Article archive
08/19/2014 14:57
In John 5 through 10 we find a section of major debate in which Jesus distinguishes himself from the Jews. At the center is the idea that Jesus (and he alone) has a covenant relationship of life with God. The Jews are confused. They believed they had a covenant of life with God based on the...
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08/06/2014 08:16
In follow up to Genesis 5:1, which tells us that God created adam (Hebrew), verse 2 says that God “created them male and female,” and “when they were created, He blessed them and called them adam.” Most Christians today understand the meaning as referring first to the male whose name became Adam,...
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06/30/2014 08:21
In the last discussion, we began reviewing the major covenants that drive the story from creation to Christ. The importance of this review is to, as correctly as possible, understand the perspectives of Jesus as he understands and teaches of his mission and the Pharisees who are offended at his...
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06/23/2014 08:37
In verse 12, John mentions that Jesus spoke to them again. To whom does John refer? The scene just ended included Jesus speaking to the Pharisees, telling them that the one without sin should cast the first stone. And he could be calling to these Pharisees to give up their darkness and follow him....
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06/16/2014 08:58
Finally, scholars who view the adulteress periscope as a later addition to John’s Gospel find its placement awkward, as if just thrust into the text making an otherwise flowing narrative suddenly change course. If it is removed, so they say, the text moves seamlessly from 7:52 to 8:12. But I would...
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06/09/2014 06:34
Following Jesus’ declaration of springs of living water for those who believed in him, the rest of chapter 7 speaks of division among the people relative to believing in him. Some believed Jesus to be the Messiah; others did not. But again the lesson of how God moves among us is shown. The word...
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06/02/2014 06:57
Before we get into the action of chapter 7, we should note the structure of this whole Jesus-as-Light section. It is neatly divided into two main sections, the first discussing identification of the Messiah and the second discussing the Mission of the Messiah. Of course, each subject is necessarily...
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05/19/2014 07:28
The Festival of Tabernacles had two major themes: water (discussed last time) and light. The Israelites were led in their wilderness journey by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night. They understood the fire, then, as God’s presence with them. Within the tabernacle itself,...
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05/05/2014 08:49
John chapter 7 begins a new section: Jesus as Light. It runs through chapter 10 verse 21. At this point, we have moved along far enough to take a backwards look to recognize how John is organizing his discussion. “Jesus as Light” is the fourth of the major sections following the prologue (1:1-18)....
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04/28/2014 05:51
Finishing up chapter 6 and the Bread of Life section, we come to verses 59 through 71. This subsection begins, actually, with a closing comment about the previous discussion. John mentions that they were in a Capernaum synagogue. Normally John mentions the setting at the beginning of the activity....
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