Week One

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Week One: The Gospel of John I. John vs the Synoptic Gospels

"The whole of the peculiarities of the substance of John's gospel are to be explained on the two grounds that he was writing a supplement to, not a substitute for or a correction to, the Gospels already in existence, and that his special business was to narrate such facts and words as set forth the glory of Christ as the Only Begotten of the Father." MacClaren

II. Key themes

III. Potential and Kinetic energy

Lifted up (John 12:20-50) I. Paradox

II. Lifted Up John 3:14, John 8:28 and John 12:33; Numbers 21: 4-9

III. No Neat Crucifixion

Colossians 3:1-5 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly any, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry. Galatians 5:24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. "To tear it away is to injure us, to hurt us, to make us bleed. To say otherwise is to make the cross no cross and death no death at all. It is never fun to die. To rip through the dear and tender stuff of which life is made can never be anything but deeply painful. Yet that is what the cross did to Jesus and it is what the cross would do to every man to set him free...We dare not rest content with a neat doctrine of self-crucifixion." A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Week 1 The Hour by Aimee Joseph (John 12) “Just like old times,” they say, “Laz is back from the dead.” I’m back in Bethany again, Another funeral on my head. “Not six days ago, Rabbi, You turned our grief to joy.” While you celebrate his life, To my death I soon deploy. Your minds on the here and now, The celebration, the crowds, the food. My mind fixed on certain death, As dark clouds around me brood. Mary seems to sense the truth, So accustomed is she to me; With nard she anoints the feet That soon will climb the tree. They cheer for the One they want, The exalted and powerful King. But I know what lifted up means, What the week ahead must bring. The hour has come, the end begun, For this great purpose I came. That they may have life eternal, I must drink the cup of shame. Knees shaking, heart breaking, Though I’ve known all along. As the dark night draws near, Abba, please me make strong. Grab my gaze, Good Father, As like flint I set my face, And by my ignoble death, Save your chosen race.

Week One Questions & Concepts to Discuss: 1. What is the scope and thesis of John's gospel? How is John's gospel different than the Synoptic gospels? How might John's gospel speak particularly to our culture?

2. At the center of the Christian life is the concept of paradox. Where do we see paradoxes in Christianity in general? Talk about times you have experienced gaining life by losing life.

3. A particular theme in John’s Gospel is Christ's being lifted up. What does Christ mean by being lifted up? How is the Christian concept of being lifted up so different from our fleshly and cultural concepts of being lifted up?

4. Christ's crucifixion was painful and messy, so we ought to expect the mortification of our flesh to be similar. We do not mortify (to kill, to relinquish) our flesh to be accepted by Christ, as He had secured our way to God through the cross. Why, then, is actively fighting our flesh an important part of the Christian life? What is at stake when we cling to our own life and ways?