What's Up With That, John?
Ok, I'll let you in on a discovery of mine while reading John. For those of you who discovered this when you were in grade school, please cut me some slack. Isn't it neat to see things you've never seen before in your reading of scripture? I love making new discoveries like this one.
A few reminders before I disclose the thing that really caught my attention. First, remember we are talking about truths revealed to us by the Apostle John.....the one who referred to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved". And we don't read where anybody refutes that. As further evidence of his close relationship with Jesus, John is the one Jesus gives his mother to while hanging on the cross. "Dear woman, here is your son" and to John he said "Here is your mother". Why is all of this important? I just want to remind everyone that we are reading the testimony of someone who may have been closer to Jesus than any other person on Earth. In light of that fact, what he says or doesn't say carries a tremendous amount of weight with me.
John and Matthew are the only people we have eye witness accounts from concerning the last night Jesus spent with his apostles before he was arrested in the garden. Mark and Luke write about that night also, but they are writing at best from second hand knowledge. Matthew's account of that evening starts in Matthew 26:17 and Jesus is arrested in verse 50. For what it's worth, he talks about the events and teachings of that evening for 33 verses....do the math. How does that compare with John? As you picked up in my last post, John starts telling about that evening in the first verse of chapter 13 of his letter, and continues to reveal the happenings and teachings of that fateful evening until chapter 18 verse 12. Hmmm. No, that's NOT my discovery........but that in itself is interesting. John spends FIVE chapters plus 12 verses of the next chapter that are totally dedicated to this one evening. That's more than the other 3 Gospel writers combined! John is the only writer that tells of Jesus washing the apostles feet that evening. John is the only one who gives us the beautiful prayer of Jesus in chapter 17. John is the only one who recounts the encouraging words of Jesus to his apostles in chapters 14 and 16 about "the Counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid". Get the picture? John goes into GREAT detail to tell us about this night! My conclusion is that all of this was very important to John, and evidently more important to him than the other Gospel writers. No, I can't prove that. But I don't think it's a stretch that one might come to that conclusion.
What was my discovery? With all of this detailed recounting of that last night together........being given to us by probably Jesus's closest friend........John was SO impressed by Jesus implementing what we call "the Lord's Supper", and it impacted him SO much........that he doesn't even mention it. No, this is not an April Fool's joke. See for yourself. John does tell about Jesus disclosing that Judas would betray him by saying "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish".......but other than that, NADA. NOTHING! I don't know why he didn't, and neither do you. All we can do is speculate. I don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but I also don't want to gloss over it either. I think it's significant. Do you? Maybe I am the only one to think it's mind-boggling that John left THIS event out. An event that we generally think of as an "absolute" and a fellowship maker or breaker. Something we consider a COMMAND. So, I ask again.......what's up with that, John?
I look forward to hearing your take.
9 Comments:
Thanks Dad for sharing that. That makes me think. Also, I think you would have been a good apostle. I don't know if you could handle all that walking, but you would ask Jesus some cool questions. And when Peter was speaking at Pentecost in Acts 2, you could have spoken up and warned us not to only focus on verse 38. Roll Tide!
I have noticed that. I love to read John's account of Jesus' words on that night so as I reflecto on that often during communion I have noticed the absence of reference to the actual deed. I have always just thought he had so much to share of what Jesus actually said that he used up all his space to talk about that... But truly it is interesting.
Roll Tide.
We should take notice of what we command others to do, I have written many times on the subject. Does it only strike me as strange that two people who were not there and could only write with second hand information,are the only two who said Jesus said "do this in rememberance of me" this quote only appears in Luke and Paul's writings.
David since Buddy brought up the word apostle, and you seem to be in an investigative mood, Can you tell me just how many times Jesus used the word apostle? How many times did Matthew use it? How many times did John use it?
It appears to be a glaring omission that I don't quite understand, but I think John makes a more important argument in regard to the Lord's Supper in John 6. That passage certainly impacts the literalism of the elements that evolved in Catholoc theology. It is so filled with the language of the eucharist that none of his readers could envision it being anything but critical to their community. I am also bothered by the washing of feet and his statement "I have set an example that you should do as I have done". I don't of anything else the Lord requests of us in such a way--and the fact that our community of faith doesn't do it seems to violate our CENI hermeneutic.
Danny, great point about the John 6 passage.
As for the foot washing, we may not literally participate in that activity, but I think we do try and practice the concept of being a servant.
Thanks for your thoughts!
DU
I echo Danny's thoughts and would point out that we can tell from the writings of two of John's students, Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp, that John apparently had a very high and literal view of the Lord's Supper, or Eucharist as he would have most likely called it.
Oh, and Roll Tide, Roll!
Pure speculation: Maybe John wrote late enough in the century that he was aware other gospels had already been written. Maybe he wanted to concentrate primarily on the last week of Jesus' life as mortal man - and on the things he felt the other writers didn't emphasize enough.
After all, it's a book that closes by saying, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."
I guess I missed the high value Jesus placed on physically eating bread and drinking the wine. I read that passage to say the crowd that followed him had missed the message he had intended to give. They had followed because he had physically filled their bellies. But had intended to spiritually fill their soul. His flesh and blood was spiritual food, not nourishment for the body.
Jhn 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.
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