Local Preachers’ Group on John's Gospel
Notes of meeting held 19th April 2010
John 10: 22 - 30
We began with a read through as usual. One of our first questions was: why this reading at this time in the church calendar? It seemed very strange to go back to before the crucifixion and resurrection and take out this very small part of what is a much larger discussion on Jesus the “Good Shepherd”. But by the end of our meeting we had come up with the theory that this particular passage had been chosen because in it Jesus promises eternal life to all who will believe in him and follow him. This is a resurrection promise only possible after the resurrection and one which people ought to be reminded of at this time.
When we began, one of us felt that they could not preach on this text alone but would need to include much more background material using verses before and after the chosen text.
One of the first things we talked about was the use of the word Jews in this and other passages – ‘often used to condemn the religious establishment, yet weren’t John and other writers JEWS! Americans abroad are called “Yanks” but in the southern USA ‘Yankee’ is used as a sectional term to refer to the north. Galillean Jews referred to Judeans as ‘the Jews’ since ‘Judean’ and Jew in Greek are the same word; so “the Jews” were just in-house criticisms rather than being anti-semitic.’ (Celtic daily Prayer)
The festival of Dedication mentioned here is Hanukkah. In the gospel Jesus tells the Samaritan woman and the blind man he is the Messiah, but not these questioners. Even without telling, they should see through what Jesus has done and answer their own questions.
The “Good Shepherd” = a king for the Israelites. Wright says that this discussion is very political. Hanukkah celebrates the victory of Judus Maccabeus over Antiochus. The Maccabees became the royal family from that time. When the Romans made Herod king he married a Maccabean princess. Jesus’ questioners want to know if he is the rightful heir to the Israelite throne. They have understood the role of messiah to have a political bias rather than a spiritual one. Grayston says that these Jews do not really know what they want the messiah to do.
Verse 26 sounds at first like a mandate for predestination. But the unsaid idea is that all people can be followers through freewill and that any one can change and believe at any time.
In verse 29 there were huge differences of meaning apparent in different translations. NIV reads “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all..”. While NRSV reads “What my Father has given me, is greater than all,…..”. Is God the giver greater, or the gift given?
At Verse 30 is Jesus making the declaration that HE is God? Grayston writes that the Father and Son are “at one”, not “one and the same” (since one in Greek is the neuter ‘hen’, as in 17: 11, 21 – 23 or one essence or nature NOT identical persons.’ Jesus contains God’s spirit so that he is in complete accord with God. All the “I am” sayings identify Jesus with an aspect of God which people understand in different ways. We need to be very clear what we mean and believe before we preach. Theological ideas and understandings change with time and place.
Grayston sees this section as summing up the basic conflict between Jesus and his disbelieving critics and records their verdict (in place of the Jewish trial in the other gospels) and drops hints about his real defence which is disclosed to believers. On reading Luke 22 from verse 66 one can see the similarities.
We thought why this passage was included in the lectionary after Easter was the offer of eternal life. Our understanding of eternal life is to be in God’s presence for ever, so this is not something which we receive later but something to be grasped now.
What would we preach on?
Sunday is also vocations Sunday and this passage does not fit very easily into that designation.
One person would concentrate on Psalm 23 making the link between the Acts reading of new life for Dorcus (Tabitha) and the everlasting life or pastures new of the psalm and the eternal life offered by Jesus the Good Shepherd.
Another, with the addition of some verse not included in the lectionary, would make the link to Psalm 23 and Jesus’ identity with God.
One would look at the voice recognition.
SC