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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…

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John The People's Commentary - I Am The Door

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

I Am The Door The first half of John’s gospel, chapters 1—10, covers Jesus’ miraculous ‘signs’, his teaching and the debates which followed in Galilee and Jerusalem…

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John The People's Commentary - Jesus Brings both Sight & Blindness

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

Jesus Brings both Sight & Blindness The extraordinary thing is that Jesus has been missing for most of the story, ever since he told the man to wash in the Pool of Siloam (9:7)…

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John The People's Commentary - I Was Blind but Now I See

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

I Was Blind but Now I See The Jewish leaders’ interrogation of the blind man’s parents has not given them any answers, but it has confirmed their suspicion and doubts…

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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…

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John The People's Commentary - The Blind Man is Healed

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

The Blind Man is Healed As with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman and the paralysed man, so the blind man is led by Jesus away from understanding things on a simple physical level to a deeper spiritual reality…

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John The People's Commentary - The Light comes to a Blind Man

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

The Light comes to a Blind Man The story of how the light of the world comes to heal a blind man is beautifully written. Although it is self-contained in chapter 9, its part in the development of the gospel is significant…

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John The People's Commentary - Before Abraham Was, I Am

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

Before Abraham Was, I Am This dialogue is set at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, with its ceremony of light and Jesus’ claim, ‘I am the light of the world’ (8:12)…

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John The People's Commentary - Who Is Your Father?

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

Who Is Your Father? The debate between Jesus and his opponents has moved beyond Moses to the father of Judaism, Abraham. A son remains in his father’s house forever and his paternity is revealed in his actions…

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John The People's Commentary - The Truth Will Make You Free

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

The Truth Will Make You Free The debate at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles continues between Jesus and “the Jews”. As often, his hearers are divided. Many of them have come to believe in him and he now addresses those believers (8:30–31)…

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John The People's Commentary - Who Are You?

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

Who Are You? Jesus’ claim to be the light of life has sparked another round of debate about his identity, his origins and parentage. Now we move to his final purpose and destination…

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John The People's Commentary - I Am The Light of the World

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

I Am The Light of the World Jesus chose his moment to go to Jerusalem and teach at the Feast of Tabernacles. During that Feast’s ceremony of drawing water, he announced that he is the source of the living water…

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John The People's Commentary - The Woman Taken in Adultery

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

The Woman Taken in Adultery This famous story is not without problems. Some Bible versions put it in a footnote, while others include it, but note that it interrupts the flow of the story…

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John The People's Commentary - No One Ever Spoke like This Man

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

No One Ever Spoke like This Man Jesus’ claims to transcend the Sabbath and feasts like Passover and Tabernacles and to replace their perishable bread and water with his living bread and water have provoked speculation among his hearers…

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John The People's Commentary - Come To Me & Drink

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

Come To Me & Drink Jesus chose his moment to start teaching in the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles. He provoked mixed reactions, with some seeking to arrest him while others believe (7:30–31)…

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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)…

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John The People's Commentary - Teaching in Jerusalem

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

Teaching in Jerusalem Jesus’ brothers were not the only ones who were expecting him to make a public showing at the festival…

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John The People's Commentary - Times & Places

by BRF - Richard A. Burridge

Times & Places This chapter begins with Jesus ‘walking about’ in Galilee (7:1). The verb, periepatei, describes the ‘peripatetic’ life Jesus lived as a wandering teacher and preacher…

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