The Gospel of John

Notes on the Daily Readings

(Bro. Jack Robinson, who normally writes this column, was hospitalized with heart problems in early September and has been scheduled for a heart operation. It is our earnest prayer that by the time this note is read, the operation will have been successfully completed and Bro. Jack will be on his way to full recovery. In the meantime, we continue comments on the gospel of John which Bro. Jack began in the April '95 magazine.)

As was noted in the earlier article, nearly every one of Jesus’ statements recorded in this gospel is initially misunderstood by those who heard it. No wonder, then, that we have our own difficulties correctly reading this book. One feature of the gospel that will help us read it with greater understanding is to note the Old Testament background of many sections.

The Old Testament background There are three categories of refer­ences to the O.T. in John.

  1. Stated, direct quotes of O.T. passages

Since these quotations are an integral part of the Old Testament passage from which they are quoted, by going back and considering the whole of their context, we are rewarded with useful idioms and fuller insight in relation to the gospel.

Some examples are:

2:17 — “…his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house…” from Psa. 69:9. Verses 7-10 of the Psalm emphasize Christ’s reaction to the reproach that he suffered for the gospel’s sake. His intense disappointment at the sinful state of Jewry and their rejection of the Truth helps explain the sharpness of his exposure of their attitude that is a vital part of the gospel of John (e.g.

John 3:10,19; 7:6,7).

6:31 — “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat” citing Neh. 9:15 which is referring to Ex. 16:14. The manna did not literally float down from heaven but “when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing…” (Ex. 16:14). This helps us understand a common Bible idiom: that which God initiates or provides is spoken of as coming down from Him (cf. Jam. 1:17). Thus when Jesus says, “I came down from heaven….” (John 6:38) he is asserting that he was especially provided by God and is not stating that he had a personal pre-existence in heaven.

10:34 — “Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” from Psa. 82:6. The Psalm condemns unjust judgment on the part of Israel’s leaders. Distorted judgment in the face of overwhelming evidence was exactly the sin of Jesus’ opponents (John 10:31-38).

The marginal references found in most Bibles will usually supply the O.T. passage.

  1. Obvious allusions to passages or historical events

Reflecting on these points is consistently rewarding of insights into the gospel. Some of the examples are:

1:49 — “Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” Nathanael has in mind such passages as Psa. 2:7 and Jer. 23:5-6 where the Messiah is identified as Son of God and King of Israel. The recognition and acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God was the critical dividing point between the disciples and the Jewish re­jecters of Jesus (cf. 5:18).

3:14 — “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness…” referring to the incident recorded in Num. 21:9. Upon reflection, the connection between that incident and the work of Christ provides rich insight. Bearing the nature which resulted in death for all human beings, and as the representative man, Jesus would die by being lifted up in the death of crucifixion (cf. John 12:32-33). In retrospect, we clearly see the point but, at the time, it caused great confusion and opposition (cf. 6:60; 12:34).

Again references are often supplied by the Bible publishers. Where they are not, it is helpful to search them out and note the O.T. passage in the margin of one’s Bible.

  1. Easy-to-miss allusions to the O.T. which, when recognized, help us understand a sequence of events or see the meaning of Jesus’words

Some of the examples are:

2:13-16,18 — Jesus opened his public ministry by a dramatic appearance at the temple when he cleansed it of merchants, money changers, etc. This fulfilled the O.T. prophecy: “The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple…But who may abide the day of his coming?…” (Mal. 3:1-4). The Jewish leaders evidently recognized his actions as a claim to Messiahship and followed up by asking for a sign (John 2:18) and sending Nicodemus on a clandestine effort to establish a working relationship with Jesus.

4:5 — when compared with Joshua 24:1,32 it becomes evident Jesus’ encounter with the woman of Samaria takes place at the same location as Joshua gave his parting exhortation to Israel. The words to the apostles in John 4:38 parallel Joshua’s to Israel (Josh. 24:13). Joshua’s exhortation to Israel (Josh. 24:14) is then seen to parallel Jesus’ words to the woman (John 4:23). This helps us understand the instruction that we should, “worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23) as meaning we should serve Him “in sincerity and in truth” (Josh. 24:14). Thus “in spirit” does not have some mystical meaning but refers to sincere service of the heart rather than service by external rituals in which the heart may not be involved.

5:5 — “And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years” alludes to the fact the unfaithful Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 38 years until all the unbelievers died off (Deut. 2:14). The man thus represents Israel and Christ’s ability to heal the nation. The subsequent attitude of the Jews to Christ’s miracle (John 5:16) parallels their ancestor’s unbelief that resulted in their rejection.

6:33 — “The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” “The bread of God” has a double meaning referring to Christ as the better manna — i.e. God’s provision which will give eternal life — and to Christ as the sacrifice for sins provided by God. The key allusion is to the phrase “bread of God” in application to the fat and blood of the sacrifices (Lev. 21:6,8,17; Ezk. 44:7). These were portions of animal sacrifices Israel was forbidden to eat as they were devoted to God; they belonged to Him. In Christ, God was giving back what was His as the sacrifice of His providing which would truly bring forgiveness of all sins (cf. John 6:53-55).

Allusions such as these are rarely picked up by the publisher’s marginal references. As one learns such points, the appropriate O.T. verses and a short explanatory note should be jotted in the margin for one’s own edification the next time the gospel of John is read.

Use this key

The Old Testament is thus seen as one of the keys to unlocking the gospel of John so that we can read it for instruction and inspiration. Let us remember this aspect as we again read through this beautiful section of the word of God.