As explained in the previous issue, my pilgrimage through Italy on the Via di Francesco turned into a pilgrimage through the gospel of John, using something akin to the Ignatian approach to Bible meditation. Jesus makes God known; how does he do that?
I only offer a small taster. The idea is to whet your appetite so that you will go and do your own meditation in the gospels!
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The Prologue (John 1:1-18)
One of the ways in which John differs from the other gospels is the prologue. It is not so much part of the story as it is a reflection on its deeper meaning. In this passage, we find many key terms that will be repeated throughout the book. They include life, light, and glory, as well as word, witness, and truth, the aim of which is to lead us to believe.
And then there is the word grace. Surely this must be a key term for the story of Jesus as well. But remarkably, it does not reappear in John after the first 18 verses. Yet, its repeated use at the end of the prologue makes it ring like a climax, the true essence of Jesus (and therefore of God):
We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth … For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (John 1:14-18; emphasis added)
Notice that John twice connects grace with truth. Grace and truth functions as a summary of the gospel. It is an abbreviated formula, a peg that is capable of carrying a lot. In this respect, it functions like Paul’s summary phrase, faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13:13; 1 Thess. 1:3). You can get far living by either of these two; think about it, and you will see they are quite practical: live graciously, live truthfully.
As an aside, notice that it is grace and truth, not truth and grace. We cannot change the order without changing the meaning. With God, grace always comes first, as it probably should in our actions as well. (Of course, God does this without ever diluting or compromising truth; but still, the order matters.)
Back to John. How does this phrase function in his gospel if it is not repeated after 1:18? As Jesus shows God in human form, so grace and truth shape the stories that follow. The stories show grace and truth in the flesh, so to say, making concrete that the Word himself became flesh.
Here is how grace and truth become visible in John: Jesus has a word of truth for everyone he meets: Nathaniel, Mary, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the crowd in chapter 6, etc. Sometimes the word is hard, sometimes it is gentle. But it always comes wrapped in a huge dose of grace. It always is love reaching out to the person in front of Jesus, meeting him or her with exactly the word of truth this person needs – no more. And no less.
This is how God is made known. It is what he is like. This is his glory. Grace and truth. And it shows in every encounter of Jesus. Two examples.
The Manna of Life (John 6)
Jesus feeding the five thousand is the only miracle (other than the resurrection) that appears in all four gospels. Only in John is there an aftermath on the next day. Part of the crowd comes after him – but for the wrong reason.
I have always misread this story. I thought Jesus rebukes them for seeking more signs; instead, they should seek him. But this is not at all what Jesus says. Jesus is clear: you seek me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the bread, and you were filled. Instead of seeking food, they should believe in him.
At this point, the crowd does indeed ask for a sign so that they may believe (John 6:30). However, they add a clear hint as to what sign they want (proving Jesus right, they want bread): our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, bread from heaven. In other words, do that manna trick again, and we will believe in you (at least for one more day, for as long as that bread lasts).
But Jesus has shown them grace in the form of yesterday’s amazing meal; now he will give them truth. They need to eat the true bread from heaven. He is this bread, the bread of life. They must eat his flesh and drink his blood (a thoroughly repulsive idea). The multiplication of bread is more than a miracle; it does more than prove the superior power and status of Jesus. It is a sign: it points to something (or rather, to someone, namely Jesus), and it seeks to communicate something.
At this point, it becomes clear that Jesus draws a parallel between the feeding of the previous day and the provision of manna in the desert. The manna is a type, and the multiplication of bread is a sign, connecting the manna with Jesus. The people of Israel depended for 40 years on God’s daily provision for their biological life. This was meant to point forward to the true bread that sustains us unto eternal life. To eat his flesh and drink his blood means to partake of Christ, to “eat” him, to believe in him, to make him our own – daily, if we want our life to have that heavenly, eternal quality of fullness and abundance that is so prominent in John’s gospel.
I am reminded of the invitation of Isaiah 55: Come, eat, drink, you who have no money. In Isaiah 55, eating and drinking mean listening and hearing – that your soul may live. Ultimately, Jesus is the bread and the wine on the table of which Isaiah speaks.
So here is grace and truth in John 6. First grace, in the form of a gracious meal, a sign to help them grasp a difficult concept. Then truth: this (Jesus) is what they really need.
Peter Restored (John 21)
When we come to the last chapter of John, Jesus has appeared to his disciples twice. Even Thomas now knows and believes that Jesus is back. But what does this mean? What are the implications of the resurrection? And what are they supposed to do? All of this is far from clear; the disciples must have felt clueless and a little lost.
Chapter 21 finds in them in Galilee. Peter has had enough. Never one to sit around and wait quietly for what is to come, he announces to the others that he is going out on the lake to fish. The others go along, but they catch nothing. Still, I can imagine it felt good to finally do something again.
As they head back to the shore, a man calls out and tells them to cast the net on the right side of the ship. When they do this, they catch so many fish that they have difficulty managing the catch. The author of the gospel is the first to recognize Jesus: “It is the Lord!” (John 21:7). Impulsively, Peter throws himself overboard and rushes to the shore, where Jesus is waiting (he had prepared breakfast for his friends).
It is the first time Peter is alone with Jesus after his triple betrayal. What an awkward moment. Peter does not know what to say. He does not know how to handle this. He must have felt awful.
Jesus must have been well aware of this. It is obvious. A huge obstacle stands between Peter and him. In what follows, it may appear that Jesus is being harsh with Peter, as if he won’t let Peter off the hook until he has faced the full scope of his betrayal. But in reality, Jesus is helping him out. Sure, it is painful. But it will solve the problem.
Jesus does not directly or explicitly speak of what happened. He finds a better, more gracious way to build a bridge to Peter. Peter may already have understood the link between his denial and what Jesus is asking with the first question. By the second question, the link was obvious.
There is one thing included in the first question that Jesus will not repeat: “Do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15). No doubt, this had been Peter’s view of himself before he denied Jesus: he loved Jesus more than the others. But after what happened, Peter knows he cannot uphold this claim. Notice his answer: “Yes, lord, you know that I love you” (John 21:15). He affirms the first part of the question (do you love me), but not the second part (more than these).
When Jesus asks the question a third time, Peter adds something to his answer: “Lord, you know everything” (John 21:17). This is as close as Peter gets to an outright confession. By implication, he admits: Lord, you know what happened; and you know I want to love you, but I fail.
Each time Peter answers the question, Jesus reiterates Peter’s mission. Through this procedure, Peter is fully restored and reinstated in his apostleship. The obstacle that was there is gone. It will never play a role again. A weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He can look Jesus in the eye again.
Truth is not compromised. Nothing is swept under the carpet. Both Peter and Jesus know exactly what it is about. But Jesus has found a way to do what Peter is not able to do. It is truth. But it is grace first and foremost. That is what Jesus is like.
The key to understanding the gospel of John is not studying but meditation.
References
All Bible quotations from: The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles)