The Journey Continues: The Gospel of John

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am wanting to do a thoughtful study of The Bible, and I have been keeping up with that study. While it has not been a daily discipline, I've allowed my study to take place as a response to a moving of the Spirit within me. And I feel that this time has been very rewarding and edifying. 

I decided to start my study with the Gospel of John. Over the last several years I've wanted to study The Gospel of John in depth, because I felt that John's Gospel gave us the essence of God in the person of Jesus Christ. More than that, though, was the feeling that John's Gospel would show me who Jesus is and was, more than the others. I wanted to know The Word (John 1:1-2). What was the meaning of "The Word"? 

I also wanted to see the compassionate Jesus, the Jesus that healed, that touched the unclean, that ate with sinners, that reached out to those whom society declared unholy. Because the Jesus I love, the Jesus I follow, touches the broken of body, the broken of soul, the lowest of the low. 

And I "found" that Jesus in John, chapter 4. 

Many of us know the story of the "Woman of the well", the centerpiece of the 4th chapter. But I think we get too caught up in her "sin" of having previous husbands, and the man she's with is not her husband. Our puritanical minds cling to that issue just like a burr sticks to our socks when we hike. But that burr can distract us to the point that we miss the natural beauty that surrounds us, just as paying attention to this woman's marital issues cloud us from seeing what this chapter is about. 

But I found a study by David E. Pratte that sums up what I believe is the core of John's Gospel:

"Note that the very fact that Jesus tried to teach this woman shows that women are important to God. It also shows that He was concerned about individuals to the point He would take time, even when tired, to teach a single individual. Many people are willing to teach if they have large crowds. But some see little value in taking time to teach an individual. Jesus and His apostles showed us the importance of 'personal evangelism' with Nicodemus, this Samaritan woman, and on other occasions."

This commentary reflects what I believe about not just the Gospel of John, but the Jesus that John wrote about: a Jesus that broke and eschewed social norms to minister to individuals; a Jesus that recognized that gender was irrelevant to His teaching; a Jesus that saw these moments of "personal evangelism" as vital to not just His ministry, but to God's plan of salvation. 

 As I've read John's Gospel before, and as I read it now, I see many instances of Jesus' use of personal evangelism. While Jesus also did large-scale evangelism, like the Sermon on the Mount, the times when He was one-on-one, or in small groups, was when He could minister to the individuals. 

This understanding, now, allows me to read the Gospel of John with open eyes, soul and mind. 

Soli Deo Gloria