THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS, THE CHRIST AND THE SON OF GOD, ACCORDING TO JOHN. Manfred Diefenbach

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СКАЧАТЬ of the Fourth Gospel is the discernment: Either that one “believes in” Jesus or that one does “not believe in” Him. He is looking at the range of YES or NO to Jesus, here and now, and not later. So all believers in Him are going to be “saved” (cf. v. 17c) and “have everlasting life” (cf. vv. 15, 16d, 36a and 20:31): “Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; He has crossed over from death to life” (5:24).

      v. 19: The thought of “judgement”²⁵⁶ respectively “condemnation”²⁵⁷ (cf. vv. 17b, 18a, b) which is in the present tense appears in verses 19–21 again in combination with the symbol of “light” for “(eternal) life ( )” compared with “darkness”²⁵⁸ (v. 19c) as “evil”²⁵⁹ (v. 19d and Colossians 1:21). The believer in Jesus who is the “light” (cf. 1:9; 8:12b; 12:35–36, 46) loves “the light”²⁶⁰ (vv. 19b, c, 20a, b, 21a and 8:12c, e) as His daughters and “sons of light” (12:36 – note also Ephesians 5:8: “children of light”): “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). According to the Nicene Creed we Christians pray and believe: “God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made …”

      So “the light” itself stands for all possible decisions in favour of belief in Jesus Christ.

      v. 21: Therefore the “children of light” do the “truth”²⁶¹ (cf. 1 John 1:6) and are in Jesus’ “light” as well as become the “light” on Jesus’ behalf on earth because of their “works/deeds” (cf. Matthew 25:34–40, 46b) in His Spirit.

      v. 20: However, the “non-believer” who does “wicked”²⁶² things – note the (not-) doing of the “bad men” in Matthew 25:41–46a –

      “loves the darkness” (cf. John 1:5; 8:12d; 12:46) and

      “hates”²⁶³ the “light” (v. 20a and Job 24:13–17) – note the contrast of “love – hate” and “darkness – light” as the contrast between the “foolish” and “wise” virgins in John 25:2 and the “sheep” on “the right side” (+) and “goats” on “the left side” (–) in Matthew 25:33. This one will “not come into the light that (his) works/deeds ( )” (vv. 19d, 20c, 21b) will “not be exposed²⁶⁴” (cf. Ephesians 5:13).

      2.2.5 First Setting as a Journey Note (vv. 22–24)

      Who: Jesus, His disciples (v. 22), John the Baptist (v. 23)

      Where: Jesus and His disciples in the Judean region (v. 22a) – John the Baptist in (the Samarian) “Aenon near Salim” (v. 23a)

      When: ? – during the first year of Jesus’ public ministry

      v. 22: After Nicodemus’ discussion with Jesus (cf. vv. 1–21), a typical Johannine phrase “metà taũta” (= “thus/so” – cf., for example, John 5:1, 14; 6:1; 7:1) in verse 22a introduces a general journey note – “Itinerar”²⁶⁵ (cf., for example, 4:3). The Fourth Evangelist relates that “Jesus” and “His disciples ( )” went “into the Judean land/countryside” (cf. 4:3; 7:3; 11:7 – 2:13–3:21, 22–36; 5:1–47; 7:2–10:39; 11:1–46, 47–53, 54, 55–12:50; 13:1–20:29²⁶⁶) where He spent some time “with them and He was baptizing²⁶⁷” (vv. 22c, 23d, 26f and 4:1–2) in Judea.

      v. 23: He continues with the information about the place where “John” (in Greek “Ioánnes”) the Baptist (cf. vv. 23a, 24, 25, 26a, 27a and 1:6, 15, 19, 26, 28, 32, 35 , 40; 4:1; 5:33, 36; 10:40–41) “baptized” (cf. v. 22c) the people in Samaria: “in Aenon²⁶⁸ near Salim, because ( ) [ ] {there} [was] plenty of (water) { }”.

      v. 24: The Fourth Evangelist comments that it was before the arrest of John the Baptist “in … prison²⁶⁹” (cf. Mark 1:14; 6:17; Matthew 4:12; 14:3; Luke 3:20).

      2.2.6 John the Baptist and the Messiah (vv. 25–36)

      - Second Setting (vv. 25–26a)

      Who: John the Baptist (v. 26), his disciples (v. 25a), a Jew/some Jews

      Where: “Aenon near Salim” (v. 23a)

      When: before John the Baptist’s arrest (v. 24)

      v. 25: The “disciples of John” the Baptist had an “issue, a discussion, debate” about the “purification”²⁷⁰ (cf. John 2:6) with “a Jew” respectively with some “Jews”²⁷¹.

      - The Testimony of John the Baptist about himself and Jesus (vv. 26b–36)

      + The Question of John the Baptist’s Disciples (vv. 26)

      In this context the “disciples of John” (v. 25) the Baptist asked their master:

      “Rabbi” (cf. v. 2c), “He who was with you across the Jordan” (cf. 1:26–34),

      “to whom you gave witness” – note the keyword “marturéo” in verses 11e, 26d, 28a, 32b –,

      behold” (cf., for example, this imperative in 1:29, 36, 47), this one is baptizing” (cf. vv. 22c, 23d) – note the remark by the Fourth Evangelist in 4:2: “His disciples” – “and all are going to Him”. “The rivalry between” the disciples of John the Baptist and Jesus “may reflect the situation when the Gospel was written”²⁷² (cf. Acts 18:24–19:7)

      + John the Baptist’s Reflection on himself (vv. 27–30)

      v. 27: John the Baptist introduces his answer like a thesis – note verse 30a–b as climax respectively synthesis – as follows: A “(man) cannot ( ) receive only what it is given him from Heaven” (cf. John 19:11 and Matthew 28:18).

      v. 28: Therefore he declares with the help of a correction²⁷³ (“not … but”) his role/part regarding God’s incarnation and salvation in the world as a “forerunner”. For that he repeated/quoted his self-saying in John 1:20b, 30d:

      “I am not the Christ”,

      “but … (I am) sent ( ) before Him”.

      v. 29: He explains his saying with the help of a parable of the relationship between a “friend” (= John the Baptist) and a “bridegroom”²⁷⁴ (= Jesus – cf. v. 29b, c – note the parables with an eschatological viewpoint in Mark 2:19–20; Matthew 9:15; 25:1, 5–6, 10; Luke 5:34–35; Revelation 18:23): “The image is that of the bridegroom’s best friend protectively keeping watch over the house of the bride (Israel), waiting to hear the approach of the bridegroom (Jesus) as he comes to take her to his home”²⁷⁵ (cf. vv. 26a, 30b). The Fourth Evangelist emphasizes the eschatological СКАЧАТЬ