Hello friends! Today we come to the conclusion of the Gospel of John which has a very uniques twist on Pilates roll and the most detail of Jesus post resurrection with no official ascension scene which I find really interesting. Could John be implying that Jesus is still with us? He certainly has a different take on the Holy Spirits arrival than what Luke describes in the Book of Acts. I have so many questions and I love that John inspires such thought! What will your thoughts be? Excited to study this with you!
Scripture to Read
Audio Bible
Questions to Consider
What does this teach me about Jesus?
What is different about the synoptic gospels account? What do I make of these differences?
What about this text is meaningful? What does it inspire me to do as a result?
- Context -
There is sooo much to discuss in this section but for the sake of not overwhelming you (and frankly my time) I'm going to narrow down on the one historical accuracy in the Gospel of John -- Pilate.
"Pilate, who first appears at v.29, was the Roman procurator of Judea from 26 - 36 CE. The image of Pilate that emerges from the Jewish and Roman accounts of his procuratorship is that of a mean-spirited and hard ruler, who scorned his Jewish subjects. (These accounts come from Josephus, the Jewish historian.) The portrait of Pilate in the synoptic Gospels is more benign, probably under the influence of Pro-Roman Christian apologetic. In Matthew, for example, Pilate is portrayed as being completely guiltless in the death of Jesus; in Luke he is portrayed as being convinced of Jesus' innocence. The Johannine portrait in the trial narrative is more consistent with the character of Pilate in the non-Christian accounts; therefore, it is a mistake to see the Pilate of John 18 - 19 through the lens of the Synoptic gospels. The Pilate who emerges from these chapters is antagonistic of "the Jews", but it would be a falsehood to assume that this makes him Jesus ally. Rather, Pilate, like the Jewish leaders is driven primarily by political expedience. He is portrayed as being singularly unconcerned with questions of guilt or innocence and he involves himself in Jesus' trial as a means to "humiliate 'the Jews' and to ridicule their national hope (of a messiah to liberate them) by means of Jesus." There is no pro-Roman, anti-Jewish apologetic in the portrayal of Pilate's role in Jesus' death. Pilate's response to Jesus and his culpability are foregrounded in this trial in order to show the extent of Jesus' judgement over the world."
~ New Interpreters Bible
Praying the Hymns
Our prayer for today is inspired by hymn 266 - Heal Us, Emmanuel, Hear our Prayer
1. Heal us, Emmanuel, hear our prayer;
we wait to feel thy touch;
deep-wounded souls to thee repair,
and Savior, we are such.
2. Our faith is feeble, we confess
we faintly trust thy word;
but wilt thou pity us the less?
Be that far from thee, Lord!
3. Remember him who once applied
with trembling for relief;
"Lord, I believe," with tears he cried;
"O help my unbelief!"
4. She, too, who touched thee in the press
and healing virtue stole,
was answered, "Daughter, go in peace:
thy faith hath made thee whole."
5. Like her, with hopes and fears we come to touch thee if we may; O send us not despairing home; send none unhealed away.