“In one sense, this gospel is simple and to the point. Take John 3:16 for example. This verse has been called the gospel in a nutshell. It is simple and clear. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.””
Hello Gloria Dei,
This weekend in worship we begin six weeks in the gospel of John. In addition to bringing us the great news of God showing up as one of us in the person of his Son Jesus, this gospel is an amazing, brilliant, literary writing. As you read through John, you’ll find layers upon layers of symbolism, dual meanings, irony, metaphor, and more, all pointing to Jesus as the one who brings true and abundant life to people like us.
In one sense, this gospel is simple and to the point. Take John 3:16 for example. This verse has been called the gospel in a nutshell. It is simple and clear. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.” Beautiful. Simple. Easy to understand. God is a God of love who gives life in Jesus’ name for all who believe.
Yet John is not always simple. There are layers of meaning around the themes of life and death, light and darkness, belief and unbelief. As you read about some of Jesus’ encounters with people like Nicodemus in chapter three, and the woman at the well in chapter four, and the man born blind in chapter nine, these are anything but simple.
In other words, the gospel of John is simple, yet profound. I heard one professor say that the gospel of John is “A Pool of Water in which a Child can Wade and an Elephant can Swim.” I like that. John is simple enough for a child to understand, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim.
Happy reading as we begin in John. For this weekend, please read chapters one through five. As you read, think about the main question the gospel of John attempts to answer: “What does it mean to have purpose-filled, meaningful, and eternal life? And where and through whom is this life found?”
See you in worship,
Pastor Tim
