The Gospel of John
The communion between Jesus and his disciples (If you remain in me and my words remain in you) enables them to petition the Father with confidence that their request will be done. As discussed previously (14:13–14), to pray in communion with the risen Jesus means to be in communion with his total love and obedience to the Father. It is to pray that
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Reflection and Application (5:41–47) Jesus contrasts seeking praise from other people with seeking praise from God (5:44). When a person does something truly good, it is appropriate that praise be given to that one. But as St. Thomas Aquinas writes, “Glory, in the sense of fame, is the least permanent of things; in fact, nothing is more variable th
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[5:44] Jesus connects his opponents’ refusal to believe in him with their preference for praise from other people instead of praise from God (see 12:43). This valuing of human honor is a source of human blindness to God’s action. If we are too concerned with winning praise and recognition from others, we can be dulled in mind and heart to God’s Wor
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Honor and Shame The Greek word translated here as “praise” (doxa) can also mean “glory” or “honor.” Jesus’ words about praise in 5:41–47 evoke the ancient categories of honor and shame. In Greco-Roman society, honor was the most important cultural value. Honor was the public recognition and praise given to a person for great achievement or simply f
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The temple was God’s house, the place where he made himself known, instructed his people, and received their worship.
Francis Martin, William M. Wright IV • The Gospel of John
While John is certainly thinking of God’s Word in the Jewish tradition, his Greek word for “Word,” logos, had an established history in Greek philosophical thinking.3 Plato and Aristotle used the term logos for thought and speech that was rational.4 For the Stoics, logos was the part of the universe that made it reasonable and thus understandable b
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Biblical texts cited above also display thinking about God’s Word: the divine Word can instruct a prophet, be sent on a mission, or be involved in creation. And yet, God’s Word is not a creature, like an angel or servant. In the Old Testament, the Word is greater than these, but not a separate deity. We could say that the word shares God’s unique i
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John invites us to have creation in mind by beginning his Gospel with the same words that opened the creation account in Gen
Francis Martin, William M. Wright IV • The Gospel of John
In Genesis, God creates the world by speaking (Gen 1:1–5), and other texts present God as creating through his word: “By the LORD’s word the heavens were made; / by the breath of his mouth all their host” (Ps 33:6).