The Good News About
The Gospel of John
Fr. Jude Winkler, OFM Conv.

Of the four Gospels, the Gospel of John is the most symbolic. Much of its message is found at the second and third levels of meaning. St. Augustine said that it is shallow enough for a child to play in but profound enough for an elephant to swim in.

The Gospel's Origin

The Gospel of John was probably the last of the Gospels to be written. It was produced sometime around 90 A.D.

It was written for a community that was significantly different from those which produced the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). This community was probably founded by the beloved disciple, a mysterious figure seen throughout the account. It was a Jewish Christian community (at least in its early days), but its mother tongue was probably Greek. It was more charismatic than the rest of the early church (meaning that it was guided by the Spirit and not by authority figures). One example of this is the fact that the word "apostle" never appears in the Gospel. An apostle is an authority figure. In this Gospel, everyone is a disciple, a follower.

The goal of the Christian, according to this community, is to fall in love with God. Jesus came to earth to reveal how much God loves us. He died on the cross to let us experience that love in a most profound manner. It is almost as if Jesus told us that he loves us, and we countered that we could not understand how he could love us when we do not even love ourselves. Jesus then asked us if we would believe that he loves us if he were to die for us, and then he did. The cross was not when God changed his mind, that he was angry before and then his anger calmed. Rather, the cross is the fullest expression of what God always felt toward us.

This love is so transforming that we do not need a series of commandments to guide us. Throughout most of this Gospel, the only commandment is that we must believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and that we must live in his love. St. Augustine said that Christians should love God and do what they willed, for if we truly love God, whatever we do will be loving.

This love also gives us a foretaste of heaven. In this Gospel heaven begins here on earth, for the measure of heaven is how much we are living in God's love.

Who Wrote lt?

One of the most vexing problems that scholars face when they study this Gospel is determining who wrote it. There is a very ancient tradition that its author was John, the Son of Zebedee (which is why we call it the Gospel of John). Yet, there are inconsistencies in that theory. Whoever wrote it seems to be much more familiar with the environs of Jerusalem (where most of the action occurs) than the hills of Galilee (which is John's home). He speaks excellent Greek and is familiar with Greek philosophy. His attitude toward the law and the temple (that they were replaced) sounds more like that of a Greek speaking Jew than an Aramaic speaking Jew. (John, son of Zebedee was the latter.) The beloved disciple even seems to be familiar with the high priest (remember when he lets Peter into the high priest's house during Jesus' trial). This is not something one would expect of a fisherman.

Why would early Christians have attributed this Gospel to John if he did not write it? Possibly they wanted to give it apostolic authority. One of the earliest heresies was Gnosticism. This heresy rejected the humanity of Jesus and traditional Church authority. Gnostics claimed to possess special knowledge revealed only to them. All of these things appear to one degree or another in this Gospel. By attributing this Gospel to John, Son of Zebedee, the community saved it from being rejected. The First Letter of John seems to address the same problem when it speaks of how the disciples heard and saw and even touched Jesus (emphasizing his humanity) to counteract those who over-emphasized his divinity.

If John did not write it, then who did? There are various theories. Some say Lazarus (who lived near Jerusalem and is called beloved by Jesus), others one of the community of Stephen, the first martyr, and still others Mary Magdalen.

This is all a theory, and it is possible that we are making a mountain out of a scriptural molehill. Maybe John did write it and we just do not understand all of the dynamics of his community.

Finally, no matter who wrote it, that person, the beloved disciple, is never identified. In this Gospel, whenever a character is given a title and not a name, it means that the person is playing a symbolic role. This is true of the man born blind, the Samaritan woman at the well, and even of the mother of Jesus (who is never called Mary in this Gospel). The "beloved disciple" is a title. The disciple is not identified because ultimately we are to be the beloved disciple.

The Man Born Blind

One of John's favorite techniques is to tell the story of a miracle (he calls them signs) and then explain its deeper symbolic meaning. Thus, stories often have two levels of meaning. The first is what actually happened, while the second is the spiritual significance for the community.

A good example of this is the story of the man born blind. Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath who had been blind since birth. This enraged the Pharisees who persecuted the man. The second level of the story is that Jesus healed those who were spiritually blind and made them see (for he is the light of the world). The Jewish leaders persecuted the Christians and expelled them from the synagogues (around 80 A.D.). The first level is already a beautiful story, but the second level shows how Jesus' miracles were meaningful to the community half a century later (and are therefore meaningful even now).

Matrimonial Symbolism

Using this technique, Jesus weaves together a series of stories that present Jesus as the bridegroom and the Church as the bride.

Jesus changed about one hundred fifty gallons of water into wine at his mother's urging during a wedding feast in Cana around 30 A.D. The second level of the story is Jesus' willingness to wed the Church. The abundance of wine is a symbol of the heavenly banquet. The first wine (the Old Covenant) is not quite as good as the new wine (the New Covenant). The heavenly banquet is available because of the cross. This is why Jesus speaks of "the hour" to his mother, for in this Gospel "the hour" is his hour of glory, the cross.

John the Baptist identifies himself as the friend of the groom, the best man. Even his statement that Jesus must increase while he must decrease seems to be a type of wedding toast wishing the couple (Jesus and the Church) many children.

The Samaritan woman represents the Samaritans and pagans who had sought love from many different gods (represented by the woman's six husbands). Six is an imperfect number, short of the perfection of seven. (Seven was the perfect number for the ancients believed there were seven planets and seven therefore represented total perfection). In the Old Testament, men met their wives at wells, so the encounter between Jesus and the woman is symbolic. The Samaritans were not part of the Old Covenant (marriage with God), but now Jesus was inviting them into the new covenant.

Even Jesus' death on the cross fits into this symbolism. Adam, the first man, was put into a deep sleep when God took a rib from his side and made Eve. When Jesus is on the cross, the soldier comes up to break his legs but found him already dead (like the deep sleep of Adam). Instead, the soldier opens his side with a lance (even as Adam's side was opened) and blood and water flow out (representing the Eucharist and Baptism). Jesus married the Church on the cross.

The Eucharist

This Gospel also presents a well developed theology of the sacrament of the Eucharist. Chapter 6 presents the story of the multiplication of loaves and fish and its spiritual significance in the discourse on the bread of life. Jesus tells the disciples that he is giving them his flesh and blood to eat and drink. In saying this, he is reminding them that the Eucharist is not simply a symbol, it is truly Jesus offering himself to us. Chapter 13 balances this vertical portrait (one which emphasizes the relationship between God and us) with a very horizontal description (one that speaks of the communion it forms between us and our brothers and sisters). In that chapter, Jesus washes the feet of the disciples, an example of humble service (for the Eucharist is Jesus placing himself at our service). He then invites the disciples to serve one another. In chapter 21, the risen Jesus leads the disciples to a miraculous catch of fish. He then serves a meal of fish and bread. (This reminds one of the events in chapter 6.) This time, the fish are emphasized, for Jesus, the bread of life, is standing in their midst. Furthermore, the mission is being stressed (for the disciples are to be fishers of all people). This is why the account speaks of one hundred and fifty-three fish. Some Greek philosophers believed that this was the number of species of fish in the world. The disciples' nets would catch people from every nation upon the earth.

The Gospel thus presents the vertical dimension of the Eucharist (the real presence), the horizontal dimension (the call to service) and the missionary dimension (the call to share the Good News).

OUR SAINT
    Follower of Francis | Teacher of the Gospels | Defender of the Faith
    Intercessor of Prayer | Healer of Soul and Body | Lover of the Eucharist
    Helper of the Poor | Friend of Mary | Champion of the Missions
    Model of Holiness | Messenger of Mercy | Seeker of the Lost | Miracle Worker

Home | Our Saint | Our Shrine | Our Ministries | Our Prayers | Make a Donation | Remember Us
Calendar of Events | Companion Gift and Book
Anthony's Basket | Email a Friend | Mailing List | Contact Us