The Gospel of John, chapters 1 and 2

You heard that right! To prepare for Advent, we’ll jump now to the New Testament and read the Gospels of John and Mark. We’ll return to Judges in a few weeks. We begin with John, chapters 1 and 2.

In the beginning…

As the first covenant began, so does the second: with creation, and God’s supremacy over it. Remember that this Bible is about God, and with these echoes John tells us what he believes: that this Jesus – “The Word” as John calls Him – is God in the flesh, the One who created the world and who reigns over it.

Don’t forget to apply to the New Testament what you’ve been already learned about reading the Old. Let the author tell the story he wants to tell, without looking immediately for theological categories or moral application.

As we’ve already seen with Old Testament writers, John allows dialogue to reveal character and meaning. “I am not the Christ” is the very first line of dialogue in this Gospel, and it packs the same punch as “Let there be light” did in Genesis. When Nathaniel can’t believe his ears, John relays Jesus’ reply, “You will see greater things than these…” Mary doesn’t preach about Jesus’ divinity, but just tells the wedding servants, “Do what he tells you.”

Listen also to how questions drive the plot. “Who are you?” the priests and Levites ask the Baptist… “What are you seeking?” Jesus asks the disciples who follow him. Upon learning of Jesus’ hometown, Nathaniel mocks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” When Jesus’ mother asks him to help at the wedding, He retorts, “Woman, what does this have to do with me?” And when He drives the moneychangers out of the temple, the Jews ask “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” These questions are at the heart of the tensions in this book.

The New Testament writers add one more element: echoes of the law, history, and prophets of the Old Testament. We’ve seen much of this thus far, especially in showing how the LORD has fulfilled His promises. But in the New Testament the authors exert greater urgency to build a bridge between what had been known of God and what will be shown in Jesus. Thus John gets ahead of the question: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The gauntlet is thrown, and with this Gospel John aims to let Jesus prove it.

Our verse for this week is Hebrews 11:30: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

John chapters 1 and 2. Now let’s read it!

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