discipleship | mission | practical theology

You can find plenty of confusion and misdirection in the Gospel of John. John seems to want us to conclude… conclude… conclude very little!
It’s clear that the early disciples were also in a state of confusion for much of the time; and so John’s writing is at least reflective of that.

But what about us, who like answers. Our ways of thinking, that are hugely influenced by a scientific approach to evidence and conclusions, don’t handle mystery very well. And we don’t appreciate misdirection!

So what can we say about our reading then? It appears as though Jesus is preparing the disciples for an emotional roller-coaster of a ride. It appears as though John is reminding his early readers of how confusing those last days in Jerusalem were. And for us, who live a long time after this event and the writing down of it, it appears to be reminding us that we live in the Days of Joy.

“Your hearts will rejoice and no one shall take your Joy from you.” Says Jesus. By any measure, we are living after the ‘little while’ that the disciples were finding so confusing. We are living in the Days of Joy

One man asks another, “Are you happy?” “Yes!” the man replies. “Well tell your face then.” Retorts the first.

So the question I’ll leave you with is: to what extent do we need to be reminded that we are living in the Days of Joy.

Jesus turning our assumptions up-side down – again. The market in the temple had become a normal way of doing things. People arriving at the temple for their acts of worship needed these services; to change money and purchase their sacrifices. Perhaps it is my capitalist conditioning that means that this is just obvious and if I were such a visitor I would be lamenting that I hadn’t though of providing such services to such a captive audience.

But perhaps it is precisely my capitalist tendencies that need turning up-side down and to hear the challenge; the challenge that asks whether their is anything more important than convenient services and financial growth. Read more