Exegesis of John free essay sample

Criticism 1. Context In the verses leading up to John 3:16 through 3:21, we see Jesus in conversation with Nicodemus, who is not yet willing to accept Jesus as the son of God or as his lord and savior, and who is equally unwilling to make a decision on such a topic. We see a man who has not yet seized the opportunity to enhance his own life by letting Jesus into it. Nicodemus only sees the greatness of his own life and does not see the wisdom, truth, or virility that can be provided to him by Jesus. He is a man, not too much unlike doubters of today, who wants more proof and who believes that his current way of being is working and will get him to a better afterlife. For moments he seems to come to the light and accept Jesus, but never for too long as his doubt continues to triumph. All the while, Jesus listens to him and allows him to express his frustrations and doubts. Jesus listening to Nicodemus in this way sets the conversation up nicely for what comes in verse 3:16. There, in essence, Jesus finally interrupts Nicodemus to let him know the truth of acceptance and what said acceptance will bring to the acceptor. (Phillips, 2011). So, the context of John 3:16 falling right after the conversation with Nicodemus lets the reader know that what is told in 3:16 is not so much a threat to the readers in general, but rather, merely a statement to Nicodemus as an individual as to what can come of his eternal life when he becomes a believer. If one was to read 3:16 on its own merit without putting in in the context of a conversation with Nicodemus, one might mistakenly see Jesus as being threatening or arrogant where he is actually being helpful and serving as a worthy advisor to Nicodemus. 3:16, then, by virtue of what precedes it, lends itself to being a very personal and giving moment displayed by Jesus as he lends caring advice to a man who would be well served to be less self-oriented and instead give his life to Jesus, son of God. (Duffinbaugh). 2. Form Criticism In John 3:16 to 3:21, we see a narrative format, whereby John is describing the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus as well as the words that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in order to get him to see the virtue of accepting Him as the son of God. (Fulthorp, 2012). Here, John tells us the story vividly and with enthusiasm, even quoting Jesus, thus giving further credence to His words within this passage. In doing so, John is able to bring the reader to the conversation, such that we can have an almost omniscient view of the doubts Nicodemus has and the strength that Jesus has in putting those doubts to rest. The narrative style of being in that present moment, then, allows the reader to gain a greater understanding of the kind approach of Jesus than had it been told from a more removed perspective. This style is not uncommon in the New Testament as a narrative prose is seen frequently throughout. When John uses this style, he gives us that front row seat to the happenings of Jesus’ life such that we can see for ourselves the way that he tried to help and counsel people. That narrative style is very helpful in making the readings of the New Testament real and meaningful, such that the story can speak for itself instead of someone merely imploring us to be believers. In that way, a narrative prose is far more powerful than a commanding one, and also far less threatening to the Christian and non-Christian alike. 3. Structure The language seen in John 3:16 to 3:21 is not unlike that seen in John 4:7 to 4:10, where John is again telling the reader of how Jesus will accept and love you once you have accepted and loved him. (Roberts). Both passages speak of God’s love for us and of how God has provided Jesus to us to cleanse us of our sins and flaws. Also, both passages give insight into the character that the lord has as a giver and as a savior of flawed sinners. Not only do both passages speak of God’s love, but they also speak of him providing Jesus as the â€Å"begotten son† and they also both make a reference to eternal life or living through God, a phrase which harkens to that very eternality of life once one has accepted that very gift of Jesus as one’s own personal saving grace. The parallelism of John 4:9 to John 3:16 as described above allows the reader to gain deeper understanding of 3:16, as 4:9 essentially is the same message with slightly varied words which, when contextually applied, give meaning or definition to the words of 3:16. The lines therein help the reader to gain an understanding of words such as â€Å"us†, â€Å"world†, and living â€Å"through him†, where we can now ascertain that â€Å"us† refers to believers and â€Å"through him† refers to the eternal life that can be gained through acceptance. 4. Redaction Criticism The passage of John 3:16 through 3:19 has seen in its wording and its use of pronouns over the course of time, both to aid in the general understanding of the passage as well as to give specific manifestation to the greater significance of God. The original King James version of the New Testament refers to God as â€Å"he† and to Jesus as â€Å"his Son† and in neither case is the pronoun referring to God capitalized. The New American Standard version changes that such that pronouns referring to God are capitalized. It can be argued that this change gives greater significance to God, separating him from mere mortals where the previous lower-cased words made God too common and too similar to regular mortal men. The New American Standard version also changes â€Å"saved† to â€Å"saved through Him†, making it more clear that it is Jesus and not some other figure who is doing the saving. This gives further credence to the idea that the altered version either held God in greater esteem, or, more likely, simply wanted to be more clear to the reader about the power of Jesus’ love. Additionally, the word â€Å"condemn† has been changed to â€Å"judge† in the New American Standard version, perhaps creating easier understanding for readers, perhaps to demonstrate the fairness of Jesus (since â€Å"judge† merely shows a verdict where â€Å"condemn† goes so far as to provide a sentencing after that verdict), or perhaps both. 5. Key Words There are a number of words in any biblical passage that give deeper meaning than the superficiality of the word itself, and usually they will be in reference to other ideas seen in the bible, such that images will be evoked in the mind of the reader. These words are typically allusions or symbols, such that the reader can refer back to the idea being alluded to in order to gain a deeper understanding of the passage at hand. Below is a brief description of some of these types of words seen in John 3:16 through John 3:21. * He/Him – this word is a direct allusion to God, the almighty, himself. When this word is used, it evokes images of God and all of his omniscient power, and the usage of the word also separates that God from mortal men such as Nicodemus. Perish – this word refers to death and the complete exiting from the universe after said death, at least for people who are non-believers. This alludes to the idea that people who are non-believers shall be forever gone and that those who do believe will have an eternal being. The word gives great contrast between the after-life of non-believers as compared to that of believers. * Judged/condemned – again, a reference to the vastly different vision that God h as for believers versus non-believers, and this idea is seen a number of times in the New Testament. Son – this a reference to Jesus, at least whenever it is capitalized. Jesus is commonly referred to as such, and its usage evokes the same power and separation from mere mortals that is evoked in similar ways when references to God are capitalized throughout the New American Standard version of the New Testament. Theological Analysis 1. What does this passage say about the relationship with God? John 3:16 and the passage that follows gives a great snapshot of the dependency that man will have on God if that man wants to have eternal life. This relationship, though, is not just dependency; it is also one of mutual acceptance and love. We come to learn through this passage that God wants to love us all and that he wants to save us all, and we come to understand that through the gift that he has given us in the presence of Jesus. (Wolf). When people recognize that Jesus was sent to us as a savior and when they accept Jesus as such, they will gain a better understanding of the purpose of their own life: to give, to treat people well, and to do right, all whilst trying to live up to His greatness. In that way, then, the relationship also extends beyond dependency into a place where the believer places Jesus on a pedestal such that the believer tries to do as Jesus would do as an effort to match His greatness. This creates a sense that God and man have a mentor/mentee relationship with God being able to show man the way to salvation. In line with that salvation, one can think of how God was willing to sacrifice his only son to make salvation (Heaven) a reality for all believers. So, the relationship is also one of gift giver and gift receiver, with God being the giver. What is given unto the believer is eternity and an opportunity to accept a life of that very salvation. A natural extension of this idea that man will try to measure up to God throughout his life is the idea that not only does man need to accept God, but that also man needs God to accept him. A mortal will know that he is being judged by God, in the sense that his efforts to meet the virtue of God will get him eternal salvation. God, then, is the judge, and we are the judged. God becomes a guide, a mentor, a judge, and a source of love, kindness, and forgiveness. Man, in return, will give his appreciation and acceptance in the here and now as well as into eternity for those gifts. 2. What questions might this passage have addressed in the community for which it was originally written? The community for which this passage was originally written was the Jewish community, the believers of God, the believers of Jesus as a reincarnation of Him, and the non-believers. These communities had many questions. One such question was who Jesus is and what his relationship to God is. Another question was what our own relationship to God is. A third question was how we can reach salvation. A fourth question surrounded His sacrifices and whether similar sacrifice would be required of us. Each of these questions was summarily addressed by John 3:16 through 3:21. The first question of who Jesus is, is answered by the demonstration of Jesus as the Son of God and as the gift that was given unto us to save us from eternal condemnation. The second question, as addressed in the above section of this exposition, is answered by letting us know that we are dependent upon God for salvation, but that we also must share love with God and that we are to follow in his footsteps as a mentee to his mentorship.