INTRODUCTION TO THE 2023 LENT PROJECT

ON THE ROAD TO CALVARY:
AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

For this Lenten cycle our Scripture passages are taken from the Gospel of John. Those who follow the project to its conclusion will have read John’s entire eyewitness account. John’s Gospel is strikingly different from the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). While the first three Gospels cover many of the same stories, ninety percent of the material in John’s text is unique. Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Gospel of John tends to be non-linear in structure and more theological in nature.  

For our purposes we will assume that the author who references himself throughout as “the disciple that Jesus loved” is John, the son of Zebedee and caretaker of the Virgin Mary. Some scholars suggest that John’s Gospel, the last Gospel to be written, was most likely penned when the author was elderly. His closeness to Christ and Mary, years spent in prayer and service to our Lord, and a lifetime mulling over the claims of Christ enabled him through the power of the Holy Spirit to compose a gospel distinct from the others. John assumes his readers are familiar with the Synoptic Gospels which generally focus on the humanity of Christ, while the beloved disciple in contrast, presents Christ in his divine glory as the Son of God.

The Gospel of John is made up of a prologue (John Chapter 1), an epilogue (John Chapter 21), and two main sections or books: the “Book of Signs” (John Chapters 2-12), and the “Book of Glory” (John Chapters 13-20). John also employs a symbolic series of sevens throughout the Gospel, the number of fullness or completeness. In the “Book of Signs” John details seven miracles Christ performed: 1) turning water into wine, 2) healing the son of a royal official, 3) healing a paralyzed man, 4) feeding of the 5,000, 5) healing a blind man, 6) walking on water, and 7) raising Lazarus from the dead. These miracles underline who Christ really is. John implies that Christ fulfilled a week’s worth of wonders, and on the eighth day ushered in the “new creation” with his own resurrection. The “Book of Signs” also contains seven statements Christ made beginning with the words “I am”: 1) the bread of life, 2) the light of the world, 3) the gate for the sheep, 4) the good shepherd, 5) the resurrection, 6) the way, truth and life, and 7) the vine. Whenever Christ makes an “I am” statement, he is in essence referring to himself as God.

The “Book of Signs” culminates with the raising of Lazarus. Jesus knows that going to the place where Lazarus is buried will result in his capture and death. In bringing Lazarus back to life, Christ is literally laying down his life for this friend. Bringing Lazarus back to life ends Christ’s public ministry and functions as a transition to the second half of John’s Gospel. The “Book of Glory” covers the upper room narrative, Christ’s final teachings, his final prayer as well as his death and resurrection. Three symbolic actions introduce us to the “Book of Glory”: 1) Jesus’ anointing as king, 2) Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as king, and 3) Jesus demonstrating the nature of his kingship and kingdom by washing his disciples’ feet. 

Chapters 13-17 of the “Book of Glory” details an intimate conversation Jesus has with his disciples. In it, he prepares his followers for life without his physical presence as he returns to the Father. Jesus also talks about the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will counsel and instruct them in his absence. The glory described in the second half of John’s Gospel reveals the holiness and majesty of God through the person of Jesus Christ. Christ’s life was a sacrifice, but always, even in the midst of intense suffering, John gives us a Christ who is in control, exalted, and lifted up.

During the early years of the church, the most common way that the Scriptures were transmitted was orally. Both read and memorized words/deeds of Jesus were dramatically performed with deep feeling to listening recipients (much like an audio dramatized Bible). John knew his Gospel would be disseminated via oral performances by his representatives. He wanted his readers to be in love with Christ and know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The words belief/believe occur ninety-nine times throughout John’s Gospel. ”These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, and that in that faith you may have life as his disciples.” (John 20:31). Who doesn’t love to hear the words of Scripture spoken to them? Getting the compelling words and stories of Christ into the core of our psyches is transformative and one of the most effective ways to do so is by letting repeated encounters with the gospel penetrate us. “Here, then, is the message which we heard from him, and now proclaim to you” (I John 1:5). Musician Michael Card writes, “John’s Gospel is more a living monologue than a written story. Let us take our place at the feet of the last living disciple of Jesus and listen with fully engaged imagination to an account of that luminous life which no one else could possibly ever tell us.” 

We at the CCCA are excited to be pairing the Gospel of John with poetry, visual art, and music. Multiple selections from Tommy Walker’s “The Book of John in Song” and Michael Card’s “John: A Misunderstood Messiah” are featured in this project along with the J.B. Phillips' translation of the Gospel. It is our prayer that all of these elements will work together to magnify the Lord and bring you closer to him. Professor Con Campbell sums it all up with this quote, “John’s Gospel is so carefully structured. I just love the way it’s crafted, the way it’s cleverly put together. We see that John is an artist. His Gospel is so beautiful because he focuses on Jesus as the Lord of Glory.”