BRF - Richard A. Burridge
John The People's Commentary - I Am The Way, Truth & Life
John The People's Commentary - I Am The Way, Truth & Life
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
I Am The Way, Truth & Life People often start reading the Farewell Discourse here, but this section runs straight on from chapter 13. Starting here misses those opening themes about glory and loving each other, because Jesus is going away…
John The People's Commentary - Light Sent to Save the World
John The People's Commentary - Light Sent to Save the World
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Light Sent to Save the World The ‘hour’ has arrived. Jesus has been anointed for burial and welcomed with great rejoicing. He refused the path of violent revolution, but stressed instead that he will be glorified through a self-sacrificial death for everyone, including non-Jews,
John The People's Commentary - Belief, Blindness and Fear
John The People's Commentary - Belief, Blindness and Fear
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Belief, Blindness and Fear We have suggested that John’s gospel is a two-act drama, with this section as an interlude (see on 1:19 and 11:1 above). The central actor, Jesus, is working very hard! He was not merely on stage for most of Act One, but at the centre of the action…
John The People's Commentary - One Man Must Die for the People
John The People's Commentary - One Man Must Die for the People
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
One Man Must Die for the People In a paradox typical of John, this chapter about giving life ends with the threat of death. In Chapter 9, Jesus took the blind man out of darkness to see the light, while the religious leaders went from seeing into self-imposed darkness…
John The People's Commentary - Your Brother Will Rise Again
John The People's Commentary - Your Brother Will Rise Again
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Your Brother Will Rise Again It would probably have been a two day journey back across the Jordan to Bethany, a small village on the edge of Jerusalem. Jesus’ delay of two days plus the journey means that when he arrives Lazarus is not only dead and buried, but has been in his to
John The People's Commentary - The Father & I Are One
John The People's Commentary - The Father & I Are One
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
The Father & I Are One The debates between Jesus and “the Jews” about his identity have revealed much about his relationship with God. After healing the paralysed man, Jesus called God his Father, saying that he could only do what his Father wanted…
John The People's Commentary - Healing Brings Opposition
John The People's Commentary - Healing Brings Opposition
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Healing Brings Opposition The blind man’s healing is only the start of this story. More important is what happens next, and everyone’s reactions. After the bystanders’ initial questioning, ‘they lead him to the Pharisees’ (9:13) as Jesus himself will be led to the authorities lat
John The People's Commentary - The Light comes to a Blind Man