Richard A Burridge
John The People's Commentary - A Samaritan Woman at a Well
John The People's Commentary - A Samaritan Woman at a Well
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
A Samaritan Woman at a Well This gospel‘s geographical setting moves between north and south, from Jesus calling disciples in Galilee (1:43) and the wedding in Cana (2:1) to the temple in Jerusalem (2:13) and Nicodemus’ night visit (3:1)…
John The People's Commentary - Jesus - The One from Above
John The People's Commentary - Jesus - The One from Above
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Jesus - The One from Above This last section is ‘free floating’ like 3:16–21; again it is unclear who is the speaker. John the Baptist started talking in 3:27 and some translations continue his speech through to 3:36, while others make this a comment by the evangelist…
John The People's Commentary - Come & See
John The People's Commentary - Come & See
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Come & See Once again, this scene begins with John the Baptist declaring that Jesus is the Lamb of God (1:36). Two of John’s disciples hear what he says, and, realizing that he is pointing away from himself to Jesus, leave John to find out about Jesus…
John The People's Commentary - Destroy This Temple
John The People's Commentary - Destroy This Temple
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Destroy This Temple It is not only in his placing of the temple incident at the start of Jesus’ ministry that John differs from the other gospels. He also has this story concerning a saying of Jesus about the destruction of the temple…
John The People's Commentary - House Cleaning
John The People's Commentary - House Cleaning
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
House Cleaning Many signs in this gospel are followed by a debate to explain the sign’s purpose—as the story of the feeding of the five thousand leads into the discourse about Jesus as the Bread of Life (see on chapter 6 below). However, the first of Jesus’ signs, the changing of…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Plurality within limits
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Plurality within limits
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Plurality within limits If we return to our initial comparison with Churchill, then certainly Lady Churchill believed that there were limits with regard to portraits of her husband, although the criteria seem subjective. Graham Sutherland’s tapestry of Christ can still be seen at…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - From four gospels forward to many Jesuses
Four Gospels, One Jesus - From four gospels forward to many Jesuses
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
From four gospels forward to many Jesuses Many interpretations tend to create the subject’s portrait in the author’s own image. Irenaeus applies the four living creatures not only to the evangelists themselves, but also to their portraits of Jesus: the four symbols are ‘images of…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - From four gospels back to one Jesus
Four Gospels, One Jesus - From four gospels back to one Jesus
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
From four gospels back to one Jesus This basic unity of story outline within the plurality of portraits brings us to the second set of questions regarding the relationship of the four images to the search for the historical Jesus: what continuity is there between Jesus himself an…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - "Risen with healing in his wings"
Four Gospels, One Jesus - "Risen with healing in his wings"
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
‘Risen with healing in his wings’ The Resurrection, John 20—21 Tolkien’s eagles provide one last example. At the battle with the evil Balrog on the bridge of Khazad-dûm, Gandalf the wizard sacrifices himself for his friends and falls to his death with the foe, ‘darkness took me, …
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The hour of glory
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The hour of glory
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The hour of glory The Passion, John 18—19 The sight of an eagle climbing up into the sky is glorious. So, too, for John, the death of Jesus sets him free of the earth to return to his Father on high; the hour of his Passion is also the hour of glory. This is the supreme irony. As…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Living under the shadow of his wings
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Living under the shadow of his wings
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Living under the shadow of his wings Like most animals, the eagle rushes into conflict when protecting its young, yet the same instinct causes it to exhibit tender care. Moses’ final song compares God’s concern for Israel to an eagle ‘hovering over its young . . . bearing them al…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Talons bared for conflict
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Talons bared for conflict
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Talons bared for conflict The Book of Signs and “the Jews”, John 2—12 In Tolkien’s stories, Numenor is an Atlantis-like land blessed by Iluvatar (God) which overreaches itself and turns to evil. Its doom is presaged first by eagle-shaped clouds and then by eagles themselves; few …
Four Gospels, One Jesus - "The eagle has landed"?
Four Gospels, One Jesus - "The eagle has landed"?
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
‘The eagle has landed’? The person of Jesus The first men on the moon nicknamed their Lunar Module ‘the Eagle’; as they touched down, the first words spoken were, ‘the eagle has landed’. This phrase sums up John’s Prologue: the Word of God has left the cosmic heights and come to …
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The way of an eagle in the sky