John The People's Commentary - Prophet or Messiah?
John The People's Commentary - Prophet or Messiah?
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Prophet or Messiah? As the story unfolds, Jesus has gently led the woman to a greater understanding of who he is, from her initial ignorance (4:9) to calling him ‘sir’ (4:11, 15); as he confronted her with the facts of her life, she began to wonder if he might be greater than Jac…
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 - 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 - Healing an Official's Son
John The People's Commentary - Healing an Official's Son
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Healing an Official's Son After all the excitement in Samaria, Jesus finally returns to Galilee (4:43). Although the Galileans welcomed him, it was only because they had seen what he had done at the festival in Jerusalem (4:45)…
John The People's Commentary - The Son Gives Life & Judges
John The People's Commentary - The Son Gives Life & Judges
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
The Son Gives Life & Judges We now come to the first of the ‘discourses’ common in this gospel, sections of teaching delivered by Jesus. Speeches were used not just in ancient biography, but also in history writing to help readers understand the true meaning of what was happening…
John The People's Commentary - Jesus' Authority & Identity
John The People's Commentary - Jesus' Authority & Identity
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Jesus' Authority & Identity Having answered the question about why he does not quote other authorities for his teaching, Jesus goes on the offensive by directing his hearers’ attention back to the ultimate authority—Moses himself (7:19)…
John The People's Commentary - Bearing Witness
John The People's Commentary - Bearing Witness
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Bearing Witness So far Jesus has made some claims through his signs, which have then been challenged by “the Jews”. He has repeated the claims directly through this discourse, arguing that he shares in God’s activity of giving life and judgment both in the present now and in the …
John The People's Commentary - The Scriptures & Moses
John The People's Commentary - The Scriptures & Moses
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
The Scriptures & Moses Chapter 5 has given us a good example of how John weaves together signs, dialogues and discourse to develop his story of Jesus. The sign of healing the paralysed man on the Sabbath led to accusations about Jesus’ work and his claims, which have then been te…
John The People's Commentary - No One Ever Spoke like This Man