Week 40 John
John is interested in how people respond to the Lord. Matthew-Mark-Luke are too, but I think John more.
So for example in chapter two the disciples see the water-into-wine miracle and they believe. Ditto for the Samaritans in chapter four. But not ditto for the people in chapter five who want to kill the Lord.
In chapter six-seven John really starts hammering on the idea that the Lord is a division-maker. Some people believe. But there’s also grumbling and uncertainty and argument. People walk away from the Lord in one verse but in the next verse others believe. People think the Lord is marvelous but others think he’s demonic. There’s dispute and uncertainty – let’s arrest him, no let’s believe him.
About halfway through chapter eight I stop when I read something the Lord said: you are of this world; I am not. That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins.
It’s pretty decisive. The Lord is an Alien Lord. A Totally Otherworldly Master who says to me that my options are: a) to believe that he is who he says he is, or b) to not believe that he is who he says he is.
A clear choice, and the stakes are pretty high.
Note: quote from John 8:23-24 (NLT)