In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:1-5)
We are captivated by the very first words of Saint John’s Gospel. There is drama, metaphor, and mystical language. He can simultaneously harken back to the very beginning, while reminding us of Jesus’ incarnational presence as the Word made flesh in the New Testament.
John is set apart by the way that he writes. His approach to sharing the details of Jesus’ life and ministry is unique from Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s more uniform (Synoptic) approach. As readers, we are embarking on a new adventure as we read along with the beloved disciple, who put the life of Jesus into words. John’s depiction of Jesus gives us a glimpse into encounters, stories, and miracles that the other evangelists did not include.
John’s Perspective is One of a Kind
Perhaps you have noticed this distinction and loved it. Or, possibly, its dissimilarity to the other Gospels has given you pause. If you have ever found yourself curious about the Word that John proclaims, now is an opportune time to delve in!
Abide in His Love is a study simply focused on John’s Gospel, written by Susanna Spencer, Blessed Is She’s Associate and Theological Editor. Susanna walks readers through John’s Gospel chapter by chapter, with two guided suggestions to pray with the passages: lectio divina and imaginative prayer.
Lectio divina is a method of staying attuned to the words of Scripture that stand out to you and allowing them to wash over your mind and heart as you meditate on what God has to say in those words and phrases. This is an ideal time to tell the Lord what you hear in the passage, or to ask what God would like to reveal to you.
Imaginative prayer is a practice shared by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in the Spiritual Exercises, where we are invited to prayerfully imagine ourselves into the Scripture story. For example, the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11). Using imaginative prayer, we might put ourselves in the place of the embarrassed family who had run out of wine at their son’s wedding. Another point of view could be the servants who understood that the wine was gone, until it was not. In their bewilderment, what questions were they asking out loud as well as in their hearts? What about Mary, whose calm trust in her Son prompted Jesus to perform His first miracle? What would it feel like to trust God with the confidence of Mary?
A Study for Personal Reflection or Group Sharing
I love this study because it could be done thoroughly as a personal devotion and tool for deeper prayer. The variety of reflection prompts would also make for a fruitful conversation for a small group or Bible study. Particularly because the Holy Spirit moves distinctly for each of us, the variety of insights would certainly lead to great prayer and community building.
John ends his Gospel with the following statement:
"But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25)
Something tells me that Saint John would delight in knowing that we are still striving for opportunities to describe the ways that the Lord is working for our good and moving in our lives. So much so that we have to talk about it, we have to dig into the covenantal love for the people of God as a whole, and for the minute details of one who understood what it meant to be beloved by God. At the same time, John would have understood that God’s love for you and me is inexhaustible.
For our own sake and that of the world, we depend upon the reminder that Christ is our Light. John is an ideal guide to lead us back to that reality. To be people who have been steeped in the richness of John’s Gospel is to be ignited by the light which the darkness cannot overcome. Let it be so!
Katie Cassady is a regular contributor to the BIS blog. She is a wife and mom to three little girls in Denver, CO. Steeped in theological reflection, beekeeping and motherhood, she is appreciative of any and all wisdom she can glean from those living intentional lives of faith. Find out more about her here. Read all of Katie's posts here.
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