John 20-21

No discussion questions again, since you're studying for the outline quiz.

John 17

No discussion questions while you finish your interpretation essays.

John 17

• Much of Jesus' prayer in chapter 17 is actually Jesus' description of what he has already done. What does Jesus ask from the father here?
• If this prayer of Jesus is meant as the conclusion to the farewell narrative, what themes from chapters 14-16 do we see re-stated or repeated here?
• Are these themes developed in any new ways here?
• Are there any ideas here in chapter 17 that are new?
• What seems to be the focus of Jesus' prayer, and how does that help us to understand the purpose of the farewell discourse as a whole?
• What effect would hearing this prayer have had on Patroclus and Penelope?

John 16

• How do Jesus' words in chapter 16 help John's audience to cope with their situation in first-century Ephesus?
• What more do we learn here about the role of the Paraclete (the Advocate or Comforter)? How do you think the Spirit might accomplish these things?
• What is the relationship here between the Spirit, the Father, and Jesus?
• Why do you think John focuses so much on the disciples' lack of understanding in 16:16-24? How does it help the audience to know that the disciples were still so confused?
• Why is there a sudden shift in the disciples' understanding in 16:29-30?

John 15

• First, review again your analysis of chapter 14. Since we didn't get to this in class I'd like to revisit it after the break. So instead of chapters 15-16, our next class will focus just on chapters 14-15.
• What is the Old Testament background for the metaphor of a vine, which God as the farmer tending it? (See, e.g., Isaiah 5) How does this background affect the meaning of Jesus' use of the metaphor in chapter 15?
• Do we see vine or grape-related metaphors or events elsewhere in John? Are these connections significant? Why?
• Where else in John have we seen the theme of "hatred" toward Jesus or the Father?
• Chapter 15 divides fairly clearly into four thematic sections: 15:1-11, 15:12-17, 15:18-25, and 15:26-27. What is the relationship between the ideas in these sections? Are they merely isolated fragments, or do they help to interpret one another and together form a larger message?
• Overall, what does chapter 15 say about the relationship between Jesus and his disciples?
• In what ways does chapter 15 expand or elaborate on statements or ideas in chapter 14?

John 13-14

• What does John mean in 13:1 when he says that Jesus loved his own "to/until the end"?
• What is the significance of Jesus' washing the disciples' feet? Why does Jesus say in 13:6 that Peter does not yet understand what Jesus is doing? Why does Jesus insist that only Peter's feet need to be washed?
• Why does John place so much emphasis here on Judas' coming betrayal and Jesus' foreknowledge of that act? How does John understand that act of betrayal?
• Divide the discourses of 13:31-14:31 into its natural stages, and identify the indicators at the beginning of each new stage (words, changed themes, changed motifs, a question posed to Jesus, etc.).
• Identify the main emphasis of each stage of the discourse using the questions I introduced two weeks ago.
• How do the stages of the discourse seem to relate to one another?
• What parts of the cosmic story (of God, the Word, and creation) does Jesus emphasize and flesh out in this discourse? Is there anything new here, or is Jesus simply summing up parts of the cosmic story that John has already shown the reader earlier?

John 11-12

This week we'll do something a little different. Rather than answering specific questions, I'd like you to apply the techniques we discussed last class for finding the main focus of a narrative or a discourse. The lists of features to look for are in the pdf versions of my slides from last week's class (posted in the sub-menu for our class).

• First try to identify the main focus of the narrative of Lazarus and make note of the evidence that supports your interpretation.
• Then divide the discourse of chapter 12 into its natural stages and try to identify the main focus (or foci) of each stage.
• Finally, look for the unifying threads that run through the whole discourse, as well as threads that tie the discourse to earlier parts of the Gospel.

John 9-10

John 9

• Where are these events located geographically?
• What festival is forming the context? (look back)
• What does Jesus teach in John about the physical impact of sin? Compare this chapter with Jesus' statements in chapter 5.
• When the Pharisees learn about the blind man's healing, they find themselves confronted by contradictory pieces of evidence about Jesus (see 9:13-16). How do they resolve this tension? (see 9:17-23).
• Why does the healed man come to a different conclusion about Jesus? What is the difference in his reasoning about the sign?
• What response to Jesus does the healed man model for the audience in 9:35-39?
• Notice how the conclusion of the healing story (in 9:40-41) connects back to themes introduced at the beginning of chapter 9. What kind of irony or reversal of expectations does the story produce?
• How does this conclusion to the story help us to identify the main focus of the episode?

John 10

• Where do we find symbolic talk about sheep, flocks, and shepherds in the Old Testament? How does that help us to understand Jesus' use of these metaphors in this passage?
• What devices does the narrator use to divide the speeches of 10:1-18 into sections? Suggest an outline of the divisions in 10:1-18, and identify what you think is the main idea in each section.
• Why is Jesus talking about some trying to slip into the sheep-pen illegitimately? How is the audience supposed to apply this part of the metaphor?
• What roles does the shepherd play for the sheep?
• How does Jesus' relationship with the father relate to the believer's relationship with Jesus?
• Jesus' encounters with people are usually meant to highlight someone's positive or negative response to him. What is the problem in 10:19-42 with some people's responses? How does Jesus' part of the conversation highlight this problem?
• Notice the parallel between the themes in 10:37-38 and the theme in the first few verses of chapter 9. What might this suggest about the point of chapters 9-10 as a whole?

John 7-8

Chapter 7

• What festival sets the scene for John 7? What does the festival commemmorate and how does this parallel encourage the audience to read the story?
• What is the function of 7:1-9 in John's narrative? What does it reinforce about Jesus and his mission? What words or themes here do you recognize as familiar parts of John's "pallette"?
• What is odd about John's use of the expression "the Jews" in 7:13? What might this imply about the situation of John's community in Ephesus?
• Summarize what you think is the main overall point of Jesus' teaching in 7:16-24.
• What causes the people's confusion in 7:24-27? How do these same issues appear again in 7:32-36? What does this suggest about how John wants to change his audience's thinking in 7:24-36?
• What is the main thrust of Jesus' teaching in 7:28-29? Where have we seen similar teaching earlier in John's Gospel?
• How does the ritual involved in the festival of Tabernacles help us to understand Jesus' declaration in 7:37-38?
• Overall, what impact does Jesus have on his temple audience in chapter 7? What parallel effect does John want this chapter to have on his Ephesian hearers?

Chapter 8

• Why would someone place the story of the woman caught in Adultery here in John's Gospel? How does it connect with the themes of the surrounding material? What impact does the editor of this episode want it to have on his readers?
• How should we divide up the stages of Jesus' discourse in 8:12-59? Suggest an outline for the discourse. How do we recognize a shift from one stage of the discourse to another?
• What ideas are repeated in more than one stage of the discourse in 8:12-59? What ideas appear only in one stage? How would you say the stages are related to one another?
• What festival forms the context for chapter 8? How do the rituals of this festival help John's hearers to understand the symbolism of Jesus' statement in 8:12? How would that statement affect their emotions?

John 5-6

• Chapter 5
  • What festival forms the backdrop for chapter 5? How does that backdrop help us to understand the significance of the events?
  • It is often very difficult to discern the "tone of voice" in Jesus' statements. What attitude is expressed in Jesus' question to the lame man: "Do you want to be well?" What clues are there in the rest of the passage to help us discern Jesus' tone of voice in this question?
  • What do "the Jews" object to in this scene? Does their objection have a biblical basis? What does Jesus point to as the flaw in their response?
  • How does Jesus describe his relationship with God? What connections do you see between the speech in 5:19-29 and earlier parts of John's gospel?
  • What does Jesus say about "witness" or "testimony" in 5:30-47? What is his overall point here, and why does he say this to "the Jews" now? Why do they need to hear this at this point in the story?
  • What kind of miraculous acts has Jesus performed so far in John's gospel? What kind of powerful act has John left out? Why might he have done this?
  • What transformation is chapter 5 designed to provoke in John's later audience (thoughts, actions, emotions)?
  • What allusions can you find to the festival of Passover in chapter 6? What parallels do those allusions suggest between these events and the events of Exodus?
• Chapter 6
  • What story does Jesus tell in his discourse in the latter part of chapter 6? How has John prepared us in the previous chapters to understand this story?
  • What does Jesus mean when he says in chapter 6 that his followers must eat his flesh? Jesus seems to know that his narrative audience will not understand him as well as we readers do. So why does he speak so cryptically? What change is he trying to provoke in his hearers?
  • What transformation is chapter 6 designed to provoke in John's later audience (thoughts, actions, emotions)?

John 3-4

• In John 3, is Nicodemus presented as a positive or negative character? What encourages this evaluation for the audience?
• How does Nicodemus react to Jesus? Why does he react this way?
• Why is Jesus evasive or ambiguous in his responses to Nicodemus?
• What would John's audience understand by the expression "born again/born from above"?
• Outline the story Jesus tells in his speech to Nicodemus. How does this build on the story outlined in the opening prologue of John's gospel?
• Compare and contrast Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus in John 3 with his encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4.
• Is the reader encouraged to identify more with Nicodemus or with the Samaritan woman? What does this suggest about John's understanding of discipleship?
• What does this encounter show us about Jesus? How does it add to his characterization in John?
• How are the disciples depicted in 4:27-38? What effect is this conversation supposed to have on John's audience?

John 1-2

• What titles are given to Jesus by other characters in chapter 1? What does each title mean in the context of the Old Testament?
• How do the first disciples react to Jesus? Why? What do these reactions tell us about Jesus?
• How does John 1 compare to Mark 1? What does this tell us about John's goals in writing and how they differ from Mark's?
• Why introduce Jesus' ministry with a wedding? What symbolism does a wedding carry in the old testament (and where?)?
• What symbolism is connected with wine in the Old Testament? What would it represent for Jesus to create wine for the people of Israel?
• Where does Jesus begin his public mission in John? How does this contrast with the start of Jesus' mission in Mark? What does this location suggest about Jesus' mission in John?
• What questions do you have about John 1-2? How might you begin to answer them?
• What other observations have you made about John 1-2 after this week's reading?