As I think about the amount of Scripture that I read throughout the year, it would be clear to anyone that I get a fair amount of Bible in my diet. However, the grand majority of that Scripture reading tends to be related to either lesson writing or classwork. An embarrassingly small amount of it is dedicated to strictly personal development and alone time with God. So, last year I started journaling through Scripture. What I mean by this is that I read a couple chapters of Scripture—highlighting and marking in my Bible as I go—and then write a handwritten page about what I just read. I’m strict about not making this study time, so what I write is normally filled with personal insights or questions that I’d like to study and research later. The results have been interesting. What I end up with is a “bird’s eye view” of a book, filled with starting points for sermons, papers, and further study. It’s been really invigorating, and I get more and more excited about opening my Bible because it’s like reading it for the first time again! Below is an entry from John 11 and 12. I’ll periodically add these as I go if I find that they’re particularly interesting or helpful. Do you journal through Scripture? Comment below with some techniques you’ve used to make it enjoyable and personal! John 11-12This is such a packed couple of chapters, so many questions… First, why does John write as if we are supposed to know that Jesus and Lazarus are close? Is this an indicator for who the original audience would have been? On that topic, why would John break sequence and talk about what Mary had not yet done? The whole narrative points to Jesus’ love and our proper response, but these are odd details.
There is an interesting play on the word light between 11:8-10 and 12:35. The first reads like a rebuke, the second a warning. In both instances, Jesus is clear: walking with Him is the most important thing we can do. Another play on words comes in 11:24-25 with resurrection. In all of this, Jesus’ authority is on display. My biggest question for these chapters, though, is regarding the intention of Caiaphas and the crowd as Jesus and His disciples entered the city. The way that John describes Caiaphas’ thinking suggests he knew why Jesus needed to die. If this is the case, that changes the tone of Jesus’ trial and execution. A lot. That would mean that God revealed His plan—something well within His character—and that the Jewish response was a righteous attempt at saving the world. More likely, this is a Pharaoh-and-the-hardened-heart situation, with God influencing the situation without necessarily enlightening the one being influenced. And with the crowd, their reaction--“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”—is often taken as positive, but the words they use are quite volatile. Again, there are two logical scenarios: they were so excited that they forgot themselves and used language that they wouldn’t otherwise use out loud or they intentionally called Him king in order to incite the Romans. Again, the normal reading is probably the correct one, but fun thoughts all the same! Sincerely, Chaz
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ChazLearner, Sojourner Archives
January 2019
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