Day 77 ~ who is the disciple that Jesus loved?

A quick view of tomorrow's reading made me think I would finish out John tonight and start Acts fresh by itself. So instead of John 8-15, I'm blogging John 8-21.

Hatred of the Samaritans by the Jews is very evident in the book of John. Just like the crowds seemed more oppressive in Mark over Matthew, Luke and John. The Samaritans were Jews, too - Samaria was the capitol of the northern kingdom. Of course, more than 700 years ago they went into captivity to Assyria and intermarried and never really recovered. This is basically the southern tribe, knowing by scripture that the Messiah would come from them, thumbing their noses at the "weaker" northern tribe. Yet when the Messiah was right in front of their noses - pun intended, they were determined to deny that Christ was the answer to what they had been waiting for. Another obvious theme - probably in every chapter - Jesus is the Light.

• John 8:6, 8 - what did Jesus write on the ground? it must have been very convicting
• 8:33 - "We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone" - how could the Jews say that - they had been in bondage to Babylonians and the Persians and who know who else in the 400 years since Malachi.
• 9:7 - Pool of Siloam - Jesus again showing His power is triumph over the water of the rituals.
• 9:16 - there is division among the priests. Remember Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night and professes his believe in Christ as the Messiah. Also, Nicodemus helps Joseph with the body of Christ after removal from the Cross and donates spices to help with burial preparations.
• 10:22 - feasts of ligh - Hanukkah. This is not a feast prescribed by the Old Testament, but instituted to celebrate the cleansing of the temple after the desecration in the intertestamental period by raising an altar to the Greek god Zeus. I would also count that as being in bondage, when the temle you're suppose to be running is desecrated - so there you priests in 8:33.
• 11:47-48 - Is this what was driving the Jewish leadership to be so fearful of Christ - “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” I don't want to go down the trail to see what threats the Romans held over the heads of the Jews, but I think they are kidding themselves that the Jews actually have any control - they are living in a Roman territory that just happens to have a governor who is tolerant of their religion. That won't last much longer.
• 11:55 - Passover #3
• 12:27 - Here is a secondary statement (the other while praying in the garden of Gethsemane) where Jesus shows his trepidation, however momentary, about the job in front of him. God's reply was to verbally encourage Jesus.
• 12:32-33 - " 'And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.' This He said, signifying by what death He would die." - does this describe death on the cross?
• Chapter 13 - shows a real intimacy between the apostles and Jesus. He washes their feet (remember, they wore sandals and walked in dirt all day). They recline and eat together. They share food.
• 14:6 - no one comes to the father except through Jesus. Not through Buddha, not through works, not through reincarnation, not through prayers on your behalf...through Jesus.
• 14:9-10 - how many times has Jesus said "If you see Me you see the Father" or something similar - at least a dozen in what we've read in John so far. What would be the reason for Philips question? Did he not believe?
• 14:15-18 - Spirit of Truth, the Helper, promised. This is the Holy Spirit (14:26)
• 14:22 - Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” - answered in part by "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" - does this mean the Word in the form of the New Testament to be written by the Holy Spirit working through the authors?
• 15:1-8 - am I bearing fruit, not just fruit, but good fruit, much good fruit? Or am I spinning my wheels simply doing what I deem to be good - am I fine-tuned to God's desire to work through me, am I finely grafted to the vine as a healthy branch?

I don't see anything about Jesus stepping on the head of a snake in John, either, like in the movie Passion of the Christ. I only bring this up because it was so startling in the movie. I know, everything that you see on TV or the movies isn't true. Artistic liscense, I presume. There is certainly much evidence of Gibson's catholicism throughout the film.

• John 18:6 - people fell over in the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus answered "I am He" - wonder who fell - I don't remember this from the other three gospels.
• 18:18 - Jews of the council, who have been plotting the death of an innocent man, wouldn't dare enter the Praetorium and be defiled for Passover. This makes me ill thinking about how hypocritical the religious leaders were.
• 18:31 - what had Christ done unlawful that would have been worthy of death in a Roman court? Declared Himself the King? 19:7 states that the Jewish law Jesus had "broken" was cause for death in Jewish law. But they say they can't kill him - why? Because of Passover? Because the Romans won't allow the Jews to punish at that level?
• 19:21 - the Jewish leadership want Pilate to change the sign above the cross from "King of the Jews" to "He says He is King of the Jews". Pilate refuses. Again, that awesome attention to detail by the religious!
• 19:25 - these Mary's are hard to keep track of - three of them are together her, Jesus' mother, the mother of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Wonder who this Clopas is.

The empty tomb - here is a thought - 19:41-42 - "Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby." So, is it possible this tomb where He was laid not the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea? Did they place Jesus' body hastily in a temporary location, perhaps just inside the cemetery (for lack of a better word) because of the coming sabbath, which would allow no work? When Mary says in 20:2, 13 that "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him” - who is "they" - was she expecting someone to take the body, and the question was where the body was? Was Joseph to move the body to his donated tomb as soon as sabbath was over. Just a thought.

• 20:21 - Jesus breathed on them - did he give them the Holy Spirit with this breath - when He says "receive the Holy Spirit" does He mean right now? If not, and the Holy Spirit won't be received until Acts 2, why does he breathe on him?
• 20:17, 26/27 - what's going on with Jesus' body? Is it "unstable" - he tells Mary not to cling to Him because He hasn't yet ascended to His Father. But 8 days later, Jesus invites them to stick fingers in his wounds, and later he eats something. In the 8 day period, did His body "gel" in some way, or did he ascend and it become stable?
• 21:2 - Nathanael - I wondered when he was first introduced in John 1 if he was an apostle by another name. Now I really wonder if this is the case, as he is with some other disciples. Maybe he is Bartholomew. He is mentioned in Matthew, Mark and Luke but not John, and vice versa for Nathanael. Maybe he's a sidekick. I think he'll be mentioned in Acts.

Who is "the one Jesus loved?" At one point, the disciple "the one Jesus loved" was leaning against Jesus chest at the Passover meal and shared an intimate conversation about who would betray Jesus with Peter. Who is this "one Jesus loved?" I would think that it would be one of the inner circle of closer disciples to Jesus - Peter, James, John (our author). This phrase is only used in John.

Is it James, the brother of Jesus? (Mary’s other sons included Joses (Joseph), James, Judas and Simon [Mt 13:55-56, Mark 6:3]). John 19:26 says that the one Jesus loves was at the base of the Cross with Mary the mother of Jesus and Jesus called Mary this loved disciple to "behold your mother." I take that literally, but of course it could be figurative as well. And John is not listed as a biological brother of Jesus that I'm aware of. John is the brother of James, but a different James, the son of Zebedee.

I wonder if "Twelve Ordinary Men" by John MacArthur would answer that question. I think that book is floating around the house somewhere from Jeff's participation in men's breakfast. Maybe he read it and can tell me.

The author in 21:24 basically seems to say that he is the one described as the one that Jesus loved. Another question for the ages.