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JESUS WASHES the DISCIPLES FEET The curtain rises on Act Two of John’s drama, yet slowly. Now that the ‘hour’ has finally come, time slows down. Act One and the interlude (chs. 1—12) have taken over two years, with two previous Passovers (2:13; 6:4). Act Two (chs. 13—19) covers j…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - LIFTING UP the SON of MAN

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

LIFTING UP the SON of MAN The coming of the Greeks to see Jesus meant that the ‘hour for the Son of Man to be glorified’ had finally arrived. Jesus is clear that the way to glory lies only through his self-sacrificial death. No one can face imminent death without some pause. Jesu…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - LOVE ONE ANOTHER

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

LOVE ONE ANOTHER When Judas has ‘gone out’ to begin the events leading to Jesus’ arrest and death, Jesus starts talking to his disciples. This introduces several themes which will recur through the Farewell Discourse of chapters 14—17…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - NICODEMUS by NIGHT

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

NICODEMUS by NIGHT In the last chapter, Jesus did not ‘trust’ himself to people who ‘trusted’ in him because of his signs (2:23–24). Over the coming chapters, many people come to Jesus because of his signs—the Samaritan woman (4:29), the official whose son is healed (4:47), the p…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - NO KING BUT CAESAR

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

NO KING BUT CAESAR Pilate had thought it was all over; Jesus had been whipped and the idea that he was a king duly mocked, so everything was all set for his release, when those wretched religious leaders brought the gods and their offspring into it! Unsettled by this mention of s…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - REBUKES and Denials

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

REBUKES & DENIALS The scene has moved from the garden to the house of Annas, the old high priest. We have seen that John is building the tension by oscillating between events out in the courtyard and the preliminary hearing taking place in the house.

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - Returning to the Father

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

Returning to the Father Throughout these farewell discourses, Jesus has been preparing the disciples for his departure. He has made it increasingly clear that there will be a major division after he has gone. On his side there will be those who remain in his love and in the Fathe…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - Sanctify Them in the Truth

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

Sanctify Them in the Truth In his prayer, Jesus has described how he manifested the name of God to his disciples and has prayed for their protection in the world which he is leaving as ‘I am coming to you’ (17:13). Before he leaves, however, he speaks this prayer still in the wor…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - SENT OUT in the SPIRIT

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

SENT OUT in the SPIRIT Mary saw some angel-messengers at the tomb, but through meeting the risen Jesus she became a ‘messenger’ herself. The same happens now to the disciples in a climactic scene which draws threads together from throughout the gospel. In the Farewell Discourses,…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The DEATH of the KING

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

The DEATH of the KING The Romans would usually leave a crucified body hanging on the cross to be picked clean by animals and birds, as a warning to others, like the old gibbets for hanged highwaymen at cross-roads. According to John, it is the Day of Preparation for the Passover,…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The KING is BURIED

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

The KING IS BURIED After describing Jesus’ three last sayings and the flow of blood and water from his side, suddenly John inserts a narrative comment with two of his key words both used twice, ‘witness’ and ‘truth’ (19:35). John the Baptist was a ‘witness’ to Jesus at the very s…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The KING is CRUCIFIED

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

The KING is CRUCIFIED Through these seven balanced trial scenes, Pilate moved from mocking Jesus to a grudging respect for his kingship while “the Jews” rejected the rule of God, preferring Caesar. Now Pilate ‘hands him over to them’, using the word for ‘betray’, after the action…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The King's Last Words

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

THE KING’S LAST WORDS The soldiers have finished crucifying Jesus and shared out his clothes; there is nothing left now, but to wait for death to come. John’s focus moves to the foot of the cross, where there are four women: the mother of Jesus; his mother’s sister; Mary wife of …

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The Spirit of the Truth

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

The SPIRIT Of The TRUTH So far the opposition and the hatred has been predicted from ‘the world’—every human system and structure opposed to God, anything or anyone who wants to be in the centre where only God can be. Into this world of darkness, God sent his only Son to bring li…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The Task of the Spirit

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

The Task of the Spirit In this final farewell discourse, Jesus has described the two sides, those who are abiding in love with him and his Father and those who are opposed to them all. Although he is going away, this will enable the Holy Spirit to be ‘called alongside’, as the Pa…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The TEACHER is TAUGHT HEAVENLY THINGS

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

The TEACHER is TAUGHT HEAVENLY THINGS After Jesus’ comparison of the Spirit with the wind, poor old Nicodemus has to ask for yet further explanation (3:9). As ‘a teacher of Israel’ (3:10), he should have known the old prophecies about God giving his people ‘a new heart and a new …

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - THOMAS: from DISBELIEF to FAITH

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

THOMAS: from DISBELIEF to FAITH Thomas is immortalized as ‘Doubting Thomas’, an unfortunate nickname which does not do him justice either in this story or earlier in John. He is first mentioned when Jesus is returning to Judaea to raise Lazarus—and Thomas says ‘let’s go and die w…

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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - We Want To See Jesus

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

We want to see Jesus John’s account of Jesus welcomed into Jerusalem by the crowd showed how he rejected violent revolution for just one nation, responding with a humility which caused ‘all the world’ to go after him. Both universalism and humble suffering are developed further i…

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