such a “realistic epistemology” is founded within the Trinity itself. The Father knows himself in his Word/Son because the Word/Son abides in him. The Word/Son knows himself as Word/Son because he abides in his Father. The eternally mutual knowing of the Father and the Son is founded upon their mutual perichoretic communion. Since their mutual knowing is a loving-knowing, the Father and Son know one another in the love of the Holy Spirit—the loving Spirit of truth, the Spirit who loves nothing more than the conjoined truth of the Father and the Son. Therefore human beings, having been created in the image and likeness of God, in the image and likeness of the Word, naturally share in the “divine” way of knowing. Human beings become intellectually one with what they know. When they come to abide in Jesus, by being re-created in his incarnate filial image through the Spirit of truth, they come to share in his loving filial vision of his Father, for they now become, in him, one with the Father.

56  The Book of Glory is the incarnate truth of the Father. Moreover, and lastly, Jesus is the life, for as “I Am,” he possesses the very life of the Father—He Who Is, the fountain of all life. As Jesus earlier declared, “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself” (Jn 5:26). Being God’s life-giving Word, God created all that is through him. “In him [the Word] was life, and the life was the light of men.” This life-giving light vanquished the darkness of nothingness, and that darkness has not overcome the life-giving light that the Word is (Jn 1:4–5). Jesus, as the incarnate life-giving Word, is now the life that will dispel the darkness of sin and the shadow of death. He will do so by becoming himself the resurrected life-giving Savior, the re-creator of those who were first made in his own image. As the incarnate “I Am,” Jesus will bestow upon all who believe in him the resurrected divine life that he shares with his Father. Only by sharing in his filial resurrected life, by abiding in him, can one come to his Father as a son of the Father. Jesus is therefore life because he is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit, for only through the life-giving waters of baptism is one born anew into his likeness and so partakes of the Spirit-filled spring that wells up to eternal life (see Jn 4:14). Jesus himself is the life, moreover, for he is the life-giving heavenly bread, the eternal life-giving bread that is his risen body and blood. As Jesus declared, He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. (Jn 6:54–57)

The living Father sent Jesus, his living Son, so that humankind might have eternal life in him. By abiding in the living Jesus, through partaking of his risen body and blood, the faithful come to abide with his Father, the font of eternal life, and so are assured of being raised up by Jesus and into Jesus on the last day. Ultimately, Jesus is the life as the baptizer in the new life of the Holy Spirit, and as the Eucharistic bread of eternal life, because he is the resurrection and the life. Only in conquering death and rising from the dead does Jesus himself become the life, for only in his resurrection does Jesus abide gloriously with his living and life-giving Father. Although it is Jesus who dies on the cross for the salvation of the world, it is the Father, in his act of raising him from the dead, who establishes Jesus as the one who is life.15 We perceive, therefore, 15. That the Father establishes Jesus as the giver of life through his raising him from the

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   57 that it is the Father himself who fashions Jesus into the way, the truth, and the life so that in Jesus alone can all come to him. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16–17).16 Thus Jesus is the way to the Father, for in him, the Father’s Word, one comes to know the truth of the Father by abiding in the Father. Jesus is the way to the Father, for in him, the Father’s Son, one comes to share in the life of the Father by abiding in the Father. This twofold abiding in Jesus is the only way to the Father. Thomas should have known this, for if he had truly known Jesus to be the Father’s Son, he would have known his Father as well. But now, in the light of Jesus’ explanation of his being the way, and the truth, and the life, “henceforth you [Thomas] know him and have seen him.” As is evident from his follow-up question, however, Philip does not grasp Jesus’ logic. “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.”17 Seeing and knowing Jesus is not enough. Philip wants to see the Father; only then will all the disciples be content. Jesus, surprised at Philip’s ignorance, responds, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?”18 Philip’s instinct was correct; the disciples could only be satisfied by seeing the Father. Seeing the Father, abiding in the Father, is the goal of salvation. Remarkably, dead is in keeping with the Father’s eternally begetting of his Son. The Father is the Father because he is the eternal fountain of life, and as the eternal fount of life, he eternally gives the whole of his life to the Son, thus making the Son himself a fount of life. If the Son does not have the fullness of life that the Father is, the Son would not be the life-giving light of the world in creation nor in redemption. Thus, again, the Father, as He Who Is, begets his Son, as He Who is—they are perichoretically both “I Am.” 16. John emphasizes this same truth in his First Letter: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins” (1 Jn 4:9–10). 17. Philip’s request is keeping with Moses’s: “I pray you, show me your glory” (Ex 33:19; see also Ex 24:9–10). 18. Earlier, “the Jews” asked Jesus, “Where is your Father?” To which Jesus responded, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father also” (Jn 8:19). Likewise, after bemoaning that many Pharisees and Jewish authorities believed in Jesus, but refused to confess Jesus publicly out of fear, John narrates that Jesus cried out, “He who believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me” (Jn 12:41–45). To see Jesus is to behold the Father, and to believe in Jesus is to believe in his Father, for he is the Father’s Son.

58  The Book of Glory however, Philip fails to truly know Jesus, though he has been with him for such a long time, because it never dawned on him that to see Jesus is to see the Father. If he had truly grasped that Jesus was the Father’s Son, and thus the perfect incarnate image of the Father, he would never have requested, “Show us the Father.” Does not Philip believe that Jesus, as the Father’s Son, is in the Father, and that the Father, as the Son’s Father, is in Jesus? To assure Philip that he is not speaking frivolously, Jesus emphatically states, “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.” Jesus’ first sentence above is rather odd. He begins by stating that he does not speak on his own authority but then concludes it by declaring that the Father, who dwells in him, does his works. So, what is the relationship between what Jesus says and his indwelling Father’s works? The answer lies within Jesus’ second sentence. If Philip does not believe Jesus’ words that he is in the Father and the Father is in him, even though Jesus does not speak them on his own authority but on that of his Father, he ought to believe “for the sake of the works themselves.” The works that Jesus performs are actually the works of his indwelling Father. Thus the ultimate words that Jesus speaks about his own identity as the Father’s Son are the works that he enacts, for these saving works are the acts of his Father. The saving works themselves therefore declare that “I am in the Father and the Father in me.” These perichoretic salvific acts of the Father and the Son manifest their mutual indwelling oneness. Faith is therefore not founded simply on believing what Jesus says but more so on what he does, for what he does as Son are his Father’s saving actions.19 This is why Jesus declares at the onset of chapter 14, “Believe in God, believe in me.” One cannot believe in the Father without believing in the Son and vice versa, for the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father. Once more we perceive Jesus theologically commenting on what he has declared throughout the Book of Signs. Jesus has been adamant that he only obediently says what his Father has told him to speak. “For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. And I know that this command19. Earlier, Jesus said in response to those who refuse to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father” (Jn 10:37–38).

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   59 ment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me” (Jn 12:49–50; see also Jn 5:30, 6:38, and 8:26–28). Moreover, Jesus obediently only performs the works that his Father has given him to do. Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing; and greater works than these will he show him, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. (Jn 5:19–21; see also 4:34, 5:17, and 5:30–36)

Both Jesus’ words and his acts lead to eternal life, for both are spoken and done by he who is the Father’s Son, and so are the words and actions of the Son’s Father. The Father is the fountain of life, the life given to his eternal only begotten Son, and therefore the everlasting life of those who are born anew into the resurrected life of Jesus, his incarnate Word of life.20 Before proceeding, I want to accentuate two points. First, what Jesus declares to Thomas and to Philip is incarnational; that is, Jesus is only the way, and the truth, and the life as the Father’s incarnate Son. Only by being in communion with the Son’s humanity is one able to come to the Father, for by abiding in the Son’s risen humanity does one obtain full knowledge of the Father and abide in Father’s fullness of life. To obtain this salvific abiding, one must then believe that the Father is in the Son and that the Son is in the Father, for only if such is the case does one’s abiding within the Son’s humanity bring one into communion with the Son’s Father. Second, in the above, Jesus is articulating what it means for him to be Jesus, YHWH-Saves. He is YHWH-Saves, for only in him as the way, and the truth, and the life does one come to the Father. To abide in Jesus, the Spirit-anointed Son, is to abide in his Spirit-anointing Father and so come to share in their perichoretic Spirit-filled life of love. The faithful become one within the oneness of the Trinity itself. 20. Although he is addressing the concerns of Thomas and Philip, I believe that Jesus is also, in Johannine fashion, addressing John’s contemporary Jewish brethren. In volume 1 on the Gospel, I pointed out at various points, particularly within Jesus’ contentious interchanges with the unbelieving Jews, that the Evangelist has Jesus addressing not only his historical Jewish interlocutors but also the later unbelieving Jews. Thomas and Philip are voicing, then, the issues that continue to trouble the Jewish community, and Jesus continues to tell them that their hearts should not be troubled, but that they should believe in God and in him. Since my first volume on John’s Gospel, I have “stumbled across” a passage that is relevant to my thesis that John is writing his Gospel for “the Jews.” Paul, in his Letter to the Galatians, speaks of himself as evangelizing the Gentiles (the uncircumcised), while James, Peter, and John are “going to the circumcised [“the Jews”]” (Gal 2:6–9). In writing his Gospel, John is fulfilling the ministry Jesus has entrusted to him.

60  The Book of Glory

Doing Jesus’ Works Having spoken of the revelatory nature of his salvific works—that is, that they reveal that he is in the Father and the Father is in him—Jesus immediately makes an astounding claim: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.”21 Assuredly, those who believe in Jesus, and so abide in him, will continue to do his salvific works. But in what manner will those who believe in him continue to do Jesus’ works? Jesus does not specify. Obviously, believers are not going to die on the cross for the salvation of the world, for Jesus will have done that once and for all. The key to understanding Jesus’ declaration lies in his final phrase: “because I go to the Father.” Because Jesus will be going to his Father as the glorified Lord and Savior, he will be able to baptize in the Spirit those who believe in him. Those who have died to sin and death and have risen into the new life of the Holy Spirit will in turn be empowered to proclaim the saving works of Jesus and so lead others to faith in him as the Father’s Son. Moreover, in communion with Jesus, the baptizer in the Holy Spirit, the faithful will share in his priestly ministry and baptize those who have come to believe in Jesus. Thus the Father’s saving Gospel will continue to be made present until his Son returns in glory at the end of time. These and other evangelical and sacramental works will continue Jesus’ priestly work. Ultimately, all the works that Jesus’ disciples will do can be summed up in his new command—love one another as I have loved you—that is, by laying down one’s life for the salvation of the world (see Jn 13:34–35, 15:12). But what could possibly be “the greater works” that go beyond what Jesus has done? This is difficult to discern since all the works that Christians are to do are done in and with the risen Jesus. That Jesus is just one person, though admittedly the Word incarnate, means that he is, in a sense, limited by geographical space and historical time. When he goes to his Father, however, he will be able to work through all those who have faith in him, wherever in the world they may reside and in whatever time they may live. Thus the greater works that his followers, members of his church, will do in communion with Jesus are those of proclaiming the Gospel, interceding for sinners, performing miracles, enacting the sacraments, and so on throughout the entire world until the end of the age.22 It is in this light that what Jesus declares next finds its meaning. 21. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 14:15–17. 22. By doing the works that Jesus does, the apostolic church, throughout all time, will

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   61 “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” The glorification of the Father is of the essence. All the saving works that Jesus performs are to the glorification of his Father, for the Father is working through and in him who is the Father’s Son. As Jesus’ followers continue to do his works, if they need anything that will advance that saving work, they only need to ask in his name, Jesus (YHWH-Saves), and he will do it, for the continuing work of salvation is to the glory of his Father. Thus, by Jesus always responding to requests made in his name, the Father will unceasingly be glorified in his Son.23

Keeping Jesus’ Commandments Jesus immediately continues: If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.24

This is a complex passage, one that must be interpreted in relation to other scriptural passages. The disciples’ love for Jesus is predicated upon their keeping his commandments (see also Jn 14:21). The keeping of Jesus’ commandments appears to have some relationship (the “and”) with Jesus asking his Father to give them another Counselor, none other than the very Spirit of truth.25 That this Spirit of truth will dwell with Jesus’ disciples and be in perform the same miracle signs that Jesus himself enacted—exorcising demons, healing the sick, and even raising the dead. Moreover, the church will share in, have a part of, Jesus’ priestly ministry through its enactment of the sacraments. Such an understanding is in keeping with what we discerned in examining chapter 13 of John’s Gospel, where I argued that within Jesus’ washing of his disciples’ feet he was bestowing his priestly ministry upon them. The entirety of this ministry, these greater works, can be found in the Acts of the Apostles. Thus the glory of Jesus will constantly be made manifest to the glory of his Father. 23. This glorification of the Father is in keeping with what Jesus declared earlier. “Now is my soul troubled. And what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. ‘Father glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again!’ ” (Jn 12:27–28; see also 17:1–5). The Father’s name will be glorified when Jesus glorifies it at the cross’s hour. The continuation of that saving hour through the saving work of Jesus’ disciples will be a continuation of the Father being glorified in his Son. 24. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 14:15–17. 25. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus states, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who

62  The Book of Glory them also seems to bear upon the disciples’ love for Jesus and their keeping his commandments. In order to understand clearly the relationship between the two, we must first discern what commandments Jesus’ disciples must lovingly keep. We already saw that Jesus has given a new commandment—his disciples must love one another as he has loved them (see Jn 13:34). Jesus will say later, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you” (Jn 15:12–14; see also 15:17). The commandment that his Father has given Jesus is that he “lay down his life,” and so his disciples, in love, must lay down their lives for one another (Jn 10:17–18; see also 14:31).26 To love Jesus, to be his friend, then, is to love as he himself loves, by laying down of one’s life in love for others. The difficulask him!” (Lk 11:13). As the Father’s Son, Jesus will be the first to request that his Father give his disciples the good gift of the Holy Spirit, and he will willingly accede, for Jesus himself asks in his own name—YHWH-Saves. The Greek word for “Counselor” is Parakletos. Scripture scholars note that this term can also be translated in various ways—spokesman, advocate, mediator, intercessor, helper, comforter. It was originally a legal term where the attorney spoke on behalf of his client. As implied by Jesus’ words, he is himself the first counselor or mediator, sent by the Father on humankind’s behalf. In his First Letter, John sees Jesus as a heavenly advocate. As he died on our behalf here on earth and so won the acquittal of our sins, so now, if we do sin, “we have an advocate (parakleton) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,” for he is the expiation for our sins and the sins of the whole world (1 Jn 2:1). Jesus’ salvific intercessory work here on earth continues as our risen advocate in heaven. While Satan continues to accuse Christians, “day and night before our God,” “they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb” (Rv 12:10–11). The Spirit of truth is, then, the other Counselor or Advocate that the Father will send in response to Jesus’ prayer. Once more we find in his high priestly prayer Jesus praying that his Father would consecrate his disciples in the truth (see Jn 17:17). This consecration will be achieved through Jesus’ death and resurrection. On the cross, Jesus, as the great high priest, will prayerfully offer himself to his disciples, and so free them from the error of sin’s lies, and in his resurrection, he will be empowered to baptize his disciples, and so consecrate them, in the Spirit of truth. Thus Jesus’ prayer of consecration to his Father will be fulfilled. As we will see, the Spirit will not only console Jesus’ disciples in his absence, but he will also teach them the fuller truth concerning Jesus (Jn 14:26 and 15:26) and convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn 16:7–8). While the phrase “Spirit of truth” is found within Qumran literature, Jesus’ use of the phrase entails a greater personalism; that is, the Spirit is seen not as a divine spiritual anointing, but as a personal subject who reveals truth. Thus while the Greek term is neuter, the pronouns associated with it are often in the masculine and thereby denote that the Spirit is a “person.” 26. As the good shepherd, Jesus lays down his life for his sheep (see Jn 10:11, 10:15 and 10:17–18).

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   63 ty is that Jesus speaks of commandments, and the above denotes only one. Is there another commandment that must also be kept if one is to love Jesus, and so be his friend? Here we must turn to John’s letters, particularly his First Letter, for the Evangelist appears to have written his own theological interpretation of the very passages we are presently considering. John tells his readers that we can be sure that we know Jesus “if we keep his commandments” (note the plural). Moreover, he who says he knows Jesus “but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” If one keeps his word, however, “in him truly love for God is perfected.” This perfect love confirms that “we are in him [Jesus]: he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way he walked” (1 Jn 2:3–6). Moreover, John states that he is not prescribing a new commandment, but rather an old commandment, for they already know it. It is the commandment that they were taught from the beginning, and that now “old” commandment is the new one—that they should love as Jesus loved (see 1 Jn 2:7–8 and 2 Jn 5–6). So, the “new commandment” is the one they must perfectly keep if they are to know and love Jesus. In the above, John echoes Jesus’ own teaching as we find it within the Gospel. Later, John makes a rather unexpected move. Instead of speaking of our keeping Jesus’ commands, he speaks, at some length, of our obeying God’s commands. John writes that we can be assured that God will answer our prayers “because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him” (1 Jn 3:22). Here, John attributes to God the keeping of his commandments and his answering of our prayers, whereas in the Gospel, Jesus says that he will answer his disciples’ prayers and that they are to keep his commandments (see Jn 14:13–15). Importantly, in both instances, “commandments” is in the plural. What immediately follows in John’s epistle is the key for interpreting further, with more theological depth, what Jesus says in John’s Gospel, as well as uniting the love of Jesus and keeping his commandments with the Father giving the disciples the Spirit. And this is his [God’s] commandment [note singular], that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he [God] has commanded us. All who keep his [God’s] commandments [note plural] abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us. (1 Jn 3:22–24)

For John, the one commandment is twofold, and thus “two” inseparable commandments. In order to keep the one new commandment of loving one

64  The Book of Glory another as Jesus loved us, we must first keep God’s prior prerequisite commandment—that of believing in the name of the Father’s Son, Jesus Christ.27 All who keep this twofold commandment, that of faith and love, will abide in God and he in them. Because one abides in God, one is empowered to love as Jesus loves.28 Now, the assurance that one abides in God, and so is able to keep his commandments of faith and love, is founded upon the Spirit that he has given. Later, John declares: By this we know that we abide in him [God] and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 Jn 4:13–16)

God’s own Spirit is the assurance that we abide in him and he in us. God’s giving of his Spirit is manifested in our testimony that the Father sent his Son as the world’s Savior, and so also in our confession of faith that Jesus is the Son of God. What Jesus says in the Gospel now comes together. Jesus declares that love of him demands keeping of his commandments. The Father’s gift of another Counselor, the Spirit of truth, for which Jesus will pray, is now recognized as the gift by which his disciples will not only be empowered to keep his commandment to love one another, but also to enact the commandment 27. Keeping the commandment of faith is also the doing of the work of God. Jesus tells those who were seeking him after he multiplied the loaves that they should “not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life which the Son of man will give you for on him God has set his seal.” In response, they ask, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” To which Jesus responds, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one whom he has sent” (Jn 6:27–28). The fundamental work that God demands is to believe that Jesus is his sent-Son. 28. Jesus, as the Father’s incarnate Son, perfectly embodies, and so perfectly exemplifies, the perfection of his Father’s love. This perfect love is made manifest in Jesus laying down his life for the salvation of the world. Only through faith in Jesus, as the Father’s Son, does one abide in him by receiving the Father’s Spirit. And to abide in Jesus, the Father’s Son, through the indwelling Spirit, means that one ultimately abides in God and God in him—one abides in the fount of love, the God who is love itself (see Jn 14:16–17 and 1 Jn 4:13). Abiding in the loving Father, through faith in his Son, enables one to keep the Father’s ensuing commandment, that of loving as Jesus his Son loves. Within Jesus’ and John’s teaching on keeping the commandments, we also perceive, as we saw in the previous chapter in the Gospel, a Johannine theological interpretation of the two greatest commandments—love of God and love of neighbor (see Mt 22:34–40, Mk 12:28–34, Lk 10:25–28). Again, Jesus perfectly loves his Father by offering his life to the Father, and in so doing he lays down his life in love for his friends—the whole of humankind.

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   65 of faith by which they come to love him. The Holy Spirit is therefore the one who conjoins the two commandments into one—the indwelling Spirit of truth brings forth loving faith in Jesus and concurrently gives birth to Jesus’ cruciform love.29 Moreover, in his epistle, John further realizes that through one’s Spirit-filled faith in Jesus, as the Father’s Son, we come to abide in God and he in us, and to abide in God is to abide in love, for God is love. This abiding in the Father’s love compels the believer to love Jesus in faith and so to love as Jesus loves. What John has done within his Letter is to interpret theologically what Jesus says in the Evangelist’s Gospel, and he does so by calling into play God himself. John grasps that, in keeping Jesus’ commands, one is actually keeping his Father’s commands, and this is also in keeping with Jesus’ own words. We already heard Jesus declare to his disciples: “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works” (Jn 14:10; see also 4:34, 5:19, 5:30, and 6:38). Shortly, Jesus will assert: “He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me” (Jn 14:24). In his Letter, John then rightly makes Jesus’ words the Father’s words, for he is the author of what Jesus says.30 In concluding this section, we find in this Johannine understanding of “abiding love” the revelation of the Trinity. God is love, for God is the act of the Father loving his Son and the reciprocal act of the Son loving his Father. These coinhering acts of love are enacted within the Holy Spirit—the Spiritfilled paternal act of love of the Father for the Son and the Spirit-filled filial 29. Later, John will write: “And this commandment we have from him [God], that he who loves God should love his brother also” (1 Jn 4:21). John will also declare: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child.” Thus if one loves God, one will love all of his children, and this love of one another is the command that God has given to his children. This love is able to overcome the world precisely because one has faith in Jesus as “the Son of God” (1 Jn 5:1–5). Faith in Jesus, as the Father’s Son, is what enlivens love—love of God, love of Jesus, and love of the brethren. The Book of Revelation also conjoins faith in Jesus and keeping God’s commands. “Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus” (Rv 12:17). “Here is a call for endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rv 14:12). 30. We see here again the fuller significance of what Jesus declares at the onset of chapter 14: “Believe in God, believe also in me.” The disciples’ hearts will not be troubled if they lovingly believe in Jesus, for to believe that Jesus is the Father’s Son is simultaneously to believe in the Son’s Father (Jn 14:1).

66  The Book of Glory act of love of the Son for the Father. To believe in Jesus as the Father’s Son, by means of the Spirit’s revealing truth, is to be subsumed into this trifold, this tri-personal, God of love, and so one is empowered to love as they themselves love, a sacrificial cruciform love that Jesus himself enacts as the Father’s Spiritanointed Son.

The Father and the Son: Making Their Home in Us Because he is returning to his Father, Jesus continues to console his disciples’ troubled hearts. I will not leave you desolate [literally, orphans]; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.31

Even though he will be leaving them, Jesus will not leave his disciples as desolate orphans, bereft of his presence. Rather, he will be come to them, but how can he be with them while at the same time leaving them? The unbelieving world will no longer see the physical presence of the earthly Jesus, but his disciples will see him.32 The reason that the disciples will see Jesus is twofold—one pertaining to Jesus and the other pertaining to his disciples. Both will live. Because Jesus will live, his disciples will live, and because both are alive, the disciples will see Jesus. Now, this twofold living entails a twofold seeing. First, Jesus will die, but his Father will raise him gloriously from the dead, and in his resurrection, Jesus goes to his Father. But the risen Jesus will appear to his disciples, and they will see him. This seeing of the risen Jesus elicits faith within his disciples, a faith enlivened by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ resurrection is the cause of his disciples coming alive, of being born anew in the Holy Spirit. As we will see, upon his first appearance, on the evening of his resurrection, Jesus declares to his disciples: “Peace be with you.” No longer are the disciples to have troubled hearts. They have not been orphaned. They have a peace that the disbelieving world cannot give them. 31. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 14:18–24. 32. Jesus told the Pharisees that he is going to the one who sent him, and they will seek him but will not find him, for “where I am going you cannot come” (Jn 7:33–34; see also 8:21). Jesus will later tell his disciples, “A little while, and you will see me no longer; again a little while, and you will see me” (Jn 16:16).

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   67 As Jesus will shortly declare: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27). Moreover, Jesus will show them his hands and his side. And as John will narrate, “the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” They will rejoice, they will be at peace, because the one they will behold, Jesus, will then be their risen Lord. Here the title “Lord” assumes its divine meaning. The living risen Jesus is truly YHWH-Saves. This is he whom they will see in faith. Likewise, as the Father sent Jesus, so now he will send his disciples. This commissioning, as was Jesus’ at his baptism, is achieved in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Jesus “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’ ” (Jn 20:19–23). As the Father breathed his Spirit upon Jesus in sending him forth to accomplish his saving work, so Jesus will breathe forth his Holy Spirit upon his disciples, his Apostles (his messengers—apostoli), so that they will be empowered to continue his salvific mission—that of forgiving sin and of re-creating, through baptism, in the new life of the Holy Spirit. What we perceive in this first resurrection appearance is the fulfillment of Jesus’ present words. Because Jesus is alive, his disciples will see him, and they will see him through the Spirit-filled baptismal eyes of faith, for they too are newly alive in the Holy Spirit. Upon this “seeing,” their hearts will no longer be troubled, for Jesus has not left them orphaned. This first “seeing” contains, and so leads to, the second. While he will appear to his disciples so as to allow them to see him, the risen Jesus will also, in his going to his Father, no longer manifest himself to them in an ocular manner. Nonetheless, because they will be alive through the Holy Spirit, they will continue to see Jesus within their Spirit-filled faith, through the other Counselor who now dwells within them, he who will make Jesus present to them. Thus the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the assurance that the disciples will never be orphaned from their risen Lord Jesus Christ. He will be with them until the end of time (see Mt 28:20).33 Jesus emphasizes that “in that day” when they behold him gloriously alive, 33. Although in his saying “I will come to you” Jesus is referring to his coming to his disciples in his post-resurrection appearances and in his coming to them through the indwelling Spirit, his final eschatological “coming” to them is implied. Because the risen Jesus is present with his disciples and the ensuing apostolic church, his final coming will inaugurate the fullness of his presence. Then Jesus’ followers will know the fullness of his peace, for they will possess the fullness of eternal life. Their hearts will forever be untroubled. They will eternally rejoice in beholding their Lord.

68  The Book of Glory a day when they themselves will come alive in the Holy Spirit, on that very day, “you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” His resurrection is the definitive proof that Jesus is the Father’s Son, and since he is the Father’s Son, he is in his Father. Moreover, his disciples will also know that they are in Jesus, and Jesus is in them, for they too, because of his resurrection, will have come newly alive, for the risen Jesus will have baptized them, rebirthed them, with the life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit. Thus, because the Father and Son are perichoretically united as one, so Jesus and his disciples are perichoretically conjoined as one, and to be one with Jesus, the Father’s Son, is to be one with the Son’s Father. Again, we observe that the Holy Spirit is the one who rebirths the disciples into the risen incarnated Son, into Jesus’ risen humanity, and in so doing subsumes them into communion with the Son’s Father as his born-anew children. In that day his disciples will share in the life of the Trinity, and so in that day they will know that Jesus, the Spirit-anointed Son, and his Father are one, for they are, in the same Spirit, one with Jesus and his Father.34 Jesus immediately elaborates more fully on this bond of unity between Jesus and his Father and his communion with his disciples. “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 34. Theologically significant, when two of the Baptist’s disciples followed Jesus, and Jesus turned and asked what they were seeking, they asked him where he was staying. Jesus replied, “Come and see.” The Evangelist then narrates, “They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day” (Jn 1:37–39). Although they wanted to know where Jesus was physically abiding, what they will ultimately come to see is that Jesus abides with his Father. Presently, on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, “in that day,” they will come to see and know “that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” By abiding in the risen Jesus, his disciples will abide forever, in the everlasting day, with his Father. Later, when Jesus again consoles his disciples at his leaving, he says, “So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father, he will give it to you in my name. Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (Jn 16:22–24). Shortly after, Jesus again states, “In that day, you will ask in my name; and I do not say that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father” (Jn 16:27). Because the disciples abide in Jesus, they are empowered to ask the Father in his name. In that day, the Father will fulfill their request because he loves them, and he does so because they love Jesus and believe that he is the Father’s Son. The Father loves those who love his Son and so will acquiesce to their appeals. Here again, what Jesus declares to his disciples he will later, in his high priestly prayer, beseech his Father to fulfill. Jesus prays “that they [his present and future disciples] may all be one, even you Father, are in me, and I in you that they also may be one in us” (Jn 17:21; see also 17:26).

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   69 Once again, while Jesus has made it possible for his disciples to be one with him and with his Father, they must on their part, if this oneness is to be consummated, possess his commandments, that is, loving him in faith as their Savior and Lord and in loving as he himself loves. Moreover, in lovingly keeping these commandments, the disciples will be loved by his Father, for the Father loves those who love his Son as he himself loves his Son. Likewise, since love of Jesus binds one to Jesus, Jesus is equally bound in love to his disciples, and within this mutual bonding in love, Jesus will manifest himself to those who love him. Love brings to life and light Jesus’ presence. Reciprocal love, then, is the bond that conjoins the Father, Jesus, and those who believe Jesus to be the Father’s Son. As I argued previously, that mutual coinhering love is none other than the Holy Spirit himself—the personal living bond of love. At this juncture, one of Jesus’ disciples once again requests a clarification. “Judas (not Iscariot) said to him: ‘Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?’ ”35 For Judas, “manifestation” demands a physical component, and so if they are going to be able to “see” Jesus, why will the world not “see” Jesus? Is this not an impossible conundrum?36 Jesus responds, If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

Jesus returns to what he has just declared, but he does so in order to make the clarification that Judas seeks. Yes, if anyone loves Jesus, he must be obedient to his commands, his words. That being the case, then, his Father loves that person. At which point Jesus explains the manner in which he (and his Father) will manifest himself to one who loves him and not to the world which does not love him. Because one loves Jesus, and so is loved in turn by 35. This Judas is likely “Judas, the son of James” (Lk 6:16 and Acts 1:13), who is also known as “Thaddaeus” (Mt 10:3 and Mk 3:18). This is also another example of John’s Gospel giving “speaking parts” to more of the disciples than found in the Synoptic Gospels. That it is “Judas (not Iscariot)” supports the historicity of the present account, since John wants to ensure that this “Judas” is not confused with Judas Iscariot. If this narrative was fictitious, one would not have picked a name that would demand clarification. 36. Here again, in keeping with the Johannine literary genre, those with whom Jesus is speaking misunderstand or misinterpret what he is saying, and they do so in such a manner that it appears that what Jesus is saying is impossible. For example, Nicodemus thinks that to be born again means that one would have to return to one’s mother’s womb; or the Samaritan woman thinks that because Jesus does not have a pail, he cannot draw out living water from Jacob’s well (see Jn 3:4 and 4:11).

70  The Book of Glory his Father, “we will come to him and make our home with him.” The manifestation of Jesus’ presence comes from within a person and is not something that is seen from outside the person. Again, it is within the mutual bonds of interior love that the presence of Jesus and his Father will be manifested, for it is within the person himself that Jesus and his Father make their abode. He who believes in Jesus and keeps his words, and who is then equally loved by his Father, that person will become the very house, the very temple, in whom Jesus and his Father dwell. The revelatory presence rises up from within one, and it wells up from within the wellspring of love.37 This is why those who do not love Jesus and so do not then keep his word will not “see” Jesus. In their disbelief, they do not love him in faith and so are not simply blind to his presence but are incapable of receiving his presence so as to behold him interiorly—he does not dwell within them. Moreover, in not believing that Jesus is the Father’s Son, they fail to recognize that his words are not his own but those of the Father who sent him. To hear, in faith, the voice of Jesus is to hear the very voice of the Father, and in that hearing in faith, the Father and Son come to dwell in love. To hear the voice of Jesus in disbelief is to reject the very words of the Father, and so the Father’s incarnate Word finds no home in such a one.38 Jesus now begins his summation of what he has spoken, as well as delineating the consequences of what he has told his troubled disciples.

37. That Jesus’ manifestation is an interior manifestation, and that Jesus and his Father will come to dwell within the believer, is in accord with what Jesus declares in Luke’s Gospel. Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom will come, Jesus responded, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you [or, within you]” (Lk 17:20–21). It would seem that the second translation is better, since if the kingdom of God is “in the midst of you,” it could be seen and so pointed out. If, however, God’s kingdom is “within you,” it cannot be seen and so cannot be observed. The point, nonetheless, is that for the Father and Son to dwell in someone who believes is for the believer to dwell in the kingdom of God. 38. This clarification is in keeping with what Jesus declared earlier to the unbelieving Jews: “I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father” (Jn 8:37–38). Jesus speaks of what he has seen with his Father, that is, in their mutual dwelling in one another. Those who disbelieve are those who heed the condemnatory lies of Satan. Jesus will make reference to “the ruler of this world” shortly.

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   71

Peace I Give to You These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.39

All that Jesus has told them by way of consoling his disciples’ troubled hearts he has told them while he is still among them. Even though he will be leaving them, Jesus once more assures them that the Father will send them, in his name, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit. Thus the greatest consolation that the Father can give them, in his name, is the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit will be with them and in them, he who is the very Spirit of truth (see Jn 14:16–17), he will teach them all things. What things will the Holy Spirit teach his disciples? Remembering that these disciples will be Jesus’ first messengers, his first sent Apostles, what the Spirit will teach them, and so confirm within them, is the complete and right understanding of the Gospel, the full salvific truth that Jesus, as the Father’s Incarnate Spirit-filled Word, himself embodies.40 While Jesus has taught them many things, at this point his disciples do not grasp the full theological significance, the entire doctrinal content, of all that Jesus has revealed to them. Only later will the Holy Spirit not only bring to their memory Jesus’ past spoken words, but also teach them the salvific meaning of all that Jesus has said and done.41 This Spirit-inspired in39. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 14:25–31 unless otherwise noted. 40. In chapter 3, within what appears to be a rather lengthy theological aside, the Gospel states that the one from above (Jesus) “bears witness to what he has seen and heard.” He who believes in Jesus as the Father’s Son “sets his seal on this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for not by measure that he gives his Spirit; the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand” (Jn 3:31–35). Jesus, as the Father’s heavenly Son, bears witness to what he has seen, and what he knows is that the Father has given to him, in love, the Holy Spirit. To those who believe that he is the Father’s Son, Jesus, to whom the Father has given all things, gives to them the Spirit without measure—grace upon grace. The Holy Spirit will then enlighten the minds and hearts of Jesus’ disciples so that they remember all of the things Jesus taught them, and so totality of who Jesus is their Savior and Lord. 41. Later, in chapter 16 of John’s Gospel, Jesus will reiterate much of what he states here concerning the Holy Spirit guiding his disciples to all truth (see Jn 16:4–15). I will examine those verses in due course. Here, I want to note that John’s Gospel as a whole as well as the Synoptic Gospels manifest this “teaching” work of the Holy Spirit, for they, in their own distinctive manners, provide a written account of the one oral kerygmatic tradition. Moreover, John himself points out, through some of his interpretive asides, what the disciples did not first perceive but later do understand. For example, when Jesus said that he would rebuild the temple in three days, John states, “But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scriptures

72  The Book of Glory errant Gospel truth is Jesus’ greatest consolation given to his Apostles and to his subsequent enduring ever-faithful apostolic church. In this Gospel is found true peace of mind to those who are troubled in spirit. Thus Jesus continues, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” We have already discussed Jesus’ salutation of peace when he first appeared to his disciples on the evening of his resurrection and breathed upon them the Holy Spirit. Here I will append one further significant point. The Hebrew salutation shalom (“peace”) was originally a greeting wishing an overall personal “well-being” upon the person addressed.42 It came to take on a more spiritual and Messianic meaning, however. To bid someone shalom was to summon down God’s Messianic blessing upon him or her. Isaiah speaks of the coming peaceful Messianic age: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (Is 9:6–7)

The child to be born, the son given, will sit upon David’s throne, but he will not simply govern an earthly kingdom attempting to provide a worldly peace wherein there is no war or conflict. Rather, he will establish a kingdom of justice before God, a kingdom composed of holy and righteousness citizens—a godly kingdom that will last forever. Because of his salvific achievements, he will assume the exalted titles of Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Being the given-sent Son of the Father, Jesus is the Prince of Peace, for he will, through his saving cross and glorious resurrection, overcome the evils of sin and death (the kingdom of Satan) and establish David’s Messianic holy and righteous kingdom of peace, an everlastand the word which Jesus had spoken” (Jn 2:21–22). Also, his disciples did not grasp the significance of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. “His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him” (Jn 12:16). Similarly, in response to Peter’s reticence at having his feet washed, Jesus says, “What I am doing, you do not know now, but afterward you will understand” (Jn 13:7). Likewise, when Peter and the “beloved disciple” came to Jesus’ tomb, the “beloved disciple,” upon seeing the tomb empty, believed, “for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead” (Jn 20:8–9). 42. In Luke’s Gospel, when Jesus sends out his disciples, he tells them, “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this household!’ ” (Lk 10:5).

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   73 ing kingdom of well-being with God his Father. The peace that Jesus gives is not, then, the peace that this world seeks, but the peace of everlasting salvation, for he is YHWH-Saves.43 Because Jesus gives them the peace of salvation, his disciples should be rejoicing and not be troubled of heart. “You have heard me say to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.” Once more, Jesus reminds his disciples what authentic love for him entails. Here this love should cause them great joy. Rather than being sad at his departure, they ought to be rejoicing that he is going to his Father, for his Father is greater than he. It is always better for one to be in the presence of someone greater than oneself, for one savors and glories in he who is of superior eminence and goodness. Now, the Father is greater than Jesus in a twofold manner. First, the Father is greater than Jesus, for the Father, being divine, is greater than his incarnate Son. Second, as the eternal begetter of his Son, the Father is greater than his Son, though, since the Father gives to his Son the fullness of his divinity, they are both equally God (see Jn 10:30). So, his disciples, out of love for him, are to rejoice that Jesus, as the Father’s incarnate Son, will finally come to share fully in his Father’s presence as man, and as man then will come to share in the glory of the Father who begot him as his eternal Son (see Jn 17:5 and Heb 1:3). Moreover, the disciples should rejoice in Jesus’ going to his Father, for only in his returning to his Father, through his saving death and resurrection, will 43. Jesus will later tell his disciples, “I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has overcome the world of sin and death and so the world’s tribulation. Therefore his disciples, even while they are in the world, can be of good cheer. Within Luke’s Infancy Narrative the angel Gabriel, in declaring to Mary who the child to be born to her will be, alludes to the above passage from Isaiah (see Lk 1:30–36). A somewhat similar passage to Isaiah is found in Ezekiel. Ezekiel declares in God’s name: I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them; he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord have spoken. I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. (Ezek 34:23–25) Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, states, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). For Paul, peace is a fruit of the Spirit (see Rom 15:13 and Gal 5:22). Moreover, Jesus is “our peace,” for he has established peace between Jews and Gentiles, creating of both “in himself one new man” for “both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph 2:14–18). Therefore Paul can pray: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways” (2 Thes 3:16).

74  The Book of Glory he be able to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house (see Jn 14:2). They then will also, with Jesus, rejoice in the presence of the Father as his adopted children. Likewise, as Jesus will later declare, it is to their own advantage that he goes to the Father, for only then will he be able to send the Counselor to them (see Jn 16:7). Jesus has now conclusively told his disciples all of the reasons why, if they love him, their hearts should not be troubled at his leaving, and these very reasons are themselves causes for rejoicing. Jesus immediately informs his disciples why he has told them all that he has. “And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you will believe.” All that Jesus said to them is for the sole purpose of engendering faith in him, for when it does take place, then they will believe that he is truly the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son.44 Simply put, they will believe that he is Jesus—YHWH-Saves—for all that he has said concerns the manner in which he will become their divine Savior.45 Although Jesus tells his disciples all that he will do, theologically significant, it is in the doing of all that he has said that they come to believe. Jesus’ works are the ultimate testimony as to who he is (see Jn 5:36, 10:25, and 14:11). Having said the above, Jesus judges that he has said about enough. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.46

There is little time left for words, for the ruler of this world is approaching, and he advances with his villainous scheme to do away with Jesus, for Satan is convinced that only with the demise of Jesus will his deadly kingdom be secure, and death is Satan’s ultimate weapon to achieve his ends.47 Already 44. Earlier, Jesus told of his betrayal and says to his disciples, “I tell you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he (ego eimi)” (Jn 13:19). To believe that Jesus is the Father’s Spirit-filled Son is to believe that he is He Who Is. 45. It would be tedious for me at this point to reiterate all that Jesus had said. But it would be beneficial for the reader to read, at one go, the whole of chapter 14, so as to recollect the many facets of Jesus’ saving work. Once again, I wonder if all that Jesus has said to his present disciples is not also meant to be heard by the Evangelist’s contemporary Jewish brethren. All that he said to his disciples will come to pass, and future Jewish generations will know that Jesus is no longer “seen.” Jesus, through John’s Gospel, is telling them where he went and why he went there. He went to his Father to prepare a place for them, and so their hearts should not be troubled by the thought that their Messiah has yet to come. 46. Although it is evident throughout John’s Gospel that Jesus loves his Father, this passage is the only one where he actually says that he loves his Father. 47. The Book of Wisdom says that even though God created man in his incorruptible image,

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   75 he has entered into Judas, and even now Judas is on his way to betray Jesus (see Jn 6:70, 13:2, and 13:27).48 The hour of the devil’s darkness is at hand. This world’s ruler has no power over Jesus, however. Jesus may be betrayed by Judas, the unbelieving Jewish authorities may arrest him, Pilate may condemn him, soldiers may crucify him, and he may die, but this seeming power over Jesus is but the occasion, the opportunity, for him to enact his Father’s command—that is, to offer his life for the salvation of the world and so vanquish the ruler of this world. As Jesus earlier declared: “Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:31–32).49 The act of being lifted up on the cross, the act orchestrated by the ruler of this world, will be the act that casts out this world’s ruler, and the act through which Jesus will draw all peoples to himself. In that act of being lifted up, sin will be forgiven, death itself will die, and all who believe in Jesus, as the Father’s Son, will be lifted up into his resurrected life and so become new creations in him.50 Thus in being lifted upon the cross the world will know that Jesus loves his Father even unto death, for he has become what it was “through the devil’s envy that death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it” (Wis 2:23–24). 48. Jesus earlier told the unbelieving Jews: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Jn 8:44) As is the devil, so the unbelieving Jews are out to kill Jesus. 49. Later Jesus says that with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit will convince of judgment “because the ruler of the world is judged” (Jn 16:11). 50. In his First Letter, John states, “He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:8). After Adam and Eve fell to the temptation of the serpent, God curses the serpent and prophesies: Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Gn 3:14–15) Traditionally, this passage is seen as a prophetic anticipation of Mary and her son, Jesus. Mary is often depicted with her infant son crushing the head of the serpent, Satan. The Book of Revelation speaks of the serpent’s final fall: “And the great dragon was thrown down, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil or Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rv 12:9). Likewise, the ancient serpent, the Devil and Satan, were “thrown into the lake of fire

76  The Book of Glory the Father sent and commissioned him to be—his Messianic incarnate Son, Jesus—YHWH-Saves. As Jesus earlier declared, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my own life, that I may take it up again . . . this charge I have received from my Father” (Jn 10:17–18). All that Jesus will do, all that he has told his disciples, springs from Jesus’ absolute love for the Father, even to being lifted up unto death, and because of his love for his Father, the Father, in love, will lift Jesus up into his heavenly glory. Having declared his love for his Father, Jesus ends his discourse by abruptly declaring: “Rise, let us go hence.” Words having come to an end, it is time for action, and so Jesus exhorts his disciples to rise with him and “go hence,” but where is the “hence” to which they are going? He and, at least for now, his disciples are setting off so that Jesus can “rise” up upon the cross in love for his Father and so return to his Father. The problem is that, at this point in John’s narrative, they go nowhere. Chapters 15 and 16 continue with Jesus teaching his disciples, and chapter 17 contains Jesus’ high priestly prayer. They do not “go hence” until chapter 18. “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered” (Jn 18:1). Although chapters 15–16 contain new content from that found in chapter 14, they also cover many of the same themes Jesus expressed in chapter 14. Likewise, chapter 17, Jesus’ high priestly prayer, will, as I have repeatedly noted, contain much of what Jesus declares in chapter 14–16, though now as a prayer to his Father. Because of this overlap, it appears that a longer version of what John may have written later was inserted, except for chapter 17, either by John himself or by someone else, at the time of the Gospel’s final redaction.51 What is important is that these chapters add significant theological content and so contribute to the doctrinal beauty of John’s Gospel. and brimstone . . . and there they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Rv 20:10; see also 20:1–3). The author of the Letter to the Hebrews informs his readers: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself [Jesus] likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” (Heb 2:14–15). Paul declares: “You he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:1–2; see also 2 Cor 4:4). Thus Paul can exult, “ ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:54–57). 51. As we saw, toward the end of chapter 14, Jesus says that he has only a little more to say

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled   77

Since he will continue to teach his disciples over the next two chapters, I do not think there is a need to add a concluding summary of what Jesus taught in this present chapter. I must nonetheless reiterate that all that Jesus said he would do pertains to the saving works that he will accomplish, and the effect those acts will have upon those who believe him. Thus, in doing these salvific works, Jesus will become Jesus, YHWH-Saves, and in his becoming who he is, his disciples will come to believe that he is the Father’s Spirit-anointed incarnate Son and so reap the saving benefits that he himself embodies. to his disciples, which would reinforce the argument that chapters 15–16 were composed and inserted later, for in these chapters Jesus says a great deal more, and he is only interrupted once by his disciples, at the very end of chapter 16.

Abiding in Jesus

3 • Ab idin g in J esu s

Bearing Much Fruit

At the end of chapter 14 of John’s Gospel, Jesus exclaimed, “Rise, let us go hence” (Jn 14:31). He and his disciples went nowhere, though we do know that Jesus will rise up upon the cross so as to go to his Father in resurrected glory. Moreover, Jesus asserted that his disciples need not be troubled by his going to the Father. Jesus gave them many reasons why they should instead rejoice at his going. He assured them that he, in his very person, is the way to the Father because he, as the truth, fully reveals the Father to them and as the life will take them into the presence of his eternal ever-living Father. He also emphasized that although he will not be physically present with them, he and his Father would abide within them because he will ask the Father to send to them another Counselor, the Holy Spirit. Now, within chapter 15, Jesus continues this theme of abiding in him. He teaches them that if they abide him, then by loving one another as he has loved them, they will bear everlasting fruit. He warns them, however, that as the world hates him, so the world will come to hate them as well, for they are his committed disciples. The disciples will nonetheless bear witness to him, for he will send from the Father the Spirit of truth. With this brief introductory overview, we can proceed to the text.

I Am the Vine and You Are the Branches Following chapter 14, Jesus immediately declares: I am (ego eimi) the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you.1 1. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 15:1–11.

78

Abiding in Jesus   79 This is the last of Jesus’ seven “I am” sayings. As with all of the previous six, he is the vine precisely because, as the vine, he is “I AM”—YHWH incarnate.2 Before we address fully what it means for Jesus to be the vine, we must first take note of the word “true.” By accentuating that he is the “true” vine, Jesus implies that there was previously another vine, but that vine failed to be the “true” one. Here we must turn to the Old Testament. Psalm 80 speaks of God as the Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock. He is enthroned upon the cherubim. The psalmist wishes that his almighty God would save Israel, for he brought it like a vine out of Egypt and planted it in the land of promise, having driven out other nations. This vine, Israel, took root and covered the land from the river to the sea. Yet now the boar of forest lays it to waste, and everyone who passes by plucks its fruit. The psalmist, in the midst of Israel’s sin, begs God to remember the vine that his right hand has planted (see Ps 80:8–16). Similarly, Isaiah sings of his beloved God who had a vineyard. On a fertile hill, having cleared away the stones, God planted choice vines, and watched over and protected his vineyard, “and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.” God cries out for Jerusalem and the men of Judah to judge between him and his vineyard. He did everything he could have possibly done for his vineyard, but in return it produced wild grapes. So, God will lay waste to his vineyard and care for it no longer. “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry!” (Is 5:1–7; see also Jer 2:21 and Hos 10:1–2). In a lamentation for the princes of Israel, Ezekiel writes: Your mother was like a vine in the vineyard transplanted by the water, fruitful and full of branches by reason of abundant water . . . But the vine was plucked up in fury, cast down to the ground; the east wind dried it up; its fruit was stripped off, its strong stem withered; the fire consumed it. Now it is transplanted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. (Ezek 19:10–14).

On the day of the Lord, however, God will possess a pleasant vineyard, one that he will water and care for, one that he will protect from all harm. “In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit” (Is 27:1–6). Israel was God’s first vineyard. Israel was God’s choicest vine that he 2. Wisdom, in the Book of Sirach, declares: “Like a vine I caused loveliness to bud, and my blossoms became glorious and abundant fruit” (Sir 24:17). As God’s Word incarnate, Jesus will cause the abundant fruit of salvation to bud forth.

80  The Book of Glory brought out of slavery and planted in the good soil of the promised land. He lovingly nurtured his vineyard, but instead of bearing the fruit of righteousness, Israel produced the sour grapes of infidelity, and so God allowed his vineyard to be ravaged by foreign nations, and it thus withered in a desolate wilderness. Nonetheless, God promised that a day will come when Israel will be rooted in fidelity and so will bud forth integrity, and thus bear the fruit of holiness, a holiness that will overflow into the whole world. Thus when Jesus says, “I am the true vine,” he is declaring that he is subsuming into himself the entire history of Israel’s sinful infidelity and so its consequent inability to produce the fruit of righteousness. As the true vine, however, Jesus through his transforming death and resurrection will become the new Israel through whom God will take his people out from the “Egyptian slavery” of sin and death. Moreover, he is the new vine in whom his Father will bring his people into the new promised land, that is, into the new vine that is Jesus himself.3 Jesus will bear the fruit of righteousness and holiness, for unlike Israel of old, who produced the sour grapes of infidelity, Jesus, as the Father’s faithful Son, will bud forth the world’s salvation. Thus Jesus is the promised new day of the Lord, he in whom the Father plants his true vine, a vine in whom the fruit of the Holy Spirit will flourish. As the vinedresser, the Father not only plants his vineyard, but he also cares for it. Interestingly, Jesus first speaks of his Father’s work in a negative manner, rather than in a positive fashion. The first work of the Father is to take away from Jesus, the vine, “every branch of mine that does not bear fruit.” Although some branches may be attached to Jesus, they do not bear fruit; that is, they do not bear the fruit of obedient love, and so the Father forcibly cuts them off from Jesus. But every branch attached to Jesus that does bear fruit the Father “prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Now in what does this “pruning,” which is the same Greed word for “cleanse,” consist? Jesus does not say. One can surmise that this pruning comprises the Father’s discipline. The Letter to the Hebrews speaks of the God disciplining his sons. God, like a good parent, 3. Jesus as the new vine is in keeping with Matthew’s Gospel, where the holy family fled into Egypt and lived until the death of Herod. Only then did they return, and Matthew says their coming back “was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son’ ” (Mt 2:15). Matthew is quoting Hos 11:1. Ex 4:22 is also relevant. God tells Moses to declare to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, Israel is my first-born son, and I say to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve me’; if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your first-born son.” Jesus, as the Father’s eternally begotten Son, is his true “first-born” Son, and he must leave Egypt so as to serve his Father, that is, to free Israel, his first-born earthly son, from the slavery of sin and death, and lead it into the freedom of eternal life.

Abiding in Jesus   81 disciplines only his legitimate children. God’s discipline, the pruning away of sin, brings forth growth in holiness. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb 12:5–12; see also Jas 1:2–4 and 1 Pt 1:6–7). The Father prunes the “good” branches for the sole purpose that they might bear even more fruit of holiness, that is, the fruit of loving as Jesus himself loves (see Jn 15:17). Jesus assures his disciples that they are not unfruitful branches. “You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you.” The disciples are clean of sin, they have already been pruned of sin, because they have come to believe the word that Jesus has spoken to them, which ultimately is the Father’s word—he who is the vinedresser.4 That word is that Jesus is the Father’s Messianic Son in whom there is eternal life. This is why Jesus is the true vine. To be a branch of Jesus, the vine, is to possess eternal life and so bear the fruit that leads to eternal life, the life of love. Jesus elaborates this truth more fully in what he declares next. Abide in me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am (ego eime) the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

What was implied is now made evident. Jesus is the vine, and his disciples are the branches. There is an oddity here, however. We speak of trees having branches, but vines simply are vines. Vines do not have branches. They are one complete living whole. As the vine, Jesus has been forced to articulate two truths simultaneously, but to do so he had to make a distinction that is normally not made. The one vine that is Jesus is composed of himself and those who believe in him and are baptized into him. In this conjoining of Jesus and his followers, they together become one living reality—one complete vine. This oneness is why Jesus begins by exhorting his disciples to “abide” in him and then adds “I abide in you.” Once again there is, literally now, an intertwining, a perichoretic abiding oneness, between Jesus and his disciples. As Jesus declared earlier to his disciples: “On that day [the day when he will go to his Father] you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me and I in 4. When Peter insists that Jesus wash not only his feet but his hands and head also, Jesus says, “He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over; and you are clean, but not all of you” (Jn 13:9–10). Through the bath of baptism, Jesus’ disciples are made clean; only their feet now need to be washed, that is, only the remnant of the sin that remains. Similarly, having been united to Jesus through the waters of baptism, and so conjoined to Jesus, the vine, they only need to be pruned in order to bear more fruit.

82  The Book of Glory you” (Jn 14:20; see also 14:23). So, there is a distinction between Jesus and his disciples, and simultaneously a unity that consists of their being one reality. Precisely because of this oneness, the disciples, the branches, are able to bear fruit, for apart from abiding in Jesus, the vine, they can “do nothing”; that is, they are incapable of bearing the fruit of love.5 Here, five further points must be made. First, if Jesus is the vine and his followers are the branches, what is the life that flows from within Jesus to the branches such that the branches are able to bear fruit? The answer, as implied in what was stated above, is found within baptism. In baptizing in the Holy Spirit those who believe in him, Jesus grafts the baptized into himself, making them one with him. They now live in Christ Jesus. The Spirit, then, is the living water, the life-giving “sap” that wells up from within the one vine that is Jesus and courses into his disciples.6 Second, this abiding in Jesus as a branch also alludes to the Eucharist. Within his Eucharistic discourse, Jesus firmly stated, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have not life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. (Jn 6:53–56)

Although evident throughout the entire metaphor of Jesus being the vine and his disciples being the branches, the incarnational meaning of the analogy is most fully expressed within this Eucharistic context. The Son of God as man is the true vine, and one only abides in the Son of God by abiding in his humanity. By abiding within Jesus’ humanity, one comes into communion with He Who Is, he who possesses divine and everlasting life. So, when Jesus declares, “I am (ego eimi) the vine and you are the branches,” he is professing that those who abide in him are abiding with He Who Is, and in so doing, they will bear the fruit of eternal life. While this abiding within Jesus’ risen 5. Paul’s understanding of the body of Christ is similar to Jesus being the vine and his disciples being the branches, though Jesus speaks by way of a metaphor and Paul speaks of what is a reality. Nonetheless, similar distinctions are made. As Jesus is the vine and his disciples are the branches of the one living vine, so the body of Christ is one living reality that is composed of parts. Jesus is the head of the body, and the members are conjoined to him so as to form one living body. 6. Having identified the works of the flesh, Paul delineates the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law” (Gal 5:22–23).

Abiding in Jesus   83 humanity is first attained in baptism, this oneness finds its fullest enactment, and so the fullness of its life-giving fruit, within the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, by eating the risen body and drinking the risen blood of Jesus, one most fully becomes one, through his risen humanity, with He Who Is—the risen Incarnate-I-Am, and so is assured of eternal life. Thus the consummate earthly expression of Jesus being the vine and his disciples the branches is within the Eucharist, for in the Eucharist Jesus and his disciples abide in one another, and in that mutual abiding he nourishes them with his resurrected life—and so with his divine life as He Who Is.7 Third, as seen previously, to abide in Jesus, the Father’s Son, is to abide with the Son’s Father, for they abide in one another (see Jn 10:37, 14:10, and 14:20). Later, Jesus will pray that as he and his Father are one, so may his disciples be one in them (see Jn 17:21).8 Again, there is a perichoretic abiding among Jesus, the Son, and his Father, and Jesus’ disciples. This life-giving and life-sharing abiding bears the fruit of love, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Thus the metaphor that Jesus is the vine and his disciples are the branches entails Jesus’ disciples abiding within the very life and love of the Trinity, and for that reason they bear the life-giving fruit of love.9 Fourth, in declaring that he is the vine and that his disciples are the branches, Jesus is revealing one of the ways in which he is enacting his name—YHWH-Saves. Jesus, the vine, grafts believers into himself through the 7. This interpretation, wherein baptism ushers one into the Eucharist, is in keeping with my understanding of the miracle sign at Cana. There, Jesus turned an abundance of water (baptism) into an abundance of wine (the Eucharist) (see JBJ 2:97–114). It also accords with my reading of John’s account of the Last Supper, where the washing of the disciples’ feet signifies baptism that in turn allows them to partake of the Eucharist (see chapter 1 of this volume). Moreover, that Jesus is the vine in whom his disciples, the branches, are fed on his Eucharistic risen body and blood may find its source within the Synoptic accounts of Jesus instituting the Eucharist. After declaring the cup of wine to be his blood of the (new) covenant, Jesus says, “I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Mt 26:27–29; see also Mk 14:25 and Lk 22:18). Wine is the fruit of the vine, and Jesus will partake of it again when he rises gloriously from the dead, and so within his Father’s now established kingdom. Then, the risen Jesus himself will be the fruit of the vine upon which he will nourish his disciples within God’s kingdom, for he will himself be the risen life-giving vine. 8. Here we find the first instance in chapter 15 where Jesus declares something that he will again request of his Father within his high priestly prayer in chapter 17. 9. This mutual abiding is in keeping with what John teaches in his First Letter. The Holy Spirit is the assurance that one abides is God, for in believing that Jesus is the Son of God, “God abides in him, and he in God.” Moreover, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:13–16).

84  The Book of Glory Holy Spirit and so re-creates them in his image, and thus they, in him, become children of his Father. Lastly, the question arises: Is it merely by happenstance that the last I Am saying is that of Jesus being the vine and his disciples being the branches? Or is there a theological reason for Jesus making it his last I Am saying? I think the latter is the case. As I stated previously, Jesus’ farewell address is, in many ways, his theological interpretation of what takes place within the Book of Signs. The previous six I Am sayings take place within that context. The previous I Am sayings find their prophetic symbolic fulfillment within the metaphor that Jesus is the vine and his disciples are the branches. Only by abiding in Jesus the vine, he who is the resurrection and the life, does one partake of the born-anew baptismal life of the Holy Spirit as well as the life-giving body and blood of the risen Jesus. Only by abiding in the risen Jesus is one able to live in him who is the life-giving light of the world. Only by abiding in the risen Jesus, he who is the sheep gate, is one ushered by him, he who is the good shepherd, into the life-giving pastures. Only by abiding in the risen Jesus, he who is the true life-giving way, does one come to abide in his Father. Only by abiding in the risen Jesus does one then share in the divine life of He Who Is. Although Jesus, as the resurrection and the life, is the sine qua non that makes all of the other I Am sayings real, one can only experience the reality of all the I Am sayings if one abides in the risen Jesus—He Who Is the true vine.10 Thus the metaphor that Jesus is the vine and his disciples are the branches subsumes into itself the reality and benefits of all the previous six I Am sayings. In so doing, this metaphor portrays Jesus being Jesus, for only by abiding in him does one reap the full benefits of salvation, the life-giving graces that he, in his risen glory, embodies. Jesus, then, is returning to, passing over into, his Father through his death and resurrection so that all of the above can become a reality—so that he can truly become and be Jesus, YHWH-Saves.11 Having elaborated on what it means for him to be the vine and for his disciples to be the branches, Jesus once more returns to the topic of those who do not abide in him. “If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.” 10. On the significance of Jesus being the resurrection and the life, see JBJ 2:358–95. 11. We must remember that Jesus’ farewell address is set within the Passover celebration— the Last Supper. Thus it is only in his passing over to his Father in his sacrificial death and life-giving resurrection that Jesus becomes the vine and we the branches, such that all of the other “I am” sayings also come to fulfillment. Again, while the Book of Glory is composed of distinct parts, these parts form the Passover as a whole.

Abiding in Jesus   85 Once again, as above, it would appear that Jesus is speaking of a person who once was attached to him, but because he has not borne fruit, is cast forth from him and so withers. What is new is the dire consequence of such a separation. The imagery employed denotes eternal damnation. John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees to bear the fruit of repentance, for it is not enough for them to claim that they are children of Abraham. “Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Mt 3:7–10; see also Lk 3:7–9 and Mt 7:19 and 23:33). Later, his disciples ask Jesus to interpret the parable of weeds in the field. It is the devil who sows the weeds, and at the end of the age, the harvesters are the angels. “The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth” (Mt 13:36–42). To the goats, who never performed the works of charity, Jesus will say, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt 25:41). The author of the Letter to the Hebrews states that those who have tasted the heavenly gift and partaken of the Holy Spirit, “if they commit apostasy”—that is, abandon their faith in Jesus as God’s Son and will be like “thorns and thistle”—their end “is to be burned” (Heb 6:4–8; see also Ezek 15:1–8). Those who do not abide in Jesus, the vine, and so do not bear the fruit of love, will be cast, like dead branches, into the everlasting fires of hell.12 By abiding in Christ Jesus, his disciples will bear the fruit that leads to everlasting life, but those who do not abide in him, and so bear no fruit that lasts, will reap the fires of everlasting death.13 12. Within his final vision, John sees a new heaven and new earth come down out of heaven. Having rewarded the good and just, God says, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers and fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Jn 21:8; see also the whole of chapter 20, which speaks of Satan and his cohorts being thrown into the everlasting lake of fire). 13. Jesus’ vine/branch metaphor bears some similarity to his parable about the vineyard owner found in the Synoptics. The vineyard owner planted a vineyard and lent it out to tenants. When it came time for him to collect the fruit of his vineyard, he thrice sent his servants to collect his fruit, but the tenants refused, beating and killing his servants. So, the owner, thinking that the tenants would respect his “beloved son” (Mk 12:6), sent him. But they killed him as well. What will the owner of the vineyard do? “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lend the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their season” (Mt 21:41; see the whole of Mt 21:33–41, Mk 12:1–9, and Lk 20:9–16). God the Father is obviously the vineyard owner. The vineyard is Israel of old. The tenants are those whom God had appointed to care for Israel. God sent his prophets to collect the fruit

86  The Book of Glory After this brief condemnatory diversion, Jesus returns to what will transpire for those who do abide in him. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

Jesus’ disciples will receive whatever they ask, but only if they abide in him and his words abide in them (see also Jn 14:13).14 Now, the words that must abide in his disciples are those that command faith and love. This is to ask in faith, a faith grounded in Jesus as the Father’s Son, for that which would express and further the works of salvation glorifies the Father, for what is received would bear the saving fruit of love. This bearing of the fruit of love would thus prove that those who produce such fruitful salvific love are Jesus’ disciples to the glory of his Father. The Father loves Jesus, his Son, for he has kept his Father’s commandment by lovingly laying down his life for the world’s salvation. In so doing, Jesus abides in his Father’s love. Equally, Jesus loves his disciples, for they keep his commandment that they are to love as he has loved, that is, laying down their lives in love for the world’s salvation. In so doing, they will abide in his love.15 Thus we perceive the interrelationof righteousness, but they were ignored and killed. Jesus himself is the “beloved son” sent by his Father, but he too will be killed. Thus his Father will hand over his vineyard to those who will bear the fruit of holiness. The Jewish leaders, upon hearing this parable, realized Jesus was speaking of them, and so they attempted to arrest him (see Mt 21:43–46). Although Jesus in the parable is not the vine, by being killed, he will become, through his resurrection, the Father’s new vine of his new vineyard, in whom abundant saving fruit will come forth. Those who abide in him will, unlike the Jewish authorities, bear fruit in him to the glory of God the Father. 14. In his Frist Letter, John states, “And this is the confidence which we have in him [Jesus], that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him” (1 Jn 5:14–15). As noted in the previous chapter, Jesus himself speaks similarly within the Synoptics. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” For if an earthly father knows how to give good gifts to his children, “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (Mt 7:7–11). In Luke’s account, Jesus says that the heavenly Father will “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask” (Lk 11:13). See also Mk 11:24. 15. What Jesus says here is reminiscent of what he declared earlier. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask for

Abiding in Jesus   87 ship between “the keeping of commandments” and love—the abiding love of Jesus and his disciples, and the abiding love of the Father and Jesus, his Son. Through this love the Father is glorified, both by Jesus and by his disciples who abide in him, for together they do the works of love on behalf of the Father, who is love and the source of love.16 Although he will continue to speak, Jesus concludes this section by saying, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” All that Jesus has stated is so that the joy that he possesses in keeping his Father’s commandments and so abiding in his love may be in his disciples, for in keeping his commandments they will abide in his love, and so their joy will be complete. Joy is found in abiding in Jesus, and in that abiding joy they will joyfully bear the fruit of love.17 That such is the case is confirmed by what Jesus says next.

I Have Called You Friends “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.”18 As Jesus prefaced his statement about his joy being the joy of his disciples by exhorting them to keep his commandments, so he follows his statement concerning joy with the commandment that they are to keep—that they love one another as he has loved them. Joy is radically dependent upon and found within love. Although Jesus has previously told his disciples that they are to love as he loves, with the not-too-hidden implication that they are to sacrifice their lives for one another, here is the first time that Jesus makes what was implied explicit.19 The in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it. (Jn 14:12–14) Because one abides in Jesus through faith in him, one will do the works that he does. Moreover, because one does Jesus’ works, the requests that one makes in his name must be in accordance with his saving works, and the saving works that Jesus does are always the saving works of sacrificial love. This is why these prayers will always be answered, and why the Father will always be glorified in his Son (see 1 Jn 3:22–24). 16. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:16). 17. Later, Jesus will speak of the resurrection, and so of the eschatological joy, that his disciples will possess when they see him again. “So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (Jn 16:22; see also 17:13). 18. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 15:12–17. 19. Jesus first tells them, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another;

88  The Book of Glory greatest love is that one lays down one’s life for one’s friends. Life is one’s most cherished possession. All living creatures instinctively flee from what threatens their life, and they take every precaution to conserve and prolong it. Thus to sacrifice one’s life for another is the greatest act of love, especially if it entails that one dies on behalf of another. Such a sacrificial love defines authentic friendship, and it also occasions one’s greatest joy. Moreover, Jesus is making explicit how his own love for his friends, his disciples, will be manifested. He will offer his own life as a loving sacrifice to his Father out of supreme love for them so that they may be freed from all that threatens their lives—sin and death; and within that same love, he will joyfully give them the greatest of all gifts—eternal life in him in communion with his Father, the sole fount of life.20 As John states in his First Letter, “By this we know love, that he [Jesus] laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn 3:16).21 even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (Jn 13:34). This “new commandment” is now fully articulated. Jesus’ command that his disciples should love as he loves and so lay down their lives for their friends is in keeping with what Jesus mandates in Matthew’s Gospel. “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24). Interestingly, Peter, shortly after Jesus gives his new commandment, declares: “Lord, why can I not go with you now? I will lay down my life for you” (Jn 13:37). Peter intuitively knows that laying down one’s life for another is the greatest act of love. Of course, Peter will deny knowing Jesus three times, but later, after Jesus is risen, he will ask Peter three times: Do you love me? To which Peter will answer in the affirmative, and then Jesus will say to him that he must feed his sheep, that is, lay down his life in love for Jesus’ church. Loving Jesus entails loving the ecclesial brethren (see Jn 21:15–19). 20. Paul speaks of the great love that God has for us in that Jesus died for us even though we were helpless sinners (see Rom 5:6–8). Because of this great love, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (see 8:31–39). 21. Jesus consistently speaks of loving one another. While an entire thesis could probably be written on this issue, the question that arises is, Who is the “other”? Jesus is presently speaking to his disciples, with the implication that what he is commanding them applies to his disciples of every generation. Thus the loving of “one another” means, for sure, the loving of those who believe in Jesus. Moreover, this loving of “one another” needs to be interpreted within the context of the use of the term “brethren.” Earlier in the Gospel, John speaks of “brethren” in the sense of Jesus’ relatives (see Jn 7:5). In his post-resurrection appearance to Mary Magdalene, Jesus tells her to “go to my brethren,” and so Mary goes to “the disciples” (Jn 20:17). When Jesus responds to Peter’s query as to what will happen to the beloved disciple, Jesus retorts, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” John then adds an aside: “The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple was not to die” (Jn 21:21–23). Here “brethren” would mean those who belong to the apostolic community. In his First Letter, John is writing to his fellow believers. He calls those who are to follow Jesus’ command of loving one another “brethren” and “brother” (see 1 Jn 4:21). “By this we know love,

Abiding in Jesus   89 Having designated his disciples as his friends, contingent upon their keeping his commandment of love, Jesus expands on the significance of his calling them friends. “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”22 Although Jesus is, in one sense, the master and teacher of his disciples, that relationship is one of friendship, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn 3:16; see also 3:14). The Third Letter of John also speaks of “brethren” as those who belong to the fellowship of faith (see 3 Jn 3, 5, 10). In the Book of Revelation, the devil is seen as “the accuser of our brethren,” that is, those who believe in Jesus (Rv 12:10). Similar references to “brethren” can be found within the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s letters, but here we must limit ourselves to the Johannine writings. Given the above, does Jesus’ command to love one another as he has loved us apply only to the “brethren” who are his disciples, the fellowship of faith? A number of distinctions need to be made. First, Jesus lays down his life for the salvation of the world, and thus his love encompasses all of humankind. Likewise, his disciples, if they are to go and bear lasting fruit, must lovingly lay down their lives in the preaching of the Gospel. So, in one sense, to follow Jesus’ command to love as he loves is not limited to the fellowship of faith. Second, although love entails a care for the salvation of the world, there is also a bond of love, a bond of friendship, between Jesus and his disciples and among the disciples themselves that is unique, for they possess a love for one another that is founded upon their communion of faith in Jesus, and so enjoy a relationship with his Father as his Spirit-filled children. Thus there is an affection, a warmth, and a fondness between Jesus and his disciples and among his followers for one another that manifests that they are “brethren,” singularly brothers and sisters to one another in Christ. Moreover, as Jesus stated earlier, it is this Christ-like love among his disciples that will confirm to the world that “you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). Paul makes a similar distinction in his Letter to the Galatians: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6:10). 22. Within the Old Testament, only Abraham is called friend of God. Jehoshaphat prays that God will protect and prosper his people, reminding him, “Did you not, O God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?” (2 Chr 20:7). Isaiah speaks of “Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend” (Is 41:8). James’ Letter states that Abraham’s faith made him righteous, “and he was called a friend of God” (Jas 2:23). Although Moses, in Nm 12:7 and Dt 34:5, is called a servant of God, Ex 33:11 states: “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” In contrast, Joshua (see Jos 24:29) and David (see Ps 89:20) are called servants of God. It would appear that the reason Abraham is a friend of God, and not merely a servant like Moses, Joshua, and David, is that he is the father of God’s chosen people. It should be noted that Jesus is not a friend of God but the Father’s only begotten Son, and as the Father’s Son, he will fulfill God’s promise to his friend Abraham, that all nations will be blessed through him (see Gn 12:1–4, 18:18, and 22:18). Paul states, “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all nations be blessed’ ” (Gal 3:8).

90  The Book of Glory for he has told them, in word and deed, all that his Father told him—that he is the Father’s Spirit-filled Son who is accomplishing his Father’s salvific work. This hidden mystery, now shared among mutual friends, is the source of joy. Jesus nonetheless reminds them: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” The disciples did not choose Jesus as their friend; rather, he chose them. Their relationship with him as friends is not their doing but solely dependent upon his calling them to himself. They in no sense deserve his friendship. Rather, Jesus has freely gifted them with his saving friendship. Now, Jesus chose his disciples to be his friends so that they could “go and bear fruit, and your fruit should abide.” As the Father sent his Son into the world to bear the fruit of salvation, so Jesus is sending his disciples, his friends, to bear fruit, fruit that will last—that is, fruit not pertaining to this life but fruit that is of everlasting significance—the fruit of the life-giving Gospel. The fruit that the disciples will bear is simply the giving of Jesus himself—he who is the Father’s Spirit-filled vine of everlasting life.23 Because his disciples are to bear fruit that will last, they can be assured, once again, that whatever they ask the Father, in Jesus’ name, they will receive, for what they desire is what the Father and Jesus most desire—the fruit of the world’s salvation. So, Jesus again emphatically concludes, “This I command you, to love one another.” Without faith-filled love, there is no friendship, no abiding fruit, no everlasting life.

If They Persecuted Me, They Will Persecute You After speaking of love, joy, and friendship, Jesus immediately, and with a thunderbolt, turns to, of all things, hate. 23. What Jesus says here about his freely choosing his disciples in order that they might bear abiding fruit is in accord with Paul’s teaching. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is a gift of God—not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:8–10) As Jesus freely chose his disciples so that they might bear the fruit of love, so God has freely given us salvation—something we did not deserve. Through faith in Jesus, God’s Son, we are re-created in Christ Jesus, and we are re-created in order that we might do the prepared good works, the bearing of love’s fruit, that faith demands.

Abiding in Jesus   91 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.24

By first speaking of the world’s hatred of his disciples prior to the world’s hatred of him, Jesus is dramatically forewarning his disciples of the hatred they will surely encounter. The world’s hatred of Jesus is the precursor of the world’s hatred of his followers. But why would the world hate Jesus and, subsequently, his disciples when Jesus loves the world even unto death, and his disciples will do the same? This association of love and hate is a supreme irony, and it refers back to what is very early in John’s Gospel. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” The problem is that worldly men “loved the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil,” and this is the judgment of the world that men have not believed “in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (Jn 3:16–19). The world hates Jesus and will hate his disciples because the world is enthralled by the darkness of sin, little knowing that it will reap sin’s dark death. The world of sinful men is convinced that the pleasant enchantments of this world are themselves life-giving, and so the world refuses to discard them. Thus the world hates Jesus, for he is calling it to abandon its sin and instead believe in him, the Father’s Son, he who is the only source of true joy and life. The very light of his witness is testimony against the world’s deceit, and so it seeks to banish Jesus from its midst.25 If his disciples were of the world, they would be loved by the world, for the world loves those who love what it loves. In choosing his disciples, however, Jesus has removed them from the world’s darkness, and so the world will hate them as it hates Jesus, for he is not of the world.26 Earlier, Jesus told 24. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 15:18–27. 25. Earlier, when his unbelieving relatives were encouraging him to go to the feast, Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil” (Jn 7:6–7). In his First Letter, John tells his readers, “Do not wonder, brethren, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love remains in death” (1 Jn 3:13–14). 26. After Jesus’ Eucharistic discourse, when Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Holy One of God, Jesus states, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you has a devil?” (Jn 6:68–70). While Jesus chose Judas, Judas did not leave the world but remained within the devil’s realm of sin.

92  The Book of Glory the unbelieving Jews, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he (ego eimi)” (Jn 8:23–24; see also 9:41). Jesus is not of this world primarily because he, as the Father’s Son, is eternally begotten from the Father. Therefore, while he is now in the world as the Father’s incarnate Son, he does not belong to the world’s sin. He has come into the world of sin to save the world from sin’s death, and those who refuse to believe that he is the Father’s Son, and so He Who Is, will die in their sin.27 Jesus reminds his disciples what he had previously told them: Remember the word that I said to you, “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted me, they will persecute you, if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.

Upon completing the washing of his disciples’ feet, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent 27. Here again we find that what Jesus declares here he will later address in his pray to his Father: I have given them [his disciples] your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (Jn 17:14–16) Although more will be said at the appropriate point, we see here that his disciples are not of the world because Jesus has given to them the Father’s word of truth. The word that Jesus has given them is that he is the Father’s Word Incarnate—the very truth of the Father. Jesus’ prayer is that his Father would sanctify them in the truth—that is, in Jesus himself—and in so being sanctified that they would be protected from the Devil, the anti-Word, the father of lies. The world will hate Jesus’ disciples, for it believes the lies of its father (see Jn 8:44–45). In his First Letter, John exhorts the “young men”: Do not love the world, or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust with it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 Jn 2:15–17; see also 1 Jn 4:4–6) To love the things of this world is not to possess the love of the Father, for the Father is the Father of the Truth—his living Word. The sinful world will pass away, but those who abide in the Father’s Word, Jesus, will live forever. Paul encourages the Romans: “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:2). And James warns his readers: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (Jas 4:4).

Abiding in Jesus   93 greater than he who sent him” (13:16). As Jesus gave his servant-disciples an example in washing their feet, so now, as his servant-disciples, they too will be persecuted. The persecution, as with Jesus himself, is dependent upon who does and who does not keep the words that the disciples speak, for their words bear witness to Jesus as the Father’s saving Spirit-filled Son. Nonetheless, “all this they will do to you on my account [literally, on account of my name], because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father also.”28 There is here a serial causal relationship of hate. The world will hate and persecute Jesus’ disciples because he has chosen them out of the world, and they bear witness to him as the Father’s incarnate Son. But the world first hated and persecuted Jesus, the Father’s Son, because he bore witness to the world’s sin. In hating Jesus, the world hates his Father who sent him, for he is the Father’s beloved Son. Thus the world will hate Jesus’ disciples ultimately because it hates Jesus’ Father. Now, this serial causal relationship of hate contrasts with what Jesus told his disciples earlier. “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” To love, in faith, Jesus as the Father’s Son also entails a love for the Son’s Father, and this twofold love occasions the Father to love the person who loves his Son. In this serial relationship of love, the Father and Son will come to abide in such a person. In accord with what he is presently saying, however, Jesus also previously stated, “He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me” (Jn 14:23–24). Love of Jesus, the Father’s Messianic Son, establishes an abiding communion with the Trinity, but such a love of Jesus simultaneously incites the world’s hatred and persecution. Again, the irony is that in loving Jesus, one must love the world as did Jesus, and so lay down one’s life for the world’s salvation, even though the world will hate and persecute such a loving person.29 28. Earlier, Jesus tells the unbelieving Jews, “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him” (Jn 5:23). He also said, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father also” (Jn 8:19). Later, Jesus says to his disciples, “And they will do all this [persecution of them] because they have not known the Father, nor me” (Jn 16:3). John in his First Letter declares: “No one who denies the Son, has the Father. He who confesses the Son has the Father also” (1 Jn 2:23). 29. What Jesus tells his disciples within John’s Gospel, concerning the world’s hatred of them and their being persecuted, is also found at greater length within the Synoptics. I will

94  The Book of Glory They who persecute Jesus, moreover, have no excuse for their unbelief other than their own obstinate love of the world, for Jesus, the Father’s Sent-Son, has come and spoken to the world his Father’s word—that is, that he is the Father’s salvific Son. Although they refuse to believe Jesus’ word, they should, as he has said before and now says again, believe his works (see Jn 10:37–38). “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.” The works to which Jesus is referring are his miracle signs that his Father had given him to do, for they are the prophetic anticipation of Jesus’ ultimate Father-given salvific sign—his death on the cross and his miraculous resurrection.30 They have seen them, and yet they have not believed. Their sin therefore remains. That sin finds its consummation in their hatred for Jesus, the Father’s Son, and so their hatred also of the Son’s Father. This hatred, Jesus says, “is to fulfill the word that is written in the law, ‘They hated me without cause.’ ” Jesus is referring to both Psalm 35 and 69. In Psalm 35, the psalmist prays that God would contend with those who contend with him, and fight against those who fight against him. Malicious witnesses rise up against him, and the impious mock him and gnash their teeth at him. “Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let those who wink the eye not hate me without cause” (Ps 35:19). The entire psalm prophetically alludes to Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, where lying witnesses speak against him, and the unbelieving Jews and soldiers gleefully mock him and gnash their teeth at him. In all of this vileness they express their hatred of Jesus, but they do so without cause. Psalm 69 is similar. The psalmist beseeches God to save him, for he has sunk into the deep, and his eyes grow dim with waiting for his God. “More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies” (Ps 69:4). Moreover, “zeal for your house has consumed me and the insults of those who insult you [God] have fallen on me” (Ps 69:9). The cleansing of his Father’s discuss the Synoptic accounts in relation to John’s in the next chapter, which covers chapter 16 of John’s Gospel, where Jesus makes the allusion more apparent. 30. Moses calls to the Israelites’ memory all the great signs and wonders that God worked for them. Such marvelous signs have never been seen from the creation of the world. With mighty power, God saved them from the slavery of Egypt and has now led them to the land of promise (see Dt 4:32–40). For all to see, Jesus has now performed works that no one else has ever done and so have never before seen. “Never since the world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing” (Jn 9:32–33; see also 3:2, 7:31, 10:41–42, and 11:45). These seen signs manifest that God is in their midst, and yet the Jewish authorities do not believe and so remain in their sin.

Abiding in Jesus   95 house was the first incident that incited the Jewish leaders’ hatred of Jesus, and now that hatred has almost reached its climax (see Jn 2:16–23). But it was not in hatred of him that the unbelieving Jews plotted against him; rather, the insults that fell upon Jesus were ultimately insults hurled against his Father, for to hate the Son of the Father is, in the end, to hate the Father of the Son.

The Spirit of Truth Despite the world’s hatred of him, his Father, and his disciples, Jesus once again speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit. But when the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from my Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.31

In the midst of disbelief, hatred, and persecution, Jesus will send from his Father none other than the Spirit of truth, the Spirit who proceeds from the Father himself. Because the Spirit is the Spirit of truth, he will bear witness to the truth that Jesus is the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son.32 Moreover, since the Spirit of truth will come to his disciples, they too will bear witness to Jesus’ divine Sonship. The Spirit will come to his disciples, for they have been with Jesus from the very onset of his ministry, and therefore they are able to testify to his miracles—the signs that manifest that he, like the Spirit, is from the Father as the Father’s truth-bearing Word.33 Here we must probe the theological significance of the Holy Spirit being the Spirit of truth in relation to the Father and the Son. Earlier, Jesus said that he would pray to his Father, and his Father would send “another Counselor . . . even the Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:16–17). The Father will send the Spirit at Jesus’ bequest. Shortly after, Jesus tells his disciples that he has told them many things while he is still with them. “But the Counselor, 31. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 15:26–27. 32. In his First Letter, John states, “And the Spirit is the witness, because he is the Spirit of truth” (1 Jn 5:7). 33. Luke begins his Gospel by informing the reader that what he is about to narrate are those things that were accomplished, “just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word” (Lk 1:1–2). In Luke’s Acts of the Apostles, just prior to his ascension, Jesus declares to his disciples: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

96  The Book of Glory the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (Jn 14:25– 26). Here the Father will send the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name, that is, within the authority of Jesus—YHWH-Saves. Because he will be the risen Savior and Lord, Jesus will possess the ability to baptize in the Spirit, and so while the Father will send the Spirit, he will do so under the auspices or patronage of the risen Jesus. In both instances, the Father’s sending of the Spirit is not apart from his Son. Presently, Jesus says that he will himself send the Spirit from the Father. While Jesus will be doing the sending, it is “from the Father” that he will be sending the Spirit. Jesus, as the Father’s Son, sends the Spirit from the Father, for the Spirit proceeds from the Father, and so is the Father’s Spirit. Moreover, Jesus sends the Spirit from within the Father, for he abides in the Father as the Father’s Spirit imbued Son. It is therefore in communion with the Father, as the Father’s Son, that Jesus will send the Father’s Spirit. The reason, then, that Jesus can “pray” that the Father send his Spirit is due to his being the Father’s Son. It is a request that only the Son, as the incarnate risen Savior, is able to make, and a request that the Son’s Father willingly grants. Similarly, the Father will send the Spirit in Jesus’ name, for the Father only works through his Son, who in communion with his Father does his Father’s works. Thus within these three passages, wherein Jesus speaks of the sending of the Spirit of truth, he always mentions himself and his Father, whether it is the Father who is doing the sending or Jesus, the Son, who is doing the sending. Their perichoretic working relationship therefore demands that they together, in communion as divine persons, will send the Holy Spirit—the Father sending his Spirit in, with, and through his risen incarnate Spirit-filled Son, Jesus— YHWH-Saves.34 In the above, I have attempted to conceive clearly and articulate properly what Jesus teaches within John’s Gospel concerning the manner in which he and his Father act together in sending the Holy Spirit upon his disciples, that is, within the economy of salvation. Their interrelated action in sending the Spirit within the economy provides a window through which we can perceive the communion of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit within the Trinity itself. The foundational theological principle employed here is that the eco34. This perichoretic action of the Father and the Son together sending the Holy Spirit is in keeping with what Jesus states earlier—that he only does what he sees the Father doing (see Jn 5:19–38). His very works manifest that Jesus is in his Father and his Father is in him, and thus the work of sending the Spirit is enacted by them together, for, being one, they share the Spirit of truth (see Jn 10:30, 10:38, and 14:11).

Abiding in Jesus   97 nomic missions of the Son and Holy Spirit are founded upon the manner in which they eternally come from the Father, who is the divine source of both.35

The Inner Life of the Trinity The Father and the Holy Spirit Now, as the Father, in communion with his Son, sends the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, to the disciples, so within the Father’s eternal begetting of his Son, the Spirit of truth eternally proceeds from the Father so as to abide in the Son. What is presently important is that the Spirit who proceeds from the Father is, as Jesus twice states, the Spirit of truth.36 The Father is the fullness of all truth and so the fount from which the Spirit of truth proceeds. The Father is the Father, then, not simply because he begets his Son, but also because, within the act of begetting, the Spirit of truth proceeds from him as the one through whom he imbues his Son with the fullness of truth. Jesus is the Truth, for he has been imbued with the Father’s Spirit of truth.37 Thus the Father, in the Spirit, has given himself completely to his Son—all that he himself is—the fullness of his divine life and so the fullness of his divine truth. The Father’s very identity is therefore founded upon the simultaneous twofold act of his begetting his Son within the proceeding of the Spirit of truth upon his begotten Son. This twofold act of begetting his Son within the procession of the Spirit defines the Father’s fatherhood. The Father is therefore “fatherhood” fully in act, and that act is the twofold perichoretic act by and in which the Father begets his Son within the bestowal of the Spirit of truth upon his Son. Thus the Father, in communion with his proceeding Spirit of truth, persons his Son, that is, conforms his Son to be his Spiritimbued Son, the Father’s Spirit-of-truth-filled Son. Although the above has emphasized, in accordance with Jesus’ own words, that the Spirit is the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of truth is not devoid of 35. In the following, I will not address what Jesus says later in Jn 16:7–15. There he also speaks of sending the Spirit. But while what Jesus states will corroborate what he has declared earlier, his emphasis is distinctly different. I will therefore address these passages at the proper time. 36. I accentuate that Jesus speaks of the Spirit of truth, for in the Western theological tradition the Holy Spirit is primarily understood to be the Spirit of love. In the following, I want to be faithful to Jesus’ words, although of course there is no incompatibility between the two, as we will see shortly. In God, truth and love are one. 37. This is why the Son is God’s Word, for he possesses wholly, as Son, the Father’s Spirit of truth. The Father breathes forth his Word within the breath of the Spirit of truth.

98  The Book of Glory love, for the Father, from whom the Spirit proceeds, cannot be devoid of love. The act of “fathering” is by its very nature a loving act. The Father, therefore, in the act of begetting his Son within the act of the Spirit of truth’s proceeding from him, lovingly bestows upon his Son, in the Spirit of truth, the fullness of the truth that he himself is. The Father is the begetting-Father of his beloved Son, for he lovingly Spirit-imbues his Son with his divine totality. The Father’s Spirit is thus the Spirit of both love and truth, which find their unity in him who proceeds from the Father, who is the fount of both.

The Son and the Holy Spirit In the above, I have focused on the relationship of the Father and the Holy Spirit within the Father’s begetting of his Son—the Father lovingly begetting his Son within the procession of the Holy Spirit—and so the Father’s imbuing his Son with his Spirit of truth. We must now examine the relationship between the Son and the Holy Spirit within the Son’s being begotten of the Father. The Father’s bestowal of the Spirit of truth upon his Son within the begetting of his Son is what imparts to the Son his divine identity—the perfect truth-bearing image of his Father. Thus the Son is the Father’s Son not simply by being begotten by the Father, but also, within the Father’s begetting, by the Father concurrently bestowing his Spirit of truth upon his begotten Son. As the Father’s fatherhood is only completed within his begetting of his Son by the bestowal of the Spirit of truth upon his Son, so the Son’s sonship is only completed with the abiding of the Spirit within him. Without the proceeding of the Spirit from the Father within the Father’s begetting of his Son the Father would not be Father, nor would the Son be his Son, for both would lack what is essential to their respective identities. The Father is the Father only in the enacting of the perichoretic act of begetting his Son within the bestowal of the Spirit of truth upon the Son. This twofold act is what defines the Father’s “fathering.” Likewise, the Son is the Son only because he is begotten by his Father within the Father’s bestowal of the Spirit of truth upon him. If the Son is not constituted in his Sonship within the Father’s begetting bestowal of the Spirit of truth upon him, he would not be truly the Father’s Son, for he would lack what is essential to the Father being his Father, and so would not be the Father’s perfect image.38 Moreover, as the Father is fatherhood fully in act, so 38. Jesus will state later that the Holy Spirit will glorify him, “for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he [the Spirit] will

Abiding in Jesus   99 the Son is sonship fully in act, for he enacts perfectly the Father’s image, and that enacted image demands that he loves his Father, that is, that he gives himself completely to his Father, in the Spirit of truth, in the same manner that the Father loves him in his bestowal of the Spirit of truth upon him. Without this reciprocating love of the Spirit, the Son would not perfectly image his Father’s love for him. The abiding of the Spirit of truth within the Son therefore contributes to the Son’s identity, that of being the true loving Son of his Father. This being the case, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father in the Father’s begetting of his Son is the same Spirit of truth who also then proceeds from the Son to his Father. Both the Father and the Son fully love one another and give themselves completely to one another in the Spirit of truth, the Spirit who engenders the Father’s love for his begotten Son and engenders the Son’s love for his begetting Father. Thus the Father abides in his Son, for he gives himself totally, in the Spirit of truth, to his Son as the Son’s loving Father, and the Son abides in his Father, for he gives himself totally, in the same Spirit of truth, to his Father as the Father’s loving Son. The Father and the Son therefore perichoretically abide in one another, for the Spirit of truth is their conjoined act that knits them together in their mutual love of the truth, the fullness of divine truth that each possesses totally, in accord with the respective identities as begetter and begotten. Moreover, what we also perceive here is that the Father is not simply the Father in begetting his Son in his bestowal of the Spirit upon his Son, but he is also the Father because his begotten Son loves him in the same Spirit in whom he was begotten. Without a loving Spirit-imbued Son, the Father would not be fully the Father. Thus the Son contributes, in his being the reciprocal Spirit-loving Son, to the Father’s identity as Father.

The Holy Spirit and the Father and the Son I have emphasized that the Father is fatherhood fully in act and that the Son is sonship fully in act. The Father is the act of giving himself completely to his Son in his begetting of his Son in communion with the Spirit of truth, and the Son is the act of giving himself completely to his Father in communion with the Father-given Spirit of truth. Although the terms “Father” and “Son” are nouns, they designate pure acts, and so “Father” and “Son” must be undertake what is mine and declare it to you [the disciples]” (Jn 16:14–15). The Holy Spirit is the Father’s Spirit, and therefore all that belongs to the Father he has given to his Son—particularly his Spirit. Only if the Son possesses the Spirit can he be the Father’s perfect image.

100  The Book of Glory stood in the sense of designating verbs, for their very “nature” is that of the act of fatherhood and sonship. Now, when Jesus speaks of the Spirit of truth, is he designating the Holy Spirit to be the Spirit of truth in act? Since the Spirit of truth proceeds forth from within the Father’s love, is he the Spirit of love in act? I believe that such must be the case, for if the Holy Spirit is divine, and so essential to the nature of the Trinity, then he, like the Father and the Son, must be the Holy Spirit fully in act—truth and love fully in act.39 How, then, is the Holy Spirit truth and love fully in act? What act constitutes the action of the Holy Spirit? As is evident in all of the above, the Holy Spirit is truth and love fully in act, for he is the act that engenders the Father’s love within his act of begetting the Son, and so in bestowing upon the Son the fullness of his truth, that is, the Father’s Spirit of truth. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is concurrently the act that engenders the reciprocal love of the Son for his begetting Father, that is, the Son’s loving gratitude to his Father for bestowing upon him the fullness of the Spirit of truth, all that his Father is. Thus the Holy Spirit is integral to whom the Father and Son are, for he is the act that contributes to the Father being the loving Father of his Son and contributes to the Son being the loving Son of his Father. The Spirit is therefore vital to the Father’s and Son’s identity—to their being the acts of fatherhood and sonship.40 What we here perceive is that the Trinity of persons, all of whom are fully in act, is the perichoretic interrelational acts of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in and through which they constitute themselves and one another as the one God.41 The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are therefore subsistent re39. Since the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, he too must be God as the Father is God, just as the Son is God as the Father is God, since he is begotten of the Father. Since the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, this double procession accentuates and confirms the full divinity of the Holy Spirit. 40. I have spoken of the Father as both bestowing the Holy Spirit “upon” his Son and the Father “imbuing” his Son with the Holy Spirit. What I want to make clear is that by sending the Holy Spirit “upon” his Son, the Father “imbues” his Son with the Holy Spirit; that is, the Spirit does not reside outside the Son, but rather the Spirit abides within the Son so as to contribute to the Son’s identity as the Father’s Son. Such an understanding would be in keeping not only with what Jesus attests to in John’s Gospel, but also with what is found in the letters of Paul (see Rom 8:9, 8:14–16, and 8:29 and Gal 4:6). 41. I want here to note two points. First, what I have articulated in the above is in accord with what I consider to be the foundational hermeneutical principle for understanding the relationship of the divine persons within the Trinity. I expressed this principle in my book The Father’s Spirit of Sonship: Reconceiving the Trinity (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1995), 14–15. A proper understanding of the Trinity can only be obtained if all three persons, logically and ontologically, spring forth in one simultaneous, nonsequential, eternal act

Abiding in Jesus   101 lations fully in act, for they are who they are only within the related acts by which and in which they are constituted, and so subsist, in their distinct identities. Both these relational acts thus distinguish who the persons of the Trinity are and simultaneously constitute them as the one God. It may appear that we have strayed far from what Jesus states in John’s Gospel concerning the Spirit of truth’s relationship to the Father and to the Son. Some may think that I have even progressed from Jesus’ “simple” statements into the realm of Trinitarian whimsical fantasy. But these very Johannine passages have been, since the time of the Eastern and Western Fathers of the Church, some of the key texts for conceiving and articulating the nature of God as a Trinity of equal divine persons. My interpretation, which I hope is fairly accurate and clear, and in accord with Jesus’ intent, would no doubt be seen as following the tradition of Augustine, Bonaventure, and Thomas Aquinas, and thus the whole subsequent Western tradition, particularly in arguing that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Personally, I am convinced that the Western Trinitarian tradition is more faithful to the revelation contained in the New Testament than what is found in the Eastern tradition, which contends that the Spirit proceeds from the Father alone. Moreover, I have also attempted to interpret these texts in a manner that brings to the fore the nuanced originality that heretofore has not been fully appreciated, such as the Holy Spirit being the Spirit of truth, and that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit being persons fully in act.42 in which each person of the Trinity subsistently defines, and equally is subsistently defined by, the other persons. Second, Aquinas argues, as does Bonaventure, that God must be pure being, ipsum esse, and thus pure act, actus purus. God’s very nature is simply “to be.” This understanding would be in accord with God’s revelation that he is He Who Is—the great I AM. Thus God is not a noun, but being pure act, he is to be apprehended as a verb. What has not been fully appreciated is that, in the light of the revelation of the Trinity, the persons of the Trinity are persons fully in act. In this light, the reason God is pure act is because the persons of the Trinity are pure interrelational acts. Founded upon the Father’s pure act of fatherhood, the Father is the fount of life (the Son) and love/truth (the Holy Spirit). Therefore the one God is pure act because the one God is constituted by the interrelational acts of the fully in act Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God never existed as pure act apart from being the Trinity existing as pure act. See my Does God Change? The Word’s Becoming in the Incarnation (Still River, MA: St. Bede’s Publications, 1985), 74–82, and my Does God Suffer? (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2000), 114–29. 42. My treatment of the Trinity here is mostly in accord with what I have proposed previously, though here I have taken a somewhat different approach, since I wanted to give due respect and authority to Jesus’ naming the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth. For my previous treatments of the Trinity, see my JBJ 1:192–98, Father’s Spirit of Sonship, and “Trinitarian Christology: The Eternal Son,” in Jesus: Essays in Christology (Ave Maria, FL: Sapientia Press, 2014), 156–71,

102  The Book of Glory Having extensively examined the Trinitarian implications of Jesus’ words concerning the Spirit of truth, we can now clearly see why both the Father and the Son together, each according to who he is, will send the Holy Spirit. The Father and Son exemplify the Latin idiom Nemo dat quod non habet, “no one gives what he does not possess.” Because the Spirit proceeds from the Father within the immanent Trinity, the Father is able to send/give the Spirit within the economy of salvation. Likewise, because Jesus, as the Father’s Son, possesses the Spirit of truth, he also is able to send/give the Spirit. Moreover, since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, he will testify to the truth that Jesus is the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son. Likewise, Jesus’ disciples will bear witness to him as the Father’s Son, for they too now possess, have been given, the same Spirit of truth that the Father and the Son share. With Jesus’ declaration that his disciples, who were with him from the beginning, will be his witnesses, chapter 15 comes to its close, though Jesus will continue his farewell address in chapter 16. As with the preceding chapter, I do not think an extensive summary conclusion is necessary. Jesus began by declaring that he is the vine and his Father is the vinedresser. Being such, the Father cuts off the fruitless branches but prunes the good branches so that they might bear even more fruit. The good branches bear fruit because they abide in Jesus, and as Jesus glorifies his Father in bearing fruit, so his Father will be glorified in his disciples bearing fruit—thus proving that they are indeed Jesus’ disciples. As with all of the “I Am” sayings, Jesus, by stating that he is the vine, is defining one of the ways that he is Jesus, YHWH-Saves. To abide in him is to bear the fruit of salvation. Moreover, to abide in Jesus, the vine, is to abide in his love and so in the Father’s love as well. This abiding in the love of Jesus and his Father is the fullness of joy, for Jesus’ joy is in abiding in the Father’s love of him. In order to abide in the love of Jesus, one must keep his command of love, that is, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus’ disciples are his friends, and thus he will lay down his life for them. So too, then, they must lay down their lives for one another, and in so doing, they will bear fruit that will last. Nonetheless, the world will hate his disciples, for the world first hated him. Jesus has chosen his disciples out of the world, and so they will be persecuted by those of the world. Because the world refuses to listen to Jesus’ word, and so refusreprinted from The Oxford Handbook of the Trinity, ed. G. Emery and M. Levering (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), 387–99.

Abiding in Jesus   103 es to believe that he is the Father’s Messianic Son, the world will die in its sin. In the midst of joyfully abiding in Jesus and his Father and being scornfully rejected by the world, the disciples will receive the Spirit of truth whom Jesus will send them, the Spirit who proceeds from the Father. That Spirit will refute the world’s rejection of Jesus, for he will testify that Jesus is the Father’s Son. Likewise, his disciples will bear witness to him in the same Spirit of truth. The conclusive and ultimate manner in which Jesus becomes Jesus is in the sending of his Father’s Spirit of truth, for the Holy Spirit is the supreme salvific benefit of his saving work.

The Spirit of Truth

4 • T h e Sp ir it of T ru th

Within John’s narrative of the Last Passover Supper in chapter 13, Jesus begins his farewell discourse. This discourse continues in chapter 14, which appears to be a self-contained unit inserted into the Gospel. In this chapter, Jesus gives reasons as to why his disciples should not be troubled by his leaving. He will pray that his Father send the Spirit of truth, and because of the Holy Spirit’s presence, they will abide with him and with his Father. This abiding is emphasized in chapter 15, where Jesus states that he is the vine and his disciples are the branches. Because of this mutual abiding, his disciples will bear the fruit of love—the laying down of their lives for one another as Jesus will lay down his life for them. Nonetheless, the world will hate and persecute his disciples, just as the world has hated and persecuted Jesus himself. Chapter 15 concludes with Jesus once again saying that he will send the Spirit of truth, who will testify on his behalf as will his disciples also, for they too will possess the Spirit of truth. As we now begin chapter 16, it would appear that Jesus brings to conclusion a previous segment, for he returns to the theme of his disciples being persecuted (verses 1–4). From there, Jesus revisits a topic that we found in chapter 14—that of his returning to his Father and his coming back to his disciples.1 Likewise, Jesus speaks again of the coming of the Spirit of truth who will guide his disciples to all truth. Moreover, the Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The chapter concludes with Jesus assuring his disciples that they will have peace even in the midst of the trouble-filled world, for he has conquered the world. With the above in mind, we can now proceed to the text. 1. Verses 4–33 of chapter 16 are almost a duplicate of verses 1–31 of chapter 14. Because of this close resemblance, much of chapter 16 could be another variation of what is found in chapter 14 and was at some point in the redaction of the Gospel inserted here. This would have been done because it would have been thought that both accounts are ultimately from John, and so express, in slightly different ways, Jesus’ own thought.

104

The Spirit of Truth   105

Expulsion from the Synagogues Having told his disciples that they would testify on his behalf because they have received the Spirit of truth, Jesus immediately informs them of the consequences of such testimony. I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away [literally, “shocked,” “tripped,” or “offended”]. They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.2

All that Jesus has previously told his disciples was to keep them from being startled and overwhelmed by what will suddenly to come upon them and abandoning their faith in him as the Father’s anointed Son. In the midst of hatred and persecution, they must remember that they abide in him and in his Father and that they must bear the fruit of love. Jesus nonetheless dramatically details what is on the immediate horizon, the coming hour. His disciples will be cast out of the synagogues. To be thrown out of the synagogue is to be excommunicated from Jewish worship and fellowship, and thus no longer considered a “living” member of God’s covenanted people. Such an expulsion meant that one had become an apostate—a heretical nonbeliever.3 Being cast out of the synagogue is merely the prelude, however. The hour is indeed coming “when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.” While Jesus is speaking of the “hour” that pertains to his disciples being killed, the disciples’ “hour” reflects the near “hour” that is indeed coming upon Jesus— his own crucifixion.4 Those who persecute and kill Jesus’ disciples, and here 2. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 16:1–4. 3. The Book of Ezra states that all who have returned from exile must assemble in Jerusalem, and if they do not do so in three days, their property will be confiscated and they will be “banned from the congregation of the exiles” (Ezr 10:7–8). In John’s Gospel, this casting out of the synagogue was already seen when the blind man’s parents refused to speculate on how their son came to see, and that the authorities should ask him. “His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess him [Jesus] to be the Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue” (Jn 9:22). Later also, John remarks that “many even of the authorities believed in him [Jesus], but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue” (Jn 12:42). In the Acts of the Apostles, when Paul speaks of his persecution of the Christians, he says that he not only put them in prison and voted for their death, but he also “punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme” (Acts 26:9–11). 4. What Jesus says here in John is in accord with what he also states in the Synoptics. “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues,

106  The Book of Glory Jesus is speaking specifically of “the Jews,” will think that they are serving God, for they are putting to death those who have blasphemed God. This blasphemy consists in believing that Jesus is the Father’s Spirit-filled Son, and that as Son he is equal to the Father. For this blasphemy, Jesus himself was killed. Because Jesus healed the man at the pool of Bethsaida on the Sabbath, “the Jews” persecuted Jesus. Jesus responded by saying, “My Father is working still, and I am working.” To this exchange, John notes, “This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath, but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God” (Jn 5:15–18). Later, in response to Jesus saying, “I and the Father are one,” “the Jews” “took up stones again to stone him.” When Jesus inquires as to why they have done so, since he has done many good works, they declare: “We stone you for no good work but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God” (Jn 10:30–33; see also Jn 10:36). At the trial before Pilate, Pilate tells “the Jews” that they themselves should crucify Jesus, for he finds no crime in him. They respond, “We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God” (Jn 19:6–7).5 To serve the true God is to eradicate all blasphemy against him. Because Jesus declared that God was his Father and so implied that he is the Father’s Son, and because his disciples declare that Jesus is the Father’s Messianic Son, it is only proper and right that they be put to death, for by such a death God’s righteous all-holy name is vindicated. Although he and his disciples will be killed, however, Jesus provides the real reason for such deadly persecution. “And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor me.” “The Jews” may think they know God, and they may think that in killing Jesus and his disciples they are serving God, but they do so in ignorance, for they above all do not know the Father. If they knew God to be the Father, they would recognize Jesus to be the Father’s Son.6 Jesus concludes by stating, “But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them.” and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles” (Mt 10:16–18; see also Mk 13:9–10 and Lk 12:11–12 and 21:12–13). 5. In Matthew’s Gospel, at the trial before Caiaphas the high priest, Caiaphas demanded of Jesus, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” To which Jesus responded, “You have said so.” “Then the high priest tore his robes, and said, ‘He has blasphemed. What is your judgment?’ They answered, ‘He deserves death’ ” (Mt 26:63–66; see also Mk 14:61–64 and Lk 22:67–71). 6. Earlier, Jesus told his disciples that the servant is not greater than the master and therefore if they persecute him, they will persecute them as well. “But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me” (Jn 15:21). Again, because they do not

The Spirit of Truth   107 It would appear, again, that “these things” include not just the coming persecution and the killing, but also the sending of the Spirit of truth, the disciples abiding in Jesus and his Father, and their bearing fruit. These are the things that the disciples must remember, or they will be overcome when “their hour comes,” for “their hour” is the hour when their persecutors will put them to death. If the disciples do not remember, they could easily lose faith in him. Previously, earlier in the Passover mean, when Jesus spoke of his betrayal, he told his disciples that he has told them, “before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he (ego eimi)” (Jn 13:19). Likewise, Jesus told his disciples of what will take place, “so that when it does take place, you may believe” (Jn 14:29). His disciples must remember that Jesus foretold the evil days to come, an evil day concerning him and evil days concerning them, so that when these days do arrive, they will remain steadfast in their faith and believe that he is truly the Father’s divine Son—He Who Is. At this juncture, Jesus’ words take on a new emphasis that reflects back to chapter 14—Jesus’ returning to his Father. The transferal of topics is found in what Jesus states next: “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.” Jesus did not previously forewarn his disciples of the pending hatred and persecution, for he was with them. It is only after Jesus is no longer with them that the world’s hatred and persecution of “the Jews” will befall them, for as the world and “the Jews” put Jesus to death because they neither knew his Father, so now, in the absence of Jesus, they will persecute and kill them, for they profess Jesus to be the Father’s Son. Thus Jesus once more speaks of his going to his Father, and why that “going” will be advantageous for his disciples. know that Jesus is the Father’s sent-Son, something the disciples do know, they will persecute Jesus’ disciples, for they proclaim Jesus’ divine Sonship. Although in the above Jesus is foretelling the persecution that his present disciples will shortly endure at the hands of the unbelieving Jews, and by implication what his followers will suffer throughout the ages, I think we also find here another instance of a Johannine subtheme. When John wrote his Gospel, the foretold persecutions were well underway. Jesus’ Jewish followers were being persecuted and put to death by their unbelieving Jewish brethren. Thus when Jesus tells his disciples that the reason that they will be persecuted is due to those Jews who neither know his Father nor him as the Father’s Son, he is also, for John, informing the present unbelieving Jews, and future unbelieving Jewish generations, why they are perpetrating such persecution. The present unbelieving Jews may think they are serving God, but in reality, their very persecuting acts manifest that they do not truly know the God of their fathers. John’s hope is that what Jesus here tells his disciples will be a light that will illuminate the darkness of his contemporary unbelieving Jewish brethren, and those of future Jewish generations, and so lead them to faith in Jesus as the Father’s Messianic Son.

108  The Book of Glory

The Convicting Spirit of Truth Jesus told his disciples these things while he is still with them. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nonetheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.7

The first thing to observe is the conjoining of the “going” and the “sending” with the “him.” Jesus is going to the one who sent him, that is, to his Father. The Father sent his Son into the world so that Jesus, his incarnate Son, would humanly enact his work of salvation. Now that the hour is at hand for Jesus to accomplish his Father’s salvific work, he is telling of his return to his Father upon completion of his Father’s work. What is inherent within Jesus’ statement, though it will become explicit in what Jesus will state next, is that he will return to his Father by the Father’s act of raising his incarnate Son, an act whereby the glorious Son, Jesus, will ascend into his Father’s presence. Although Jesus is going to his Father, “yet none of you [his disciples] asks me ‘Where are you going?’ ” Jesus appears to be a tad bit annoyed that his disciples have not asked such a question, thinking that they would surely want to know, and so rejoice that he is going to his Father so as to send them the Spirit.8 Jesus nonetheless immediately addresses both issues—why his disciples should not be sad, and why it is to their benefit that he go to his Father. “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do 7. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 16:5–11. 8. Jesus’ posing of this question creates a textual problem. Earlier, Peter asked just such a question: “Lord, where are you going?” (Jn 13:36). Shortly thereafter, Jesus declares that he is going to prepare a place for his disciples and that he would come again to take them with him. In response, Thomas exclaims, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:3–5). In the first instance, Jesus evades the question and tells Peter that he cannot come now but he will come later; he does not say where he is going. In the second instance, Jesus declares that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through him. Such an incongruity among the texts may be an example that illustrates disparate units of text being inserted into John’s Gospel in a later redaction. Or it could be that the disciples were so distraught, as we will momentarily see, that they did not want to press the issue. Since chapters 14 and 16 are so similar, however, in all probability we have two versions of Jesus addressing the same issue—his going to the Father with the ensuing troubled hearts of his disciples.

The Spirit of Truth   109 not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”9 So, the knowledge of Jesus’ departure has saddened the hearts of his disciples, yet they should not be distraught, but instead his going should be a cause for their rejoicing, for his leaving is actually to their advantage. If Jesus remains, the Counselor will not come to them. If Jesus goes, he will send the Counselor to them. There are two issues here that need to be addressed. First, what is the causal relationship between Jesus departing and the Counselor coming, since the coming of the Counselor is dependent upon the departure of Jesus? We should know the answer to this question already, but since Jesus seems to want to ensure that his disciples (and his followers for all ages) know the answer and never forget it, we will again give the answer. Besides, it is only in answering this question that we can address the second issue: Why is Jesus’ departure advantageous? Jesus’ going is by way of the cross and the resurrection. By means of his sacrificial death, Jesus will obtain the forgiveness of sin, the sin that deprives humankind of God’s presence. By means of his resurrection, Jesus will conquer death and obtain everlasting life. Having become the glorious risen Savior and Lord, Jesus will be empowered to send from his Father the other Counselor—empowered to baptize those who believe in the living waters of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit baptism transforms the death-bound sinner into a child of the Father into one who abides in the risen Jesus himself and so obtains eternal life. Thus the entire goal of the Incarnation, with Jesus’ accompanying saving work, is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the principal fruit, the sine qua non gift of all other gifts, the grace upon grace, of the Father’s work of salvation wrought in Jesus, his incarnate Son. This is why it is to the disciples’ advantage, and the whole world’s gain, that Jesus goes. So great is this advantage that this is now the fourth time Jesus makes this same point within his farewell address. The “truth,” then, that resides in Jesus telling his disciples the truth is that they should not be sorrowful and troubled by his departure, but rather they are to rejoice at the prospect of the Holy Spirit’s coming (see Jn 14:16, 14:26, and 15:26–27).10 9. This passage is in keeping with Jn 14, particularly with regard to the Father, upon Jesus’ departure, sending another Counselor, the Spirit of truth, who will teach them all things (see Jn 14:16 and 14:26). 10. All of the above is in accord with the whole trajectory of John’s Gospel. Jesus told Nicodemus that one needs to be born anew in water and the Holy Spirit if one is to enter the kingdom of God (see Jn 3:3–6). Similarly, Jesus informs the Samaritan woman that he has living water that will well up unto eternal life—the life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit (see Jn

110  The Book of Glory Although Jesus has spoken before of the Spirit’s coming and the effects of his presence, he immediately elaborates some new effects, though they are in accord with those he already mentioned. Previously, Jesus said that the Spirit of truth will dwell within his disciples (see Jn 14:17), that he will bring to their remembrance all that Jesus said (see Jn 14:26), and that he will bear witness to him, as will his disciples, for the Spirit will be within them (see Jn 15:26–27). Now Jesus declares: And when he [the Counselor] comes, he will convince [convict] the world of sin and of righteousness and judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.11

First, Jesus identifies those particular offenses committed by the world upon which the Counselor, the Spirit of truth, will render a guilty verdict. The world’s offenses are its own false judgments, that is, concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment itself. Second, Jesus specifies the judgment that the Spirit of truth will hand down with regards to the false judgments of the world. What needs to be noted is that, while the Spirit convicts the world of false judgments, it is Jesus who enumerates what these erroneous verdicts are. Thus Jesus and the Spirit of truth work in tandem. The Spirit convicts the world, and Jesus specifies that of which the world is guilty, for all of the fallacious judgements pertain to the truth of who Jesus is and to his saving work. Thus the Spirit will convict the world of sin, and Jesus specifies what the sin is. The world’s sin, for which the Spirit will condemn it, is that it has judged that Jesus is not the Father’s Son. As Jesus states, “they do not believe in me.” 4:10–14). Later, Jesus declares that for those who believe in him, out of their hearts will flow rivers of living water. To which John notes, “Now he said this about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (Jn 7:37–39). John had learned well Jesus’ teaching—until Jesus departed through his death on the cross and was glorified in his resurrection, he could not give the Holy Spirit. 11. The Revised Standard Version of the Bible, which I am using, translates the Greek elegxei as “convince.” The New Revised Standard Version paraphrases it as “prove the world wrong.” Similarly, the New Jerusalem Bible renders it as “He will show the world how wrong it was.” The New American Bible, Revised Edition, renders it as “convict.” I am not pleased with the paraphrasing found in NRSV or NJB, for their paraphrases do not render the exact meaning of what Jesus is stating. Nor do I think the RSV translation is correct. The Holy Spirit will not primarily “convince” the world. Rather, the Holy Spirit will “convict” the world; that is, he will declare the world “guilty,” he will render a condemnatory judgment or verdict, concerning the world’s misjudgment as to sin, righteousness, and judgment. In this “conviction” the world may be “convinced” that it was wrong, but the work of the Spirit of truth is to condemn error and to witness to what is true. It is in condemning error that the truth is made manifest.

The Spirit of Truth   111 This disbelief is the sin upon which the Spirit will render condemnation. Interestingly, although Jesus states that the Spirit will condemn the world, here Jesus speaks in terms of “they”—“they do not believe in me.” Given that Jesus, immediately prior, speaks in terms of “the Jews” casting his disciples out of the synagogues and killing them, believing that they are rendering service to God, it would appear that Jesus is speaking specifically of the disbelief of the Jews. Earlier, Jesus said that he is going away and that the unbelieving Jews will seek him and will die in their sin (see Jn 8:21). Shortly after, he declared, “I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe I am he (ego eimi)” (Jn 8:24). Disbelief in Jesus’ divinity, as He Who Is, is the cause of a sinful condemnatory death. Moreover, if Jesus had not spoken to them about his being the Father’s Son, “they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin” (Jn 15:22). Likewise, we noted above that the Jewish authorities are the ones who condemned Jesus for blasphemy, for making himself out to be equal to God as the Father’s Son (see Jn 10:33). The Spirit of truth will condemn all this misbelief and all these false accusations, and so, ultimately, the false condemnation that Jesus deserves to die on the cross (see Jn 19:7). The Spirit of truth will also convict the world with regards to what is righteous. The world has judged Jesus to be unrighteous, and the unbelieving Jews will condemn him to death for being blasphemously unrighteous. They declared earlier, “You have a demon!” (Jn 7:20; see also 8:48 and 10:20). No one is more unrighteous than a demon and those in whom he abides. The Spirit will render this a false judgment, however. Rather, he will convict of false judgment all those who hold such a judgment. The Spirit’s righteous judgment will be manifested in Jesus’ resurrection. The world’s false judgment will be condemned, for as Jesus says, “because I go the Father, and you will see me no more.” The Spirit will testify that Jesus has been gloriously taken up into his Father’s presence as the Father’s incarnate Son, and thus that Jesus is the one who alone is truly righteous. Moreover, by raising Jesus gloriously from the dead, the Father manifests that Jesus, far from being demon possessed, is his Spirit-anointed Son and so inherently possesses his own divine righteousness. The unbelieving world and the disbelieving Jews will see him no longer, but to his believing disciples he will appear following his resurrection, and to those through all ages who believe in him, he and his Father will come to abide in them (see Jn 14:23 and 1 Jn 2:24). Lastly, the Counselor, the Spirit of truth, will judge the world’s judgment

112  The Book of Glory and condemn it. The world judges that it has no need of salvation. It has judged itself righteous in its own eyes. The world has enslaved itself to the folly of sin, however, and thus has shackled itself to Satan, the devious ruler of this world of sin and death. The Spirit of truth, when he comes, will unmask the lies of Satan and so unveil the deceptive glitter of sin. In so doing, the Spirit will convict the world of its own madness. This condemnatory judgment resides in that, as Jesus states, “the ruler of this world is judged.” Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has vanquished the world of sin and brought forth a life that is eternal, and thus he has judged the ruler of this world of sin and death to be a fraud.12 “He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44). Moreover, when he was troubled in soul and pondered whether he should ask the Father to save him from this hour, Jesus replied, “No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” A voice from heaven immediately declared: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The present crowd was befuddled by the voice, but Jesus said, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world, now will the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from this earth, will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:27–32). While the ruler of this world may have orchestrated Jesus’ crucifixion, the cross is the Father’s judgment of sin, for through Jesus, his Son, he has righteously condemned sin and cast out Satan. Likewise, the Father will once again glorify his eternal Son by raising him triumphantly from the dead. Thus Jesus, because of his death and resurrection, could declare at the very end of this present chapter, “I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). When the Spirit of truth comes, he will therefore convict the world of the Father’s righteous judgment wrought in his Son, Jesus—the condemnation of this world’s ruler. In his place, the Father will enthrone the everlasting ruler of the new creation, the redeemed world, who is now none other than his risen incarnate Son, the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In so being lifted up into glory, Jesus will draw all to himself, through the Spirit of truth, and so into the presence of his Father.13 12. Jesus, again in his high priestly prayer, will pray that his Father would “keep them [his disciples] from the evil one” (Jn 17:15). 13. Although Jesus, in John’s Gospel, emphasizes that, through his salvific work, he will cast out the ruler of this world, Satan, he never performs an exorcism within the Johannine narrative. I think this could be another example of John composing his Gospel as his own theological interpretation of the one Gospel tradition as found within the Synoptic Gospels. The

The Spirit of Truth   113 Before proceeding to what Jesus says next, I want to make one last theological point. What we perceive in the above is the perichoretic working of the persons of the Trinity. The Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Spirit of truth’s condemnatory verdict is the one rendered by the Father, a judgment that is enacted by Jesus, his Spirit-anointed Son, through his death, and confirmed by the Father in raising Jesus gloriously from the dead. Through his death, Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, casts out the ruler of this world, and the Father, in raising him from the dead, convicts, in the Spirit of truth, the world of its sinful unbelief, for in taking him to himself, the Father rendered his judgment that Jesus is his Spirit-filled righteous Son.

The Truth Guiding Spirit Upon completing his teaching on the “convicting” role of the coming Counselor and the benefit that this coming will have upon his disciples, Jesus next addresses further advantages of the Spirit’s arrival. I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.14

Jesus begins with a rather peculiar statement. On the one hand, he has many more things to tell his disciples, but on the other hand, they are unable to bear them at this point. Why can they not bear what Jesus has yet to tell them? Given the present “spiritual” or “psychological” state of the disciples, are the unknown “things” so prodigious that they would overwhelm his disciples? Or would the disciples simply not be able to grasp their meaning at exorcisms that are found within the Synoptics are prophetic anticipations of what John highlights within his Gospel—that is, that the ultimate exorcism is Jesus’ own death and resurrection—for in these saving events, Jesus will once and for all cast out the ruler of this world, the world of sin and death. Moreover, Jesus’ judgment of and casting out of the ruler of this world through his death and resurrection suggests what was declared in the Prologue. The Word, who is God, is the life of light through whom the Father created all that is. This light of life shone through the darkness of nothingness, and this darkness was not able to overcome the light that is the Word of life (see Jn 1:1–5). Jesus, the incarnate Word, is now the life-giving light of the world, the author of the new creation (see Jn 8:12). Because he is such, neither the darkness of sin or death, nor even the sinister ruler of this world, can overcome the life-giving light of Jesus. Rather, in casting out the ruler of the world, Jesus has cast out the author of the world’s death-bound darkness. 14. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 16:12–15.

114  The Book of Glory this time, but would be able to understand them, after intervening events take place—such as Jesus’ death and resurrection? Moreover, how is Jesus going to tell them these “many things” when he will shortly be going to his Father? Above all, what are these “many things?” Even now, the reader of the Gospel may not be sure what “these things” may be. There appears to be, then, no straightforward answer to these questions. But Jesus does inform his disciples how “these many things,” whatever they may be, will be communicated to them. Not surprisingly, upon his coming, such knowledge will be provided by the Spirit of truth, for he will guide the disciples to all truth.15 Whatever the Spirit is to tell the disciples, he will not do so on his own authority, that is, on his own initiative and in his own right. Rather, he will speak only what he first hears. But on whose authority will he speak, and from whom will he hear what he is to say? At first sight it may appear that the Spirit’s authority will come from Jesus, since he is the one who has many things yet to tell his disciples, and thus it would be Jesus who tells the listening Spirit what he is to say. In the light of what is to follow, however, I think what the Spirit will hear will come from the Father, and so he will speak with the Father’s authority. Moreover, since what the Spirit will declare to Jesus’ disciples concerns the future “things” that are to come, those future things are under the Father’s sovereign will. As we have seen, Jesus, as the Father’s Son, only says what he hears from his Father, and only does what he sees his Father doing (see Jn 5:19–20 and 5:30, and Jn 8:28 and Jn 14:10). Equally, the Spirit of truth is submissive to the Father’s will as well, for he proceeds from the Father as the Father’s Spirit (see Jn 15:26). Thus, although the disciples now know who it is who will guide them to the truth that Jesus cannot presently tell them, and that this truth concerns things yet to come, with the implication that such “things” will im15. Earlier, Jesus said that the Spirit of truth will dwell in his disciples and be with them “forever” (Jn 14:17). The word “forever” seems to imply not only that the Spirit of truth will be with his disciples during the remainder of their lives, but also that he will be with the apostolic church until the end of time. This being the case, the Spirit of truth will continually be guiding Jesus’ church into all truth throughout all the ages, for he will teach his church all things and bring to the church’s ecclesial memory all that Jesus said (see Jn 14:26). The Psalmist prays to the Lord God, “Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of salvation; for you I wait all the day long” (Ps 25:5). Also, “Teach me to do your will, for you are God! Let your good spirit lead me on a level path” (Ps 143:10). In his First Letter, John informs his readers that, because of the anointing they have received from the one who abides in them [Jesus], they have no need to be taught, for “his [the Spirit’s] anointing teaches you about everything, and it is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him” (1 Jn 2:27).

The Spirit of Truth   115 pact them, the content of what is to be revealed is, obviously, still entirely unknown.16 Whatever the Spirit is to reveal about what is to come, however, Jesus declares that it will be to his glory. “He [the Spirit] will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” What Jesus states here is so dense that it is almost impenetrable, but that means that we must ponder it all the more. Jesus does not make things difficult for us simply to frustrate us. What must be sorted out is the content of the key words and phrases. Jesus says that the Spirit will “take what is mine.” What is the “mine” that Jesus possesses and that the Spirit will take? It is this “mine” that the Spirit will declare to Jesus’ disciples. Now, the “mine” that Jesus possesses is “all that the Father has,” and it is this given-all that the Spirit will take from Jesus and declare to the disciples. So, we need to discern what the “all” is that the Father has, and which he has given to Jesus, and which the Spirit will in turn declare to Jesus’ disciples. Well, the most obvious answer is that the Father has given to Jesus, his Son, the fullness, the “all,” of his divinity, thus constituting his Son to be divine as he is himself divine.17 The Spirit will take this knowledge 16. The question can be asked: Has the Spirit of truth since revealed what was yet unknown when Jesus spoke to his disciples? I would think that the Spirit only reveals what concerns the future at the time when it is beneficial for it to be known. John’s Book of Revelation may be a good example of the future being made known to the church, though the picture painted is at times so disturbing that it is even now hard to bear. Nonetheless, however bad things may be for Jesus’ followers in the future, we know that Jesus will triumph over all evil and bring the resurrected faithful into his glorious presence. 17. Within the Western theological tradition, this passage is often employed to show that the Holy Spirit is from both the Father and the Son. Since the Father has given “all” to his Son, he must have given to the Son the Holy Spirit, and therefore the Holy Spirit must proceed from the Father and the Son. While the Holy Spirit may proceed from the Father and the Son, as I have argued previously, I do not think this passage, given its context, can in the first instance be used to support the filioque. The passage relates to what the Holy Spirit is to reveal concerning what is to come. In the Johannine-like passages in Matthew and Luke, Jesus speaks in a similar manner. “All things have been given to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Mt 11:27; see also Lk 10:22). Thus as “all things” have been given by the Father to the Son (Matthew and Luke), so “all that the Father has is mine” (John), for “the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand” (Jn 3:35). Moreover, “as the Father knows me, I know the Father” (Jn 10:15; see also Jn 17:25). Now, within my theological interpretation of the Synoptic Gospels, I stressed that the Matthean and Lukan passages denote that the Father gives his full divinity to his Son, for only in so giving his full divinity to his Son could the Father and

116  The Book of Glory and reveal it to Jesus’ disciples—that Jesus is the Father’s only begotten Son. The problem is that the disciples (and we) already know this. The Spirit does not need to reveal this to the disciples at some future date. Since what is to be revealed by the Spirit is to redound to the glory of Jesus, could it not be that the “all” that the Father will give to him is supreme sovereignty and authority over the whole of creation, and thus the whole of creation is to give to Jesus supreme honor, glory, and praise? The Father, by the right of being the Father, possesses such power and authority with all honor that is rightly due to him. Such cosmic power and authority, and the honor and glory that accrues to it, the Father has already given to his Son, for it is through the Son/Word that the Father created all that is (see Jn 1:1–10). As co-creator with his Father, the Son, as God, reigns supreme over all creation. But the Father will now give to his incarnate Son, Jesus the man, all sovereignty, power, and authority over all of creation. By offering himself in love to his Father out of love for humankind, Jesus, the incarnate Father’s Son, will rightfully merit, as man, to be supreme over all of creation. The Father will recognize such merit in raising Jesus gloriously from the dead, and so the Father will establish him as the supreme sovereign over the whole of the new creation, for he alone has made all things new. Thus Jesus, the Father’s risen incarnate Son, is to be given all honor, glory, and praise. This is the truth that is presently unknown, and this is the truth that the Spirit of truth will hear from the Father, and will then proclaim on the authority of the Father, and so make known throughout the ages unending.18 Thus the Spirit will take from what belongs to Jesus, his cosmic Son possess full, exclusive, and singular divine knowledge of one another as the one God (see JBJ 1:192–98). I would continue to hold this line of argument, and it is also evident, within John’s Gospel, that Jesus possesses, as the Father’s incarnate Son, an exclusive knowledge of his Father, and so is ontologically equal to him in divinity—“I and the Father are one” (Jn 10:30). But in the present passage from John’s Gospel, while the Father and the Son do share the same divine nature, the emphasis is not so much on their shared mutual divinity but on something that pertains to Jesus himself, as the Father’s incarnate Son, and not something that pertains exclusively to his divinity. I will now present what the “mine” is that the Father has given to Jesus. 18. Such a truth is proclaimed within the Book of Revelation: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Rv 5:12). It is the resurrected slain lamb who reigns supreme with his Father, and so “to him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!” (Rv 5:13). Such declarative hymns are also found within the Pauline corpus. The Father has set forth from before the foundation of the world that all things in heaven and earth are to be united in his Son, Jesus Christ (see Eph 1:3–14). Because his Son became man and, as man, humbled himself, even unto death on the cross, his Father “highly exalted him and bestowed on him the

The Spirit of Truth   117 primacy, a preeminence that is bestowed upon him by his Father, and declare it to all throughout the world. This is the supreme truth to which the Spirit of truth will bear witness on Jesus’ behalf (see Jn 15:26), and this is the preeminent manner in which he will glorify Jesus (see Jn 16:14). He will manifest to all that Jesus Christ is the Lord of lords and the King of kings, the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega. Moreover, this is the same glorifying witness that will be borne by Jesus’ Spirit-filled disciples (see Jn 15:26–27).19 Before proceeding to the next section, I want to make two final interrelated points. name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:6–11). Jesus, as the Father’s eternal Word, is “first born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth,” and thus all was created for him. Moreover, “he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent” (Col 1:15–20). 19. In Mark’s Gospel, after the Transfiguration, when Jesus, Peter, James, and John come down from the mountain, Jesus “charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead.” Mark immediately narrates: “So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant” (Mk 9:9–10). While the three just beheld Jesus in luminous glory, they could still not grasp the meaning of the resurrection. Only after Jesus rose gloriously would they be able to perceive that his resurrection established him as the universal Savior and Lord of all creation. In Matthew, after Jesus tells his disciples for the third time that he must be delivered up and killed, and “raised on the third day,” the disciples “were greatly distressed” (Mt 17:22–23). They were distressed at the prospect of Jesus dying, and that angst was not mitigated by the expectancy of his resurrection. This lack of perception manifests their ignorance as to what Jesus’ resurrection would gloriously entail. Similarly, in Mark, when Jesus informs his disciples of his coming death and resurrection, Mark notes, “But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him” (Mk 9:31–32). Likewise, in Luke, after Jesus declared basically the same, Luke states, “But they [the disciples] did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying” (Lk 9:44–45). In all of these instances, as narrated within the Synoptics, the disciples were incapable of ascertaining the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection. Only in the light of the resurrection event itself could they come to know, could the Spirit of truth reveal to them, Jesus’ supremacy as the risen Lord of all. The above is confirmed in John’s Gospel. The meaning of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is only understood by his disciples after his resurrection, for only then did they grasp the Scripture that the king of Israel must come sitting on a donkey (Zec 9:9). “His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him” (Jn 12:14–16). Moreover, the beloved disciple himself came to believe in the resurrection only upon its occurrence. Upon entering the empty tomb, he saw and believed, “for as yet they [the disciples] did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead” (Jn 20:8–9). Thus these are “the things” that the disciples “cannot bear now,” but which the Spirit of truth, upon his coming, “will guide” them, and to which they will then bear witness. Interestingly, in the Acts of the Apostles, just prior to his ascension, the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” Even at this stage, the disciples

118  The Book of Glory The Lifting Up of Jesus First, the future revelation that the risen Jesus will be sovereign over all of creation and so receive all power, glory, and praise provides the full noetic content to Jesus’ three “lifted-up” sayings. In the first instance, Jesus asks Nicodemus how he will be able to understand heavenly things, if he does not even understand the earthly things that he tells him. Jesus then declares: “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.” The heavenly things that Nicodemus does not understand is that Jesus, as the Father’s Son, will ascend into heaven because he first descended from heaven so as to become man. What is the manner of this ascending? “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn 3:12–15). Jesus will be lifted up upon the cross, and this salvific lifting up will result in his being lifted up into heaven, such that all who believe in him as the Father’s risen Son, will possess eternal life. As the risen Lord, Jesus will be empowered, in accordance with what he has told Nicodemus, to baptize in the Holy Spirit. As ascended, Jesus will exercise his supreme authority by rebirthing a new creation into eternal life. The second “lifting up” saying is within the context of Jesus telling the unbelieving Jews that he will be going away and that where he is going, they cannot come. Moreover, they will die in their sins unless they believe “that I am he (ego eimi).” Jesus continues by saying that he has much more to say and to judge concerning the world. Because they did not understand, Jesus declares: “When you lift up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he (ego eimi), and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me” (Jn 8:21–28). The unbelieving Jews will die in their sins, and so be unable to go where Jesus is going, that is, to his Father. Only if they believe that he is He Who Is as the Father’s divine Son will they be able to accompany him into the presence of his heavenly Father. Although the disbelieving Jews will, in condemnation, lift up Jesus upon the cross, in their very act of lifting Jesus up, they will come to know that he is He Who Is, for the Father will lift him up and take him to where he is going—back to himself from where he came. This ascending return to his Father will manifest that he is truly the Father’s still do not fully understand the proper meaning of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus’ response is that it is not for them to know such things which the Father alone has fixed, but they will receive the Holy Spirit, and then they will be Jesus’ witnesses (Acts 1:6–8). What is essential is that disciples bear witness within the witness of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of Truth   119 eternal Son, and so judgment upon them and the world will be rendered. That judgment will declare that Jesus, the Father’s risen incarnate Son, is now the reigning Lord of all. On this point, the last “lifting up” statement is even more explicit. In response to Jesus’ request that the Father glorify his name, the Father vocally declares that he has glorified it and will glorify it again. Jesus states that the Father’s declaration was not for his sake but for the sake of his disciples, and then he says, “Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (Jn 8:27–32). The glorification of the Father’s name will be in the glorification of his Son, Jesus. The Father will glorify him because Jesus, through his death, has condemned the world of sin and cast out the ruler of this sinful world—Satan.20 In response to this condemnatory casting out, the Father will enthrone Jesus as the new everlasting Lord of the redeemed creation. The former ruler of this world will be replaced by Jesus, the ruler of re-created world. Moreover, in his lifted-up-from-the-earth enthronement, Jesus will draw all of humanity to himself, for all men and women will see in faith that he is their Savior and Lord. While his disciples presently cannot grasp all of the above as Jesus now makes ready his return to his Father, when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide them to all truth, the truth that the Father has given to Jesus, his risen incarnate Son, supreme authority over all creation, for in, with, and through him the whole of creation has been made new. All glory, honor, and praise must therefore be given to him who reigns forever. With the above in mind, we can turn to my second concluding point in this section.

Jesus Becoming Jesus The truth to which the coming Spirit of truth will guide Jesus’ disciples ultimately pertains to Jesus becoming Jesus. What the Spirit of truth will reveal is that, because of his saving death, Jesus will become the supreme Lord of all— 20. Later, in his high priestly prayer, Jesus will pray: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. . . . I have glorified you [his Father] on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do, and now, Father, glorify you me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.” (Jn 17:2–5) We perceive once more an instance of what Jesus first declares he will later request the Father to accomplish within his high priestly prayer.

120  The Book of Glory this is the “mine” that the Father possesses and will give to Jesus in raising him gloriously from the dead. For Jesus to become Jesus, YHWH-Saves, is for him to possess all authority and power over creation, for through his death he has cast out sin, and in his resurrection, he is empowered to establish the new creation. The manner in which he, the cosmic Lord, re-creates is by sending forth the new Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Spirit in whom he baptizes all who believe in him as the Father’s Son, so that they are born anew into eternal life as the Father’s children. Thus it is in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit that Jesus manifests that he is truly Jesus, the saving Lord of the new creation. Concomitant with Jesus’ pouring out the Holy Spirit by which he reveals that he is truly Jesus, the Holy Spirit, having been sent forth by Jesus, testifies to the truth that Jesus is indeed Jesus, the Savior and Lord, and glorifies Jesus, the one who sent him. There is here a corroborative perichoretic action between Jesus and the Holy Spirit—Jesus sends the Spirit as the fruit of his salvific work, and the Spirit of truth testifies, in making holy and giving life to the fallen world, that Jesus is truly Jesus, he from whom the life-giving Spirit is sent. Moreover, it is the Father who, as the author, accomplishes his saving work through his Son and his Holy Spirit. As the one who raised Jesus from the dead, the Father is the one who constituted Jesus, his Son, as Savior, and so commissioned him to pour out the Holy Spirit, the Father’s proceeding Spirit of truth, upon the whole of all creation, a creation of which Jesus is now its Lord. We perceive here, then, not only the perichoretic actions of Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but also the perichoretic action of the Father. The Father and the Holy Spirit confirm and testify that Jesus is Jesus, YHWH-Saves. The Father and Jesus, his Son, confirm and testify that the Holy Spirit is also YHWH-Saves, for it is he who sanctifies and gives eternal life to those who believe. And Jesus, the begotten Son, and the Father’s proceeding Spirit confirm and testify that the Father is YHWH-Saves, for it is he who is the author and source of salvation. All of these perichoretic actions converge upon the risen humanity of the incarnate Son, for that risen humanity is the living source, and so ultimate testimony, of the Trinity’s new creation. Moreover, it is within and through that glorious humanity that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit also manifest that they, in living communion, are the one saving God—YHWH-Saves. Without Jesus’ risen humanity, the Trinity would have accomplished nothing of any saving significance.21 21. The establishment of the risen Jesus as the supreme Lord of all creation and to whom

The Spirit of Truth   121

A Little While Until now, Jesus, in his farewell address, has been continuously speaking from John 14:9. (The one exception is Jn 14:22, where the Evangelist inserts an explanatory comment.) Now, beginning with John 16:16, the disciples once more enter into dialogue with Jesus. Jesus takes up the topic of his leaving and the sorrow that his departure brings upon his disciples.22 Jesus will again assure his disciples that joy is in order and not distress. So, he begins: “A little while, and you will see me no more; again a little while, and you will see me.”23 This double “little while” causes confusion and some consternation among his disciples, for they discuss among themselves, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will see me, and again a little while you will not see me;’ and ‘because I go to the Father’?” They continue: “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he means.”24 The Evangelist notes that, upon his observing their befuddled discussion, “Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him.” Jesus responded, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’?” So, Jesus and his disciples are now, finally, on the same page as to what is causing the confusion—what is the meaning of this double “little while”? As one would expect, Jesus does not address directly the issue at hand. all honor must be given will find its completion when Jesus returns in glory at the end of time. In that act of his coming in glory, Jesus will become fully who he is as YHWH-Saves, for all the faithful will fully share in his risen Spirit-filled life and so fully become children of his Father. Moreover, only in the act of his return in glory will the new heaven and the new earth be fully actualized, for they will share in the abundant glory of the children of God. Likewise, only within the Eschaton will Jesus properly receive the plenitude of glory, honor, and praise he deserves as the universal Savior and supreme sovereign Lord of all creation. Then, forever, Jesus will be Jesus—what he was eternally meant to be before the foundation of the world. 22. Jesus initiates this new topic in a rather abrupt manner, since it does not logically follow from what he declared concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit. This could indicate that although Jesus may have spoken what is narrated, it did not originally follow from what he said immediately prior but was later inserted. 23. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 16:16–24. The above passage resembles Jn 14:18–24, where Jesus speaks in a similar manner. 24. Although the disciples mention that he is going to the Father, In the present context, Jesus does not mention that he is doing so. Earlier, however, Jesus tells the unbelieving Jews that he will be with them only a little longer, for “I go to him who sent me” (Jn 7:33). Later, Jesus tells his disciples that in a little while the world will not see him but that they will see him “because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you” (Jn 14:18–20). That Jesus is leaving his disciples to go to his Father should not be new to them. But their not “seeing” him and then their “seeing” him is what appears to be causing them to be confused.

122  The Book of Glory Rather, his response raises the issue to a higher level of understanding and in so doing provides an answer that is deeper than the question that his disciples thought they were proposing.25 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. When a woman is in travail, she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. So, you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

To explain what the double “little while” means, Jesus frankly acknowledges that for a while his disciples will weep and lament, while the world will rejoice. Their grieving and the world’s delighting are caused by Jesus’ passion and death, for the world hates Jesus and rejoices at his demise; and the world will also hate them, as his disciples (see Jn 15:18, 15:20, and 16:1–2). Nonetheless, while his disciples will be sorrowful, their grief will be transformed into joy. This transformation is predicated upon Jesus’ resurrection—lament over his death, delight in his resurrection. So, we perceive here the twofold “little while.” Upon his death, his disciples will, for a little while, lament at not seeing him, for he will be entombed, but then, after that “little while,” they will jubilantly behold him as their risen Lord.26 In order to help his distressed disciples grasp more clearly the necessity of their not seeing him, as well as their rejoicing at seeing him again, Jesus offers them a metaphor.

25. Again, this is an example of Jesus’ dialogue partner/s misunderstanding what he says, only for Jesus to provide an answer that raises the issue to a higher theological level. See, e.g., Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus (Jn 3:3–15) and with the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:7–15). 26. On the first Easter evening, when Jesus appeared to his disciples and showed them his hands and side, “the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord” (Jn 20:20). Similarly, when some of the disciples were fishing and Jesus appeared to them on the beach, they at first did not recognize him. But after following Jesus’ instructions, and in doing so catching a huge number of fish, the disciple whom Jesus loved joyfully exclaimed to Peter, “It is the Lord!” (Jn 21:4–7). Jesus’ resurrection will also entail his going to his Father, however, and so for “a little while” they will not see the risen and ascended Jesus. Jesus already addressed his going to his Father. Previously, he told his disciples that they should not be troubled, for he is going to his Father to prepare a place for them, and he will come back and take them with him, “that where I am you may be also” (Jn 14:1–3). Moreover, Jesus will not leave his disciples desolate, for he will send another Counselor, the Holy Spirit. It is to their advantage that he leaves, for if he does not go to his Father, the Spirit of truth will not come to them. Therefore, instead of being troubled of heart, they should rejoice at his going to his Father (see Jn 14:18, 14:25–28, and 15:7).

The Spirit of Truth   123 When a woman is in travail, she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for the joy that a child is born into the world. So, you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

This metaphor is biblical in origin and therefore possesses theological meaning. The coming of the Messianic age is portrayed as a woman in labor, for the Messiah’s coming will be a judgment against the sinful world. Thus God, speaking through Isaiah, declares: Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; a destruction from the Almighty it will come! Therefore, all hands will be feeble, and every man’s heart will melt, and they will be dismayed. Pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in travail. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. (Is 13:6–8; see also Is 26:16–17 and Mi 4:10)

Although the coming of the Lord’s Day will bring anguish and travail, with the coming of the Messiah there will also be rejoicing at the Lord’s deliverance. At the coming of the Lord, Jacob will sing aloud with gladness, for “the Lord has saved his people” and has gathered them together. Among those rejoicing will be “the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who is in travail, together; a great company, they shall return here [to their land].” On that day the Lord declares: “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people” (Jer 31:1 and 7–8). On that day “shall the maidens rejoice in the dance, and young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow” (Jer 31:13).27 Within this biblical context, we perceive that Jesus is speaking of the travail, and with it the sorrow, of the coming of the Messianic age. But with the arrival of the day of the Lord there will be rejoicing, for God, through his Messiah, will bring salvation to his people. The question arises, though: Of whom is Jesus speaking? Is he speaking of himself or of his disciples? Whose travail will turn to joy—Jesus’ or his disciples’? At first glance, since he is addressing his disciples concerning their present sorrow at his leaving for a little while and their future joy at seeing again after that “while” is over, it would seem 27. The Psalmist also employs another metaphor that expresses the same point: “He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for the sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Ps 126:6).

124  The Book of Glory obvious that he is speaking of what will take place among them. However, I think Jesus has woven himself into his own metaphor. The pregnant woman is in travail because her “hour” is at hand. But the “hour” that is truly at hand is the “hour” of Jesus’ passion and death. He is in travail—“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, for this purpose I have come to this hour” (Jn 12:27). Jesus is the woman in labor. Like the woman in travail, however, the Father, in raising Jesus, his Son, from the dead, will bring joy to Jesus. Jesus, as the Spirit-anointed Messiah, will rejoice, for he will have given birth to a new creation, a new Spirit-filled child. No longer, then, will he remember the travail of the cross but will celebrate that the everlasting salvific life-giving day of the Lord has arrived—the Messianic gathering unto his Father of the new Israel and of all the nations.28 Because the metaphor applies, in the first instance, to Jesus himself, he can, with assurance, declare to his disciples: “So, you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” We must first observe here one telling point. Prior to what Jesus states here, the concern was that the disciples would not see Jesus for a little while, and then in a little while they would see Jesus. The emphasis was on the disciples’ “seeing.” But now Jesus tells them that while they presently have sorrow, they will come to rejoice not because they will see Jesus but because Jesus will see them—“I will see you again.” Such a statement corroborates my interpretation that the metaphor of the woman in travail applies firstly to Jesus. During the time of his death, not only will his disciples not see Jesus, but also he, for a little while, will not see them. When Jesus is risen, however, he, and not simply his disciples, will rejoice because he will, after this little while, see them again. So, after the woman-in-travail-like anguish that both Jesus and his disciples will undergo in the midst of Jesus’ passion and death, both, like the woman in travail, will rejoice together, for together they will behold one another. Jesus will rejoice in his resurrected life and so in his born-anew ability to see his disciples, and his disciples will rejoice in beholding the living 28. The author of the Letter to the Hebrew encourages his readers to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:1–2). As interpreted above, Jesus is the first to endure the cross for the sake of the resurrection joy that is to follow, and so likewise must his followers do. They must keep their eyes on the risen Jesus, persevere in their trials, all the while anticipating the resurrection joy that is to come.

The Spirit of Truth   125 life-giving Jesus. “Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (Jn 14:20). Such mutual rejoicing will be in the knowledge that Jesus will be with his Father, and that from his Father he will send forth the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth that will bind his disciples to himself and bring them into communion with his Father. Ultimately, it is in knowing that Jesus, after a little while, will come and take them with him, so that where he is, they may be also (see Jn 14:3). What we now recognize in Jesus’ “little while” is a twofold interrelated meaning, along with a twofold “sorrow” and a twofold “rejoicing.” For a little while, his disciples will be distressed at Jesus’ death and their inability to see him. After this “little while,” they will rejoice at seeing the risen Jesus. Moreover, while they will rejoice in Jesus’ resurrection, they will continue to be in travail. This grief will be the result of their being, like Jesus, persecuted and killed, for they and those that follow them will bear witness to Jesus in this darkened hate-filled world. In the midst of this ever-present grief, they will nonetheless rejoice, for they are assured that, after a little while, the risen Jesus, whom they saw with faith-filled eyes, will return. Thus the present joy in the resurrected Jesus is founded upon and will find its fulfillment in the eschatological joy that is anticipated upon his return in glory. This assurance of hope guarantees that their joy will not be taken from them now here on earth, for it will be a joy that will be everlasting in heaven. “I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (Jn 15:11).29 Having spoken of the day when he will see his disciples, a day upon which his disciples will rejoice, Jesus also states: In that day you will ask nothing of me [literally, “you will not question me about anything”]. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Jesus says that in that day, the Messianic age initiated in his resurrection, his disciples will not interrogate him about anything. Since Jesus is the risen Messiah, one might expect that his Spirit-filled followers would ask him many questions.30 Such is not the case, however, for now his followers abide in him, 29. Once again, in his high priestly prayer, Jesus will pray to his Father: “And now I am coming to you; but these things I speak in the world, that they [his disciples] may have my joy fulfilled in themselves” (Jn 17:13). 30. It would appear that with the coming of Jesus’ resurrection, all will be made clear to

126  The Book of Glory and so abide with his Father as the Father’s children. Thus they are to make their requests directly to his and now their Father. Jesus assures them that whatever they ask the Father, he will give in his name. The Father will positively respond to their requests, in the name of his Son, Jesus, for, since they abide in Jesus, their requests are spoken with Jesus’ own voice. The Father cannot refuse the entreaties of his own incarnate Son, who is now the risen Savior and Lord of all. Jesus notes that hitherto his disciples have not asked for anything in his name. The reason is that he has yet to inaugurate the Messianic age through his death and resurrection. When the day of the Lord dawns, however, then they will ask and receive, and in receiving, their joy will be full. Their joy will be full for, ultimately, what they will be requesting are those gifts that will ensure their and the world’s salvation. To receive the gift of everlasting salvation, to abide forever with the Father through Jesus, the Son, in communion with the Holy Spirit, is the fullness of joy.31

Not Speaking in Figures The remainder of chapter 16 is somewhat confusing, for it appears in places to be a series of disconnected thoughts. Nonetheless, what Jesus says is important, even if not immediately clear. Having spoken of the disciples’ joy being full, Jesus immediately says, I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.32 the disciples, and therefore there will be no need to ask Jesus questions. Moreover, whatever they may not know or understand, the Spirit of truth, whom Jesus will send, will lead them to all truth (see Jn 16:12). 31. The above is the fourth time that Jesus speaks of asking the Father in his name. The first accentuates that whatever is asked of the Father in his name, he (Jesus) will do it, so that the Father will be glorified in the Son (see Jn 14:13–14). The second stresses that because Jesus’ followers abide in him and his words abide in them, whatever they ask will be done for them (see Jn 15:7). The third emphasizes that Jesus has chosen his disciples and appointed them to bear fruit that will last, so that whatever they ask the Father in his name, he will give them (see Jn 15:16). Thus when Jesus is glorified (Jn 16:24), his disciples, who abide in him, are empowered to petition his Father in his name, so that they may bear everlasting fruit. In his disciples bearing such fruit by abiding in Jesus, the Father will be glorified in him who is the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son, Jesus. In this glorification the disciples will find the fullness of joy. 32. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 16:25–33.

The Spirit of Truth   127 Jesus begins by noting that he has been speaking to his disciples in figures, that is, by way of metaphors. He could be referring to his declaration that he is the vine and his followers are the branches (see Jn 15:1–11) or to the metaphor of the woman in travail (see 16:21–22). But because Jesus speaks of the coming hour when he will no longer speak in figures, but will speak plainly of his Father, he may not be referencing the above examples.33 These do not directly speak of the Father, expect when he speaks of his Father being the vinedresser.34 That Jesus speaks of the coming hour indicates that his use of metaphors will cease after his death and resurrection. Only in the Father raising Jesus from the dead is the revelation of his being the Father’s Son fully manifested. Only within the full revelation of Jesus being the Father’s Son can he in turn fully reveal his Father, for to clearly behold the Son is to clearly behold the Son’s Father. “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9; see also 14:7–11). Moreover, by abiding in the risen Jesus through the indwelling Spirit, his disciples will abide in and so know clearly the Father, and not by way of metaphors. Thus the metaphor of the vine and branches will become a reality. It would seem, therefore, that Jesus means that after he is risen, he will reveal the Father clearly and not by metaphors. But that revelation will be conveyed not so much by what Jesus says as by what his followers will experience as 33. In the Synoptic Gospels, some of Jesus’ parables do allude to God the Father. See, e.g., Mt 21:33–41, 22:1–14, and parallels, and Lk 13:6–9). As noted above, Jesus’ use of metaphors in John’s Gospel is similar to his use of parables in the Synoptic Gospels. For example, Matthew comments on Jesus’ parables: All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” (Mt 13:23– 35, quoting Ps 78:2) Interestingly, Mark notes that Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, “but privately to his own disciples he explained everything” (Mk 4:33–34). Within the Synoptic Gospels, however, Jesus spoke in parables, as such parables bring to the light those who do not, in faith, understand. For example, his disciples asked Jesus why he speaks in parables. He answered, “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Jesus then quotes Isaiah, who speaks of those who do not see and hear because their hearts have grown dull, and so they cannot turn to God and be healed. Blessed are the eyes of his disciples, however, for they see and their ears hear (Mt 13:10–16). Similarly, Jesus states in Mark’s Gospel: “To you [the twelve] has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they turn again, and be forgiven” (Mk 4:11–12; see also Lk 8:9–10). 34. In speaking of himself as the shepherd of his sheep, John comments, “This figure Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them” (Jn 10:6).

128  The Book of Glory children of the Father. As Jesus will state next, his disciples, by abiding in him, will be able to address their prayers directly to the Father. In that day—that is, the day of the coming hour—Jesus tells his disciples that they will ask the Father in his name. But Jesus says that he will not pray to the Father for them. While his disciples will pray to the Father in his name, Jesus himself will not pray to the Father on their behalf. At first glance, this appears strange. If his disciples are praying to his Father in his name, would it not involve, or at least imply, Jesus himself praying on their behalf? Jesus is not expressing his apathy toward his followers’ needs; rather, he wishes to accentuate their own intimate fellowship with his and now their Father. Jesus has no need to pray on his disciples’ behalf, “for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father. I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” Because his disciples love Jesus and believe that he is the Father’s incarnate Son who has come into the world, the Father loves them. Because they love Jesus, his Son, and petition the Father in his name, the Father will lovingly receive their prayers. Although Jesus gives his followers access to the Father, thus enabling them to ask in his name, by abiding in Jesus, they, in communion with Jesus, are able to address the Father directly.35 Jesus’ last declaration seems tangential to the topic under discussion—his disciples petitioning his Father. He concludes, “I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” That Jesus came from the Father implies both his eternal coming from the Father as the Father’s only begotten Son, as well as his coming into the world as the Father’s incarnate Son (see Jn 1:14). Moreover, Jesus, the Father’s incarnate Son, is about to leave the world, through his death and resurrection, and return gloriously to his Father from whom he came, both eternally as God and in time as man. We perceive here the entire sweep of Jesus’ work of salvation—the entire manner in which Jesus becomes Jesus. He comes forth into the world as man, and having completed his Father’s salvific work, he ascends back to his Father in risen glory. Moreover, within this salvific trajectory, Jesus sweeps up into himself all those who believe in him and are born anew in the Spirit, and so takes them with him as he returns to his Father. It is this 35. Praying to the Father in communion with Jesus is found particularly in praying the Our Father. Only in Jesus, through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, can the faithful pray to the Father as his children.

The Spirit of Truth   129 subsuming of his followers into himself that gives them the privilege and right to pray to his Father—the immediate prior point that he was making. In response to Jesus saying that he will no longer speak to them in figures and that they will be able to pray to the Father, they say, Ah, now you are speaking plainly, not in figures! Now we know that you know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe you came from God.

The disciples’ opening exclamation, “Ah” or “Behold,” followed by their declaration that Jesus is now speaking to them, clearly and not figuratively rings rather hallow.36 It almost appears that they are pretending to understand everything Jesus is saying in order to save face, yet not grasping fully what Jesus is actually telling them. Moreover, if the reader did not know the “story” already, what Jesus says would probably remain rather mysterious to the reader as well. What it means for Jesus to come from the Father and to have come into the world, as well as the significance of his leaving the world and returning to his Father, will not and cannot be fully appreciated until it takes place through his death and resurrection. Thus the disciples’ “Ah” of seeming enlightenment still contains a good deal of unenlightened ignorance.37 The disciples nonetheless profess that Jesus knows “all things,” and therefore they do not need to ask him any questions. This lack of needing to ask Jesus questions, since he already knows the questions wanting to be asked, seems to refer back to Jesus knowing that his disciples were discussing among themselves what he meant by “a little while” (see Jn 16:17–19). This realization leads them to acknowledge that he comes from God, for only if he came from God, as the Father’s Son, could he know in a manner that only God can know.38 Unlike their feigned acclamation that they clearly understood what Jesus is now saying, the disciples’ profession of faith is authentic, though again, they did not grasp the entire meaning of such a profession. Jesus is well aware of their simulated understanding and their uninformed faith, for he responds, “Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet I am not 36. That Jesus is no longer speaking figuratively probably refers back to his speaking of himself as the sheep gate, the shepherd and the vine (see Jn 10:1–18 and 15:1–11). 37. That the disciples appear to be “faking” their understanding provides a basis for the historicity of the interchange between the disciples and Jesus. 38. The Psalmist declares in wonder that God knows all things (see Ps 139). Earlier, Jesus declared that Peter would deny him three times (see Jn 13:38).

130  The Book of Glory alone, for the Father is with me.” If his disciples wholeheartedly believed with a full understanding of what they believed, they would not do what Jesus says that they will shortly do. When the hour of Jesus’ arrest and condemnation comes, an hour that is already here, they will scatter.39 Each will fearfully run and hide in his own home (see Jn 20:10). They will abandon Jesus. He will have to fend for himself. Jesus has stressed that if they keep his commandments—that is, of faith and love—he will abide in his disciples and they will abide in him, and so together they will abide with his Father. That hour is yet to come, for the binding Spirit of truth has yet to be fully poured out upon them (Jn 14:15–24). Jesus nonetheless definitely asserts: “yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.” The Father is always with Jesus, his Son, for he abides with his Father and the Father abides with him—they are one (see Jn 14:10 and 10:30). Thus even in the midst of the dark hour of his crucifixion, Jesus can count on his Father’s loving abiding presence.40 Having prophetically told his disciples that they will abandon him and that he will nonetheless not be alone, for his Father is with him, Jesus immediately makes a statement that does not appear to follow logically. “I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” How can his disciples be at 39. In Matthew and Mark, when he and his disciples are on the way to the Mount of Olives, Jesus says to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’ ” (Mt 26:30–31 and Mk 14:26–27, both quoting Zec 13:7; see also Mk 14:50). 40. What Jesus asserts here in John’s Gospel could be seen as a contradiction to what he declares in Mark’s and Matthew’s Gospels. When darkness covered the land “at the nineth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ ” (Mk 15:33–34; see also Mt 27:45–46). I addressed, at some length, the theological significance of Jesus’ cry of abandonment in my first volume of Jesus Becoming Jesus (JBJ 1:372–80). Here, I will make only one brief point. In his cry, Jesus is employing the opening words of Psalm 22. Although the Psalmist cries out as if God has abandoned him in the midst of extreme suffering, which he details at some length (an accurate description of Jesus’ own crucifixion), he is confident, despite all appearances, that God has not actually forsaken him. But, you, O Lord, be not far off! O you my help, hasten to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion, my afflicted soul from the horns of the wild oxen! . . . For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; and he has not hid his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. (Ps 22:19–21) Thus it may appear that the Father has abandoned Jesus, his Son, and Jesus himself may feel that he has been forsaken, yet simultaneously Jesus knows that what seems to be the case and what he himself emotionally experiences is not true. He can say, in assured trust, that “I am not alone, for the Father is with me.”

The Spirit of Truth   131 peace when they have just been told that they will abandon Jesus in fear—the one they love and the one in whom they just professed their faith? Since this passage is at the end of Jesus’ farewell address, it must be interpreted not by what is immediately prior, but from within the entire context of Jesus’ departing address. In the concluding verses of chapter 14, which this chapter parallels, Jesus states something similar but with further detail. These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (Jn 14:25–26)

So, Jesus’ “I said this to you” (chapter 16) is all the “things” (chapter 14) that Jesus has spoken while he is still with them—particularly within his farewell address. Moreover, the Father will send, in Jesus’ name, the Holy Spirit, who will teach them “all things” and remind them of “all” that Jesus has said. Because of all that Jesus has said, and particularly because of his promise that his Father sending the Holy Spirit, his disciples are to be at peace. Again, as he continued in chapter 14, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27–28). Thus, presently, the disciples are to be at peace because of all that Jesus has told them, but this is not the peace that the world gives, for “in the world you will have tribulation.” Nonetheless, they should be of good cheer because Jesus has overcome the world, that is, the world of sin and death, the world ruled by Satan (see Jn 14:30). The disciples are, then, to be of good cheer not only because Jesus has overcome the world, but also because the Holy Spirit, who will dwell within them, will be with them forever (see Jn 14:16–17). With the conclusion of chapter 16, Jesus’ farewell address comes to an end. At the onset of chapter 17, the Evangelist will inform us: “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said” (Jn 17:1). As I have noted at various points, all the “things” that Jesus said would happen within his departing address, he will now beseech his Father to bring them into reality. Moreover, in so doing, again as we will see, Jesus’ high priestly prayer is a prophetic enactment of the cross. Because of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, the loving offering of himself to his Father, the Father will, through the pouring out the Holy Spirit in the name of the risen Jesus, his Son, answer the entirety of Jesus’ cruciform high priestly prayer. In so doing, all that Jesus told his disciples while he was still with them will come to be. Then, Jesus’ disciples will be at peace and of good cheer.

132  The Book of Glory

Conclusion: Jesus’ Farewell Address In the light of what I just said above, I want to summarize, by way of conclusion, the salient “things” that Jesus told his disciples within his farewell address. This will not only provide an overview of Jesus’ address, but it will also offer a helpful introduction as to the content of Jesus’ forthcoming high priestly prayer. Jesus begins his farewell discourse immediately after Judas leaves the Last Passover Supper and enters into the darkness. Judas’ exit sets in motion the sequence of events that will conclude in Jesus’ death—his “farewell” to the world and his return, his passing over, to his Father. The overarching context of what Jesus will tell his disciples is therefore found here. He will inform his disciples of the significance of his leaving, the “many things” that they need to know.41 First, Jesus begins by declaring the foremost reason for his leaving. “Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified; if God is glorified in him, God will glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once” (Jn 13:31). The darkest hour of Jesus’ crucifixion is his glorification, for in his very act of dying he is glorifying his Father—the loving offering of himself to his Father out of love for humankind. Because of this cruciform act of glorifying his Father, his Father will at once glorify him by raising him gloriously from the dead. Jesus’ passing over from death’s darkness to life’s eternal glory is his primary act of farewell.42 Second, because Jesus is returning to his Father in glory, he will only be with his disciples for a “little while” longer (see Jn 13:33). After this “little while,” they will not see him, but then, after a “little while,” they will see him again, because Jesus will live and his disciples will also live (see Jn 14:19 and 14:28). Within his grave, Jesus is out of sight, but once he is risen, he will be

41. I will now attempt to enumerate, in a somewhat logical order, the main points, the many things, that Jesus makes known. In his high priestly prayer, Jesus will tell his Father that he has revealed to his disciples all the words that he has given to him to say. Because of these words, his disciples have come to believe that he has been sent by his Father (see Jn 17:6–9). I will add footnotes corresponding references to Jesus’ high priestly prayer (Jn 17) as we proceed. 42. Not by chance, then, does Jesus begin his high priestly prayer with this entreaty to his Father: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him” (Jn 17:1–2). Jesus also prays that once he finishes his Father’s work, his Father would glorify him with the glory that he possessed before the world was made (see Jn 17:4–5).

The Spirit of Truth   133 seen again as the life-giver. He will be such because he is going to his Father, the source of all life (see Jn 16:16–20; see also 7:33). Third, the prospect of Jesus leaving causes his disciples to be distressed, sorrowful, and troubled. Throughout his farewell address, Jesus provides multiple reasons as to why his disciples should not be downhearted. Rather, they are to be at peace and filled with joy. Instead of possessing troubled hearts, Jesus’ disciples are to believe in God and in him.43 Such belief is proper because in his Father’s house there are many mansions, and Jesus is going to prepare a place for them. When he returns in glory, he will take them with him, so that where he abides, they too may abide with him (see Jn 14:1–5; see also 13:36).44 This is why the disciples need to believe in his Father and in him, as the Father’s Son. In response to Thomas’s saying that they do not know where he is going and that they do not know the way, Jesus tells them that he is himself the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. To abide in the risen Jesus is to know truly the Father and to share in the Father’s eternal life. In response to Philip’s request that Jesus show them the Father, Jesus declares that to see him is to see the Father. As the Father’s Son, Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in him. On the day of Jesus’ resurrection, his disciples will know that Jesus abides in his Father and that they abide in him and he in them (see Jn 14:24). Thus to abide in Jesus, the Son, is to abide in the Father, and thus to abide in Jesus, the Son, is to see the Father in whom Jesus abides (see Jn 14:5–11; see also 12:45). It is to the disciples’ advantage that Jesus goes, for if he does not return to his Father, the Counselor, the Spirit of truth, will not come. The coming of the Spirit is one of the paramount benefits that Jesus’ leaving achieves. He speaks of it on five separate occasions. If Jesus goes, he will send another Counselor, the Spirit of truth, and he will be with and will dwell in his disciples (see Jn 14:15–17). When the Father sends the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus, he will teach the disciples all things and help them remember all that Jesus taught (see Jn 14:25–26). While the world will hate him and his disciples, when Jesus sends from the Father the Counselor, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, the Spirit will bear witness to him as will his disciples (see Jn 15:25–27). 43. Jesus in his high priestly prayer states that eternal life is to believe in his Father as the one true God, and in Jesus Christ whom the Father has sent (see Jn 17:3). 44. In his high priestly prayer, Jesus also prays that that those whom the Father has given him may be with him, so that they may see the glory that the Father has lovingly given him from before the foundation of the world (see Jn 17:24).

134  The Book of Glory Likewise, Jesus will send the Counselor, and the Spirit of truth will convict the world of sin, for the world does not believe that Jesus is the Father’s Son. He will convict the world of righteousness, for Jesus will return gloriously to the Father as his righteous Son. The Spirit will convict the world of judgment, for through Jesus’ death and resurrection the ruler of this world is condemned (Jn 16:7–11). Lastly, when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide the disciples to all truth, for he will speak of what is to come. He will make known that the Father has given to his risen Son, Jesus, all that is his, that is, all authority in heaven and on earth. In revealing Jesus’ primacy over all of creation, the Spirit will glorify Jesus (see Jn 16:12–15). Because of all that the Holy Spirit will do, the disciples should not feel desolate or orphaned, but rather they should rejoice in anticipation of the Spirit’s coming. One of the blessings of the Spirit’s coming after Jesus’ departure is that whatever the disciples ask in Jesus’ name, he will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (see Jn 14:13–14). Because Jesus is the true vine and his disciples are the branches, and thus he and his disciples abide in one another, whatever they ask will be done. The reason is that the Father is glorified in their bearing much fruit, and so they will prove that they are truly Jesus’ disciples (see Jn 15:7–8; see also 15:1–11). Upon the day of Jesus’ glorious resurrection, his disciples will have no need to ask him for anything. Since they will abide in him, they can themselves express their desires directly to the Father, and he will give what they ask in the name of Jesus, for the Father loves them because they love Jesus and believe that he came from the Father as the Father’s Son. In asking and receiving, the disciples will find the fullness of joy (see Jn 15:11 and 16:23–27). Fourth, the disciples’ requests will be heard because these will be made in love. Jesus explains why it is beneficial for them that he leaves, and tells them that they in turn must love one another as he has loved them. This is the new commandment. Seeing the disciples’ love for one another, all will know that they are Jesus’ disciples (see Jn 13:34–35, 15:8; see also 1 Jn 2:7–11 and 3:23). If, as Jesus’ chosen friends, they keep his commands as he has kept his Father’s commandments, then they will abide in his love as he abides in his Father’s love. To love as Jesus loves demands that one lay down one’s life for one’s friends, for in such sacrificial love resides the greatest love. Sacrificial love is the fruit that abides forever, and it is within this love that one makes requests of the Father in Jesus’ name (see Jn 15:8–17). In keeping Jesus’ command to love as he has loved, the disciples will do the works of Jesus, and even greater works, for

The Spirit of Truth   135 the works of Jesus are the works of love (see Jn 14:12). Moreover, it is within this command-keeping love that Jesus and his Father will come to the disciples and make their home in them (see Jn 14:23). Fifth, in the midst of this love, with the peace and joy that it brings, Jesus forewarns his disciples that the world will hate them as it has hated him, for the servant is not greater than his master. The world loves its own, but Jesus has chosen them out of the world, and so the world will hate them, for they bear witness to him. Moreover, in hating Jesus and his disciples, the world hates the Father, for Jesus is the Father’s Son, and to such a truth his disciples bear witness. The unbelieving world does not know the Father, and so it does not know Jesus, the Father’s Son. If Jesus had not come and accomplished his Father’s works, the world would not have sin, but now the world has seen Jesus’ salvific works and continues its hatred of both him and his Father. Thus in lovingly laying down one’s life, as Jesus lovingly laid down his for the salvation of the world, one provokes the hatred of the world, a world that does not want to be saved, for it loves the darkness of sin more than the light of truth (see Jn 15:18–25 and 16:1–4). Jesus has overcome the world, however, for he has cast out the ruler of this world (see Jn 12:31, 14:30, and 16:33). While Jesus’ disciples will have tribulation in this world, they are nonetheless to be of good cheer. Jesus, while he was still with them, has told his disciples all of these things in the course of his farewell discourse, so that they would have peace that is not of this world but comes from abiding in him as the Father’s Spirit-filled Son (see Jn 14:27 and 16:33).45 Although in his farewell address Jesus focuses upon his leaving the world and returning to his Father, this return is founded upon his first coming into the world. Jesus reminds his disciples that he has come from his Father into the world. This coming into the world is the act of the Incarnation, of the Word/Son taking on flesh. Jesus, as the Father’s incarnate Son, came to do his Father’s work, and now, having completed it, he is returning in glory to his 45. In his high priestly prayer, Jesus states that he is not praying for the world but for those whom the Father has given him, for they, like him, are not of the world. Since he is coming to the Father, he prays that his Father would keep them safe so that they would be one as he and his Father are one. Though the world hates them, Jesus has protected them. Jesus does not ask the Father to take them out of the world, but that they be guarded against the evil one. Jesus asks his Father to consecrate his disciples in the truth (implying the Spirit of truth), for Jesus has himself been consecrated in the truth, and so those whom he has sent into the world are to be consecrated in the truth as well (see Jn 17:9–19).

136  The Book of Glory Father (see Jn 16:28). The Father created all through his Word, and now Jesus, the incarnate Word, is finishing his Father’s new work, that of re-creating the world. In his descending and ascending, Jesus, the Son, makes possible, for those who believe in him and who are born anew in the Spirit, to become new creations in him, to ascend in communion with him into the Father’s presence and so obtain eternal life. The risen Jesus is himself the new creation, and to abide in the risen Jesus is to be a new creation. This abiding in Jesus with the Father, through the Holy Spirit, now and for eternity, is the foremost farewell thing that Jesus wants to tell his disciples while he is still with them. In bringing about this abiding, Jesus will eternally be Jesus—YHWH-Saves.46 I hope that this has been helpful in drawing together all the “things” that Jesus told his disciples in his farewell address. If so, we can progress confidently to chapter 17. There, Jesus prays to his Father that all he has said while being with his disciples will come to be when he departs to his Father. 46. Jesus prays, in his high priestly prayer, not only for his present disciples but also for those who will come to believe because of their words. Jesus’ prayer is that they would all be one as he and his Father are one, so that they would all be one in them. Such oneness will manifest that the Father truly sent Jesus, his Son, into the world. Moreover, Jesus desires that all who believe in him share in his glory, so that it would be manifested that he truly loves those who believe in him. By sharing in this glory, Jesus’ followers would behold the glory that the Father, in his love, has given to him from before the foundation of the world. Jesus will continue to make his Father known, so that the love that the Father has for him will be the same love that is in his disciples as well, and thus that he himself with be in them (see Jn 17:20–26).

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

5 • J e s u s ’ H igh P riestly P r aye r

Having completed his farewell address to his disciples, Jesus immediately begins what is known as his high priestly prayer. “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said” (Jn 17:1). This is the longest prayer that Jesus prays in the four Gospels. It can be divided into three parts. Jesus first addresses his Father concerning the approaching hour, an hour wherein he will glorify the Father and the Father will glorify him. Thus Jesus speaks of the Father’s salvific work that he is about to complete (see Jn 17:1–5). Second, Jesus prays for his present disciples, that the Father will do for them what he himself had just enumerated in his farewell discourse (see Jn 17:6–19). Third, Jesus prays for those future disciples who will come to faith because of his present disciples’ preaching. Specifically, Jesus prays that his followers will abide in him so that they will be one even as he and his Father are one, and that they will therefore share in the same love that Jesus and his Father have for one another. This unity of life and love with the Father and Jesus will manifest to the world that Jesus is truly the Father’s Son. This singular unity with the Father and the Son will be a defining mark of the authentic ecclesial community (see Jn 17:20–26). Moreover, as we will see, Jesus’ prayer looks back to what Jesus has done in the past—that is, as narrated within the Book of Signs—as well as forward to his imminent passion and death. Jesus prays that his salvific work will achieve its saving benefits. I will therefore argue that Jesus’ high priestly prayer, although prayed prior to his crucifixion, expresses the entire saving act of the cross; that is, what Jesus prays here, he will enact upon the cross. In so doing, he will have accomplished his Father’s work and so reap, for his present and future disciples, the saving benefits that flow from his saving sacrifice. Within his high priestly prayer, then, we will also discover allusions to the

137

138  The Book of Glory Our Father, a prayer that I have argued also embodies Jesus’ cruciform saving action.1 With this introduction in mind, we can now turn to the text itself.2

The Mutual Glorifying of the Father and the Son In his farewell address, Jesus was looking at his disciples, but now he lifts up his eyes to heaven. He turns his immediate attention away from them and toward his heavenly Father, though his prayer is very much about his disciples’ present and eternal well-being.3 Since his disciples, in accordance with the narrative, are still in Jesus’ presence, they must have heard the words that he spoke. Although they do not join in his prayer, for only Jesus, as the Father’s Son, could pray as he now does, if the Father grants his Son’s prayer, they will be able to do so in the future, for they will abide in him. By abiding in Jesus, the Father’s Son, they will abide with his Father, and so, in communion with Jesus, they will be able to pray to the Father as Jesus himself now prays, for they will be, in the Son, the Father’s children. Moreover, the disciples will only grasp the significance of Jesus’ prayer when the reality of his prayer comes to be—that is, after Jesus’ death and resurrection—and his ensuing act of sending upon them the Father’s Holy Spirit: the Father’s rebirthing Spirit who will conjoin them to the born-anew Jesus, making them one and so together one with the Father. 1. I articulated this understanding of the Our Father in JBJ 1:401–11. 2. I will treat the historicity of Jesus’ high priestly prayer, as well as the historicity of his farewell address, at the conclusion of this chapter. The farewell discourse and the high priestly prayer embody much of the same content, though articulated in two different but complementary genres. 3. Having taken away the stone from Lazarus’s tomb, “Jesus lifted up his eyes” and prayed to his Father. He thanked his Father for hearing his prayer, knowing that his Father always hears him. He therefore prayed not for his own sake, but for the sake of those standing by, “that they may believe that you did send me” (Jn 11:41–42). Similarly, Jesus presently knows that his Father hears his prayer, a prayer that not only pertains to his own glory but also is for the benefit of his present and future followers. In the Synoptics, Jesus notably looks up to heaven when he multiplies the loaves and fish (see Mt 14:19, Mk 6:41, and Lk 9:16). In John’s Gospel, Jesus does not lift up his eyes prior to the multiplication but upon seeing the crowd. However, he was not only beholding the crowd, but he was also beholding his Father, for Jesus was about to give them bread from heaven (see Jn 6:4). Also, when healing the man who was deaf and mute, Jesus looked “up to heaven” (Mk 6:34). The Psalmist prays with his eyes lifted up to the Lord, “who is enthroned in the heavens” (Ps 123:1). Given the above, it would appear that Jesus purposely places himself in the presence of his heavenly Father when he is about to perform a life-giving work of his Father—a work of re-creation.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   139 Jesus begins his prayer with a declarative address—“Father.”4 With such an address, Jesus is declaring himself to be the Father’s incarnate Son, for it is as man that the Son is addressing his Father. Thus it is an incarnational declaration. Moreover, Jesus is presumably using the Aramaic form “Abba” and so addressing his loving Father as the Father’s loving Son. Significantly, as we will immediately see, Jesus employs this affectionate “Abba” within the context of his impending “hour”—that of his passion and death. Even in this darkest hour, Jesus is aware of his Father’s love and so wishes to avow his love for his Father.5 So, Jesus declares: “Father, the hour has come.” To appreciate fully the theological importance of Jesus’ present declaration, we must review and bring to the fore the Johannine theme of “the hour.” Jesus or the Evangelist refers to “the hour” seventeen times overall.6 Within the Book of Signs, Jesus speaks of “the hour” as something that is anticipated. “The hour” was inaugurated at the wedding feast at Cana. The changing of the abundance of water into an abundance of wine signified the abundance of new life that will be found in baptism and the Eucharist, both of which prophetically signified the coming “hour” of his death and resurrection. Through baptism, the believer participates in Jesus’ dying and rising and so is born anew and therefore is empowered to partake of his risen body and blood. In this miracle sign, Jesus first revealed his glory, which prompted his disciples to believe in him (see Jn 2:1–11). Jesus informs the Samaritan woman that “the hour” is coming when the Father will not be worshipped on the present Samaritan mountain nor in Jerusalem, but true worship of the Father will be in spirit and truth (see Jn 4:21–24). Moreover, “the hour” is coming when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and live (see Jn 5:25). “The Jews” should not marvel at this, “for the hour is coming when all who are in their tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have 4. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 17:1–5. 5. Jesus earlier addresses his “Father” when his heart was troubled at the approaching hour. But he refuses to ask his Father to save him from this hour, for it was for this very hour that he has come to this hour (Jn 12:27). The “hour” intensifies Jesus’ awareness of his Father, for in that “hour” Jesus will complete his Father’s saving work. These Johannine accounts are in keeping with what is found in Mark’s Gospel. Mark tells the reader that in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus fell to the ground and prayed that “if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.” Jesus then prayed: “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mk 14:35–36; in Mt 26:39 and 26:42, Jesus prays “my Father,” and in Lk 22:42, Jesus prays “Father”). Even if his Father wills that he drinks the hour’s cup, Jesus knows his Father is still “Abba.” 6. They are: Jn 2:4, 4:21, 4:23, 4:52–53, 5:25, 5:28, 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, 12:27, 16:2, 16:21, 16:25, 16:27, 16:32, 17:1, and 19:27. Jesus also speaks of “his time” having not yet come (see Jn 7:6–8).

140  The Book of Glory done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment” (Jn 5:28). Thus “the hour” pertains not only to Jesus’ death, but also to his being the resurrection and the life. The Evangelist notes that when “the Jews” sought to arrest Jesus, they could not, for “his hour had not yet come” (Jn 7:30; see also 8:20). When his final week begins, “six days before the Passover,” Jesus speaks not of the “coming-hour,” but now of “the hour that has come,” “the hour” for him to be glorified (Jn 12:23).7 This coming of “the hour” causes Jesus to have a troubled heart. But what should he say? “ ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” To which the Father audibly responds, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again” (Jn 12:27–28). While “the hour” portends Jesus’ death, it simultaneously heralds his glory. The Evangelist, at the onset of the Last Supper, informs the reader that Jesus, knowing “that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1). Jesus’ “hour” is a passing-over “hour” wherein he will pass from this world to his Father, and within that “hour,” he will love his own to the end of that “hour”—the hour of his death.8 Presently, still within the context of the Last Supper and the farewell discourse, and so on the eve of his passion and death when his arrest is only an “hour” away, Jesus now makes known to his Father that indeed “the hour has come” (Jn 17:1). Taking into account the above, I want to make two interrelated points. First, “the hour” passages often occur within a liturgical context or with worship in mind—the baptismal and Eucharistic imagery at the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus’ baptismal dialogue with the Samaritan woman, and within the context of the Passover. Thus Jesus’ “hour” is “the hour” when he will enact the liturgy of his passing over from this world to his Father through the priest7. Immediately upon stating that his hour has come for him to be glorified, Jesus declares: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24). Shortly, in his high priestly prayer, Jesus sees his glorification, his saving death and resurrection, as the bearing of the fruit of “eternal life” (Jn 17:2). Although neither Jesus nor the Evangelist refer to “the hour” upon his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, that jubilant entry is what transforms “the coming hour” into “the hour that has come.” Jesus’ triumphal entry prophetically anticipates the glory of Jesus’ death and resurrection, “the hour” of his passing over from this world to his heavenly Father. Interestingly, the Evangelist comments that the disciples only grasped the significance of Jesus’ triumphal entry after he “was glorified” (Jn 12:16), that is, after what was prophetically enacted came to actualization. 8. Jesus also spoke of the coming “hour” that his disciples will experience, an “hour” when they too will be hated, persecuted, and killed (see Jn 16:1–4 and 16:21–24).

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   141 ly offering of himself to his Father. Within that passing over, baptism and the Eucharist are instituted as seen from the water and blood that flow from Jesus’ pierced side. Both of these “sacraments” make present Jesus’ “hour,” and so through them believers pass over into the Father’s presence, thus empowering them to worship, in him, his Father in spirit and truth. Thus Jesus’ “hour” is replicated upon earth until the “hour” when Jesus returns in glory—the final fulfillment of his “hour” when all will share fully in his risen life and so worship his Father fully in spirit and truth.9 Second, Jesus’ “hour” is almost always placed within the context of Jesus’ future glorification or his actually being glorified. The reason is that “the hour” contains within it both the glory of the cross—that is, Jesus’ completion of his Father’s work wherein salvation of humankind is achieved—and the glory of his resurrection—that is, his Father enthroning him as the glorious Savior and Lord. Having finished his Father’s saving work, Jesus will then make present this cruciform and risen salvific achievement within the liturgical rites of baptism and the Eucharist, for he will baptize believers in the Holy Spirit, and he will nourish his disciples on his risen crucified body and risen pouredout blood. Thus his disciples will come to share in his glory, a glory that again finds its fulfillment when he returns in glory at the end of time. Then, all will participate in the everlasting heavenly liturgical banquet.10 In the light of our exposition of “the hour” in John’s Gospel, we can return to the present text. The ever-growing cumulative revelation of Jesus’ glory, a glory that first began with the miracle sign at Cana and was ever more manifested throughout the Book of Signs, has now brought the ever-anticipated hour to its climax. “The hour” is at hand when Jesus will be arrested and condemned, and such a condemnatory judgement will be made because he claimed that God is his Father, thus making himself equal to God. Ironically, in the very revealing of his glory, “glory as of the only Son from the Father” (Jn 1:14), Jesus has brought upon himself his own condemnation. This condemnatory “hour” is what Jesus wants his Father, first of all, to know—“the hour has come.”11 9. This heavenly liturgy is prophetically described in the Book of Revelation (see esp. chaps. 4, 5, and 19–22). 10. The last mention of “the hour” is immediately before Jesus completes his “hour” by handing over his spirit to his Father. From the cross, Jesus gives his mother to the beloved disciple, “and from that hour the disciple took her to his home” (Jn 19:26–27). “The hour” of Jesus’ death is “the hour” of placing his mother under the care of the Evangelist. The theological interpretation of this “hour” will have to wait until its time has properly arrived. 11. As will become evident, in asking his Father to glorify him, Jesus is requesting that the Father establish the reality of all that he said and did within the Book of Signs. He wants his

142  The Book of Glory The even greater irony is that the hour of his condemnation could become the supreme hour of Jesus’ glory. The turning of this dark hour of his death into the hour of his glory is precisely what Jesus is beseeching his Father to bring about. “Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.”12 Jesus is petitioning his Father to glorify him; that is, he wishes that the Father would make the loving offering of himself on the cross an acceptable holy sacrifice for the salvation of the world. The absolute efficacy of Jesus’ sacrifice of himself to his Father would then be his supreme glory. Moreover, if the Father glorifies Jesus, in accepting his death as a holy, loving sacrifice for the forgiveness for sin, then that sacrifice would also entail Jesus’ glorification of his Father.13 The Father’s cruciform glorification of his Son, Jesus, would simultaneously be Jesus’ cruciform glorification of his Father, for he would be lovingly offering himself to his Father, a loving sacrifice that his Father would Father to verify what his miracles signified, to confirm all of his “I am” sayings, and to corroborate the truth of what he declared about himself within his contentious dialogues with the unbelieving Jews. Without the Father’s glorification of Jesus, all that is contained in the Book of Signs becomes null and void, and thus his condemnatory death would be validated. 12. Immediately after Judas exits the Last Supper, Jesus proclaims, “Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified; if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once” (Jn 13:31–33; see also 12:27–28). The “now” is “the hour” that has come, the hour wherein Jesus will, in his sacrificial death, glorify his Father, and because of that glorifying death, the Father will in turn glorify Jesus by raising him at once from the dead. 13. The question can be asked: What does it mean to “glorify” another? To glorify another is to give, in love, the praise, honor, and reverence that is due to another. In the case of God, “to glorify” also contains the note of supreme adoration and worship. So, for Jesus to glorify his Father is for him, in loving reverence, to give himself entirely to his Father, his whole life, in adoration and worship. Jesus enacted this supreme act of worship on the cross where he sacrificially gave himself completely to his Father in love. Such an act of glorifying his Father is simultaneously the supreme act of Jesus’ own glorification, for only he has glorified his Father perfectly. Because of Jesus’ supreme act of glorification, the Father enacts the supreme act of glorifying Jesus his Son; that is, he raises him gloriously from the dead, making him supreme over heaven and earth. The act of raising Jesus from the dead is the Father’s act of praise, honor, and reverence for his Son, an act that Jesus duly merited in enacting the supreme act of glorifying his Father. Such an understanding will become more evident in what Jesus will say shortly. It should also be noted that within John’s Gospel, Jesus’ offering of himself as a sacrifice for sin is implied in the Baptist’s declaration that Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). Later, Jesus will say that “the Son makes you free,” that is, free from sin (Jn 8:34–36). In his First Letter, John states that Jesus Christ “is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn 2:2). He also states, “You know that he [Jesus] appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin” (1 Jn 3:5).

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   143 lovingly accept, and thus both would be glorified in one another. Jesus’ death on the cross would then be the perichoretic act of the Father and his incarnate Son mutually glorifying one another.14 Now, as implied above, it is for the sake of humankind’s salvation that the Father should glorify Jesus, his Son, so that the Son may glorify him—“since you have given him [Jesus] power over all flesh (sarkos), to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.”15 In the incarnational act, the Word/Son came to exist in the flesh (sarx), and in so doing, he became one with Adam’s enfeebled sin-marred race, a race doomed to death. Jesus took on the likeness of sinful flesh, the image of all of humanity, so that he might have power over that flesh, his own flesh and that of all men and women, and thus put that flesh to death on the cross on behalf of all. This putting of humankind’s sinful flesh to death will be accomplished when Jesus offers himself to his Father. Thus our sinful flesh becomes the instrument by which Jesus lovingly offers his sinless and holy life to his Father, thus transforming our sinful flesh into a perfect loving act—an act whereby the Father was perfectly glorified. Moreover, when the Father glorifies Jesus in raising him from the dead, he establishes Jesus as the new Adam and thus the father of a new human race. All who believe in Jesus, and come to abide in him, will become a new creation in him. Thus for Jesus to have “power over all flesh” means that he is able “to give eternal life” to all whom the Father has given to him. As previously emphasized, this regeneration is a major theme in John’s Gospel. The Word who first created human beings in his own image and likeness re-creates them in his own image and likeness by taking on their own sinful likeness. In so doing, Jesus, through his death and resurrection, elevates those whom the Father has given him into his own divine filial image, so that they become the heavenly Father’s children. The mutual cruciform glorifica14. Although Jesus speaks of the Father glorifying him and of him glorifying the Father, we must also speak of the Holy Spirit. As the Father’s Son, Jesus is the Father’s Spirit-anointed Messiah, and it is the indwelling Spirit that imbues Jesus’ sacrificial offering of himself with holiness and love. Likewise, the Father accepts, in the Spirit of holiness and love, Jesus’ sacrifice of himself as efficacious. Thus the perichoretic cruciform glorification of the Father and the Son is enacted within the perichoretic act of the Holy Spirit, he who makes the Father’s and Son’s mutual glorification holy and loving. 15. Earlier, Jesus stated, “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him” (Jn 3:35–36). Immediately prior to his ascension, Jesus declares: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Therefore his Apostles should go out and make disciples of all nations, and baptize them, thus bringing them into the eternal life of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:18–19).

144  The Book of Glory tion of the Father and Son therefore finds its terminus, its goal, in the glorification of all who are saved by coming to abide in the Father’s and Son’s own shared glory. Thus his bestowal of eternal life manifests Jesus’ own redemptive cruciform and risen glory.16 Having declared that he can give eternal life to all whom the Father has given him, Jesus immediately states of what eternal life consists. “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Eternal life consists of a knowledge of the one true God, Jesus’ Father, as well as a knowledge of Jesus Christ himself, who was sent by the Father.17 Scripture scholars believe that the phrase “and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” was later inserted into the Gospel. The reason is that Jesus never identifies himself as “Jesus Christ.”18 I would agree with this scholarly assessment. But I think that the Evangelist could have himself inserted this phrase, and he did so in order to emphasize that one cannot know “the one true God” apart from knowing “Jesus Christ,” the one whom “the one true God” sent. By inserting this phrase, John also allows Jesus himself, in a sense, to answer the question he asked his disciples in the Synoptics: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter’s response in Mark’s Gospel is thought to be the most historically accurate: “You [Jesus] are the Christ” (Mk 8:28). Presently, Jesus himself identifies himself as the Christ, that is, the one true God’s Spirit-anointed Messiah. Jesus’ words would also echo what Peter declares in Matthew and Luke: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16) and “the Christ of God” (Lk 9:20). Jesus is the Messiah because he is “the Son of the living God” and thus “the Christ of God.” In John, Jesus identifies himself as the Christ because he was sent by God, and he was sent by God because he is the Son of the living God, and therefore he is the incarnate Christ of God. Thus Jesus’ self-identification elucidates, and so accentuates, Peter’s proclamation of his incarnational status. As the one sent by the one true God, Jesus is the Father’s incarnate Messianic Son. Therefore, to know the one true God, one needs to know who Jesus is, 16. By specifying that Jesus gives life “to all whom” the Father has given to him appears to imply that the “all” does not entail everyone but only the “given-ones,” and thus not everyone will be saved. Although Jesus died for all, only those whom the Father has given him will reap the saving benefit of his once for all saving work. This raises the whole issue of predestination, a topic that obviously cannot be treated here. 17. The Book of Wisdom declares: “For to know you [God] is complete righteousness, and to know your power is the root of immortality” (Wis 15:3). 18. Jesus’ normal manner of referencing himself is by the name “Son” or as the one “sent by God,” or other similar variants.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   145 for he is himself the ultimate revelation of the one true God and in that twofold knowledge is eternal life.19 Given the above, how are we to understand the term “know?” Normally one thinks that “knowing” entails the identification of something outside oneself, such as identifying and so knowing a tree. “To know” actually means to be “in communion with” what is known, however. To know truly another person is to be in living communion with that person.20 Now, the only way to know truly the one true God, the Son’s Father, is through the Son, for only the Son, as the Father’s Word and perfect image, truly sees and so singularly knows the Father. “No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known” (Jn 1:18).21 Later, Jesus states that anyone who has learned from the Father comes to him. “Not that anyone has seen the Father except him who is from God; he 19. What I have articulated here is in keeping with the nature of John’s Gospel. First, I have maintained throughout my theological interpretation of John’s Gospel that John is writing his own theological interpretation of the one Gospel tradition that is found in a threefold manner within the Synoptics. Second, as I have also noted on a number of occasions, John as the beloved disciple confidently places in the mouth of Jesus what is implicit in other contexts. Thus we may not always have the ipsissima verba of Jesus, but we do always have the enriched Johannine theological thought contained in Jesus’ very words and actions—the fuller ipsissima sententia of Jesus. Third, as I have also noted previously, John, more than the Synoptic authors, allows individuals to identify themselves, e.g., John the Baptist (see Jn 1:19–23). In the light of the Baptist’s self-identification, it would not be out of place for Jesus to identify himself, and to do so by echoing the words that God his Father told the Baptist and the conclusion that the Baptist himself draws. “ ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God” (Jn 1:33–34). Jesus confirms what the Baptist saw and what he had borne witness to—that he is Jesus the Christ, the Son sent by the Father. Finally, the Evangelist’s sole purpose in writing his Gospel is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing you may have life in his name” (Jn 20:31). 20. Such an understanding of knowing is found particularly within marriage. The Old Testament employs the euphemism “to know” when speaking of a husband and wife engaging in sexual intercourse. They “know” one another in a privileged manner that is reserved to them alone, and with an intimacy that makes them one flesh. Thus Adam “knows” his wife Eve (see Gn 4:1, 4:17, and 4:25). Although we think of “knowing” as coming to identify something that is outside ourselves, such as a tree, we, in the act of knowing, do intellectually come to be what we know. We see, e.g., an individual tree, but we are able, through our intellectual powers, to abstract the universal essence of the tree—i.e., what is common to all trees—and in so doing become intellectually one with the tree that we see. To know is to become one with what is known, even on the natural level. 21. The above is in keeping with Jesus’ “Johannine” words in Matthew and Luke. “All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Mt 11:27; see also Lk 10:22). Their exclusive knowledge of one another is due to their

146  The Book of Glory has seen the Father.” And anyone who believes that Jesus is the Father’s Son, and thus believes that he reveals the Father, “has eternal life” (Jn 6:45–47). Jesus also tells the unbelieving Jews, “I know him [the Father], for I come from him, and he sent me” (Jn 7:29). Moreover, when Philip asks him to show the disciples the Father, Jesus responds, “He who has seen me has seen the Father . . . . Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?” (Jn 14:9–10). On the day of Jesus’ resurrection, his disciples will know that he is in the Father and he in them (see Jn 14:20).22 If anyone keeps Jesus’ word, the Father will love him, and he and his Father will make their home with him” (see Jn 14:23). Thus Jesus’ disciples, in knowing him to be the Father’s Son, come to abide in him through the indwelling Holy Spirit and thus come to know, in communion with him, the Father. Those who abide in Jesus therefore share in his own filial vision, his own filial knowledge of his Father.23 To know the Son is to abide in him, and to abide in the Son is to know the Father and so to abide in the Father.24 Jesus therefore gives eternal life, for to abide in him through the indwelling Spirit, and thus to be in communion with the Father as his children, is to abide in the eternal life of the one true triune God— the threefold He Who Is, the great I AM.25 being the one God. To share in this exclusive knowledge demands that believers partake of their divine oneness. This will be evident shortly. 22. Earlier, Jesus told his disciples that he calls them “friends” because he has revealed to them all that he has heard from his Father (see Jn 15:14–15). As Jesus’ friends, his disciples possess intimate knowledge of his Father. 23. This Johannine understanding of abiding in Jesus is in keeping with what Paul also teaches. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. . . . When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children of God, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:14–17; see also Gal 4:5–7). In Christ Jesus, we, together with him, cry out, “Abba! Father!” 24. Although Jesus is here emphasizing that to know him and his Father is eternal life, earlier he speaks of his knowing “his sheep.” As the good shepherd, Jesus states, “I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” (Jn 10:14–15). Significantly, the mutual knowing between Jesus and his own participates in the mutual knowing between the Father and Jesus, the Son. Thus as their knowing of one another makes them one, so the knowing between Jesus and his disciples makes them one. This oneness will be achieved in Jesus laying down his life for his sheep, i.e., reconciling them to his Father and re-creating them in the Holy Spirit. 25. The Evangelist has grasped the meaning of Jesus’ teaching and the words of his prayer. By this we know that we abide in him [God] and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God. (1 Jn 4:13–15) At the very conclusion of his First Letter, he declares: “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   147 To make absolutely clear what is evident in the above, the humanity, specifically the risen humanity, of Jesus is of the utmost salvific importance. God the Father sent his Son into the world so that human beings might have eternal life. Jesus, the incarnate Father’s Son, died and rose in order to make available that everlasting life. To partake of and so to share in that eternal life, one must be united to the Father’s risen Son, and this is achieved through humankind’s humanity being united to, becoming one with, the risen Jesus—the risen human Jesus. There is in the Spirit a communion, a oneness, of flesh—Jesus’ risen flesh and the flesh of those who believe. In that one fleshly communion is eternal life. Baptism establishes this Spirit-oneness with the risen Jesus, and in the Eucharist this oneness is most fully manifested and achieved, for believers become one with the risen Jesus as he truly exists, for they partake of the risen Jesus—his risen body and risen blood. “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” and “he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him,” and “I will raise him up at the last day” (Jn 6:54–56). The Evangelist makes clear, through Jesus’ own words, that without the risen humanity of Jesus, the Father’s Incarnate Spirit-filled Son, the entire Gospel collapses. Since his hour has come, Jesus prays that his Father will glorify him so that he can glorify his Father, and within this mutual glorification, he will be able to give eternal life to all whom the Father has given him. This eternal life consists in knowing his Father, the one true God, and in Jesus himself as the Christ, the one whom the Father has sent. Jesus now makes another declarative statement that leads to another petition to his Father. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, glorify you me in your presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.

Jesus declares to his Father that he has glorified him on earth by accomplishing on earth the saving work that his Father gave him to do. The problem is that while “the hour” is only hours away, Jesus has not completed his Father’s work, and so he has yet to glorify his Father fully. So why does Jesus change tense, that is, from speaking about his Father’s future glorification of true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 Jn 5:20). Moreover, John assures the reader that future believers will be like God because they will see him as he is (see 1 Jn 3:2). Again, as in ordinary human knowing, where one intellectually becomes what is known, so in seeing God and so knowing God as he is, one will actually become like God, for such seeing and knowing is achieved by dwelling within God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

148  The Book of Glory him and of his future glorification of the Father to speaking of the past, as if he has already glorified the Father? The answer to this question bears upon the thesis that I put forth in the introduction. The prayer that Jesus is presently praying is a prophetic anticipation of what he will pray on the cross, or rather the prayer that he prays now he will enact on the cross. So, Jesus first prayed that the Father would glorify him so that he would be able to glorify his Father, but he now prays as if he were on the cross and about to die—the hour of their mutual glorification of one another. At that “hour,” Jesus can rightly pray that he has glorified his Father, having completed his Father’s salvific work, for he is enacting the glorification of his Father by completing his Father’s work—the priestly offering of himself as the most loving and holy sacrifice, the supreme act of worship of his heavenly Father for the world’s salvation. Thus we must picture Jesus not simply praying his high priestly prayer on the cross, but we must rather visualize him enacting his high priestly prayer on the cross. The high priestly prayer is a Passover prayer, a Passover prayer that Jesus will enact as the true Passover lamb when he offers himself to his Father upon the cross. The Father, in turn, will accept his Son’s Passover sacrifice by raising him from the dead and so empowering him to pass over into his heavenly presence. Having declared to his Father that he has accomplished his Father’s salvific work, Jesus petitions his Father that he would “now” glorify him. How does Jesus want his Father to glorify him? Jesus wants his Father to glorify him by taking him into his paternal presence. Jesus’ desire is to return to his abiding presence with his Father as the Father’s Son. This returning to his Father’s presence entails that his Father would give him the glory that he had before the foundation of the world, the eternal glory that he shared with the Father as the Father’s Son. Here we must make a Trinitarian and incarnational distinction. First, in begetting his Son in the love of the Holy Spirit, the Father lovingly gave to his Son the fullness of his divine glory, for the Son is God as the Father is God. Moreover, as we saw when interpreting John’s Prologue, the Father’s first creative act, in creating everything through his Word/Son, was to bring forth light—“Let there be light.” That created “light” manifested the uncreated “light” or “glory” of the Father’s Word or Son. The rest of creation was created in and by the light of God’s Word, for in that divine light all things came to be and were given the light of life, a life-giving light that the darkness of nothingness cannot overcome (see Jn 1:1–5). Thus the Father’s first creative act

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   149 through his Word was to reveal the primacy of his Word/Son, for it is through his Word that the Father brings into being all that is. All of creation, then, is to behold the divine glory of the Father’s Word/Son and so give him the glory that he deserves as creation’s Creator.26 Second, when the Son came to exist as man, he did not lose his divine glory, for he remained truly God in coming to be man. Importantly, it is through his humanity, his sarx, that the Son of God manifests his glory, “glory as of the only Son from the Father” (Jn 1:14). This divine glory became ever more visible, as we saw, throughout the Book of Signs. His miracles were visible signs of his divine glory, and his “I Am” sayings told of the various ways that Jesus enacts his divine glory, for example, being the bread of life, the light of the world and the resurrection and the life, as well as ultimately being “I AM.” So, when Jesus now prays that his Father would glorify him in his presence by giving to him the glory that he eternally possessed prior to creation, he is not simply praying that the divine glory, which lay hidden within his humanity, the weakness of his human flesh, would now be revealed and so be returned to him. Rather, Jesus, the incarnate Son, is praying that he, as man, would partake fully of that divine glory, the glory that he always possessed as God. Jesus’ request is an incarnational request. When Jesus says, “Father, glorify you me,” that “me” pertains to the man Jesus, the incarnate Son of God. As man, the Son of God is petitioning his Father to glorify his humanity with the same divine glory that his Father gave to him when he eternally begot him.27 Thus the Father’s incarnate Son is requesting his Father that his primacy would accrue to him not only as God but also as man; not only in being the divine Creator but also in his being the human Savior. Jesus can tender such a prayer to his Father, not because he is arrogant in his divine status, but because, in his humility, he has finished his Father’s saving work and in so doing has supremely glorified his Father. As man, the Son of God has conquered the gloom of sin and vanquished the shadow of death, and the darkness of both cannot overcome what Jesus has gloriously achieved. It is only right and just that the Father would affirmatively respond, for no one but Jesus, the incarnate Son, has so humbled himself in becoming man and in being obedient to his Father, 26. For a full exposition of the understanding of the primacy of the Word/Son in John’s Prologue, see JBJ 2:13–17. 27. What we perceive here is that the act of glorification, the “to glorify,” is to bestow “the glory” that pertains to being divine. To be glorified is a state wherein one possesses the glory that belongs exclusively to God. As we will see, such glorification also applies to Jesus’ disciples. He will share with them the divine glory that his Father bestowed on him (see Jn 17:22).

150  The Book of Glory even unto death. Of course, the Father does accede to Jesus’ prayerful request by gloriously raising him bodily from the dead, thus establishing his primacy as the Saving Lord of heaven and earth.28 Before proceeding to the next section, I want to address another point that I made in the introduction—that Jesus’ high priestly prayer possesses correspondences to the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples within Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels (see Mt 6:9–13 and Lk 11:2–4). Jesus begins his high priestly prayer by addressing the Father, informing him that “the hour has come.” In this coming hour, Jesus wants the Father to glorify him so that he will be able to glorify his Father. In the Our Father, Jesus first addresses his heavenly, and therefore his glorious, Father, and he prays that his Father’s name be hallowed, that is, that his Father may be glorified and that he may receive all the loving honor, adoration, and worship he deserves as the all-holy God. Jesus next petitions his Father that his kingdom would come and that his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. In glorifying his Father on the cross by offering himself as the perfect loving sacrifice of worship, Jesus will hallow his Father’s name, and in so doing he will bring about his Father’s kingdom. He will have done so because, as he was eternally obedient to his Father in heaven, so now Jesus, the Father’s incarnate Son, has been faithfully obedient to his Father on earth, enacting his Father’s saving work. This saving work won for humankind the forgiveness of sins and delivered humankind from all evil. Their daily bread will now be the living, resurrected body of Jesus, who will give them eternal life. We perceive here the intertwining of the Our Father and Jesus’ high priestly prayer. What is of utmost significance is that although both are prayers, they are prayers that Jesus enacted upon the cross, and it is this cruciform 28. As I mentioned on previous occasions, John’s Gospel does not contain the Transfiguration. The entire Gospel, nonetheless, is the revelation of Jesus’ glory. Thus in his request that the Father glorify him as man, Jesus is praying that the Father transfigure him fully, so that the fullness of his glory might be made manifest for all to see. When Jesus is transfigured on the mount, Moses and Elijah appear with him, and they speak of his passing over, his exodus, from this life into his heavenly life. This exodus is by way of the cruciform glory of his death and into his resurrected heavenly glory. Thus, as in John, Jesus merits his supreme glory, his transfigured glory, through the priestly sacrificial offering of himself to the Father for the forgiveness of sins. For my theological interpretation of the Transfiguration in the Synoptics, see JBJ 1:227–39. The above is also in keeping with the Pauline hymn in his Letter to the Philippians, where Jesus’ supreme primacy is founded upon his matchless humility (see Phil 2:6–11). Also, in the Letter to the Colossians, Jesus holds primacy both in the order of creation and in the order of redemption (see Col 2:15–20).

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   151 enactment that makes real both prayers—the hallowing of the Father’s name through Jesus’ obedience, so that his Father’s sin-forgiving and life-bestowing kingdom may come in the very person of the risen Jesus himself. Likewise, one can only authentically pray the Our Father if one is united to Jesus, for only by abiding in the risen Jesus does his Father become “our” Father. Moreover, only by abiding in Jesus can his disciples hallow and glorify his heavenly Father’s name, and only in him can they obediently further the Father’s kingdom, and only in Jesus can they be forgiven their sins and delivered from all evil. Only in Jesus can they be fed on the bread of eternal life. Finally, this weaving together of the Our Father and Jesus’ high priestly prayer is another example of John’s Gospel being a theological interpretation of the one Gospel tradition as found in the Synoptics—one of my principal themes. The first five verses of Jesus’ high priestly prayer provide theological depth to the Our Father—a depth founded upon the crucified and risen Jesus.

Sanctify Them in the Truth Having focused his attention on the relationship that he and his Father share in their mutual glorification of one another, Jesus now prays to his Father on behalf of his present disciples.29 He immediately declares: I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept my word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me.30 29. Jesus first prays specifically for his present disciples, those who were with him at the Last Supper and to whom he spoke his farewell address (see Jn 17:6–19). Following upon this prayer, Jesus will pray for those who come to believe because of the words spoken by his disciples (see Jn 17:20). Nonetheless, what Jesus prays on behalf of his present disciples would seem to be of benefit to those “disciples” who come after them, precisely because they believe what the disciples taught them. Thus although Jesus prays for two distinct groups of “disciples,” those in the present and those in the future, that for which he petitions his Father on behalf of each group would then apply to both groups, particularly his future disciples throughout the ages. The last verses of Jesus’ high priestly prayer seem to include all of his followers, present and future. The remainder of Jesus’ high priestly prayer is dense theologically. Much of it, as noted previously, is a prayerful rendition of what he spoke to his disciples in his farewell discourse. This being the case, Jesus’ discourse will help unravel the theological content of Jesus’ prayer. 30. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 17:6–19.

152  The Book of Glory In the above, Jesus declares two particulars, one concerning himself and one that is lengthier, pertaining to his disciples. The first is that Jesus has manifested the name of his Father. Now, when Jesus says that he has manifested the “name” of the Father, to what “name” is he referring? Some Scripture scholars suggest that he is referring to the divine name YHWH—He Who Is, or I Am He Who Is (Ego Eimi). The obvious problem with this interpretation is that when Jesus employs the divine name YHWH, he does so in reference to himself and not to his Father (see Jn 8:24, 8:28, 8:58, and 13:19). By appropriating the name YHWH to himself, Jesus is asserting his equal divinity with his Father. For this very reason he is condemned for blaspheming, for only God is He Who Is. Implied within Jesus’ appropriation of the divine name is the implication that his Father is also He Who Is, but “the Jews” already knew that God is He Who Is; that is why they were so scandalized by Jesus appropriating to himself such a sacrosanct name. What they did not know was simply that God is “the Father,” and they did not know that God is “the Father” because they did not know the Father’s Son. As Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know the Father also” (Jn 8:19). Only the Father’s Son could fully reveal the Father. Only in the Father sending his Son into the world could the world come to know the Father in the knowing of the Father’s Son. Thus when Jesus says that he has “manifested” the Father’s “name,” what he has revealed is God as Father—“Father” is the name of the one true God (see Jn 17:3). In manifesting himself as the Father’s Son, he has manifested the Father. As we saw previously, only the Son has seen the Father, and so only he has made him known (see Jn 1:18 and 6:45–47). To see Jesus, the Father’s Son, is to see the Son’s Father, for the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son (see Jn 14:9–10). Jesus manifested the Father’s name to those the Father has given to him. This “giving” is the Father’s taking them, the disciples, out of the world, the world of sin’s darkness, and placing them within the light of Jesus himself, for in and through Jesus the Father’s name has been revealed, a revelation that those of the world do not acknowledge or know. Moreover, those that the Father gave to Jesus originally belonged to the Father, and so they are the Father’s gift to him. Earlier, Jesus said that the Father has given him power to give eternal life to all whom the Father has given him (see Jn 17:2).31 Here 31. When speaking of himself as the good shepherd, Jesus says that he will give his sheep eternal life. He then says that “no one will snatch them out of his hand. My Father, who has

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   153 again, it would appear that the Father does not give everyone in the world to Jesus, his Son, but only the ones who he has chosen out of the world, for only those whom the Father has chosen out of the world always belonged to him. Some in the world do not belong to him and those the Father has not given to Jesus, so as to give them eternal life. On what basis the Father chooses some out the world and others not is a mystery.32 Importantly, the ones who belonged to the Father and whom the Father chose out of the world as a gift to Jesus are those who have kept the Father’s word. What “word” of the Father have the chosen disciples kept? Here we come to Jesus’ second particular— what pertains not to Jesus but what relates to his disciples, that is, their response to his Father’s word. Because his disciples kept the Father’s word, they now know that everything that the Father has given to Jesus is from the Father. And the reason that they know everything that the Father has given to Jesus is from the Father is that Jesus has given to the disciples the words that the Father has given to him, and they have received them. Here there is a complex logical sequence. The disciples have kept the Father’s word. In keeping the Father’s word, they know that all that has been given to Jesus is from his Father. What has been given to Jesus are the words that the Father gave to him. These Father-given words are the words Jesus gave to his disciples. So, for the disciples to keep the Father’s word is for them to keep the words that the Father has given to Jesus. Thus the words of Jesus are the word of the Father. To keep the word of the Father is to keep the words of Jesus. Jesus’ wordplay on “word” (his Father’s) and “words” (his own) is, then, his own theological expression of the Evangelist’s Prologue. Jesus speaks his Father-given words because he is the Father’s incarnate Word. The one Word that his Father eternally speaks is found in the enfleshed words of Jesus, his Son. Thus to keep the “word” of the Father is for the disciples to keep the “words” of the incarnate Word. What is the truth that is contained in the Father’s word, a truth that is spoken in Jesus’ Father-given words, and so the truth that his disciples have kept? In his prayer, Jesus tells given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:28–30). The sheep that the Father gives to Jesus, that he might give them eternal life, cannot be snatched from the secure grasp of the Father and the Son, for they are one. As we will immediately see, however, the sheep that the Father gives to Jesus are not the only sheep. Some sheep appear not to belong to Jesus because the Father has not given them to him. 32. The Catholic Church’s traditional magisterial teaching on the issue of predestination is that God never positively wills that some not be saved. Nonetheless, he does positively will that some be saved.

154  The Book of Glory his Father, “They have received them [Jesus’ words] and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me.” The Father’s word that Jesus’ disciples kept are the Father-given words that Jesus has given to his disciples, words that they have believed; and the truth of the Father’s word and Jesus’ words is that Jesus came from the Father, that he is the one that the Father sent. In other words (pun intended), Jesus’ disciples believe that he is the Father’s Son—the Father’s Word incarnate. The Father, in begetting his Son, eternally speaks his one Word—Son. Jesus, the incarnate Word, speaks many words, and the truth contained in these many words is that he, as the Father’s Son, is the Father’s eternal Word. Thus Jesus has not only himself theologically articulated the Evangelist’s Prologue, but he has also voiced the Evangelist’s rationale for authoring his Gospel—“that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have eternal life” (Jn 20:31). Having examined the two particulars that Jesus declared—that is, what he himself did and what the disciples did in response to what he did—we now need to reconnect them. Jesus informs his Father that he has manifested his name, which we have seen means that he has revealed the Father to be the Father. The disciples, those given by the Father to Jesus, kept the Father’s word, which we have discerned is the revelation that Jesus is his Son. Thus the words that Jesus spoke, words that revealed that he is the Father’s Son, are the same words by which he manifested the Father’s name, for it is in manifesting the Father that Jesus disclosed his own name, that he is the Father’s Son.33 Once again, there is a mutual perichoretic manifestation of the Father revealing his Son and the Son revealing his Father, and in their mutual revealing of one another, they each reveal who they individually are—the Father and the Son. The disciples, therefore, in believing that Jesus is the Father’s Son, came to know that God is the Father, the Father of Jesus, his Son. To know the Son’s Father is to know the Father’s Son, and to know the Father’s Son is to know 33. Although Jesus is emphasizing the importance of the Father’s word and his words, it must not be forgotten that Jesus’ revelation of the Father, and thus the revelation of himself as the Father’s Son, is most dramatically manifested in the works that Jesus performs, for they are the saving works of his Father. Faith is engendered not simply by the words that Jesus speaks, but primarily by the works he enacts. Jesus states, “For the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me” (Jn 5:36). Moreover, Jesus tells the unbelieving Jews, who accuse him of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God, “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but If I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father” (Jn 10:37–38; see also 10:25).

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   155 the Son’s Father. The perichoretic being of the Father and the Son demands a perichoretic revelation of the Father and the Son, and so necessitates a perichoretic knowing of the Father and the Son. Having declared what he has done and the faith response of his disciples, Jesus next informs his Father as to what he wishes him to do on behalf of his disciples, for he is leaving them and returning to his Father. First, Jesus sets the context. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours; all mine is yours, and all yours is mine, and I am glorified in them.

Jesus is not praying to his Father on behalf of the world, but only for those disciples whom the Father has given him, for they are the Father’s as well.34 Again, Jesus accentuates that all that he possesses is from his Father, and that all that the Father possesses he has given to him. The Father therefore holds back nothing for himself but gives himself completely to his Son, Jesus. If Jesus did not possess all that the Father possesses, he would not be truly the Father’s Son, and if the Father did not give all that he possesses to Jesus, he would not be truly the Son’s Father. Jesus next hints at why he is praying for those present disciples that his Father has given him—“I am glorified in them.” Jesus is glorified and will be glorified in his disciples, for they will bear witness to him, that he is the Father’s Son. Such testimony will allow Jesus to give eternal life to all those who believe in him because of his present disciples’ testimony. Thus what Jesus will now ask of the Father will pertain to his disciples’ well-being, that is, that they will continue strong in their faith and fervent in their witness. So, Jesus continues. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given to me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Remember that although he is praying his high priestly prayer prior to his crucifixion, he will enact his prayer upon the cross, and therefore Jesus speaks as if he were upon the cross. Jesus’ crucifixion takes place in the world, but his high priestly sacrificial act of offering himself to his Father for the salvation of the world is not a worldly act, but a holy and loving act that transcends the world. Thus the crucified Jesus is “no more in the world,” for on the cross he 34. In his saying that he is not praying for the world, Jesus again seems to imply that those of the world do not belong to him because the Father has not given them to him.

156  The Book of Glory is lifting himself up and giving himself to his heavenly Father. On the cross, Jesus is coming to his Holy Father. While his being lifted up upon the cross is his leaving the world and his going to his Father, however, his disciples will remain behind in the world. This is Jesus’ concern as he hangs upon the cross. He therefore asks his “Holy Father” to keep his disciples safe within the darkened world in which they will continue to live. The Holy Father can do so if he keeps them in his name, the very name that he has given to Jesus. What, then, is the “name” that the Father possesses and which he has given to Jesus, his Son? The Father cannot give the name “Father” to his Son, for that name defines the Father’s identity, as does the name “Son” define the Son’s identity. The Father could be seen as giving his Son the name God, but the term “God” is not a “name.” It is the word used to designate a supreme being who exists in a manner different in kind from all other beings. The Father could also be thought to give Jesus the name YHWH (He Who Is), but that does not quite fit the context, since Jesus’ concern is over the continued well-being of his disciples. I would propose that the name that the Father gave to Jesus is “Jesus”—YHWH-Saves. In sending his Son into the world so as to become man, the Father is, in the first instance, YHWH-Saves. He is Father-YHWH-Saves. The Father’s sending of his Son is his ultimate act of saving humankind. In sending his Son into the world, he has given to his incarnate Son his very name, YHWH-Saves, for Jesus will enact his Father’s work of salvation. Jesus is Son-YHWH-Saves. Moreover, Jesus is the Messianic Spirit-filled Son, for it is in the Spirit that Jesus performs his saving actions. Thus, in communion with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit-YHWH-Saves. Together as one, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each in accordance as to who they distinctly are, will enact the one salvific act. Together, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they are and will be YHWH-Saves. Such an understanding is in keeping with Jesus’ concluding clause—“that they may be one, even as we are one.” The saving work of the Father and Jesus, his saving Son, made the disciples one in faith and in the Spirit (as will become clear shortly), and that unity of Spirit-filled faith made them one with the Father and the Son. Because he is coming to his Father, Jesus’ request of his Father is that his disciples, whom the Father gave him, remain one in the Father’s name, YHWH-Saves, and in the name that he has given to him as his incarnate Son—Jesus, YHWH-Saves. In remaining one in the Father and the Son, in communion with the Holy Spirit, they will be one as the Father and the Son are one.35 35. At first, I was hesitant to conclude that the name that the Father gave to Jesus was “Jesus.” It seemed to be too convenient a solution, a solution that would too easily actuate the title

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   157 Jesus continues the same pattern. He first informs his Father of what he has done on behalf of his disciples while he has been on earth and then makes known what he desires his Father to do on their behalf upon his return.36 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; I guarded them, and none of them were lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Previously, Jesus prayed that his Father would keep his Father-given disciples safe in his (the Father’s) name, the very name that he gave to him. Here, Jesus tells his Father that, during his time on earth, he has kept his Father-given disciples safe in his Father’s name, the same name that the Father has given to him. So, Jesus has done on earth what he wishes his Father to do upon his return to him; that is, as YHWH-Saves, he has guarded them from the evil of the world. Jesus admits one exception. None were lost to the sinful world but the son of perdition, Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus, yet this loss of Judas was to fulfill the Scripture: “Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted his heel against me” (Ps 41:9).37 To be designated as the “son of these present volumes, and so the overarching theme of these volumes—that Jesus must, from his conception, actualize his name. He must become YHWH-Saves. The more I considered my conclusion, however, the more I was convinced that the name that the Father gave to Jesus, a name that he himself possessed, was “Jesus.” Both are YHWH-Saves. Obviously, my conclusion is in keeping with Matthew’s and Luke’s Infancy Narratives. In Matthew’s Gospel, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him that he should not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, since what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. The angel then informs Joseph that he is to name the son born of Mary “Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:20–21). In Luke’s narrative, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and declares to her that she will conceive and bear a son by the overshadowing power of the Holy Spirit. “You shall call his name Jesus.” He will be called the Son of the Most High, and therefore he will be called holy, the Son of God (Lk 1:26–35). Who demanded that Joseph and Mary call the Spirit-conceived Son Jesus? Not Gabriel; he is merely a messenger sent by God. The Father himself has named Mary’s son “Jesus.” In so doing he not only revealed that Jesus, his Son, is YHWH-Saves, but he also manifested that he himself is YHWH-Saves, for, as the Father, he has sent his Son, a Son conceived in Mary’s womb by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. The Father has given to Jesus his own name. 36. Because Jesus’ prayer gradually unfolds, I will continue to examine it in “bite-size” pieces. By doing so, my intent is to make clear all that is contained in Jesus’ prayer without overwhelming the reader with the prayer’s theological complexity and depth. 37. It may appear that the Father had given Judas to Jesus, knowing that Judas would betray Jesus in accord with Scripture. At the Last Supper, however, Jesus says that not all of his disciples will be blessed. Implying Judas, Jesus says, “I know whom I have chosen; it is that the scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me’ ” (Jn 13:18). One

158  The Book of Glory of perdition” is, then, a prophetic appellation, for in calling Judas such, it specifies that he is the one who fulfills the Scripture. Moreover, to be “the son of perdition” is to affiliate Judas with Satan, the “father” of all evil (see Jn 6:71, Jn 13:2, 13:18, and 13:21–30).38 Jesus is nonetheless now coming to his Father, but while on earth he has spoken “these things” to his disciples so that his own joy might be fulfilled in them. Again we must ask, What are the “things” that Jesus has spoken while in the world, so that his joy might be fulfilled in his disciples? This is an example of what Jesus declared earlier to his disciples in his farewell discourse he now prays that it will be fulfilled by his Father. Previously, Jesus told them that they would do the works that he does and even greater works, and that whatever they ask the Father in his name, his Father will grant that the Father might be glorified in him (see Jn 14:12–14). He promises his disciples that he will give them another Counselor, the Spirit of truth, who will dwell with them forever (see Jn 14:15–17). The Holy Spirit will teach them all things and bring to their memory all that Jesus has said, and so bring them to all truth. Moreover, the Holy Spirit will bear witness to him, as will his disciples. Thus the Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus, for he will take all that the Father has given to him and declare it to them (see Jn 14:25–26, 15:26–27, and 15:12–15). If his disciples love him and keep his words, he and his Father will come and make their home in them, for his words are not his own but his Father’s (Jn 14:23–24). Likewise, if Jesus’ disciples dwell in him, as branches on a vine, they will glorify the Father by bearing much fruit, thus proving that they are his disciples. (Jn 15:8). In light of all the above, the hearts and minds of his disciples should not be troubled (Jn 14:1). Ultimately, if they keep his commands of love, they will abide in Jesus’ love, and in this love Jesus’ joy will be in them, and their joy will be full (see Jn 16:10–11 and 16:22). These are the “things” that Jesus is reminding his Father that he has told his disciples in order that his joy—that is, his joy of abiding in his Father—might “be fulfilled in them,” for these are the “things” that ensure their abiding with might be able to say that Judas was “chosen” as the “un-chosen,” so that Scripture might be fulfilled. 38. In one of his contentious interchanges with the unbelieving Jews, Jesus declares that they are children of their father, the devil, and so will to do what he wants done—to put Jesus to death. If God was their father, they would love him who is the Father’s Son, but since they are not of God, they do not heed Jesus’ word (see Jn 8:42–47). It is Judas, the son of perdition, who facilitates the desire of unbelieving Jews, those whose father is the devil, to put Jesus to death.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   159 Jesus and so their abiding with the Father. There is no greater joy than abiding in Jesus, the Father’s Son, and so abiding with his Father. Earlier, within his high priestly prayer, Jesus told his Father that he has given to his disciples all that the Father has given to him, and as we just saw, Jesus previously told his disciples all these things within his farewell address. In knowing these things, his disciples find joy. After speaking in his farewell discourse of the abiding love that will bring joy, Jesus immediately speaks of the world’s hatred of his disciples (see Jn 15:18–20 and 16:2–4). Now, in his high priestly prayer, after speaking of the disciples’ joy, he informs his Father of the world’s hatred for his disciples. In so doing, Jesus requests that his Father, after his departure, will keep them from the evil one. I have given them your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one.39

The world hates Jesus’ disciples, as it first hated Jesus himself, for they, like Jesus, are not of this world.40 Although the world loves its own, Jesus has chosen his disciples out of the world, and so the world hates them. The world hates Jesus because Jesus claims to be the Father’s Son. This is the Father’s word that Jesus has given to his disciples. In revealing to them his Father by doing his Father’s salvific work, Jesus has manifested himself as the Father’s Son. But the sinful world hates Jesus, the Father’s Son, because it loves sin’s darkness more than the saving light that Jesus brings (see Jn 3:19–21). In hating Jesus, the Father’s Son, the world also hates the Father who sent his Son into the world so that the world might be saved (see Jn 15:18–25). Thus, because the disciples have believed the Father’s word that Jesus has spoken, they have come to believe that Jesus is the Father’s saving Son. Upon Jesus’ call, they have left the world, and so the world hates them as it hates Jesus, the Father’s Son, and his Father as well. In the light of the world’s hatred of his disciples, Jesus does not pray that his Father take them out of the world. For the Father to do so would mean that they would not be able to bear witness to Jesus in the world—for the sake of the world’s salvation. Rather, Jesus’ desire is that his Father protect them 39. Again, what Jesus told his disciples in his farewell address, he now makes known to his Father in order that his Father might protect them (see Jn 15:18–25). 40. The Greek for “I am not of this world” is ego ouk eimi ek tou kosmou. I will address the theological significance of Jesus’ declaration shortly, when he states it again immediately after the above text.

160  The Book of Glory “from the evil one.” Satan is the ruler of this world, and though the Spirit has condemned “the ruler of this world” (Jn 16:11), and Jesus himself will “cast out” the “ruler of this world” through his death and resurrection (Jn 12:31), “the evil one” will continue to be active within the sinful world until Jesus returns in glory, whereupon Satan and his minions will be forever vanquished.41 But how is the Father to protect Jesus’ disciples from the evil one, since they will remain in the sinful world after he returns to his heavenly Father? Jesus proceeds to pray. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you did send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrated myself, that they also may be consecrated in the truth.

Again, Jesus declares that his disciples are not of this world, even as he is not of the world. As noted, the Greek for “I am not of the world” is ego ouk eimi ek tou kosmou. In John’s Gospel, Jesus declares seven “I Am” sayings. Likewise, Jesus emphatically states that he, above all, is “He Who Is.” In all of his “I Am” sayings, Jesus defines himself in some positive manner—I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the resurrection and the life, and so on—and he is all of the these because he is simply the fullness of divine being itself: I AM. Presently, Jesus is defining himself by what he is not—“I am (ego eimi) not of the world.” The world is the dark world of sin and death, and so contrary to who Jesus is—the light of life. Ultimately, the world is “nothingness,” and so Jesus, as He Who Is, stands counterpoised to the world’s void, its “nonbeing.” Thus the man Jesus is saying, “I am (ego ouk eimi) not of this world because I AM.” Moreover, Jesus only becomes his “I Am” sayings as “I AM” through his death and resurrection, for only then is he truly the bread of life, the light of the world, the resurrection, and the life, and so on. Likewise, his disciples will not be of this world because they will come to abide in the risen crucified Jesus and so partake of all the saving benefits he embodies as the bread of life, 41. That the Father is to keep Jesus’ disciples from the evil one is, again, an allusion to the Our Father—“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil [or, from the evil one]” (Mt 6:13; see also 2 Thes 3:3). Because the disciples will remain in the world, they will be led into temptation. The Father can nonetheless deliver them from the evil one’s sinful intent. In his First Letter, John writes, “We know that anyone born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him” (1 Jn 5:18). Jesus, the begotten Son of God, is born of God, and those who are born anew in him through baptismal waters of the Holy Spirit are freed of sin. Thus the one born anew in the begotten Son is safe from the power of the evil one.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   161 the life-giving light, the resurrection and the life, and so on. The theological significance of the above will become evident shortly. In order for his disciples to not be of this world, as he is not of this world, and so to be protected from the evil one, Jesus prays that his Father would sanctify them in the truth, for his word is truth. Now, what is sanctified is made holy, and in this being made holy one is set aside, separated from, the profane world by being dedicated to God for the set purpose of doing God’s work, specifically, within the Old Testament, God’s priestly work (see Ex 19:1 and 40:12–13). Jesus wants his Father, then, to sanctify his disciples, for he is sending them into the world just as the Father sent him into the world. How is this sanctifying to take place, and what will be its effect? The sanctification is by way of consecration. Jesus says that for his disciples’ sake he has consecrated himself. He consecrates himself by becoming the great high priest who offers himself as the perfect, all-holy sacrifice to his Father. This priestly act is the act whereby Jesus himself fully consecrates himself to his Father, in the love of the Spirit, and accomplishes his complete separation from the world of sin and death, and in so doing casts out the ruler of this world. His Father’s acceptance of his loving priestly self-offering is found in his Father raising Jesus gloriously from the dead. By enacting the perfect Passover sacrifice in offering himself, the priestly Jesus passes over from the sinful world into his Father’s holy presence. In so doing, Jesus becomes all of his “I am” sayings.42 Through the Father raising him from the dead, Jesus becomes the bread of life, the life-giving light of the world, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, and so the way to the Father for those who abide in him as the life-giving vine. In contrast to the world of death, Jesus becomes the risen “I Am,” in whom there is the fullness of everlasting divine life. Put succinctly, in the priestly consecrating of himself on the cross and in the Father’s ensuing consecratory raising of him up, Jesus becomes definitively Jesus, YHWH-Saves, for he is able to sanctify and consecrate those who believe in him. In this perfectly priestly offering of himself, then, Jesus has consecrated his disciples in the truth, for they will be sanctified, and so separated from 42. It is necessary to remember that Jesus’ high priestly prayer is being prayed, according to the Evangelist’s calculation, on the eve of the Passover. Moreover, although Jesus enunciates his high priestly prayer prior to the Passover, he will enact this prayer on the Passover itself. On the cross he will consecrate himself as the high priest so that his disciples may be sanctified in the Spirit of truth—that is, that they may be firm in their belief that he is the Son of God.

162  The Book of Glory the world, through the indwelling of the Spirit of truth, the very Holy Spirit.43 Moreover, in sharing in Jesus’ perfect priestly offering of himself, the Spiritsanctified disciples, those whom he has sent into the world as not being of the world, share in his consecrated priestly ministry, the ministry through which the sinful world is made holy.44 They will do so, after the manner of Jesus himself, by lovingly laying down their priestly lives for the world and for one another. Likewise, Jesus’ consecrated priestly disciples, having been sanctified in the Spirit of truth, will bear witness to the truth—the truth that the crucified and risen Jesus is the Father’s incarnate Son, he who is Savior and Lord. Within this priestly consecrated and sanctified life, his disciples will therefore abide in the security of the Father’s truth that Jesus is his Messianic Son and so be protected from the evil one—the ruler of this world. Before proceeding to the next section, I want to point out what I think Je43. What Jesus prays is in keeping with the Letter to the Hebrews. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews notes that “under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb 9:22). What took place within the old law was a shadow of the reality to come. Thus we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us. (Heb 10:11–15) . 44. When the risen Jesus appears to his disciples on the first Easter evening, he says to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even I send you.” Jesus sanctifies them and consecrates them in their priestly ministry by declaring, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:21–22). Paul tells the Romans that he shares “in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:16). Since Jesus is praying in this segment of his high priestly prayer specifically for his present twelve disciples, his prayer that they be consecrated in his own priestly ministry could imply that they share in his priesthood in a special manner in what would be called, within the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, the ordained priesthood. Having said that, it could also imply that all “disciples” of Jesus participate in his priesthood, for he died and rose so that all of his disciples might be sanctified and consecrated in the Spirit of truth. Thus all of Jesus’ followers, priests and laity alike, could worship the Father in Spirit and Truth, that is, in the Holy Spirit and in Jesus, the Father’s incarnate Word. Such an understanding would be in keeping with what Peter declares in his First Letter: Come to him, the living stone, rejected by men, but in God’s sight chosen and precious; and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pt 2:4–5; see also 2:9–10) .

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   163 sus, in his high priestly prayer, is ultimately requesting his Father to do on behalf of his disciples—a request that contains its own irony. The prayer’s setting is within Jesus’ Last Passover Supper, just hours away from the Passover itself. This time tomorrow, Jesus will have died on the cross. With his impending death literally on the horizon, Jesus is concerned about the disciples he is leaving behind in the world. We perceived a recurring pattern in Jesus’ high priestly prayer. He first informs his Father of the various things he has done for his disciples while on earth, all of which his Father had given him to say and do. Next, Jesus tells his Father how his disciples have responded to what he has said and done. They have believed the Father’s word—the words that Jesus himself has spoken. In this faith response, his disciples have come to believe that Jesus has been sent by the Father as the Father’s Spirit-anointed incarnate Son. After affirming all this to his Father, Jesus then makes known what he would like his Father to do on behalf of his disciples. Here is where the irony becomes evident. All of the things that Jesus wants his Father to do can only be done by Jesus himself. Jesus is not asking his Father to care for his disciples by doing something apart from him, a fatherly care that is the Father’s alone independent of Jesus, his Son. Rather, Jesus is requesting his Father to make it possible for him to care for his disciples. Only if the Father empowers Jesus to do what needs to be done will his Father adequately care for Jesus’ disciples, even in his earthly absence. Here we recognize the importance of what Jesus first prayed: Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (Jn 17:1–3)

Because the hour is coming for Jesus to go to the Father, Jesus is ardently beseeching his Father, pleading with him, to glorify him. Only if the Father glorifies Jesus by allowing him, on the cross, to offer himself as the perfect sacrifice, and in so doing glorify his Father, will he be empowered, in the Father raising him from death, to give eternal life to all flesh. Moreover, only by believing in Jesus, as the Father’s Messianic incarnate Son, will his disciples come to know his Father as the one true God. Having accomplished his Father’s work here on earth, Jesus implores his Father to give him, as man, the same glory that he, as the Father’s Son, had with his Father from before the world began (see Jn 17:4–5). The Father, by bestowing upon Jesus his eternal glory, will manifest to the world that he is his sent Son, he who is Savior and

164  The Book of Glory Lord—He Who Is.45 Thus, having completed his Father’s work, Jesus is now passionately begging his Father to consecrate him, to enthrone him, to invest him as Jesus, YHWH-Saves. Only by so gloriously transfiguring Jesus will the Father adequately care for Jesus’ disciples, those now present and those of future ages. Only if the Father establishes Jesus as Jesus can Jesus continue to give to his disciples all that the Father has given him. Only if Jesus is Jesus will he not lose any whom the Father has given him. Rather, Jesus will be glorified in them. Only if Jesus is Jesus will he protect his disciples from the world’s hatred and guard them from the evil one. Only if Jesus is Jesus will he continue to sanctify his disciples and consecrate them in the truth—the truth that he is the Father’s Son. Only if Jesus is Jesus will he send from his Father the Spirit of truth, who will lead his disciples to all truth. Only if Jesus is Jesus will his joy be fulfilled in them, for they will abide in him and so share his joy, that of being one with his Father. Thus Jesus begs his Father to fashion him into Jesus, not simply for his sake, but for the eternal benefit of his disciples, those whom the Father has given him and whom he has called out of this world of sin and death into eternal life. Again, it must be remembered that what Jesus here prays on the eve of Passover he will enact on Passover. Because Jesus glorifies his Father on Passover, his Father will glorify him on Easter morn. In glorifying Jesus, the Father will have granted all of the requests that he made in his high priestly prayer, a prayer that he enacted on the cross, and thus the Father will care for Jesus’ disciples, and he will do so, as Jesus desired, through Jesus himself, the Father’s gloriously risen Son. Jesus will therefore be YHWH-Saves until the end of time. When he comes again in glory, at the final hour, his Father will eternally enthrone Jesus, and then Jesus will be fully Jesus forever, for all whom the Father has given him will be fully transfigured into his glorious likeness.

45. The Father’s glorification of Jesus would fulfill what Jesus thrice declared about his being “lifted up.” “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn 3:13–15). “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he (ego eimi), and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him” (Jn 8:28–29). “Now is the judgment of the world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:31–32).

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   165

That They All May Be One Having declared that he is consecrating himself in order that his disciples may be consecrated in the truth, Jesus continues to pray to his Father. “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word.”46 Although he had been praying specifically for his present disciples, he here subsumes all of his future disciples into what he has prayed, those who would come to believe in him—that he is the Father’s sent Messianic incarnate Son. Thus all the salvific benefits that accrue to his present disciples would now also be bestowed upon all future believing generations. How would all of his disciples, present and future, come to share in the salvation Jesus brings? What follows is Jesus bringing to summary conclusion all that he had prayed previously—the ultimate goal of Jesus’ prayer to his Father. Jesus prays on behalf of his present disciples as well as those who will become his disciples so “that they may all be one; even as you Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” This is the goal that Jesus wishes his Father to achieve. All of Jesus’ salvific work, the work that his Father has given him to do, finds its terminus in his disciples becoming one, a oneness that is no less than the divine oneness between him and his Father, for they are the one God (see Jn 10:30). As the Father’s Son, Jesus is in his Father, and his Father is in him (see Jn 14:10–11). The oneness of Jesus’ disciples is not, then, an earthly oneness, such as nation or race, but one founded upon the very oneness of the Father and the Son. To come to abide in the risen Jesus, the Son, through the indwelling sanctifying Spirit, is to come to abide in the Father as the Father’s children and so become one as the Father and Son are one. This singular and unparalleled unity, one not of human origin, bears testimony to the world that the Father sent Jesus as his incarnate Son. Jesus is not simply or only the origin of this divine oneness; rather, this divine oneness is only realized by abiding in the risen Jesus himself, and thus this oneness bears witness to Jesus’ own divinity as the Father’s Son.47 How, then, does Jesus achieve this divine communion with his disciples?

46. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 17:20–26. 47. What Jesus declares here concerning the disciples’ unity with him and his Father Paul places within the reality of the body of Christ. Those who believe in Jesus and are baptized into his body become one body with him and therefore are in communion with God, his Father (see Rom 12:4–5, 1 Cor 12:12–13, and Eph 4:4–13).

166  The Book of Glory The glory which you have given me, I have given to them, that they be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

At the onset of his high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed that his Father would glorify him in order that he might glorify his Father. Having glorified his Father in the sacrificial offering of himself to his Father, the Father glorified Jesus, in raising him from the dead, with the glory that he possessed before the foundation of the world. Jesus therefore not only possessed the glory of his Father as the Father’s eternal divine Son, but he now also possesses his Father’s glory as man, as the Father’s risen divine Son. Jesus, in anticipation of his risen glory, tells his Father that this glory that the Father will bestow upon him he will give to his disciples.48 The divine glory that the Father gave to his Son from all eternity is the glory of his very divine being—the Father giving to his Son, in the begetting of his Son, the fullness of his divinity. That divine glory the Father has bestowed upon his incarnate risen Son. Thus the glory that the risen Jesus will bestow on his disciples is the same risen glory that the Father bestowed upon him in raising him from the dead. In so bestowing his risen divine glory upon his disciples, his disciples will come to participate in the divine life that Jesus and his Father share, and so in the mutual divine glory of the Father and the Son. This is why Jesus can say that he has shared with his disciples his glory so that “they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be perfectly one.” By Jesus’ abiding in his disciples, they become one with him and so become one with one another. Moreover, simultaneous with his abiding in his disciples, the Father abides in him, and therefore for Jesus to abide in his disciples necessitates that they abide in the Father, the Father who abides in him. The risen Jesus is himself the bond in whom his disciples become one with one another and in whom they become one with his Father, and so partake of the mutual divine glory of the Father and the Son.49 This unity thus establishes a perfect oneness, a oneness 48. Again, Jesus is not only praying his high priestly prayer prior to his crucifixion, but he is also doing so in a manner that he will enact on the cross. In glorifying his Father on the cross, his Father will bestow upon him, in raising him from the dead, the glory that he possessed from all eternity. It is the divine glory that the risen man Jesus now possesses that he will bestow on his disciples. 49. Earlier Jesus stated, “In that day you [the disciples] will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you” (Jn 14:20). On the day of Jesus’ resurrection, the day on which his Father bestows upon him his glory, Jesus’ disciples will know that he truly abides within his

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   167 that encompasses a concord among all believing men and women of every nation and race, as well as a communion with the Father. Again, we here see the theological significance of Jesus’ risen humanity. Only by abiding in the risen humanity of the Father’s incarnate Son does one live in communion with the Son’s Father. Jesus concludes that this perfect oneness manifests to the world that his Father sent him, for only the Father’s incarnate Son could achieve such a unity. Jesus also says that this singular oneness likewise reveals that the Father loves his disciples “even as you have loved me.” This is an extraordinary declaration. Not only does the Father love his Son, the Son whom he eternally begot in the perfect divine love of the Holy Spirit, and not only does the Father love his incarnate Son, the Son who was conceived as man through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, but he also, in that same perfect divine Spirit-filled love, loves Jesus’ disciples. The truth of this astounding declaration is made evident in that the Father made them perfectly one with him, just as he and his Son are perfectly one. He achieved this oneness in their being begotten anew into Jesus, his risen incarnate Son, through the life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit.50 As the Father loves his Son in the love of the Holy Spirit, making them one, so the Father loves his incarnate Son’s disciples in the same love of the Holy Spirit, making them one. As we will shortly see, Jesus concludes his prayer by emphatically professing this same truth. Jesus told his Father that he has given to his disciple the same glory that he has given to him, and he has done so that they may be one with his Father, even as he and his Father are one—a unity of perfect love. Jesus proceeds to inform the Father of his further wish for his disciples. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given to me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which you have given me in your love for me before the foundation of the world.

What Jesus prays here makes explicit what he prayed previously. The disciples that the Father has given to Jesus can only be perfectly one with him and the Father if they are with him in the heavenly glorious presence of his Father, and equally that they abide in him and he in them. Jesus is here articulating the perfect oneness between his Father, himself, and his disciples. 50. The fullest expression of this perfect oneness is within the Eucharist. By being in communion with the risen Jesus by partaking of his risen body and blood, one comes into living communion with the Father. The Eucharist is the foretaste and the anticipation of this perfect oneness in heaven.

168  The Book of Glory Father.51 To be with Jesus in heavenly glory is to be one with his Father. Jesus desires that his disciples be with him so that they can behold his glory, the glory that his Father has lovingly given him before the foundation of the world. Here, we need to consider two points. First, it may appear that Jesus arrogantly wants to “show off” to his disciples his eternal glory. Jesus does want his disciples to behold his divine glory, not out of conceit but rather so that in beholding his glory they will behold the glory of his Father, for his Father, in love, gave him the divine glory he possesses. Only in beholding the glory of the Father’s incarnate Son does one behold, and so glory in, the Son’s Father.52 Second, Jesus wants his disciples to behold the glory that his loving Father bestowed upon him “from before the foundation of the world.” The Father eternally bestowed his divine glory upon his Son in the eternal act of begetting him. But the Father could not have bestowed such eternal divine glory upon his incarnate Son prior to creation, since Jesus, his incarnate Son, did not yet exist. The Father, however, in bestowing his divine glory upon his Son in his eternally begetting of him, eternally anticipated the bestowal of his divine glory upon his incarnate Son, Jesus. The Father’s eternal plan was that Jesus would merit such divine glory, for he, as YHWH-Saves, would enact his Father’s work of salvation. Thus, from before the foundation of the world, the Father not only eternally bestowed his divine glory upon his Son, but he also desired to make him supreme over heaven and earth by sending him into the world as his incarnate salvific Son. The Father willed Jesus’ primacy, his glorification, from before the world began, a glorification that Jesus presently entreats his Father to bestow upon him. This preeminent glory is what Jesus wishes his disciples to behold. Jesus concludes his high priestly prayer by first declaring that he knows his Father and has made him known. He then asserts, again, the faith of his disciples, followed by his professing that he will continue to make his Father known. He will continue to do so that the Father’s love for him may be in his disciples.

51. What he presently requests of his Father, Jesus previously announced to his disciples. “And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (Jn 14:3; see also 1 Thes 4:17). 52. Paul declares to the Corinthians: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   169 O righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which you have loved me, may be in them, and I in them.

Jesus designates his Father as righteous. To be righteous is to be all-holy and so possess the fullness of truth, goodness, and love. He enjoys the plentitude of perfection. He is of complete moral integrity. Nothing evil or malicious resides in him. Thus he is unlike the world, a sinful world that knows neither truth, goodness, nor love, a world devoid of moral character. The world therefore does not know him. Jesus, however, the Father’s incarnate Son, knows him, for he shares in his Father’s righteousness. The Father has sent him into the corrupt world so that the world might come to know him and so be saved from its own wickedness. As the Evangelist states in his Prologue, “No one has ever seen God, the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known” (Jn 1:18; see also 3:11 and 17:6). Moreover, Jesus’ disciples know that his righteous Father has sent him. As the “sent-Son,” Jesus has made the Father’s name known to them; that is, he, as the Father’s Son, has made known that God’s name is “Father.” Thus, in knowing Jesus to be the “sentSon,” his disciples know the sending Father, for to know the Father’s Son is to know the Son’s Father. Jesus affirms that he will continue to make his Father’s name known. This continuous making known his Father’s name is possible because Jesus, as the risen Savior and Lord, will send the Holy Spirit in his Father’s name. In that Spirit of truth, future generations of disciples will come to know that Jesus is the Father’s Son and so come to know his Father, the one whom he makes known. The climactic cumulative ending of Jesus’ high priestly prayer is now at hand. Jesus now states the ultimate purpose of all that he has requested of his Father on behalf of his disciples. Jesus, as the Father’s incarnate Son, has made known his Father, and will continue to make him known, so “the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.” Again, Jesus’ final ardent desire is that the same divine love with which the Father loves him would be the same divine love that would be in his disciples. Such a fullness of the Father’s divine love could only indwell in his disciples if Jesus himself dwelt in his disciples, for as the Father’s beloved Son, he is himself the conveyor, the actual embodiment, of the Father’s love. To abide in the risen Jesus, the Father’s Spirit-filled incarnate Son, is to dwell, as the Father’s sons and daughters, in the Father’s love.

170  The Book of Glory Now, the climactic cumulative conclusion of Jesus’ high priestly prayer has ended, for the hour is at hand—the hour when Jesus will glorify his Father and his Father will glorify him, the hour of his being lifted up upon the cross, and so the hour he will be lifted up into his Father’s glorious presence. Only in the enactment of this hour will what Jesus prays within the conclusion of his high priestly prayer be achieved—“that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” The enacting of his high priestly prayer, the offering of himself as the perfect sacrifice of love to his Father, is the causal act that makes efficaciously present, in his glorious resurrection, the salvific benefits for which Jesus prayed—that his disciples would be one with him in the same love of his Father. Having informed his Father that “the hour has come,” Jesus was well aware of his need now to enact his high priestly prayer, for the Evangelist declares: “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered” (Jn 18:1). His stepping out across the Kidron Valley and into the garden is Jesus actively stepping into “the hour,” the hour wherein he, as high priest, will enact his high priestly prayer. He is stepping out into the night, the dark hour, when he will encounter Judas. At this coming hour, Jesus declared: “Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified; if God is glorified in him, God will glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once” (Jn 13:30–32).53

Conclusion: Historicity I do not think there is a need to summarize what we have learned in our theological examination of Jesus’ high priestly prayer. To do so would be to repeat what has already been said many times over. The best response to what we have discovered is to read again, and to read anew, the high priestly prayer itself, for to contemplate Jesus’ prayer is to contemplate John’s entire Gospel. There is nonetheless one point that I would like to accentuate, for it bears upon the issue of historicity, that is, the importance of acts. As we saw, in his farewell discourse and in his high priestly prayer, Jesus declared either what he did do, is doing, or wants to do in the future. Moreover, he requests that his Father act in such a way that he could continue to care for the disciples whom he is leaving behind. Jesus’ wished-for future actions and the Father’s grant53. What Jesus declares here parallels what he prays when he begins his high priestly prayer (see Jn 17:1–5; see also 12:23).

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   171 ing, through his actions, his appeal pertain to Jesus coming to be Jesus—his definitively acting as YHWH-Saves. With this point in mind, we can now discuss the historicity of Jesus’ high priestly prayer. The question is: Is Jesus’ high priestly prayer historical? Did Jesus actually pray it? Or did the Evangelist “make it up?” These questions concerning Jesus’ prayer can only be adequately addressed if they are conjoined to his farewell discourse. As we have seen, what Jesus declares to his disciples in his discourse he requests his Father, in his prayer, to fulfill. They are two different genres basically expressing the same content. Thus the manner in which one is historical will determine the manner in which the other is historical. The hermeneutical key to addressing these historical issues is, I believe, found in Jesus’ death and resurrection. These are historical events. They are historical actions, either enacted by Jesus, his sacrificial offering of himself to his Father, or by his Father, his gloriously raising Jesus from the dead. These actions therefore form the historical basis for Jesus’ farewell address and his high priestly prayer. Both pertain to what Jesus will do after he passes over to his Father and to what the Father will do so as to empower him to do what he told his disciples that he would do. Again, the Paschal Mystery, Jesus’ death and resurrection, provides the historical context and foundation for Jesus’ farewell discourse and his high priestly prayer, for both focus on the at-hand Passover hour—what that hour entails and what it will achieve. I have argued on a number of occasions that the Evangelist at times may place in the mouth of Jesus his own theological interpretation of events.54 This literary genre is unique to John. At first sight, it would appear that the Evangelist is fictionalizing Jesus, for he may never have said what John has him say, at least not in the manner in which he now says it in the Evangelist’s Gospel. But because he is confident that he is having Jesus express the deeper theological meaning, the fuller revelational truth, of his own words and actions, John has no hesitancy in putting his words into the mouth of Jesus. Actually, John is allowing Jesus himself to speak for himself. Thus the words may be the words of John, but the thought that they express is the truth that Jesus himself revealed. When it comes to Jesus becoming the new Passover through the offering of himself on the cross and in his being raised to life by his Father, the Evangelist pondered or contemplated what he himself witnessed. He was present at 54. See, e.g., JBJ 2:143–46. There, I discuss the issue of discerning where Jesus’ words conclude and John’s interpretation begins.

172  The Book of Glory Jesus’ crucifixion, and he was the first to believe that Jesus rose from the dead, according to the Scriptures (see Jn 19:25–27 and 20:8–9). As the disciple whom Jesus loved, he lay close to the heart of Jesus, similar to Jesus residing in the bosom of the Father (see Jn 1:18 and 13: 23), and therefore, as Jesus knows his Father, so John knows Jesus. Thus, as Jesus abided in his Father, so John knew that he now abided in Jesus, and in this abiding, he knew that the Spirit of truth would “guide him to all truth,” for that Spirit would glorify Jesus by taking what belongs to Jesus and declaring it to him, the beloved disciple (Jn 16:13 and 16:15–16). It may have taken many years for John to comprehend the fullness of revelation contained within Jesus’ death and resurrection, but when he came to writing his Gospel, he knew the fullness of truth, truth that Jesus himself enacted on the cross and that the Father enacted in raising Jesus, his Son, from the dead. In this light we can perceive, I think, what the Evangelist has done within Jesus’ farewell discourse and his high priestly prayer. John has taken what the Spirit of truth revealed to him concerning Jesus’ passing over to his Father, and he has formulated this truth, first in Jesus’ address and then in his prayer, as though Jesus himself were declaring that truth. In so doing, he is not fictionalizing Jesus by having him say things he did not say; rather, he is doing exactly the opposite. He is allowing Jesus himself to state what he will accomplish on the cross and what the Father will salvifically effect in raising him from the dead. He is giving Jesus his own voice so that Jesus himself can provide his own “theological interpretation” of what he is about to enact—historically. Although the cross and resurrection took place prior to Jesus’ “Johannine interpretation” of these historical events, for John, these historical salvific events could only be fully understood in the light of Jesus’ “Johannine interpretation” of them. Thus, prior to the saving events, John allows Jesus to provide the hermeneutical interpretative key for understanding what he is about to do and the efficacious benefits that will flow from what he does. So, are Jesus’ farewell address and high priestly prayer historical? No, they may not have been, in the sense that Jesus probably did not actually say exactly what the Evangelist narrates. The content of what Jesus declares is historically accurate, however, for what John narrates is the true authentic understanding of the historical events that Jesus himself enacted. What we hear may be John’s words, but the truth that Jesus declares is his own.55 55. This is another example where we may not always have the ipsissima verba of Jesus, but we do always have the enriched Johannine theological thought contained in Jesus’ very words and actions—the fuller ipsissima sententia of Jesus. Crucifixion is a barbarous punishment and a horrific way to die. Most readers of Jesus’ high priestly prayer remark on the beauty of Jesus’

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   173 Before closing, I want to examine the relationship between John’s Gospel and those of the Synoptics pertaining to this same issue—the historicity of Jesus’ high priestly prayer. I argued in my first volume of Jesus Becoming Jesus that the Last Supper, as narrated in the Synoptic Gospels, is a liturgical prophetic act that portrays what Jesus will enact within his death and resurrection. In the Passover liturgy, wherein he institutes the Eucharist, Jesus is revealing that on the cross he, as the great high priest, is giving up his body and pouring out his blood as the new covenantal Passover lamb of sacrifice, thus establishing a new relationship with his Father. The Eucharist, then, becomes the making present of that new, once-and-for-all, covenantal sacrifice in which those who participate in it come into communion with the risen Jesus by eating his risen given-up body and drinking his risen given-up blood. Thus the Last Supper becomes the prophetic hermeneutical key for understanding the salvific nature of Jesus’ death and resurrection, as well as a participation in his saving death and resurrection—a coming to abide in him, the Father’s risen Son, and so an abiding with his Father. Now, I want to argue that Jesus, in his high priestly prayer, is praying a Eucharistic prayer, a liturgical prayer that gives expression to what was liturgically enacted in the Synoptic accounts of the Last Supper. Jesus is praying that he would glorify his Father so that his Father would glorify him. In his given-up body and poured-out blood, Jesus glorifies his Father. In raising him from the dead, the Father glorifies Jesus and thus brings about the sanctification—even while they remained in the world—of all whom the Father gave him, those Jesus called out of the world. Moreover, they would be sanctified by the Spirit of truth in the truth—the truth that Jesus is the Father’s sent Messianic Son. Jesus has consecrated them through his death and resurrection so that they would share in his priestly worship, his priestly glorification, of his Father. Jesus’ disciples would, then, in him, worship the Father in Spirit and Truth. In this Eucharistic worship, his disciples therefore become one as he and his Father are one and so share, in him, in the same love that the Father has for him. In this perfect oneness, Jesus’ disciples would in turn be glorified by his Father. Thus Jesus’ Johannine Eucharistic high priestly prayer articulates what is enacted in the Last Supper and in every subsequent Eucharistic liturgy to this day. To participate in the Eucharist is to pray, in communion with Jesus, his high priestly words—the moving manner in which he speaks and the magnificence of the truth he expresses. In his high priestly prayer, Jesus reveals the inner beauty and truth of the cross—the glory of the cross. In his anguished suffering, Jesus lovingly offers his life to his Father for the salvation of the world.

174  The Book of Glory prayer, for the Eucharistic liturgy is the enactment of his high priestly prayer. The Synoptic accounts of Jesus’ Last Passover Supper, which he will enact in his death and resurrection, therefore provides the historical basis for Jesus’ high priestly Eucharistic prayer, a prayer that is also prayed as he is about to pass over, in his death and resurrection, to his Father. Thus if Jesus, in the Synoptic accounts, institutes the Eucharist as the prophetic sign and the enduring fruit of his cross and resurrection, Jesus, in his Johannine high priestly prayer, enunciates a liturgical rendering of the same paschal mystery, a mystery that the Eucharist embodies. In so doing, the high priestly prayer provides a deeper theological interpretation of his death and resurrection, and therefore a richer understanding of the Eucharist—the fullest liturgical enactment of his cross and resurrection, an enactment that makes present here on earth their enduring heavenly benefit—perfect oneness with the Father in the risen Christ Jesus. If my above argument is valid, we may find here the answer as to why John in his Gospel does not narrate Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist. In chapter 6 of the Gospel we have Jesus declaring that he is the bread of life, and that he who eats his risen given-up body and drinks his risen poured-out blood has eternal life. In doing so, Jesus confirms that he is himself truly present within the Eucharist. He declares how his words “This is my body given up for you,” and “this is the cup of my blood of the new covenant poured out for you,” as narrated in the Synoptic accounts, are to be rightly and properly understood. In his high priestly prayer, Jesus places this Eucharistic realism more deeply within its proper historical and liturgical setting. On the cross, Jesus glorifies his Father by offering his holy and innocent life, and so establishes the new covenant. In raising Jesus gloriously from the dead, his Father ratifies this new covenant established in Jesus’ blood. These historical saving events are then made present in the Eucharist where Jesus’ high priestly prayer is not only prayed but, more so, enacted. Thus to enact Jesus’ Johannine high priestly prayer in the Eucharist is to participate in the Eucharist that he instituted in the Last Supper as narrated by the Synoptics, for what he instituted is founded within his death and resurrection, and what he prayed is enacted in his death and resurrection. Thus John’s Gospel weaves together the Synoptic accounts of the Last Supper with Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist and with his high priestly prayer, and in so doing he allows Jesus to enunciate his own theological interpretation, the richer meaning, of the Last Supper.56 56. What must be kept in mind is that Jesus began, in John’s Gospel, his farewell discourse within the context of the Last Supper, and in the course of four succeeding chapters, concludes

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer   175 This conclusion is lengthy and complex. Nonetheless, I hope that what I have said is clear and helpful in discerning the historicity of Jesus’ high priestly prayer. Importantly, Jesus, in praying his high priestly prayer, and more so in enacting it, becomes what his Father designated him to be—YHWH-Saves. What also has become more evident is that it is his Father, in raising him gloriously from the dead, who definitively establishes Jesus as Jesus, for it was his Spirit-anointed incarnate Son who perfectly glorifies him. this Passover meal with Jesus’ high priestly prayer. Thus the Evangelist’s narrative can be seen as his theological interpretation of the Last Supper, an interpretation spoken by Jesus himself, and so an interpretation of the one Gospel tradition as found within the Synoptic Gospels. Moreover, we saw that, within John’s Last Passover Supper, Jesus begins by washing the feet of his disciples. We interpreted this foot-washing as not only Jesus giving to his disciples an example of loving, humble service, but also as signifying a baptismal cleansing and rebirth wherein his disciples come to share in his priestly ministry. By concluding his Last Passover Supper narrative with the Jesus’ high priestly prayer, the Evangelist has woven together baptism and the Eucharist. One who is baptized, and so shares in his priestly ministry, is empowered to participate in the Eucharist—the priestly sacrificial offering of Jesus to his Father—and so able to be in communion with Jesus by partaking of his risen body and blood. In so doing, one comes into communion, in union with Jesus, with the Father. Thus what was first prefigured at the wedding feast of Cana, the changing of water into wine, finds its fulfillment within the baptismal and Eucharistic liturgies.

Passion and Resurrection Narratives Passion and Resurrection Narratives

P a rt II

T he Passi on an d R es u r r ect i o n Narr ati ves

P

rior to beginning this theological interpretation of the Passion and Resurrection Narratives in John’s Gospel, an introduction to these accounts would be helpful. Such an introduction comprises a theological summary of what has preceded Jesus’ arrest, trials, death, and resurrection, for all that John’s Gospel has narrated thus far anticipates and finds its fulfillment within Jesus’ death and resurrection. Thus what has gone before not only sheds light on what will now take place, but also what will now be enacted provides the fuller meaning of what previously prefigured it. All that was revealed within the Prologue, the Book of Signs, and the Book of Glory now comes to full maturity. All is fully revealed, for all is fully enacted, and having become fully enacted, all that was hitherto proclaimed is made clearly manifest, and all that was prefigured becomes genuinely real.

The Prologue Jesus’ death and resurrection verifies that what was declared in John’s Prologue is true. Jesus is the Father’s eternal Word incarnate. As the life-giving light, who overcame the darkness of nothingness in creating all that is, so now the Father’s Word now conquers the

177

178   Passion and Resurrection Narratives nothingness of sin and death and becomes the life-giving light of the new creation. Although the world did not know him and his own people did not receive him, all who do believe in him are born anew as children of his Father. In becoming flesh, the Word tabernacles among us, and through his death and resurrection he becomes the fullness of grace and truth. In his death and resurrection we behold the fullness of Jesus’ glory, the glory of the only begotten Son from the Father. Moses gave the law. Because of his death and resurrection, however, grace upon grace flows from Jesus Christ, the one whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit. Being in the Father’s bosom, Jesus, the Father’s incarnate Son, has seen the Father and so has made him known. This making known of the Father is fully manifested in Jesus’ death, for in that event he fulfilled the Father’s saving work. The Father testifies that Jesus’ offering of himself on the cross is salvifically efficacious by raising him gloriously from the dead. Moreover, Jesus’ death and resurrection bears witness to the truth of what the Baptist first proclaimed. John, in beholding the Spirit descend and remain upon Jesus, testified that he would baptize in the Holy Spirit and bore witness that Jesus is the Son of God. In our first volume on John’s Gospel we recognized, throughout the Book of Signs, the ever-increasing manifestation of what was declared in the Prologue. It is only within Jesus’ death and resurrection, however, that we will perceive the actualized, and so fully manifested, truth of what the Prologue declared—Jesus is the Father’s Spirit-anointed incarnate Son in whom alone there is salvation.

The Book of Signs There is more to the Book of Signs than Jesus’ seven miracles. These miracle signs nonetheless give rise to the contentious encounters between Jesus and the unbelieving Jews, as well as becoming the context in which Jesus declares his seven “I am” sayings. All of these are progressively interwoven, and within them there is one overarching issue: Who is Jesus? Is he the Father’s Son? Is he God’s Spirit-anointed Messiah? Is he “He Who Is,” and so God? This matter is in keeping with the Evangelist’s stated purpose for writing his Gospel: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (Jn 20:31). One can only possess eternal life in the name of “Jesus” if Jesus is the Father’s Spirit-anointed incarnate Son, that is, if Jesus is Jesus—YHWH-Saves. All of Jesus’ miracle signs anticipate his death and resurrection. The

Passion and Resurrection Narratives   179 changing of water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana prefigures the water and blood that will flow from Jesus’ pierced side. Jesus’ saving death gives rise to his resurrection, and as the crucified and risen Savior, Jesus will baptize believers in the Holy Spirit wherein they will be ushered into his Eucharistic banquet, for he is the bread of life. The multiplication of the loaves is the sign that testifies that he is the Father’s heaven-sent bread, and that those who eat his risen given-up body and drink his risen poured-out blood will have eternal life, for in so doing they come to abide in the risen Jesus, and the risen Jesus abides in them. Jesus instructs Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman as to the saving significance of baptism. To enter the kingdom of God, one must be born anew in the life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit (Nicodemus), and these Spirit-filled waters will well up to eternal life (the Samaritan woman). This rebirth into eternal life is made possible in Jesus’ own baptism, in his putting his sin-scarred flesh to death on the cross and in his rising as the first-born of the new creation. Moreover, the baptismal sign of the healing of the man at the pool of Bethsaida likewise finds its fulfillment in Jesus’ death and resurrection, as does the healing of the man born blind at the pool of Siloam. As the risen light of the world, Jesus will enlighten, through baptism, those who believe in him so that they will no longer walk in the darkness of sin and death, but will possess the light of eternal life. In overcoming sin and death, Jesus merits his own resurrection and thus becomes, in his own humanity, the resurrection and the life—the fulfillment of what was prefigured in raising Lazarus from the dead. As the risen Lord, Jesus becomes the gate of the sheepfold, and as the good shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep, he, within his own risen humanity, gives entrée to his heavenly Father. Thus the risen Jesus is himself the way to the Father, for in him abides the fullness of truth and the fullness of life. All who abide in him, as a branch abides in the vine, will bear the fruit of a holy life, the laying down of one’s life for the salvation of the world. During his contentious dialogues with the unbelieving Jews, Jesus emphasizes that he only says what his Father has told him to say, and he only does what his Father has given him to do. If they do not believe his words, they should believe because of the works that he performs. These works, as signified in his miracles, are the saving works of his Father, works that only the Father’s Son could enact. That he works these miracle signs on the Sabbath underscores the nature of Jesus’ saving work, that, on behalf of his Father, he is setting about re-creating humankind—refashioning men and women, those whom he first created in his own image. Because of this emphasis, “the Jews”

180   Passion and Resurrection Narratives accuse Jesus of blasphemy, for he is making himself equal to God. In response to such an accusation, Jesus speaks of his future being lifted up. When he is lifted up upon the cross and into his resurrected glory, then they will know that he is He Who Is—the Father’s Son, equal to his Father in divinity. The reason the unbelieving Jews do not know Jesus the Son is that they do not know his Father. If they knew the Father, they would know the Father’s Son. Thus these contentious confrontations bring to the fore the question of Jesus’ identity, which will only be fully and compellingly revealed in Jesus’ death and resurrection, for in these events he will truly become YHWH-Saves. Jesus likewise prophetically subsumes within himself the Jewish liturgical feasts. This is particularly evident in relationship to the Passover. The Evangelist narrates three occasions when Jesus participated in the Passover. At the first Passover, Jesus cleansed the temple, for his Father’s house had become a place of avaricious trade. “The Jews” demand a sign that would divinely authenticate such an act. Jesus responds by declaring that if they destroy this temple, he will rebuild it in three days. The Evangelist informs the reader that Jesus was speaking of his own body. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple was a prophetic act. As the incarnate Son of God, Jesus is the living temple, the one in whom God tabernacles among men. When the Jewish authorities put him to death, they will destroy the temple that Jesus is. In his crucifixion, however, Jesus, as the new high priest, will offer himself as the perfect all-holy sacrifice, a sacrifice for sin, and in the Father raising him from the dead, he will become the glorious ever-living and indestructible temple in whom all Spirit-transformed believers will be able to worship the Father in truth. Thus what is prophetically enacted in Jesus’ first Passover, the cleansing of the temple, will find its fulfillment in his last Passover. There, Jesus, the Spirit-filled Christ, will be the perfect high priest offering himself as the unblemished Passover lamb of sacrifice, and so establishing the new and everlasting covenant with his Father. His Father will validate this new covenant in raising Jesus gloriously from the dead and enthrone him in the heavenly sanctuary of the new Jerusalem as the universal Savior and the definitive Lord. Jesus will have become everlastingly Jesus—YHWH-Saves. In performing his first miracle sign at the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus is aware that he is inaugurating “his hour,” that is, “the hour” that will find its completion in his death. As his public ministry proceeds, his hour becomes ever closer. Although the Jewish authorities attempt to arrest Jesus, they cannot do so, for his hour has not yet come. Jesus himself is troubled by the ev-

Passion and Resurrection Narratives   181 er-approaching hour, but he will not ask his Father to save him from this hour, for it is for this very hour that he has come into the world. Moreover, he knows that the hour of the cross is the hour wherein he will glorify his Father and the Father will glorify him. When Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for his third and final Passover celebration, he knows that his hour to depart from this world to his Father has arrived. Having loved his own, he would love them to the hour’s end.

The Book of Glory Knowing that he had come from his Father and was about to return to his Father, Jesus, within his last Passover Supper, humbly washes his disciples’ feet, and in so doing he gives them an example of what they are to do. If Jesus, as the disciples’ Teacher and Lord, washed their feet, so also are they to wash one another’s feet. This washing prophetically anticipates Jesus’ death and resurrection, for in these saving acts, Jesus cleanses the world of sin and death and pours out the Spirit-filled living water of eternal life. Moreover, within this Last Passover Supper, Satan entered Judas Iscariot, and what had been pending now comes to its climax. Judas exits the meal and enters into the night—the night of Jesus’ betrayal. As Judas makes his darkened way to enact his satanic deed, however, Jesus declares that this dark hour is the hour when he will be glorified and that his Father will be glorified in him. Upon the cross, Jesus will glorify his Father by giving himself up as the perfect sacrificial offering, and his Father will in turn raise him as the world’s glorious Savior and Lord. Within this Passover setting, Jesus delivers his farewell address to his disciples. There is no need to provide the details of what Jesus tells them, since we have examined them in the immediately preceding chapters of this volume. But it must be remembered that Jesus provides all the reasons it is essential that he return to his Father. Only in returning to his Father will he be able to bestow all of the saving benefits of his death and resurrection. To partake of these saving benefits, his disciples must dwell in him and he in them, for only in this mutual indwelling do they receive the Spirit of Truth and come to dwell in his Father, as he is one with his Father. Moreover, although the world will hate them, they are lovingly to bear witness to him, that is, that he is the Father’s incarnate Son, for only in him does the world find its salvation. So, his disciples should not be troubled. Rather, they should rejoice, for Jesus gives to them a joy and peace that the world cannot give—eternal life with him, in communion with his Father, through the indwelling Spirit.

182   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Jesus transforms his farewell address to his disciples into his high priestly prayer to his Father. He reminds his Father that his hour has come and prays that his Father will glorify him so that he might glorify his Father. In so doing, Jesus will be able to give eternal life to all whom his Father has given to him, that is, that they would come to believe in his Father as the one true God and also to come to know him as the Christ—the Father’s Spirit-anointed Savior. Only in the Father glorifying him by raising him from the dead will Jesus be able to keep his disciples safe from the evil one. Only in his resurrection will his disciples find the fullness of joy. Only through his death and resurrection will Jesus be able to sanctify his disciples and consecrate them in the truth, the truth that he is their Savior and Lord. Only through his death and resurrection will his disciples be one, for they will be one in him and so be one with his Father. Thus, in the love of the Spirit, they will be one as he and his Father are one, and so share in his glory, the glory that Jesus possesses as the Father’s Son from before the foundation of the world. In this oneness, the world will then come to believe that it was the Father who sent him. Jesus therefore prays that his disciples would be with him so that they may see and share in his glory. Jesus has made known his Father, and he wants to continue to make him known, so that the love in which the Father has loved him may be in his disciples. In that mutual love, Jesus himself will be in his disciples, so that they may abide with him in the love of his Father. Immediately upon the conclusion of Jesus’ high priestly prayer, the Evangelist states, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered” (Jn 18:1). In so doing, Jesus deliberately enters into his hour, for his hour has now come. Into that hour, we also can now enter.

So, You Are a King

6 • S o, Yo u A r e a King

As we saw at the end of the introduction to Part II of this volume, the Evangelist, upon the conclusion of Jesus’ high priestly prayer, states, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered” (Jn 18:1).1 This scene-setting remark is of theological significance. The Kidron Valley is east of Jerusalem and so east of the temple mount. Jesus is entering the garden not only in the darkness of night, but also in the darkness of his arrived hour—his passion and death. Nonetheless, in walking toward the garden, he is facing east. He is walking into the dawn of salvation’s new day—the day wherein he will glorify the Father and the Father will glorify him. This dark hour of his death is the dawning hour of life eternal, for through his sacrificial death and his glorious resurrection, Jesus will become the ever-living temple in whom all believers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.2 Moreover, in stepping down into the Kidron Valley and climb1. Although Jesus states at the end of chapter 14, “Rise, let us go hence,” it is only now that he and his disciples depart. 2. Upon hearing that his son Absalom had rebelled against him, David and his men fled Jerusalem, and “all the country wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron” (2 Sm 15:23). Jesus’ departure through the Kidron Valley is often seen as the fulfillment of King David’s flight. Through his suffering and death, Jesus will rise to become the new King David, who will inherit an everlasting kingdom. That Jesus crosses the small brook that flows through the valley may also be seen as a prophetic anticipation of the baptism he must undergo—his dying to sin and death and his rising into the new and eternal life (see Lk 12:50 and Mk 10:38–39). Moreover, in walking through the Kidron Valley, Jesus is enacting the prayer of Psalm 23. His Father is his shepherd leading him to the green pastures of his resurrection, and so his Father will restore his soul. His Father is leading him on the path of righteousness for his own name’s sake. Even though Jesus is presently walking through the valley of the shadow of death, he fears no evil, for his Father is with him, and he will comfort him with his rod and staff. His Father is preparing a heavenly banquet for him in the very presence of his foes. His Father is anointing his head with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and the cup that he will now drink overflows

183

184   Passion and Resurrection Narratives ing up into the garden, Jesus is himself inaugurating his hour. The long-awaited hour, first begun at the wedding feast of Cana, does not come upon Jesus. Rather, Jesus is actively facing his hour head-on. He, and not circumstances over which he has no authority, is in control, for this is the hour when he enacts his Father’s saving work. He, and not his executioners, is the primary actor in these ensuing saving events. Importantly as well, John speaks twice of Jesus’ disciples. They too “set forth” with Jesus across the Kidron Valley, and they too “entered” the garden. Jesus is leading them into his passion and death, and they too are actively following him. They will abandon Jesus (except for the Evangelist himself), and Peter will deny him (see Jn 13:38 and 16:32). Yet their “hour” will follow upon Jesus’ hour, for they too, as Jesus foretold them, will suffer and die because of the world’s hatred of them, as well as that of “the Jews” (see Jn 15:18–21 and 16:2–3). In following Jesus’ lead, they will also take up their crosses (see Mt 10:38 and 16:34, Mk 8:34, and Lk 14:27). Moreover, they will equally share in Jesus’ resurrected glory and so abide with him and his Father (see Jn 17:20–23). Thus the disciples, in communion with Jesus, will become active agents in contributing to the world’s salvation and so merit, along with Jesus, to share in his risen glory.3 Interestingly, the Synoptic Gospels speak of Jesus and his disciples going to the Mount of Olives, and Matthew and Mark add that it is “a place called Gethsemane” (Mt 26:30 and 26:36, Mk 14:26 and 14:32, and Lk 22:39). John neither refers to the Mount of Olives nor does he name the place Gethsemane. The Evangelist speaks solely of “a garden” into which Jesus and his disciples entered, a description that the Synoptics do not employ. Why is this the case? Is it merely that John realizes that the early Christian community already knew that Jesus and his disciples went to the Mount of Olives and to the place called Gethsemane? Or in referring to the unnamed Gethsemane as “a garden” is the Evangelist alerting the reader to a theologically significant detail? I think with his Father’s goodness and kindness, all the days of his life, for he will dwell in his Father’s house forever. 3. Once more we see the Evangelist, in his portrayal of the disciples following Jesus into the garden and so into his passion and death, giving his theological interpretation of what is declared in the Synoptics. Although unaware of it at the time, the disciples, by following Jesus into the garden, were taking up their crosses and so truly becoming his disciples. Moreover, the disciples represent the church throughout the ages. The church is forever following Jesus and so continually taking up its cross for the salvation of the world. Similarly, as the disciples will come to share in Jesus’ risen glory, so the whole church will at the end of time be transfigured into the likeness of the risen Jesus.

So, You Are a King   185 it is the latter, that Jesus and his disciples entering into “a garden” evokes the primordial garden of Eden into which God placed Adam and Eve.4 In that idyllic garden, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and in so doing, as God warned, they died. God cast them out of the garden of Eden “lest he [the man] put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Gn 2:22). As seen in the Prologue, God created all that is through his eternal divine Word—the life-giving light, a light that darkness cannot overcome (see Jn 1:2–5). Adam and Eve’s sin brought the darkness of evil and death into God’s good creation. Thus the garden of Eden, along with the sinful race of Adam, needed to be re-created—born anew. The overarching theme of John’s Gospel—that of Jesus re-creating humankind, and with it the whole of creation—is going to be fully enacted as Jesus, the Incarnate life-giving light of the world, now enters into “a garden,” the dark garden of sin and death. As we will see, near the place where Jesus enacted his saving sacrificial death, “there was a garden, and in that garden was a new tomb where no one had ever been laid,” and into that tomb the lifeless Jesus is buried (Jn 19:41). This “new tomb” is the last tomb of death, for it will become the “new tomb” from which the risen Jesus will rise gloriously—he, the resurrection and the life, will literally embody the new creation. Jesus, the life-giving light, will have been born anew. Moreover, when Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, she supposed “him to be the gardener” (Jn 20:15). Ironically, Mary is absolutely correct. Jesus is the new gardener. As he, God’s eternal Word, created the first garden, so he, as the Father’s Word incarnate, will now fashion the garden of the new creation. As Adam was the gardener of the primordial garden, so Jesus, as the new Adam, will become the gardener of the everlasting gardener of the renewed creation. Thus in the darkness of night, as he and his disciples presently enter into “a garden,” the sin-marred garden of Eden, Jesus will ultimately exit, through his saving death and resurrection, into the new garden of Eden, a new garden of his own creation. Moreover, as the risen gardener, Jesus will himself also become the re-created garden, for only by being born anew in him will humankind abide in the everlasting heavenly Paradise. In becoming the new gardener of the heavenly Eden, and so the new Adam who has domin4. Genesis depicts God as a gardener. “And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East; and there he put the man whom he had formed” (Gn 2:8). Thus God becomes the initial gardener and the prototype of all future gardeners. Thus God commanded the man whom he put in the garden “to till it and keep it” (Gn 2:15). Jesus, earlier in John’s Gospel, speaks of God his Father as the vinedresser of whom he is the vine (see Jn 15:1).

186   Passion and Resurrection Narratives ion over the new creation, Jesus will become definitively Jesus—YHWH-Saves.5 His cross, upon which he offered his holy life to the Father, will become the true tree of life within the newly re-created garden, for all who believe in him will be nourished on its fruit—the eternal life of his conjoining resurrection. Likewise, Jesus will baptize his future believing disciples in the Holy Spirit so that they may enter, in communion with Jesus, into that new garden as the Father’s born-anew children.6 Before we proceed to John’s narrative of what took place in the garden, it is often noted that the Evangelist has no account of Jesus’ agony in that garden.7 Again, we must ask why. I think there is a twofold interrelated reason for this absence. First, the Synoptic accounts of Jesus’ agony culminates in his declaring that while he wishes his Father to remove or let pass the cup that he is to 5. This understanding is in keeping with Paul’s theology of baptism. As Jesus put to death Adam’s sinful nature and rose as the new Adam with a re-created humanity, so Christians are baptized into his death so as to rise to newness of life. “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Rom 6:5). Moreover, as one man’s (Adam’s) act of disobedience brought forth sin, death, and condemnation, “so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Rm 5:18–19; see also 1 Cor 15:21–22 and 15:45). For John, Jesus is the new Adam, for he is the ever-obedient Father’s Son, who did his Father’s work even unto death on the cross (see Jn 19:30). 6. Although Luke does not speak of a garden, he does have a significant reference to Eden—Paradise. When “the good thief” asks Jesus to remember him when he comes into his “kingly power,” Jesus replies, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk 23:42–43). “Paradise” is the Persian word for “garden” or “park.” Gn 2:8 speaks of the Lord God the gardener who is said to have “planted a garden [a paradise] in Eden; and there he put man whom he had formed.” Later, Isaiah will speak of God comforting Zion, and he “will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden [paradise] of the Lord; joy will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song” (Is 51:3). Likewise, Ezekiel, speaking on behalf of God, states that on the Lord’s Day, when God cleanses his people from all their iniquities, people will say, “This land that was desolate has become like the garden [paradise] of Eden” (Ezek 36:33–35). Thus for Jesus to promise “the good thief” that he will be with him in Paradise is to assure him that he will be in his (Jesus’) eschatological heavenly garden of Eden. Such will be the case because on the cross Jesus is reconciling sinners to his Father, and in so doing once more opening the gates of Paradise to all who, like the good thief, believe in him. For a further theological interpretation of Luke’s account of “the good thief,” see JBJ 1:369–72. Paul speaks of his mystical experience as his being “caught up into Paradise” (2 Cor 12:3). Apropos to John’s Gospel, where Jesus’ cross can be seen as the tree of life, the Book of Revelation declares: “To him who conquers I [Jesus] will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God,” that is, in the new and lasting heavenly garden (Rv 2:7). 7. What is fascinating is that in common parlance, we normally speak of “Jesus’ agony in the garden,” or “in the garden of Gethsemane.” Yet while John speaks of a garden, he narrates no agony, and while the Synoptics speak of Jesus’ agony, they reference no garden. The Christian tradition has unconsciously conflated the Synoptic accounts with that of the Johannine account.

So, You Are a King   187 drink, his Father’s will, and not his own, is to be done (see Mt 26:39, Mk 14:36, and Lk 22:42).8 In our examination of the Book of Signs, we saw that Jesus constantly emphasizes that he was sent into the world to do his Father’s will and to do his Father’s work. He is therefore always obedient to his Father. He only says what his Father tells him to say, and he only does what the Father shows him to do (see Jn 4:34, 5:19, 5:30, 6:38, 8:28, and 14:10). Thus, in John’s Gospel, Jesus’ obedience to his Father is accentuated throughout his public ministry. Second, such obedience finds its ultimate expression in the Johannine “mini-agony,” where Jesus exclaims, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name” (Jn 12:27–28). Having emphasized Jesus’ obedience throughout his Gospel, the Evangelist wishes presently to manifest that Jesus, in purposely entering the garden at the coming of his hour, is resolute in completing his Father’s salvific work. Such firmness of will, for John, theologically demonstrates that Jesus is truly the Father’s obedient incarnate Son. Having examined the theological significance of John’s initial setting of the scene, we can now turn to the events that occur within the garden.

The Arrest of Jesus The Evangelist next informs the reader that “Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with his disciples.”9 Unlike the Synoptics, the Evangelist does not narrate Judas’s sign-betraying kiss. Thus John speaks not of Judas’s impending betrayal, the kiss, but of his already having completed the betrayal—“Judas, who betrayed him.” For John, the betrayal has already taken place when Judas exited the Last Supper at Jesus’ direct command. “What you are going to do, do quickly” (Jn 13:27). Judas does not initiate the betraying act even though he performs it. Rather, he is merely carrying out what Jesus charged him to do. Jesus is the orchestrator of his saving work.10 This becomes even more evident in what immediately follows. 8. For a theological account of Jesus’ agony as narrated in the Synoptics, see JBJ 1:321–29. 9. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 18:2–12. 10. From the point of view of historicity, it is interesting that the Evangelist notes that Judas knew of the garden, “for Jesus often met there with his disciples.” That Jesus often met there with his disciples is not mentioned within the Synoptic accounts. John is here speaking of his own historical experience. The question could be asked as to how Judas knew that Jesus would go to the garden after finishing the Last Supper. Perhaps, since Jesus often went there as

188   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Because Judas “knew of the place,” John proceeds to state, “So Judas, procuring a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to befall him, came forward and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’ ”11 Theologically, these verses are telling. First, as has been often observed, while Matthew and Mark emphasize that the arresting crowds brought “swords and clubs,” the Evangelist accentuates that the soldiers and officers came with “lanterns and torches and weapons” (Mt 26:47 and Mk 14:43). When Judas left the Last Supper, John noted that “it was night.” That night is far advanced, not only physically but also theologically. Judas, who entered into that darkness, now comes with his band into the dark garden with lanterns and torches, for they are in search of Jesus within that darkness—they needed to find him and see him so as to arrest him. Judas, however, with his accompanying soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, are cloaked in the darkness of unbelief. They will find Jesus, but they will not see him with the light of faith. They will therefore remain in the darkness of sin and death. They fail to recognize that they are coming into the presence of he who is the eternal life-giving light, the incarnate light of the world, a light that no darkness can overcome. If they would follow Jesus in faith, they would not walk in darkness but would “have the light of life” (Jn 8:12; see also Jn 1:4, 9:5, 12:35–36). Thus we perceive the Johannine irony. In the darkness of night, Judas and his arresting band need lanterns and torches to see Jesus, but only in the light of faith will they find the life-giving light of everlasting life, the light that dispels the darkness of sin and death. Second, while Luke gives the impression that Jesus was somewhat caught off guard at the approach of Judas and the crowd (see Lk 22:47–48), in Matthew and Mark, Jesus realizes that his “betrayer is at hand” (Mt 26:46 and Mk 14:42). In John’s Gospel, Jesus is depicted even more as the master of the events. The Evangelist informs the reader that Jesus, “knowing what would befall him, came forward and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’ ”12 Jesus is aware of John informs the reader, Judas, being a disciple, surmised that he would go there on this fateful night (see Jn 8:1). The Synoptic Gospels emphasize that Judas was “one of the twelve” (Mt 26:47, Mk 14:45, Lk 22:47). 11. The “band of soldiers” would most likely be Roman soldiers, while the “officers” would be Jewish police, since they are from the chief priests and Pharisees. 12. At the end of his bread of life discourse, Jesus stated that he knew that some of those present did not believe. The Evangelist adds: “For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that should betray him” (Jn 6:64; see also Jn 13:1). In John’s Gospel, Jesus always knows what will take place, and so he always directs its future unfolding.

So, You Are a King   189 what is to ensue—his hour has begun. In this hour, Jesus, not Judas, “came forward,” and Jesus, not the cheek-kissing Judas, will reveal his identity. Jesus, not Judas, makes the opening gambit—“Whom do you seek?” In response, they declare: “Jesus of Nazareth.” They want to know which one among those whom they have now found is Jesus, the one who is of Nazareth. In this response, the Evangelist, I think, wants the reader to recall the gathering of Jesus’ first disciples. Upon hearing the Baptist declare, as he looked upon Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” two of his disciples followed Jesus. Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you seek?” They wanted to know where Jesus was staying. Jesus says, “Come and see.” Upon staying with Jesus, one of them found Simon Peter and told him that they had found “the Messiah.” Later, having been called by Jesus, Philip finds Nathanael and declares to him that we have “found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael questions whether anything “good can come out of Nazareth.” Philip tells Nathanael to come and see. Having been told by Jesus that he saw him under the fig tree, Nathanael declares: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” This is who Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, is—the Son of God and the King of Israel. Jesus in turn informs Nathanael that he will see even greater things. “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (Jn 1:35–51). So, the one that the arresting crowd is seeking is Jesus of Nazareth. They have come to the right place, for he is standing before them, the one whom they have come to see. They have found the Jesus from the town from which no good comes. In seeing him, however, they have found, unbeknownst to them in their lack of faith, not the son of Joseph but the expected Messiah, the Son of God, and the King of Israel. Moreover, when they behold him on the cross, they will see the heavens being opened and God’s angels ascending and descending upon he who is the Son of man, the one in whom believers can enter into the presence of his heavenly Father. In this context, not only does Jesus’ question and the arresting crowd’s response take on more significance, but Jesus’ response also assumes its fullest meaning. Jesus asks, “Whom do you seek?” Jesus wants to know the identity of the one they want. They respond that they are seeking “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus identifies himself as “I am he (ego eimi).” Jesus, however, is not only acknowledging that he is the one whom they are looking for, but he is also simultaneously identifying himself as He Who Is. He, YHWH-Saves of

190   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Nazareth, the son of Joseph, is YHWH. Ironically, this is he whom they seek and have found, for he, as He Who Is, is the Spirit-anointed Messiah, the Son of God, and the soon-to-be King of Israel. Simply put, as implied by Jesus himself, in seeking Jesus, they have found Jesus—I Am He Who Saves. Thus Jesus is making an incarnational declaration. He, the man Jesus of Nazareth, is identifying himself as He Who Is. At this point, the Evangelist inserts what appears to be an odd aside. “Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.” The reader already knows that Judas betrayed Jesus, and of course he is standing with the arresting party, since he was the one who led them to the garden. So, what is the point of retelling the obvious? The reason is that Judas was one of Jesus’ disciples, yet he never grasped, in faith, who Jesus is, and he has presently assumed command of those Jews who have also failed to grasp, and have even refused to acknowledge, that Jesus, as the Father’s Son, is He Who Is. No longer is Judas standing with the twelve Apostles. He is standing in the company of the unbelieving Jews. John, I believe, is making a final plea to his Jewish brethren, that they, unlike Judas, should come to know the true identity of Jesus. Judas, the betrayer, may be presently standing with them, but they do not have to continue to stand with him, for to continue to do so is to participate in his betrayal. From this point on in John’s Gospel, Judas disappears from the scene, for he willingly did the one significant act that he was destined to do. He has completed the devil’s work, and in so doing, he has enabled Jesus to finish his Father’s work.13 After this aside, John continues his narrative. “When he said to them, ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.” That the arresting band “drew back and fell to the ground” accentuates Jesus’ revelation that he is He Who Is. When Moses approached the burning bush, God said to him, “Do not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Moreover, God declared, I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Upon this declaration, “Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look at God” (Ex 3:5–6). The arresting crowd, unbeknownst to them, is presently standing on holy ground, for they are in the presence of He Who Is, the God of their fathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thus they “drew back” in fear and reverence and “fell to the ground” in awe. Their “involuntary” replication of Moses’s response to being in God’s presence itself manifests the truth of who Jesus is as the Father’s 13. Only Matthew’s Gospel tells of Judas’s “repentance” and suicide (see Mt 27:3–10).

So, You Are a King   191 divine Son. This Johannine portrayal is, again, I believe, a summons to the Evangelist’s unbelieving compatriots to recognize and acknowledge that Jesus, as the Father’s Son, is the God of their fathers and so is their God as well, as they are Abraham’s children.14 For a second time, Jesus proceeds to ask the now-fallen band, “Whom do you seek?” To which they again respond, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replies, “I told you that I am he (ego eimi); so, if you seek me, let these men go.” The Evangelist here inserts an aside. “This was to fulfill the word which he had spoken, ‘Of those whom you gave me I lost not one.’ ” John is quoting what Jesus acknowledged in his high priestly prayer. “While I was with them [his disciples], I kept them in your name [his Father], which you have given me; I have guarded them, none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled” (Jn 17:12; see also Jn 6:39). Thus while Jesus was with the disciples that his Father had given him, he protected them, and now, upon his departure, he wants to assure, to guard, their safety. So, if the arresting band is only seeking him, then it should not assault the others. The Evangelist sees in this protective statement that Jesus is not losing any of those the Father has given him—none of his disciples would be arrested and killed. Jesus may also be implying that their “hour,” the hour when they will lay down their lives, has not yet come. Moreover, he may recognize that the faith of his disciples is not yet strong enough, as will be seen in the case of Peter, to withstand persecution and death, and that they would lose their faith in him if challenged. If that were to occur, then Jesus would have lost all those the Father has given him.15 But the Scripture passage that Jesus speaks of as being fulfilled in John 17:12 is Psalm 41:9, “Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted his heel against me.” So, there is a discrepancy between what 14. Such an interpretation is in keeping with one of Jesus’ contentious confrontations with the unbelieving Jews. They claimed that Abraham was their father. Jesus replies that if such was the case, they would believe in him (see Jn 8:39–40). Later, Jesus tells them that their father “Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day.” They respond that Jesus could not have seen Abraham, for he is not yet fifty years old. To this Jesus declared: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am (ego eimi).” “The Jews” realized that Jesus had assumed to himself the divine name, YHWH, and so attempted to stone him for blaspheming (Jn 8:56–59). Jesus, in presently identifying himself as He Who Is, is corroborating what he declared earlier, and the disbelieving Jews, instead of picking up stones to throw at him for blaspheming, drew back and fell on the ground in unintended worship. In so doing, they were demonstrating, unwittingly, that they are indeed the children of Abraham. 15. In John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks only of Peter denying him (Jn 13:38; see also Mt 26:33– 35, Mk 14:29–31, and Lk 22:33–34). Within the Matthew and Mark Gospels, however, Jesus also speaks of all of the disciples abandoning him upon his arrest (see Mt 26:32 and Mk 14:27).

192   Passion and Resurrection Narratives the Evangelist now quotes and what Jesus said previously. Jesus’ losing “not one” appears not to be in accord with Judas, “the son of perdition,” being lost, for he “has lifted his heel against me.” It would seem, in the end, that the Evangelist does not consider Judas as “one” whom the Father had given to Jesus, and thus he cannot be considered “one” who has been lost. Such an interpretation would be in accord with what John states in his First Letter concerning the antichrists who have left the Christian community. “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us” (1 Jn 2:19). In his betrayal of Jesus, Judas proves himself to be an antichrist, and he therefore makes plain that he was never truly one of Jesus’ disciples. Though Jesus requests that those who came to arrest him let his disciples go, John states, “Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus.” There is historical authenticity in the Evangelist’s account, for he was there and provides greater detail than the Synoptics. The Synoptic accounts speak, “one of those who was with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear” (Mt 26:51). Or “one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear” (Mk 14:47). Or “when those who were about him [Jesus] saw what would follow, they said, ‘Lord shall we strike with a sword?’ and one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear” (Lk 22:49– 50). John not only tells us that it was Peter—though who else could it be, Peter being Peter?—who drew his sword, but he also informs us that he cut off the right ear of the high priest’s slave, whose name was Malchus.16 In response to Peter’s violent act, Jesus says, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?” Two theological points need to be made in the light of what Jesus states. First, Peter continues to misconstrue Jesus’ salvific mission as the Christ. When Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was, Peter responded, “You are the 16. Luke, as quoted above, also specifies that it was the right ear, which may indicate that he received his account, with this specific detail, from John. Only Luke nonetheless narrates that Jesus healed the high priest’s servant’s ear (see Lk 22:51). That he knew the name of the high priest’s slave indicates that John knew, to some extent, the high priest, and so knew the name of his slave—Malchus. This becomes evident later when the Evangelist speaks of Peter and “another disciple” (doubtlessly, John) followed Jesus. This other disciple “was known to the high priest” and so was able to get entrée to the court where Jesus’ trial was taking place. Subsequently, the other disciple spoke to the maid, who must have known of his acquaintance with the high priest, for she, upon “John’s” word to her, allowed Peter to enter as well (Jn 18:15–16).

So, You Are a King   193 Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16; see also Mk 8:29 and Lk 9:20). In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus calls Peter blessed, for his heavenly Father revealed this to him. In Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts, however, when Jesus proceeds to inform his disciples that because he is the Christ he will go to Jerusalem, where he will suffer and be killed at the hands of the chief priests and elders, Peter protests. “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” For this remark Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men” (Mt. 16:21–23; see also Mk 8:31–33). Peter, then, as in Matthew and Mark, and now as in John, is a hindrance to Jesus, for in drawing his sword, he is attempting to prevent Jesus from doing his Father’s will by tempting to him to refrain from drinking the cup that his Father has given to him. Peter has the mind of Satan and of men— the obtaining of earthly glory as a worldly Messiah.17 Jesus, as the Spirit-filled Messiah, must faithfully complete his Father’s saving work, that of offering his life in love to his Father for the salvation of humankind. Only then will his Father, in raising him gloriously from the dead, impart to him a kingdom that is not of this world—the heavenly kingdom of eternal life. Second, in his rhetorical question “shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given to me?” Jesus now echoes back to what he declared within the Synoptic accounts of his agony. Although he requests his Father to let the cup pass by him, Jesus concludes: “nonetheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Mt 26:39; see also Mk 14:36 and Lk 22:42). For the Evangelist, Jesus fully undertakes the will of his Father at the very moment when his arrest is at hand and Peter is fighting so as to remove the Father’s cup from him. The drama could not be more intense and its theological significance clearer. Jesus, in one 17. Peter’s “tempting” of Jesus mirrors Satan’s three wilderness temptations. If Jesus is the Son of God, as his Father proclaimed him to be at his baptism, the hungry Jesus could change stones into bread, he could leap from the temple and be caught by angels, and, if he worshipped Satan, he could become ruler of all the kingdoms in the world. Satan tempts Jesus to employ his divine power to achieve worldly ends. Jesus rejects such temptations, for he knows that the Father has anointed him as the Christ to be the Father’s Suffering-Servant-Son who will lay down his life for the salvation of the world. In drawing his sword, Peter is attempting to help Jesus attain a worldly kingdom. For a fuller theological interpretation of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, see JBJ 1:104–9. Later, at his trial before Pilate, Jesus clearly informs Pilate that his kingship is not of this world. “If my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world” (Jn 18:36). Peter attempted to keep Jesus from being handed over to “the Jews” because he supposed that Jesus’ kingship was of this world. Jesus prohibited the sword-wielding Peter from fighting, and so from being handed over to “the Jews,” precisely because his kingship is not of this world.

194   Passion and Resurrection Narratives sentence and in one act, stays the hand of Peter and, with his own hand drinks the Father’s cup.18 Because Jesus terminated Peter’s impetuous act, the Evangelist concludes, “So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews seized and bound him.” Although the Roman and Jewish authorities arrest Jesus, their seizing and binding of Jesus is a response to his act—his willingness to drink his Father-given cup. The band is merely furthering Jesus’ desire, and not their own, to complete his Father’s saving work.

Jesus before Annas and Caiaphas, and Peter’s Denial Compared to the Synoptic narratives, John offers a condensed account of Jesus being taken before the Jewish authorities. The Synoptics speak of Jesus being conducted “to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered” (Mt 26:57; see also Mk 14:53 and Lk 22:54). Within these accounts, the Synoptics narrate a lengthy interrogation of Jesus before what appears to be the Sanhedrin. At this trial, “false” witnesses tell of Jesus wanting to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. The high priest questions Jesus as to his claim to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, to which Jesus responds that the chief priest has said so. It is upon this claim that Jesus is condemned for blasphemy and then sent on to Pilate to seek his authorization that Jesus should be crucified. Interspersed within the Synoptic trial scenes are Peter’s three denials that he knows Jesus (see Mt 26:57–75, Mk 14:53–72, and Lk 22:54–71).19 Upon Jesus’ arrest, the Evangelist states, “First they led him to Annas; 18. Significantly, in Mark and Matthew, when James and John want to sit at his right and left in his glory, Jesus asks if they are “able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They respond in the affirmative. Jesus assures them that “the cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized” (Mk 10:36–39; see also Mt 20:22–23). Jesus’ Apostles, including Peter, will drink the cup that Jesus drank, for they will be martyred, though the ancient tradition holds that John died a natural death. But before they are able to drink Jesus’ cup, they must first learn its significance—that is, to lay down their lives, to take up their crosses, on behalf of the world’s salvation. At the conclusion of Peter’s threefold profession of love for Jesus, Jesus tells Peter that “when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you off where you do not wish to go” (Jn 21:18–19). Peter’s hands will not then wield a sword but will be pierced with nails, and so he will drink the cup that Jesus drank. 19. For a theological interpretation of Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin as found in the Synoptics, see JBJ 1:333–41.

So, You Are a King   195 for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year.”20 Only John speaks of Jesus being taken to Annas. Given, as we saw, the Evangelist’s acquaintance with the high priest and his family, this event is probably historical.21 It would appear, though, that for John, Caiaphas is the more significant person, for he reminds the reader of what Caiaphas had declared previously. “It was Caiaphas who had given counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.” When Caiaphas had first said this, John also inserted an aside. He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God scattered abroad. So from that day on they took counsel how to put him to death. (Jn 11:51–53)

John is not only noting the irony within Caiaphas’s prophecy—that is, that Jesus did indeed need to die lest the Jewish nation perish in their sin—but he is also amplifying for whom Jesus needs to die: all of God’s children. Jesus’ saving death is both for “the Jews” and the Gentiles—the gathering into one all peoples and nations.22 Thus, in reminding the reader of what Caiaphas declared earlier, John is emphasizing that this is the culminating consultation wherein counsel is being sought as to how to put Jesus to death. But the final judgment of this gathering will also ironically fulfill Caiaphas’s prophecy—Jesus will die so that the Jewish nation and all peoples may not perish because of their sin. Here, I believe we discover two interrelated reasons why John does not provide, as the Synoptics do, the lengthy interrogation of Jesus before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. First, John in his account is offering his theological interpretation of that lengthier trial. For John, what that trial is enacting is Caiaphas’s prophecy. The “Sanhedrin trial” concludes that because Jesus claims to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, he must be condemned for blaspheming. But it is in this 20. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in this section are taken from Jn 18: 13–27. 21. Annas was the high priest from 6 to 15 AD. He was deposed by the Romans, who appointed a new high priest. Such a replacement was contrary to Jewish law, and so many Jews still considered Annas the “proper” high priest (see Lk 3:2). Nonetheless, his son-in-law, Caiaphas, was the “official” high priest from 18–35 AD. John would have been acquainted with the extended high priestly family. 22. This is in accord with what Jesus states when speaking of himself as the good shepherd. “I have other sheep, that are not of this fold [the Jewish people]; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (Jn 10:16).

196   Passion and Resurrection Narratives very condemnation that Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God, will die for Jews and Gentiles alike. Second, within John’s Gospel, Jesus is constantly being interrogated and condemned by the Jewish authorities for the very same reason. Such an interrogation begins with John the Baptist. “The Jews” want to know who John is, and he assures them that he is not the Christ. But the Baptist is the first to testify that Jesus is the Spirit-filled Messiah, and so the Son of God (see Jn 1:32–34). Because Jesus healed the man at the pool of Bethsaida on the Sabbath, “the Jews” began to persecute Jesus and “sought the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal to God” (Jn 5:18; see also Jn 7:1 and 10:36). Jesus’ contentious dialogues with the Jewish authorities are in a sense trials, for the issue before “the court” is whether Jesus claims to be the Christ, the Father’s anointed Son. If such is the case, he is to be found guilty. The authorities therefore constantly attempt to arrest Jesus (see Jn 7:30 and 10:39). Moreover, when Jesus declares that he is He Who Is, and so one with his Father, they attempt to stone him (see Jn 8:59, 10:30–31, and 11:8). Thus what transpires before the Sanhedrin in the Synoptic Gospels has been continually enacted, with ever-greater intensity, throughout John’s Gospel. For the Evangelist, taking Jesus to Annas, and later to Caiaphas, is merely a formality. The now-arrested Jesus has already been tried and convicted. The only thing left is for him to be sentenced to crucifixion. For that, the Jewish authorities need the approval of the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate. All of this will be played out as John’s narrative progresses. Having informed the reader that Jesus was led to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who prophesied that Jesus must die for the sake of the people, the Evangelist rather abruptly speaks of Peter. Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple [John himself ]. As this disciple was known to the high priest, he entered the court of the high priest along with Jesus, while Peter stood outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the maid who kept the door, and brought Peter in. The maid who kept the door said to Peter, “Are not you also one of this man’s disciples?” He said, “I am not” (ouk eimi). Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves; Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

By first noting that Simon Peter followed Jesus, and only then mentioning himself, John is alerting the reader to the importance of what will now emerge

So, You Are a King   197 concerning Peter, but he is also, by employing his “full” name, Simon Peter, highlighting the importance of who he is. When his brother, Andrew, brought Simon to Jesus, the first thing Jesus says to him is, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). Jesus immediately, as if out of the blue, changes Simon’s name to “Rock.” Simon Rock is the rock upon which Jesus will build his church, for he is the one who proclaimed that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (see Mt 16:16–18). For John, it is Simon the Rock, the first of the Apostles, who shadowed Jesus, and not any of the others.23 Moreover, in first noting that Simon Peter followed Jesus, and only then adding that he too followed, John is observing not simply Peter’s curiosity in wanting to find out what would be the outcome, but rather he also perceives Peter’s concern for the well-being of Jesus now that he has been arrested and taken to the high priest. This is a worrying development. Yet ironically for John, the well-intentioned and rightly apprehensive Rock is about to crumble.24 Because John was known to the high priest, he entered along with Jesus into the court, leaving Peter outside.25 Probably because of Peter’s importance, and also not wanting him to feel left out (in the cold), John, who emphasizes again that he was known by the high priest, took the proper steps to allow Peter access to the court. He spoke to the maid who safeguarded the door, presumably telling her that Peter was his friend. Upon his entering, seemingly as he was coming past her as he came through the door, she confronted him with an accusing question. “Are not you also one of this man’s disciples?” She must have heard about Peter and his relation to “this man,” and because of this prior conjecture, she challenges Peter. What is most telling is that the maid does not simply say, “Are not you one of this man’s disciples?” She asks, “Are not you also one 23. There are a few things to note here. First, as stated already on a number of occasions, John’s entire Gospel is written to demonstrate the truth of Peter’s profession of faith (see Jn 20:31). Second, within the Synoptics, Peter always tops the list of the twelve Apostles, thus designating him as the first among equals and so the leader of the Apostles. Third, having declared that upon Peter, the Rock, he would build his church, Jesus gave to him the keys to the kingdom of heaven (see Mt 16:19). It is this Rock, to whom the Father revealed who Jesus truly is as the Father’s Son, that is the one who now will declare that he does not even know the man. 24. Within the Synoptic Gospels, Peter falls asleep three times during Jesus’ agony. Jesus chastises Peter for not praying. “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt 26:40–41; see also Mk 14:37–38 and Lk 22:4546). In following Jesus to Annas’s house, Peter demonstrates that his “spirit is willing.” Because he did not pray, however, Peter will fall into temptation three times, for his flesh is indeed weak. 25. Because of the detail that John provides, we perceive not only that John was present and informing the reader of what actually took place, but also that he was an active participant.

198   Passion and Resurrection Narratives of this man’s disciples?” She knew John and that he was a disciple of Jesus, and she probably knew there were some other close associates, so is it not true, as she had heard, that this man also was a disciple of Jesus? John was not afraid of being Jesus’ disciple, even to the point of entering the high priest’s house where he was known, and where Jesus was about to be condemned. Yet Peter, who is gaining access to the courtyard only because of his close association with John and thus with Jesus himself, tells, when all of the immediate evidence points against him, an obvious lie. If he is not a disciple of Jesus, why is he there, and why would John help him gain access? Panic and fear overtake Peter, and he, almost as if he were insulted by the very question, obdurately blurts out: “I am not.”26 It would appear that while Peter obtained access to the courtyard, he did not gain entrée into Annas’s house, though it would appear that John did, because what he next narrates concerns only Peter and not himself. Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves; Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

One presumes that these Jewish “servants” and Roman “officers” were part of the band who came to the garden to arrest Jesus. Peter must have been aware of this and, given his confrontation with the door maid, he must have felt out of place and been restlessly apprehensive about rubbing shoulders with this lot around a charcoal fire, especially since, within the past hour, he had wielded a sword against them. As will be seen, his foreboding was not misplaced.27 While Peter was warming his body against the night’s cold, his heart was dark and cold, for he had presently lost his love and loyalty for Jesus, the one for whom he had previously declared that he was willing to lay down his life (see Jn 13:13).28 26. Peter’s “I am not” (ouk eimi) is in contrast to Jesus’ “I am he” (ego eimi). Jesus willingly acknowledges that he is the one whom the arresting band wants, and he does so by identifying himself as He Who Is. Peter refuses to identify himself as a follower of Jesus. Thus what he is ultimately saying is, “I am not (ouk eimi) a follower of He Who Is (ego eimi).” 27. Unlike John’s Gospel, the Synoptics provide lengthier continuous narratives of Peter’s denials, all of which take place during the trial scene before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. Like John, they have Peter following Jesus “at a distance” to the high priest’s house, and, going inside the courtyard, he sat with guards, warming himself. Moreover, the maid is the first to accuse him of being a disciple of Jesus, but he denied such an association. Twice more, others accuse Peter as well, for he is a Galilean whose accent betrays him. In all of the Synoptic accounts, Peter denies that he “knows the man” (see Mt 26:69–75, Mk 14:66–72, and Lk 22:62). None of the Synoptics mention the “other disciple.” 28. This previous exchange between Jesus and Peter may now take on new significance.

So, You Are a King   199 Although he has set the scene for Peter’s two remaining denials, John moves to the trial scene before Annas. The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple where all Jews come together; I have said nothing secretly. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I have said.” When he had said this, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

In response to Annas’s concern about Jesus’ disciples and his teaching, Jesus notes that he spoke openly to the world, and this is evident because he always taught publicly in synagogues and in the temple, and thus never in secret. If Annas wants to know what he had said, all those who heard him could tell him, for they know what he said. That he spoke openly to the world implies that what Jesus said was not simply for the benefit of “the Jews” but also for all nations. His message is universal. Moreover, although Annas is concerned about his disciples, anyone who heard him, even the unbelieving Jews who heard him, could tell him what he said, for he taught in the temple “where all Jews come together” and not simply his followers. Since he has been on “trial” throughout most of John’s Gospel, what Jesus is now doing is not personally defending himself directly, but calling his own witnesses to defend him—all those who heard him speak publicly in the synagogues and in the temple, even those Jesus had told his disciples that he was leaving. Peter asks where he is going, to which Jesus responds, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me afterward.” Peter then declares that he is willing to lay down his life for Jesus. And Jesus responds by querying Peter’s ability to do so, and foretells Peter’s three-time denial before the cock crows (see Jn 13:36–38). Jesus is presently going to his death, and while Peter has now followed Jesus to the trial that will condemn him, he will not follow him to his death, for at present, he lacks maturity of faith. Instead, he will deny him. Nonetheless, “afterward,” he will follow him to his death and into his resurrection. Moreover, the next time the Gospel speaks of a “charcoal fire” is when the risen Jesus appears to some of his fishing disciples. After the miraculous catch of fish, and when “they got on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.” Around this charcoal fire, the heart-warming Eucharistic fire, Jesus will three times ask Peter whether he loves him. Peter will reverse his threefold denial with his threefold profession of love, to which Jesus says to Peter, “Follow me” (Jn 21:9–19). Because of his love for Jesus, Peter is now able to follow Jesus, i.e., follow Jesus in his death and then into his heavenly resurrection, for that is where Jesus is going—back to the Father who sent him.

200   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Jews who refused to believe what he taught. If the truth be told, he need not testify on his own behalf, for all who heard him are able to do so. The burden of proof that he has done anything deserving death lays before the court, and there is ample proof within his own public teaching that he has not done so. Because Jesus refused to testify on his own behalf but called upon the countless witnesses who heard him teach, one of the officers struck Jesus with his hand. Jesus may not have answered in the manner that Annas desired, but he did provide him with an abundance of means for obtaining the answers he sought. Thus Jesus responded, “If I spoke wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” Jesus did not speak wrongly because he informed Annas from whom he could find the truth about his disciples and what he taught. If Jesus is condemned, it will be due to the court failing to call the multitude of witnesses to testify. Without any response from Annas, the reader is informed that “Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.” Here we are confronted with a historical and narrative conundrum. What Jesus says to Annas in John’s Gospel is basically the same as what he says when being arrested in Gethsemane in the Synoptic Gospels. There he says to the crowds: “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me” (Mt 26:55; see also Mk 14:48–49). Luke has Jesus saying, “When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Lk 22:53). It would appear that the Synoptic tradition may provide the historical basis for what John reports Jesus saying before Annas after Jesus was arrested and taken to his house. Interestingly, Luke speaks of “chief priests and officers of the temple and elders” as the ones who came to arrest Jesus. Thus Annas could have been one of the chief priests, and the interrogation could have taken place immediately and not later at Annas’s house. Moreover, the “officers of the temple” could have easily heard Jesus speak “day after day,” and so they could have borne witness to what Jesus taught, if they had desired to do so. Even though Annas sends the bound Jesus to Caiaphas, the Evangelist does not narrate what transpires between Caiaphas and Jesus. Rather, he reminds the reader that “Simon Peter was standing and warming himself.”29 With this reminder, John narrates Peter’s remaining two denials. 29. Annas and Caiaphas, since they are related and considered to be high priests, would have lived in the same palace complex. Thus Peter would have remained at the charcoal fire even though Jesus was taken from Annas to Caiaphas.

So, You Are a King   201 They said to him, “Are not you also one of his disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not” (ouk eimi). One of the servants of the high priest, a kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter denied it; and at once the cock crowed.

Those warming themselves along with Peter ask him the same question that the door maid asked. Is not Peter one of Jesus’ disciples? He gives the same answer: “I am not.” Again, unlike Jesus, Peter refuses to reveal his identity. But another servant of the high priest is confident that within the shadowy darkness of the torches and lanterns and amidst the mayhem of an attack upon his kinsmen, he saw Peter in the garden with Jesus. Peter now denies that he was even in the garden and therefore could not be an associate of Jesus, and moreover, if the servant is so thinking, he could not be accused of severing the right ear of his kinsman, Malchus. Of course, the question remains: Why is Peter in Annas’s courtyard, warming himself around the charcoal fire with the Jewish guards and Roman soldiers? There is no reason for him to be there. The reader, though, knows why Simon Peter is there. He followed Jesus from the garden, and what may have begun as a sincere desire to be with Jesus has now turned out to be an utter collapse of courageous loyalty—“at once the cock crowed.”30 The cock’s crow may have signaled Peter’s denials, but it also beckoned the awakening of a new day. Since the Last Supper, with Judas entering into the darkness and Jesus and his disciples entering the garden, followed by Jesus’ arrest, John’s narrative has taken place at night. Although the hour of darkness has almost reached its climax, in its impending advent the dawn of salvation has simultaneously ascended, for the darkest hour of the crucifixion will be the hour of life-giving light. So, upon the crowing of the cock, the Evangelist informs the reader that “they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was early” (Jn 18:28).31 30. In Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts, Peter, upon hearing the cock crow, “remembered the saying of Jesus, ‘Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly” (Mt 26:75; see also Mk 14:72). Luke adds a touching note, and even though John does not tell of it, one wonders if Luke did not obtain it from John, for only John saw what actually took place. Luke writes, “Immediately, while he [Peter] was still speaking [i.e., making his third denial], the cock crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly” (Lk 22:6–62). The way Jesus looked at Peter must have been one of sorrowful compassion, sorrow at Peter’s lack of faithfulness and compassion over Rock’s weakness. 31. The changing of the Roman night watch was called “cock crow,” which took place at three o’clock in the morning. Having found Jesus guilty of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of the living God, the

202   Passion and Resurrection Narratives

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate Although the Jewish leaders led Jesus to the praetorium, “they themselves did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.”32 Normally, the Roman governor lived in Caesarea Maritima along the Mediterranean Sea. But on major Jewish feast days he resided in the praetorium in Jerusalem so as ensure that there would be no nationalistic civil unrest among the throngs of pilgrims.33 Moreover, Jews normally did not enter the residence of Gentiles, lest they be defiled (see Acts 10:28). This reluctance was especially so on the occasion of the Passover. If Jews became defiled by entering a Gentile home, they were unable to eat the Passover meal. Since Jesus’ trial before Pilate and his subsequent crucifixion took place on the feast of the Passover, “the Jews” would not enter the Praetorium, in order to be able to eat the Passover meal in the evening after Jesus’ death (see Jn 19:42). Because “the Jews” refused to enter the praetorium, the Evangelist states: So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered him, “If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.” This was to fulfill the word which Jesus had spoken to show by what death he was to die.34

Pilate went outside the praetorium where “the Jews” were gathered. He requested the charge that they had brought against Jesus. The Jewish accusers avoid the question. Instead, they merely say that if he was not an evildoer, they would not have brought him to Pilate, but what evil Jesus has done is not stated. Sensing that whatever the accusation is it concerns Jewish belief, Pilate tells them to judge Jesus according to their own law, with the implication that Roman law has no provision to adjudicate Jewish legal issues. Tellingly, “the Synoptic accounts state that “when morning came all the chief priests and the elders of the people took council against Jesus to put him to death; and they bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pilate the governor” (Mt 26:63–27:1; see also Mk 14:61–15:1 and Lk 22:67–23:1). 32. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 18:28–40. 33. Scholars debate as to whether the praetorium was Herod’s old palace on the west side of Jerusalem or the fortress of Antonia built near the temple on the east side. Since the time of the Christian crusaders, the way of the cross has begun at the place where the Antonia stood, though this tradition in no way resolves the historical dispute as to which location was the praetorium at the time of Jesus. 34. Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea, Idumea, and Samaria from 26 to 36 AD (see Lk 3:1).

So, You Are a King   203 Jews” remind Pilate that it would be unlawful for them to kill Jesus, since capital punishment was solely under the authority of the Roman authorities. The Evangelist here inserts a theological note. By wanting Pilate to condemn Jesus and so authorize his death, “the Jews” were ensuring the manner of Jesus’ death—one that would fulfill Jesus’ own words. The words that John has in mind are those concerning his being lifted up. Jesus tells Nicodemus that “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn 3:14). In being lifted up upon the cross, Jesus would free humankind from the cursed punishment of sin, and whoever looked upon his crucified form with faith would obtain eternal life. Such faith will provide eternal life because, when they look upon the lifted-up Jesus, they “will know that I am he (ego eimi)” (Jn 8:28). Because Jesus is He Who Is, he possesses, and so can bestow, eternal divine life. Moreover, because Jesus, as He Who Is, is the source of eternal life, he will, when he is lifted up, “draw all men” to himself (Jn 12:32), for all people of faith are eager for eternal life. Precisely because Jesus blasphemously claimed to be He Who Is, “the Jews” previously attempted to stone him. Now, before Pilate, they are seeking, ironically, his crucifixion, the very being lifted up wherein he will conquer sin and death, and pour out eternal life upon all who believe that he is He Who Is. Once again, although the Jewish authorities are orchestrating, on the human level, Jesus’ demise, they are in doing so fulfilling his prophetic words. Upon hearing the statement that “the Jews” are not authorized to put anyone to death, Pilate leaves them and returns to the praetorium “and called Jesus.” It has often been noted that Pilate, throughout the trial of Jesus, goes in and out of the praetorium, the accusing Jews being on the outside and the accused Jesus on the inside. For the Evangelist, this is not merely because “the Jews” could not enter the praetorium, nor is it merely a means by which Pilate is getting “both sides” of the account. For John, when Pilate is in the presence of “the Jews,” he hears the “false” allegations against Jesus, which cause him to become flustered, confused, and wanting in will. In the presence of Jesus, he obtains the truth of who Jesus truly is, which convinces him that Jesus is innocent of any wrongdoing. Before proceeding to the dialogue between Pilate and Jesus, it must be noted that Jesus, a Jew, is inside the praetorium, which means that he has now become defiled and so incapable of participating in the Passover meal. This situation is again Johannine irony. In entering the residence of a Gentile, Jesus has

204   Passion and Resurrection Narratives assumed the defiling sin of the Gentiles, here personified in Pilate, who represents Rome’s entire empire, an empire that encompasses the “whole” world. By his presence in the praetorium, Jesus has taken upon himself the sin of all of humankind, Jews and Gentiles alike. Moreover, ironically, Jesus will celebrate the Passover by becoming the new, final, and everlasting Passover. On the cross, as God’s Passover lamb of sacrifice, Jesus, the new high priest, will offer himself to his Father in whom all of humankind’s sin will be forgiven. Moreover, a new covenant will be enacted, a covenant that will be sanctioned in his resurrection, and so a new birth that empowers him to pour out upon all who believe in him the new and eternal life of the Holy Spirit. Thus the further irony is that Jesus, in becoming the new everlasting high priest who offered himself as the perfect Passover sacrifice, will make redundant the very chief priests, Annas and Caiaphas, who have arrested him, presently accuse him, and desire his crucifixion. Again, the high priests, unbeknownst to them, are the very ones who are enacting the very acts that will bring to an end their priesthood, for it will now be fulfilled in Jesus himself.35 The Evangelist, having told of Pilate’s return to the praetorium and of his calling of Jesus, now provides a lengthy dialogue between Pilate and Jesus. Pilate initiates the exchange. “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world.” Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

Pilate’s initial question is somewhat, but not entirely, surprising. Prior to Pilate’s inquiry, there are three previous references to Jesus’ kingship. The first, as we discussed previously, comes in the calling of the first disciples. Philip informs Nathanael that they have found the one of whom Moses spoke and the prophets wrote, “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” After some reluctance in believing that anything good could come from Nazareth, Nathanael even35. While all of the above would have been too subtle for the Jewish authorities to perceive at the moment, I nonetheless believe that the Evangelist, within his narrative, hopes that future Jews would grasp the ironic truth of what took place at their forebearers’ own hands.

So, You Are a King   205 tually declares: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (Jn 1:45–49). The present issue at hand concerns Jesus being the King of the Jews. As we will see, however, “the Jews” will also accuse Jesus of claiming to be the Son of God (see Jn 19:7). Ultimately, in John’s Gospel, Jesus will be condemned for both, for, as Nathanael intuited, to be the incarnate Son of God is to be the Messianic King of the Jews. The second reference to kingship in relation to Jesus comes after he multiplies the loaves and fish. John informs the reader: “Perceiving then that they [the crowd] were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the hills by himself” (Jn 6:15). Because of this miracle, the crowd was about to take Jesus by force and make him king. But this making of Jesus king by force originated from within the crowd’s desire for a miracle-working king, one who would care for its earthly needs. Thus, later, when the people sought and found him, Jesus tells them the real reason for their quest. “Truly, truly I say to you, you did not seek me because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for food that perishes, but for food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give you; for on him God the Father set his seal” (Jn 6:26–27). The crowd ignored the sign to which the miracle pointed, that is, to Jesus himself being the bread of life. Third, though the notion of Jesus’ kingship lay dormant over the course of many chapters, it germinates when Jesus approaches Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. Having participated in a celebratory meal with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus over Lazarus’s being raised from the dead, Jesus makes his way down from the Mount of Olives from Bethany to Jerusalem. The crowds that had gathered in Jerusalem for the feast heard of Jesus’ coming. With palm branches in hand, they went to meet him. They cried, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” The Evangelist notes that Jesus was sitting on an ass, for “it is written, ‘Fear not, daughter Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on an ass’s colt!’ ” (Jn 12:12–15). While I provided a fuller theological interpretation of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem in the first volume of John’s Gospel, here a few points must now be recalled.36 First, Jesus is greeted with the cry “Hosanna,” which is a joyous acclamation beseeching God “to grant salvation.” Second, the reason for this cry for 36. See JBJ 2:403–10. See also JBJ 1:243–79 for a theological interpretation of the Synoptic accounts of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

206   Passion and Resurrection Narratives salvation is that Jesus is “blessed,” for he comes “in the name of the Lord,” that is, in the name of his Father, the Father who sent his Spirit-anointed Son into the world. Third, this God-blessed Jesus, who comes in the name of his Father, and in whom the crowd hopes to find salvation, is none other than “the King of Israel.” Jesus is, then, the fulfillment of the promise that God, his Father, made long ago to David. When your [David’s] days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (2 Sm 7:12–13)37

Thus, to the joyous acclamation of the crowd, Jesus enters royal Jerusalem for the set purpose of claiming his Davidic kingship. He comes humbly on an ass, not in a chariot or on a war horse, and so Zion need not fear. He has not come to wage war against earthly powers, but to bring peace to a world condemned by sin and living in bondage to the fear of death.38 Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem amidst the palm-waving crowd caused great consternation among the Pharisees, for they “said to one another, ‘You see that you can do nothing; look, the world has gone after him’ ” (Jn 12:19). Such a hopeless response is expressed even though Caiaphas, the high priest, had assured them that “it is expedient that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish” (Jn 11:50). Now what germinated in Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem comes to full blossom as Jesus stands before Pilate, who asks if he is the King of the Jews. The crowds who witnessed his multiplication of the loaves wanted forcibly to make Jesus king. Now the arresting crowds have forcibly taken Jesus. They 37. This prophecy is later reaffirmed. See Pss 89:3–4 and 132:11–12, Is 9:17, and Dn 2:44 and 7:14. 38. The passage that the Evangelist quotes is taken from both Zechariah and Zephaniah. Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass. (Zec 9:9; see also 9:10) Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgment against you, he has cast out your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear evil no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and he will renew your love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, .so that you will not bear reproach for it.” (Zep 3:14–18)

So, You Are a King   207 do so not because they want him to be their king but to have him put to death. Again ironically, however, by forcibly taking Jesus to Pilate so as to have him crucified, Jesus will become, is forced to become, a king, but a king not of this world. As king, he will not give them food that perishes, but food that endures for eternal life, for as the risen king, he will give to the world the heavenly bread of life—his risen body and risen blood. Jesus’ kingship, for John, is a Eucharistic kingship, for to abide in Jesus, the risen king, is to possess eternal life, a life that will find its fulfillment within Jesus’ heavenly banquet where the faithful will partake fully of his risen life. Thus Pilate, in asking Jesus if he is the King of the Jews, wants to know who Jesus truly is, though Jesus will respond in a manner that he did not anticipate. Like the crowd, Pilate is thinking in earthly terms. What neither the crowd nor Pilate recognizes is that the Father, in sending his Son, has “set his seal” on Jesus, his incarnate Son; that is, he has anointed him to be the saving Messiah for “the Jews.” In this anointing, Jesus will, through his death and resurrection, inherit the promised everlasting kingdom of his ancestor David, a kingdom that is not of this world of sin and death, but a heavenly kingdom of righteousness and life. With the above as the Johannine theological setting, Jesus first responds to Pilate’s question by asking him whether such a query, as to whether he is the King of the Jews, originated from himself or from others who spoke to him about his being the King of the Jews. To which Pilate rejoins with his own question: “Am I a Jew?” Such a reply suggests that since he is not a Jew, others informed him, or he heard rumors to the effect, that Jesus’ words and actions suggested that he considered himself the King of the Jews. If such is the case, this would cause political problems, for Jesus would then be a threat to Caesar. “The Jews” will later vehemently tell Pilate that if he releases Jesus, he will not be a friend of Caesar, for “anyone who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar.” Pilate, as we will see, will be intimidated by this charge (Jn 19:12–13).39 39. The Synoptic accounts also tell of Pilate first asking Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. But Luke prefaces Pilate’s question with “the Jews” by charging Jesus with condemnatory allegations. “We have found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying he himself is Christ the king” (Lk 23:2; see also Mt 27:11 and Mk 15:2). Thus Pilate intuits that to be Christ the king is to be King of the Jews. Moreover, the manner in which Jesus is accused of “perverting our nation” implies both that his teaching is contrary to Jewish belief and that he is encouraging insubordination to Roman authority. The latter is seen in the remaining accusations, all of which are false. Jesus never forbade paying taxes to Caesar, nor did he ever claim that he was king in opposition to Caesar. Interestingly, “the Jews” specify that Jesus asserted that he is “Christ” the king, thus making

208   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Nonetheless, Pilate at this point seems unconcerned about the possibility of Jesus being the King of the Jews, for he reminds Jesus that it was not he who arrested him, but “your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me; what have you done?” Pilate found it incongruous that if Jesus were the King of the Jews, why would “the Jews” themselves, and particularly the chief priests, hand him over to the Roman governor? Such is inconsistent with the Jewish hatred of the Romans and of their being governed by them. Pilate, disconcerted and confused by this inexplicable abnormality, wants to know what Jesus did to cause such an oddity. Why would his own nation and chief priests adamantly demand his death? Jesus appears to pass over Pilate’s remarks, for he returns to the original question—that of his being a king. Jesus declares that his kingship is not of this world, and therefore he is not a threat to Caesar’s earthly empire. The proof of this is that if his kingdom were of this world, his followers would have fought against his being handed over to “the Jews.” Peter did take up arms, but that is because he did think that Jesus’ kingdom was of this world, though Jesus’ putting a halt to his violence is itself evidence against his worldly aspirations. Notably, Jesus refers to his being handed over not to the Romans but to “the Jews.” If it were not for the Jewish leaders’ hatred of him, he would have nothing to fear from the Romans—it is the chief priests, and not the Romans, who seek his demise. Here we perceive Jesus’ answer to Pilate’s question, “What have you done?” If Jesus were seeking to overthrow the Romans and establish a “Jewish” kingdom, the chief priests and Pharisees would doubtlessly have supported him, or at least have been sympathetic to his cause. But what Jesus has done is threaten the present Jewish status quo, that is, the present religious standing of the Jewish ruling class, the chief priests, and Pharisees, and because of this they seek to kill him. In order to do so, however, they must convince Pilate that he is a danger not to Judaism but to the Roman occupation. To this end, they will even claim that they have no king but Caesar, which is absolutely contrary to the Jewish psyche and religious conviction (see Jn 19:15). Better to claim Caesar as king than to have Jesus as king, for he is the greater menace to their perceived Jewish heritage (see Jn 11:50). him a Messianic king. In Luke’s Infancy Narrative, the angels inform the shepherds that “for you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:11). Being born of David’s lineage and in his city implies that Jesus is the promised kingly Messiah after the manner of David, and thus Christ the Lord. In Matthew’s Gospel, when the “wise men” come to Jerusalem to worship “the king of the Jews,” Herod inquired “where the Christ was to be born,” and he is told that he who will govern Israel will come from Bethlehem (Mt 2:2–6). Herod is cognizant that the foretold Messiah is to be the King of the Jews.

So, You Are a King   209 To Jesus’ assertion that his kingship is not of this world, Pilate rejoins, “So you are a king?” English translations consistently treat Pilate’s remark as a rhetorical question, eliciting a positive response. But I think it could also be taken as an affirmation. Though Jesus is not a king in the earthly sense, Pilate acknowledges that he is nonetheless a king. This would seem to be more in keeping with Jesus’ own response: “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” Jesus is first affirming Pilate’s recognition of his kingship. Then, Jesus asserts that he was born for this very purpose—to be a king. Moreover, it was for this reason that he came into the world, that is, to prophetically bear witness to the truth of his kingship. While Jesus’ statement demands further theological scrutiny, we first must compare what is transpiring here between Pilate and Jesus with the Synoptic accounts of Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin. Jesus remained silent when various witnesses gave false accusations against him. Because of his silence, the chief priest was forced to ask Jesus directly, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded, “You have said so.” Thus as Jesus confirms Pilate’s statement that he is a king, so he confirms what the chief priest says concerning his being the Christ, the Son of the living God.40 What Jesus continues to declare is of the utmost theological importance when read in the light of John’s narrative. “But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mt 26:63–64; see also Mk 14:61–62 and Lk 22:67–70). For Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God means that he will come to sit at the right hand of the all-powerful God, and he will come down on the heavenly clouds at the end of time. What Jesus is declaring is his heavenly kingship—he who sits enthroned 40. In Matthew’s account, Jesus’ response to the high priest’s question is portrayed, and so is translated, as Jesus confirming the high priest’s enquiry. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus’ response is similar, while in Mark’s, Jesus is more demonstrative: “I am” (ego eimi) (see Mt 26:63, Mk 14:61– 62, and Lk 22:70). Thus the Synoptic accounts corroborate my exegesis that in John’s Gospel, Jesus is confirming Pilate’s declaration that he is a king. Paul exhorts Timothy to hold fast to his confession of faith, and he reminds him of Jesus’ own witness. “In the presence of God who gives life to all things, of Christ Jesus who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; and this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed only Sovereign, King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (1 Tm 6:12–16).

210   Passion and Resurrection Narratives on the right hand of his heavenly Father.41 The Johannine account of Pilate’s and Jesus’ dialogue concerning Jesus’ kingship replicates what transpired between Jesus and the Sanhedrin pertaining to Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the living God. In so doing, the Evangelist has provided a theological interpretation of what it means for Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. It means that he is a king, one that is not of this world, but one that is heavenly. Moreover, unlike the Synoptic accounts, the Evangelist perceives that in Jesus confirming Pilate’s declaration that he is a king, he is claiming that he is not only the King of the Jews, as Pilate deems, but also, because he is the King of the Jews, he is also the king of the Gentiles, including the imperial Romans and their seemingly indestructible empire. As the Messianic incarnate Son of the Father, the Jewish Jesus will obtain salvation for all, for his kingship transcends, and so encompasses, all nations, peoples, and tongues.42 We must now return to Jesus’ declaration: “For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” To be “born” and to “come into the world” could be interpreted simply as a twofold emphasis concerning the Incarnation. Jesus, the Father’s Son, was conceived and born as man, and so he came into the world as man. The goal of the Incarnation is therefore that of Jesus becoming king. Although such an understanding is accurate, I think Jesus is alluding to a truth that resides not only within the Incarnation but also within the eternal Trinity itself. In the love of the Holy Spirit, the Father eternally begot, gave birth to, his Son, and within that loving begetting, the Father eternally willed that his Son, through the Incarnation, be king of heaven and earth—that he would reign supreme forever. From within his being eternally begotten, from 41. That Jesus speaks of his coming on the clouds of heaven suggests Daniel’s vision. In this vision, Daniel beholds “with the clouds of heaven there came one like the son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days [the eternal Lord] and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, and all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dn 7:13–14). 42. Because Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world, he is not a threat to the Roman empire. Nonetheless, in the Book of Revelation, Rome is seen as the great whore of Babylon, who resides on “seven hills” and who embodies all that is sinful. Rome, the debauched Babylon, wars against “the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful” (Rv 17:9–14). Although Jesus is not an earthly king, he is the eschatological King and Lord of all nations and peoples, for all earthly rulers will have passed away. He alone will reign supreme. The Letter to the Hebrews professes that God created everything through his Son and that “when he made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to the angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs” (Heb 1:1–4; see also 10:12–14).

So, You Are a King   211 within his being eternally “born” of the Father’s love, the Son was eternally designated by the Father to be king. Having been eternally begotten to be king, the Son came into the world as man so that, through his saving death, he could merit, in his resurrection, his everlasting kingship. For all of “this,” Jesus now stands before Pilate so as to bear witness to the truth of his kingship, a truth that will be heard by all those who are of the truth. This truth is that Jesus will, on the cross, conquer sin, and in his resurrection, he will vanquish death. In so doing, Jesus the king will establish David’s everlasting kingdom of goodness and life, a kingdom that darkness cannot overcome.43 It must be remembered that, although Jesus will definitively become king through his death and resurrection, he will not possess the fullness of his kingship until he returns in glory at the end of time. Then, Jesus will have become fully Jesus, YHWH-Saves, and so become fully the triumphant king, for all the risen faithful will fully reign with him within the new heaven and new earth.44 In response to Jesus’ declaring that he has come to bear witness to the 43. Such an above understanding would be in keeping with what we found in Jesus’ Last Supper discourse. There, Jesus said that “all that the Father has is mine,” and when the Spirit of truth comes, “he will take what is mine and declare it to you [his disciples]” (Jn 16:15). In examining this passage I argued that although it may seem that the “all” that the Father has given to Jesus is the fullness of his divinity, this truth has already been revealed, so there would be no need for the Spirit to declare such a truth later to the disciples. What the Father in this instance possesses and which he has given to Jesus, his incarnate Son, is supreme authority, supreme kingship, over all of creation. Thus the Father, in begetting his Son, gives to his Son primacy over all that he creates through his Son and all that he will presently re-create through his incarnate Son. Upon Jesus’ glorious resurrection, the Spirit of truth will declare such preeminence—that the Son of God was eternally born of the Father and came into the world as man so that he might be the supreme king of heaven and earth. Primacy belongs to Jesus, the king, both in the order of creation and redemption. This is the “all” that the Father has given to his Son from all eternity and will now give to his incarnate Son, Jesus, in everlasting time. Thus the kingship of Jesus resides within the eternal life of the Trinity itself—what the Father eternally willed, what the incarnate Son merited in time, and what the Spirit of truth will declare for all ages. Such a theological interpretation is also in accord with John’s Prologue. The eternal divine Word is the primordial life-giving light through whom the Father created all that is, and thus he reigns over creation as the one through whom, in whom, and for whom all creation comes to be and exists. As the Incarnate Word, he will reign over the new creation as the one through whom, in whom, and for whom all is made new. For a fuller articulation of this theological notion, see JBJ 2:13–17. Such an understanding is also found in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. There, Paul speaks of the revelation of the mystery of the Father’s eternal will, “a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him [the Lord Jesus Christ], things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph 1:10). 44. While everything will be put into subjection under Jesus’ feet, “as it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower

212   Passion and Resurrection Narratives truth, and that those who are of the truth will hear his voice, Pilate remarks, “What is the truth?” Such a retort is often interpreted as an expression of Pilate’s cynicism. Within the political environment in which Pilate lives, truth gives way to political expediency. Such pragmatism, as we will see, will win out with regard to Jesus’ crucifixion. Given what Pilate will next tell “the Jews,” however, there may be a note of sadness within Pilate’s cynicism. Yes, truth may have little sway when confronted by the warring demands of various constituencies, and while it may provoke a cynical mind, it also makes for a sad heart. Thus the truth-speaking Pilate left Jesus in the praetorium and “went out to the Jews again,” and told them, “I find no crime in him.” The politically expedient Pilate immediately sought a compromise, however. “But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?”45 Although Pilate, the Roman governor, finds no crime in Jesus, he refuses to release him. Rather, he places the authority to release Jesus upon those who wish to condemn him— “the Jews.” “The Jews” have a custom that Pilate is to release a man on the Passover. Would it be their will that he releases to them the King of the Jews? Pilate would be happy to do so, but if it is not their will, then what may ensue is their responsibility and not his own. Noteworthy here, and it will intensify as the “trial” progresses and concludes with Jesus’ crucifixion, Pilate now owns “the truth” that Jesus is the King of the Jews. “The Jews” presently reject, and will continue to do so, Jesus as their king. It is not their will that Pilate release Jesus, for they “cry out again, ‘Not this man, but Barabbas!’ ” The Evangelist adds an aside: “Now Barabbas was a robber.”46 The unbelieving Jews are not of the truth, and so they do not hear Jesus’ testimony that he is their king.47 than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Heb 2:8–9; see also Eph 1:20–23). 45. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark note that Pilate “knew that it was out of envy that they [the Jewish leaders] had delivered him up” (Mt 27:18; see also Mk 15:10). 46. Matthew speaks of Barabbas being “a notorious prisoner” (Mt 27:16), and Mark says that “among the rebels in prison, who committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas” (Mk 15:7; see also Lk 23:18–19). When Peter healed the lame man in the Acts of the Apostles, many people came to Peter and John. Peter tells them that it was not by his power that the man was healed, but by the risen Jesus. Then, he reminds them that they delivered Jesus up “and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you and killed the Author of life, who God raised from the dead” (Acts 3:11–15). 47. Earlier, Jesus told the believing Jews that “ ‘if you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘we are descendants of Abraham, and never have been in bondage to anyone. How is it that you

So, You Are a King   213 To them, he is just a “man.” On this Passover, it is for Barabbas’s release, and not Jesus’, for which they cry out. On this Passover, however, in refusing to accept Jesus as their king and rejecting his release, “the Jews” are “sentencing” Jesus to be their Passover lamb of sacrifice, the sacrifice wherein he will become their risen king. What they most want to prevent, they make possible. At this juncture, chapter 18 of John’s Gospel ends. Jesus’ trial before Pilate nonetheless continues. Because the narrative seamlessly carries on, I will only make four brief concluding comments. First, Jesus enters the darkened garden, a garden that suggests the sinmarred and death-decayed garden of Eden. Moreover, in a garden he will be buried in a darkened tomb, but from that tomb he will gloriously rise as the new gardener of the new paradise, for in his resurrection he will himself embody the new creation. He will, in himself, be the gardener and the garden of the new heaven and new earth. He will baptize in the Spirit all those who believe in him, so that they will become born anew into eternal life. As John’s narrative progresses to its conclusion, all that is here anticipated will come to be. Second, when Jesus of Nazareth identifies himself as “I am he,” he is revealing that he is the divine incarnate life-giving light of the world—he who will save it from the darkness of sin and death. When Jesus is lifted up upon the cross and into his resurrection, then all will see that he is He Who Is, and all will be drawn to him in faith. Third, by affirming before Pilate that his kingship is not of this world, Jesus is acknowledging that it was for this kingship that he became man, and that on this very Passover, through his sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection, he will inaugurate his kingdom of life. The risen Jesus will be king, say, “You will be made free?” ’ ” (Jn 8:31–33). That “the Jews” were never in bondage to anyone is simply not true. Their history is a story of either being threatened by their enemies or being under the captivity of the enemies, the Babylonian exile being a prime example. Even more so, they are now under the yoke of Rome. Such oppression is why they so longed for their Messiah, thinking that he would set them free from their oppressors. The truth that “the Jews” do not know is that Jesus is their king who will free them not from earthly rulers but from sin and death, the primordial bondage of darkness that covers the whole earth. As Jesus informs “the Jews,” “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (Jn 8:34). The irony is that in rejecting Jesus their king, “the Jews” will claim that they have no king but Caesar; thus they not only keep themselves subject to Rome, but they also keep themselves enslaved to sin and death. If they possessed the faith of their father Abraham, they would truly be set free, for they, by believing in Jesus, would abide in a kingdom not of this world. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn 8:36).

214   Passion and Resurrection Narratives and he will himself embody that kingdom, for to abide in him, the king, is to abide in the heavenly kingdom that he is. Fourth, although it may not be obvious at first sight, within Jesus’ trial before Pilate, John’s Gospel has woven together the truths that Jesus is priest, prophet, and king. Jesus will establish his kingship through the priestly offering of himself to his Father for the salvation of the world, and his Father will ratify that kingship by raising him gloriously from the dead. To this truth the prophet Jesus, the Word incarnate, is bearing witness. “Everyone who is of the truth” will hear Jesus’ voice. In all of these concluding remarks, we perceive the manner in which Jesus is and will enact his name—YHWH-Saves. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus will become the kingly gardener of a life-giving paradise, a garden in which he will reign forever. Thus Jesus, as He Who Is, will definitively be YHWH-Saves. For this gardener kingship, the Father, in the Spirit of love, eternally begot his Son, and for this the Father sent him into the world as humankind’s Spirit-anointed Savior and supreme Lord—he who, in truth, deserves all praise, honor, and glory.

It Is Finished

7 • I t I s F in is hed

Introduction: Hail King of the Jews Chapter 18 of John’s Gospel ended with Pilate declaring that he found no crime in Jesus. Nonetheless, he offered to “the Jews” the Passover custom of his releasing someone to them, and if it was their will, he would free Jesus, the King of the Jews. In response to Pilate’s proposition, “the Jews” cried out that they did not want Pilate to release “this man, but Barabbas,” the robber (see Jn 18:38–40). This verdict was their will. Whereupon the Evangelist informs the reader that Pilate then “took Jesus and scourged him.”1 Pilate’s scourging of Jesus could be interpreted in two ways. Scourging of a criminal prior to crucifixion was a common Roman practice. Such a practice was cruel in itself, but it did so weaken the person that death on the cross would be “mercifully” hastened. Pilate may have thought that Jesus’ crucifixion was inevitable, so he figured that it was best to begin the gruesome ordeal. Accompanying this rationale, however, may have also been his thought that the scourging might placate “the Jews,” and in so doing, he could then release Jesus. If he was partially motivated by the latter, it would fail, for “the Jews” would tolerate no half measures. At the conclusion of the scourging, “the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; they came up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and struck him with their hands.” There is obvious irony in the soldiers’ actions. Jesus is the King of the Jews. The wearing of the royal purple robe signifies this very reality. What cannot go unnoticed 1. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 19:1–3 unless otherwise noted. Within Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is mocked and struck both at the house of the high priest, and before Herod, he is mocked and arrayed in “gorgeous apparel” (see Lk 22:63–65 and 23:10–11). Luke, like John, also has Pilate wanting to release Jesus after having him chastised (see Lk 23:22). The Gospels of Matthew and Mark have the mocking and scourging of Jesus after the completion of the trial before Pilate (see Mt 27:27–31 and Mk 15:16–20).

215

216   Passion and Resurrection Narratives is that Jesus is attired in regal purple precisely because he wears not a crown of gold, but a crown of thorns. It is through his suffering, through his sacrificial death on the cross, that Jesus merits his kingly crown. The bloody crown of thorns is not incongruous with the donning of the purple robe but proves his right, his entitlement, to wear it. Within their satirical actions and mocking words, the soldiers have depicted a living tableau of truth—the thorn-crowned and fist-beaten Jesus is the robed-in-purple King of the Jews. Moreover, in so doing, they have also manifested Jesus becoming Jesus, for only through his suffering and death does Jesus become YHWH-Saves, and so the Jewish king who saves the world.

Behold the Man Having had Jesus scourged, “Pilate went out again [from the praetorium], and said to them [“the Jews”], ‘See, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no crime in him.’ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Behold the man!’ ”2 What is the causal connection between bringing Jesus out and Pilate not finding any guilt in him? Since scourging was a prelude to crucifixion, it would normally follow that the convicted criminal would immediately be taken from the place of scourging to the place of execution. It would seem that by bringing Jesus out, Pilate is demonstrating that he has not rendered a guilty verdict against him such that crucifixion would be justified, and so he has not sent him on to the place of execution. Thus Pilate continues to hope that he can set Jesus free. Jesus, then, is brought out wearing the crown of thorns and dressed in the purple robe. The living icon of the King of the Jews is manifested to “the Jews” who want Jesus crucified. Pilate makes this dramatically apparent—“Behold the man!” What they visibly see is a scourged man crowned with thorns wearing a farcical regal robe. What “the Jews” are actually beholding, however, is again the true image of their king, a thorn-crowned king who in his suffering will set them free from sin and death. Again, irony is not absent. Pilate wishes to set free the King of the Jews, but if he succeeds, Jesus would not become the King of the Jews. “The Jews,” who reject Jesus as their king, want him crucified, but in that crucifixion, Jesus will become their King. Actually, in crucifying Jesus, “the Jews” will crown him as their king.3 2. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 19:4–11 unless otherwise noted. 3. I believe that the Evangelist, in writing the above account, is hoping that his own present

It Is Finished   217 Nonetheless, “when the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, ‘Crucify him, crucify him!’ ” In angry frustration, Pilate declares: “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him.” Thus, while only a Roman authority can authorize an execution, and in this case crucifixion, Pilate refuses to condemn Jesus and so order his execution. Rather, if the chief priests and officers want Jesus crucified, they will have to do it themselves. Pilate absents himself from the whole ugly affair.4 In order to justify themselves, the Jewish leaders respond, “We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God.” The law that “the Jews” have, which we have seen previously, is against blaspheming God. Moses is to tell the people of Israel: “He who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him; Jewish brethren will perceive the irony within their own former chief priests’ and officers’ words and actions. That Jesus, upon his death and resurrection, is now proclaimed the King of the Jews is of their own doing. They too need to make such a profession of faith. 4. Three points need to be noted in the above. First, the Evangelist’s portrayal of Pilate, in his exempting himself from all responsibility concerning Jesus’ death, is in accord with Matthew’s narrative. So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children.” (Mt 27:24–25) There is obviously irony here as well. In calling down Jesus’ blood upon themselves, “the Jews” are not only claiming responsibility for his death, but they are also calling down Jesus’ blood upon themselves so as to cleanse them of their sin, even their sin of putting Jesus to death. Second, having said the above, John’s Gospel accentuates that it is “the chief priests and the officers” who cried out for Jesus’ crucifixion and not the entire Jewish crowd, and so responsibility for Jesus’ death falls upon them alone. This is also in accord with Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts. It was the chief priests and elders who stirred up the crowds to have Pilate release Barabbas and crucify Jesus (see Mt 27:20–21 and Mk 15:11). Third, in John’s account, Pilate states three times, “I find no crime in him” (Jn 18:38, 19:4, and 19:6). Normally, one does not speak of finding a “crime in” a man, but that one does not find that a man “has committed a crime.” A “crime” is not something in a man, but an act that a man commits. I wonder whether Pilate, in speaking in this manner, unbeknownst to him but not to John, is declaring the truth that sin does not abide in Jesus. He, as the Father’s incarnate Son, is holy as his divine Father is holy, thus rendering him incapable of committing a crime. Whatever Jesus does, as has become evident throughout the Gospel, is done in accordance with his Father’s holy will, for upon Jesus the Father has set his seal of the Holy Spirit. Not surprisingly, since Luke’s Gospel often mirrors John’s, Pilate declares in Luke: “I find no crime in this man” (Lk 23:4; see also Lk 23:14–15 and 23:22). Moreover, the “good thief” states that Jesus “has done nothing wrong” (Lk 23:41), and the centurion who witnessed Jesus’ death declares: “Certainly this man was innocent!” (Lk 23:47).

218   Passion and Resurrection Narratives the sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall he be put to death” (Lv 24:16). Previously, “the Jews” attempted to stone Jesus because he appropriated to himself the very divine name YHWH, He Who Is (see Jn 8:58–59 and Jn 10:33). Earlier, “the Jews” sought to kill Jesus not only because he broke the Sabbath by healing the paralytic, but also because he “called God his Father, making himself equal with God” (Jn 5:18). Thus, in appropriating God’s divine name as well as calling God his Father, Jesus must be condemned for “making” himself equal to God.5 Irony again raises its head. It is not Jesus who “made” himself the Son of God, but the Father who “made” him equally divine in begetting him as his only begotten Son (see Jn 1:18). Upon hearing that Jesus claimed to be “the Son of God,” “Pilate was the more afraid; he entered the praetorium again and said to Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave no answer.” Thus far, we have witnessed Pilate’s impatience with and anger toward the Jewish leaders. This is the first mention of his being afraid. The fear arises because Pilate is startled by the claim that Jesus may not simply be a man, but someone who is somehow divine. Such fear may arise from Pilate’s pagan religious upbringing and environment—pagan gods did have “divine” children. Yet I think Pilate’s fearful reaction stems from some deeper theological trepidation. Pilate is already convinced that Jesus is the King of the Jews and that such kingship is not of this world. Moreover, although he may not fully understand or appreciate it, he knows that Jews believe in one God, a God that transcendently exceeds the “divinity” of his own anthropomorphic gods. Pilate is now confronted with the possibility that the man standing before him is of divine origin. So, given that his kingdom is not of the world, Jesus himself may not be of this world, but then, where might he be from? Thus we grasp the significance of Pilate’s hurried return, along with Jesus, to the praetorium and his blunt, but not so unconventional, question: “Where are you from?” The reader, of course, knows that this is the question that has pervaded John’s entire Gospel narrative. The question was first raised by the Baptist’s two disciples who followed Jesus. Jesus turned to them and asked, “What do you seek?” They in turn ask, “Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying?” Jesus invites them “to come and see.” They came with Jesus, and they not only saw where he was staying, but they also actually stayed with him (Jn 1:37–39). In finding out 5. In the Synoptic Gospels, at the conclusion of the trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus is condemned for blasphemy because he claimed to be the Christ, the Son of the living God (see Mt 26:63–66, Mk 14:61–64, and Lk 22:70:71).

It Is Finished   219 where Jesus is staying and staying with him, the disciples came to know where Jesus is from, where he truly abides—as the Son of God, he is from the Father and so abides with the Father. Jesus informs Nicodemus that he comes from above, from heaven, and that he bears witness to what he has seen and heard (see Jn 3:31–33). The disbelieving Jews are convinced that they know where Jesus is from. In response to Jesus’ declaration that he is the bread of life that has come down from heaven, the murmuring Jews retort, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’ ” (Jn 6:41–42). The thought that Jesus may be the Christ cannot be true, for “we know where he comes from; and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” In response, Jesus rhetorically asks, “You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me” (Jn 7:26–29). Later, some think Jesus may indeed be the Christ, but others insist, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” (Jn 7:40–42). When Nicodemus attempts to defend Jesus, the chief priests and Pharisees rebuff his effort. “Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee” (Jn 7:50–51). Moreover, “the Jews” accuse Jesus of bearing witness to himself. Jesus responds by telling them that he knows where he is from and where he is going. Jesus reminds them that his Father bears witness to him, the Father who sent him. “The Jews” ask, “Where is your Father?” Jesus responds that if they knew him, they would know the Father as well (Jn 8:13–19). Shortly thereafter, Jesus tells “the Jews” that he is from above and not of this world, to which they ask, “Who are you?” In response, Jesus states that when he is lifted up, they will know that “I am he [ego eimi]” (Jn 8:23–29). Jesus also reminds “the Jews” that if God was their Father, they would love him, “for I proceeded from and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me” (Jn 8:42). After Jesus healed the man born blind, “the Jews” revile him: “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from” (Jn 9:28–29). In his Last Supper address, Jesus tells his disciples, “I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (Jn 16:27; see also 17:25). Thus we see that the question of where Jesus comes from has permeated the whole of John’s Gospel, particularly within Jesus’ contentious dialogues

220   Passion and Resurrection Narratives with the Jewish leaders. The irony has become almost overwhelming. “The Jews” are convinced that they know where Jesus is from, but they do not know, even though they themselves claim that when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from. Jesus, the son of Joseph, who hails from Nazareth in Galilee but was born in the Davidic city of Bethlehem, is from the Father as his only begotten Son, and it is the Father who sent him into the world as his Spirit-anointed incarnate Son. This being the case, it is no wonder that Jesus remained silent when Pilate asked, “Where are you from?” It is all quite complicated! Nonetheless, Pilate’s question, like the queries about where Jesus is from, bears upon the great mystery of the Incarnation. To answer correctly the question as to where Jesus is from is to articulate this incarnational mystery and in so doing to articulate the mystery of the Trinity itself.6 Now, is Jesus’ silence before Pilate significant, despite my above attempt at humor? In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus also remained silent before the Sanhedrin when false charges were leveled against him. As we have already seen, Jesus only spoke when the high priest demanded that he tell them whether he is the Christ, the Son of God. In responding “you have said so,” the Sanhedrin condemned him of blasphemy (see Mt 26:62–66 and Mk 14:61–64). So, we have a dual “silence,” one in John and one in Matthew and Mark, both of which pertain to the issue of whether Jesus is the Son of God. When addressing Jesus’ silence in my first volume of Jesus Becoming Jesus, I noted that his silence fulfills the prophetic word—“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to 6. Of course, once again, this is the whole point of John’s Gospel—“that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name,” i.e., believe in the name of Jesus—YHWH-Saves (Jn 20:31). Moreover, within the Prologue itself, the Evangelist already answered this question. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . [the Word] “was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world . . . knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we beheld his glory, glory of the only begotten Son from the Father” (Jn 1:1–14). The Johannine quest of where Jesus is from finds its parallel within the Synoptic Gospels, where the issue is finding the identity of Jesus’ father. In Matthew’s Gospel, the people are astonished at Jesus’ teaching. “ ‘Where did this man get this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us?’ And they took offense at him’ (Mt 13:54–57; see also Mk 6:1–6 and Lk 4:16–30). Luke, tellingly, begins his genealogy by stating, “Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph” (Lk 3:23).

It Is Finished   221 the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb” (Is 53:7). Similarly, “He will not cry or lift his voice, or make it heard in the street” (Is 42:2). Both passages are from the Suffering Servant Songs (see Is 42:1–4, 50:4–7, and 52:12–53:12). Jesus, as God’s servant, is the true lamb of sacrifice. As the Passover lamb of sacrifice, he will suffer on behalf of all for the forgiveness of sins and for the making of the new and everlasting covenant. Thus, in his silence, Jesus, as the Christ, the Son of the living God, is signaling that he is the Suffering-Servant-Son.7 Such a theological interpretation is in accord with John’s Gospel as well. John the Baptist, at the very onset of Jesus’ ministry, declares: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29). The Baptist also testified, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.” The one who sent John told him, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” Thus he declares: “I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God” (Jn 1:33–34). In John’s Gospel, as in Matthew’s and Mark’s, God’s Lamb and God’s Son are one. For Jesus to be the Son of God is for him to be the Father’s Lamb of sacrifice.8 Jesus, the incarnate Spirit-anointed Son of God, now stands before Pilate, on the feast of Passover itself, as the Father’s silent Lamb awaiting to offer himself as the unblemished and all-holy sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. In so doing, he will become the risen King of the Jews, who will baptize with the Holy Spirit all who believe in him. Because of Jesus’ silence as to whether he is the Son of God, Pilate remarks, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Pilate’s first question suggests that he thinks Jesus, in his silence, is being obstinately stubborn. It also implies that Pilate wants to help Jesus, if Jesus would only cooperate. Within this frame of mind, Pilate reminds Jesus that he possesses the power to free him, that he does wish to do so, and he has the power to crucify him, which he does not want to do, though he may be forced to, since he is running out of options. In response to Pilate, Jesus states, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore, he who delivered me to you has the greater sin.” Jesus reminds Pilate that although he may think that his 7. See JBJ 1:334–35. 8. It is this unity that Peter finds objectionable. When Jesus informs his Apostles that for him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God means that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die at the hands of elders, chief priests, and scribes, Peter rebukes him—“God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (Mt 16:21–22; see also Mk 8:31–32). Since Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, it would be incongruous for him to suffer and be condemned to death.

222   Passion and Resurrection Narratives authority derives from Rome, whatever power he may possess comes not from an earthly source but from one that transcends even the emperor, that is, from God. Unlike Pilate, John the Baptist was well aware of this truth. When some of his disciples expressed concern that all the people were going to Jesus, he remarked, “No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven” (Jn 3:26–27). Thus John must decrease, his God-appointed task having been completed, but Jesus must increase, for his Spirit-anointed task is yet to be completed. Moreover, although Pilate declares that he has power to release or to crucify Jesus, Jesus earlier declared: For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again; this charge I have received from my Father. (Jn 10:17–18)

As we have noted on other occasions, although it may appear that the arrested Jesus and now the prosecuted Jesus is hostage to the earthly powers that be, both Jewish and Roman, he is the principal directing actor. His Father has given to him, and not to Pilate or the chief priests, all authority and power. The Father loves him because he will freely lay down his life for the salvation of the world.9 No one will take his life from him, but he lays it down of his own accord. Moreover, he possesses the power to take up his life again. This power to freely give up his life and to freely take up his life is the charge that the Father himself has given to Jesus. Pilate and the Jewish leaders are but facilitating what Jesus himself has willed—that is, the accomplishing of his Father’s will—and for this his Father loves him. Moreover, while he believes Jesus to be the King of the Jews, Pilate forgets that Jesus’ kingship is not of this world and thus that Jesus, the Son of God, will only achieve his heavenly kingship by becoming the Suffering-Servant-Messiah. Only in his death is sin forgiven, and only in his resurrection is death destroyed, and only then will Jesus, the King of the Jews, reign over the new creation.10 Because Pilate’s authority has been given to him from above, the one who 9. Immediately prior to the above quotation, Jesus declares that he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, and those sheep include not only his Jewish brethren, but also those “that are not of this fold,” i.e., the Gentiles, which would include the unwitting Pilate. In so doing, there will be one flock and one shepherd, and for this accomplishment his Father loves him (Jn 10:14–16). 10. Earlier, Jesus told his disciples that he has only a little more time to speak to them, “for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded, so that the world may know that I love the Father” (Jn 14:31). Satan may be orchestrating

It Is Finished   223 delivered Jesus to Pilate has the greater sin. Pilate will unjustly hand Jesus over to “the Jews” and so sin, but the greater sin redounds upon the one who handed Jesus over to Pilate. Pilate would not have sinned in his unjust actions if he was not led to do so by the one who first handed Jesus over to him. Who is this “one”? Doubtlessly, it is Judas, since he first betrays Jesus by leading the arresting party to him. Although Judas does commit the greater sin, the Jewish leaders are one with him, for they have been seeking to arrest and kill Jesus from the moment he broke the Sabbath and called God his Father, thus making himself, as the Father’s Son, equal to God (see Jn 5:18). Upon the completion of Jesus’ response to Pilate, the Evangelist does not explicitly inform the reader that Pilate left the praetorium, leaving Jesus behind, but that is implied in what he next narrates.

Here Is Your King “Upon this Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend; everyone who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar.’ ”11 This is Pilate’s third and final attempt at releasing Jesus. Since it immediately follows upon what Jesus said, it would seem that Pilate not only finds no crime in Jesus, but also that he is also making one last concerted effort to avoid the “lesser” sin of which Jesus just spoke. He grasped, in conscience, the truth of Jesus’ convicting words. But “the Jews” knew Pilate’s political venerability, and so they now attack not Jesus but Pilate himself. They realized that they could not obtain a conviction for a crime for which Jesus could be found guilty. But they could intimidate Pilate by insinuating that, in his wanting to release Jesus, he was disloyal to the empire, even false to Caesar himself. Such rumors, fallacious as they may be, could ring true in the chatty streets and gossipy palaces of Rome. It would be foolish for a Roman governor to risk his position, even more so his entire political career, over the release of a religious fanatic who was making himself the King of the Jews, a king who is directly defying the supreme authority of the emperor himself. The Evangelist’s narrative now comes to its climax.

Jesus’ death, but he has no ultimate power over Jesus, for Jesus will overthrow the power of Satan through his death and resurrection. Jesus has overcome the world (see Jn 16:11 and 16:33). 11. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 19:12–16 unless otherwise noted.

224   Passion and Resurrection Narratives When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

Undoubtedly, Pilate grasped the full import and implications of the attempted intimidation by “the Jews.” That he makes one last desperate attempt to release Jesus seems to indicate that their intimidating political tactics were ineffectual. Pilate will hand Jesus over not because he fears Rome, but because “the Jews” will tolerate nothing less than Jesus’ crucifixion. In the end, Pilate will lose control of the situation.12 So, upon hearing the words that if he releases Jesus he will be no friend of Caesar, “Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gabbatha.”13 Pilate had been shuttling back and forth between Jesus in the praetorium and “the Jews” outside. Now all the protagonists are visible to one another, and this gathering of the judge, the accusers, and the accused brings the trial to its conclusion. Having brought Jesus out, “someone” sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Pavement or Gabbatha. The grammatical issue, and thus the translation difficulty, is who is it who sits on the judgment seat—Pilate or Jesus? Since Pilate, as the Roman governor, is officiating at a trial, one would assume that he sat down on the judgment seat, for he is about to render a legal judgment concerning Jesus’ fate. The Greek text is ambiguous, however, and so the translation in the Revised Standard Version, which I am using, maintains the ambiguity, as does the New Revised Standard Version, and so these translations do not specifically identify who it is who sat down on the judgment seat. The Revised English Bible states that when Pilate brought out Jesus, he “took his seat on the tribunal.” The New American Bible, revised edition, has Pilate set Jesus upon the judgment seat. The Jerusalem Bible has Pilate seating himself on the judgment seat, while the New Jerusalem Bible has Pilate sitting Jesus on the chair of judgment. Nonetheless, most translations note that whatever their particu12. Matthew’s Gospel more explicitly speaks of the mayhem. “Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning,” and within this chaos, he washes his hands of the whole affair and delivers Jesus over to the Jews (Mt 27:24–26). 13. Scripture scholars note that “Gabbatha” is Aramaic rather than Hebrew, which probably denotes an elevated stone platform.

It Is Finished   225 lar translation is, whether it be that Pilate sits on the judgment seat or that Pilate sits Jesus on the judgment seat, the alternative translation is possible. What conclusion are we to draw from the grammatical ambiguity and the various translations resulting from it? I am confident that the Evangelist purposely wrote the sentence in an ambiguous manner. The reason he did so is that, historically, Pilate, as the Roman governor, did sit on the seat of judgment, but the Evangelist, within his grammatical ambiguity, is alerting the reader that it is Jesus who is in authority, and it is Jesus who is making the ultimate judgment. What is Jesus’ judgment? The reader already knows. Jesus told his disciples that after he leaves, he will send the Councilor, the Spirit of truth, and he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment; of sin because they did not believe in me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged, (Jn 16:7–11; see also 12:31)14

What is enacted on the pavement, Gabbatha, may be the most Johannine irony of ironies. Pilate, upon his seat of judgment, is about to release Jesus to the Jewish authorities, who will in turn crucify him. This is what is beheld. But in this very judgment, in his being crucified, Jesus will convict the world of sin, because it refuses to believe that he is the Father’s Spirit-anointed incarnate Son. The anointed crucified Jesus will also convict the world of righteousness, for although he is condemned for blaspheming, making himself equal to God, he is going, by being raised gloriously from the dead by his very own Father, to his all-holy Father. The anointed crucified Jesus will convict the world of judgment, for on the cross he will cast out the ruler of this world and all those who are in league with him—including the corrupt Roman Empire and the disbelieving Jewish leaders. Within the entirety of his judgment, Jesus, the Father’s incarnate Son, will become the King of the Jews. The fact that Jesus is not sitting on Pilate’s seat of judgment accentuates that his judgment is not an earthly judgment founded upon earthly power, for his kingship is not of the world, and thus his kingly judgment is not founded upon earthly authority. Rather, his judgment is of divine authority, and to its divine origin, the Holy Spirit, upon his coming, will convict the depraved world, for the world has 14. Jesus’ words here are also in keeping what was stated earlier. Although God has sent his Son into the world not to condemn it but to save it, those who do not believe “in the name of the only Son of God” are already condemned, for they have loved darkness more than light (Jn 3:17–19). Moreover, the Father has given all judgment to his Son (see Jn 5:22 and 5:30).

226   Passion and Resurrection Narratives judged wrongly in convicting Jesus of being the Son of God and the King of the Jews. Thus what is presently enacted at Gabbatha is prophetic, for it will only be fully enacted in reality at Golgotha, for the cross, and not some mere imperial chair, will be Jesus’ judgment seat, and upon it he will judge the world guilty of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.15 The above theological interpretation is enhanced by John’s immediate aside. “Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour.”16 The Jewish Passover meal was celebrated after sunset, so preparations were made during the course of the day. That John notes that what is presently taking place was at “about the sixth hour” (i.e., noon) specifies that it was at this time that the priests began to slaughter the Passover lambs in the Temple. Moreover, it was also at this time that Jews remove all yeast from their houses, for only unleavened bread was eaten at the Passover meal. For the Evangelist, it is at this very hour that Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, is condemned to be slaughtered. He, as the new great High Priest, will offer himself as the perfect unblemished lamb of sacrifice, a sacrifice that will establish the new and everlasting covenant. Moreover, Jesus himself will become the new unleavened Passover bread of life, for he will pass over from death to life and so become the living bread that comes down from heaven to give eternal life to all who eat his bread-given risen body and drink his wine-given risen blood. By becoming the new High Priest who offers the perfect Passover sacrifice of himself, and by becoming the life-giving bread, Jesus bears witness that he is the Father’s Spirit-filled incarnate Son. Moreover, in these acts he establishes himself as the King of the Jews, for he has obtained the forgiveness of sin, founded a kingdom of righteousness, and cast out the darkness of death through his life-giving light.17 15. The vocal similarity between Gabbatha and Golgotha is often pointed out. The Evangelist is playing on this phonetic similarity, for what was prophetically portrayed at Gabbatha is accomplished at Golgotha. 16. The Gospel of Mark narrates that Jesus was crucified at “the third hour,” which would be at nine o’clock in the morning, or simply sometime in the morning (Mk 15:42). John specifies that Jesus was handed over to the Jews at the sixth hour, which would be noon, and as we will see, he has done so to accentuate the time when the Passover lambs were slaughtered. 17. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul theologically develops this theme that Jesus is the new leaven of the new Passover. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor 5:6–8) .

It Is Finished   227 Having inserted his aside as to the time wherein this event was taking place, the Evangelist immediately continues his narrative. “He said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ They cried out, ‘Away with him, away with him, crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ ” John’s aside therefore breaks the narrative into two parts. The first establishes that Jesus, and not Pilate, is the one who, as the Son of God and King of the Jews, is rendering true judgment, both as to the sin of the world and as to his own righteousness, and he will do so by becoming the Passover Lamb of the new and everlasting covenant. The second part highlights Pilate’s own judgment, one that is in accord with who Jesus is and so corroborates Jesus’ own world-convicting judgment. “Behold your King!” Although Pilate’s judgment is true, “the Jews” cry out that Jesus must be taken away, cast out of their midst, and be crucified lest he be the bad leaven that renders impure the entire Jewish household. Pilate, in agonized desperation, cries out in turn, “Shall I crucify your King?” To Pilate’s final desolate plea, the “chief priests” and not the prior “Jews” answer, “We have no king but Caesar.” Pilate, the Roman governor, is convinced that “the Jews” do have a King, and he is Jesus. He has been begging them throughout, in the end perhaps almost in tears, to acknowledge this truth. The chief priests, however, profess the unthinkable. They have no king but Caesar. If such be true, then they have rejected not simply Jesus, the Father’s Son, but they have also rejected his Father, the Lord God, YHWH, as their king, the very God who pleaded with their ancestors not to have a king other than himself. Yet their ancestors desired a king, and so God declared to Samuel: “Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Sm 8:7). Like their ancestors, the chief priests have rejected Jesus, YHWH-Saves, as their king and instead have chosen Caesar, the very one whom they hate, for he is the one who has conquered and enslaved them. Of course, the chief priests do not really mean what they say, and Pilate knows their disingenuousness. They have declared their allegiance to Caesar for the sake of mere political expediency, to obtain their desired goal. In the end, the cynicism contained in the question, “What is truth?” is not found in Pilate, for he has proclaimed and defended the truth throughout the entire trial. He has never told a lie. The chief priests are the cynical political operatives who care little for what is true, for they hypocritically pledge their loyalty to Caesar in order to secure their partisan goal—the crucifixion of Jesus.

228   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Upon the Jewish cry that Jesus is to be taken away and crucified, and the chief priests’ declaration that Caesar is their only king, the Evangelist simply states, “Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.” The inevitable happened. Pilate handed Jesus over to “the Jews.” Significantly, Jesus was never found guilty. No crime was ever found in him. No condemnatory judgment was ever made. Jesus, the Son of God and the King of the Jews, was simply tendered to “the Jews,” and so his previous words to them are now fulfilled. Though Jesus told “the Jews” the truth that he is from God, they desire to kill him. They are therefore not true children of Abraham. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But, because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? He who is of God hears the words of God, the reason why you do not hear is that you are not of God. (Jn 8:39–47)

Not only did “the Jews” not hear and believe the words of Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God, but they also did not hear and believe Pilate, who persistently spoke the words of God—“Behold your King!” As will be seen, Pilate, as God’s Gentile prophet, will declare God’s word from the cross upon which hangs the King of the Jews.

The Johannine Trial before Pilate Here we must briefly pause to address an issue that I alluded to previously. Why does the Evangelist provide no account of Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin and yet narrate a more robust and detailed account of his trial before Pilate? As we saw, he does narrate a brief rendering of Jesus being interrogated by the high priest, Annas, though within the Synoptic Gospels, the gist of this meeting took place upon Jesus’ arrest (see Mt 26:55, Mk 14:49, and most fully in Lk 19:47 and 22:53). Mention is made of Annas sending Jesus to Caiaphas the high priest and of Caiaphas taking him to the praetorium, but what transpired between Jesus and Caiaphas is left unsaid. The chief purpose appears to be to accentuate that it was Caiaphas who prophesied that it was expedient that one man should die for the people (see Jn 18:13–14, 18:24, and 18:28). What is missing in John’s Gospel, in the absence of the trial before the Sanhedrin, is the bringing forth of false witnesses against Jesus, and the high priest demanding

It Is Finished   229 to know whether Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. In the light of his positive response, Jesus is condemned for uttering blasphemy (see Mt 26:59–66, Mk 14:55–64, and Lk 22:65–71). Although John’s Gospel does not give such an account, the salient point contained within the trial before the Sanhedrin does appear in John, that is, that Jesus is accused of making himself the Son of God. While the Sanhedrin condemns Jesus for this very reason, the chief priests and scribes, within the Synoptic accounts, never bring this condemnatory accusation before Pilate. Rather, the entire focus is on Jesus being the King of the Jews and, in so being, stirring up the people by saying they should not pay taxes to Caesar. Thus what the Evangelist appears to have done is conflate the most important result of the Sanhedrin trial—that is, Jesus’ condemnation for claiming to be the Son of God—and place it now within the context of Jesus also being accused of being the King of the Jews. For the Evangelist, both accusations are inherently intertwined. For Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God, is for him to be the King of the Jews, and if he is to be condemned, he must be condemned for both. For John, it must be absolutely clear who Jesus is and what he is being accused of being—he is the Father’s Son, and so he is the Father’s Spirit-anointed King of the Jews. For this reason, I think the Evangelist accentuates the trial before Pilate, for within this trial Jesus’ identity is most clearly manifested.18 Moreover, I think there is also a second theological reason for emphasizing the trial before Pilate, and that is Pilate himself. Pilate, as I have noted throughout the trial, bears testimony to who Jesus is as the King of the Jews. 18. Here the question of historicity once again arises. Is John’s Gospel or are the Synoptics more historically accurate? Undeniably, Jesus was tried before the Sanhedrin and before Pilate. John had to be aware of the Sanhedrin trial since he was present at the trial before Annas, who in turn sent Jesus to Caiaphas. As to Jesus’ trial before Pilate, John’s narrative, in some details, appears to be more historically accurate than that of the Synoptic accounts. The Synoptic accounts appear to embody, for the most part, the common kerygmatic tradition, while John’s account adds details that only an eyewitness would observe. For example, “the Jews” refuse to enter the praetorium in order to maintain their Passover purity. Thus Pilate is forced to go into the praetorium to interrogate Jesus and come out to speak with “the Jews.” These details ring historically true. John nonetheless does appear to bring into his account of the trial before Pilate summary details that took place within the trial before the Sanhedrin—specifically that Jesus is condemned for claiming to be the Christ, the Son of God. Thus while the setting may not be historically accurate, what transpired is historically accurate, even though John places it, for theological reasons, within the trial before Pilate. Moreover, Pilate’s persona, his defining personal characteristics, looms larger in John’s Gospel than in the Synoptics. This is witnessed in his continuous and adamant declaration that Jesus is the King of the Jews. This now leads me to my second theological point concerning the trial before Pilate.

230   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Pilate persistently wishes to release Jesus because he is the King of the Jews, and he continuously declares before “the Jews” that Jesus is their King. Now, what is so obvious that it can remain unobserved is that Pilate is a Gentile. It is a Gentile Roman governor who is testifying, in a court of Roman law, that Jesus, as the Messianic Son of God, is the King of the Jews. His testimony is the official record of what took place on that Passover morning in the city of Jerusalem. Now, why is this so important to John? It may be counterintuitive, but the Evangelist perceives Pilate, of all people, as the evangelist not simply of those Jews who were present when he first bore witness, but also to his present Jewish brethren and to those future Jews who continue to disbelieve in Jesus as the Father’s Messianic Son and their King. In a real sense, Pilate’s beseeching, agonizing voice is the distraught voice of the Evangelist himself. It is as if John is saying to his Jewish brothers and sisters, “If the Gentiles know who Jesus is as the Father’s Son, and have no problem with his being our King, then we, who are God’s chosen people, ought to have eyes to see what they see and believe what they believe.” Simultaneously, because of what historically transpired, the Evangelist is highlighting for his Jewish brethren that it is the Jewish demand that Jesus be crucified that testifies to Jesus being the Father’s Messianic incarnate Son, as does his subsequent crucifixion, which enthrones him as their King. While John and his Jewish brethren may be saddened by what their former chief priests did, now they can rejoice, for in God’s providence Jesus’ death has procured, as Caiaphas himself prophesied, the salvation of their race. As I have noted throughout our theological study of John’s Gospel, the Evangelist, while he wrote his Gospel for all to read, his particular audience is his beloved, unbelieving Jewish brothers and sisters.19 With the above in mind, we can now return to John’s narrative of Jesus’ crucifixion and death. 19. Scripture scholars date John’s Gospel toward the end of the first century. By this time, the number of Gentile Christians would be rapidly growing, while the Jewish rebuttal of Christianity would be intensifying. John, I am confident, would have been troubled by this estrangement between the Gentile Christians and his unbelieving Jewish brethren. Within this context, the Evangelist would want to demonstrate that the Jews have nothing to fear, for even though the Gentiles claim Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, “the Jews” must not forget that he is first and foremost their King, and only as their King is he the Savior of the world. Pilate, the Gentile, is the everlasting witness to this truth. My theological interpretation that Pilate bears witness to the truth of who Jesus is may be in accord with Paul’s understanding. Because of their lack of faith, he asks whether “the Jews” have fallen. He answers, “By no means! But through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean?”

It Is Finished   231

What I Have Written I Have Written The Jewish leaders, having declared that they have no king but Caesar, and Pilate having handed Jesus over to be crucified, the Evangelist continues, “So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of the skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.”20 The question that immediately arises is, Who is the “they” who took him? Is it the Jewish leaders or the Roman soldiers? Since “the Jews” have been vehemently demanding Jesus’ crucifixion, despite Pilate’s efforts to release him, the “they” would appear to designate the Jewish leaders, for it is into their hands that Pilate handed him over. Nonetheless, since Jesus is to be crucified, and only Romans are authorized to execute a criminal by crucifixion, the Roman soldiers must be included in the “they.” Thus it is a combined effort. Jesus, having been handed over to “the Jews,” in accordance with their will, will be nailed to the cross by Roman soldiers. “The Jews” and Gentiles are therefore guilty of Jesus’ death, for both have sinned, and it is for the sins of both that Jesus will now offer his innocent life to his Father so that both might be forgiven (see Jn 19:11). In accordance with the Evangelist’s theological narrative, attention must also be given to the active tense of both verbs. They (“the Jews” and soldiers) “took” Jesus, but Jesus “went out bearing his cross.” To the onlookers, it appears that the “they” are in charge of what is taking place—they are the acting (Rom 11:11–12; see also Rom 10 and the whole of Rom 11). The faith of the Gentiles, the faith that declares that Jesus is the King of the Jews, will make “the Jews” jealous that the Gentiles claim their King as their own. Such a situation is intolerable. Jesus is their King, and only in being their King is he the Savior of the Gentiles. Thus John, along with Paul, longs for their inclusion. Here I must say something about my portrayal of Pilate. Some readers may be surprised by my positive portrayal of Pilate. At first, I myself was surprised, for it was not my original intent. I presumed I would see him as a cynical Roman political operative who cared little about justice and truth. This is how he is normally portrayed. Expediency is the name of Pilate’s game. But it was Pilate’s cynically asking, “What is truth?” that changed my mind. As I previously described, Pilate, within his political environment, was cynical about the truth, for he saw all around him that truth was held to be of little account. Yet I became convinced that within Pilate’s cynical attitude there was sorrow in his voice, regret that truth is of no importance when confronted by political reality. That Pilate, immediately after “cynically” querying “truth,” declared “I find no crime in him” convinced me that Pilate was a man of truth. As I stated earlier, Pilate, with regards to Jesus, always spoke the truth. Within the entire trial he never lied, and when the Jewish leaders attempted to intimidate him by suggesting that he do what was politically expedient, he never flinched. Yes, in the end, he did release Jesus to “the Jews,” but that was the lesser sin, though nonetheless a grave sin, for he knows Jesus to be innocent. 20. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 19:17–22 unless otherwise noted. For a theological interpretation of the Synoptic accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion and death, see JBJ 1:357–400.

232   Passion and Resurrection Narratives agents, for they “took” Jesus. Yet for John, such is not the case. Jesus is the one who “went out,” and he did so “bearing his own cross.” Again, Jesus is the acting agent. He is himself making his way to the place of the skull, Golgotha, for upon the cross that he himself bears he will finish his Father’s work. Again, this is in accord with what Jesus declared earlier. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again; this charge I received from my Father. (Jn 10:17–18)21

The “they,” then, are merely providing Jesus the opportunity to fulfill the charge his Father has commissioned him to do.22 Thus Jesus, the King of the Jews, is bearing his kingly throne, which Pilate shortly makes evident with his declaration. From this cruciform throne at Golgotha, and not from the earthly seat at Gabbatha, Jesus will convict the world of sin, for his cross bears witness to the world’s sin as well as the world’s salvation from sin. On Golgotha, Jesus will convict the world of righteousness, for he will manifest his 21. Here four points can be noted: First, the Latin for the place of the skull is Calvaria, and thus Calvary, and Golgotha, like Gabbatha, is actually Aramaic. Second, there is an ancient Christian tradition that Calvary or Golgotha is the place where Adam died. For this reason, many depictions of the crucifixion place a skull (Adam’s) at the foot of Jesus’ cross. In some depictions, “Adam’s” skull appears to be smiling, for Adam knows his redemption is near at hand (or near at “head” in this case). See, e.g., Fra Angelico’s “Crucifixion with Saints” in Convento San Marco in Florence. Third, Jesus probably did not carry an entire cross but only the cross beam, which would be attached to an already-standing vertical pole. Fourth, because the Evangelist accentuates Jesus’ purposeful actions, he does not mention Simon of Cyrene. In the Synoptic Gospels, Simon carries, or helps carry, Jesus’ cross (see Mt 27:32, Mk 15:21, and Lk 23:26). 22. I have previously made the above point. Here, I want to provide a brief theological interpretation as to why God permits sin and evil. While God does not directly will sin and evil, he does permit it for the sake of a greater good. In the midst of sin and evil, goodness and holiness are made manifest. For example, when Christians and others are wrongly persecuted, their suffering and even martyrdom are to their glory and to the glory of God. When natural disasters strike, the goodness of those who help in the relief of suffering comes to the fore and so is seen. Without sin and evil, such holiness and goodness would lay dormant—growth in virtue would not flourish. The premier example of this is found in Jesus himself. As the Evangelist wrote earlier, “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1). Such an understanding is in keeping with Paul. “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28).

It Is Finished   233 holiness as the Father’s incarnate Spirit-filled Son, a righteousness that his Father will confirm in raising him from the dead. On Golgotha, Jesus will convict the world of false judgment, for he will judge and cast out the ruler of the world, the devil, he who is the author of sin and death. Thus, on the cross, Jesus will put to death the old creation of sin and death and give birth to the new creation of righteousness and eternal light. In so doing, Jesus will become the King of the Jews and, as such, the Savior of the world.23 When Jesus and the crucifying party arrived at Golgotha, “they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.”24 All Gospel accounts speak of Jesus being crucified along with two others. The Synoptics identify them as two robbers or criminals, one of which was on Jesus’ right and the other on his left (see Mt 27:38, Mk 15:27, and Lk 23:33). In some ancient manuscripts, Mark’s Gospel has the aside “And the scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘He was reckoned with the transgressors’ ” (Mk 15:28; the Scripture passage quoted is Is 53:12). The Evangelist simply speaks of “two oth23. Such an understanding is in keeping with Simeon’s prophecy, that the newly circumcised Jesus will be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your [God’s] people Israel” (Lk 2:31–32). 24. From this point on, John’s portrayal of Jesus’ crucifixion and death is composed of seven vignettes: (1) the crucifixion of Jesus between two others, (2) the dispute over the title that Pilate placed over Jesus, (3) the soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ tunic, (4) the giving of Mary to the beloved disciple and the giving of the beloved disciple to Mary, (5) the death of Jesus, (6) the blood and water flowing from Jesus’ pierced side, and (7) the burial of Jesus. That the Evangelist purposely composed his narrative in accordance with the perfect biblical number seven is highly likely, since there are also seven miracle signs and seven “I am” sayings. Significantly, the Evangelist also narrates the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as a period of seven days (see Jn 1:29, 1:35, 1:43, and 2:1). The implication is that as God created the world through his Word in seven days, so Jesus, the incarnate Word, is undertaking the Father’s work of re-creation. On the final day of the opening week, Jesus works his first miracle sign at the wedding at Cana—the changing of water into wine. This transformation, as we will see, looms large within John’s narrative of Jesus’ crucifixion and death. As will become evident, what is prophetically enacted at Cana will be fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Moreover, John notes that Jesus approaches Jerusalem six days prior to the Passover, and for John, Jesus will be crucified on the sixth day—the day upon which he completes his Father’s saving work (see Jn 12:1). On the seventh day, Saturday, he will “rest” within his tomb, and on the eighth day he will rise glorious as the new creation in whom all who believe are re-created. Thus the present seven distinct scenes depict Jesus perfectly completing his Father’s salvific work of re-creation. The eighth vignette will be Jesus’ resurrection—the everlasting eighth day of the new creation. What is noticeably absent in John’s crucifixion narrative is the mocking of Jesus by the Jews and Roman soldiers as found within the Synoptics. The reason for this lacuna, I believe, is that the Evangelist wants the reader to focus exclusively on the seven theological facets that make up his narrative, that is, his sevenfold theological interpretation of the historical events that took place within Jesus’ crucifixion and death.

234   Passion and Resurrection Narratives ers” and that they were “on either side, and Jesus between them.” He does not mention their criminality, though that would be assumed, since they must have been crucified for some offense. Moreover, Matthew and Mark note that these two criminals “reviled” Jesus (see Mt 27:44 and Mk 15:32). Luke narrates the story of the “good” thief and the “bad” thief (see Lk 23:39–43).25 The question arises as to why the Evangelist does not specifically identify the two as criminals, and even “sanitizes” his brief account by not speaking of the two criminals reviling Jesus. Moreover, as has become evident throughout our study of John, Luke’s Gospel contains many similarities and parallels to John’s, which suggests that Luke “interviewed” John as one of the sources for his Gospel (see Lk 1:1–4). Since Luke is the only Gospel to have the story of the good thief, he must have obtained it from John, for he was present at Jesus’ crucifixion. If such is the case, why would John not include the “good thief” story in his own Gospel? Such conundrums are not easy to resolve. The literary manner in which the Evangelist portrays Jesus’ crucifixion between the “two others” bears some literary similarities to Aaron and Hur standing on either side of Moses when he prays, with uplifted arms, for Joshua’s victory over Amalek. When Moses’s uplifted arms became heavy and fell to his side, Amalek prevailed in the battle. So, Aaron and Hur, one on either side of Moses, held up his arms, which resulted in Joshua winning the battle. Now, is it possible that the “two others” who are crucified “on either side” of Jesus signify Aaron and Hur; that is, are they aiding Jesus in some manner during his crucifixion, a crucifixion where he is lifting up his interceding arms for the salvation of the world? Thus as Joshua, which means YHWH is Salvation, wins, with the assistance of Aaron and Hur, the battle over the sinful pagan Amalek, so Jesus, YHWH-Saves, with the aid of the “two others,” wins the battle over sin and death. But what assistance could the “two others” possibly give Jesus, since they are criminals and so sinners? Given the possibility of what I have so far proposed, I would offer this resolution. The fact that the “two others” are sinners, their mere presence focuses Jesus’ attention, strengthens his uplifted, interceding crucified arms, upon the completion of his Father’s work—that of laying down his life in love for the salvation of sinners. The undefined “two others” represent the whole of humankind. They are the proverbial everyman. In accord with Mark’s scriptural interjection, Jesus is numbered among sinners in order to save sinners 25. In order to reconcile the Matthew and Mark accounts with Luke, it could be supposed that both criminals at first reviled Jesus, and then one of them later repented and came to faith.

It Is Finished   235 (see Mk 15:28). In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus, at the Last Supper, tells his disciples: “For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was reckoned with transgressors’; for what is written about me has its fulfillment” (Lk 22:37; Jesus is quoting Is 53:12). Moreover, as portrayed in Luke’s rendition of the “good thief” and the “bad thief,” some for whom Jesus is laying down his life will be saved, the “good thieves.” They will repent and recognize Jesus as “the Christ” and so desire to be remembered when Jesus, the King, comes into his kingdom (see Lk 23:39–43). Others for whom Jesus is laying down his life, the “bad thieves,” will be judged unworthy of paradise, for they have refused to repent and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the King of the Jews. It must be remembered as well that within John’s Gospel, Jesus is being crucified precisely because he is charged, but not proven guilty, with claiming to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, and as such, the King of the Jews. I have attempted to give a possible theological interpretation to the Evangelist’s seemingly nondescript account of Jesus being crucified with “two others,” and I have done so by weaving together diverse biblical scenes and Scripture passages. My effort is based upon my conviction that John never writes in a manner that is theologically unimportant. Such a conclusion applies to even one single verse that simply states, “There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.” Having stated that Jesus was crucified between two others, the Evangelist immediately continues with his second vignette. Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. The chief priest of the Jews then said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

Matthew’s Gospel speaks of a “they” who put over Jesus’ head “the charge against him, which read, ‘This is Jesus the King of the Jews’ ” (Mt 27:37). Mark speaks of “the inscription of the charge against him,” which read, “The King of the Jews” (Mk 15:26). Luke states, “There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews’ ” (Lk 23:38). Both Matthew and Mark speak in terms of the charge laid against Jesus. Matthew designates Jesus by name and identifies him as the King of the Jews. Mark, without identifying Jesus by name, simply declares that the charged and crucified man is “The King of the Jews.” Luke does not speak of a charge against Jesus, nor does the inscription

236   Passion and Resurrection Narratives identify Jesus. But it does contain, like Matthew, the more emphatic “This is” and so declares: “This is the King of the Jews.” The Evangelist’s account, when compared to the Synoptics’, is noticeably longer and contains more detail. The first point to notice is that John’s account, like Luke’s, does not speak of the caption as a “charge” for which Jesus was condemned.26 John recognizes that Jesus was never condemned for any criminal act, and therefore for whatever charge was laid against him, it was never proven nor judged to merit crucifixion. Jesus is innocent of any wrongdoing, for he is the Christ, the Son of the living God and so the blameless, all-holy King of the Jews. Second, in place of Matthew’s “they,” John specifies that it was Pilate himself who wrote the caption, and it therefore acquires his own Roman judicial authority. The inscription was not the work of some anonymous middle-management scribe. Third, and importantly, unlike Mark and Luke, who refer to the caption as an “inscription,” John designates it as a “title.” The caption is not an inscriptive criminal charge. It is a title bestowed, and the royal title that Pilate has bestowed upon Jesus of Nazareth is that he is the King of the Jews. The act of crucifying Jesus, he who is from Nazareth, is the very same act wherein he is simultaneously crowned and enthroned as King of the Jews. Moreover, Pilate promulgated this title not only in Jewish Hebrew, but also in Latin and in Greek, and so in the primary languages of the world at that time. Thus Pilate, in so doing and unbeknownst to him, is decreeing that he who is the King of the Jews is also King not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles, for Jesus is enacting the salvation of the entire world—peoples of all nations and languages. Fourth, the Evangelist informs the reader that since Jesus was crucified near the city, many “Jews” read the title. John’s primary purpose here is to provide the reason why the chief priests will soon protest to Pilate that his inscription, to their mind, suggests to the Jewish populous an unwelcome and dangerous judgment—that Jesus is indeed their king. But by stating that many Jews were able to read “the title” because Jesus was crucified “near the city,” John alerts the reader that Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem’s walls.27 Within the Jewish sacrificial tradition, sacrifices, particularly atonement sacrifices, were offered “outside the camp.” God gave to Moses the laws regulating sacrifices. So, Moses told the people that the priest shall take the bull that is to 26. This is another example of Luke’s Gospel being similar to John’s. 27. Today the place where Jesus was crucified and buried is within the walls of Jerusalem’s “old city.” At the time of Jesus, however, the city walls did not encompass Golgotha.

It Is Finished   237 be offered as an atoning sacrifice for forgiveness “outside the camp, and burn it as he burnt the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly” (Lv 4:20–21; see also Lv 16:27 and Ex 29:14). That the chief priests took Jesus outside Jerusalem, the camp, to be crucified thus implies that Jesus is the perfect atoning sacrifice for sin. Moreover, it must also be recalled that Jesus, in John’s Gospel, is crucified on the day of Passover, and so he becomes the perfect atoning Passover sacrifice that will inaugurate the new and everlasting covenant with his Father.28 Fifth, having noted that Jesus was crucified near the city and that many Jews read Pilate’s inscription, the Evangelist states that “the chief priests of the Jews then said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews,” but write, “This man said “I am King of the Jews.” ’ ” Interestingly, John speaks specifically of “chief priests of the Jews.” This designation specifically separates the chief priests from the Jews in general and so accentuates their principal role in Jesus’ crucifixion. But why does the Evangelist highlight that the chief priests were those of the Jews when there are no other high priests from which they need to be distinguished? Well, there is another high priest present, the great high priest, Jesus, and he is offering himself to his Father for the salvation not only of the Jews but for all humankind. Thus while Jesus, as a Jew, is a Jewish high priest, the offering of himself is not simply on behalf of the sins of the Jews but for the sins of the Gentiles as well. Moreover, as the high priest who is being sacrificed outside the camp, Jesus will sanctify all who are in the city, for he will become the new living temple of the new Jerusalem, a city that will be inhabited by holy citizens of every nation, and so worship God in spirit and truth. Nonetheless, the Jewish high priests are not happy with Pilate declaring that Jesus of Nazareth is the King of the Jews.29 They want him to write instead that “This man said, I am (eimi) King of the Jews.” The chief priests do not identify who “the man” is—that he is Jesus of Nazareth—and in so doing, they hide, probably not on purpose, that he is YHWH-Saves. Yet that is who the man from Nazareth is. Moreover, they want the notice to read that this 28. Such an understanding is in keeping with the Letter to the Hebrews. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the .gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. (Heb 13:10–12) 29. The presumption is that the high priests hurriedly traipsed back to the praetorium to lodge their complaint.

238   Passion and Resurrection Narratives man claimed to be King of the Jews, which would imply that such a declaration is not only false but also an affront to Caesar—whom the chief priests have professed to be their only king. It is for this egregious fabricated avowal that “this man” rightly deserves the penalty of death. But Jesus never said, “I am the King of the Jews,” and the chief priests are well aware of this, yet they have fabricated their own egregious lie to achieve their diabolic end. When Pilate asked Jesus whether he is the King of the Jews, Jesus did acknowledge that his kingship is not of this world, to which Pilate responded, “So you are a king.” Jesus responded by saying, “You say I am a king,” and then notes that for this kingship he has come into the world (Jn 18:33–37). Nonetheless, while never himself claiming to be King of the Jews, Jesus is presently achieving that for which he came into the world—to become a king not of this world. Jesus is the King of the Jews, and he is so because he is saving them from the bondage of sin and death and offering to them a heavenly kingdom of everlasting life. The irony in the above is that in wanting Pilate’s inscription to read “This man said, I am (eimi) the King of the Jews,” the chief priests have unwittingly placed in Jesus’ mouth another “I am” saying, and one that is true. As the King of the Jews, Jesus will be the bread of life, the light of the world, the gate of the sheepfold, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the vine, the way, the truth, and the life, and he will be so because he is the Father’s risen incarnate Spirit-filled Son—the one who is definitively Jesus, I AM He Who Saves. To the chief priests’ appeal, Pilate responds, “What I have written I have written.” The declarative title, not a bogus condemnatory judgment, will remain above Jesus’ head. Pilate, throughout Jesus’ trial, has unwaveringly declared Jesus to be the King of the Jews. Now, as stated previously, Pilate, as the Roman governor, has actually bestowed upon Jesus of Nazareth the royal title—King of the Jews. In declaring that he will not retract what he has written, Pilate, though completely ignorant of what he has done, has become the Father’s final and definitive prophet.30 Yes, Pilate wrote, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” but those words are the Father’s words. In the eternal begetting of his Son in the love of the Spirit, in the eternal speaking of his Word within the breath of the Spirit, the Father declared that his incarnate Spirit-filled Son, his Word become flesh, would be the King of the Jews and Savior of the World, and the title that the Father bestowed upon his Son from all eternity has now been bestowed upon 30. In John’s Gospel, Pilate’s words “What I have written I have written” are the last words he will speak, for he has spoken the final words that God has given him to proclaim.

It Is Finished   239 him in time—and that title will remain forever so. What the Father has written he has written.31

Let Us Cast Lots The Evangelist first focused the reader’s attention on what was taking place on either side of Jesus—the crucifixion of two others. In so doing, he is emphasizing that the crucified Jesus is interceding for sinners. Second, John raised the reader’s attention to the title above Jesus’ head—the royal declaration that the crucified Jesus is the King of the Jews. Now, he directs the reader’s attention to what is taking place at the feet of Jesus—the soldiers casting lots for his tunic. In these three tableaus, John has formed a cross—the two who are on either side, what is written above and what is being transacted below. In the middle of these cross-forming scenes is the crucified Jesus himself. All that is happening on Golgotha theologically pertains to him. Jesus occupies center stage.32 So, what is the theological significance of the soldiers casting lots? The Evangelist narrates the scene as follows. When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the scripture, “They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did this.33 31. As God’s eternal Word, the Word is the primordial word that God speaks. All the written words contained in the Old Testament, and all the prophetic words spoken within the Old Testament, are ultimately written and spoken by God, and so they bear witness to God’s Word, for all God’s Word-spoken words are in preparation for the coming of God’s Word. When the Word becomes flesh, the Word will speak God’s words, and as the Father’s Son, he will enact his Father’s saving acts. Thus Jesus, the incarnate Word, is the end toward which all of God’s previous Word-spoken and Word-written words point and in whom they find their summit and fulfillment. What the Father has written from all eternity and what he has written throughout history, he has written. 32. I believe John has done this purposely. This will become more evident when I weave the three distinct scenes together after we examine the theological meaning of the soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ tunic. 33. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 19:23–25 unless otherwise noted. Matthew narrates that after the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they “divided his garments among them by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there” (Mt 27:35–36). Mark states that the soldiers “divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take” (Mk 15:24). Luke simply states, “And they cast lots to divide his garments” (Lk 23:34). Noticeably, John’s account contains more detail. For example, there were

240   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Having completed their grim task of crucifying Jesus, the soldiers sit down beneath the cross of Jesus to divvy up the spoils. They divided Jesus’ outer garments into four parts, each soldier receiving his allotted share. There was also his inner garment, his tunic. What was unique about this tunic is that it was “without seam, woven from top to bottom.” Traditionally, the high priest wore a seamless tunic. God instructed Moses that the high priest’s robe “shall have in it an opening for the head, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, that it may not be torn” (Ex 28:33; see also Ex 39:23 and Lv 21:10). Jesus, therefore, having been stripped of his high priestly tunic, is the great High Priest who is offering himself as the perfect sacrifice. Jesus is now celebrating the new and forever Passover liturgy. In so doing, he is enacting a new covenant that cannot be broken. In, with, and through Jesus, a seamless indissoluble covenant is established between his Father and those who believe in his Son, Jesus Christ. That the tunic is woven from top to bottom accentuates that Jesus, as the author or head of the covenant, is himself the living source and everlasting sustainer of the covenant’s unity, the communion between God and the faithful, an accord that cannot be torn asunder. Jesus is what keeps the threads of his church woven together.34 For the Evangelist, what transpires among the soldiers fulfills what is de“four” soldiers who each received a fourth of Jesus’ garments, and they cast lots for his “tunic,” which was “without seam, woven from top to bottom.” Also, John narrates the verbatim discussion among the soldiers. All of these details contribute to the historicity of John’s account. He was there watching and listening. 34. The seamless tunic is often interpreted as the indivisible nature of God’s Kingdom, and thus unlike David’s and Solomon’s former kingdom. Their kingdom was torn asunder like a garment (see 1 Kgs 11:29–32). While such an analogy may be appropriate, I think, given that Jesus is seen as the high priest who is offering his life on the cross, the notion of covenant better fits as an analogy. The covenant may establish God’s Kingdom, but the covenantal nature of Jesus’ sacrifice takes precedence, for without the covenant with God there would be no kingdom of God. Also, the seamless tunic is sometimes seen as an analogy for the seamlessness of Catholic doctrine. Granted that the various Catholic doctrines form one complete whole and cannot be torn apart, what is portrayed in John’s Gospel again first pertains to Jesus, the High Priest, establishing a covenant, and within that covenant there are various seamless mysteries of the faith—Catholic doctrines. The Greek for tear is schisma, and thus divisions within the church are often called “schisms,” i.e., “tears” within the church. Technically, a schism is distinguished from a heresy. Within heresies, there are doctrinal divisions, such as between the Catholic Church and Protestant denominations. Schisms, while maintaining a unity of doctrine, differ as to ecclesial policies, such as between the Donatists and the larger church, where the early Donatists denied the validity of baptism when performed by someone who had previously denied the faith but subsequently repented.

It Is Finished   241 clared in Psalm 22:18—“They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” To emphasize the psalm’s fulfillment, John emphatically states, “So the soldiers did this.” Now, the entire psalm is apropos to Jesus’ crucifixion. In the opening verse, the psalmist cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Despite the psalmist’s seeming despair, he knows that God actually has not abandoned him but will deliver and rescue him. Even though he feels more like a worm than a man, and evildoers surround him, mock him, and have pierced his hands and his feet, he trusts in God’s faithfulness, and in turn he will sing the Lord’s praises. Thus the psalm describes Jesus’ present wretched condition and the desolate feelings that he now experiences.35 Moreover, the psalm echoes the Suffering Servant Songs within Isaiah. Jesus is now “despised and rejected,” a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” for he was “wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him the chastisement that made us whole and with his stripes we are healed.” Jesus, “when he makes himself an offering for sin, shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand” (Is 52:13–53:12).36 Thus while the soldiers are casting lots beneath the cross, what Jesus, the Suffering-Servant-Son, is enacting on the cross is his Father’s saving will, for he, as the great High Priest, is offering his bruised, scourged, and pierced body for the forgiveness of sins. Because Jesus completes his Father’s work, his Father will exalt him and raise him up. In the light of this third scene, we can now weave together all of the cross-formed depictions, the first three vignettes, that surround the crucified Jesus. In the midst of sinners, represented by the “two others” astride him, Jesus, having been stripped of his high-priestly tunic, is offering himself to his Father as the new Passover Lamb of sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, as well as for the making of a new seamless and indestructible covenant with his Father. In so doing, Jesus will become the King of the Jews, and as such, the Savior of all peoples. For the Evangelist, the threefold cross-formed scenes are the hermeneutical interpreters of what is being enacted in the center—Jesus crucified. Like three arrows, they all point to the crucified Jesus, and they inform the reader of who Jesus is and what he is doing. John will now portray the fruit of all that is depicted in this crucifixion tableau. 35. For a fuller theological interpretation of the use of Ps 22 as found within the Synoptics’ Passion Narratives, see JBJ 1:372–80. 36. For a fuller theological interpretation of the use of the Suffering Servant Songs as found within the Synoptics’ Passion Narratives, see JBJ 1:350–56.

242   Passion and Resurrection Narratives

Behold Your Son, Behold Your Mother Thus far, in his first three vignettes, John has informed the reader of the significance of what is taking place surrounding the crucified Jesus. Now, with an opening “but,” the Evangelist draws the reader into the closer inner circle, to those near the cross itself, and specifically he “zooms in” on Jesus, his mother, and the beloved disciple. Moreover, the crucified Jesus speaks for the first time, and so for the first time the reader’s attention is drawn to the person of Jesus himself. In speaking, Jesus becomes the center of attention. The reader’s eyes are on him, and his or her ears are now attentive to what he has to say. This fourth vignette, moreover, begins another series of three seamless interwoven scenes, all of which converge on Jesus and his salvific work—the subsequent two are Jesus’ death on the cross, and the blood and water that flows from his pierced side. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.37 37. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 19:25–27 unless otherwise noted. The Synoptic accounts vary as to who was standing beneath the cross of Jesus. Matthew speaks of “many women” who had followed Jesus from Galilee and were looking from a distance. He also mentions Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. These latter sons would have been James and John. John would be the beloved disciple (see Mt 27:55–56). Mark also speaks of women “looking from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the younger and Joses, and Salome,” all of whom came with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem (Mk 14:40–41). Luke does not specify any bystanders by name but simply speaks of Jesus’ “acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee.” They, too, stood at a distance (Lk 23:49). Noticeably absent from the Synoptic accounts is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Inexplicably, in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John, Mary Magdalene only first appears at the crucifixion, as if out of nowhere. Although Luke’s Gospel does not speak of her presence at the cross, his, oddly, is the only one that speaks of her prior to the crucifixion. He narrates that Jesus went through the towns and villages with the twelve, preaching the good news of God’s kingdom, and “also some women who were healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out” (Lk 8:2–3). (My conjecture is that Luke received these details about Mary Magdalene from John. Who else would have informed him unless it was from Mary herself? The other Synoptic authors appear uninformed.) Mary Magdalene nonetheless becomes prominent within all of the Gospels’ Resurrection Narratives (see Mt 27:61 and 28:1–11, Mk 16:1–8, Lk 24:1–11, Jn 20:1–2 and 20:11–18). Because Mary Magdalene is the first to find the empty tomb and so bear witness to it, I believe, she is initially identified among those at the crucifixion, particularly in John’s Gospel, where she stands with-

It Is Finished   243 So, although many others were milling around the crucified Jesus, there were those who were attentively standing close at hand. These included Mary, Jesus’ mother, with her sister, along with the wife of Clopas (though, depending on the punctuation, she could be Mary’s sister), and Mary Magdalene. While the Evangelist informs us of who was standing by the cross, he only makes his own presence known solely in relation to Jesus beholding his mother and himself. Moreover, the sentence begins with a “when,” which implies that Jesus was not at first aware that his mother and John were present beneath the cross. Only upon becoming aware of their presence does Jesus speak, and he directly addresses them. “When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved, he said to his mother standing near, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ ” Thus the Evangelist first alerts the reader to what will become the unique bond between Mary and himself, as well as their singular relationship to Jesus himself—Mary, as Jesus’ mother and John, as the disciple beloved by Jesus. Jesus first addresses his mother and in so doing attests to her priority over John. “Woman, behold your son!” Now, such an action can simply be interpreted as a loving son making future provision for his mother upon his death, and no doubt that is the case. Moreover, Jesus then declares to his beloved disciple: “Behold, your mother!” In so doing, the dying Jesus is also in turn commissioning his close beloved friend, John, to provide for his mother. The Evangelist concludes by saying that “from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” But Jesus’ very human and loving action, with its very human result of John taking Mary into his own home, contains within it a deeper and complex theological meaning. To discern the more profound revelation contained within this human event, we must take a closer look at the words that Jesus speaks and the effect that results from his spoken words, for what the crucified Jesus is doing, through his words, is enacting, in a sense a sacrament—the binding together of John and Mary, a making of them one. Here we must note three terms: “hour,” “mother of Jesus,” and “woman.” The “hour” at which Jesus spoke to his mother and John, and so the hour from which John took Mary into his own home, is the final “hour” of his life, “the hour” when he accomplishes his Father’s saving work. That “hour” is now just moments away, but it began at the wedding feast at Cana. Likewise, it is at in the intimate circle alongside Jesus’ mother and the beloved disciple. Though she remained hidden previously, her love for Jesus is now clearly observed, both beneath the cross and in her eagerness to be the first to come to the tomb at the very dawn of “the first day of the week”— the first day of the new creation (Jn 20:1).

244   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Cana that the Evangelist first speaks of Mary as “the mother of Jesus,” and it is also the first time that Jesus addresses his mother as “woman.”38 Therefore in order to grasp the theological significance of what is being enacted between Jesus, his mother, and the beloved disciple, we must review at some length what we earlier theologically ascertained when examining Cana. What transpired between Jesus and his mother there is the prophetic hermeneutical interpreter of what is presently being enacted alongside the cross of Jesus. At Cana, Jesus addresses his mother as “woman,” and he does so in response to Mary informing him that the wedding party had run out of wine. “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (Jn 2:3–4). Jesus’ question is literally translated as “O woman, what to me and to you?” Jesus is therefore implying that whatever her concern is, it has nothing to do with him or her, and the reason it is not their concern is that his hour has not yet come. So, Jesus is reluctant to become involved in his mother’s concern, because if he does, it would mean that his hour has come, an hour that he would rather delay, for it is the hour of his crucifixion. Jesus’ last remark allows an alternative translation, however, one in the form of a rhetorical question. “Has not my hour now come?” With this translation, Jesus is first opposed to acquiesce to his mother’s concern, yet he realizes that his hour has come, and so he must respond favorably. I believe that the Evangelist, as I argued previously, purposely preserves these ambiguous statements, for Jesus was experiencing within himself both conflicting emotional responses. Jesus is reluctant to address his mother’s concern, for he dreaded the beginning of his hour, yet he also recognized that the beginning of his hour resided in his mother’s request. What transpires between Jesus and his mother at Cana in John’s Gospel is what transpires between Jesus and his Father at Gethsemane in the Synoptic Gospels. “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Mt 26:39; see also Mk 14:36 and Lk 22:42). For the Evangelist, Jesus, at the very onset of his saving ministry, is apprehensive at the coming of his hour, yet, as is witnessed throughout 38. It is important to remember that John’s Gospel never speaks of Mary by her proper name. Jesus twice refers to her as “woman”—at Cana and now at his crucifixion. Moreover, the Evangelist always speaks of Mary as “the mother of Jesus.” What is also significant is that when introducing the marriage at Cana, the Evangelist writes that “the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples” (Jn 2:1–2). Thus the primary person to be invited is Mary, and because she was invited, her son, Jesus, was also invited, along with his disciples. As there is a threesome at Cana so there is now a threesome at the crucifixion—Mary, Jesus, and the beloved disciple, who, as we will see, represents all of Jesus’ disciples, present and future.

It Is Finished   245 John’s Gospel, he will resolutely be obedient to his Father to the very end, until “It is finished” (see Jn 12:27). So, his mother’s request is the catalyst for Jesus to commence his “hour.” But why does Jesus call his mother “woman”? The Evangelist perceives that in calling his mother “woman,” Jesus is defining who she is, over and above her being his mother. For Jesus, and for the Evangelist, Mary is not just any “woman.” She is uniquely “woman” in that she is the icon of ancient Israel, as well as now becoming the icon of the nascent church, the new Israel of God. Mary, as the mother of Jesus, subsumes into herself the whole of Israel’s prophetic past, and in her what was prophetically anticipated will come to fulfillment, for Jesus, in coming to his own people in becoming man, will now bring to life the new people of God, the new Israel—the church. Thus Mary, as the ecclesial woman who embodies ancient Israel and is the icon of the future church, has everything “to do” with Jesus, for only in the fulfillment of his “hour” will the church, of which she is the icon, come to be. So, Mary is crying out for the long-prophesied and anxiously awaited salvation that only Jesus, her son, can bring. For the ecclesial woman, the hour has come, not only for Jesus but also for her, and it is time for Jesus, the son whom she so named, to become Jesus—YHWH-Saves. At the wedding at Cana, therefore, the true betrothal that is being enacted is not between the man and woman for whom the wedding feast is taking place. Rather, the genuine wedding feast that is prophetically being celebrated is the anticipated hour of betrothal, the awaited salvific union between Jesus and his church. To be the mother of Jesus is for Mary to become the ecclesial woman, the icon of Jesus’ betrothed church. Furthermore, as the mother of Jesus, the Father’s incarnate Son, Mary brings forth into the world he who brings to life the church. Thus, as stated above, to be “the mother of Jesus” is to be the iconic “ecclesial woman,” for Mary not only gives birth to the church’s founder, but she also symbolizes the church which will, in imitation of her, continue to bear Jesus into the world through word and sacrament. In and through the church, all of the faithful will be born anew into a saving Spirit-filled union with Jesus. The church, the woman betrothed to Christ, will give birth to those who are born “not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God” (Jn 1:13). Mary, then, is the icon of the new Eve, the new “woman,” the new mother of all the living, who is espoused to Jesus, the new Adam—he who fathers, through his spouse the church, a new race, one born anew in the Spirit. The church, then, as “the ecclesial woman,” the new Eve, from whom, in whom, and through whom,

246   Passion and Resurrection Narratives the new Spirit-filled life of Jesus, the new Adam, is bestowed. For the Evangelist, then, the designations “the mother of Jesus” and “the ecclesial-woman” are inextricably intertwined, for they circumscribe or define Mary’s identity—in being the mother of Jesus, Mary becomes the living icon of the betrothed and life-giving church.39 At the entreaty of his mother, Jesus sets out upon his hour, the hour that presently culminates in his death and resurrection. In this concluding, climactic sequential event of his death and resurrection, Jesus fulfills, brings into reality, what was prophetically enacted at Cana, and thus Cana becomes, as noted, the hermeneutical lens through which we must interpret what is now being fulfilled. In the present vignette, the first of three, the Evangelist informs the reader that Mary is present, and he does so by referring to her, as 39. I encourage the reader to read the fuller theological discussion of this understanding of Mary in my JBJ 2:99–109. It is useful to note that Jesus calls the Samaritan woman “woman.” Within the context of Jesus offering her living water, water that wells up to eternal life, Jesus asks that she call her husband, to which she responds that she has no husband. Jesus affirms that she is correct, for she has had five husbands, and the one with whom she is now living is not her husband. Because of Jesus’ knowledge of her present marital status, she perceives that Jesus is a prophet. So, she asks where the most fitting place to worship is—on the mountain in Samaria or in Jerusalem? To this question, Jesus declares: Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. . . . But the hour is coming and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (Jn 4:16–24) In addressing the Samaritan woman as “woman,” Jesus is echoing his address to his mother, but in this case the “woman” is a sinful woman in need of salvation. Thus the Samaritan woman is counterpoised to Mary. Mary, the ecclesial woman, is the icon of the future church’s holiness, while the Samaritan woman images the sinful “church” prior to Jesus, making it holy through his death and resurrection. Moreover, the church is always composed of saints and sinners. Nonetheless, within that new church, all peoples will be able to worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they will be cleansed in the living water that purifies from sin and ensures eternal life. Mary, the ecclesial woman, presently stands beneath her crucified son, and it is this crucified son who will pour out from his pierced side, as we will see, the sin-cleansing and life-giving waters of the baptism. Moreover, Mary and the beloved disciple together represent the church who worships the Father in spirit and truth. For a detailed account of the relationship between Mary and the Samaritan woman, see JBJ 2:174–76. Significantly, in response to Jesus’ words concerning proper worship of the Father, the Samaritan woman acknowledges that the Messiah is coming, and when he does so, he will reveal all things. To which Jesus declares: “I who speak to you am he (ego eimi)” (Jn 4:25–26). Jesus is the Spirit-anointed Messiah because he is He Who Is—he who possess the fullness of life. Jesus will bestow this fullness of divine life when he breathes it forth upon the church, both from the cross and subsequently after his resurrection.

It Is Finished   247 he did at Cana, as “the mother” of Jesus. Upon seeing his “mother,” Jesus addresses her, as he did at Cana, as “woman.” He declares: “Woman, behold your son.” What Mary is to behold is not simply a man who will take the place of her son, Jesus, but she is to behold the man as her true offspring. Mary, as the ecclesial woman, is the icon of the church, the new woman Eve who will bear forth children born anew in the Spirit, and in so doing become the new mother of all the living. Moreover, the church, as symbolized in Mary the “woman,” is to nourish and foster the spiritual growth of her children. Similarly, the beloved disciple, who is now the living icon of all of Jesus’ future beloved disciples, is to behold not only the ecclesial woman who gives him new birth and who will continue to nurture his spiritual growth, but also the ecclesial woman, his mother, whom he is to care for and protect, in accordance with Jesus’ commission. Jesus’ beloved disciples, until the end of time, must take their ecclesial mother, the church, into the secure residence of their filial care.40 What we, the readers, behold in the above scene is the crucified Jesus enacting the sacramental bond, the spiritual and unbreakable union, between his betrothed church and the members within the church, and this sacramental bond is established in Jesus himself. In his sacrificial death, Jesus will bring to life his church, free from all sin and death, and in his resurrection, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he will establish her as the life-giving source of righteousness and holiness. Jesus founds his church, he betroths his bride, and those who abide within the church, their mother, abide in the risen Jesus as the Father’s reborn, Spirit-filled children. To abide, through the indwelling Spirit, in the church is to abide in Jesus, the Son, and to abide in Jesus is to abide in his Father. What we behold, then, in this scene of Mary, the beloved disciple, and Jesus, is Jesus fully answering the request that his mother first made at Cana, 40. The question arises as to why Jesus gives Mary to John and not to Peter since he is the head of the Apostles. The simple answer is that Peter was not present at the crucifixion, but such an answer is a tad cynical. The more theological response would be that John and Peter are themselves different apostolic icons of the church. John represents the benevolent aspects of the church, that is, the affective and reflective characteristics of the church. In turn, Peter, as the head of the Apostles, images the more apostolic activities of the church—the feeding of the sheep. While both John and Peter love Jesus and so love his church, they signify two manners in which that love is jointly manifested—through prayer and ministry, ora et labora. Thus Mary is given to the more thoughtful John, while the apostolic and pastoral leadership of the church is given, as will become evident, to the more animated Peter. Different members or groups within the church, to a greater or lesser degree, may express, in their manner of life, these different, though conjoined, ecclesial characteristics.

248   Passion and Resurrection Narratives and in so doing definitively becoming Jesus—YHWH-Saves. At Cana, Jesus’ “hour,” at the bequest of his mother, began. From that moment on, in John’s Gospel, that hour continually advances with ever-greater expectation and intensity. At this “hour” of Jesus’ crucifixion, the “hour” comes to its completion, for Jesus is finishing his Father’s work of salvation, the founding of the church, a church personified in Mary, the iconic ecclesial woman. Likewise, in that church all of Jesus’ disciples, beginning with those who were with him at Cana, find salvation. Because the church, as the spouse of Jesus, is the mother of their salvation, her children, the disciples whom Jesus loves are continually, throughout the ages, to love, cherish, and protect her.

Gave Up His Spirit The Evangelist next moves seamlessly to his fifth vignette, wherein he narrows his focus to Jesus himself, that is, on his act of dying. After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the scripture), “I thirst.” A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished;” and bowed his head and gave up his spirit.41

So, after giving his mother to John and John to his mother, Jesus knew that his work was finished. In one sense, Jesus’ work is not finished, for he only finishes his Father’s salvific work in the act of his dying. Although it is only moments away, it is still not completed. Why, then, does the Evangelist note that Jesus knew that his work was “now finished?” John wants to accentuate that end to which Jesus’ saving work points, the purpose of his Father’s saving will, is that of bringing into existence the church. This church is imaged in his mother, the ecclesial woman, and in the beloved disciple, he who is born anew from within the church and who, as a son of mother-church, is to love and protect. Thus while Jesus is yet to bring to life the church through his death and resurrection, the giving of Mary to John and of John to Mary symbolically enacted that completed end. Because of that symbolic enactment, Jesus knew that his work was now finished, for all that is left undone is for him to perform the act that fulfills what was symbolized, that is, the saving act wherein the church actually comes to be. Jesus therefore first declares: “I thirst.” Jesus thirsts to pour out the life-giving waters, the Holy Spirit, upon his church, for 41. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 19:28–30 unless otherwise noted.

It Is Finished   249 in that outpouring of his Spirit the church will come to be. Although this last sentence may summarize the theological meaning of Jesus’ words “I thirst,” they contain a much more complex revelational meaning, an understanding that can only be achieved by examining a compendium of interwoven Scripture passages. The Evangelist informs the reader that the reason Jesus says “I thirst” is for the sake of fulfilling the Scripture. The obvious passage that is being fulfilled and to which John is referring is from Psalm 69:21: “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” But while that one passage may perfectly apply, since vinegar was given to Jesus, I think that this one passage from Scripture brings into play an entire compilation of Scripture passages. Thus when John informs the reader that Jesus’ “I thirst” fulfills “the scripture,” he has in mind more than one particular verse. Because the scene immediately preceding depicts Jesus establishing his church, the conjoined union of Mary and the beloved disciple to himself, the “thirst” that he now experiences is the “zeal” he has for his Father’s house, his church, wherein the Father will be worshipped in spirit and in truth. It is this hour of worship that “now is” (see Jn 4:23–24).42 The present “thirst,” which is found in verse 21 of Psalm 69, must be interpreted, then, in the light of verse 9—“For zeal for your house has consumed me.” This passage in turn recalls Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, where the Evangelist notes that the disciples later recollected, after his resurrection, this very passage (see Jn 2:17). Jesus’ cleansing of the temple is a prophetic act, an act that is now being fulfilled in Jesus’ death. In his zeal, Jesus is cleansing, re-creating, his Father’s house, and he is doing so by himself becoming the new temple—“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn 2:19). Again, the Evangelist provides an interpretive aside. “But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken” 42. Here we must recall again Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman. As the wearied Jesus was sitting at Jacob’s well, “about the sixth hour,” the Samaritan woman comes to draw water. Jesus says, almost as a command, “Give me a drink.” At that sixth hour Jesus is thirsty, and now at “the sixth hour” the crucified Jesus “thirsts” (Jn 19:14). Although Jesus desires that the Samaritan woman give him a drink, he possesses the waters of eternal life, and these life-giving waters are what Jesus wishes to give to her. Jesus zealously thirsts for her salvation. As noted previously, the Samaritan woman is the symbol of the sinful church, the ecclesial-sinful woman, in need of cleansing and rebirth. Thus what prophetically transpired between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is now, as we will see shortly, about to be fulfilled through Jesus’ death.

250   Passion and Resurrection Narratives (Jn 2:21–22). As symbols of the cleansed church, Mary and John are to abide in the risen Jesus, the new and living temple.43 This “zeal” for his Father’s house, his becoming the new temple, is that for which Jesus now thirsts.44 At this juncture, we can conjoin Jesus’ “thirst” with the vinegar that he was given to drink. In response to Jesus’ declaration that he thirsts, “they [presumably the soldiers] put a sponge full of vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth.”45 Jesus thirsts, in his zeal, to bring to life his Father’s house, but in order to do so, he must, in accordance with Psalm 69:21, undergo his bitter death. He must drink the vinegar dregs of sin and so consume the cursed poison of death. Moreover, the psalmist also laments, “Save me, O God! . . . I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God” (Ps 69:3). This passage echoes what the psalmist bemoans in Psalm 22. “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death” (Ps 22:15).46 In interweaving Psalms 22 and 69, the Evangelist is articulating his theological interpretation of what is portrayed in the Synoptics—Jesus’ cry of abandonment, his feeling of being forsaken by his God.47 The psalmist, in the opening verse of Psalm 22, cries out in anguish, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps 22:1; see also 22:2). By partaking of the vinegar, Jesus subsumes humankind’s sin with its curse of death and so assumes the God forsakenness that sin and death entail. Yet despite his emotion43. In Mark’s Gospel, at his trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus is accused of saying, “I will destroy this temple that is made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with human hands” (Mk 14:58). Through his sacrificial death, Jesus will make redundant the temple made with human hands, and in his resurrection, he will become the new and living temple not made with human hands. 44. Not surprisingly, Luke’s Gospel expresses Jesus’ zeal by quoting him saying, “I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!” (Lk 12:58; see also Mk 10:38–39). Jesus must die and rise, for only in so doing is he able to establish his church, which is composed of those who have died and risen in him. 45. The vinegar that Jesus now drinks is not the same as the drink that Jesus refused in Mark’s Gospel. There he was offered “wine mingled myrrh” (Mk 15:23). Such a drink was a tranquilizer that was often offered to the person being crucified so as to diminish the pain. Jesus refused such a drink, for he wanted to offer his life to his Father with an alert mind and loving heart. That they put the sponge soaked with vinegar on hyssop recalls the first Passover. There, the Israelites employed hyssop to smear the blood of the lamb on their lintels. Upon seeing their blood-smeared doors, the angel of death would pass over their houses (see Ex 12:21– 23). The saving and life-giving blood of Jesus will now mark the faithful, and death will no longer have authority over them, for they will possess eternal life. 46. Moreover, it is Psalm 22, as we saw previously, wherein the psalmist declares that “they divided my garments among them; and for my raiment they cast lots” (Ps 22:18). 47. In Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts, Jesus’ cry of abandonment is immediately followed by his drinking the vinegar (see Mt 27:46–48 and Mk 15:34–36).

It Is Finished   251 al anguish, Jesus is confident that his Father hears and answers his cry. Both psalms give this assurance. “You [God] are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you did deliver them. To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not disappointed” (Ps 22:3–5). God, his Father, is near, and he will “hasten to his aid” and “deliver his soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog,” for God “has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted” or “hid his face” but has heard his cry (Ps 22:19–24). Because his Father’s “steadfast love is good,” Jesus knows that he will turn to him in his “abundant mercy.” He will not “hide his face” but will “draw near” to him, and “redeem” him, and set him “free” from his enemies (Ps 69:16–18). Thus Psalms 22 and 69 graphically depict what is taking place within the crucifixion and what Jesus is experiencing and enacting upon the cross.48 So, in declaring his “thirst,” Jesus is asserting in his zealousness for his Father’s house, his desire to establish himself as the new and living temple, as well as his willingness to drink the vinegar, to subsume into himself the entire sinful history of Adam’s race with its scourge of death. By so doing, the crucified Jesus undoes the condemnation of sin and death, for in, with, and through his sin-marred humanity, Jesus, the perfect high priest as the Father’s Spirit-filled incarnate Son, lovingly offers his holy and innocent life to the Father out of love for sinful humankind. In this salvific cruciform act, Jesus brings to life the righteous and holy church, for he himself will become, in his resurrection, the new and living temple, a temple born anew in the Holy Spirit. This is the act that Jesus enacts in his death. The sponge filled with vinegar having been lifted up to Jesus, the evangelist continues. “When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, ‘It is finished!’; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” The act of drinking the vinegar is the act in which Jesus completes his Father’s saving work. He has drunk the sin of the world, he has tasted the bitter fruit of Adam’s disobedience, and so, as God declared to Adam, Jesus died (see Gn 2:16–17, 3:3, and 3:19). Unlike Adam, however, Jesus was obedient to his Father to the end, and so, in ingesting the world’s sin, he undid Adam’s disobedience, for in drinking the vinegar, he concluded the saving work that his Father commissioned him, in the Spirit, to do.49 Importantly, Jesus enacted the act of drinking the vinegar. It is 48. Psalms 22 and 69 also entail the Suffering Servant Songs from Isaiah. See especially Is 53. 49. Paul declares: “Then as one man’s disobedience led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man’s

252   Passion and Resurrection Narratives something he willingly did. Likewise, the act of drinking the vinegar of the world’s sin consequently resulted in Jesus immediately performing the subsequent act, that is, the act of dying—the bowing of his head. Death did not overcome him. He did not simply succumb to death. Rather, dying was an act that Jesus himself performed. The bowing of his head was not the result of death, but the bowing of his head is the very act of Jesus enacting his death. In the act of dying, Jesus overcame death, for his act of dying was the priestly offering of his holy life to his Father in love for the salvation of the world, for the very sin that he consumed within himself. Thus while death is the result of sin, Jesus transformed sin’s curse of death into an act that obtained the forgiveness of sin and so vanquished the curse of death. In the very act of dying, Jesus passed over from death to life, for in his death he gave his life to his Father as the perfect act of love, an act of love that redressed the world’s hate-filled acts of sin. In that perfect act of sacrificial love, Jesus merited freedom from death, a merit that the Father lovingly acknowledged in raising him gloriously from the dead. Moreover, if the completion of his Father’s work is symbolized in his drinking the vinegar with its resulting death, it is simultaneously, in that bowing of his head in death, the active giving up of his spirit (pneuma).50 There is, then, a causal simultaneity. In the act of subsuming the world’s sin, with the accompanying act of his head-bowing death, Jesus breathes forth his human spirit, his human breath of life unto his Father out of love for his Father. In that same act of giving his human life to his Father in love, Jesus, again simultaneously, breathes forth, as the Messiah, his life-giving spirit upon the world, that is, the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ last dying breath is his first breath of breathing forth new life. In the act of lovingly breathing forth his human life unto his Father, Jesus is empowered, as the Christ, to breathe forth his Spirit upon all who believe in him. The giving “up his spirit” is, then, the simultaneously giving up of his spirit to his Father and the giving up of his Spirit unto the world, and in particular upon his church.51 The church comes alive upon the disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:18–19; see also 5:17). 50. Scripture scholars often note that the phrase John employs, “gave up his spirit,” is never used in antiquity for describing death. John has formulated this unique depiction of dying in order to clearly show the active nature of Jesus’ act of dying—he purposely “gave up his spirit” unto his Father, and he purposely “gave up his Spirit” for the sanctification of humankind. 51. It may seem that his breathing forth his Spirit of life is premature since Jesus is not yet resurrected. Only when Jesus is glorified can he give his Spirit (see Jn 7:39). What we must remember is that, for John, Jesus’ death and resurrection are simultaneous conjoined acts—

It Is Finished   253 Spirit-filled breath of the crucified dying Jesus.52 For the Evangelist, this is witnessed in that the Spirit-filled breath of the dying Jesus was breathed upon Mary and himself. Mary in particular becomes the icon of the church, the new Eve whom the crucified Jesus, the new Adam, espouses. As the new Eve, Mary then signifies church, the mother of all the living. Mary is the ever-living symbol of Jesus’ Spirit-filled church, a church made alive and holy with his own breath of life.53 John, as the beloved disciple, signifies all those who are born the completing of his Father’s saving work on the cross is immediately efficacious, and so the breathing forth of his spirit unto his Father effects the breathing forth of his Spirit upon the world, particularly on the church symbolized in Mary and John. Such an understanding is in keeping with Jesus’ “lifted up” sayings. The lifting up of Jesus upon the cross contains within it his being lifted up into the glory of his resurrection. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn 3:14–15). The lifting up of Jesus on the cross effects the outpouring of eternal life. What those who receive eternal life must believe is that Jesus is He Who Is (ego eimi)—the one who by nature possesses eternal life (see Jn 8:28). Moreover, when he is lifted up upon the cross and into his resurrection, Jesus will draw all to himself, for all people and nations will behold their crucified and risen Savior. 52. Concerning Jesus’ death, Matthew’s Gospel states, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit (pneuma)” (Mt 27:50). Mark’s rendering is: “And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last” (15:37). Not surprisingly, while noting Jesus’ “loud cry,” as in Matthew and Mark, Luke’s account most closely parallels John’s Gospel. “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (pneuma)!’ And having said this he breathed his last” (Lk 23:46). In Luke, Jesus makes explicit that he is handing over his spirit to his Father and so offering his life in love to his Father. That Jesus also speaks of “my spirit” can imply, like John’s account, that he is not only giving up his spirit to his Father, but also that he is giving his spirit for the salvation of the world. John’s account makes this last point more explicit by simply saying that Jesus “gave up his spirit (pneuma),” thus allowing the reader to perceive both Jesus giving up his spirit to his Father and his breathing forth his Spirit upon the world, and specifically on Mary and John, as we will see. For a fuller theological interpretation of Jesus’ death within the Synoptics, see JBJ 1:357– 400. John makes no mention of a “loud cry.” Such an absence would be in keeping with John wanting to accentuate the deliberateness of Jesus actions—his act of drinking, his act of dying, and his act of giving up his spirit. 53. In the light of Mary being the new Eve, it would be good to note what has been traditionally known as the protoevangelium, the first inkling of God sending a redeemer. Upon the sin of Adam and Eve, God said to the tempting serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman [Eve], and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gn 3:15). The serpent is seen as the devil (see Wis 2:24, Jn 8:44, and Rv 12:9 and 20:2). Between the devil, those who follow the devil, and those who are of the offspring of Eve, the mother of all the living, there will be constant conflict. Nonetheless, an ambiguous “he” will bruise the devil’s head, while the devil will bruise “his” heel. The “he” is often interpreted as Jesus. While the devil will bruise Jesus by orchestrating his crucifixion, Jesus, through his death and resurrection, will crush the serpent’s head, the devil, by casting him out as the ruler of this world (see Jn 12:31 and 16:11). “He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has

254   Passion and Resurrection Narratives anew in and through the church, those who ever stand close to the cross of Jesus.54 Similarly, as God first formed man out of dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so Jesus, the Father’s incarnate Word, has now breathed forth his Spirit of life upon humankind, and so re-created it anew, a re-creation that will be enacted throughout the ages in and through his church (see Gn 2:7).55 Thus, unlike Eden’s tree of knowledge of good and evil with death-bearing fruit, Jesus’ cross becomes the tree of life, for it bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and all who eat of the fruit of the cross will have eternal life (see Gn 3:22). Both in this volume on John and in the previous volume, I have emphasized that the overarching theme within John’s Gospel is that of re-creation. As seen above, we perceive that this theme of re-creation finds its fulfillment within the very act of Jesus’ death, for in his act of dying, Jesus puts sin to death and equally breathes forth his Spirit of life, the Spirit in whom the faithful are born anew. This same theme of re-creation continues in the vignette that seamlessly follows. But before we proceed to the next section, it is important that we not lose sight of the theological significance of the day on which Jesus died—Passover. On the cross, then, Jesus becomes what John the Baptist declared him to be—“the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Again, Jesus is celebrating the perfect Passover liturgy. Jesus is the lamb of God who takes sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:8–9). The Latin Vulgate translates the masculine Greek as ipsa (she), however. In this rendering, Mary is seen as the one who will crush the serpent’s head by being the mother of the incarnate Son of God—he who will cast out Satan. Because of the Vulgate’s rendering, Mary is often depicted with her foot crushing the serpent’s head. Sometimes she is also depicted as holding the infant Jesus—he is of her seed—and so Jesus, in union with Mary, the icon of the church, crushes the serpent, the author of all evil. 54. John’s Gospel narrates neither Jesus’ ascension nor the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. In the above we see that, for the Evangelist, the Spirit is the fruit of Jesus’ death, and it is from that cross that Jesus breathes forth his Spirit upon the church, as symbolized in Mary and John himself. Moreover, as the Spirit is the fruit of the cross, so it is also the fruit of the resurrection. Thus, in John’s Gospel, not only is Jesus’ last act the breathing forth of his Spirit, but it is also the first act that he performs when he appears to his disciples on the evening of his resurrection. “ ‘As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ ” (Jn 20:22). As Jesus breathed his Holy Spirit upon Mary and the beloved disciple, symbols of the church, so on the first Easter Jesus breathes his Holy Spirit upon his ecclesial disciples, whom he commissions, in the Spirit, to continue his salvific apostolic work. Thus the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the result, the salvific effect, of the one conjoined act of Jesus’ redeeming death and life-giving resurrection, and in this one conjoined saving act, the church is born of the Holy Spirit. More will be said concerning this “Easter” Pentecost at the appropriate time. 55. Similarly, Paul states, “Thus it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor 15:45; see also 15:47–49).

It Is Finished   255 away the sin of the world because he is, as the Father’s Son, the new perfect high priest who offers himself as the all-holy Passover sacrifice. Moreover, as the High-Priest-Lamb, Jesus becomes “he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” (Jn 1:29–34). This is what the reader beholds when gazing upon the crucified Jesus—the high-priest-lamb-of-sacrifice who baptizes his church with the Holy Spirit. In this very act, Jesus passes over to his Father and so also establishes in himself the new and everlasting covenant, a covenant ratified in his blood and sealed in his Holy Spirit. Those who are baptized in the Spirit, and so abide in the risen Jesus, partake of the new covenantal relationship with his Father, for they pass over, in Christ, to the Father as the Father’s adopted Spirit-filled children. Although in all of the above Jesus is becoming Jesus, there is more, for the Evangelist, to Jesus becoming Jesus—YHWH-Saves.

Blood and Water The next scene is the sixth of the Evangelist’s seven vignettes pertaining to Jesus’ crucifixion and death. The first three portrayed what was taking place surrounding the crucified Jesus. The following three, of which this is the third, first focused upon those standing beneath Jesus’ cross, particularly on his mother and the beloved disciple, and second upon the dying Jesus himself. The scene that John now describes concerns what took place after Jesus died, but before he was taken down from the cross. It seamlessly continues to manifest the fruit of Jesus’ death and thus the saving benefits that accrue to Jesus’ act of dying. Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for the sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him; but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, “Not a bone of him shall be broken.” And again another scripture says, “They shall look on him whom they have pierced.”56

According to John’s Gospel, Jesus was crucified and died on the Feast of Passover, which was a Friday, and so the day on which the Sabbath would 56. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 19:31–37 unless otherwise noted.

256   Passion and Resurrection Narratives have begun at sunset (see Ex 12:16). Because “it was the day of Preparation” for the Sabbath, a holy day, “the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, that they might be taken away.” It appears that the request to Pilate by “the Jews” contains multiple motivations. One is their concern surrounding the preparations that needed to be made prior to the celebrating of the Sabbath. Before making such Sabbath arrangements, however, “the Jews” wanted to be sure that Jesus was actually dead.57 Thus they requested that the legs of all those crucified would be broken, which would have hastened death. Another reason is that, since the Sabbath was a holy day, the continuing presence of crucified corpses would defile the Sabbath, and thus the Jewish concern of “the bodies remaining on the cross on the sabbath” and their desire that “they might be taken away” to be buried. Pilate having given permission, the soldiers broke the legs of the still-living two men who “had been crucified with him.” Two interesting theological points can be made here. First, although the text speaks of “the cross” (singular), it speaks of the remaining “bodies” (plural), which gives the impression that all three bodies were on one cross. Historically, this was not true, and physically, this is not possible. Is it conceivable that the Evangelist, in employing “cross” in the singular, is pointing out that the only cross that is significant is the one on which Jesus is crucified, and in so doing also implying that, though each criminal was nailed to his own cross, the crucified Jesus died for sinners? Theologically, on the one cross upon which Jesus died all sinners are fastened, for only in being conjoined to the crucified Jesus can sinners be saved, that is, obtaining the forgiveness of their sins. Equally, only by being conjoined to the crucified Jesus can forgiven sinners pass over with him into the eternal life of his Father. Such a theological interpretation finds support in the second point. The two beside Jesus are never identified, and here Jesus himself is not identified—he is just one of three crucified men and so of little account. There is a distinction, however. The other two were crucified “with him.” He was not crucified “with them.” They were crucified with him not only in the sense that they were crucified on the same day and in the same location as Jesus, but that they (symbolically representing all sinners) also died with Jesus in a salvific sense. To die with Jesus, to be united to his death, one is, again, freed from sin and so comes to share in his righteousness. Thus Jesus, while one of three, re57. This concern is also seen in the later hurried burial. “So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they [Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus] laid Jesus there” (Jn 19:42; see also Lk 23:53–56).

It Is Finished   257 mains unique. The other two were crucified for crimes they committed. Jesus was not crucified for any condemnatory crime. He was innocent. Though he was numbered among sinners and sinners were crucified with him, he himself committed no sin, and in his Spirit-filled innocence, he obtained salvation for the whole of sinful humankind.58 Now, when the soldiers, having broken the legs of the two who were crucified with him, “came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.” The soldiers therefore bear historical witness to Jesus’ death. Moreover, the “already” is significant. The other two were still alive and had not yet succumbed to death, so their legs were broken. But Jesus is “already” dead, and the reason is that he actively gave forth his spirit unto his Father and simultaneously breathed forth his Spirit upon his church, and in doing so he intentionally died for the world’s salvation. Unlike the still-living other two, Jesus did not passively succumb to death. Nonetheless, “one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once came out blood and water.” Here the Evangelist narrates the crucial point of this sixth vignette, and so the conclusion of the three seamless scenes that comprise Jesus’ death. John’s narrative statement contains a rich and complex interwoven set of symbols that recall various Old Testament events and prophecies, as well as previous events within John’s Gospel with Jesus’ accompanying words. So, where to begin? The best place to start, I believe, is with the two passages from Scripture that the Evangelist himself provides at the conclusion of his testimony. They are, for John, the conjoined interpretive hermeneutical keys for unlocking the revelational significance of blood and water coming forth from Jesus’ pierced side. Moreover, since this is the third seamless vignette depicting the crucified Jesus, we must convey what was discerned in the first two into what we will now observe in this last scene. So, for the Evangelist, in order that “the scripture” would be fulfilled, blood and water flowed from Jesus’ pierced side. The first is taken from the book of Exodus. The Lord, when instructing Moses concerning the Passover, tells him that when preparing and eating the Passover lamb, “you shall not break a bone of it” (Ex 12:46; see also 12:5 and Num 9:12). Moreover, the psalmist declares that “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all of his bones unbroken” (Ps 34:19). The 58. Such an understanding would be in keeping with Paul’s declaration. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

258   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Passover lamb of old is now recognized as the prefigurement of the crucified Jesus, who presently fulfills what the former lamb anticipated.59 Again, he is, as the Baptist proclaimed, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the World.” This is what the reader is to behold when he or she gazes upon the blood and water flowing from Jesus’ pierced side. Moreover, the flow of blood and water bears witness that, as the Father’s Lamb, Jesus is the one upon whom “the Spirit remained,” and he is therefore the Christ who “baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” These proclamations confirm the Baptist’s testimony that Jesus is “Son of God” (Jn 1:29–34). Likewise, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and who baptizes with the poured-out-life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ poured-out blood is the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. The water and the blood that flow from Jesus’ pierced side symbolize the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, both of which conjoin the believer to Jesus, for, as at the changing of the water into wine, baptism, by its very nature, ushers one into communion with Jesus in the Eucharist. Thus Jesus himself literally embodies the new and living covenant. He who is baptized in the poured-out-Spirit-filled waters drinks of the wellspring of eternal life, and he who drinks of the poured-out-Spirit-filled blood of the Eucharist abides in Jesus and Jesus abides in him, and so possesses eternal life (see Jn 6:55). Although the crucified Jesus has experienced the afflictions that befall the righteous, as the psalmist declares, not one of his bones is broken. As the righteous one, Jesus is the Father’s beloved Messianic Lamb who has passed over from death to life, and what is now beheld, in the flowing blood and water, is the Spirit-filled fruit of that passage from death to life—the re-creation of humankind.60 At this juncture, we can seamlessly tie together the first and second vignettes with the third. In the first, Jesus gives Mary, the icon of the church, 59. Paul declares that the Corinthians must cast out all sin from their midst, “for Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor 5:7). 60. The Letter to the Hebrews declares that God’s covenant with Moses has been perfected in Jesus, for “Christ has obtained a ministry which is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises” (Heb 8:6). Moreover, because of the new covenant, of which Jeremiah prophesies, the first covenant is “becoming obsolete and growing old” and “is ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13). The reason is that Jesus “entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” If the blood of animals purified the flesh, “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Heb 9:12–14; see also 9:28).

It Is Finished   259 to his beloved disciple, he who is to care for Mary, the church. In the second, Jesus, in his salvific thirst, breathes forth his spirit unto his Father, and in that same breath he breathes forth his Spirit upon the church, symbolized in Mary and John who stand beneath the cross. Thus in the breath of the Spirit, the Spirit that gives life to the church, Jesus, as the great high priest, now pours forth from his own pierced side the Spirit-filled blood and water that will enliven his church throughout the ages. Every time the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist are celebrated, the church is being take up into the enacted final hour of Jesus’ new and everlasting Passover, the liturgy wherein he offers himself to his Father as the perfect Passover lamb of sacrifice, and so his passing over from death to life. In the baptismal liturgy the faithful pass from death to life, for they are subsumed into the hour of Jesus’ own Spirit-filled passing over from death to life. Having passed over into the risen Jesus, the faithful are then empowered to celebrate the Eucharistic Passover liturgy. Conjoining themselves to Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice, the baptized are able to partake of his risen given-up body and drink of his risen poured-out blood. Thus the saving Passover hour of Jesus’ death and resurrection is the ever-present hour wherein the church celebrates the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. Through his church, Jesus will baptize in the Holy Spirit all who come to believe in him, and through the church, Jesus will make present his risen given-up body and risen poured-out blood. Moreover, it will be Jesus’ ever-present beloved disciples who will administer and protect these saving and life-giving sacraments, for they are the foundational sacramental actions that make the church the one living church of Jesus Christ, the Father’s risen incarnate Son.61 In the outpouring of blood and water, Jesus therefore becomes the new Adam from whose side the new Eve, the church symbolized in Mary, comes forth, and equally the church, as the new Eve, becomes the espoused bride of Christ, the new mother of all of the living. The church is “the helper” fit for Jesus, for she is “bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh” (Gn 3:20–23).62 Thus in 61. Paul writes that as a body is one with many members, “so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:12–13). The church, the body of Christ, becomes one by drinking of the one Spirit—the baptismal water that flowed from Christ’s pierced side. 62. In his Letter to the Ephesians, Paul exhorts husbands to love their wives “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Husbands are to nourish and cherish their wives “as Christ does the church, because we are

260   Passion and Resurrection Narratives the flow of blood and water that comes forth from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus, Jesus definitively becomes Jesus—YHWH-Saves, for he has given to his church, his bride, the fullness of salvation. Here, too, as Jesus hangs lifeless on the cross, we behold, then, the full incarnate glory of the only begotten Son of the Father, he who possesses grace upon grace. Moreover, in beholding the glory of the Father’s crucified Son, we also behold the Father, for “the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father” has here, on the cross, made him fully known—the Father who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 1:14, 1:18, and 3:16). Now, it may seem, after all of the above, that no more can be said concerning the blood and water that flows from the pierced side of Jesus, yet the Evangelist’s second quote intensifies and expands the symbolism of what we have already come to learn. So, John states that “another scripture says, ‘They will look on him whom they have pierced.’ ” This passage is taken from the book of the prophet Zechariah, where God declares through him: [On the day of the Lord] I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication, so that, when they look on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a first born. (Zec 12:10)

Moreover, “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness” (Zec 13:1). On the day of the Lord’s salvation, the day when the Lord’s anointed, the Messiah, appears, on that day the Lord God, YHWH, will pour out on the house of David and upon those who dwell in Jerusalem “a spirit of compassion and supplication.” This day is now fulfilled, for the crucified Jesus, as the Davidic King of the Jews, presently manifests his Father’s compassion, and he does so through his own sacrificial supplication as the Father’s incarnate Spirit-anointed Son. Moreover, on this day of supplicatory mercy, the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will look upon the one whom they members of his body.” In marriage, a husband and wife become one flesh. “This [marriage] is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the church” (Eph 5:25–33). On the cross, Jesus, out of love for his church, gave himself up for the church and so wedded the church to himself, having cleansed her of all sin through the baptismal waters that flowed from his pierced side. Members of the church therefore become one body, one flesh, in Christ. Thus marriage is the living icon of this Christic-ecclesial mystery.

It Is Finished   261 themselves have pierced, the very one who cleanses “them from sin and uncleanness.” Though they have, in their sin, pierced the crucified Jesus, they, in faith, will mourn for him in repentance and faith, and their bitter mourning will be like the mourning for an “only child,” as for a “first born.” That only child, that first born, is Jesus the only begotten Son of the Father, and it is over the death of this incarnate Son, that they will weep. This bitter weeping is, then, a weeping over the fact that they have pierced him who has poured out upon them God’s spirit of compassion and mercy, the breath of the Holy Spirit. Yet that weeping is a joyful weeping, for from the opened side of Jesus flows “a fountain” of Spirit-filled life—the living waters of eternal life. This twofold weeping is ultimately the weeping of repentance—the mournful sorrow for their sins, and in that faith-filled repentant weeping they are cleansed of the uncleanliness of sin and death. Thus in beholding the pierced side of Jesus, one beholds, for John, all that Jesus taught Nicodemus concerning the need to be born anew in the Holy Spirit, all that pertains to baptism. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:6). To enter God’s kingdom, the everlasting Davidic kingdom, one must be born anew, through the Spirit-filled waters of baptism, into the living Jesus himself, the King of the Jews. Moreover, in his thirst, Jesus requested from the Samaritan woman a drink. When she demurred, Jesus replied, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would give you living water” (Jn 4:9–10). What Jesus prophetically proclaimed to the Samaritan woman he now fulfills on the cross. Jesus pours out from his pierced side the living waters, for “whoever drinks of this [Jacob’s well] water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the waters that I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:13–14). Jesus is therefore the new Jacob’s well, and so greater than Jacob, for he is the deeper well, the well from which one draws forth, from the depths of his pierced side, the Holy Spirit (see Jn 4:11–12). What transpires between Jesus and the Samaritan woman anticipates what Jesus declares later on the last day of the feast of Tabernacles. “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ”63 The Evangelist adds 63. There is no exact scriptural quotation that Jesus is reciting. The closest is a collation of passages from Isaiah: “For I [God] will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the

262   Passion and Resurrection Narratives an aside. “Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (Jn 7:37–39). Those who believe that Jesus is the Father’s incarnate Son will come to him in their thirst for salvation, and they will receive, according to the Scripture, the living waters of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit, as promised to the Samarian woman, will well up from within the believer’s very heart. Now, as noted in Jesus Becoming Jesus, volume 2, Jesus’ quote from Scripture is ambiguous.64 It can be translated, as above, where the living water flows out from within the heart of the believer, or it can be translated where the living water flows out from within the heart of Jesus. Given what is now being presented on the cross, I am convinced that Jesus (John) purposely allowed this ambiguity. For, as we presently see, the baptismal waters of the Holy Spirit flow out from within the pierced side of the crucified Jesus, he who is now glorified, and these same rivers of Spirit-filled baptismal waters will well up from within the heart of the believer. The fullness of the Spirit that resides in Jesus’ heart is the same fullness of the Spirit that resides within the heart of those who believe and are baptized.65 Moreover, the passage in Zechariah, concerning the beholding of the one “whom they have pierced,” also alludes to Moses striking the rock in the desert from which waters came forth. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you from this rock?” And Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank and their catdry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring” (Is 44:3). “Lo, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters” (Is 55:1). God will guide his people so that “you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (Is 58:11). 64. For my theological interpretation of this passage as it occurs in its proper context of Jn 7:37–39, see JBJ 2:271–72. 65. Within the Catholic doctrinal tradition, there arose devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This devotion was inspired by the Johannine depiction of blood and water coming forth from Jesus’ pierced side. Jesus’ pierced heart manifested the fullness of his love and mercy—love and mercy that came forth from his very heart. To enter into the heart of Jesus is to experience the fullness of his crucified love and the fullness of his crucified forgiveness and mercy. The French saint Sr. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–90), to whom Jesus appeared displaying his pierced heart, popularized this devotion within the church. More recently, the Polish saint Sr. Faustina Kowalski (1904–38) promoted devotion to Jesus of Divine Mercy. Jesus appeared to Sr. Faustina displaying red and white rays emanating from his pierced side. Again, Jesus’ love and mercy are manifested in the blood and water that comes forth from his pierced heart.

It Is Finished   263 tle. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel contended with the Lord and he showed himself holy among them. (Nm 20:10–13; see also Ex 17:1–7)

The Israelites grumbled to Moses that they did not have any water. Upon the Lord’s instructions, Moses struck the rock, and an abundance of water came forth, enough not only to quench the thirst of the people but also that of their cattle. But Moses, it appears, was not confident that what the Lord commanded him to do would happen, for with his staff, he struck the rock twice— as if striking the rock twice was more effective than striking it once. For this lack of faith, Moses was forbidden to enter the promised land. Upon the cross, Jesus’ side is struck once, and in the desert of sin and death, water came forth from his side—the ever-flowing waters of baptism, the ever-living waters that will quench the world’s thirst for salvation until the end of time, for Jesus is the living rock of the world’s salvation, he who grants to all entry into the heavenly promised land.66 My hope in the above was to present in a logical and clear manner a full, or close to a full, theological account of what is contained in the Evangelist’s narrative of the blood and water coming forth from the pierced side of the 66. Paul perceives Jesus as the life-giving rock. I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same supernatural food and all drank of the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (1 Cor 10:1–4) Although Numbers and Exodus speak of a material unmovable rock, later rabbinic traditions saw this water-giving rock as following the Israelites throughout their journey to the Promised Land. Paul, employing this legend, perceived that the true spiritual rock that followed the Israelites was Jesus, for in him the faithful are baptized and so drink of the Spirit-filled life-giving waters that flow from him. The Song of Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy frequently acclaims God as the Rock of salvation (see Dt 32). In Psalm 89, God professes that he has made a covenant with his servant David, a covenant wherein David’s kingdom will last forever. “He [David] shall cry out to me, ‘Thou are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him” (Ps 89:26–28). Jesus, the first born of the Father as his only begotten Son, is the highest king, the everlasting King of the Jews, and in him God’s covenant will stand firm. It should also be noted that the water flowing from the side of Jesus recalls the miracle signs of the healing of the man at the pool of Bethsaida and the healing of the blind man at the pool of Siloam, both of which contain baptismal imagery.

264   Passion and Resurrection Narratives crucified Jesus. The Evangelist himself considered this to be an extremely important event, for he emphatically confirms its truth. He declares that he himself “saw it” and has “borne witness” to it,” and he assures the reader that “his testimony is true.” He “knows that he tells the truth,” and he has told the truth so that the reader “also may believe,” that is, not only what John himself believes but “you,” the reader of his Gospel, may also believe.67 Here lies a twofold question. Who is the “you,” and what is the “you” to “believe” in oneness with what John himself believes? Obviously, the “you” is every reader of John’s Gospel—readers throughout the ages. But I also think that the Evangelist, in accord with what I have mentioned on other occasions, has his contemporary and future Jewish brethren particularly in mind. The hermeneutical keys that John provides for grasping the revelational truth contained in the flow of blood and water that comes forth from the side of Jesus are both specifically from the Old Testament and not simply from what John had previously narrated within his Gospel—Jesus’ miracle signs and teaching. The Evangelist wants to bear witness, he wants to testify to the truth that what he himself saw was the fulfillment of “the scripture,” and in that fulfillment his desire is that his Jewish brethren would come to believe as himself, a Jew, believes. But again, what is to be believed by both Jew and Gentile alike? Briefly put, what is to be believed is that Jesus is the Rock of our salvation, for as the Passover lamb of sacrifice, he is himself the new and living covenant wherein he has breathed forth his life-giving Spirit and from his pierced side has come forth the Spirit-filled waters of baptism and the Spirit-filled blood of the Eucharist, the foundational sacraments of the church. Thus Jesus has espoused to himself the renewed and new Israel, and in so doing he has become the King of the Jews, the king of the everlasting Davidic kingdom, in which all nations can now find salvation. But all of this salvific work could only be accomplished, and this is ultimately what is to be believed, if Jesus is the Father’s eternal Word incarnate, for only if the man Jesus is the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son, the Messiah, could he accomplish such a marvelous saving work—only from the pierced side of the Father’s incarnate Messianic Son could life-giving blood and water flow. Again, as the Evangelist later declares, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this 67. At the end of chapter 21, which is more than likely an addendum to the Gospel, the Evangelist echoes what he declares concerning the veracity of the blood and water flowing from Jesus’ side. He states that he is “the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true” (Jn 21:24).

It Is Finished   265 book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (Jn 20:30–31).68

The Father’s Testimony to His Son According to the Evangelist, something so important is being revealed that he speaks of it in his First Letter, especially, again, in relation to who Jesus is and belief in him. He rhetorically asks, “Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with water only but with water and blood. And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth. There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.69

The above is a complex and multilayered set of interrelated declarations. First, those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God have overcome the world—Satan’s world of sin and death (see Jn 12:31 and 16:11). The cause of their conquest is that Jesus Christ, as the incarnate Son of God, “came by water and blood,” and not simply “by water only.” Jesus began his ministry by being baptized by John in the Jordan, and through the waters of John’s baptism the Spirit came and remained upon him, thus designating him the Christ, and as such, the Baptist is able to testify that Jesus “is the Son of God” (Jn 1:33–34). 68. Unlike John’s Gospel, the Synoptics do not narrate blood and water coming forth from the pierced side of Jesus. Nonetheless, what the Evangelist wants the reader to believe is precisely what the centurion proclaimed upon witnessing Jesus’ death—“Truly, this was the Son of God!” (Mt 27:54); “Truly, this man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15:39); “Certainly this man was innocent!” (Lk 23:48). Because the man Jesus never sinned, he is the truly innocent, and his innocence is due to his being the Son of God. Thus John narrates his account of the flow of blood and water as theological confirmation of what the centurion proclaims within the one kerygmatic tradition as found within the three Synoptic Gospels. Presumably, the centurion who proclaims Jesus to be the Son of God is the same centurion who pierced his side, and in that piercing of Jesus’ side he came to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. The centurion’s testimony therefore coincides with John’s own testimony, for they both saw and bore witness to what is true. 69. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from 1 Jn 5:5–12 unless otherwise noted.

266   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Moreover, having been commissioned by his Father to begin his ministry, the onset of his hour, that ministry finds its fulfillment in Jesus’ pouring out his blood on the cross and particularly from his pierced side, the completing of his hour. Thus Jesus’ baptism, his being designated the Christ, is necessarily conjoined to the pouring out of his blood on the cross. Jesus’ Spirit-commissioned baptism in the Jordan directs him, ushers him, to its completion in the outpouring of his blood.70 This is ultimately the baptism he must undergo (see Lk 12:50). Second, the Spirit, who proceeds from the Father, bears witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, for the Spirit is the Spirit of truth (see Jn 14:16 and 15:26). Thus there are three witnesses who testify as to who Jesus is— the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree. Within the Old Testament, three witnesses were needed to uphold a charge of criminal activity (see Dt 19:15). False witnesses made criminal charges against Jesus, however; “the testimony of God is greater,” for he has borne witness through the Spirit, the water, and the blood that Jesus is his Son and therefore innocent of any wrongdoing. These three witnesses testify that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messianic Savior of the world. But how do these three witnesses bear witness to Jesus? Here, we perceive the second layer of symbolism within the Evangelist’s declarations. Third, not only does Jesus come by water and blood—that is, by way of his baptism and his death—but he also comes by water and blood within the crucifixion itself, for water and blood came forth from his pierced side. Here, water and blood find their symbolic fulfillment, for they parallel Jesus’ own coming in water and blood. Having breathed forth his Spirit upon the world (and particularly upon Mary, the iconic church), Jesus now pours out his Spirit-filled water and Spirit-filled blood upon the church, that is, the foundational life-giving sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. The church, as does Jesus, now “comes by water and blood.” As the waters of baptism led Jesus to pour out his blood on the cross, so the faithful, upon being baptized, are ushered into the Eucharist—the partaking of Jesus’ risen body and blood. Without the Eucharist, baptism is in a sense incomplete, for the purpose of being baptized into Christ is to make possible the further fuller mutual abiding of the baptized and Christ within the Eucharist.71 Thus these three witnesses—the 70. Peter believed that Jesus was the Christ. What he failed to grasp is that for Jesus to be the Spirit-anointed Messiah inherently demands that he must suffer and die—that his coming in water demands that he also comes in blood (see Mk 8:29–33 and parallels). 71. Again, as was mentioned a number of times previously, the above is in keeping with the

It Is Finished   267 Spirit, the water, and the blood—are the Father’s testimony that Jesus is his anointed Messianic Son.72 Fourth, these three witnesses, as found within baptism and the Eucharist, bear testimony to Jesus’ Messianic Sonship within the believer. “He who believes in the Son of God has testimony within himself,” for the believer, having been baptized, born anew, in Christ is ushered into full communion with the risen Jesus within the Eucharist. This Spirit-abiding relationship with Jesus is the abiding testimony within the believer. The nonbeliever makes God out to be a liar “because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son”—the nonbeliever possesses no inner testimony because he does not abide in Christ and so possesses no conscious awareness that Jesus is the Father’s Son. What, then, is the Father’s testimony? Fifth, “this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.” For John, the loving Father’s entire goal in sending his Son into the world is to give eternal life through his Son—he who possesses eternal life as the incarnate I AM (see Jn 3:16 and 5:24). Likewise, Jesus came by water in his Spirit-commissioning baptism and by blood in his crucifixion so that he who believes in Jesus as the Father’s Son abides in him through baptism and Eucharist, and thus partakes of eternal life. “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:14). “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life within you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (Jn 6:53–54).73 symbolism contained in the changing of water into wine at Cana. Baptism, with its abundant life-giving waters, finds its completion in the fullness of life in the Eucharist. 72. In chapter 5 of John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of the witnesses that testify on his behalf— including the Baptist and the Scriptures. However, Jesus declares: “But the testimony is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me” (Jn 5:36–37; see also 8:18 and 10:25). The breathing forth of his Spirit along with the pouring out of blood and water from the cross, these are the saving works that bear witness that the Father sent him as his incarnate Son. The Father’s witness that Jesus is his Son resides in Jesus doing his Father’s works, for only one who is the Father’s Son could do the Father’s works. 73. While John here speaks of the Father bearing witness to Jesus as his Son through the testimony of the Spirit, water and blood, John himself is also bearing witness to his own inner testimony, for, in believing that Jesus is the Father’s Son, he “has that testimony in himself.” The Evangelist first bore witness to blood and water coming forth from the pierced side

268   Passion and Resurrection Narratives

Concluding the Sixth Vignette Before moving to the Evangelist’s narrative of Jesus’s burial, and by way of concluding his account of Jesus’ death, I wish to make three further brief points. First, I have emphasized that the Evangelist’s narrative of Jesus’ crucifixion and death is composed of seven vignettes. These seven distinct scenes correspond to the seven days of creation as found in Genesis 1. Each vignette, then, portrays an aspect of Jesus’ saving action upon the cross, his re-creating the world that has fallen prey to sin and death. The first three vignettes, in a cruciform fashion, depict what is taking place surrounding Jesus—the saving of the two who were crucified along with Jesus; the declaration that Jesus of Nazareth is the King of the Jews; and the casting of lots over Jesus’ “high priestly” seamless garment. Thus Jesus, as the great high priest, is offering himself for the salvation of sinful humankind and so becomes the King of the Jews. The following three vignettes focus on Jesus himself in relation to those who are standing close beneath his cross, particularly Mary and John. Having given them to one another, Jesus breathes forth his spirit unto his Faof Jesus, that is, to the historical accuracy of the event. “He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth—that you may believe” (Jn 19:35). Here, in his First Letter, John bears testimony to the same truth, but now from within himself—as a believer who abides within the very mystery of the outpoured water and blood—from within his experience of baptism and the Eucharist. As I offered previously when treating of John’s first witness, so I offer the same suggestion here. John, in his First Letter, is not simply wanting to confirm his readers’ faith in Jesus as the Son of God, but he also wishes to elicit faith from his unbelieving Jewish brethren. The entire “Letter” is more a treatise on the proper understanding of the Incarnation, that Jesus is truly the Messianic Son of God existing as an authentic man, and therefore in him is eternal life. Such a robust presentation was probably caused by those who denied the Incarnation, either by those who denied the full divinity of Jesus or those who denied his authentic humanity. These disbelievers could have easily been Jews. John, as a Jewish believer, is then bearing witness to what he himself believes and knows to be true, for he now abides in Jesus himself. It is then not surprising that John’s final comment is “He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.” John’s ardent desire is that his Jewish brethren have the Son and so have life. In Jn 3:31–36, it is unclear who is speaking, the Baptist, Jesus, or the Evangelist. I have argued that Jesus is speaking the words that the Evangelist has placed in his mouth, words that express Jesus’ own thoughts (see JBJ 2:144–45). At the end of this monologue, “Jesus/John” declares: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him” (Jn 3:36). What is expressed here parallels what John writes in his First Letter—to believe in the Son is to possess eternal life. Not to believe leads to death and the wrath of God. The latter is what the Evangelist does not want his Jewish brethren to experience.

It Is Finished   269 ther and in that same breath breathes out his Spirit upon Mary and John. In so doing, Jesus brings to life and so espouses his church, symbolized in the ecclesial union of Mary and John. Lastly, blood and water come forth from Jesus’ pierced side and so bestow upon his church the foundational sacraments that make the church his church, the sacraments wherein he will, through his church, continue his work of salvation. In these last acts, Jesus completes his Father’s saving work and so accomplishes the re-creation of humankind, a re-creation that the church embodies and will foster unto the end of time. Second, in communion with Jesus, Mary, as the icon of the church, holds pride of place with her son in this second series of seamless vignettes. Jesus began his “hour” at Mary’s request at the marriage feast of Cana, and in so doing, Jesus commenced his work of establishing his church. This miracle sign of changing water into wine prophetically symbolized the sacramental blood and water that now has come forth from Jesus’ side, the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. It is upon Mary, the icon of the church, that Jesus’ blood and water flowed, and so what Mary, who initiated the making of the church at Cana, now becomes, at Jesus’ final hour, now becomes the icon of its living fulfillment. Thus Mary, the church, bookends Jesus’ “hour,” the beginning and the end. All that Jesus says and does throughout his intervening ministry anticipates and leads to his final hour, the completing of his Father’s salvific work, that is, the bringing to life the church. The church, then, is central to John’s Gospel, for it embodies Jesus’ work of re-creation, the making of all things new in him. As the Father created all that exists through his eternal Word, so he now re-creates all through his incarnate Word, and in so doing we see the glory of the Father’s only begotten Son. Third, within all of the above six vignettes, the Evangelist portrays Jesus becoming Jesus—YHWH-Saves. Upon his death, Jesus has, in loving obedience, finished his Father’s saving work and so has definitively become Jesus. What may not have been so obvious but is present throughout is that what Jesus enacted in his death on the cross simultaneously contained his resurrection. It is the crucified and risen Jesus who breathes forth his Spirit upon the church, and it is the blood and water of the crucified and risen Jesus that came forth from his side that fell upon Mary and John, thus giving birth to his church. For the Evangelist, Jesus’ death and resurrection are one conjoined, simultaneous act. The lifting up of Jesus upon the cross is equally the lifting up of Jesus unto his resurrection. Thus the resurrection fruit of Jesus’ death on the cross is immediately made present—Jesus is empowered to breathe forth,

270   Passion and Resurrection Narratives in his last dying breath, his life-giving Spirit within the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. Within these same crucified and risen acts, Jesus enacts his name, for in these conjoined acts the world is freed from the bondage of sin and death and re-created and made new. Having completed his Father’s work of re-creation, Jesus, in John’s seventh vignette, is taken down from the cross and buried. He takes his Sabbath rest. With the Evangelist, we can now turn to this final scene.

There Was a Garden Immediately following his testimony that blood and water came out of Jesus’ pierced side, the Evangelist states: After this Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who had first come to him at night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ worth. They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.74

Joseph of Arimathea is mentioned in all four Gospel accounts. Matthew states that he was a “rich man” who “was a disciple of Jesus” (Mt 27:57). Mark notes that he was “a respected member of the council, and was also himself looking for the kingdom of God” (Mk 15:43). Luke also mentions that he was a member of the council and adds that he was “a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their [the council’s] purpose and deed, and he was looking for the kingdom of God” (Lk 23:50–51). The Evangelist does not mention his wealth or his membership in the council, but he does specify that his discipleship was secret, “for fear of the Jews.”75 So, after his death, Joseph “asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus,” to which request “Pilate gave him leave.” Mark remarks that such a request “took courage” on Joseph’s part, presumably because it would make evident his “secret” discipleship (Mk 15:43).76 Having received Pilate’s permis74. All Scripture quotations in this section are taken from Jn 19:38–42 unless otherwise noted. 75. Others were also fearful of speaking favorably of Jesus “for fear of the Jews” (Jn 7:13). While the following may not apply to Joseph, John previously stated, “Nevertheless many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (Jn 12:42–43). 76. Interestingly, within Mark’s account, upon hearing Joseph’s request for the body of

It Is Finished   271 sion, Joseph “came and took away his body.” Here, the reader is told of another collaborator in the burial of Jesus. “Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him at night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound’s weight. They took the body of Jesus, bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.”77 Thus when night was approaching and so when the new Sabbath day was at hand, two of his secret disciples came to take down Jesus’ body and bury it. What was being enacted, though Nicodemus would not have realized it, is Jesus’ own words to him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:3). Jesus, having assumed the sinful flesh (sarx) of Adam, must be born anew, and this buried flesh will rise anew, giving birth to a new humanity. In that rising gloriously from the dead, Jesus will “see the kingdom of God,” for he will himself embody the kingdom of God as the King of the Jews. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (Jn 3:6). “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man” (Jn 3:13). In becoming man, in being born of the flesh, the Son of God became the Son of man, and shortly the Son of man will ascend into heaven, being born anew of the Spirit as the glorious incarnate Son of God. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus may have thought that they were performing their final act of love for Jesus, that of burying his dead body, but their act of love is merely the necessary prelude to his resurrection, the dawning of the new creation. Together, then, Joseph and Nicodemus “took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.”78 The Jesus, Pilate “wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph” (Mk 15:44–45). The importance of the centurion is evident. He is the “objective” Roman historical figure who verifies, here for the second time, that Jesus truly died. No one can deny the death of Jesus, and this certification is the basis of his resurrection—that the truly dead Jesus rose gloriously from the dead. Moreover, in demanding to know whether the one he declared “the King of the Jews” was “already” dead, Pilate, as with the centurion, guaranteed that the dead King of the Jews is, in his resurrection, the living and life-giving King of the Jews. What Pilate has written he has written, and it is fulfilled in a manner he never anticipated. Who would have thought that the dead King of the Jews would rise from the dead? Yet it is only in his resurrection that Jesus truly becomes the King of the Jews. 77. Although Nicodemus did first come secretively to Jesus at night, he later defended Jesus before the Pharisees. “Does our law judge a man without giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” To which they replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee” (Jn 7:51–52). A prophet, the Word incarnate, will arise from Galilee and in a risen manner that they do not expect. 78. The Synoptic Gospels do not have an account of Jesus’ body being anointed prior to

272   Passion and Resurrection Narratives use of spices was a sign of respect as well as means to stifle the smell of decay. But unlike Lazarus’s body that lay in his tomb for four days, and so would have smelled, Jesus’ body will remain buried for only three days (see Jn 11:39). The decay and stench of death will not touch him, for on the cross Jesus, God’s holy lamb of sacrifice, freed humankind from sin and so from the stench of death that is sin’s curse.79 In the resurrection, Jesus will be the first to reap the benefit of his own saving death. With the preparation for burial completed, Joseph and Nicodemus perform the burial itself. “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.”80 With the sun low in the sky and the Sabbath imminent, mere expediency forced Joseph and Nicodemus to bury Jesus’ body in a tomb “close at hand.” In a sense, they were lucky that Joseph’s new tomb was near to where Jesus was crucified. Where they laid Jesus’ body is of revelatory significance, however. It is not a mere fortunate happenstance. Here we must recall that the Evangelist began his Passion Narrative with Jesus and his disciples leaving the Last Supper in the darkness of night. They headed east and crossed the Kidron Valley, where they entered a garden (see Jn 18:1). As we commented at the time, this garden is unnamed, though in Matthew and Mark it is called Gethsemane, and Luke refers to it as the Mount of Olives (see Mt 26:30 and 26:36, Mk 14:26 and 14:32, and Lk 22:39). We perceived that, for John, the term “garden” suggests the primordial garden that God planted in Eden and into which God placed Adam (see Gn 2:7–8). In that idyllic garden, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree of the knowledge burial. Mark’s Gospel notes that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where Jesus was laid, and then, after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome return to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body (see Mk 15:47–16:1). Luke states that the women who came from Galilee saw where Jesus was laid, after which they left and “prepared spices and anointments.” At dawn after the Sabbath, “they went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared” (Lk 23:55–24:1). 79. In Psalm 16, the psalmist, since God is always with him, declares: “Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your godly one to see the Pit” (Ps 16:9–10). In his Pentecost “sermon,” Peter quotes from Psalm 16—that God will not let “his Holy One see corruption” (Acts 2:27 and 2:31). Paul also quotes the same verse when preaching in the synagogue at Antioch (see Acts 13:35). 80. Matthew informs the reader that Joseph laid the body “in his own new tomb” (Mt 27:60). Luke’s Gospel notes, like John’s, that undoubtedly no one had ever been laid in the tomb, because it is Joseph’s own new tomb (see Lk 23:53).

It Is Finished   273 of good and evil, and in so doing, as God warned, they died. God expelled them from the Garden of Eden “lest he [the man] put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Gn 2:22). We also previously noted that in the Prologue, God created all that is through his eternal divine Word—the life-giving light, a light that darkness cannot overcome (see Jn 1:2–5). Adam and Eve’s sin brought the darkness of evil into God’s good creation. Thus the first garden that God planted, along with the sinful race of Adam that God had placed therein, needed to be re-created—born anew. Thus, at the onset of his passion and death, Jesus, as the incarnate Word, enters into “a garden”—the dark garden of sin and death, but he does so that he might re-create his Father’s garden, that is, freeing humankind from sin and death and once more breathing upon creation the new and eternal life of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has now completed his Father’s work of re-creation, for his cross has become the tree of life from which Adam’s fallen race can now pick the fruit of life, that is, Jesus Christ himself. Moreover, as Jesus entered a garden at the onset of his passion and death so his body, the body through and in which the Word incarnate completed his Father’s work of re-creation, is now buried in a garden. But the new grave in this garden is not a grave of the old sin-ridden and death-decayed fallen creation, for none of fallen Adam’s race has ever been buried therein. The one to be buried in this new tomb in this garden may have died as a son of fallen Adam, but having offered himself to his Father as the perfect, all-holy sacrifice, he will be buried in a tomb that will know no decay, a tomb from which he, as the new Adam, will create a new heavenly paradise of eternal life. This “new tomb” is the last tomb of death, for it will become the “new tomb” from which Jesus will rise gloriously—as the resurrection and the life, he will literally embody the new creation. All who believe in Jesus as the Father’s Son and are born anew in the Holy Spirit will rise from the graves from which they were buried.81 Jesus will become the life-giving light, a light that the darkness of sin and death cannot overcome. There is, then, a progression of gardens—the primordial garden of God’s good creation, the dark garden of sin and death, and now the garden wherein Jesus is buried. From this garden, however, as we will see, there will bud forth a new garden of life. As he, God’s eternal Word, was the gardener of the first creation, so Jesus, the Father’s incarnate Word, will now become the gardener of the new creation. 81. Paul also sees Jesus’ grave as important. “Do you not know that all of us have been baptized into Christ Jesus? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into his death, so that by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:3–4).

274   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Significantly, moreover, this garden with this new grave “close at hand”— that is, near the cross upon which Jesus died—is revelatory. This close-at-handedness, this conjoining of the cross and grave suggests that there is an intrinsic salvific relationship between Jesus’ death and resurrection. Actually, Jesus’ resurrection from the new garden tomb that was close at hand is the effect of his salvific death on the nearby cross. Jesus’ death and resurrection are one conjoined saving act, the significance of each is found in relationship to the other—without the cross there would be no resurrection, and without the resurrection, the cross would not have brought forth new life. They perichoretically inhere in one another, for together they enact the end of the old creation and the beginning of the new creation.82 So, with the tomb “close at hand,” “they laid Jesus there.” Having completed his Father’s work on the Passover, Jesus, and not just his body, is taking his Sabbath rest. Thus the seven vignettes that comprise the Evangelist’s account of Jesus’ death come to an end. The next eighth-day scene will be the first and everlasting day of the new creation. Before turning to that day, a few summary comments are in order.

Conclusion My intent in this lengthy chapter has been to examine each of the various threads that comprise the Evangelist’s entire tapestry of Jesus’ saving death, that is, to behold the multiple events and actions with all the theological symbolism that they beautifully contain. I have done so with the same intent as John—that we may believe in Jesus as the Father’s Messianic incarnate Son. With the above in mind, I want to highlight several theological points. First, the importance of acts must not be underestimated. All seven of the vignettes within John’s account of Jesus’ death narrate actions and the saving significance of those actions: (1) the act of the other two being crucified with Jesus, and his dying for their and the world’s salvation; (2) the prophetic act of Pilate proclaiming that Jesus of Nazareth is the King of the Jews, and thus 82. Since the time of Helen (335 AD), the mother of the emperor Constantine, there has been a church encompassing both sites—over Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, and over the garden and tomb where Jesus was buried. I do not know whether it was intentional, but in placing both sites under one roof/dome, the church itself becomes a symbol of the sequential unity between the cross and the resurrection—they encompass one seamless saving act. Moreover, the church itself is founded upon and composed of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and to abide in the church is to partake of the life-giving fruit of Jesus’s death and resurrection.

It Is Finished   275 his kingship is being enacted on the cross; (3) the act of the soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ high priestly seamless garment, and thus designating that Jesus, the high priest, is lovingly offering his holy life to his Father; (4) the act of Jesus giving Mary to John and John to Mary, and thus the act of the crucified Jesus founding his church; (5) the act of Jesus breathing forth his spirit unto his Father, and thus, in that same breath, his breathing forth of his life-giving Spirit upon his church, symbolized in Mary and John; (6) the act of blood and water coming forth from Jesus’ pierced side, and thus bestowing upon his church the life-giving sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist; and (7) the act of Jesus’ burial, and thus the act that manifests that Jesus has completed his Father’s work of re-creation and is now taking his Sabbath rest. Together, all of these completed seamlessly conjoined actions comprise the whole of the world’s salvation. Second, although Jesus, as the Son of God, is the focus of all of these saving acts, his Father and the Holy Spirit are also intricately involved in these salvific actions. Jesus is, in obedience, performing his Father’s saving acts. The Father is acting through his incarnate Son, and so the Son is enacting his Father’s works. Moreover, the Father empowers Jesus, his Son, to enact his saving works through the Holy Spirit. As the Father’s anointed Messiah, Jesus, in the love of the Father, performs the Father’s acts, and because the Son performs his saving acts, the Father loves him in the love of the Spirit. Thus the persons of the Trinity together perichoretically enact the work of salvation. Moreover, then, through the actions of Jesus, his Son, the Father is YHWH-Saves. Likewise, that all the saving acts are enacted in the love of the Holy Spirit means that the Holy Spirit is YHWH-Saves. Since Jesus enacts his Father’s saving works in the love and power of the Holy Spirit, he is YHWH-Saves. As the one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are YHWH-Saves. Now, only in Jesus enacting his name, YHWH-Saves, only in the course of Jesus becoming Jesus does the Father and the Holy Spirit fully contribute to humankind’s salvation, for Jesus only becomes Savior in communion with them. In completing his Father’s work on the cross with, in, and through the Holy Spirit, Jesus definitively becomes Jesus, and in so doing, the entire Trinity completes the work of salvation. Third, although the Trinity is enacting the work of salvation, all of the contributing acts are human acts. It is the man Jesus, as the Father’s Messianic Son, who enacts these saving actions humanly. The Evangelist’s entire narrative of Jesus’ death is incarnational. All the actions that Jesus, the Father’s

276   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Son, enacts in the first six vignettes are done humanly, thus accentuating the truth of the Incarnation. They are theandric actions—divine saving deeds enacted humanly. Moreover, one is called to believe that the authentic man Jesus, whose human side was pierced and from whose side flowed out actual blood and water, is none other than the Son of God. Only in these human actions is humankind saved—men and women with flesh and blood. Only in these human actions is the whole of material creation made new. Although the Father created everything through his eternal Son, he re-created all through his incarnate Son. Similarly, one can only reap the benefits of Jesus’ death if one is united to his risen humanity, for his risen humanity embodies all the saving graces—everlasting communion with the Father through the indwelling Spirit.83 In his narrative of Jesus’ death, the Evangelist provides his theological interpretation of that saving event from the perspective of the cross. The glory of the only begotten Son of the Father radiates from the darkness of the cross, and this crucified glory will give rise to the glory of the resurrection. The Evangelist will now proceed to give his theological interpretation of Jesus’ salvific deeds from the perspective of Jesus’ resurrection and the life-giving Spirit that is breathed forth from the risen Jesus. 83. As previously noted, because the Evangelist appears to emphasize the divinity of Jesus, it is sometimes claimed that John’s Gospel is docetic, i.e., that he denies, or at least undermines, the reality of his humanity. Such a criticism misses the Evangelist’s point entirely. As seen in the above, John is thoroughly incarnational. He focuses on the authentic human acts of the Son of God, for these human acts, performed by the Son of God, are alone salvific. If the saving acts were not human acts, humanity would not be saved.

My Lord and My God

8 • My Lord and My God

With the burial of Jesus completed, the Evangelist immediately begins his Resurrection Narrative. Before undertaking our theological interpretation of John’s account, it is important to note that the Synoptic narratives of Jesus’ resurrection appearances do not entirely agree with one another, nor does John’s narrative wholly correspond with the Synoptics. Moreover, Paul’s brief delineation of the sequence of Jesus’ resurrection appearances adds further confusion (see 1 Cor 15:3–8). What is nonetheless evident is that Jesus did bodily rise from the dead and that he made various appearances to a variety of individuals or groups of people after his resurrection. As we examine John’s account, I will note some of the major differences and similarities between John’s account and those found within the Synoptics.1

They Have Taken the Lord According to John’s Gospel, Jesus was crucified and died on the Friday of Passover and was buried on the eve of the Sabbath. “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”2 The sun had yet to rise when Mary came to the tomb on Sunday; thus the first day of the week was about to dawn. Matthew speaks of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary coming “toward the dawn” (Mt 28:1). Mark says that Mary and others came “when the sabbath had past” and “very early on the first day of the week” (Mk 16:1–2). Luke tells of women coming at “early dawn” (Lk 24:1). John’s added remark that “it was still dark” when Mary set forth to the tomb is not, then, simply a 1. I encourage the reader to read my theological interpretation of Jesus’ resurrection as found within the Synoptics. In so doing, the reader would obtain a “complete” view of all of the various renderings of Jesus’ resurrection and thus obtain a fuller theological understanding of each Gospel as well as a synthesis of all four. See JBJ 1:412–64. 2. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 20:1–10 unless otherwise noted.

277

278   Passion and Resurrection Narratives statement about how early it was, but more so a declaration as to the absence of the light of faith—the realization that Jesus is risen. Mary herself was in the dark. Moreover, that Mary came to the tomb when it was still dark also testifies to her desire to arrive at the tomb as early after the Sabbath as possible. The problem is that the Evangelist does not inform the reader as to why she was so anxious to get to the tomb early. Mark and Luke provide an evident reason—to anoint the body of Jesus (see Mk 16:1 and Lk 24:1). For John, however, this cannot be the reason, since Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had already done so prior to the burial. It would appear that, for the Evangelist, Mary was motivated by her sheer love for Jesus. She wanted to be with him. Such an interpretation seems to be confirmed by what next takes place. When she arrived, Mary “saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”3 Seeing the stone rolled away, Mary realized, seemingly without going inside the grave, that Jesus’ body was not within. “So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ ” Mary’s loving concern is that some anonymous miscreants took her “Lord,” and she does not know “where they have laid him.”4 3. When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrived at the tomb, Matthew states, “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat on it.” The angel’s “appearance was like lighting, and his raiment white as snow.” The guards became frightened like dead men, but the angel tells the women not to be afraid, “for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has arisen, as he said. Come and see where he lay” (Mt 28:2–6). The angel is not simply the one who removes that stone, but he has also taken on a similar radiance to that which Jesus had in his Transfiguration (see Mt 17:2). Thus the radiant angel signals the glory of Jesus’ resurrection, a resurrection prefigured in his Transfiguration. Mark tells of “a young man” who was “dressed in a white robe.” He too informs Mary and the other women that the crucified Jesus has been raised (Mk 16:3–6). Luke states that the women found the stone rolled away and that “two men” appeared to them “in dazzling apparel.” They likewise tell the women that Jesus has arisen (Lk 24:2–5). Only later does the Evangelist tell of two angels, as in Luke, appearing to Mary. As we see shortly, John first wants to highlight how he himself came to believe that Jesus was risen, and thus that he is himself a reliable witness. He came to believe not because he was told so by angels, but because he realized that the Scriptures concerning the necessity of Jesus’ resurrection had been fulfilled. 4. Mary speaks of a “we” who do not know where Jesus has been laid. This implies, in accordance with the Synoptic Gospels, that Mary did not come alone. By not specifying the others, John wishes to focus exclusively on Mary’s ardent love for Jesus. There may be some Johannine irony here as well. Mary speaks of an anonymous “they,” and she will continue to do so. She may have in mind some dastardly Roman soldiers or some spiteful, disbelieving Jews. But the “they” is actually God the Father. “He” has “taken” Jesus’ body from the tomb and raised it from the dead. Jesus is no longer laying anywhere, for he is alive.

My Lord and My God   279 There are two points to note here. First, Mary declares Jesus to be her “Lord,” and she does so as if he were still her living divine Lord—YHWH. Second, only after declaring Jesus to be her Lord does she say that they do not know where “they have laid him.” Although it is Jesus’ body that has gone missing and not Jesus himself, Mary is distraught over not knowing what has happened to “him.” There is a loving personalism in Mary’s coming to the tomb, and in her not finding her “Lord,” and in her bewilderment at not knowing where “he” is. That loving personalism is incarnational. While it is Jesus’ body that is missing, Mary recognizes intuitively that it is the body (the dead sarx) of the one whom she professes to be her divine “Lord,” and so she speaks of Jesus’ missing body as if Jesus himself were still her living Lord, the incarnate Son of God. Of course, the loving incarnational personalism that Mary exhibits here will shortly be rewarded and fulfilled in a manner that she does not presently expect.5 While it is still dark, Mary, in the darkness of her ignorance, runs back to inform Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loves (John) that the body of Jesus is missing, yet the light of day is about to dispel that twofold darkness. The dawning of the new day, for the Evangelist, is a physical sign that the first day of the new creation has arrived. This new day herald’s that God’s eternal Word, who is the primordial light of the first day of the old creation, the light of life through whom God created all that is, the light that darkness cannot overcome, has arisen (see Jn 1:1–5). The Father’s Word incarnate, the Son whom the Father sent into the world, has conquered the darkness of sin and death, and he has risen as the dawn, the new light, of the new creation. As the risen Son of God, Jesus is the new life-giving light of the world, and all who follow him in the light of faith will not walk in the darkness of sin and death but will have the light of life (see Jn 8:12). The risen Jesus will now always be present in the world and so will continually be the light of the world (see Jn 9:5). Jesus has passed over from the darkness of his death into the light of his resurrection. Mary, who runs presently in darkness, will soon walk in the light of her risen Lord. Thus the sun that now silently appears upon the horizon awakes and heralds the dawn of the new and everlasting eighth day of the world’s and humankind’s re-creation. 5. Interestingly, in Luke’s account, two men (angels) “in dazzling apparel” appeared to the women, though Mary is not named and asks them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? [He is not here, but has risen]” (Lk 24:4–6). In John’s account, this is exactly what Mary Magdalene is instinctively doing. She is seeking her living Lord among the dead, though unaware that he is indeed risen.

280   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Having informed them that the body of Jesus has been carried off, “Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb.” That Peter and John “came out” not only implies that they were in the same place, but also that they may have been locked in hiding out of fear of “the Jews.” This will be the case when Jesus first appears to his disciples later that evening (see Jn 20:19). Nonetheless, They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scriptures, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.6

As Mary ran to tell them of the disturbing news, so Peter and John now run to the tomb to ascertain the truth of Mary’s disconcerting report. John, however, being younger (and leaner) than Peter, ran faster and reached the tomb first. Upon his arrival, John “stooped to look in” the tomb.7 While not going into the tomb, he saw “the linen cloths lying there.” When Peter arrived after John, he “went into the tomb,” and he “saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.” From the outside, John was able to see “the linen cloths” that had covered Jesus’ body. Only when Peter arrived and went in, however, John having moved aside for him to enter, did he not only see the linen cloths that covered Jesus’ body but he also saw “the napkin, which had been on his head,” and this napkin was “rolled up” and laying in a different place from that of the linen cloths. What all this detail tells the reader is that Jesus’ empty tomb was tidy—the linen cloths and the napkin were in their “proper” and separate places. Why is such tidiness significant? If “they” had taken the body of Jesus somewhere else, they would not have unbound Jesus’ burial wrappings, or if they did unwrap Jesus’ body, they would not have been meticulous about leaving the tomb tidy—after all, they were stealing a body! “They” were grave robbers. Thus this empty tomb gives evidence that something unique 6. This account contains a great deal of detail both concerning who did what and what was seen. All of this would confirm the historicity of the event. 7. This “stooping” is still the case today. To get into Jesus’ tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, one has to stoop low to enter. As for this writer, he also had to squeeze through to enter.

My Lord and My God   281 has taken place, the cause of which is unaccounted for.8 This uniqueness is precisely what John saw. “Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” John, upon entering the tomb, saw what Peter saw—the folded linen cloths and the rolled napkin each nicely lying in their respective places. What John saw led him to believe, and what he came to believe was that Jesus had risen, though until this time they (the disciples) did not grasp the meaning of the Scripture that the Messiah must rise from the dead. The question, however, remains. Why did John conclude, upon seeing the tidiness of the empty tomb, that Jesus must have risen from the dead as prophetically found within the until now unknown Scripture? When theologically interpreting the raising of Lazarus, I noted the differences between what took place at the tomb of Lazarus and what now takes place at the tomb of Jesus.9 The Evangelist was present at both, and I argued that the differences he saw between them caused him to believe that Jesus rose from the dead in accordance with the Scripture. At the raising of Lazarus, we found a stone covering his tomb. He was dead for four days, and thus his body was in the state of decay. There would have been a stench. The stone had to be removed so that Lazarus could come forth. Jesus called Lazarus forth, and he came out entirely bound. Others had to unbind him. The remnants of his binding cloths laid strewn about him as he was let go. What John now finds at Jesus’ grave is entirely different. Just as with Lazarus’s burial, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus “took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews,” and they laid it in the tomb, which was covered with a stone (Jn 19:40–42). But when Mary arrives at the tomb three days later, she finds that the stone covering his grave has already been removed and his body is missing. Upon Peter’s and John’s arrival at the tomb, they too find the uncovered tomb empty. In entering the tomb, they “saw the linen cloths lying, and the 8. Luke’s narrative tells of Mary Magdalene and other women informing the eleven Apostles that the tomb was empty and that Jesus had risen. The Apostles thought this idle talk and did not believe them. But “Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves, and he went home wondering what had happened” (Lk 24:9–12). As we will see momentarily, John does discern the reason for why the tomb is empty and why the linens are by themselves. Peter, however, leaves in confused wonderment as to what to make of it all. Luke’s Gospel, unlike John’s, does not mention that John came with Peter. Luke nonetheless must have obtained the story of Peter coming to the tomb from John, for his is the only Synoptic Gospel that has this account. 9. See JBJ 2:378–80.

282   Passion and Resurrection Narratives napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.” So, at Jesus’ tomb there is no need to find someone to remove the stone. There is no need to call Jesus forth. There is no need to unbind Jesus. The linens are neatly placed, and the face napkin is properly rolled up. Moreover, and this is the ultimate significant difference, Jesus is nowhere to be found. This radical difference between what John saw at Lazarus’s tomb and what he now beholds within Jesus’ tomb causes him to believe. He grasps that at Lazarus’s tomb, Jesus proclaimed himself to be the resurrection and the life, and now John, within Jesus’ empty tomb, perceives in faith that the risen Jesus is indeed the resurrection and the life. Without corruption, Jesus has himself burst open his own grave; he has freed himself from sin-bound death, and he has called himself forth into eternal life (see Jn 10:17–18). What Jesus prophetically enacted in the raising of Lazarus, he has fulfilled in his own resurrection. John’s beholding the linen cloths and the napkin, of the same kind as Lazarus’s, was for him the clue by which he was able to put both “raisings” together, and in so doing, he thus came to believe that Jesus must have risen from the dead as the resurrection and the life.10 Moreover, that Jesus left his tomb in a tidy state is a sign that his tomb is the tomb from which is born the new creation. Old creation’s death has been conquered. There is no stench of rotting flesh or the remnants of dead men’s bones. The linens and napkin are still fresh. From within the darkness of this new tomb, wherein no one else had been laid, the new Adam has come forth as the life-giving light of immortality. This is what John saw from within the tomb and so came to believe that Jesus, the Father’s Messianic incarnate Son, was raised from the dead in accordance with the Scripture.11 I noted earlier that in not narrating the appearance 10. The fact that Jesus’ tomb was empty does not in itself prove that he rose from the dead. Someone could have taken his body and hid it somewhere else. Only when Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, to others, and to the Apostles is there proof that he rose from the dead, and these appearances account for why his tomb was empty. If the tomb still contained the body of Jesus, however, then the claims that Jesus appeared to various people would be proved false. Thus while the empty tomb does not prove that Jesus rose, it does confirm the reality of his risen appearances. 11. The Evangelist does not reference which “scripture” the disciples did not yet know concerning the necessity that Jesus must rise from the dead. He speaks of “scripture” in the singular, which seems to imply the entire Old Testament. Paul also speaks of the entire Scripture being fulfilled (see 1 Cor 15:3–4). Again, not surprisingly, it is Luke’s Gospel that emphasizes that Jesus’ resurrection fulfills the Scriptures. Jesus tells the befuddled two on their way to Emmaus that they are “foolish men,” for they are “slow of heart to believe all that the prophets had spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures

My Lord and My God   283 of angels at Jesus’ tomb, the Evangelist wanted to underline the manner in which he himself came to believe, and in so doing the fact that the resurrection fulfills what is contained in the Hebrew Scripture. That he testifies that he came to believe the Scripture allows John to bear witness to his contemporary and future Jewish brethren. It is their Scriptures, what he and they hold in common, that are fulfilled, and so they, like him, ought also to believe that Jesus is truly risen in accordance with the Scripture. In believing that Jesus is risen, then they too, like him, will also conclude that Jesus is the Father’s Messianic incarnate Son. Having informed the reader how he came to believe, the Evangelist concludes, “Then the disciples went back to their homes.”12 the things concerning himself” (Lk 24:25–27). Likewise, when Jesus appeared to his disciples, he said to them, “These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then, Jesus “opened their minds to understand the scripture, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead’ ” (Lk 24:44–46). The angel, who appeared to the women at the tomb, reminded them what Jesus had told them while still in Galilee. “The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise” (Lk 24:7). Jesus’ prophetic words are in fulfillment of the Scriptures. A few Scripture passages can specifically be noted. See, e.g., Ps 3:5, 16:10, Hos 6:2, and Jn 2:1–2, 2:10. Peter, in his Pentecost sermon, references Ps 16:10. Unlike David’s tomb in which his body is still present, God did not abandon Jesus’ “to Hades, nor his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses” (Acts 2:29–32). Later, Paul also makes this same point. “For David, after he had served the counsel of God in his generation, fell asleep, and was laid with his Fathers, and saw corruption; but he whom God raised up saw no corruption” (Acts 13:36–37). Jesus himself references the passage from Jonah in Matthew’s Gospel. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Mt 12:40). 12. This statement contains an oddity. Mary Magdalene ran to where Simon Peter and the other disciple were to inform them of the empty tomb. Presumably, they were in the same location, for they both ran to the tomb together. Here, John states that they “went back to their own homes,” which implies that they went to their separate distinct abodes. Besides the implication that there are now two places of residence instead of one, Peter and John do not have “homes” in Jerusalem. Although they are residing in Jerusalem, their “homes” are in Galilee. Moreover, when Jesus appears to them later in the evening of the same day, they, along with the other disciples (except for Thomas), are both in the same place (see Jn 20:19). Traditionally, it is thought that the disciples were residing in “the upper room” where Jesus held his Last Supper with them (see Mk 14:15 and Lk 22:7–13). In the Acts of the Apostles, after Jesus ascends into heaven, the disciples returned to Jerusalem and entered “the upper room, where they were staying,” and it would appear that it is in this “upper room” that the Holy Spirit descended upon them at Pentecost (Acts 1:12–13 and 2:1). I do not think there is any theological significance in this discrepancy, but I wonder if there is some discernible connection with what is narrated in Matthew and Mark. In Matthew’s Gospel, the angel told Mary Magdalene and the other Mary that they are to tell Jesus’

284   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Before examining Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene, a few thoughts on Peter and John coming to the empty tomb would be appropriate. Earlier, when treating the fact that Jesus gave Mary, his mother, to the beloved disciple, I raised the issue as to why Jesus did not give his mother to Peter instead, since he is the head of the Apostles. I proposed that although Peter is the leader of the disciples, and so the most actively engaged in their apostolic ministry, John is the more contemplative, and thus the one who would better care for and watch over Mary, the one who is the iconic image of the church. In the Evangelist’s account, he is the one who outran Peter and arrives at the tomb first, and although he peers into the empty tomb, he does not go in. He allows Peter, who lagged behind, to enter before him. We perceive here John’s respect for Peter’s apostolic authority. We also may be witnessing Peter being Peter, and so his dashing into the tomb, but that in itself is part of the point. John respects Peter’s authority, and Peter displays it in a thoroughly “Petrine” manner. But although Peter sees the linen cloths and the rolled-up napkin, he does not come to believe that Jesus is risen from the dead. Instead, according to Luke, he left and went home in bewildered wonderment (see Lk 24:12). John, however, sees what Peter saw and, in so seeing, comes to believe. John manifests his more thoughtful and contemplative nature—he not only sees disciples that he is risen and that “he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Lo, I have told you so” (Mt 28:5–7). On their way to tell the disciples, Jesus himself appears to them. They lay hold of his feet and worship him. Jesus tells them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me” (Mt 28:9–10). In Mark, the young man in the white robe tells Mary and other women to go and tell Peter and his disciples that “he is going to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you” (Mk 16:6–7). But neither Matthew’s nor Mark’s Gospel narrates an account of Jesus appearing to his disciples in Galilee, other than Matthew’s account of Jesus’ ascension (see Mt 28:16–20). In John’s Gospel, as we will see, Jesus does later appear to his disciples when they went fishing on the Sea of Tiberias in Galilee (see Jn 2:1–3). In attempting to reconcile these seeming discrepancies, some scholars have argued that the term “Galilee” not only refers to the geographical location in the north of Israel surrounding the Sea of Galilee, but also to an area near Bethany and the Mount of Olives. It is thought that this area near Jerusalem is where those from Galilee stayed when they came to Jerusalem to celebrate the liturgical feasts, such as the Passover. Thus the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples and ascended into heaven not in “northern” Galilee, but in the area and from the mount near Bethany (see Lk 24:50–53 and Acts 1:10–13). Today, there stands the ruins of an ancient church near Bethany and the Mount of Olives (the “Galilean” area) that traditionally is held to be the place where Jesus ascended into heaven. Given the Lukan accounts, which as we have seen are often similar to John’s, this “theory” may then be in accord with John’s account that Jesus appeared to his disciples on the evening of the first day in “the upper room,” where all of his disciples were residing when, together with Jesus, they came to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover.

My Lord and My God   285 the facts before him, but he also interprets them in the light of the Scripture. Again, I do not wish to make too much of this distinction between Peter being ‘the active” Apostle and John being “the contemplative” Apostle. Nonetheless, I do want to accentuate that together they exemplify two defining facets of the church, two aspects that all Christians, in various ways and to different degrees, are to practice—that of preaching the Gospel and contemplating, in prayer, the mysteries of the faith.

I Have Seen the Lord The Evangelist did not inform the reader that Mary followed himself and Peter back to the tomb. Nonetheless, after he and Peter returned to their homes, he states, But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Women, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”13

So, Mary stands alone outside Jesus’ empty tomb, and in her love, she does so weeping. While still weeping, she looks into the tomb. Although she knew the tomb to be empty, this is the first time the Evangelist informs the reader that she stooped to look inside the tomb. One wonders if Mary was so distraught that she could not bear, until now, to look inside, knowing that her worst fears would only be confirmed once again—the tomb is empty. Her Lord is not there. When she did look inside, however, “she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain.” In contrast to the darkness of the tomb, two angels in white could be seen. One angel sat where Jesus’ head had lain, and the other sat where his feet rested. Between the two angels, there is, then, an empty gap wherein the entire body would have been placed, thus accentuating the absence of Jesus’ body. But this tableau, a dark emptiness between two enthroned angels dressed in white, signifies that the darkness of death has given way to the heavenly light of the resurrection. The risen Jesus now reigns supreme over the new creation. There is nothing left of death but empty space. Mary’s weeping is now accentuated for the third time. The angels ask her, 13. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 20:11–18 unless otherwise noted. This event of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene is only found in the Gospel of John.

286   Passion and Resurrection Narratives “Woman, why are your weeping?” Once again, Mary gives the reason. “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Mary continues to be convinced that some anonymous “they” have taken her Lord and laid him where she knows not. Again, for Mary, the absence of Jesus’ body bespeaks the absence of her Lord. Ignorant, she persists in searching for the living among the dead. In the very act of telling the angels why she is weeping, however, she “turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.”14 So, Mary pivoted away from the dark tomb and the angels dressed in white, and in so doing she saw Jesus, whom she did not recognize. Now, Mary had been looking into the tomb where the dead Jesus had been laid, but now she sees him standing outside the tomb. The reason that the space where Jesus’ body laid is now empty is because he is bodily alive. Jesus, Mary’s Lord, is no longer in the tomb. But Mary did not recognize that it was Jesus—probably because she was not paying much attention to the identity of whom she saw, her mind sorrowfully consumed with searching for her Lord. Moreover, she is in search of the body of her Lord, not her living Lord. Jesus, echoing the angels, asks her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” This is the fourth time Mary’s weeping is noted, thus once more accentuating her sorrowful love for Jesus. Unlike the angels, Jesus not only asks why she is weeping, which could be for many reasons, but he also specifically asks for whom she is seeking, and not finding that missing person causes her to weep. Jesus obviously knows Mary is weeping because she is searching for him but has not found him. “Supposing” Jesus “to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ ” Here, there are multiple interrelated ironies, all of which are theological in nature. First, the last time that mention was made of a garden was when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus buried Jesus’ body in a new tomb in a garden near where he was crucified (see Jn 19:41–42). Never considering that she was in the presence of Jesus himself, Mary presumes, then, that she has happened upon the gardener and finally found the likely culprit (the “they”) who had carried off Jesus’ body. Ironically, Mary’s hunch is correct. She is in the presence of 14. Later, when Jesus appears to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberius in Galilee, they too did not recognize him (see Jn 21:4). In Luke’s Gospel, the men on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus until he broke the bread (see Lk 24:16 and 30–31).

My Lord and My God   287 “the gardener,” but not in the presence of the gardener of a graveyard. Rather, Mary is in the presence of the gardener of a garden of life—the gardener of the new creation. Moreover, Jesus, the gardener of life, has come to Mary to cultivate her—to bring to life faith in him as her risen Lord, and in so doing to bring her to life, and so wipe from her eyes the tears of death. While Mary has been searching for Jesus, Jesus, in the end, has actually found her. Thus for the Evangelist, the eternal Word, who was the creator-gardener of the primordial good garden, is now the risen incarnate Word who, having passed through the sinful garden of death, is now the re-creator gardener of the heavenly everlasting garden of eternal life. Second, Mary does not tell Jesus for whom she is looking. Rather, she speaks of “him” whom “the gardener” may have carried off. Thus it is a “person” and not simply a body that she is in search of. It appears that she presumes “the gardener” knows of whom she is seeking, particularly if he is the one who took “him” in the first place. Of course, her presumption, ironically, is correct. Jesus not only knows for whom she is searching, but he also knows that she has unknowingly found him. Jesus, the gardener, did not take the body anywhere, for he is himself the one who is bodily alive. In rising from the dead, he took himself out the tomb (see Jn 10:17–18). Third, moreover, although Mary continues to speak of “him” of whom she is in search, she wants to know if “the gardener” took “him” away, where he had laid “him.” Again, the personal “him” is the one who is dead, but Mary nonetheless wants to know where “he” is so that she can “take him away.”15 Now, although from the first time she came to the grave Mary knew that the tomb was empty and the body gone, and although Peter and John found the tomb empty and the body gone, and although I have been speaking of Jesus’ missing body and Mary’s search for it, nowhere in the actual text is there any mention of a “body.” Obviously, a “body” is implied in all that has taken place, for that is what has disappeared. Nonetheless, the last time the term “body” was mentioned was when the Evangelist spoke of Joseph asking Pilate for “the body of Jesus,” and of he and Nicodemus taking “the body of Jesus” down from the cross. This body they bound “in linen cloths with spices” and laid it in the new tomb (Jn 19:38–42). From that point on, all that is narrated or spo15. In a sense, Mary has no clue as to what she is saying, other than, in her love, wanting to do the impossible. How could she, by herself, take a dead body anywhere, and, moreover, where would she take it—back to its original grave? As will we see, Jesus pays no attention to what she says. He has a solution that is more realistic than her own—the revelation that he is alive and there is therefore no body to take anywhere.

288   Passion and Resurrection Narratives ken makes reference to a “him,” or to “the Lord,” or to “my Lord.” As already mentioned, there is in all of the above an incarnational personalism. This incarnational personalism is most intensely seen presently in interchange the between Mary and Jesus. The body of Jesus is intimately tethered to who Jesus is, his identity. To find the body of Jesus is to find Jesus himself—the incarnate Lord. Now, this incarnational logic only proves true if Jesus is alive. If Jesus is not alive, all of the personal references to “him,” to “ the Lord,” and to “my Lord” become meaningless. All that is left is a missing cadaver. What proves this incarnational logic true is that presently the bodily risen Jesus and the searching Mary are speaking to one another. The risen Jesus has now appeared to Mary, and Mary has found not a body but the risen Jesus—“him” who is her divine incarnate “Lord.” This realization Jesus will now make known to her by revealing himself to her. Lastly, this incarnational personalism is also ironically found in the manner in which Mary addresses Jesus. Mary has been searching for “my Lord” (ton kurion mou—“the Lord of me”). Presently, she addresses the supposed gardener as “Sir” (kurie). As we noted previously, the Greek word kurios can be used to denote the divine name YHWH, or it can be used in the secular sense as the formal address sir. Mary, in addressing Jesus as kurie, obviously is using this term in the secular sense, for she thinks she is respectfully addressing “the gardener.” Ironically, however, she is actually addressing her “Lord.” Thus the gardener, the man, whom she is addressing is the incarnate Lord— the Father’s Son. This irony will come to light when Mary recognizes who the gardener truly is. How does this revelation transpire? Jesus reveals himself to Mary not by identifying himself. He does not say, “It is me, Jesus.” Rather, he reveals his identity by personally addressing her by name—“Mary.” It is not simply that only Jesus would know with whom he is speaking that gives himself away. Rather, it is the manner in which he says, “Mary.” He must have spoken her name with more loving affection than the love she herself had shown in her sorrowful search for him. It is within the bond of their mutual love—Mary’s love for “her Lord” and Jesus’ love for “Mary”—that Jesus reveals himself and Mary recognizes who he is. Fascinatingly, while all of the Gospels speak of Mary Magdalene, no one, in any of the Gospels, ever addresses her by her name except in the presence instance—and it is Jesus who is the exception. It is in hearing Jesus address her by her name, Mary, that she comes to know who he is—Jesus. So, “She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).” Although the term “rab-

My Lord and My God   289 boni” is a more formal title than the term “rabbi” and can also be translated as “my master,” it can be employed in addressing God. Thus, in addressing Jesus as “rabboni,” Mary could be acknowledging him as divine—my divine “teacher” or divine “master.” Such an interpretation would be in keeping with, and the climax of, her “incarnational personalism.” Mary is professing that the risen man Jesus is God. Such an understanding nonetheless leads to the question as to why Mary did not address him as “Lord,” since that is the title she has consistently been using. I think the answer lies in what Jesus next commands of her. Mary must be newly taught by her now-risen divine teacher and master. Immediately following upon their loving exchange of acknowledgment, Jesus unexpectedly, and seemingly out of character, reprimands Mary. “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.”16 Throughout her search for Jesus, Mary evidenced a loving desire to find, in a sense, her “old” Lord— the Jesus she loved before his crucifixion and death. This desire sprang from her inability to imagine a “risen Jesus”—a Jesus different from the pre-dead Jesus. Although Jesus recognizes her authentic love for him, he knows it to be inadequate and inappropriate given his risen state. Mary must learn to love Jesus in a new and elevated manner—in a manner that is truly in keeping with his being her newly risen Lord. Thus, in her addressing Jesus as “Rabboni,” her teacher or master, Mary is opening herself up to being taught anew by Jesus, her Lord, and in so doing, Jesus appropriately responds. Now, the reason Mary is not to hold on to Jesus as she did in the past is that he has yet to ascend to his Father. Even though for Jesus to be gloriously risen is for him, simultaneously, to have ascended to his Father, Mary can only fully appreciate the new manner in which she is to hold on to him after he ceases his earthly appearances, such as his present appearance to her.17 Only when the ascended Jesus sends the Holy Spirit, the fruit of his death and resurrection, will Mary be able to hold on to him in the new and fuller manner— that is, through her being baptized in the Holy Spirit by the glorified Jesus, and through Jesus’ abiding risen presence in the Eucharist. By being united to Jesus through the indwelling Spirit, Mary will come into fuller communion with him by eating of his risen body and drinking of his risen blood. It is in 16. In Matthew’s Gospel, after the angel informs Mary Magdalene and the other Mary that Jesus is risen, Jesus himself appears to them. “They came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him” (Mt 28:9). 17. That the resurrection and the ascension are simultaneously one act though portrayed separately, see JBJ 1:456–59.

290   Passion and Resurrection Narratives the Eucharist that Mary ultimately finds the body of Jesus that she was so lovingly in search of. In the Eucharist, Mary can truly lay hold of her Lord. Rather than attempting to hold on to him in her previous manner, Jesus instructs Mary to “go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Once again, Mary is to go Jesus’ disciples, this time not to inform them that tomb is empty and the body missing, but to announce to them that Jesus, now risen, is ascending to his Father and their Father. Because of his saving death and life-giving resurrection, the Father is not only Jesus’ Father but the Father of his disciples as well, for they have become Jesus’ brothers. Jesus, as the Father’s eternal only begotten Son, by completing his Father’s saving work, has made it possible for those who believe in him, and so abide in him through the Holy Spirit, to become adopted children of his Father. Thus, as the Father is Jesus’ God, so now the same Father is their God. Jesus’ brethren, by adoption, partake of and share in the same divine relationship with the Father, in the loving communion of the Holy Spirit, as he himself possesses. “But to all who receive him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn 1:12–13). Having received Jesus’ directive, “Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.” One can imagine Mary’s record-breaking speed as she rushed off to the disciples. Moreover, it would be hard to exaggerate her joy and excitement as she burst into their presence exclaiming, “I have seen the Lord.”18 Mary’s search for her Lord finds its resolution not in finding his dead corpse but in her seeing him alive and risen. She has truly found her “Lord,” for only in his glorious resurrection does Jesus truly become the triumphant divine Lord who reigns supreme over all. Moreover, her love for her Lord merited her the unique privilege of being the first to announce to his brethren that she has seen him. Mary is the first of the Apostles—the first to be sent. She is first to proclaim the good news that Jesus is risen, and that he is ascending to their Father and their God.19 18. Interestingly, though the disciples, similar to Mary, did not first recognize Jesus when he appeared to them at the Sea of Tiberius in Galilee, the disciple whom Jesus loved did so when they caught a huge catch of fish. Echoing Mary, he immediately declared to Peter: “It is the Lord!” (Jn 21:7). John’s declaration will be examined more closely in the following chapter. 19. Traditionally, Mary is termed the Apostle to the Apostles, for she brings to them the good news. What also must be observed, though it is obvious, is that Mary is a woman. In

My Lord and My God   291

He Breathed on Them The Evangelist immediately moves from Jesus’ morning appearance to Mary Magdalene to Jesus’ evening appearance to his disciples. “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ ”20 John emphasizes that this appearance took place on the evening of “the first day of the week.” This “first day” is not simply the beginning of another week, but the “first day” of the new creation, for Jesus has passed over, through his Passover death and Sabbath rest, into the new day of his resurrection—the dawning of eternal life. His disciples are still traumatized by Jesus’ condemnation and death, however, and so, out of fear of Jewish reprisals, they uneasily huddle behind locked doors. Jesus nonetheless came and stood among them. As seen in his appearance to Mary Magdalene and will be evident in his present appearance to his disciples, the risen Jesus manifests that he is still truly human—he can be seen and touched. Yet simultaneously, he is able to do things that exceed what is humanly normal—being able to appear physically in a room without needing to traverse an open door. Such a combination of manifesting his authentic humanity and yet being able to do what is normally not humanly possible accentuates the nature of Jesus’ risen glorious humanity. Yes, Jesus truly remains the incarnate Son of God, but now in a risen and not fully comprehensible manner.21 Such an understanding is witnessed in what Jesus proceeds to do. Jesus first greets his disciples with a proclamation of peace—“Peace be with you.” In wishing them “peace,” Jesus “showed them his hands and his side.” This display of his hands and side elicited gladness among his disciples upon seeing “the Lord.” The giving of “peace” is associated with Jesus’ residual terms of historicity, that she is such is significant. Within the culture of the time and within the legal system of the day, men’s testimony was held in much higher regard than that of women’s testimony. Thus if the narratives of Jesus’ risen appearances were fabricated, the fabricators would have had men be the first to testify that Jesus is risen. In all of the Gospels, however, Mary and the other women are the first to make such a claim (see Mt 28:5–8, Mk 16:6–7, and Lk 24:4–9). For a fuller account of the significance of women being the first to testify to Jesus’ resurrection, see JBJ 1:412–24. 20. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 20:19–23 unless otherwise noted. 21. Paul attempts to speak of the differences between a natural body and a risen body (see 1 Cor 15:42–50). Although he speaks of the risen body as “spiritual” and “imperishable,” it is impossible to define fully what those attributes exactly entail.

292   Passion and Resurrection Narratives wound marks. Jesus’ death on the cross has brought peace to his disciples, for they are now, in him, reconciled to his Father—no longer need they fear the condemnation of sin and the power of death. This declaration of peace is in keeping with what Jesus stated earlier in his farewell address. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, “I go away, and I will come to you.” If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater that I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe. (Jn 14:27–29)

Jesus gives peace in a manner unlike the world, for the peace that he gives is not of this world—a fabricated tranquility within this world. Rather, the peace that Jesus gives exceeds the hopes of this world—eternal life with his Father. For this reason, his disciples should not be troubled or afraid. While Jesus, because of his death, has been away, and his disciples are presently fearful, he has now returned to them. In their love for him they can presently rejoice, for he has gone to his Father, the one who is greater than him, for his Father is the source of eternal life. What Jesus had told them has now taken place, and so now they can believe that he, the risen Jesus, is truly the Father’s incarnate Son. In this faith, they have peace. Thus upon seeing Jesus’ wounded hands and side, the disciples were glad to see their Lord, their divine Savior—the giver of peace. Previously, Jesus also told his disciples that they would be sad, but “I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you” (Jn 16:22). Moreover, his disciples will continue to have “tribulation” in the world, but he promises them peace. They therefore can “be of good cheer,” for the risen Jesus has “overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). To behold the risen Jesus, to abide in him who has overcome the world, is to find peace, even in a world of persecution and suffering (see Jn 16:2). The question nonetheless arises: Why, if Jesus is gloriously risen, does he bear in his risen flesh the marks of the crucifixion? Are not these wounds incongruous with his risen state? Are they not signs of the “old” dead Jesus and so incompatible with the “new” risen Jesus? These very gaping wounds in his risen and glorious hands and side herald, they mouth, why Jesus is gloriously risen. Jesus is risen from the dead precisely because on the cross he obtained humankind’s salvation and so merited to be the first to bear the cross’s fruit— his own resurrection. To behold the cross-disfigured risen Jesus is, then, to behold his everlasting salvific love—the love he has for his Father in offering

My Lord and My God   293 himself as a saving sacrifice to his Father and the love he has for all of humankind in giving himself up on their behalf. The marks of the nails in his hands and in his side are the glorious insignias that proclaim why Jesus is the supreme Lord of lords and King of kings.22 Moreover, what is unique to John’s Gospel is that Jesus shows his disciples not only his pierced hands (John does not say that he showed them his feet) but also his side. While his nail-marred hands manifest his salvific crucifixion, his pierced side testifies to the blood and water that flowed from his heart. For the Evangelist, Jesus’ manifestation of his pierced side accentuates that the living-waters of baptism and the Eucharistic blood that flowed from the pierced heart of the lifeless Jesus continue to flow from the pierced heart of the now-living Jesus. From the living pierced heart of the risen Jesus, the Spirit’s eternal life will ever come forth and so flow into the hearts of those who abide in him through baptism and the Eucharist (see Jn 7:38). To abide, then, in the risen and ascended incarnate Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is to be in Spirit-filled communion with his Father, for his Father is now the Father of all his brethren—to be a child of the life-giving Father is to be assured of one’s own resurrection.23 22. I am of the mind that all who are physically (body and soul) raised gloriously from the dead at the end of time, and so share fully in Jesus’ own resurrection, will also bear a “bodily” insignia that will, like Jesus’ wound marks, reveal why that person merited heavenly glory. Each bodily insignia will be personally unique. We can imagine the martyrs bearing the bodily sign of how they were killed. Interestingly, saints are often portrayed in this manner. Mary Magdalene is often portrayed as the penitent woman, Augustine is pictured with a book or heart, Thomas of Canterbury has a sword implanted in his head, Thomas Aquinas wears a sunlike medallion, Francis of Assisi possesses his stigmata, etc. It is impossible to imagine what all these bodily insignias might be for the myriad saints, but then God is a tad more imaginative than we are. Of course, those in hell will bear a hideous physical mark manifesting as to why they have merited to be there. Read Dante’s Inferno. 23. Here we must pause to note the similarities and differences between the above Johannine account of Jesus’ appearance to his disciple and that contained in Luke’s Gospel. That there are similarities and differences between the two should not surprise us at this point. As we have seen, not infrequently, to read the words of Luke is to hear the reminiscences of John. The Lukan account begins with Jesus greeting his disciples with peace. But his disciples were “startled” and “frightened,” for they supposed that “they saw a spirit.” Jesus tells them not to be afraid and asks, “why do questionings arise in your hearts?” In beholding Jesus, his disciples query whether they are truly seeing him in person or simply a spirit. So, Jesus says, “See my hands and my feet, that it is myself (ego eimi); handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” While still skeptical, the disciples rejoiced in wonder. In response, Jesus asked for a piece of fish and ate it in their midst, thus proving beyond a doubt that he is not a ghost but truly physically raised from the dead (Lk 24:36–42). So, similar to John’s account, Jesus, in Luke’s rendering, has Jesus bestowing peace upon

294   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Having shown his disciples his hands and side, resulting in their gladness at seeing the Lord, Jesus declares to them a second time, “Peace be with you.” He continues. “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”24 his disciples. Unlike in John, however, the disciples are fearful and think they are seeing a ghost. Because of this false perception, Luke emphasizes the physicality of the risen Jesus. He not only shows them his hands and feet, noting his flesh and bones, but also tells of Jesus eating a piece of fish—spirits cannot eat! In so doing, Jesus wants to assure his disciples that “it is I myself.” Now, in declaring that it is I (ego eimi), Jesus, in Luke’s rendering, is not only identifying himself as truly being Jesus, but also identifying himself, he who is truly physically risen, as He Who Is. Jesus is making an incarnational declaration. The risen Jesus is YHWH. Although Jesus does not make such a declaration in John’s account, the Evangelist does emphasize that once Jesus showed his disciples his hands and side, they, similar to Mary Magdalene, were “glad’ to see “the Lord.” Again, “Lord” is the Jewish Greek rendering of YHWH—He Who Is. Thus in both accounts the risen Jesus is revealed to be the Lord God, YHWH. Now, what is distinctly different between John and Luke is that Luke speaks of Jesus showing his disciples his pierced hands and feet, and John speaks of Jesus displaying his hands and side. John is therefore accentuating the blood and water that comes forth from Jesus’ pierced side. As he emphasized the salvific importance of this flow of blood and water at the time of Jesus’ death, so now he emphasizes its importance within the resurrection—the sacramental water and blood that flows from the crucified, risen Jesus, for through, with, and in the conjoined act of his death and resurrection, Jesus bestows upon his Spirit-filled church the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. One can probably conclude that John and Luke are narrating the same appearance of the risen Jesus to his disciples, but in so doing, each is providing their own theological interpretation of its importance. One last interesting point is that Jesus, in Luke’s account, encourages his disciples to “handle” him. None of the disciples are said to have taken up Jesus’ offer. Shortly, the Evangelist will tell of Thomas’s demand to “handle” Jesus so that he can be assured that Jesus is truly risen. What Jesus offers to be done in Luke’s Gospel Thomas demands in John, both to prove the same point, that Jesus is genuinely physically risen. Significantly, the result is the same. As Jesus identifies himself as He Who Is (Luke), and as the disciples are glad to see the Lord (John), so Thomas will accentuate both and declare: “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28). For a fuller theological examination of the Lukan account of Jesus’ appearance, see JBJ 1:432–35. 24. Jesus’ breathing upon his disciples the Holy Spirit is the Evangelist’s account of Pentecost. Since it is much less dramatic than the Lukan Pentecost account, it is sometimes referred to as the Johannine “little Pentecost.” Is it possible to theologically reconcile the chronological discrepancy between the Lukan account, which took place fifty days after his resurrection (ten days after he ascended), and the Johannine account, which took place on the evening of the resurrection itself? First, it must be remembered that the resurrection and the ascension are one and the same act. For Jesus to rise gloriously from the dead is for him to ascend gloriously to the throne of

My Lord and My God   295 His disciples are to be at peace, for Jesus is sending them to preach and enact the same good news of salvation that Jesus himself preached and enacted when sent by his Father. In John’s Gospel, Jesus never calls his closest associates “apostles” (the twelve).25 Nonetheless, Jesus, previously in his high priestly prayer, tells his Father, “They [his disciples] are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent (apesteilas) me into the world, so I have sent (apesteila) them into the his Father. The evangelist is very much aware of this twofold reality. Although Jesus told Mary Magdalene that he has yet to ascend to his Father, John now, in Jesus’ evening appearance, portrays him as having now ascended. That the risen Jesus has ascended is evident in his breathing his Holy Spirit upon his disciples. As John noted earlier, only when Jesus is glorified is he able to give his Holy Spirit to those who believe in him (see Jn 7:39). Thus, having risen from the dead and gloriously ascended to his Father, Jesus is also immediately empowered to send forth his Holy Spirit. Jesus’ ability to pour out his Spirit accrues to his risen and ascended status as Lord. Jesus is therefore able to breathe forth his Holy Spirit upon his disciples on Easter evening. In the Lukan accounts, these three events—resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost—are chronologically separated. The risen Jesus ascended forty days after his resurrection, thus bringing to an end his risen appearances. Ten days later, the ascended Jesus pours out his Holy Spirit upon his disciples on Pentecost (see Lk 24:50–53 and Acts 1:1–11 and 2:1–4). Luke’s chronological ordering of these events is doubtlessly accurate. Within this chronological ordering, Jesus (not Luke), as a good teacher, is highlighting the threefold significance of his resurrection: (1) he is bodily risen; (2) he has ascended gloriously to his Father; (3) he is empowered, as the risen and ascended Lord, to pour out his Holy Spirit. Interestingly, in his first Pentecost sermon, Peter brings all three together. “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear” (Acts 2:32–33). Thus the Johannine account of Jesus breathing forth his Spirit on Easter evening and the Lukan accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, Pentecost outpouring can both be historically accurate. The difference is that in the Johannine account, Jesus (not John) conflates—or, better, enacts—all three theological truths in one event, and in the Lukan account, Jesus (not Luke) chronologically enacts these three theological truths within three distinct but inherently related events. It is also possible that one can be filled with the Holy Spirit more than once (see Acts 2:4, 4:31, 9:7, 13:9, and 13:52). 25. Interestingly, in John’s Gospel, there is never an account wherein the twelve Apostles as a group are individually named, though the individual “apostles” are more prominent in John’s Gospel with more individual “speaking parts.” This is because, as I have argued, the Evangelist was himself present when they spoke and remembered what they said. John does speak, as we will see shortly, of “the twelve,” for the first and only time, when he refers to “Thomas as one of the twelve” (Jn 20:24). Matthew’s Gospel speaks of Jesus calling together his “twelve apostles” (see Mt 10:1–4). Mark speaks of Jesus appointing “twelve,” though some ancient manuscripts add “whom he named apostles” (see Mk 3:13–19). Luke tells of Jesus calling his disciples and choosing twelve, “whom he named apostles” (Lk 6:12–16). Thus, according to Mark, Jesus may have called the twelve “apostles,” and according to Luke, he certainly did so.

296   Passion and Resurrection Narratives world” (Jn 17:18). To be “sent” by the Father is be an “apostle.” In sending his Son into the world, the incarnate Jesus becomes the Father’s premier Apostle.26 Jesus, in turn, is now sending his closest collaborators into the world, and so they are designated his Apostles—those whom Jesus has sent. Moreover, the risen Jesus is presently no longer of this world, and so the disciples that Jesus is now sending into the world are to be no longer of the world. To be in the world but not of the world, however, demands that the Father sanctify them in truth, which means they need to be sanctified in his word, that is, sanctified in Jesus—the Father’s Word incarnate. Also, in sending his disciples into the world, Jesus tells his Father, “And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth” (Jn 17:19). For the sake of his disciples, Jesus consecrates himself; that is, as the perfect Spirit-filled Messianic High Priest, he offers himself to his Father upon the cross. In being so consecrated in the Spirit, Jesus, as the risen Lord, is now empowered to consecrate his disciples in the truth—the truth that he is the Father’s incarnate Son in whom there is eternal life. Now, the manner in which Jesus consecrates his disciples, and so sends his sent ones, is by breathing upon them the Holy Spirit. The very Spirit in whom Jesus was himself consecrated by his Father, the Spirit of truth, is the same Spirit wherein his “apostles” are now consecrated, and thus they, though not of the world, are able to proclaim in the world the truth of the Gospel, to bear witness that Jesus is the world’s Savior and Lord.27 Now, Jesus, in sending forth his disciples through his breathing forth of the Holy Spirit upon them, specifies what this apostolic mandate entails. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Jesus was sent by his Father to reconcile all of humankind to his Father. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son 26. In the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus is designated “the apostle and high priest of our confession” (Heb 3:1). This is the only time in the New Testament that Jesus is so titled. As we will see shortly in John, for Jesus to be an Apostle is for him to be a high priest. 27. Thus this apostolic breathing of the Holy Spirit upon his disciples is the fulfillment of what Jesus promised them in his farewell address. “I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:16). The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in Jesus’ name, will teach the disciples all things and bring to their remembrance all that Jesus has said (see Jn 14:26). Moreover, “when the Counselor comes, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are my witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning” (Jn 15:26–27). Jesus also tells his disciples that it is to their advantage that he goes, for only if he goes will the Counselor come, for “I will send him to you” (Jn 16:7).

My Lord and My God   297 into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16–17). This reconciliation is therefore achieved through the forgiveness of sins, for sin is contrary to the very goodness and love that defines the Father, thus making it impossible for sinners to abide in him. Thus those sent by Jesus will continue the ministry for which Jesus himself was sent—a ministry of merciful forgiveness wherein those who believe in Jesus obtain eternal life.28 In the above, in breathing forth his Spirit upon his disciples, Jesus gives them his apostolic mandate. Moreover, there is within that Spirit-bestowed mandate another integral aspect to Jesus’ breathing forth his Spirit—that of re-creating his disciples. In a sense, Jesus is reenacting what took place at the creation of humankind. The Book of Genesis states that “the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gn 2:7). By possessing God’s own breath of life, man, unlike the animals, was made in his own image and likeness (see Gn 1:27).29 Because Adam and Eve sinned, they lost the divine breath of life, and so they in their death returned to the dust from which they were first made (see Gn 3:19; see also, e.g., Jb 10:9, Pss 90:3 and 104:29, and Eccl 3:20). In overcoming death, the risen Jesus, through whom the Father created humankind, and in whose image humankind was first created, is now breathing anew the Father’s divine breath upon his disciples, the very Spirit who proceeds from the Father. As the Father first breathed life upon humankind through his Word, so now the Father, through his risen incarnate Word, is breathing the Spirit of life upon those who believe in his Son, Jesus. In so 28. That Jesus gives to his Apostle the power to forgive sins is in keeping with what Jesus declares in Matthew’s Gospel. Following Peter’s profession of faith and Jesus declaring that upon the rock of Peter’s faith he will build his church, Jesus declares: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:16–19). Later, Jesus broadens this commission to all of the Apostles. “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth in heaven” (Mt 18:18). Also, in Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus forgives the sins of the healed paralytic, the crowds “glorified God, who had given such authority to men” (note the plural “men”) (Mt 9:8). Paul also sees the Apostles possessing Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation, the forgiveness of sins (see 2 Cor 5:18–20; see also Jas 5:15). The Council of Trent declared that in the Johannine commissioning of his Apostles to forgive sins, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation (see DS 1670). Within the Catholic Church, this apostolic ministry continues to be exercised by ordained bishops and priests. 29. The Book of Wisdom also speaks of God “breathing into him [man] a living spirit” (Wis 15:11).

298   Passion and Resurrection Narratives doing, the Father makes the faithful new creations in the likeness of his Son, a likeness wherein they are now elevated, taken up, into communion with himself as his adopted children. Jesus is therefore fulfilling the prophecy God made to Ezekiel: “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances” (Ezek 36:25–28).30 Jesus is also fulfilling what the Baptist declared of him and prophesied concerning him. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the word!” Jesus is the Father’s risen Lamb, who through his sacrificial death has taken away the world’s sin. Moreover, having risen, Jesus is empowered to baptize “with the Holy Spirit.” As the Lamb of God and the one who will baptize in the Holy Spirit, the Baptist’s testimony is now confirmed that Jesus is “the Son of God” (Jn 1:29–34). Within this prophetic context, then, Jesus is also enacting all that he himself taught Nicodemus concerning the need to be born anew in the baptismal waters of the Holy Spirit in order for one to enter the Kingdom of God (see Jn 3:3–6). The above can only be fully appreciated when it is also seen from within the context of the opening verses of Genesis. Echoing Genesis, the Evangelist begins his Prologue with the declaration “In the beginning was the Word,” and thus he set the overarching theme of his entire Gospel—the Word through whom God first created all that exists is now the Word incarnate through whom God re-creates the world and humankind. As darkness covered the deep, “the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” From within that Spirit-hovering, “God said: ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” God saw that the light was good, and so “separated the light from the darkness.” In that separation, God “called the light Day, and the darkness Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day” (Gn 1:1–5). Now, as John accentuated and I noted, Jesus appeared “on the evening of that day, the first day of the week.” Although Jesus appeared to his disciples at night, it was the evening of the first new day, day one, of the new creation, a day when God separated the darkness of sin and death from the light of Jesus’ glorious resurrection. On this new and everlasting day, God said again, “Let there be light,” and 30. In Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones, God commands him: “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus, says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain that they may live.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, and an exceedingly great host” (Ezek 37:9–10).

My Lord and My God   299 Jesus, the risen light of life, came forth from the darkness of his tomb. This ever-present day God truly called “Day,” for on this “Day” he did not simply separate light from darkness, but he completely vanquished darkness through the life-giving light of his risen Son, a light that darkness will never overcome (see Jn 1:4–5). So, in the evening darkness, when Jesus appears to his unenlightened disciples and breathes upon them the Holy Spirit, he transformed them into new creations and therefore ushered them into the light of the everlasting Day—a Day that Jesus himself embodies. Upon his resurrection, Jesus becomes the new Day of the new creation.31 At this junction in our theological interpretation of his appearance to his disciples, we can bring together Jesus’ giving “up of his spirit” in his death and his present breathing forth of his “Holy Spirit” upon his disciples. On the cross, Jesus declared that his work was finished; that is, as the great High Priest, he is offering himself as the perfect Passover sacrifice to his Father. Within that death-finishing saving act, Jesus gave up his spirit, his human life, to his Father, and in that same act, he breathed forth his Spirit. The causal effect of Jesus giving up of his spirit to his Father is his breathing forth of his Spirit. Although in Jesus’ pouring out his Spirit upon the world, we saw that his breathing forth of his Spirit was directed particularly to Mary and his beloved disciple, John— both of whom, in their distinctive manners, personified the church. Thus the crucified Jesus, in breathing forth his Spirit, breathes forth life into his church. The church is born, comes to life, in the act of his giving his life, his spirit, to his Father. 31. In his First Letter, as previously noted, John speaks of what they have seen and touched “concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us.” The incarnate eternal Son of God, Jesus, is what was seen and touched, and in him is made manifest the light of eternal life. In manifesting that he is the light of life, Jesus also revealed that “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all” (1 Jn 1:1–5). As the light of eternal life, Jesus reflects the eternal light of life that he shares with his Father—he who is the source of life itself, and so within him there is no darkness at all. As the new Day of the new creation, Jesus prefigures the fulfillment of the eschatological Day. When he comes again in glory at the end of time, there will no more “days”—dark days of sin and death. In his final vision, John saw the new Jerusalem, and “the city has no need of the sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light shall all nations walk; and the kings on the earth shall bring their glory into it, and its gates shall never be shut by day—and there shall be no night there” (Rv 21:22–25). To abide in the new Jerusalem, to abide with him who is light itself, the Father—and to abide in him who is the perfect reflection of the Father’s eternal light, the risen Lamb—is to abide in the everlasting Day wherein there is no darkness, neither of sin nor death (see Rv 21:4). As the new “Day,” the risen Jesus thus embodies the prophetic coming of “the day of the Lord,” both in its present reality and in its future eschatological fulfillment.

300   Passion and Resurrection Narratives What he enacted in his death Jesus now enacts, replicates, as risen. In so doing, he conjoins his death and resurrection, for the one fruit of his conjoined salvific death and life-giving resurrection is the Holy Spirit. Thus as Jesus breathed forth his Spirit upon Mary and John (icons of the church) from the cross, so presently, the risen Jesus breathes forth his Holy Spirit upon his disciples. In so doing, in the manner of the first creation, his disciples are re-created, born anew. In them, then, the Spirit-filled church comes to be, a church with an apostolic mission, that is, to make present Jesus’ saving actions—the forgiveness of sins and the bestowal of the life of the Spirit upon all who, like themselves, believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus Jesus’ death and resurrection are for the sake of the church—the church wherein Spirit-filled believers abide in Jesus, and the church whereby those who do not believe come to hear the good news and so come, through the Spirit, to saving-faith in Jesus. There is, then, an indissoluble Spirit-bound communion between the risen Jesus and his ever-living church, a communion that the Father desired from before the foundation of the world and that he has now achieved, for his incarnate Son has finished his work.

My Lord and My God Having narrated all that transpired between Jesus and his disciples as he appeared to them on that first Easter evening, the Evangelist moves immediately, almost abruptly, to informing the reader as to who was absent. “Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.”32 Despite the fact that he was one of the “twelve,” and so one of those whom Jesus just sent—an Apostle—Thomas was not present when he appeared to his disciples. “So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ ” Upon his return, the others immediately proclaimed to him what Mary Magdalene proclaimed to them—the beholding of “the Lord.” Such a declaration, as with Mary’s, is an expression of faith—the risen Jesus is the divine Lord, YHWH. 32. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 20:24–29 unless otherwise noted. The name “Thomas” is the Aramaic word meaning “twin,” which in Greek is “Didymus.” Thomas is first mentioned in John’s Gospel when Jesus sets off to raise Lazarus from the dead. Because “the Jews” had recently attempted to stone Jesus, his disciples discouraged his going. Thomas then exhorted his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (11:16). Little did Thomas know that they all could also rise with him. Since the other disciples were hunkered down behind locked doors for fear of “the Jews,” one wonders where Thomas could have possibly been. Perhaps he left, courageously but very warily, to purchase groceries from a sympathetic friendly grocer.

My Lord and My God   301 Thomas will have none of it. “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.”33 In his doubt, Thomas wanted verification on two levels. First, he wanted to ensure that what his fellow disciples saw was not a ghost, and so his demand to touch Jesus’ physical flesh. Second, Thomas wanted to confirm that “the man” whom his confreres saw was actually the crucified Jesus, and thus his demand not only to see Jesus’ wound marks, but also to place his finger in them—even his whole hand in Jesus’ side. As noted earlier in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus, in showing his hands and feet, encourages his doubtful disciples to “handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Lk 24:39). What Jesus urged his disciples to do in Luke’s Gospel, Thomas demands to do in John’s—the whole point in both instances is to verify, with unassailable certainty, that the crucified Jesus is now the risen Jesus, and so the risen Lord.34 With Thomas’s ultimatum having been declared, the Evangelist continues his account. “Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ ” On the following Sunday, the eighth day after his resurrection, Jesus once more appears to his disciples. Even though they are still residing behind locked doors for fear of “the Jews,” Jesus, just as he did previously, comes and stands in their midst. That Jesus appears on the first day of the week, Sunday, again evokes the notion that with Jesus’ resurrection the new creation has been accomplished—the everlasting eighth day of the new creation. Moreover, he again bestows upon them his peace—a peace that Thomas, who is now present, desperately needs. Immediately upon his greeting of peace, Jesus turns his attention to Thomas and says to him, “Put your 33. In so declaring, Thomas is forever remembered as “the Doubting Thomas,” to the bane of every male child who is given his name. There has never been a “Thomas” since Thomas the Apostle who has not been declared a doubter. More seriously, it should be observed that Thomas specifies that he wants to place his hand into Jesus’ side. Such a demand is in continuity with the Evangelist’s own emphasis— from the pierced side of the risen Jesus flows the living, Spirit-filled waters of baptism and the Eucharistic blood of eternal life. If there is no pierced side in which Thomas is able to put his hand, then the saving sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, through which the faithful come into living communion with the risen Jesus, have not been bestowed upon the church. 34. As we recently noted, in his First Letter, John testifies to the one “we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands,” that is, “the word of life” (see 1 Jn 1:1).

302   Passion and Resurrection Narratives finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.” In saying “Put your finger here,” Jesus himself is pointing with his own finger where Thomas should put his, that is, upon the nail marks in his hands. Then, he tells Thomas to put out his hand, thus instructing Thomas what he needs to do in order to place his hand into Jesus’ pierced side. Instead of being loath to accede to Thomas’s demands, Jesus welcomes him to do what he desires, even to the point of giving him instruction as to how to do it. Jesus wants Thomas to do both, for these acts of touching will drive out faithlessness and engender belief. In touching Jesus, Thomas would go from the state of being “faithless” (apistos) to a state of being “faithful” (pistos). Thus, in the touching of Jesus, Thomas would redefine himself. He would no longer be a “faithless” person, but a “faithful” person—through faith he would become a new creation, a wholly different kind of person.35 In response to Jesus’ directives, Thomas declares: “My Lord and my God!” For Jesus to be Thomas’s divine Lord, YHWH, is for Jesus to be his God. Thus Thomas professes the truth of the Incarnation.36 The physically risen man, Jesus, the one who is standing before him and who bears the marks of his crucifixion, is none other than He Who Is, the Lord God. The climax of John’s Gospel has now been enacted, and it has been enacted by one who at first disbelieved—Thomas. “The doubting Thomas” has become the supreme exemplar of a believing disciple. To highlight the significance of Thomas’s declaration of faith, I want to pause in order to make a summary point. Within the Evangelist’s Resurrection Narrative (chapter 20), prior to Thomas’s declaration of faith, the title “Lord” is attributed to Jesus five times and inferred thrice. Mary Magdalene speaks of Jesus as “the Lord” or “my Lord” three times (see Jn 20:2, 20:13 and 20:18). When addressing the supposed gardener, she calls him “Sir” (kurie), and ironically, that is who he is—Lord (see Jn 20:15). She also queries where the gardener might have taken “him,” that is, her Lord (see Jn 20:15). The disciple whom Jesus loved came to believe upon 35. The Evangelist does not say that Thomas did, in fact, place his finger upon the nail marks and place his hand into Jesus’ side. Because of this, some scholars believe that Thomas did not do so. I would argue, however, in accord with the above, that Thomas did actually touch Jesus, for in the very act of touching Jesus, Thomas goes from “unbelieving” to “believing.” The act of touching elicits Thomas’s act of faith. In the act of faith, Thomas lays hold of the risen Jesus. The two acts are reciprocally causally conjoined. 36. In his Prologue, John begins by stating that, from the beginning, the Word existed and was with God, and “was God” (Jn 1:1). This divine Word “became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). The divine Word who became flesh still dwells among us as the risen incarnate Word.

My Lord and My God   303 entering the empty tomb and beholding the folded linens and napkin—the implication being that he came to believe, according to Scripture, that Jesus is the risen Lord (see Jn 20:8–9). Upon beholding Jesus, the disciples were happy to see “the Lord,” and upon Thomas’s return, they declared that they had seen “the Lord” (see Jn 20:20 and 20:25). In the Evangelist’s account, the title “Lord” is now the privileged preferred designation as to who the risen Jesus is. The use of the title “Lord” finds climactic expression in Thomas’s profession of faith—“My Lord and my God.” Not only is Thomas the final person to call Jesus “Lord,” and not only does he conjoin “Lord” with “God,” thus making Jesus’ Lordship truly divine, but also he is the only person, in the midst of all those who have previously declared Jesus “Lord,” to have actually declared Jesus to be “Lord” to Jesus himself. All of the previous designations were references to Jesus. Only Thomas, standing before the risen Jesus, addresses him as “My Lord and my God.” Thomas’s declarative action is, then, the same act that every believer must enact. It is not sufficient to refer to Jesus as “Lord.” One must actually address Jesus himself as “My Lord and my God,” for only in such a personal address does one commit one’s life to Jesus, and thus go from being faithless to faithful, and so become newly created—born anew into the Lord’s kingdom.37 In response to Thomas’s declaration of faith, Jesus says to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” Jesus’ comment could be interpreted simply as a reprimand— Thomas only believed because he saw Jesus in his risen state. Such may be the case, but Jesus employs this rebuke primarily not to castigate Thomas but to accentuate the faith of those who believe even though they have not seen him. These “unseeing” believers are blessed.38 Now, those who believe in Jesus as their Lord, even without seeing, may indeed be blessed, but to Thomas’s credit, they come to faith more readily because of him. At first, they too may approach Jesus with doubt. But Thomas’s eyes are now their eyes, and Thomas’s 37. Within his Philippian hymn, Paul declares that because Jesus humbled himself even unto death on the cross, “God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9–11). No one other than Jesus is Lord, and this is to the Father’s glory, for the Father made him so. 38. In his First Letter, Peter praises his readers: “Without having seen him [the risen Jesus] you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy” (1 Pt 1:8). Notice that unseeing believers share in the same joy as the Apostles who did see Jesus.

304   Passion and Resurrection Narratives finger is now their finger, and Thomas’s hand is now their hand. What they could not do for themselves to dismiss their own doubt Thomas has done for them. The faith of all those who believe is founded upon Thomas’s confirmation that the crucified Jesus is truly risen in the flesh and is therefore their own Lord and God.39

That You May Believe The Evangelist straightaway leaves the “unfinished” scene of Jesus’ second appearance to his disciples, and he does so immediately after Thomas makes his profession of faith. With Thomas’s act of faith, the goal of John’s Gospel has been achieved. The only thing left for the Evangelist to do is to state that end clearly, and so he does. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these were written that you [plural] may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.40

The Evangelist informs the reader that besides the signs narrated in his Gospel, Jesus performed many others in his disciples’ presence. The signs referred to are the seven miracle signs contained in what is called the Book of Signs—chapters 2–12. All of these miracle signs, whether the seven narrated by John or the others not recounted, were seen by Jesus’ disciples, and so they can bear witness to them—thus the disciples’ testimony can be trusted. By believing what the disciples saw, all readers (the plural “you”) of John’s “book” can come to believe just as Jesus’ seeing disciples came to believe. Nonetheless, what John himself has written in his “book” is for the sole purpose that 39. I have thought for many years now that the first thing Thomas should have done at the conclusion of this event is to hire a good public relations firm in order to ensure the proper “spin” on what had taken place. Thomas should be known not as “the Doubter” but as the “Man of Faith.” Moreover, he should not be remembered for believing only because he “saw” but remembered for assisting all future generations of “doubters” in their search for faith. What should also be remembered is that Jesus took Thomas’s ultimatum seriously, and in so doing, he enabled Thomas to become the exemplar of faith. See my “Giving the Doubter His Due,” in Jesus: Essays in Christology (Ave Maria, FL: Sapientia, 2014), 369–71. This article was originally published in the Canadian Catholic Review 8, no. 4 (1990): 159–60. 40. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 20:30–31 unless otherwise noted. Scholars believe that these verses were the “original” ending of John’s Gospel and that chapter 21 was added later. I would agree. I will discuss further the literary nature of chapter 21 in the following chapter of this study.

My Lord and My God   305 those who read what he has written come to believe. What is the reader to believe? “That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” I have mentioned on a number of previous occasions that the Evangelist wrote his Gospel to confirm Peter’s profession of faith, a declaration that does not appear in his Gospel. Such an understanding is also in accord with my other supposition that John is writing his own theological interpretation of the one Gospel tradition that is found in a threefold manner within the Synoptic Gospels. Thus the Evangelist states clearly in his conclusion that what he wishes his readers to believe is exactly what Peter professed. Peter, in Matthew’s Gospel, declares: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). In Mark, he says, “You are the Christ” (Mk 8:29), and in Luke, he professes: “The Christ of God” (Lk 9:20). Jesus is the Christ because he is the living Father’s Spirit-anointed Son.41 This proclamation, within John’s Gospel, was first prophetically made by John the Baptist in relation to Jesus’ baptism and therefore just prior to the onset of Jesus’ ministry. John, upon beholding the Spirit descend upon Jesus and remain with him, noted that the one who sent him [God] to baptize with water said to him, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” Thus God’s anointed one, the Christ, is he who will baptize in the Holy Spirit. Moreover, in beholding the Spirit descend and remain on Jesus, the Baptist declares: “And I have seen and have born witness that his is the Son of God” (Jn 1:32–34). Because of what the Baptist has seen, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus, he is able to bear witness, in accordance with Peter’s profession, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The seven miracle signs that Jesus subsequently enacts within John’s Gospel equally bear witness, and so confirm, what the Baptist declared—that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.42 Again, such belief is incarnational. One is to 41. For a theological understanding of the various renditions of Peter’s profession of faith, see JBJ 1:209–21. In John’s Gospel, Nathanael is the first to echo Peter’s profession. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (Jn 1:49). Mary, Lazarus’s sister, more closely expresses Peter’s profession. “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world” (Jn 11:27). 42. In Luke’s Infancy Narrative, the Angel Gabriel tells Mary that because she will conceive by the power and overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, “the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). Now, the first person to call Jesus the Son of God within the Synoptic Gospels is God the Father, and significantly, he does so at Jesus’ baptism. Upon the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Father proclaims: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:16–17). In Mark and Luke the Father declares: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mk 1:11 and Lk 3:22). That God the Father is the first to declare Jesus to be his beloved Son is theologically important. If a human being was the first to declare Jesus to

306   Passion and Resurrection Narratives believe that the man Jesus is the Son of God—the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us and whose glory has been manifested in the seven miracle signs, the glory of the Father’s only begotten Son (see Jn 1:14). John desires that all come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God so that, in that belief, all “may have eternal life in his name.”43 The Evangelist’s last phrase expresses the overarching theme of his Gospel. “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16–17; see also 3:14–15). Through faith in Jesus as the Father’s Son, one casts off sin, with its curse of death, and is born anew into eternal life—the transformation that is achieved through the Holy Spirit. This Spirit-engendered re-creation transfigures one into the likeness of the risen Jesus, the Son, and so one becomes a child of the Father, for one now shares in, and so abides in, his eternal life. I have noted that John addresses a plural “you” and therefore not simply a single person who happens to be reading his Gospel. Who is the plural “you” that John is personally addressing? Well, he is obviously addressing all those who will ever read and ponder his Gospel, but, as I have already suggested on a number of occasions, I believe he has his present and future unbelieving Jewish brethren particularly in mind. As we saw, the main issue within Jesus’ contentious dialogues with “the Jews” pertains to his identity as the Son of God.44 “The Jews” first sought to kill Jesus not only because he worked a miracle sign on the Sabbath, but he “also called God his Father, making himself equal to God” (Jn 5:18). Moreover, they attempted to stone Jesus for blasphemy “because you, being a man, make yourself God” (Jn 10:33). Jesus assures be such, it would be ambiguous as to whether Jesus is God’s Son by adoption, as found in the Old Testament, or God’s Son by nature. But God the Father’s declaration that Jesus is his Son bears within it a divine ontological significance—Jesus, as the Father’s Son, is divine in the same manner as his Father is divine, and so equally God as well. If the Son were not equally God as his Father is God, he would not truly be the Father’s beloved Son. For a fuller theological interpretation of Jesus’ baptism as found within the Synoptic Gospels, see JBJ 1:80–101. Thus in John’s Gospel at the time of Jesus’ baptism, the Baptist’s testimony that Jesus is the Son of God exactly echoes what the Father himself declares at Jesus’ baptism within the Synoptic Gospels. The reason the Baptist could make such a claim is because the Father informed him, prior to Jesus’ baptism, that the one upon whom the Spirit descends and remains is “the Son of God.” 43. In his First Letter, John states that he has written this letter that “you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 Jn 5:13). 44. For a theological interpretation of these contentious dialogues in John’s Gospel, chapters 7 and 8, see JBJ 2, chap. 8.

My Lord and My God   307 the unbelieving Jews that they will die in their sins “unless you believe that I am he” (Jn 8:24; see also 8:28 and 8:59).45 Thus at the conclusion of his Gospel, John makes a final plea to his Jewish brethren—they are to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, so that they may not die in their sin but have eternal life.

Conclusion In concluding this chapter, I want to make three interrelated theological points that embrace the whole of John’s Gospel. First, now that he is gloriously risen, Jesus has definitively become Jesus. He has conclusively enacted his name YHWH-Saves through his saving death and life-giving resurrection. Thus, for the Evangelist, it is in believing in that name, Jesus, that one obtains eternal life. Jesus, as his name designates, reigns supreme. Although Jesus will not fully become Jesus until he comes again in glory at the end of time, for only then will all of the faithful share fully in his bodily resurrection, as risen, Jesus is now empowered to act in a manner that he was unable to act prior to his death and resurrection. Jesus is now able to act as Savior of all humanity and as the Lord of all who believe in him, for he presently embodies in himself the fruit of his own salvific work, eternal life. He presently is Lord of the new creation, of which he is himself the chief exemplar. Second, the above being the case, all that was prophetically enacted within the previous seven miracles signs now find their fulfillment, and all of the seven “I am” sayings are now actualized; that is, Jesus can now truly be what he claimed to be. For example, as prophetically anticipated in the miracle at Cana, Jesus, as the risen Lord, can now baptize those who believe in the Holy Spirit, giving them the abundance of living water, and he can then usher them into full communion with him in the Eucharist. Moreover, as signified in the multiplication of the loaves, the crucified and risen Jesus truly becomes the bread of life, for it is now possible for those who believe to eat his given-up risen body and drink his given-up risen blood and so have eternal life. As risen, Jesus is now the resurrection and the life, and all who believe in him, even if they die, shall live. Likewise, as signified in his healing the blind man, the crucified and risen Jesus is the light of the world, and those who follow him 45. Both the Samaritan woman and the blind man come to believe that Jesus is the Christ— He Who Is (see 4:25–26 and Jn 9:35–38). It must be remembered that the title “Lord” is the Greek equivalent to the divine name YHWH—He Who Is.

308   Passion and Resurrection Narratives will no longer walk in the darkness of sin and death. Similarly, the risen Jesus is truly the gate of the sheepfold, and those who hear his voice and follow him he will now shepherd into the presence of his heavenly Father. Furthermore, because Jesus is risen, all who believe in him come to abide in him as a branch is one with the vine, and in so abiding in Jesus the faithful will bear much fruit, the Spirit-filled fruit of love. Only because Jesus is risen is he now truly the way to the Father, for he embodies the fullness of truth that leads to the Father, and he is the way and the truth because he possesses the fullness of eternal life. No one comes to the Father except in, through, and with the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. Although Jesus, as the Father’s incarnate Spirit-filled Son, was always He Who Is, the great I AM, now as risen, he is empowered to exercise fully his ministry as the giver of eternal life. The risen Jesus does so, as seen above, by being the bread of life, the life-giving light of the world, the living-gate of the sheepfold, the living good shepherd who died for his sheep, the resurrection and the life, the life-giving vine, and so the way, the truth, and the life in whom all have access to his Father. In the crucified and risen Jesus, John’s entire Gospel is consummated, summed up, and finds its fulfillment, for only as crucified and risen is Jesus truly Jesus— YHWH-Saves. Third, in the risen Jesus, the Father’s Son, the Father becomes fully YHWHSaves, for it was the Father’s work that Jesus enacted, and the Holy Spirit becomes fully YHWH-Saves, for only in the Holy Spirit, as the Messiah, did Jesus fulfill his Father’s work, the fruit of which is Jesus, the risen Lord, pouring out upon all believers the divine life of the Holy Spirit. In and through the man Jesus, YHWH-Saves, the entire Trinity enacts, each person acting in accordance with who each is, the one work of salvation. To bear witness to these truths, John wrote his “book” so that all who read it might come to believe. We will now proceed to John’s appended second conclusion—Jesus’ third risen appearance to his disciples.

Do You Love Me?

9 • D o You L ov e Me?

Most scholars, including myself, agree that the Gospel of John originally concluded with chapter 20, for the Evangelist declares at the end of it why he wrote his “book”—“that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (Jn 20:31). Chapter 21 is therefore seen as a later addendum to the Gospel. The questions that arise are, Who is the author of chapter 21? and Who placed it within John’s original Gospel? Whoever wrote it and whoever added it did so very early on, for all of the ancient manuscripts include chapter 21. The issue of authorship arises because chapter 21 has stylistic elements that are not entirely Johannine but rather, now not surprisingly, Lukan in nature. If John did not personally author chapter 21, then the material within it could be from John’s reminiscences, which were later appended by another author at a later date, possibly Luke or one of John’s disciples. However, some scholars argue that there is enough similarity between chapter 21 and the rest of the Gospel so as to attribute the authorship to John, and therefore that he himself appended it to his original Gospel. I have remarked on any number of occasions that Luke’s Gospel contains multiple similarities to John’s, and therefore I have argued that Luke places in his own Gospel the personal reminiscences that John shared with him. Now, John would have orally told Luke what he had seen and heard in a manner different from the manner in which he himself would express them in his own Gospel. John’s Johannine written style would be governed by John’s Johannine theological narrative concerns. I hypothesize that John himself did author chapter 21, but since he added it as an appendix to his original Gospel, it does not possess, as the rest of his Gospel, a full Johannine theological narrative pedigree.1 He wrote it more after the manner of one orally narrating the 1. I noted a similar issue with regards to Jn 7:53–8:11 concerning the story of the adulterous woman. This event is thought to be a later insertion and is not in the earliest Greek manuscripts,

309

310   Passion and Resurrection Narratives present resurrection appearance to another person, such as Luke. Chapter 21 therefore sounds somewhat “Lukan,” but it simultaneously possesses Johannine stylistic indicators as well as theological characteristics that would be in accord with John’s entire Gospel. Thus chapter 21 is a blend of John’s theological written style and his “Lukan” oral reminiscent style, both of which he later merged in written form and appended to his Gospel. Nonetheless, why would John later append this particular resurrection appearance to his Gospel? He did so because he realized that he had left incomplete his “Petrine” narrative. Although he recounted Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus, the Evangelist did not record Jesus’ questioning Peter as to his love for him. In neglecting to tell of Peter’s threefold profession of love for Jesus, John also realized that he ignored telling of Jesus’ threefold declaration that Peter should feed Jesus’ sheep, and that within this mandate Jesus conferred upon Peter his primacy as head of the Apostles. This mandate, then, fulfills Jesus’ prophecy concerning Peter’s threefold denial, a prophecy that is unsurprisingly found in Luke. “Simon, Simon, behold Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Lk 22:31–32; see also 22:33–34). It must be remembered that John wrote his entire Gospel to bear witness to and so confirm Peter’s profession of faith—“that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (Jn 20:31; see also Jn 6:66–69, Jn 11:27, Mt 16:13–20, Mk 8:27–30, and Lk 9:18–21). Thus within the context of the Evangelist’s Gospel, Jesus, in his risen appearance in chapter 21, testifies to the primacy of Peter as the head of the Apostles and to the primacy of his declaration of faith. Peter is the rock upon which the faith of his church would be built. With this attempt to sort out who wrote chapter 21 and the manner in which it was written as well as the theological motive for its addition, which in no way bears upon its authentic canonicity, we can now theologically examine the text itself.

It Is the Lord! The Evangelist begins chapter 21 by setting the scene.2 “After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed but it is found in some of the later Latin translations. Again, the literary style is similar to Luke. For a fuller discussion see JBJ 2:275. 2. In examining this chapter, I am assuming, for convenience’s sake, that John is its author.

Do You Love Me?   311 himself in this way.”3 Sometime after his previous two Easter appearances to his disciples, the time of which John does not specify, Jesus appears again to them by the Sea of Tiberias.4 Why does John designate this body of water by its “Roman” name, “the Sea of Tiberius,” and not by its “Jewish” name, “the Sea of Galilee?” As we will see, there is a “universal” element within Jesus’ present appearance—that is, that all peoples and nations are to believe in Jesus as the Father’s Messianic Son, in whose name there is eternal life. Such an understanding would be in keeping with what the Evangelist declares at the conclusion of chapter 20. Thus not only are the Jews of Galilee to believe in Jesus, but the Romans in the city of Tiberius are to believe in him as well. Nonetheless, having informed the reader that Jesus did appear, John now narrates the setting and the manner in which he does. Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Although there are presently eleven Apostles, only three are specifically named—Simon Peter, Thomas, and Nathanael. We know who “the sons of Zebedee” are, but only because they are named in the Synoptic Gospels—James and John (see Mt 4:21, Mk 1:19, and Lk 5:10).5 The identity of the other two is 3. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 21:1–8 unless otherwise noted. 4. This body of water is also known as the Sea of Galilee (see Mt 4:18 and Mk 1:16) or the Lake of Gennesaret (see Lk 5:1). In 20 AD, Herod Antipas built a governmental city along the northwest side of the sea/lake in honor of the emperor, Tiberius Caesar. Thus among the Roman occupiers the sea became known as the Sea of Tiberius. While John earlier refers to this sea, he does not name it (see Jn 6:16–21). As I noted in chapter 8, Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel tells his disciples that after he is raised up “I will go before you to Galilee” (Mt 26:32). The angel at the tomb told the women “to go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him” (Mt 28:7). Jesus appears to them on their way and gives them the same command—that his disciples should go to Galilee, where they will see him (see Mt 28:10). The disciples do go to Galilee, and from the mountain there Jesus ascends into heaven (Mt 28:16). As was discussed, it might first appear that these references to Galilee are now in accord with Jesus’ present appearance at the Sea of Tiberius. But I suggested that the references in Matthew’s Gospel could be designating an area near the Mount of Olives and Bethany called “Galilee” because Galileans resided there when they came to Jerusalem for the annual liturgical feasts. 5. Interestingly, this is the first and only time that James is alluded to in John’s Gospel. The reason for this allusion may be because the Evangelist does not want to identify himself, which he never does by name, normally referring to himself as the “beloved disciple.” Nonetheless, he does want to let the reader know that he was present. He does so by noting that

312   Passion and Resurrection Narratives unknown. More than likely they are not key players in John’s Gospel. Nonetheless, we have seven witnesses to what is about to take place, and for the Evangelist, this is the perfect number—there is a full complement of qualified eyewitnesses. Now, in naming three of the disciples and implying himself as a son of Zebedee, John has once again brought into identifiable view the goal of his entire Gospel. The Evangelist wrote his Gospel so that all those who read it would come to faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God—that is, profess the faith of Peter (see Jn 20:30–31). Now, all those named either have or will declare Jesus to be “Lord” or “God” or both. Thomas is present, then, because he previously proclaimed Jesus to be his Lord and God, and the “beloved disciple” will soon declare Jesus to be “the Lord.” That Nathanael is also present is likewise significant, for he is the first to proclaim Jesus to be the Son of God and the King of Israel (see Jn 1:49). Peter in this chapter takes center stage, and he will thrice declare Jesus to be Lord, thus implicitly reaffirming his original Petrine profession of faith, even though that declaration is not present in John’s Gospel. Thus this appearance of Jesus accentuates the Incarnation, for all of those who are named at some point are witnesses to the truth that the man Jesus is the risen Lord, the Father’s Messianic Son. Having informed the reader as to who was present, the Evangelist begins the narrative action. Simon Peter declares to the others that he is going fishing. One gets the impression that this was an impulsive move on Peter’s part— almost as if he wanted to do something, anything, to alleviate his boredom, yet as we see, there may be more than listlessness involved. The others agree that they will go with him, and so they get into the boat, but catch nothing the entire night. Three points can be made here. First, this is only time in John’s Gospel where there is an allusion to Peter being a fisherman. In the Synoptics, Jesus called Peter and Andrew, his brother, to follow him when they were “casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen” (Mt 4:18). Mark’s narrative is similar (see Mk 1:16). Luke provides a “the sons of Zebedee” were present at this appearance of Jesus, of which he is one. Thomas, as in chapter 20, is also designated “the Twin.” Because this repetition follows so soon after it was first mentioned indicates that this chapter was independently composed later, and thus the supposed need to inform the reader that Thomas is also called “the Twin.” Also, the reader is now informed, for the first time, that Nathanael is from “Cana in Galilee,” the town where Jesus performed his first miracle sign. In this event, Jesus first manifested his glory as the Son of God, which in turn led his first followers to believe in him (Jn 1:51; see also Jn 1:14). The reader is about to read of Jesus’ final miracle sign, the miraculous catch of fish, and in doing so, he reveals that he is the glorious Lord.

Do You Love Me?   313 more involved account, however. Because the crowds were pressing upon him by the shore of the lake of Gennesaret, Jesus got into Simon’s boat and asked him to go out a little from the land. Having finished his teaching, Jesus tells Simon to set out into the deep for a catch. Simon retorted, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Because of the abundance of fish that were caught, filling two boats almost to the point of sinking, Simon fell on his knees before Jesus and declared: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Not only was Peter astonished, but so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” Upon reaching land, “they left everything and followed him” (Lk 5:1–11). There are obvious similarities between this Lukan account of the calling of James and John, and particularly Peter, and what is about to be enacted in John’s Gospel. The significance of these similarities will be noted in due course. As we will see, what was enacted in Luke’s Gospel will now be “reenacted” in John’s account of this resurrection appearance, but in a different manner—within a different theological template.6 Here I want to highlight that, while only evident now in John’s Gospel, Peter is a fisherman, and that, in Luke’s narrative, Peter leaves his trade to become “a fisher of men.” Second, one now wonders if Peter had given up hope of every being a “fisher of men,” since he had denied Jesus three times. He was once more a sinful man. Thus, in boredom and desolation, he seeks consolation and refuge in his old life.7 But even in this seemingly routine act of going fishing, Peter is still the leader of the Apostles—all of the other six willingly take up his call and follow him out to sea. 6. While I believe that this appearance of the risen Jesus to these seven disciples is historical, I also think that the Evangelist modeled it in keeping with Luke’s account, since, in all likelihood Luke’s account is the written oral reminiscence of John himself. (It is improbable that John would have a copy of Luke’s Gospel.) Thus the Evangelist recognized that what took place when Jesus first called Peter to be a fisher of men, Jesus will reconfirm in this present resurrection appearance—he will mandate Peter to feed his sheep. The present resurrection appearance must therefore be interpreted in the light of Luke’s recalling John’s reminiscence of Jesus declaring Peter to be a fisher of men. 7. Knowing that a disheartened Peter, recalling his threefold denial, decides to go fishing, what are we to make of the fact that Jesus had already appeared to his disciples twice before, at which appearances Peter was himself present? It would appear that even though Peter would have seen the risen Jesus and that upon him, along with the rest of the Apostles, Jesus would have breathed forth his Spirit, Peter continued to be remorseful. To this point there would have been no formal reconciliation between Peter and Jesus, and thus Peter continued in his despondency—his unresolved estrangement.

314   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Third, as in the Lukan account, although they had fished the entire night, Peter and his companions caught nothing. This lack of success suggests that though James and John, and again particularly Peter, were once fishermen, their old way of life had come to an end. Unbeknownst to them, their fishing days are over.8 Moreover, in noting that they had fished all night, the Evangelist is signaling that dawn is on the horizon—the risen Jesus, he who embodies the everlasting day of the new creation, is about to appear to them.9 So, John continues. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish.”

When the sun was coming over the horizon, Jesus stood on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius. As Mary Magdalene did not at first recognize Jesus when 8. Significantly, in Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospels, once Jesus calls Peter and his brother Andrew, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee, to follow him, they never go fishing again. In Luke’s account, when they follow Jesus after the miraculous catch of fish, they cease to fish. The present Johannine account of Peter and the others going fishing is an exception, but again, this will result in a miraculous catch, and as noted appears to be a “resurrection” reenactment of what took place in Luke’s Gospel. The only other exception is found in Matthew’s Gospel. Tax collectors in Capernaum ask Peter whether his master pays “the half-shekel” temple tax. In asking Peter, the tax collectors recognize that Peter is the leader of Jesus’ followers. Peter affirms that Jesus does so. Later, Jesus asks Peter, “From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from others?” Peter answers, “From others.” Jesus in turn says, “Then the sons are free.” The implication is that since Jesus is the Son of God, he should be free from paying a tax levied upon his Father’s temple. Jesus continues, “However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel; take that and give it to them for me and for yourself” (Mt 17:24–27). This is an odd miracle for Jesus to work. The oddity is not that Peter caught a fish, though that is in itself extraordinary, since in the Gospels this is the only fish he ever caught that was not caught miraculously, but that within the fish’s mouth was a shekel coin. I will not venture to interpret the significance of the coin being in the fish’s mouth, but that the coin is a shekel allows both Jesus and Peter together to pay the half-shekel temple tax. As the head of the Apostles, Peter has a unique oneness with Jesus, the Father’s Son. Together, with one coin, they pay honor to God in contributing to the temple tax. Thus this event is a further example of Peter’s primacy—a primacy that is about to be confirmed within the present Johannine text. 9. That he appears to Peter and the others at dawn is reminiscent of Jesus’ resurrection. Mary Magdalene, followed by Peter and John, run to the tomb while it is still dark, whereupon Jesus, at dawn, subsequently appears to Mary (see Jn 20:1–18; see also Mt 28:1, Mk 16:1, and Lk 24:1).

Do You Love Me?   315 he appeared to her, so the disciples do not know that Jesus is the man who now stands before them (see Jn 20:14; see also Lk 24:16). Jesus must reveal himself to them just as he did to Mary. Knowledge of the risen Lord is dependent upon his revealing action and not upon a merely human coming to know. As at his first miracle sign at Cana, Jesus must manifest his glory in order to give birth to faith, a faith that acknowledges that he is the Father’s risen incarnate Son. Moreover, as Jesus first called his disciples, particularly Peter, along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and manifested his glory as Lord through the miraculous catch of fish, so Jesus will now display his glory as the risen Lord through another miraculous catch of fish, and in so doing he will re-call, and so reinstate, Peter as a fisher of men. Jesus initiates the action by calling out to the disciples. “Children, have you any fish?” Jesus’ address to his disciples as “children” (paidia) recalls his earlier affectionate address to them as “little children” (teknia). In the first instance, Jesus speaks of the Father glorifying him soon, and because of this glorification, he affectionately informs his “little children,” to their sadness, that he will not be with them much longer, and that while they will seek him, where he is going, they cannot come (Jn 12:31–33).10 In the interim, the Father has glorified Jesus through his death and resurrection, and Peter and John did seek him but found the tomb empty. But the now-glorified Jesus has presently “found” his disciples after they had spent a long night fishing, and once again he addresses them as “children.” It would appear that he does so because he perceives that they are downcast not only because they failed to catch any fish, but also because they, especially Peter, are uncertain of their future. Peter, I have surmised, wanted to go fishing precisely to relieve his anxiety. Peter and his companions are like abandoned children in search of succor, a comfort that the risen Jesus, their Lord, will now provide. So, Jesus asks his children if they caught any fish, to which they frustratingly respond with a resounding “No.” Jesus instructs them to cast their net “on the right side of the boat,” for in doing so, they “will find some.” (This “some” may be Jesus’ attempt at understated humor. The “some” is not four or five or even a dozen but a huge “quantity,” 153 to be exact.) That the Evangelist states that Jesus specified from which side of the boat they were to cast their 10. Following upon Jesus telling his disciples that they cannot come with him, there is an important interchange between Jesus and Peter about where Jesus is going and Peter wanting to follow him, even laying down his life for him (see Jn 13:36–38). I will address these passages later at a more appropriate time. For now, I simply want to note that Jesus refers to his disciples as “children” on two occasions, here in Jn 21 and earlier in Jn 13.

316   Passion and Resurrection Narratives net lends to the historicity of the account and moreover manifests that Jesus knew exactly where the fish were to be found—on the starboard side of the boat. Such knowledge is the initial hint that his disciples (and the reader) are in the presence of their all-knowing Lord. What is surprising is that the disciples, without any hesitation, immediately obey the command of this “unknown” man. Such unquestioning immediacy contrasts with Peter’s response to Jesus when told, in Luke’s Gospel, to set out into the deep and to let down his nets for a catch. “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets” (Lk 5:4–5). The exasperated and unconvinced Peter will lower the nets, but he will only do so because Jesus commanded him. Why this change? Peter’s response was prior to his believing that his Master was his Lord—only after the miraculous catch of fish does Peter address Jesus as such. The irony is that presently Peter has yet to grasp that the “unknown” man is his Lord, and yet he obeys him without any tentativeness as though he were his Lord—which he is. Because of Peter’s obedience, the glory of his Lord will be revealed in the miraculous catch of fish, and in beholding that glory he will come to believe (with the help of John) that the “unknown” man is his Lord. “So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish.” Again, this great quantity of fish mirrors the “great shoal of fish” that was caught within the Lukan account. Then the nets were at the point of breaking, and the boats were at the point of sinking (see Lk 5:6–7). As with the Lukan narrative, the present seven disciples must have been overwhelmed with excitement at having caught such a quantity of fish and with the challenge of drawing them into the boat. In the midst of all this astonishment, however, it is John who has the composure to recognize what this miraculous catch of fish truly revealed. “That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Although both Peter and John entered the empty tomb, only the more attentive John, upon seeing the cloths and linen napkin neatly folded, recognized that the emptiness of the tomb conveyed the truth that Jesus had been raised gloriously from the dead according to the Scripture. He beheld the signs and grasped what they signified. Presently, John beheld the miraculous catch of fish and recognized what it signified—the “unknown” man is “the Lord.” Upon hearing John’s acclamation, Peter springs into action in a manner as only he is wont to do. But before examining Peter’s response upon learning that the unknown man is Jesus the Lord, more needs to be said concerning John’s declaration and his relationship to Peter. First, in chapter 8 of this volume, I remarked that in chapter 20 of John’s

Do You Love Me?   317 Gospel the risen Jesus is referred to or called “Lord” nine times. The Evangelist himself, the one whom Jesus loved, now declares Jesus to be “the Lord.” In so doing, he not only joins the chorus of Mary Magdalene, the rejoicing disciples, and Thomas, but he also confirms the faith of Peter—that Jesus, as the Christ, the Son of God, is the Lord. The Evangelist therefore professes the very faith for which he wrote his Gospel (see Jn 20:30–31). In a sense, John allows himself to have the last word as to who Jesus is. Second, although John is expressing within his entire Gospel his theological interpretation of Jesus’ words and actions, the above instance is only the second time the reader hears John personally speaking within his own Gospel. The previous occurrence was when Peter, at the Last Supper, beckoned to John, who was close to the breast of Jesus, to inform him as to who would betray Jesus. The beloved disciple asks Jesus, “Lord, who is it?” (Jn 13:23–25). In this first instance, John addresses Jesus as “Lord,” and in the second, he declares Jesus to be “the Lord.” In both occasions, John uses the title “Lord” when he is interacting with Peter. The first was to find out who it was who was going to betray “the Lord.” The second time is John now informing Peter, he who denied knowing the Lord, who the Lord is. Thus John identifies who the man is whom Peter denied knowing, the now not-known man who is standing on the shore. Even though Peter knows that Jesus is the Lord, having denied knowing him, Peter is incapable of recognizing him until John comes to his aid. “It is the Lord.” What is fascinating is that the Evangelist himself, as we discuss shortly, makes reference to the first time he spoke and addressed Jesus as “Lord.” After Jesus informed Peter as to the manner in which he would die, Peter saw “the disciple whom Jesus loved” following him and Jesus. This is the beloved disciple “who had lain close to his [Jesus’] breast at the supper, and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’ ” (Actually, he simply asked, “Lord, who is it?”) John wishes to accentuate not that he found out who was to betray Jesus, but that as the beloved disciple he lay close to the heart of Jesus, and because of this loving bosom intimacy, he knew Jesus to be the divine Lord, and so he could obtain this knowledge, knowledge that the other disciples, including Peter, did not have. Here, again, John comes to the aid of Peter, and he does so precisely because he is the beloved disciple who knows, in that mutual love, Jesus. Thus in both instances where he speaks, John is the intermediary between Peter and Jesus, and in both instances he addresses Jesus as “Lord” and so bears witness to Peter that Jesus is “the Lord.” As the head of

318   Passion and Resurrection Narratives the Apostles, Peter will robustly act upon this knowledge, but this knowledge is obtained through lovingly contemplating Jesus in faith—a virtue of which John is the ecclesial exemplar. Thus Peter and John ecclesially complement one another. Peter personifies active faith and John characterizes contemplative faith and together they embody the one church.11 After telling him that the unknown man “is the Lord,” the Evangelist immediately provides Peter’s response. “When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea.” Not waiting for the boat to take him to shore, Peter impetuously leapt into the sea. But such an impulsive action demonstrates his desire to be with Jesus as soon as possible. Moreover, normally, when one goes swimming, one takes off one’s clothes—not Peter. He must have been embarrassed by his naked, or near-naked appearance, and he wanted to be properly attired, even if soaked, when he came into the presence of his risen Lord. Here, there may be an allusion to sinful Adam and Eve. After eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, “the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons” (Gn 3:7). Later, when God appears in the garden, they “hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.” When God called out to Adam in an attempt to find him, Adam said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” God responded, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat” (Gn 3:8–11). Not only were Adam and Eve themselves embarrassed by their nakedness, but they were, in their nakedness, also afraid to be in the presence of God. God first wanted to know who told them that they were naked, for he, in his goodness, made them male and female. Immediately, however, he realized that the reason for their shame and fear was that they had eaten from the tree—they were no longer innocent in their goodness but had become mortified in their sin. Peter is presently a sinful man, having denied Jesus three times. He, too, is 11. On a number of occasions, I have commented upon John’s contemplative nature. It is ironic, then, that Jesus named him and his brother James the “sons of thunder” (Mk 3:17). Not surprisingly, Luke provides an account wherein their “thunder” is manifested. Only John could have told him this censorious tale about himself, since only his Gospel provides it. A Samaritan village refused to accept Jesus because he was going to Jerusalem. Because of this rejection, James and John said, “Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?” Jesus obviously refused their offer (Lk 9:51–55). Over the course of his association with Jesus, John’s “thunder” was quieted, and he became the more reflective beloved disciple.

Do You Love Me?   319 mortified that Jesus caught him in his sinful nakedness. Thus, before springing into the sea, he clothed himself, for he was about to present himself to his all-holy Lord. Peter, though, now exhibits a difference from the first miraculous catch of fish as narrated in Luke. Upon that catch of fish, Peter “fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord’ ” (Lk 5:8). In this first miraculous catch of fish, Peter perceives that Jesus is holy and therefore should rightly shun him, for he is sinful. Jesus tells Peter that he ought not be afraid, however, for “henceforth you will be catching men” (Lk 5:11). In contrast, Peter is presently hastening to meet Jesus his Lord despite his sinful threefold denial. Is he doing so because he wants, even unconsciously, to be reconciled to Jesus? He eagerly desires to once more be a fisher of men. As will become evident, such a reconciliation will take place, but under a different vocational template—as a shepherd of Jesus’ sheep. While Peter is breathlessly thrashing through the water, “the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, but about a hundred yards off.” With this movement from sea to land, the scene of the miraculous catch of fish evolves into another revelatory event.

Come and Have Breakfast “When they got on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.”12 Since the Evangelist is narrating an event of which he is a participant, the “they” presumably are those disciples who arrived in the boat, the fast-swimming Peter having arrived sooner. Now, John notes that what they first saw is not Jesus but a charcoal fire laden with fish and some bread. The attentive John again recognizes the significance of the charcoal fire. It was while warming himself around a charcoal fire at the residence of the high priest Caiaphas that Peter three times denied that he was Jesus’ disciple (see Jn 18:15–27). It is around the present charcoal fire that Peter will three times warmly affirm his love for Jesus, and in so doing, Peter will once more become a follower of Jesus.13 Nonetheless, upon the disciples’ arrival, Jesus instructs them to “bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” The miraculously caught fish is to be added to the other fish that are already cooking on the charcoal fire. Not surprisingly, it is Peter again who immediately springs into 12. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 21:9–14 unless otherwise noted. 13. Although Jesus had asked his disciples if they had any fish, it now appears that he already had some and was in the process of cooking them. The significance of the presence of bread will be examined shortly.

320   Passion and Resurrection Narratives action. “So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.” The Evangelist observes that all of the fish in the net were “large.” This catch was not, then, an ordinary catch where fish of various sizes would have been caught. Moreover, even though there were 153 large fish, the net was not torn. All of this detail does not simply affirm the historicity of the event; it accentuates its miraculous nature. Nonetheless, what theological significance resides in the act of Peter dragging to shore an untorn net containing 153 large fish? First, from the very onset, beginning with the Fathers of the Church, theologians have speculated as to the “hidden” meaning of the number 153. For certain, such a large number signifies an abundance of fish, far more than Jesus and his seven disciples could eat at one meal. This abundance of fish evokes, then, the abundance of water that was changed into an abundance of wine at the wedding feast at Cana (see Jn 2:6). It also recalls the twelve baskets of fragments leftover when Jesus miraculously multiplied the five barley loaves and two fish (see Jn 6:13). Also, the living water that Jesus will provide “will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:14). He who believes in Jesus “out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water,” the life-giving water of the Holy Spirit (Jn 7:37–39). He whom God has sent, Jesus, “utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit” (Jn 3:34). Moreover, Jesus came as the good shepherd that those who believe in him “may have life, and have it in abundance” (Jn 10:10–11). Thus the number 153 broadly expresses the abundance of life that Jesus gives—the Spirit-filled eternal life given within the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. Second, scholars often note that St. Jerome, in his Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, argued on behalf of the symbolic specificity of the number 153. In one of his visions, God shows Ezekiel a great sea that contains many different kinds of fish. “Fishermen will stand beside the sea; from Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for spreading nets; its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea” (Ezek 47:10). Now, Jerome asserts that Greek zoologists identified 153 different kind of fish. Thus the miraculous catch of 153 fish symbolizes that the fishing Apostles will gather people from all nations and races—the whole of humanity, even the Romans who live astride the Sea of Tiberius. Even if Jerome’s argument is somewhat suspect as to his exegesis of Ezekiel in relation to Greek zoology, his conclusion is correct. Third, the abundance of fish signifies not only that abundance of life is

Do You Love Me?   321 found in Jesus, but also that a plethora of nations will partake of this abundant life. In the Lukan account of the first miraculous catch of fish, a catch that almost sank the boats, Jesus commissioned the sinful Peter and the other disciples to be fishers of men. Presently, in response to Jesus’ command, in his act of entering the boat and hauling back to Jesus the untorn net filled with 153 fish, sinful Peter is reestablishing himself as a fisher of men. As an Apostle, as one sent by Jesus, he is to gather people of all nations in order that all people may partake of the abundance of life found in Jesus. This huge gathering of nations will neither sink the boat nor tear the net, for, though diverse, all peoples will abide as one within the apostolic church, a universal assembly over which Peter, whose primacy Jesus will shortly reconfirm, will preside as its leader. The Evangelist does not inform the reader what Jesus specifically did with the fish that Peter lugged ashore. John instead immediately tells the reader what Jesus said to his disciples. “Come and have breakfast.” So, as the new day begins, Jesus provides breakfast for his disciples. But this breakfast signifies the beginning of the new and everlasting day of the new creation, for it is the risen Lord Jesus who offers it. At this juncture, John immediately inserts a curious aside. “Now none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was Lord.” John had informed Peter that “It is the Lord,” and he now says that they already knew that it was the Lord, so what is the Evangelist’s point? Why would none of the disciples dare ask him who he is when they already know who he is? Here, there appears to be a “knowing” and an “unknowing,” and because of this “knowing” and “unknowing,” the disciples dared not ask, “Who are you?” They knew that they were in the presence of the man Jesus, but because he is now the risen Jesus, there is something new and different about him that they did not fully grasp—something unknown, something pertaining to his now being the risen Lord. Yet they do not probe into this unknown for fear of entering a realm that they dare not enter of their own accord. The “unknown” must be revealed by Jesus himself—at his initiative. Jesus takes this revelatory initiative in what he does next. Jesus had invited his disciples to come and have breakfast, and in so doing he gathered them around himself—he who is the provider of the meal. Having gathered his disciples, the Evangelist states, “Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.” Jesus’ coming into the midst of his gathered disciples is his revelatory initiative—the revealing of the unknown and the unexpected. His taking of the bread and giving it to his disciples, as well as the fish, is the reenactment of what Jesus did when he multiplied the

322   Passion and Resurrection Narratives loaves and fish. “Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted” (Jn 6:11; see also Mt 14:19–20, Mk 6:40–43, and Lk 9:16–17). What was signified and prefigured in the multiplication of the loaves and fish is now fulfilled in this Eucharistic breakfast. The risen Jesus is the true bread from heaven that the Father has given (see Jn 6:32). Jesus truly is “the bread of life,” for he now is the resurrection and the life (Jn 6:35; see also Jn 11:25). Thus the risen Lord Jesus is presently giving to his disciples his risen, given-up body. He is giving them the abundance of eternal life so that he can raise them up on the last day (see Jn 6:53–54). Moreover, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:57). This is the “unknown” mystery, something that the disciples would never have imagined nor never have dared to ask, a mystery that Jesus himself has now revealed to them. The risen Jesus, whom the disciples could see and touch and know to be their Lord, is the risen Lord Jesus in whom they now abide through his living and life-giving Eucharistic presence (see 1 Jn 1:1–4). The question of “Who are you?” is now fully revealed. Jesus is he in whom the disciples abide. As is well known, the Evangelist’s account of the Last Supper, unlike that of the Synoptics, does not contain Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist. Such an absence has always been enigmatic. John does provide, again unlike the Synoptics, Jesus’ lengthy Eucharistic bread of life discourse, from which I just quoted. Because of this teaching, one would have expected that John would include later, at the Last Supper, Jesus’ words wherein he gives to his disciples the bread of his given-up-body and the wine of his poured-out-blood. The reason the Evangelist did not do so, I believe, is now found in his account of Jesus preparing the early morning breakfast for his disciples. For John, the Last Supper that commemorates his saving death is the New Breakfast of his life-giving resurrection. Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is, in actuality, his institution of the first meal, the everlasting breakfast, of the new creation—the summit and end of the dawning of the new day of eternal life. Presently, unlike at the Last Supper, it is the risen Jesus who prepares this Eucharistic breakfast. In accordance with his own Eucharistic teaching, the risen Jesus is now taking and giving to his disciples his risen given body and his risen poured-out blood, and in so doing, they come to abide in him and so share in his eternal life. Thus the Evangelist provides an account of Jesus instituting the Eucharist, but he does so from the theological perspective of the resurrection. In the Synoptic accounts, Jesus institutes the Eucharist in the

Do You Love Me?   323 light of his impending crucifixion and death. In John’s account, Jesus institutes the Eucharist in the light of his resurrection—the Jesus who gave himself up to death for the forgiveness of sins is now the risen Jesus who gives himself as the Father’s heavenly bread of righteousness and everlasting life.14 Although fish, along with bread and wine, are consistently related to the Eucharistic imagery, such as found in the multiplication of the loaves and fish and presently in the miraculous catch of fish, they are never considered to be consumed as Eucharistic elements, that is, as Jesus’ authentic risen body and blood. Nonetheless, since in both instances a huge quantity was provided, they do signify the abundance of life that Jesus provides within the Eucharist. Presuming that Jesus and his disciples did not eat all 153 fish, those leftover signify, as did the huge amount of wine at Cana and the twelve baskets of fragments, the abundant life contained within the Eucharist and the continuing ever-present bounty of the Eucharist. The bounteous Eucharistic Jesus will always nourish his church until the end of time. Moreover, when he returns in his risen glory, his faithful disciples will fully abide in him and so partake fully in his risen everlasting life. At the conclusion of the breakfast, John interrupts his narrative with an aside. “This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.” Why would the Evangelist make such a comment when this third appearance is yet to conclude? There remains Jesus’ questioning of Peter. Moreover, the reader already knows that this is the third resurrection appearance. The answer lies in the word “revealed.” Since his resurrection, this is Jesus’ third appearance wherein he “was revealed to his disciples.” The implication is that there is a threefold ever-progressing revelation, of which the present appearance is the last. In his first appearance, the risen Jesus revealed himself as the one who breathes forth his Spirit and so empowers his disciples to forgive sins. Jesus is commissioning them, sending them forth, as his Apostles (see Jn 20:21–23). In his second appearance, the risen Jesus reveals, through Thomas’s proclamation of faith, that he, the one who bears the marks of his saving crucifixion and death, is the Lord God. And blessed are they who believe he is such even though they have not seen him (see Jn 20:27–28). In revealing himself as the risen Lord God, Jesus mani14. The Synoptic accounts of the Last Supper are obviously historical. I believe that John’s present account is historical as well. What the Evangelist perceived is Jesus emphasizing the resurrected nature of the Eucharist, and from within this understanding he authored his “breakfast” account. Again, we find here John writing his own theological interpretation of the one Gospel kerygma as found within the Synoptic threefold account.

324   Passion and Resurrection Narratives fests that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Now, in the third and final appearance, the risen Jesus reveals himself to be the Eucharistic Jesus, he in whom his disciples abide and so obtain everlasting life. Thus the apostolic church, throughout the ages, is that ecclesial assembly upon which Jesus ever breathes forth his Spirit, thus empowering it to proclaim his divine Lordship. Moreover, within that proclamation of Jesus’ Lordship, the apostolic church is sent to forgive sins and enact the Eucharist. The church does this through the cleansing waters and life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit, reconciling all nations to the Father and bringing all peoples into the Eucharistic communion with Jesus, his risen Son.15

You Know That I Love You Following his aside, the Evangelist continues. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”16 15. Some may ask why the Evangelist did not include Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene, thus making that appearance the first of four. The reason, as is evident from the above examination, is that the three appearances to his disciples were “apostolic”; that is, in those appearances Jesus sends forth and so specifically mandates his disciples to continue his saving mission—authoritatively preaching the Gospel and enacting the sacraments. Thus Jesus’ appearance to Mary literally does not count, for she is not an Apostle in the full ecclesial sense. The Apostles will hand down their mandate to their successors, who would later be designated bishops. As with the first Apostles, these later apostolic successors would comprise what would come to be known as the apostolic college—all those bishops who are in communion with one another and with the successor of Peter, the head of the church. See the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, 18–24. 16. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 21:15–23 unless otherwise noted. Before we begin to examine the theological content of the above, Scripture scholars note that John employs in these verses different Greek words that have the same or similar meaning. For “sheep” the Evangelist uses two different nouns—arnia (lambs) and probatia (little sheep); for “feed” he employs two different verbs—boske (feed) and poimaine (shepherd); for “know” oidas and ginoskeis; and for “love” agapas (unconditional or sacrificial love) and philo (friendship love). There is probably no theological significance in the various uses of these words, though there

Do You Love Me?   325 Having finished breakfast, a Eucharistic meal wherein the disciples came to abide in the risen Jesus, Jesus turns to Peter and asks him three times whether he loves him. One must love Jesus if one is to truly abide in him. To abide in the Eucharistic Jesus without loving him would be sacrilegious. So, does Peter truly love Jesus in whom he now abides? The obvious theological reason for Jesus to ask Peter three times whether he loves him is that Peter denied him three times, a threefold denial that exhibited a lack of true love. Peter’s threefold expression of love reverses, and so annuls, his threefold denial, and within that threefold expression of love Peter is reconciled to his Lord. Peter is now in loving communion with Jesus. Moreover, the Evangelist tells the reader that “Jesus said to Simon Peter,” and Jesus proceeds, in all three repeated questions, to address Peter as “Simon, son of John.” He does not address him as “Peter.” When Andrew first told his brother Simon that “the Messiah” had been found and then brought him to Jesus, Jesus said to him, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas (which means Peter)” (Jn 1:41–42). Indeed, Simon is the son of John, but Jesus immediately upon meeting the son of John changes his name to Peter— Rock. In Matthew’s Gospel, following upon Simon’s profession of faith that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus declares, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter [Rock] and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death [Hades] shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Mt 16–20)

Simon Peter, the son of John, is now the Rock upon whose profession of faith Jesus will build his church. In his threefold denial, however, Rock’s faith in Jesus crumbled.17 Thus Jesus presently calls him by his original pre-Rock name. He now wants to know whether “Simon, son of John, loves him.” Only might be some difference in the two forms of the love, agapas and philo, since Jesus employs agapas in his first two questions and philo in the last, while Peter uses philo consistently in all three of his responses. I will discuss the issue in due course. 17. Later in Matthew’s Gospel, after the Last Supper, as he and his disciples were making their way to the Mount of Olives, Jesus tells his disciples that they would all fall away. Peter protests: “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Whereupon Jesus tells Peter that “this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” To which Peter declares: “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” The other disciples said the same (see Mt 26:30–35). Peter will die on Jesus’ behalf, as the Evangelist will shortly narrate, but only after his threefold affirmation of his love for Jesus.

326   Passion and Resurrection Narratives after expressing his threefold love will Simon, the son of John, again be worthy to be called Peter, the one upon whose faith Jesus will build his church as the supreme shepherd of his sheep. With this theological overview of the exchange between Jesus and Peter concerning Peter’s love for him, we can look at specific texts themselves. In the first and second interrogations, Jesus asks Simon whether he loves (agapas) him.18 The third time Jesus asks whether he loves (phileis) him. In all three of his responses, Peter uses the word philo to express his love. As noted, the word agape expresses an unconditional or sacrificial love, while philia expresses a love of friendship. Now, is Jesus requesting Peter to love him unconditionally, and in response Peter is only offering to love him as a friend and thus not unconditionally? The key to properly interpreting the various uses of these two words for love, both by Jesus and Peter, lies in grasping the relationship between Jesus’ questions and Peter’s responses. In response to Jesus’ first and second questions as to whether Peter loves (agapas) him, Peter declares unequivocally, “Yes, Lord.” That “Yes, Lord” is Peter’s affirmation that he does love his Lord unconditionally with his whole heart. Following upon that definitive affirmation, in the first two questionings, Peter makes a declarative statement: “you know that I love (philo) you.” In affirming his love for Jesus, Peter is not informing his Lord of something that he does not already know. Jesus is already aware of Peter’s complete love for him. Moreover, by saying “I love you” (philo), Peter is specifying the manner of his agape love. Peter loves Jesus unconditionally as his loyal friend.19 In the third questioning, Jesus asks whether Peter loves him (phileis). In so doing, Jesus is asking Peter whether he truly loves him unconditionally as a friend. Jesus has himself combined the meaning of both words for love. At this third request, Peter is disappointed and grieved. Not only has he already affirmed his love twice over, but Jesus also already knows the answers to his own ques18. In his first questioning, Jesus asks whether Peter loves him “more than these.” The “these” seems to refer to the other gathered disciples. As noted above, Peter, in Matthew’s Gospel, declares that even if all the other disciples fall away, he would never fall away, the implication being that Peter considers himself more loyal to Jesus than all the rest (see Mt 26:33). Of course, they all did fall away, and Peter in a singular manner. In his present response to Jesus, Peter does not say that he loves Jesus more than his fellow Apostles. In not referring to the others, he may have acquired, finally, the virtue of humility. 19. Agape love can be used for all manners of unconditional and sacrificial love—love between spouses, love for one’s children, love of one’s parents, love of one’s country, etc. So, by employing the world philia, Peter is identifying the manner of his agape love. He is not loving Jesus as would a spouse or a child, but as a deeply committed friend.

Do You Love Me?   327 tions. Why is Jesus seemingly prolonging this agony? The answer is obvious; as already stated, Peter must redress his threefold denial in his threefold avowal of love. Nonetheless, in sorrowful anguish, Peter declares: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Peter’s response affirms both Jesus’ divine Lordship, since he knows “everything,” as well as his own unqualified fraternal love for Jesus, his Lord.20 Thus we perceive that the manner in which Peter loves Jesus cannot be simply isolated to the word that he uses, philia, but it must be interpreted within the context of the interrelationship between what Jesus asks of Peter and Peter’s response to what Jesus asks—Peter uniquely personifies an agape-philia love of his Lord. Jesus responds to each of Peter’s three affirmations that he loves him. In his first reply, Jesus says, “Feed my sheep” (Boske ta arvia mou). In the second, he says, “Tend my sheep” or “shepherd my lambs” (Poimaive ta probatia mou). In the third, Jesus responds, “Feed my sheep” or “Feed my lambs” (Boske ta probatia, mou).21 Because of Peter’s singular agape-philia love, Jesus appoints or mandates him to shepherd, to tender, his sheep and does so by feeding them.22 That Jesus twice implies that his sheep are actually little lambs, and thus helpless, manifests the love that Jesus himself has for his little flock, an affection 20. Because Jesus knew that his disciples wanted to ask him what he meant when he told them that in a little while they will not see him and then in a little while they will see him, they declared: “Now we know that you know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe that you came from God” (Jn 16:30). By exhibiting divine knowledge, the disciples believe that Jesus comes from God as the Father’s divine incarnate Son. 21. Here the metaphor of Peter being a fisher of men changes to Peter being a tender and feeder of Jesus’ sheep. As the chief fisher of men, Peter signifies the apostolic mandate to preach the Gospel to all nations. As the supreme shepherd, Peter is the exemplar of the apostolic mandate to tend and feed Jesus’ ecclesial flock. St. Zeno (301–371 AD) is the patron saint of Verona, Italy. There is a life-size statue of him in Verona’s cathedral—smiling. He holds a shepherd’s crook and from that crook hangs a fish, thus ingeniously capturing both the symbolism of being a fisher of men as well as being a shepherd who tends and feeds Jesus’ sheep. 22. In the Acts of the Apostles, when he is sadly departing the church in Ephesus, Paul exhorts his Christian brethren: Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you guardians, to feed the church of the Lord which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert. (Acts 20:28–31) In his First Letter, Peter encourages his readers: Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as domineering over those in your charge but being an example to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfailing crown of glory. (1 Pt 5:2–4) .

328   Passion and Resurrection Narratives that Peter himself must possess if he is truly to feed them. Here, two points need to be made. First, in his responses, Jesus specifically addresses Peter, who as “Rock” is the leader of Jesus’ disciples. Thus in a singular manner, Peter is the head of the apostolic church, and within this singularity he possesses a unique apostolic responsibility, a particular ecclesial mandate from Jesus himself to shepherd and feed the flock of his “ecclesial” sheep. Since it is his own sheep that Peter is shepherding in a singular manner, Jesus has delegated Peter to act on his behalf—with Jesus’ own universal pastoral authority. Peter, as the head of the apostolic church, is to be the living icon of the ever-living risen Jesus, the chief shepherd (see 1 Pt 5:4).23 Second, given that Peter is to shepherd Jesus’ flock, with what is he to feed his sheep? Jesus does not specifically address this issue here. Jesus’ high priestly prayer does provide the basic content, however. As we saw upon his departure, Jesus declares that he and his Father will send to his disciples another Counselor, the Spirit of truth, who will teach them all things and bring to their minds all that Jesus has taught them. In receiving the Spirit of truth, his disciples will bear witness to him (see Jn 14:15–16, 14:26, 15:26, and 16:7). Thus the Apostles are to testify to the truth that Jesus is the Father’s incarnate Spirit-filled Son, and as such he is the Lord and Savior of all of humankind. Moreover, they will continue, in communion with Jesus, to baptize in the Holy Spirt all those who believe in him. Above all, as seen within the present scene, they will feed the faithful with the bread of Jesus’ risen given-up body and the wine of Jesus’ risen poured-out blood. In remembrance of Jesus’ Last Supper, the Apostles will continually prepare the Eucharistic Breakfast of the new creation, wherein all who partake will abide in the risen Jesus. Likewise, they are to teach the new law of love—that is, as Jesus has loved his disciples and has laid down his life for them, so all his followers are to love one another and lay down their lives (see Jn 13:34–35). Within this theological and moral context, Peter has the singular apostolic responsibility to oversee that this evangelical mandate is universally implemented, furthered, and defended 23. Because of this singular apostolic and universal mandate, the First Vatican Council, in its Dogmatic Constitution, Pastor Aeternus, chapter 1, declared that Jesus, within this Johannine account along with Jn 1:42 and Mt 16:16–19, conferred upon Peter and his successors the office of being the visible head and chief pastor of his universal and apostolic church (see DS 3053). This doctrinal declaration is known as the apostolic primacy of Peter. In its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council reaffirmed this doctrinal teaching concerning Peter and his successors (see LG 18).

Do You Love Me?   329 against all error.24 Jesus’ sheep are to be fed upon the full truth of the Gospel—doctrinally, sacramentally, and morally. Such sustenance ensures that Jesus’ sheep are in communion with him and therefore partake of his very risen and divine life. Third, since Jesus’ apostolic mandate to Peter employs the metaphor of sheep and shepherd, Peter himself is to be the exemplar of Jesus—the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Jesus lays down his life not only for his “Jewish” sheep but also for his “other sheep,” and thus there will be “one shepherd of the “one flock” composed of Jews and Gentiles alike. “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it up again” (Jn 10:11–18). Jesus has now laid down his life for his sheep, and in his resurrection he has taken it up again. Moreover, he is about to go to his Father (see Jn 14:28 and 16:28). Because of his departure, Jesus in his first appearance to his disciples declared to them: “As the Father sent me, even so I send you” (Jn 20:21). So, in breathing upon them his Holy Spirit, Jesus commissioned them to be his Apostles—the ones sent. Presently, Jesus is further enhancing Peter’s apostolic commission. In a singular manner, Peter is to be “the good shepherd” who will tend Jesus’ universal flock, a flock composed of Jews and Gentiles, and thus ensure that there is one flock and one shepherd. Peter is the premier shepherd who will tend and protect Jesus’ one universal church. Peter is, then, not to be like the hireling who flees at the approach of the wolf. Rather, his shepherding, like Jesus’, will entail laying down his life for Jesus’ sheep. With all of this in mind, it is not surprising what Jesus declares to Peter immediately after mandating him, for the third time, to feed his sheep. Jesus says to Peter, “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.” The Evangelist adds an interpretative aside. (“This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.”) With a double-affirmative 24. As observed in the introduction to this chapter, Jesus declares in Luke’s Gospel: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.” Peter retorts, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” To which Jesus declares that before the cock crows, “you will three times deny that you know me” (Lk 22:31:34). Notice that Jesus addresses Peter as “Simon.” In his weakness, “Simon” will deny that he knows Jesus, but when he turns back, which Peter has now done within John’s Gospel, he, as the Rock upon which Jesus will build his church, will confirm the faith of his apostolic brethren. Thus this “strengthening,” this confirming of the faith, is inherent within the charge that Jesus gives to Peter as head of the Apostles.

330   Passion and Resurrection Narratives “Amen,” Jesus prophesies that although Peter had great freedom when he was young, as the elderly shepherd of Jesus’ sheep, he will be denied that freedom. Rather, others will stretch out his hands and gird him and take him to a place where he would prefer not to go. The Evangelist perceives that Peter’s hands would be stretched out on a cross and that he would be girded upon it with nails, all of which Peter would rather avoid.25 Jesus is here speaking from his own experience. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, for this purpose I have come to this hour” (Jn 12:27; see also Mt 26:36–46, Mk 14:32–36, and Lk 22:41–44). As Jesus dreaded the thought of his own crucifixion, so too will Peter fear his, but like Jesus, he will do the Father’s will. He will lay down his life for the sheep. Moreover, in concluding his troubled prayer to his Father, Jesus declares: “Father, glorify your name,” after which the Evangelist states that “a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again’ ” (Jn 12:28). From all eternity, the Father glorified his Son, and the dark hour of the cross will be the hour on which the Father manifests the glory of his incarnate Son—the hour when Jesus obediently completes his Father’s salvific work. That such saving work has been accomplished is manifested in the Father raising Jesus, his faithful Son, from the dead and everlastingly glorifying him. The Evangelist recognizes that Peter, in unison with Jesus, will glorify God his Father upon the cross, and so the Father will eternally glorify him as he did his risen Son. Both in his death and ultimately in his resurrection, Peter becomes the living icon of Jesus—the good shepherd who lovingly tends and feeds his Lord’s sheep, even unto death on the cross. Having told Peter of the manner in which he would glorify God through his death, Jesus conveys to him his closing command, “Follow me.” With Je25. In the apocryphal Acts of Peter (ca. 280–190 AD), the tale is told of Peter, during Emperor Nero’s persecution, fleeing Rome along the Via Appia. Seemingly, like a hireling, Peter runs from the wolf. Along his way Peter meets Jesus, walking toward the city carrying a cross. Peter asks him, “Lord, where are you going?” (Domine, quo vadis?) In response, Jesus says, “I am going to Rome to be crucified again.” Upon hearing Jesus’ not-too-hidden reproach, Peter, the good shepherd, returns to Rome to lay down his life for Jesus’ sheep. This scene is reminiscent of Peter’s denials of Jesus and illustrates that Peter, like Jesus, would be crucified, though upside down. Peter was martyred in 64 or 67 AD. John’s Gospel, in its present canonical form, was probably completed between 90 and 100 AD. More than likely, then, the Evangelist knew when he wrote his Gospel that Jesus’ prophecy concerning the manner in which Peter would die was fulfilled. In his Second Letter, Peter tells his readers that he must continue to strengthen and arouse the faith “as long as I am in the body . . . since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me” (2 Pt 1:13–14).

Do You Love Me?   331 sus’ command, a somewhat hidden and complex theme within John’s Gospel comes to the fore. In John’s narrative of the calling of Jesus’ disciples, Jesus does not explicitly tell Simon, son of John, to follow him. Nonetheless, it is implied in Jesus changing Simon’s name to Peter, and from that moment on, Peter does follow Jesus, the Messiah (see Jn 1:41–42). Later, Jesus tells the unbelieving Jews that his sheep hear his voice, and they follow him, and in so doing he will give them eternal life (see Jn 10:27). Likewise, Jesus states that those who serve him will follow him, for where he is so there will his servants be also (see Jn 12:26). Although he is to shepherd Jesus’ sheep, Peter is himself first a sheep who follows Jesus as his servant, for he recognizes Jesus’ voice. Within this context of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, the interchange between Jesus and Peter at the onset of Jesus’ high priestly prayer finds its full significance. Upon hearing that Jesus is to depart, Peter asks him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus tells Peter, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will afterward.” That “afterward” is now in progress. Peter, as the one who is to tend and feed Jesus’ sheep, is to follow Jesus, and this following of Jesus will lead Peter to his own cross. The irony is that in his previous response to Jesus, Peter declares: “Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” At this point, Jesus foretells Peter’s threefold denial (Jn 13:36–38). Despite his bravado, Peter was not yet strong enough, his love had not yet matured, to lay down his life for Jesus. Having presently professed his threefold unconditional and sacrificial love for Jesus, however, Peter can now follow Jesus—all the way to the cross.26 26. In Matthew’s Gospel, Peter professes Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, at which point Jesus declares him to be the Rock upon which he will build his church and then gives to Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. But when Jesus explains that for him to be the Christ is for him to suffer and die, Peter rebukes Jesus, saying, “God forbid, Lord.” Jesus in turn rebukes Peter for thinking after the manner of Satan. Significantly, Jesus then declares to his disciples: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:21–24; see also Lk 14:24). In relationship to the present event in John’s Gospel, we find here some Johannine irony. The very thing for which Peter rebukes Jesus—that is, his dying on the cross—Peter will now himself fulfill as a follower of Jesus: Peter will literally take up his cross and follow Jesus. I suspect John recognizes that the present interchange between Jesus and Peter is in accord with the kerygmatic tradition that is narrated within Matthew and Luke. Within his own account, the Evangelist sees Peter as the ultimate literal fulfillment of what it means to be a follower of Christ. It is worth making one further note. At the Last Supper, when Jesus comes to wash Peter’s feet, he protests. “You shall never wash my feet.” In response, Jesus declares: “If I do not wash

332   Passion and Resurrection Narratives Having been told by Jesus the manner in which he would die and receiving the command that he should follow Jesus, Peter notices that the beloved disciple is following them. “Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, and who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’ ” We saw previously, when discussing the two occasions in which John personally speaks in his Gospel, that in both instances John mediates between Peter and Jesus, the Lord. The first has to do with finding out who would betray the Lord, and the second is when John declares to Peter that it is the Lord who is standing along the shore. The question that arises is not why John refers to himself as the beloved disciple; he has been doing so since the Last Supper (see Jn 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7). Rather, the query that now emerges is why John identifies himself as the one who lays close to the breast of Jesus, and who asked him who it is who is to betray him? There appears to be no reason for this rather lengthy description given the context of the current narrative. The answer, I believe, lies in the question that Peter now asks Jesus. Since the beloved disciple is following Jesus and Peter, Jesus and Peter must have departed the charcoal fire around which Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved him. Having been reconciled over what took place at the first charcoal fire, they have together now moved on from this present loving, friendship-making charcoal fire. Now it must have been somewhat difficult for Peter to process mentally and emotionally all that Jesus told him. At this point, Peter turns and sees the beloved disciple following them. So, immediately after Jesus told Peter to “follow” him, we find John “following” Jesus as well, coming up from behind Peter. With some unresolved angst about his future, Peter asks, “Lord, what about this man?” Peter wants to know what the future holds for the man whom Jesus loves, the man who laid at his very side the night before he died, the man who knows the heart of Jesus better than he does. In following Jesus, will he too “stretch out” his hands? Or, being Jesus’ “favorite,” will the beloved disciple fare better than himself? Jesus does not directly address Peter’s question. Instead of speaking to Peter’s inappropriate probing about the future of the beloved disciple, Jesus summarily dismisses Peter’s question and tersely reiterates his previous blunt your feet, you will have no part of me.” Only if Jesus cleanses Peter of sin will Peter be able to participate in Jesus’ ministry. That being the case, Peter wants Jesus to wash the whole of him, head to toe; the supposition being that the more of him that Jesus cleanses him, the more he will partake of Jesus’ priestly office. Ultimately, what Peter desires comes to be—Jesus will appoint him the chief shepherd of his sheep.

Do You Love Me?   333 command. “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!” What will happen to the beloved disciple is not to be an inquisitive curiosity for Peter. Bluntly put, it is none of Peter’s business. Rather, Peter is to focus on what Jesus desires of him—“Follow me.” Peter must cast off all temptation and lay hold of the charge that Jesus has given to him. Yes, in following Jesus, Peter will be martyred, but he will do so as the head of Jesus’ Apostles, the one who will tend and feed Jesus’ sheep, and thus ensure that the fullness of the Gospel is proclaimed to all of the nations. Because Jesus told Peter that the beloved disciple’s future is no concern of his, even if he lives until he returns in glory at the end of time, the Evangelist adds a clarifying aside. “The saying spread among the brethren that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he will not die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you.’ ”27 Once again, John does not identify himself as “this disciple.” Also, note Jesus’ saying, “spread abroad among the brethren.” This “spreading” abroad confirms the historicity of the Evangelist’s account concerning what Jesus has told Peter and informs the reader that the Christian community, at the time of John’s composition of his Gospel, had significantly grown—it had “spread abroad.” What bothers John is that gossipy rumors have been spread abroad that he will not die, and he wants to quash them once and for all. The point that Jesus was making to Peter is that if he wants the beloved disciple to live until he returns, that is of no concern to Peter. The implication is that Jesus does not will that John live until he returns, and therefore he will die.28 27. Earlier, Jesus told his disciples that they should not have troubled hearts. Rather, they are to have faith in God and have faith in him. Jesus then provides the reason. “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (Jn 14:1–3). Though John’s Gospel contains little about Jesus coming at the end of time, his entire Book of Revelation narrates all that will take place prior to this return. At the close of the Book of Revelation, Jesus emphasizes that he is coming soon, and the Spirit and the church, his Bride, cry out, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (see Rv 22:7–20). 28. Some scholars suggest that someone other than John wrote this aside. The reason for this proposal is that John may have died, and the brethren who believed the rumor that John would not die until Jesus came are presently in a tizzy—to the point of undermining their faith. Either way, the point that is being made remains. John will not live until Jesus returns and dies. According to tradition, John died as an elderly man around 98 AD. Thus, according to the church’s tradition, he is the only Apostle who did not die a martyr. What Peter may have suspected when asking Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” proved to be true. But such endings to their lives are true to their apostolic character. Peter signifies the church’s apostolic zeal and so dies a martyr. John signifies the contemplative church and so dies after he has completed his

334   Passion and Resurrection Narratives On this note, the narrative substance of the addendum to John’s Gospel concludes. What follows is a brief affirmation of its veracity.

We Know That His Testimony Is True The concluding avowal states: This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many things which Jesus did; were every one of them written, I suppose that the world could not contain the books that would be written.29

Though it is similar to what John says about himself in John 19:35, it appears that the Evangelist did not write these concluding remarks. The “this” refers to “the disciple” who wrote what is contained within the addendum and presumably the entire Gospel. It is the beloved disciple who is “bearing witness” to the “things” that Jesus did, and he is the one who “has written these things.” The “we,” then, refers to those who can vouch for the truth of all that John has written—his testimony. Again, the presumption is that those who are confirming the truth of the Evangelist’s “testimony” are familiar with what Jesus said and did. They were either eyewitnesses themselves or they possessed indisputable information from other reliable eyewitnesses apart from John. Moreover, and this is of no small consequence, in confirming the validity of what was written, the “we” are authenticating was actually the beloved disciple who wrote “these things”—John. The written Gospel was not authored by someone other than the Evangelist, nor was it written by his later companions and associates as a group effort. As we saw, additions may have been later inserted, but even these supplements bear the authorship of the beloved disciple—he who knew the heart and mind of Jesus. Precisely because the beloved disciple is the author of this particular written Gospel, one can be assured that what it recounts is true.30 The author, the “I” who is writing this conclusion on behalf of the “we,” Gospel, the most theological of the four, and after his apocalyptic prophetic visions, which are found in his Book of Revelation. 29. All Scripture passages in this section are taken from Jn 21:24–25 unless otherwise noted. 30. Having told of the water and blood that came forth from the pierced side of Jesus, the Evangelist declares the truth of what he saw. “He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth—that you also may believe” (Jn 19:35). John here affirms the truth of his own testimony. Presently, others now confirm the testimony of John’s entire Gospel. Earlier, Jesus says that the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, will

Do You Love Me?   335 notes that Jesus nonetheless did many “other things” that are not recounted. If all of them were “written,” the “world” would not be large enough to contain the books necessary. Hyperbole is evident here. Nonetheless, I believe the author is not so much emphasizing the countless “things” that Jesus did, as much as he wishes to underscore the importance of what Jesus did—the overcoming of sin and death, and the imparting of eternal life to all who believe in him.31

Conclusion In concluding our theological examination of the Evangelist’s addendum to his Gospel, I want to make four closing remarks. First, I have frequently emphasized, throughout the entire study of John’s Gospel, that John wrote his Gospel with the express purpose of confirming Peter’s profession of faith—that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The addendum completes the Evangelist’s Petrine narrative, for it focuses specifically on Peter. Jesus confers upon him his apostolic primacy. Jesus mandates Peter to be the chief fisher of men and the governing shepherd of his sheep.32 For John, Jesus’ elevation of Peter accentuates and reconfirms that Peter is the Rock, and upon the rock of Rock’s act of faith Jesus will build his church—belief in Jesus as the Father’s Messianic incarnate Son, in whom alone is found eternal life. Thus, although it is an addendum, chapter 21 of John’s Gospel subsumes within itself, in a cumulative manner, the Evangelist’s entire Gospel—both the need for faith and the content of what is to be believed. Second, it is here that the divine title “Lord” assumes its supreme importance. I noted previously, in examining chapter 20 of John’s Gospel, that Jesus is either referred to or addressed as “Lord” nine times. In the addendum, Jesus is referred to or addressed as “Lord” seven times, the Johannine perfect number, once in reference to all of the disciples knowing that they were in the presence of “the Lord”; twice by John, once in his declaration to Peter and once when referring to John asking Jesus as to who was to betray him; and bear witness to him and that his disciples will be “witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning” (Jn 15:26–27). 31. As we saw at the conclusion of chapter 20, John himself notes, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book.” What he did write was for the purpose that “you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (Jn 20:30–31). 32. I remarked previously that when Peter declares that he is going fishing, all of the other six agree to go with him. They and all future Apostles are now called to follow Peter and his successors in being fishers of men as well as together being tenders and feeders of Jesus’ sheep.

336   Passion and Resurrection Narratives four times by Peter, three times in response to Jesus questioning him about his love and once when asking Jesus about the beloved disciple’s future fate. Thus after Jesus’ resurrection the preferred title for him, within John’s Gospel, is “Lord”—he is known and addressed by no other title. This title, as we know, is the Greek word for the Hebrew title Adonai, which is the substitutionary title for the unspeakable sacred divine name, YHWH. Through his death on the cross and in his resurrection, Jesus has definitively become Jesus, and in so doing he has become Lord—the risen Lord Jesus is truly YHWH-Saves. As the Father’s incarnate Son, Jesus is He-Who-Is—the giver of divine eternal life. It was Peter who first professed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and it is in Jesus’ risen divine Lordship that one is now called to believe. Third, in contemplating John’s Gospel along with the Synoptic Gospels, one cannot help but notice that, among all of the Apostles, Peter’s personality and character is most fully revealed and developed. Moreover, his defining characteristics do not differ from one Gospel to another—Peter is Peter. Peter is ever the sincere but impulsive man—he who is the first to speak and the first to act. Sometimes he displays a “Petrine” braggadocio, but he is earnest in so doing, even if he fails to deliver. Like all of humankind, Peter’s greatest strengths can be his greatest weaknesses, but ultimately Peter’s character, when imbued with faith, reveals an honest, committed man whom one can trust and follow, even if at times one must shake one’s head either in laughter or frustration, or both simultaneously. It is because of his sinful weaknesses that Jesus prayed that Peter would not falter, and it is because of Peter’s Spirit-enlivened strengths that Jesus made him head of his ever-prevailing church—and the same can be said of his successors. With their sinful weaknesses and graced strengths, they too are Peter. Finally, as for John the Evangelist, we recognize him in his Gospel. We perceive him in the manner of Jesus’ speech. We find him in his interweaving of multiple theological themes. We hear him in his Johannine asides. We observe him being ever solicitous to Peter’s needs and attentive to his words and actions. He is the consummate quiet contemplative theologian who as the beloved disciple ever abides within the heart of Jesus. From within Jesus’ heart, John composed his Gospel. Only once in his Gospel does he personally raise his voice loud enough for all the world to hear—“It is the Lord!”

Conclusion Conclusion

C o n c lu s i on

Having completed volume 2 of our theological interpretation of the Gospel of John, I want to summarize the major theological themes found within the entire Gospel—the Prologue, the Book of Signs (chapters 1 to 12), the Book of Glory (chapters 13 to 17), and the Passion and Resurrection Narratives (chapters 18 to 21). I will attempt to bring together all of the intertwining theological threads and themes that compose the Evangelist’s complete theological tapestry; that is, that Jesus is the Father’s Spirit-anointed incarnate Son. In so doing, some of what I offered in the conclusion of volume 1 will be employed, but in a manner that incorporates the present theological interpretation of the Book of Glory and the Passion and Resurrection Narratives. While the Evangelist interweaves his theological themes throughout his Gospel, I will attempt, as far as possible, to provide some logical order to this interlacing. Nonetheless, since these theological themes are embedded within Jesus’ various miracles, dialogues, teachings, and events, there will be some unavoidable repetition—not unlike the Gospel narrative itself. My hope is that this conclusion will help the reader obtain an overview of John’s Gospel, one that is coherent and illuminating, and so afford the reader of both volumes a theological and faith-building appreciation of the entire Gospel.

The Historicity of John’s Gospel As was noted in the first volume, it is obvious to all who have read all four Gospels that John’s Gospel differs significantly from the Synoptics. On the one hand, many of Jesus’ teachings and actions that make up the Synoptics are absent in John, such as Jesus’ parables, many of his miracles, Peter’s profession of faith, and the Transfiguration. Conversely, much of the content in John’s Gospel does not appear in the Synoptics; for example, all of Jesus’ miracles, except for the multiplication of the loaves, are unique to John. Moreover, Jesus,

337

338  Conclusion in John’s Gospel, speaks in a more stylized manner and on topics that differ from those in the Synoptics. In John, Jesus speaks and acts with a divine gravitas that is often absent in his more down-to-earth Synoptic persona. Although the reader recognizes that it is one and the same Jesus who is speaking and acting in all four Gospels, in John, he is more formally solemn, forthright, and authoritative. Likewise, John’s “Jesus” intentionally focuses more, in his words and actions, on revealing who he is in relation to his Father as the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son. Because of these dissimilarities between the Synoptics and John, the question arises, as we saw, as to whether John’s Gospel and “his” Jesus are historical in nature or “theologically created.” I have now answered, in each volume, that both are true. That John’s Gospel presents historical events is perceived in the detail that he provides, detail that is often absent or more generalized in the Synoptic accounts. For example, in the Book of Signs, John provides much more detail as to the setting of Jesus’ cleansing of the temple than do the Synoptics.1 Also, where the Synoptic narratives of the multiplication of the loaves and fish speak of unnamed disciples coming to Jesus with their concern about the crowd needing to go to the villages to purchase food, John provides a dialogue between Jesus, Philip, and Andrew. Similarly, John includes conversations that are theologically stylized, that is, narratively structured so as to make a theological point but are nonetheless narrated as historical encounters and should be read as such. Some examples are his conversations with his mother at the wedding feast of Cana, with Nicodemus concerning baptism, with the Samaritan woman concerning the waters that well up to eternal life, and with Martha and Mary about the possibility of raising Lazarus from the dead. Likewise, as is evident in the above examples, historical individuals within the Gospel are allotted much fuller speaking roles. This is especially true of the Apostles. Where Peter has the major speaking role in the Synoptics, in John we also frequently hear the voices of Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, James, Thomas, Judas Thaddaeus, and even Judas Iscariot. The same is true with regard to the multiple contentious dialogues between Jesus and the unbelieving Jewish leaders. The “Jews” are permitted to express their arguments, at length, as to why Jesus cannot be the Christ, the Son of God. Again, these may be theologically formalized, but that such verbal conflict historically took place should not be doubted. 1. The historicity of John’s Gospel is also seen within his description of places and locations within Jerusalem, such as the temple, the Pool of Bethsaida, and the Pool of Siloam.

Conclusion  339 In the Book of Glory we find a similar pattern. With regards to Judas Iscariot, John provides more detailed interactions between him and Jesus at the Last Supper, as well as Jesus’ interaction with Peter over whether Jesus will wash his feet. There is also the scene where Peter asks John to inquire of Jesus as to who it is who will betray him. The same is true in John’s narrative of Jesus’ trial, passion, and death. Although John does not narrate Jesus’ agony in the garden, his entire Gospel is a relentless progression toward the agonizing “hour” of Jesus’ death. Similarly, John provides details of Jesus’ arrest, including the name of the man whose ear Peter severed. As to Jesus’ trial before Pilate, while it is similar to the Synoptic accounts, John provides the various interludes between Jesus and Pilate, wherein Pilate is portrayed as a real person struggling to be true to his convictions but who ultimately submits to the wishes of the bullying crowd.2 As in similar cases found within the Book of Signs, Jesus’ interchanges with Pilate may be stylized so as to highlight their theological significance, yet such conversations ring true as historical narratives. Moreover, in his seven crucifixion vignettes, John again depicts all that is taking place surrounding the crucified Jesus—Pilate’s response to the Jews who disapproved at what he had written, the soldiers casing lots for Jesus’ seamless garment, the giving of his mother to John and of John to his mother, and the flow of blood and water from Jesus’ pierced side, which John emphatically emphasizes is true, for he himself bears witness to what he has seen. Only someone who participated in these events could have written such a detailed historical narrative. The same can be said of John’s Resurrection Narrative. John provides too much detail concerning what he and Peter saw within the empty tomb to doubt the absence of Jesus’ body. Jesus’ resurrection appearances to Mary Magdalene, to his disciples, and especially in Thomas’s profession of faith all bear the mark of historicity. Even in John’s supplementary final chapter, Jesus’ appearance to his fishing disciples contains many details both as to the event itself, the actions that took place, and the conversations narrated for it to be entirely fictional. What now is of the utmost significance is that John’s entire Gospel narrative is not simply for the sake of historical accuracy, but also that within that historical precision John clearly perceives, in every instance, the revelational significance. Thus within the historical resides the Evangelist’s inspired theological interpretation. John may frame his historical narrative so as to accentuate the theological, but the

2. John tells of the praetorium and the stone pavement.

340  Conclusion theological never lacks its historical foundation. For John, what Jesus historically did is of universal saving significance for all time. We can conclude that unlike the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, whose authors were writing from within a common oral Gospel tradition and were thus dependent upon the shared abridged witness of others, John in the above examples is describing, on the whole, events in which he himself was a participant. He tells us, often in some detail, what he has seen and heard. Except for two occasions, however, the one voice we do not hear is that of John himself—the beloved disciple. Such an absence brings us to that of which I just spoke—the Evangelist’s inspired theological creativity, a creativity that resides within his historical narrative.

Interweaving History and Theology Throughout our study, I have argued that John is providing his own theological interpretation of the one apostolic kerygmatic Gospel tradition, an oral tradition that finds its threefold written expression within the Synoptic Gospels. Thus within his Gospel the Evangelist offers a more profound theological reading of Jesus’ words and actions—often different from what is commonly found within the Synoptics. He accomplishes this by interweaving history and theology. The events are historical, but John recounts them in a manner that brings to the fore their full theological meaning and revelational significance. Moreover, as I have frequently noted, when Jesus speaks in John’s Gospel, what we hear is Jesus’ voice, but the content of what he says derives from John. Because John is confident, being inspired by the Holy Spirit, that he has grasped the fuller truth of Jesus’ words and actions, he places in Jesus’ mouth the meaning of those truths that he himself has ascertained. John unapologetically does so because he grasps, as the beloved disciple, that these revealed truths originate, find their source, in Jesus himself. He is merely attributing to Jesus what Jesus himself rightly revealed within his own historical words and actions. Thus, as I have mentioned throughout our study, we may not always hear the ipsissima verba of Jesus, his exact historical words, but what we do hear is the enriched theological meaning contained in Jesus’ historical words—the fuller ipsissima sententia of Jesus that John now provides. Such an understanding accounts for why Jesus’ manner of speaking in John’s Gospel differs from the way he speaks in the Synoptics. In his Gospel the Evangelist does not portray himself but rather Jesus as “the theologian,” the incarnate

Conclusion  341 Word of God, who now articulates in his own words the inherent truth of who he is as the Father’s Son, the one sent by his Father so as to enact, as the Messiah, his Father’s saving works. In the Book of Signs, this weaving together of history and theological interpretation is found, as already noted, in Jesus’ interaction with his mother at the wedding feast of Cana, his dialogues with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, and Mary and Martha. It also is present in Jesus’ bread of life sermon, where Jesus, unlike in the Synoptic accounts, provides an extensive theological interpretation of his multiplication of the loaves. Within the Book of Glory, John narrates Jesus’ lengthy farewell address to his disciples and then transforms much of that address into his high priestly prayer to his Father. It cannot be doubted that Jesus did address his disciples at the Last Supper, yet John has formalized it so as to accentuate the salvific benefits of Jesus’ passion and death. Thus there is within John’s Gospel, as seen in all of the above, a weaving together of historical narrative and theological interpretation, a theological interpretation that John often attributes to Jesus himself. Importantly for John, this interweaving of history and theology grounds divine revelation within history, as manifested in Jesus as the Father’s incarnate Son. Thus John’s Gospel is genuinely historical and not the result of some cleverly concocted ahistorical myth. The historical Jesus is the saving Christ in whom we believe.

The Prologue John’s Prologue, as we have seen in the Book of Signs, the Book of Glory, and in the Passion and Resurrection Narratives, sets the theological stage for his entire Gospel. As John in his Gospel weaves together history and theology, so in the Prologue he conjoins eternity and time. Before time began, “the beginning,” the Word eternally existed because he was always with the eternal God. Being forever with God, the Word, before “the beginning” began, was eternally God. Such is John’s declaration of eternity—the eternal living communion of God and his Word. It was through his eternal divine Word that God created all that came to be, “the beginning” that began. What is eternal is the author of time, for what came to be through the eternal Word had a beginning, and thus exists in time and progresses throughout history. The act of creation, then, is the act that differentiates God and creation, eternity and time. God and creation exist in

342  Conclusion distinct ontological orders. Yet the act of creation is simultaneously the ontological bonding of eternity and time, and the bond that binds eternity and time is God’s eternal Word, the Word through whom God created all timebound creatures. For John, while God and creation exist in distinct ontological orders, they are nonetheless ontologically inseparable, for his eternal Word keeps all creation in being, and in so doing he keeps all creation united to God whose Word he is. Moreover, for John, this eternal Word is life, and this life is the light of men. The first light that shone in the darkness of nothingness was the created manifestation, the “Let there be light” of the Book of Genesis, of the eternal abundant life of the Word himself. Through this primordial life-giving light of God’s Word, all else comes to be, and what men behold when they come to be is the light of the Word, the Word who gave them life. Simultaneously, in beholding the light of God’s Word, humankind would perceive God’s full Truth, he who truly is—the eternal I Am. Thus, possessing the fullness of life and truth, the Word dispels both the darkness of nothingness and the darkness of ignorance, a twofold darkness that can never overcome him. The eternal Word, the true light that enlightens humankind, was coming into the world, the world that he himself had created. But the world that the Word created did not recognize him. Even though he came to his own covenanted people, the Jews, he was not received by them. This lack of recognition and reception denotes the darkness of sin. What God created through his Word and those whom God covenanted to himself through his Word are now in the grip of sin’s dark death. Nonetheless, the Prologue declares that those who receive the Word, by believing in his name, become children of God, and are thus born anew not by human will nor of human causality but by God himself. Here, the Evangelist asserts the principal theme of his Gospel, a theme that I have emphasized throughout both volumes. The eternal Word through whom God created all that is, the Word who is the life-giving light, is the same Word through whom God now re-creates the world and transforms men and women, through the Holy Spirit, into his children. How does God, through his Word, in communion with the Spirit, obtain this goal? This salvific end is initiated by the Word coming to exist as man, in the weakness of human flesh (sarx) and dwelling among humankind. Thus the eternal Word of God came to exist as man, a son of fallen Adam, and so tabernacled, pitched his tent, in the world and among the people he himself had created. He did so to re-create all that he had made, for he came full of grace and truth. The incarnation of God’s

Conclusion  343 Word enabled human beings to see his glory, the glory of the only begotten Son from the Father. Although the law was given through Moses, grace upon grace is given through Jesus Christ. The Father re-creates humankind through the man named Jesus (YHWH-Saves), he who is his Spirit-anointed Son. Moreover, being the Father’s ever-bosom-abiding Son, Jesus will make his Father known and so reveal that his Father is truly humankind’s loving and merciful Father. Significantly, John’s Prologue, and particularly his declaration concerning the Incarnation, that the Word became flesh, is the ontological basis for why Jesus is named Jesus—YHWH-Saves. First, Jesus is truly YHWH-Saves because his identity, who he is, is that of the eternal divine Word of God, the only Son from the Father. If Jesus were not such, he would not be truly YHWH and so would be incapable of saving humankind. Second, as YHWH, Jesus is able to save humankind because he is fully a member of the human race—he is genuinely man/sarx. If he were not an authentic human being, he would not be able to save those who are human. Third, the incarnational “becoming” is such that it terminates in the Word/Son ontologically existing as man. Only in existing as man is the Word/Son/YHWH able to save those who exist in a human manner. Thus Jesus’ human name, YHWH-Saves, bears within it the entire threefold truth of the Incarnation, that he who saves is truly God who truly exists as truly man. I have summarized John’s Prologue at some length, for as we have seen throughout our study of his Gospel, it is rightly the preamble to all that follows. All that it declares is advanced and enacted, and so confirmed, within the body of the Gospel. The reader beholds the glory of the only begotten Son from the Father, and this glory is manifested in, with, and through Jesus’ flesh. This glory is manifested in his miracle signs. Jesus himself articulates this glory within his seven “I am” sayings, even to appropriating the divine name of the all-glorious God—He Who Is. Ultimately, Jesus’ glory as the Father’s Son is most fully manifested in his “hour” of glory—the twofold act of his death and resurrection—the dawn of the glorious everlasting day of the new creation. For John, because God’s Word exists as man, the glory of the Father’s Son shines forth from his frail humanity—the eternal life-giving light that the darkness of sin and death cannot overcome. Though John’s Gospel does not contain the transfiguration, his entire narrative is written such that the reader is ever beholding, to an ever-greater degree, the glory of Jesus—the glory of the Father’s only begotten Son. Jesus is always portrayed as the glorious Jesus—YHWH-Saves.

344  Conclusion

John the Baptist and the Followers of Jesus As we saw in volume 1, the Evangelist introduces Jesus not only through his Prologue, but also through John the Baptist and the calling of Jesus’ first disciples. The Baptist is adamant that he is not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet. Rather, he himself declares that he is the one sent by God, in accordance with Isaiah, to prepare for the coming Lord; he who is the anticipated Christ and the foretold prophet. Although John baptizes with water, there is one coming after him who is greater, one who existed before him. That man, Jesus, is the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world. Moreover, because the Baptist saw the Spirit descend and remain upon Jesus, he can assert that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit, for he is the Father’s Spirit-anointed Son.3 Following upon the Baptist’s declaration, the Evangelist narrates the calling of Jesus’ first disciples. Two men, who heard John, followed Jesus, wanting to know where he resided. Jesus invites them to come and see. Upon staying with Jesus for the day, one of them, Andrew (the unnamed other is probably the Evangelist himself), went to his brother, Simon, and announced that they had found the Messiah. Upon seeing Simon, Jesus declares that he shall be called Cephas/Peter, which means Rock. After inviting Andrew and the other disciple to come and see where he abides, the naming of Peter is the second declarative act that Jesus performs in John’s Gospel. John wrote his entire Gospel with the express purpose that all who read it may come to believe in “Rock’s” profession of faith—that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, for that profession is the rock upon which humankind’s salvation is founded. Thus, before he even begins his public ministry, Jesus establishes a bond between himself and Peter—the rock upon which he will build his church. This bond will be played out fully at the conclusion of John’s Gospel, of which I will speak later. Jesus then seeks out Philip and invites him to follow him. Philip, in turn, finds Nathanael and informs him that they had found him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael is skeptical that anything good could come from Nazareth, but upon meeting Jesus, who declared him to be a true Israelite and that he saw him under the fig tree, Nathanael professes that Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israel. Thus the Evangelist portrays Jesus’ first followers as avowing, by means of various titles, who Jesus is. He is the Messiah, the prophetically foretold prophet, the 3. I will treat the significance of what John prophetically proclaims later.

Conclusion  345 Son of God, and the King of Israel. As we saw in the Book of Signs, so now in this volume in the Book of Glory and Passion Narrative, the disbelieving Jews condemned Jesus for claiming to be the Father’s Messianic Son, and Pilate consistently declared the accused and crucified Jesus to be the King of Jews. The Evangelist’s confirms, however, in the midst of the Jewish denial, that Jesus is indeed all that the Baptist proclaimed him to be and all that the disciples professed. For John, what the Baptist declares and the disciples profess is further revealed within Jesus’ miracle signs, in his fulfilling the various Jewish liturgical feasts, and in his “I am” sayings, all of which are woven together.

Signs, Feasts, and Sayings The Book of Signs is designated as such because it contains Jesus’ seven miracle signs. As remarked above, the Prologue anticipated these miracle signs, for through them the reader beholds the glory of Jesus as the Father’s Son. Now, all of these miracle signs, contained with the Book of Signs, prophetically reveal and manifest Jesus’ saving ministry, which finds its fulfillment in his death and resurrection—the transfiguring hour of his glory. Jesus’ first miracle sign is that of changing water into wine at the marriage feast at Cana. As we saw, this sign, which initiated his public ministry and so the onset of his hour, signifies both the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. Not only does the water allude to the cleansing of sin and the new life of the Holy Spirit, but it also progresses, through the miracle of becoming wine, to the partaking of the Eucharist, the abundance of life that is found in abiding in Jesus through sharing in his risen body and blood. Two further miracles likewise manifest the rejuvenating life that comes through baptism— the healing of the invalid at the Pool of Bethsaida and the healing of the man born blind at the Pool of Siloam.4 Textually interwoven within these two miracles are Jesus’ exchanges with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. Jesus informs Nicodemus that only if one is born anew of water and the Holy Spirit can one enter the kingdom of God. To the Samaritan woman, Jesus declares that he has water to give that will well up to eternal life. Thus the healing of the invalid at the Pool of Bethsaida and the healing of the man born blind at the Pool of Siloam signify, and so confirm, Jesus’ ability to re-create, to make 4. For the sake of brevity, I will not comment on all of Jesus’ miracle signs within this conclusion.

346  Conclusion new, those who are born anew in the Spirit-filled waters of baptism—the welling up of eternal life. As the Father’s Spirit-filled Son, Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Thus as the Prologue attested, those who believe in the name of Jesus will become, by the power of God, the Father’s children.5 With the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, John’s Gospel proceeds to Jesus’ Eucharistic discourse. The abundance of bread signifies the bounteous life that abides in Jesus himself. In this Eucharistic context we find the first of seven “I am” sayings—“I am the bread of life.” Jesus himself, as the incarnate Father’s Sent-Son, is the true bread that has come down from heaven, and those who partake of his body and drink of his blood, even though they die, will live forever. By consuming the risen body and blood of Jesus, one comes into communion with the risen, glorified Jesus himself and so shares not only in his resurrection but also in his divinity. By abiding in the risen Jesus, the Messiah, one comes to abide in He Who Is (the I Am) and so is elevated into the very presence of his heavenly Father—one abides with the Father in communion with the Son through the indwelling of the life-giving Spirit. What we then perceive within John’s narration of these miracle signs, accompanied by Jesus’ teaching, is the Trinitarian nature of these sacraments and thus the Trinitarian character of salvation. For John, the Father sent his Son into the world so as to become man. Jesus, as the Father’s incarnate Son, through his salvific human acts, performed in the Holy Spirit, re-creates humankind through the sacrament of baptism, and in so doing transforms the faithful into children of his Father. Having become the Father’s Spirit-filled children, the faithful are able to abide in the risen Jesus by partaking of his body and blood, thus obtaining a foretaste of their communion with their heavenly Father. Thus not only is Jesus, as the Son of God, YHWH-Saves, but the Father, as salvation’s author and end, is also YHWH-Saves. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is YHWH-Saves, for he is the one in whom the faithful are born anew in Christ as the Father’s children, and he is the divine nourishment that is received when partaking of the risen Jesus. Jesus’ “baptismal” and “Eucharistic” miracle signs, as well as his conjoined teaching, are prophetic, for the truth that they signify and of which Jesus tells only find their fulfillment within his salvific death and resurrection. These actions enact humankind’s salvation, freedom from sin and death, and re-creation in the Holy Spirit. Importantly, as emphasized previously, Jesus’ saving acts, 5. I will speak of Mary’s role at the wedding feast of Cana later.

Conclusion  347 his sacrificial death that effects his glorious resurrection, are for the sake of the sacraments—in John’s Gospel, particularly baptism and the Eucharist. Through faith in Jesus and in his baptizing in the Holy Spirit, one is assumed into his death and resurrection and so born anew into his likeness as children of his Father. Within the Eucharistic mystery, likewise, one is subsumed into Jesus’ sacrificial death and so borne up into his risen life. For John, as Jesus came down from heaven in becoming man so as to enact the salvific paschal mysteries, so the faithful, in sacramentally participating in these saving mysteries, are taken up, in union with Jesus, into the heavenly realities they signify. By being sacramentally united to Jesus’ death and resurrection, and so being incorporated into Jesus himself, the faithful reap the everlasting benefit of his death and resurrection—the dying to sin and death and the rising to an abundance of eternal life. Now Jesus’ miracles that prefigure baptism and the Eucharist find their ultimate signification in his death on the cross. As alluded to, through his death and resurrection, Jesus, as the risen Lord, is empowered to baptize in the Holy Spirit and to become the true living bread of life. For John, Jesus’ last breath wherein he dies is the first breath wherein he breathes forth his Spirit. Moreover, from his pierced side comes forth blood and water. This flowing forth of blood and water, to which John himself bears witness, signifies the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, both of which the crucified and risen Jesus bestows upon his church. Through baptism, those who believe in him are born anew in him and so are able to partake of his risen given-up body and his risen poured-out blood. By coming to abide in the risen Jesus, the faithful partake of and so share in his risen life. Within John’s Passion Narrative, John and Jesus’ mother stood at the foot of the cross. It was at Mary’s initiative that Jesus commenced his ministry, the beginning of his “hour.” The miracle of changing water into wine prophetically anticipated the water and blood that flows from Jesus’ pierced side, that is, the institution of the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. Upon Mary, the living icon of the church, and upon John, he who is to care for the church, fell the blood and water, and in so doing, Jesus brought the church to life, for together these symbolize the life-giving sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist.6 The wedding feast of Cana and the crucifixion are thus bookends. 6. As the woman Eve was born from the side of Adam, so the church is born from the side of Christ; with Mary becoming the new Eve, the new mother of all the living, those who are born anew in Jesus through the Spirit-filled life-giving waters of baptism.

348  Conclusion They manifest, from the beginning of his ministry to its completion, that Jesus’ salvific work, the work his Father commissioned him to do in pouring out his Spirit upon him, was that of founding the life-giving church wherein the faithful can reap the benefits of his death and resurrection. Mary, the symbolic church, is the first to reap the benefits of what she herself initiated at the wedding feast of Cana—the birth of the church itself, of which she is now the living icon. In the midst of his miraculous signs, Jesus, according to John’s narrative, goes up to Jerusalem to participate in various Jewish liturgical feasts. In doing so, he prophetically anticipates his fulfillment of those feasts. Immediately after changing water into wine at Cana, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, where he finds his Father’s house being desecrated with the selling of animals and the exchanging of money. In his zeal, Jesus cleanses the temple. In response, “the Jews” ask for a sign that would validate his authority to do such an action. Jesus answers by telling them that if the temple is destroyed, he will raise it up in three days, a temple that, as “the Jews” remind him, took forty-six years to build. The Evangelist informs the reader that Jesus was speaking of the temple of his body. For John, Jesus’ cleansing of the temple is a prophetic act. What the Baptist prophetically declared in calling Jesus the Lamb of God is fulfilled in Jesus’ death. According to the Evangelist’s reckoning, Jesus, the Father’s Spirit-anointed Messianic Son, was crucified on the Passover at the time when the Passover lambs were being sacrificed. Jesus, then, is the new high priest who offers himself as the Lamb of God, the perfect Passover sacrifice. In that sacrificial act, Jesus cleanses the world of sin and vanquishes death, and in his resurrection, he raises up the new living temple that is himself. In him, all people will worship his Father in spirit and truth—in the divine life of the Holy Spirit and in the Truth that he is God’s Word. Such is the case, for as the new Passover sacrifice, Jesus establishes a new covenant with his Father, a covenant that he, in his resurrection, embodies. Thus Jesus becomes the new and living temple, for he is himself the new holy High Priest who offers the holiest sacrifice—that of himself, a sacrifice that enables all who believe in him to pass over from sin and death into the presence of his heavenly Father. For John, this “passing over” is accomplished within the faithful by means of Jesus baptizing them with the Spirit and by their partaking of his Eucharistic risen body and blood. What is prophetically portrayed in Jesus’ participating in his “first” Passover, then, finds its fulfillment in his “last” Passover, when he be-

Conclusion  349 comes, through his sacrificial death and resurrection, the new and everlasting Passover. As the Evangelist conjoins the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves with Jesus’ first “I am” saying (“I am the bread of life.”), so he also links the second “I am” saying (“I am the light of the world”) with Jesus’ healing of the man born blind. This miracle occurred while Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles or Booths. The liturgy surrounding this feast involved the pouring of water from the Pool of Siloam upon the temple’s altar and the lighting of the temple courtyard. Within this setting, Jesus declares that he is the light of the world, and that those who follow him will not walk in darkness but will possess the light of life. Thus as the eternal Word is the life-giving light of creation, the light that vanquished the darkness of nothingness, so Jesus, the incarnate Word, who now tabernacles in their midst, is the re-creating light of life—he who will vanquish the darkness of sin and death. Those who follow him are given the light of life through the cleansing Spirit-filled waters of baptism. By way of prophetic demonstration, Jesus heals the man born blind. Replicating God’s act of creation in the Book of Genesis where God creates Adam from the dust of the earth, Jesus re-creates the blind man by making clay with his spittle, and then anointing the man’s eyes. The man, having been sent to wash in the Pool of Siloam (which means “sent”), is healed. Not only did the man born blind receive his physical sight, but also his physical healing signified his spiritual rebirth. The now-seeing man comes to believe that Jesus is his divine “Lord”—He Who Is. Thus the Evangelist has woven together his Prologue, the feast of Tabernacles, the “I am” saying that Jesus is the light of world, the miraculous sign of healing the blind man, and the new birth in the Spirit through the waters of baptism. All of these various theological facets illuminate one another and so together provide a luminous depiction of who Jesus is as YHWH-Saves. Ultimately, it is through his death on the cross that Jesus casts out the darkness of sin, and in his glorious resurrection he tabernacles in the world as the light of everlasting life, a light that dispels the darkness of death. Following upon his declaring that he is the light of the world, Jesus quickly speaks of himself as the door to the sheepfold (“I am the door/gate of the sheep”) and the good shepherd (“I am the good shepherd”). Unlike the wall-climbing thieves who come to steal the sheep, Jesus is himself the door of the sheepfold. Those who enter through him find salvation, for he came to give life. Jesus is the door to eternal life, not as though the faithful pass through

350  Conclusion him by way of entering into eternal life. Rather, to abide in Jesus the gate—that is, to be conjoined to the humanity of the Father’s Son and thus to be in union with He Who Is—is to be in communion with the Son’s Father, He Who Is. Moreover, as the good shepherd who knows his own and calls each by name, Jesus, unlike the hireling, lays down his life for his sheep. He sacrifices his life so that those who follow him, and so are united to him, are freed from the marauding wolves of sin and death. His Father loves him precisely because Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down his life for the everlasting salvation of his Father’s sheep. I argued in the first volume that the culminating and preeminent “I am” saying is Jesus’ declaration, “I am the resurrection and the life.” All of the other “I am” sayings find their foundational source, and so their definitive truth, in Jesus being so. Only if Jesus is the resurrection and the life can he be the living bread that comes down from heaven, for the food that he offers is his risen body and blood—a share in his risen and divine life. Equally, Jesus can only be the light of the world, the life-giving light that conquers sin’s dark death, if he is himself the risen light of life. Likewise, only as the living door into eternal life can Jesus be the good shepherd who leads the faithful into his Father’s heavenly presence. Moreover, only the life-giving risen Jesus is empowered to baptize in the Holy Spirit, so that those so baptized are born anew into God’s everlasting kingdom. Jesus being the resurrection and the life is, then, the hinge upon which hangs the entirety of all that Jesus proclaims concerning himself, as well as the same hinge upon which hangs the sign value contained within all of his miracles. Likewise, only by fulfilling the feast of Passover does Jesus pass over from death so as to become the resurrection and the life. In passing over from death to life, the living Jesus is able to tabernacle forever in the midst of the world. Thus the raising of Lazarus from the dead is not simply the last of Jesus’ miraculous signs; it is also the culminating, paramount sign that authenticates the entire Book of Signs. Only by raising Lazarus from the dead does Jesus demonstrate that he is the resurrection and the life, and in so doing, he simultaneously imbues life into all of his other “I am” sayings, as well as bestowing ultimate import on all of his other “signs” and all of the Jewish feasts. Not surprisingly, then, in response to Jesus’ declaration that he is the resurrection and the life, does Martha, echoing Peter’s profession of faith as contained in the Synoptics, profess: “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.” Martha believes that Jesus is “Lord,” He Who Is, and he is so because he is the

Conclusion  351 Spirit-Anointed Father’s Son. The raising of Lazarus is the premiere sign that reveals who Jesus is. In the Book of Glory, we find the final two “I am” sayings. Jesus declares: “I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” The risen Jesus, as the Father’s incarnate Son, is the way to the Father, for only by abiding in him does one come into the presence of the Father. As the Father’s incarnate Word, he who resides in the bosom of the Father and knows the Father singularly as the Father’s only begotten Son, Jesus reveals the Father fully. Again, by abiding in the risen Jesus, the way to the Father, does one come into the very presence of the Father and so come to know the Father fully. As the risen incarnate He Who Is, Jesus possesses the fullness of the Father’s divine life, he who is the source and fount of all life. Again, only by abiding in the risen Jesus does one partake of the Father’s eternal life. Jesus also declares: “I am the vine and you are the branches.” This “I am” saying accentuates all that the previous six implied. To abide in he who is the resurrection, the living and life-giving vine, is to abide in he who is the bread of life, the light of the world, the sheep gate, the good shepherd, and so one is able to find one’s true way to the ever-living Father. In so doing, one will bear, in Jesus through the indwelling life-giving Spirit, the fruit of everlasting life. It is clear by now that It is only when Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, and thus merits his own resurrection, that he actually becomes the resurrection and the life. In his being so, all the other “I am” sayings come fully into act. Only when Jesus becomes definitively Jesus through his death and resurrection does he literally embody all that he had declared himself to be. Only within the risen Jesus do all that his miracles prophetically signified find their actualized fulfillment—the restoration and re-creation of humankind.

The Contentious Dialogues Beginning with his cleansing of the temple and progressing throughout the Book of Signs, Jesus is engaged in various contentious dialogues with the unbelieving Jews. These disputes are enmeshed within Jesus’ miraculous signs and often contain his “I am” sayings. Moreover, they invariably take place when Jesus is in Jerusalem for various liturgical feasts, feasts that he himself brings to fulfillment. Thus these dialogical quarrels concern who Jesus claims to be in the midst of the signs he performs. Jesus’ healing of the invalid at the Pool of

352  Conclusion Bethsaida on the Sabbath is the catalyst that intensified Jewish rancor against him, for in response to Jewish disapproval, Jesus says that as his Father is still working, so he continues to work, to the mind of “the Jews,” making himself equal to God. By performing the miracle on the Sabbath, Jesus is signifying that he is about his Father’s work of re-creation. Moreover, Jesus’ ongoing defense that God is his Father, with the evident implication that he is the Father’s Son, is composed of multiple interrelated themes throughout the Gospel. Jesus never states that he is the Son of God. He always speaks in terms of God being his Father. God is “my Father.” That God is uniquely his Father testifies that he is singularly the Father’s Son. As the Son, Jesus speaks and acts as the one “sent” by his Father, so as to do his Father’s work. But he can only be sent from the heavenly Father if he is the Father’s heavenly Son. As the Sent-incarnate-Son, Jesus is ever obedient to his Father, and he only says what he hears from his Father, and only does what he sees his Father doing. There is a perichoresis of words and actions between Jesus and his Father. To hear the voice of Jesus is to hear the voice of his Father. To behold the works of Jesus is to behold the works of his Father. The perichoretic oneness between Jesus and his Father manifests that Jesus is the Father’s Son, and so divine as his Father is divine. As the Father’s Son, he abides in the Father, and the Father abides in him. He and his Father are ontologically one, and so together they enact the works of salvation. Thus if the faithless Jews do not believe his words, they should believe because of his works, for the works that Jesus enacts are the salvific works of his Father. Through these works, the Father bears testimony that Jesus is his Son. “The Jews,” nonetheless, in heightened outrage, seek to kill Jesus. In the midst of the Jewish disbelief that God is Jesus’ Father, the question arises as to whether Jesus is the Christ. Some Jews believe that Jesus is the Christ because of the many signs he enacted. They observe that John the Baptist may have not worked any sign, but everything that he said about Jesus is true. Others argued that the Christ is to come from Bethlehem, but Jesus is from Nazareth in Galilee. Others, moreover, noted that when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from, but again, they know where Jesus is from. This ignorance on the part of the unbelieving Jews is the height of Johannine irony. Jesus is from Bethlehem, and they do not know where Jesus is from, that he is from the Father. Thus their very ignorance manifests that Jesus is the Messiah, as the Baptist professed, for upon him the Spirit rested, and because of this abiding Spirit, John knew him to be God’s Son.

Conclusion  353 Also, within his dialogical interchanges, first with Nicodemus and later with the unbelieving Jews, Jesus speaks three times of his being lifted up. Jesus informs Nicodemus that no one has ascended into heaven but him who descended from heaven, the Son of man. Moreover, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must Jesus be lifted up, so that those who believe in him may have eternal life. As those who beheld Moses’s lifted-up serpent were healed, so those who believe in the lifted-up, crucified Jesus will be healed of sin’s condemnatory death and obtain everlasting life. The emphasis here focuses upon beholding Jesus as the crucified Savior. Later, because “the Jews” did not believe that God is his Father, Jesus told them that when they have lifted up the Son of man, then they will come to know that “I am he” (ego eimi ). That Jesus is the Father’s Son, that he is He Who Is as the Father is He Who Is, is fully manifested when he is lifted up upon the cross. Having concluded his Father’s salvific work, the Father will lift up Jesus into the glory of his ascended resurrection. Here, the emphasis resides in the cross and resurrection supremely testifying to Jesus’ divinity as the Father’s Son, a testimony that “the Jews” themselves will enact when they crucify Jesus. The last time Jesus speaks of being lifted up is within the context of his approaching hour—the dark hour of his death. Although he is troubled, Jesus is assured that his Father will glorify him, for through his death he will cast out the ruler of this world. Thus when Jesus is lifted up from the earth, he will draw all to himself. Being lifted up from the earth, by being mounted upon the cross, gives rise to Jesus being lifted up into his ascended resurrected heavenly glory. Through his ascending up upon the cross and into heaven, Jesus will draw all to himself—those who behold him in faith. Here, Jesus highlights the saving effect of his death and resurrection—that of drawing all of the faithful, lifting up all who believe, into his saving death and ascended resurrection glory. Thus in being lifted up Jesus will manifest that he is truly the Father’s divine Son, He Who Is, for through his death and resurrection he will conquer sin’s dark death, and in so doing he will lift up all who believe in him into his saving death and life-giving glory. Not surprisingly, then, Jesus’ contentious confrontations with the unbelieving Jews reach their climax over his referring to himself as “I am”—He Who Is—that is, appropriating to himself the sacred divine name, YHWH. Jesus argues with “the Jews” as to whether Abraham is their father, and whether Jesus is greater than Abraham. Jesus assures them that Abraham rejoices at seeing his day, to which “the Jews” respond that Jesus is not yet fifty years

354  Conclusion old, so scoffingly questioning how he could possibly have seen Abraham. In response, Jesus conclusively declares that before Abraham came to be, he already existed because he is “I AM,” Ego Eimi, He Who Is. At this seeming blasphemy, “the Jews” picked up stones to throw at him. In identifying himself as YHWH, Jesus is both asserting his full divinity and simultaneously providing the ontological foundation for all of his “I am” sayings—his ego eimi sayings. Ultimately, Jesus is the bread of life, the life-giving light of the world, the gate of the sheepfold, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, and so on, because as the Father’s incarnate Son, he is ego eimi. He is the one who truly IS. Moreover, Jesus is revealing why he is named Jesus. The man Jesus is YHWH-Saves because he is YHWH, and he is saving, re-creating, humankind as the Father’s incarnate Spirit-anointed Son. Although some Jews come to believe in Jesus, the Jewish leaders refuse to do so. Seemingly with a heavy heart, John notes, at the conclusion of Jesus’ public ministry, that while Jesus worked many signs in their midst, the Jewish elite did not believe in him. Nonetheless, John, in his Gospel, has allowed the nonbelievers to tender their most cogent condemnatory evidence against Jesus. In turn, John narrates all of Jesus’ responses to such damning evidence and in so doing brings to the fore the authentic revelation of who Jesus is as the Father’s Word incarnate—his saving Son. Because of the way he treats both the belief of some of the Jews and the disbelief of the Jewish leaders, I have argued throughout our theological interpretation that John has structured his Gospel in such a manner so as to win over his contemporary disbelieving Jewish brethren. John’s Gospel is an appeal to faith—first to “the Jews” and then to the Gentiles.7

The Arrest and Trial I have been attempting to weave together what is contained in the Book of Signs and its further development within the Book of Glory and later fulfillment within the Passion and Resurrection Narrative. Because of this previous interweaving, I will only, in summary fashion, highlight one further aspect of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion—that of Jesus being the King of the Jews. 7. In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul tells of his going to Jerusalem to meet with Peter, James, and John. He laid before them the Gospel he was preaching among the Gentiles, lest his preaching be in vain. They approved his Gospel, after which Paul says that as he was sent to the Gentiles, so James, Peter, and John were sent to “the Jews” (see Gal 2:1–10). Paul’s remark helps confirm that John, whose primary concern was the conversion of “the Jews,” wrote his Gospel with “the Jews” primarily in mind.

Conclusion  355 Because Jesus claims to be the Father’s Spirit-anointed incarnate Son, many Jews came to believe in him, to the consternation of the Jewish elite. They therefore plotted to arrest and execute Jesus, and with the aid of Judas Iscariot, were able to do so. Judas, with a band of soldiers and officers of the chief priest and Pharisees, came into the darkened garden with lanterns and torches to arrest the light of the world. In asking for Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus responded by declaring, “I am he,” thus identifying himself as He Who Is. Upon taking him to Pilate, they accuse Jesus of being an evildoer but do not specify what evil he has done. Pilate in turn asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews, to which Jesus responds that his kingdom is not of this world. To Pilate’s insistence on knowing if Jesus is a king, Jesus answers that it was for this that he came into the world, that is, to lay down his life for the salvation of the world and in so doing become the risen King of the Jews. Pilate throughout the trial consistently declares Jesus to be the King of the Jews, but “the Jews” demand that he be crucified, for by their law he must die, having made himself the Son of God and thus a threat to Caesar himself. In the end, Pilate accedes to their demand and hands Jesus over to be crucified. Pilate has the last word, however, for upon the cross he had written “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Pilate is the Father’s prophet who declares what the Father himself eternally had written—Jesus, his crucified Messianic incarnate Son, is the King of the Jews, and as such, he is the Savior of the world. The Father will ratify this declaration by raising him gloriously from the dead, making him Lord of all. Ironically, what the Jewish authorities most feared they themselves achieved. Likewise, what Nathanael and the first disciples declared of Jesus at the onset of the Gospel has now come to be—Jesus is the Messiah, the foretold prophet, the Son of God, and the King of the Jews. Again, this is what the Evangelist wanted his contemporary and future Jewish brethren to behold in the hope that they would come to believe and so obtain eternal life. Jesus’ blood is upon them not to condemn them, but to cleanse them of sin and make them truly his chosen holy people. God has fulfilled his promise of old.

The Last Supper and the First Breakfast Because some new theological features arise only within the Book of Glory and the passion and resurrection, they need now to be addressed separately from the Book of Signs. The first is the Evangelist’s account of the Last Supper, which begins the Book of Glory and the Gospel’s final chapter where Jesus makes his risen dawn appearance to his fishing disciples.

356  Conclusion At the onset of the Book of Glory, John notes that at the imminent approach of the Passover, Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave the world and return to his Father. Jesus, having loved his own, would now love them to the end, that is, the final hour of his crucifixion—the hour when he would lay down his life for his beloved sheep. In John’s Gospel, the principal action that Jesus performs in the course of the Last Supper is that of washing his disciples’ feet. Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, having clothed himself as a servant, symbolically cleanses his disciples’ feet—a sign that through his saving work and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they will be cleansed of sin and made holy. Peter protests Jesus’ washing of his feet, but Jesus cautions him that if he refuses to allow his feet to be washed, he would have no part in his ministry. In response, Peter, with Petrine gusto, allows Jesus to do so. Jesus then informs his disciples that even though he is their teacher and Lord, he has washed their feet. As his disciples, they therefore must wash one another’s feet. In this setting, Jesus gives them the new commandment that they are to love one another as Jesus has loved them—that is, in giving their lives for one another even unto death. Within the Last Supper itself, two other figures stand out—Peter, as has already become evident, and Judas Iscariot. During the supper itself, the devil entered Judas, and Jesus knew that even though he had washed his disciples’ feet, not all were clean. Upon eating the morsel Jesus gave him, the sign to the beloved disciple as to who the betrayer was, Jesus tells Judas to do what he is going to do and to do it quickly. With that, Judas leaves, and John notes that it was night—the dark hour of Jesus’ death was at hand. Yet Jesus immediately speaks of his glorifying the Father, and because he will have glorified the Father, the Father will glorify him, and at once. Again, although the glory of Jesus is evident throughout John’s Gospel, it is only fully manifested in the hour of Jesus’ death, for upon the cross Jesus lovingly gives himself completely to the Father, and in response to Jesus’ glorifying his Father, the Father immediately glorifies him in raising him gloriously from the dead. Although Jesus’ miracle signs manifest his glory, “the Jews” will now have beheld the even greater work that the Father gave him to do. The greater work that brings to light Jesus’ glory is that of his death, for upon the cross, as Jesus himself declares, he finishes his Father’s work. Thus, for the Evangelist, death’s darkest hour is the hour of Jesus’ greatest glory. As the Father first manifested his eternal Word in declaring, “Let there be light,” the light that dispelled “nothing’s” darkness, so now Jesus has dispelled the darkness of sin and death, and the Fa-

Conclusion  357 ther has made visible the everlasting light of his incarnate Son by raising him gloriously from the dead. Moreover, as the Spirit hovered over the “nothingness” when God declared, through his Word, “Let there be light,” so Jesus, the Father’s incarnate Word, breathed forth the Father’s Spirit of the new creation in his dying breath. Thus the first light of the Father’s first creation is the everlasting light of the Father’s re-creation—Jesus, the Father’s Spirit-filled incarnate Word. For John, Jesus is the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the alpha and the omega. Now, because Jesus is going to his Father, the disciples will not see him much longer. In so declaring, Peter once more comes to the fore. Peter wants to come with Jesus, but Jesus tells him that where he is going Peter cannot follow him now but that he will follow him later. Peter assures Jesus that he is willing to lay down his life for him, but Jesus retorts that before the night is ended, he will deny him three times. Here, as the formality of the Last Supper concludes and Jesus begins his farewell address, it is best, I think, to jump to Jesus’ dawn appearance to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberius, for that breakfast appearance is, for John, the completing, the closure, of the Last Supper. Although the Evangelist, unlike the Synoptics, does not narrate Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist in his Last Supper account, he does narrate a post-resurrection Eucharistic breakfast. At Jesus’ command, the disciples, having cast their nets to the right of their boat, caught a huge catch of fish, and in so doing, John declares to Peter that they were in the presence of the Lord. Upon coming to shore, the Evangelist notes that Jesus was cooking fish at the charcoal fire, along with offering bread. Jesus invites the disciples to have breakfast, whereupon Jesus takes the bread and gives it to them. As we saw, while the Synoptics provide a pre-crucifixion account of Jesus instituting the Eucharist—this is my body that will be given up for you—the Evangelist provides a post-resurrection account of Jesus instituting the Eucharist. This account, which has a historical basis, accentuates that it is Jesus’ post-sacrificial risen given-up body that is present in the Eucharist. In the Easter breakfast, Jesus is declaring that he is truly the Father’s heavenly bread of life that has come down from heaven, for the Eucharist is his heavenly risen body, and thus those who partake of it possess eternal life. For John, the Last Eucharistic Supper gives rise to the First Eucharistic Breakfast, for Jesus has passed over from death to life. It is the first Eucharistic liturgy of the new creation, for Jesus’ disciples now come into communion with their risen Lord, he who embodies the new creation. Thus Jesus’ baptismal washing of the disciples’ feet, within John’s Last Supper

358  Conclusion account, terminates in their participating in the first Eucharistic breakfast. As the “baptismal” waters of Cana became the “Eucharistic” wine, so the bornanew baptismal waters of the Last Supper give one entrée to the resurrected Eucharistic bread of life. The miraculous catch of fish also brings closure to Peter’s desire to follow Jesus, even unto death, despite his three-time denial of him. As Peter denied Jesus around a charcoal fire, so around an Easter charcoal fire Peter affirms three times that he loves Jesus. To each response of love, Jesus commissions Peter to feed his sheep and concludes by directing Peter to follow him. As the prince of Jesus’ followers, Peter will follow Jesus not only in imitating his death, but also in sharing in his glory. Likewise, as seen in Peter’s dragging to shore the miraculous catch of fish, Peter will be, along with the other disciples, a fisher of men. Thus all that is first enacted within the Last Supper finds its enacted completion within the first Easter breakfast. We must now return to Jesus’ farewell address, for in it he informs his disciples of things that up until then they were unaware of.

The Farewell Address Because his disciples are troubled at the thought of Jesus leaving them, Jesus in his farewell address enumerates the reasons why it is better that he go. Not only will Jesus prepare a place for them in his Father’s house and take them with him upon his return, but he will also pray to his Father, on their behalf, that the Father send the Counselor, the Spirit of truth, who will dwell in them. Moreover, when Jesus sends the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to him as will his disciples. Likewise, the Spirit of truth will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, for it does not believe that Jesus is the righteous Son of the Father who has cast out the ruler of this world. Lastly, the Spirit of truth will lead the disciples to all truth, for he will reveal to them all that belongs to Jesus as the Father’s Son, as well as all that is to come—that Jesus is the supreme Lord of all. While the disciples will be persecuted and killed, they are to love one another as Jesus loved them and so bear the saving fruit of love. Jesus promises them a peace that the world cannot give, and so they will partake of Jesus’ complete joy.

Conclusion  359

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer What Jesus tells his disciples in his farewell address he reconfirms in his high priestly prayer to his Father. Because his hour has come, Jesus asks his Father to glorify him so that he may glorify the Father. On the cross, the Father manifests the glory of Jesus, for Jesus, his Son, is glorifying his Father. Moreover, he prays that his disciples, whom the Father has given him, may come to know the Father and himself so that they may have eternal life. Jesus requests that as he guarded his disciples while he was with them on earth, so the Father will now protect them in his name, even in the midst of the evil they will endure. As Jesus is not of this world, so his disciples are not of this world, and therefore Jesus prays that his Father would sanctify them in the truth, the truth into which Jesus himself has consecrated them; that is, that he is the Father’s Son in whom they possess eternal life. In this truth, they will be one among themselves and one with the Father and the Son, so that the world might come to believe that it was the Father who sent him. Here, in the high priestly prayer, we come, in a sense, to the climax of John’s Gospel. Although the hour of Jesus’ death and resurrection is its actual culmination, this unity for which Jesus prays is the goal for which he, the great high priest, prayerfully offers himself to the Father upon the cross and is the petition that the Father grants in raising him gloriously from the dead. To this oneness of truth and love we now turn.

Abiding in Jesus What we find within the whole of John’s Gospel is the centrality of abiding in the risen Jesus, wherein the Evangelist’s overarching theme is achieved—Jesus’ re-creation of humankind. The Father lovingly sent his Son into the world in order that his incarnate Son might unite humankind, throughout the whole of human history, to himself, and so become a new creation in him. All seven of Jesus’ miracles, particularly those that signify baptism and the Eucharist, anticipate this communion with Jesus. Likewise, all seven of his “I am” sayings, his being the bread of life, the light of the world, the sheep gate and shepherd, find their ultimate realization in one’s abiding in the risen Jesus— the vine, of whom his disciples are the branches. It is in, with, and through Jesus that one finds one’s living, true way to the Father. This abiding comes to fulfillment in Jesus’ death and resurrection, for in this conjoined act he is em-

360  Conclusion powered to send forth his life-giving Spirit upon his church and upon all who believe in him. To abide in Jesus through the indwelling Spirit is, then, to be in communion with his Father. This “abiding” is thoroughly incarnational. Only by being united to the Son’s risen humanity, his glorious sarx, is one subsumed into the eternal divine life of the Trinity. Such a Spirt-filled communion is the concluding petition in Jesus’ high priestly prayer. He prays that those who believe in him may be one as he and his Father are one—that they would be one “in us.” Moreover, Jesus has made known to his disciples his Father’s name—that is, that God’s name is “Father”—and Jesus will continue to do so, so that the love with which the Father loves him may be in his disciples. In this communion of love, established through the indwelling Spirit, not only will his disciples abide in him, but he will also abide in them. Thus as the Father abides in Jesus, his Son, and Jesus abides in him, his Father, so those who believe in him will abide in his Father and together, the Father and the Son, will make their home in them. For the Evangelist, the Son of God came to abide with humankind that humankind might come to abide in him.

Eschatological Fulfillment: Jesus Becoming Jesus Returning to the Evangelist’s Prologue, we witnessed God, on the first day of creation, revealing the light of his divine and eternal Word. The “light” of the “Let there be light” is the life-giving light of the Word. Thus the light of the Word is the light of first day, the light in and through which “the beginning” begins. The Word became flesh, and in and through Jesus’ humanity we have seen the glory, the light, of the Father’s only Son. Throughout John’s Gospel, the transfiguring light of the Son’s glory is increasingly made visible for all to see. Jesus definitively manifests his divine filial light through his death and resurrection. Now, Jesus, having completed his Father’s saving work on Friday, rested on the Sabbath. In rising gloriously on resurrection Sunday, Jesus ushers in the eighth day, the eschatological day, the everlasting ultimate day of his Father’s re-creation. Thus the glory that the Father manifested on the first day of creation, the life-giving light of his eternal Word, finds its consummate illumination on the everlasting day—a lasting day that the risen Jesus embodies. As the Word is the light of the first day, so the risen Jesus, the Father’s glorious incarnate Word, is the everlasting light of the eighth day. He is the everlasting light of the new unending day of the new creation. This everlasting

Conclusion  361 new day, a day that Jesus himself is, will find its fulfillment when Jesus returns in glory. Then the faithful, who already here on earth live in Jesus, the new day, will abide forever with him in the fullness of his eighth-day glory. In his coming down out of heaven at the end of time, and in his taking up with him the faithful into his ascended glory, Jesus will then become fully Jesus—Jesus fully-in-act, for he will have fully enacted his name—YHWH-Saves. All the faithful, by being transformed by the Holy Spirit into the perfect likeness of Jesus, the Son, will be escorted, in communion with Christ, into the presence of their Father as his heavenly children. As Jesus becomes Jesus-fully-in-act at the end of time, so Christians, who fully abide in Christ, become Christiansfully-in-act at the end of time, for together with Jesus they are in living communion with the Father, the source and plentitude of all life. Jesus, in John’s Gospel, through his miracle signs and “I am” sayings, appears to highlight the present earthly eschatological reality, that is, that those who believe in him presently abide in him through the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. Such an emphasis accentuates what will be enacted at the end of time when Jesus returns in glory, however. Only when Jesus, the resurrection and the life, returns will he be fully the bread of life, the everlasting life-giving light of the new creation, the never-closed gate through which he, as the good shepherd, escorts all of the faithful into his Father’s presence, for he will then be the unhindered way to the living Father. Lastly, upon his return in glory, Jesus will be the ever-bounteous vine, for all will fully abide in him, bearing fully the mature fruit of salvation—the perfection in love. Thus for the Evangelist the present realized eschatology is but the prelude and the foreshadowing, the anticipation and expectancy of what will eschatologically be fulfilled. What we perceive, then, is the eschatological Jesus, for he himself embodies and so is the eschaton. He has in this sense become Jesus—YHWH-Saves. Yet because the faithful await their full communion in him, he too eagerly awaits his return with them, for only when they fully abide in him, sharing fully in his eschatological glory, will he become Jesus-fully-in-act, for the faithful will only then be fully saved. Moreover, when Jesus becomes fully Jesus, Son-YHWH-Saves, the Father will become fully Father-YHWH-Saves, for the salvific plan that he alone initiated will be fully enacted. Likewise, the Holy Spirit will become fully Spirit-YHWH-Saves, for in and through him the faithful will fully abide in Jesus, the Son, and so be in full communion with the Father. Thus to abide in the eschatological humanity of Jesus is to abide forever

362  Conclusion within the divine life of the Trinity, for in and through that humanity the entire Trinity perichoretically acts, as the one God, to bring about humankind’s everlasting salvation. For that day and hour we long, for we will then be fully saved and Jesus, at last, will have become JESUS—YHWH-Saves. “Amen, Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rv 22:2).

S ugges ted F urther R eadi ng

Barnett, C. K. The Gospel According to St. John. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1978. Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospel as Eyewitness Testimony. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006. ———. Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: Narrative, History, and Theology in the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. ———. Gospel of Glory: Major Themes in Johannine Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015. Bauckham, Richard, and Carl Mosser. The Gospel of John and Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008. Brown, Raymond. The Gospel of John. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966 and 1970. de La Potterie, Ignace. The Hour of Jesus: The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus According to John: Text and Spirit. Slough, UK: St. Paul’s Publications, 1989. Hurtádo, Larry. Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003. Koester, Craig. The Word of Life: A Theology of John’s Gospel. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008. Lieu, Judith, and Martin De Boer, eds. The Oxford Handbook on Johannine Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. Martin, Francis, and William Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015. Moloney, Francis. The Gospel of John. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1989. Sanders, J. N. The Gospel According to St. John. New York: Harper & Row, 1968. Schnackenburg, Rudolf. The Gospel According to John. 3 vols. Herder: St. Louis, 1968; Seabury: New York, 1980; and Crossroad, New York, 1982. Thompson, Marianne Meye. The God of the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001. Weinandy, Thomas G., OFM, Cap. Does God Change? The Word’s Becoming in the Incarnation. Still River, MA: St. Bede’s, 1985. ———. In the Likeness of Sinful Flesh: An Essay on the Humanity of Christ. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1993. ———. The Father’s Spirit of Sonship: Reconceiving the Trinity. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1995. ———. Does God Suffer? Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2000. ———. Jesus the Christ. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2003. [Republished by Ex Fontibus, 2017.] ———. Jesus: Essays in Christology. Ave Maria, FL: Sapientia Press, 2014.

363

364  Conclusion ———. Jesus Becoming Jesus. Vol. 1, A Theological Interpretation of the Synoptic Gospels. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2018. ———. Jesus Becoming Jesus. Vol. 2, A Theological Interpretation of the Gospel of John: Prologue and the Book of Signs. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2021. Whitacre, Rodney. John. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999.

Index Index

I nd ex

For the theological interpretation of individual chapters in the Gospel of John, chapters 12–21, see the corresponding chapters in this volume. acts, importance of, xi–xii, 12, 22–23, 31, 36, 45, 58–59, 77, 154, 170, 274 acts, sacramental, xiv, 31, 36, 46 Andrew, 2, 4, 197, 312, 314, 325, 338, 344 antisemitism/Jewish brethren, 7, 12, 59, 74, 107, 190, 217, 222, 230, 264, 268, 283, 306–7, 354–55 ascension, 13, 45, 117, 143, 254, 284, 289, 294–95 baptism, xiv, 5–7, 12, 19, 23, 25–37, 46, 51–52, 56, 67, 81–83, 109, 139, 141, 147, 175, 179, 183, 186, 193–94, 240, 246, 250, 258–70, 273, 275, 293–94, 300, 305, 306, 320, 338, 345–47, 349, 359, 361 Book of Glory, 1, 4–6, 9, 13, 15, 17, 20, 42, 84, 177, 181, 337, 339, 341, 345, 351, 354–56 Book of Signs, ix, 1, 4–5, 9–11, 13, 20, 42–43, 58, 84, 137, 139, 141–42, 149, 177–78, 187, 304, 337–41, 345, 350–51, 354–55 Eucharist, xiv, 6–8, 12, 20, 22, 25, 29, 31–37, 40, 46, 51–52, 56, 82–86, 91, 139–41, 147, 167, 173–75, 179, 199, 207, 258–59, 264, 266–70, 275, 289–90, 293–94, 301, 307, 320, 322–25, 328, 345–48, 357–59, 361 feasts, Jewish: Booths, 8, 261, 349; Passover, XIII, 5, 7–9, 12–13, 15, 17–53, 84, 104, 107, 132, 140, 148, 151, 163–64, 171, 173–75, 180– 81, 202–5, 212–13, 215, 221, 224, 226–27, 229–30, 232–33, 237, 240–41, 250, 254–55, 257–59, 264, 274, 277, 284, 291, 299, 348– 50, 356; Pentecost, 28–29, 53, 254, 272, 283, 294–95 historicity, 1–3, 25, 36–37, 69, 129, 138, 170– 75, 187, 229, 240, 280, 291, 316, 320, 333, 337–41 Holy Spirit (Councilor/Spirit of truth), 71, 74,

95, 108–11, 131, 133–34, 296, 358 hour, the, 4, 11, 19, 22, 37, 41, 43, 48, 75, 105, 107–8, 119, 126, 129–30, 132, 139–42, 147–48, 150, 163, 170, 180–81, 184, 191, 201, 243–46, 259, 330, 356, 359 “I am” sayings: I AM (He Who Is), xiii, 6, 8–9, 11, 13, 34, 39, 49–50, 54, 56–57, 74, 82–84, 92, 101, 107, 111, 118, 146, 152, 156, 160, 164, 178, 180, 189–90, 196, 198, 203, 213–14, 208, 246, 253, 294, 302, 307–8, 336, 343, 346, 349–50, 353–55; bread of life, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, 33–34, 47, 149, 160–61, 174, 179, 188, 205, 207, 219, 226, 238, 307–8, 322, 341, 346–47, 349, 351, 354, 357–59, 361; door/gate, xiii, 9, 11–12, 84, 129, 179, 237–38, 308, 349–51, 354, 359, 361; good shepherd, xiii, 9, 11–12, 20, 62, 84, 146, 152, 161, 179, 195, 222, 238, 308, 320, 329–30, 349–51, 354, 361; light of the world, 8–9, 11–12, 20, 42–43, 57, 84, 113, 149, 160–61, 179, 185, 188, 213, 238, 279, 308, 349–51, 353–55, 359; resurrection and the life, xiii, 9–12, 20, 42, 56, 84, 140, 149, 160–61, 179, 185, 238, 273, 276, 292, 307–8, 322, 350–51, 354, 361; vine, xiii, 27–28, 78–86, 90, 102, 104, 127, 129, 134, 158, 161, 179, 185, 238, 351, 359, 361; way, truth, and life, xiii, 57, 108, 133, 238, 308 ipsissima verba/ipsissima sententia, 3, 145, 171, 340 James, 2, 26, 59, 117, 194, 242, 311, 313–14, 318, 338, 354 Jesus: abide in, xiii–xiv, 6–7, 9–10, 19, 21, 28, 31–32, 35, 44, 46, 47, 51–56, 59–60, 63–65, 68, 78, 81–97, 102–3, 105, 109, 111, 114, 125–27, 130–36, 138, 143–44, 146–47, 158,

365

366  Index 160–69, 172–73, 179, 182, 184–85, 207, 214, 219, 247, 250, 255, 258, 267–68, 274, 290, 292–93, 297, 299–300, 306, 308, 321–28, 336, 344, 346–47, 350–52, 360–61; Jesus becoming Jesus, xi–xii, xiv, 4–5, 12, 24, 35, 119, 216, 255, 269, 275, 360; King of the Jews/Israel, 5–6, 54, 117, 183, 189–90, 204–18, 221–41, 260–64, 268, 271, 274, 293, 305, 312, 344–45, 354–55; Lamb of God, xii–xiii, 5, 8, 12, 18, 28, 31, 40–41, 142, 189, 221, 226, 254, 258, 298, 344, 348; lift up the Son of man, 118, 353; priest, xiii, 8, 12, 19, 24, 26–29, 31–32, 35, 37, 43, 62, 106, 161–62, 170, 173, 180, 192, 204, 214, 215, 220, 226, 236, 240–41, 251, 255, 259, 268, 275, 296, 299, 348, 355, 359; saving/salvific acts, xi– xii, 151, 181, 239, 268, 275–76, 300, 346–47, 352; work of the Father, 80, 156; YHWHSaves, xii–xiii, 4, 10–12, 20, 35–36, 39, 47, 59, 61–62, 67, 73–74, 76–77, 83–84, 120–21, 136, 156–57, 161, 164, 168, 171, 175, 178, 180, 186, 189, 211, 214, 216, 220, 227, 234, 237, 245, 248, 255, 260, 269, 275, 307–8, 336, 343, 346, 349, 354, 361, 362 Jesus Becoming Jesus: A Theological Interpretation of the Gospel of John: The Prologue and the Book of Signs, Volume 2, 1, 7–8, 21, 262 Jesus Becoming Jesus: A Theological Interpretation of the Synoptic Gospels, 1, 23, 130, 173, 220 John (beloved disciple), 36, 38, 40, 55, 72, 88, 117, 141, 145, 172, 233, 242–55, 259, 284, 299, 311–12, 317–18, 332–36, 340, 356 John the Baptist, xii, xiv, 5, 85, 145, 196, 221– 22, 254, 305, 344, 352 Joseph of Arimathea, 256, 270–71, 278, 281, 286 Judas Iscariot, 2, 15, 20–22, 33–42, 46, 75, 91, 132, 142, 157–59, 181, 187–92, 201, 220, 223, 338–39, 355–56 Lazarus, 9, 18, 21, 42, 45, 179, 205, 281–82, 300, 338, 350–51

Martha, 2, 9, 18, 23, 205, 338, 341, 350 Mary (ecclesial woman/mother of Jesus), xii, xvi, 73, 75, 157, 220, 233, 242–50, 252–54, 258–59, 266, 268–69, 275, 299–300, 305, 347–48 Mary (sister of Martha and Lazarus), 2, 18, 21, 23, 205, 305, 338, 341 Mary Magdalene, 88, 185, 242–43, 272, 277– 91, 293–95, 300, 302, 314, 317, 324, 339 miracles/signs: man born blind, 2, 6, 8, 30, 94, 179, 219, 345, 349; multiplication of loaves, 1–2, 6, 8, 64, 128, 119, 205–6, 307, 320, 322–23, 337, 339, 341, 346, 349; Pool of Bethsaida, 2, 6, 106, 179, 196, 263, 338, 345; raising of Lazarus, 9, 281–82, 350–51 Nathanael, 2, 5, 54, 189, 204–5, 305, 311–12, 338, 344, 355 new commandment, 43–44, 62–63, 87–88, 134, 356 Nicodemus, 2, 6, 10, 53, 69, 109, 118, 122, 179, 202, 219, 256, 261, 270–72, 278, 281, 286– 87, 398, 338, 341, 345, 353 Peter, 2, 5, 26–28, 30, 33, 36–39, 44–45, 48, 52–53, 59, 72, 82, 88, 91, 108, 117, 122, 129, 144, 162, 184, 189, 191–201, 208, 212, 221, 247, 266, 272, 278–87, 291, 295, 303, 305, 310–36, 338–39, 344, 354, 356–58 Philip, 2, 5, 53, 57–59, 146, 189, 204, 338 Prologue, ix, 1, 3–6, 49, 54, 113, 148–49, 153– 54, 169, 177–78, 185, 211, 220, 273, 298, 302, 336, 341–46, 349, 360 Samaritan woman, 2, 6, 53, 69, 109, 122, 139– 40, 179, 246, 249, 261–62, 307, 338, 345 Thomas, 2, 45, 50, 53, 57, 59, 108, 283, 294– 95, 300–304, 311–12, 317, 338 Transfiguration, 1, 4, 117, 150, 278, 337, 343 Trinity, 42, 49, 55, 59, 65, 68, 83, 93, 96, 97–102, 113, 120, 210–11, 220, 275, 308, 360, 362; subsistent relations fully in act, xi– xii, 97–102; YHWH-Saves, 275, 346, 361