The difference between failure and success is Jesus himself. You never know how close you are to a breakthrough. The disciples had only to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, just this one last time, when Jesus gave them the word. And their nets were more full than if they had been catching fish the whole night.
Gospel of John: In Between
Rites of passage mark a transition, an in-between, where we have moved from what was and entered into what will be, but as prepared as we might think we are, we are not yet good at living the new iteration.
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Gospel of John: Thomas Had Doubts
It was seemingly impossible for Thomas to accept Jesus' resurrection without some empirical proof. Doubt can be a good thing, because it makes us think. Doubt is one foot lifted, poised to move forward or backward.
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Gospel of John: Mary of Magdala
All four Gospel accounts describe Mary’s faithfulness and courage, a major financial supporter and patron of Jesus’s ministry, one who remained with Jesus at the foot of his cross until his death, and the first to arrive at his tomb the morning of his resurrection.
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Gospel of John: His Last Breath
Why did Jesus cry out the first line of Psalm 22? I found two very different ways of understanding this moment, and it all rests on the nature of the Trinity.
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Gospel of John: The Sayings of Christ
John must have been there to hear everything Jesus said, and those words must have sunk deep into John’s soul. Over the centuries, these words were gathered lovingly by the church to become the Seven Sayings of the Cross.
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Gospel of John: First Sight
One of the Gospel of John's continuing themes is the weaving of the first three chapters of Genesis with the telling of Christ's story. Because of this, I have woven more overtly those chapters with these crucifixions scenes.
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Gospel of John: A Street Called Straight
After John's chiasm come seven vignettes that describe the crucifixion of Christ. This is the segue.
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Gospel of John: We Have No King
Justice was the bedrock upon which Pax Romana was built. Pilate felt had done all he could to free this righteous and just man, standing on Gabbatha waiting with tranquil dignity for his judgement. Pilate could do no more.
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Gospel of John: Hail Caesar
The chiasm outlined by Jo-Ann A. Brant has a classic seven-point structure. A Exterior: John 18:29-32, Jesus is brought to Pilate with a demand for execution; Pilate refuses B Interior: John 18:33-38, Pilate asks about Jesus’s royal claim C Exterior: John 18:38-40, Pilate finds Jesus innocent, but the temple elite choose Barabbas … Continue reading Gospel of John: Hail Caesar
Grace and Peace, Joanne 