Gospel of John chs. 7-9

Titles

The Logos, John 1:1-3, 14

Scriptural background: Gen 1; Prov 8; Sir 24.

Philosophical background: Stoicism

G. John’s use: outside of the prologue, where?

The Son of God, John 1:14, 18

Scriptural & synoptic background: 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7; Mark 1:10-11, etc.

G. John’s use: John 1:34 (v. rd.); John 1:49; 3:16-18, 35-36; 5:19-29; 10:35-37; 11:4; 11:27; 19:7; 20:31

The Son of Man, John 1:51

Scriptural, traditional, & synoptic background: Dan 7:13-14; 1 Enoch 46; 48; 62; Mark 14:61-62.

Semitic background: “son of man” Hebrew and Aramaic = human being/mortal

G. John’s use: John 1:51 (cf. Gen 28:12); John 3:13-15; 5:27; 6:27, 53, 62; 8:28; 11:23-24; 12:34; 13:31

The Prophet, John 1:21, 25; 4:25 (?); John 6:14; 7:40

Scriptural background: Deut 18:15-20; 34:10-12.

G. John’s Use: what do you notice about the title?

The Bridegroom, John 3:28-30

Scriptural background: Isa 62:5; Jer 2:1-3; Hos 2:16-23; 3:1-5.

G. John’s nuptial imagery, Wedding at Cana, esp. John 2:10; the Samaritan Woman at the Well, John 4:6-7, 16-26. Anywhere else?

John 7-9 Tabernacles/Booths, m. Sukk. 4:9-10; 5:2-4

Jesus’ brothers tempt him, John 7:1-9.

Jesus goes after all, John 7:10ff. Water and Light: Plots against Jesus’ Life Fail

Questions: Jesus’ presence (“where is he”) and his character (“he is a good man…No...”) are questioned (John 7:10-13). Jesus appears “about the middle of the festival,” addresses his character (“the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him” John 7:14-18) and then the accusation against him concerning healing (a “work”) on the Sabbath (i.e., from ch. 5; John 7:19-24).

Questions: “We know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from,” perhaps reflecting traditions such as those in 1 En 46 that the Elect One/Son of Man would be hidden. Jesus affirms that they know where he is from (on the human plane), but then claims that he is from the Father pushing them to make a deeper evaluation and dividing them (John 7:25-31)

More questions, now ironic: “Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks”? John 7:32-36.

Climax: “on the last day of the festival, the great day…he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and the let the one who believes in me drink” John 7:37-39.

More ironic questions: “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? 42 Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” (John 7:40-43) and then “Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise [lit. ‘arises’] from Galilee” (John 7:52)

Climax: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness” John 8:12-20.

“Where” and “who” questions continue to dominate: they seek to arrest him but ironically they will only succeed, when the time is right (“the hour”), at sending him back to his Father: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize...” At the same time, Jesus starts to shift to the question of the identity and origin of his audience: “You are from below . . . You will die in your sins” John 8:21-30.

The question of the identity of the audience comes to the fore as they negotiate the significance of their status as “descendants of Abraham”: We “have never been slaves to anyone…We are not illegitimate children” John 8:31-47

Final climactic claim: “before Abraham was, I am”: the section began with Jesus’ claim “If you continue in my word/logos, you are truly my disciples; and [you will be] free”; Jesus’ word/logos continues to be at issue (John 8:43, 46-47, 51, 55). Unlike Abraham, they do not obey God’s word, but “Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad” (v. 56), leading to the climax “before Abraham was, I am”—a startling claim to divine pre-existence (cf. John 6:20; 8:28; 18:4-6; Exod 3:14; Isa 41:10, 43:10). The conjunction of the themes of logos, pre-existence, and divinity provides a close echo of John 1:1-3. (John 8:48-59)

The man born blind ch. 9: A parable of Jesus as “the light of all people [who] shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome/comprehend it” (John 1:4-5; 9:5)

The two-stage process of the man’s healing (spit, mud, smear, go and wash) allows for his progressive deepening of understanding of who Jesus is (a prophet, v. 17 one without sin who comes from God, vv, 31,33) to reach its high-point (worship, v. 38) when he actually sees Jesus for the first time (John 9:37).

Meanwhile, the Pharisees, the antagonists, who on the earthly level can see, are in fact spiritually blind. The section concludes with one of our Lord’s typically paradoxical zingers: “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains” (v. 41).