Pastor’s Home Bible Study
By Larry Harvey
The Gospel of John (Part 2)
One of the most distinctive features of John’s Gospel is that things have a double meaning. Words such as “birth,” “life,” “water” and “bread” are used to point to spiritual truths as well as to common objects. In the same way, everyday activities take on a spiritual meaning. “Seeing,” “hungering” and “thirsting” point to spiritual realities as well as to daily experience.
John writes this way because he knows that life is filled with the glory of God. The spiritual and the physical are closely united. Those who look with the eyes of faith see evidence of God everywhere. Those who do not believe only see what is on the surface.
These double meanings cause people to constantly misunderstand Jesus. While he is talking about the depth and meaning of life, those who hear him are usually thinking about the surface and appearances. An obvious example is when Nicodemus misunderstands what Jesus means when he says we must be “born again.” Nicodemus pictures someone re-entering the womb and being born a second time. Jesus is speaking about being born to spiritual understanding and sensitivity.
One of the things we can learn from reading the Gospel of John is to start seeing life in all its depth and meaning. After reading John, we can begin to see spiritual truth in the common, everyday things around us. Kansas sunflowers follow the sun, for instance, and can remind us that we need to keep our faces turned towards Jesus.
Watch for these “double meanings” as you read the Gospel of John. “Life” can mean physical existence or it can mean the fullness that is God’s intention for us all. “Water” can man H2O or it can mean that which refreshes and sustains us. As we become sensitive to the double meaning of words, we will also become sensitive to the deeper meaning of the things and experiences around us.
Daily Readings in the Gospel of John
Sunday Read John 2:23-25
These few verses ask us which kind of faith we have: one that requires constant excitement and rewards, or one that rests on a quiet and consistent commitment to Christ.
Monday Read John 3:1-21
We are most familiar with the translation, “born again,” but the Greek word could also be translated “born from above.” Either way, it means reshaping our beliefs, values, goals and actions. The words “God so loved the world” points to more than just me. All of life is precious to God and is to be redeemed.
Tuesday Read John 3:22-36
John the Baptist is a model of humility saying “he (Jesus) must increase but I must decrease.” We all have our favorite preacher, TV envangelist or Sunday School teacher, but it is Jesus who is the center of faith and who “speaks the word of God.”
Wednesday Read John 4:1-42
While we need others to share Christ with us, fullness of faith comes when we can say “we have heard for ourselves and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Thursday Read John 4:43-54
Another story that points to the contrast between those who require “signs and wonders” before they will believe, and those who believe the word of Jesus and need no other guarantee.
Friday Read John 5:1-16
For some of us “Do you want to be healed?” may mean healed of bad temper, alcohol dependency, sexual obsession or resentment.
Saturday Read John 5:17-47
It is possible to “search the Scriptures” and miss the reality to which they point. It is also possible to pledge allegiance to the Bible in general, but not accept its message in specifics.
