Christmas season 2011, Gospel John's angle

Men's Bible study circle this morning at 7 totaled 10. That's a lot for a 4 person round table! After last week's run-up to Jesus in Luke, and the week before in Matthew, we took John's perspective. The big words and subtle meanings seem to speak to a specialized and knowledgeable audience, probably ones able to read and write.

On the subject of literacy, among the disciples probably only Matthew (tax agent) and Thomas would be most educated and literate. Of course, too, Jesus was considered a rabbi, whether formally credentialed in the Old Testament, or not.

Whereas the synoptic gospels of M, M, L are descriptive of the events, John goes beyond this to weigh the significance of those events and interpret what they may mean to those who come later. So much of the annual cycle of church events dwells on the advent of the christ (Christmas season) and then the closing chapter (Easter season; passover/pesach), that the smooth flow of events before His time and after His time is out of focus. Yet this is when John is writing: very likely the religious and governmental authorities will have considered the hubbub disposed of with the execution of The Nazarene, but events continued to develop with followers of this rabbi growing in the hinterlands and in Jerusalem itself the Zealots were becoming bolder against the Roman authorities. Finally, the insurrection culminating with the massacre at Masada and the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 resulted in the end of Temple Judaism and rise of synagogue worship instead. So those Pharisees and Sagicees from the days of Jesus will have lost their prominence in the civil society of the time. In this setting John composed his gospel for learned readers and listeners.