Tom Wright - John for Everyone Part 2

The New Testament for Everyone commentary series

Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 115

Matthew for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 1628

Mark for Everyone

Luke for Everyone

John for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 110

John for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 1121

Acts for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 112

Acts for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 1328

Paul for Everyone: Romans, Part 1 Chapters 18

Paul for Everyone: Romans, Part 2 Chapters 916

Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians

Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians

Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians

Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon

Paul for Everyone: The Pastoral Letters 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus

Hebrews for Everyone

Early Christian Letters for Everyone: James, Peter, John and Judah

Revelation for Everyone

First published in Great Britain in 2002

Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge

36 Causton Street

London SW1P 4ST

www.spckpublishing.co.uk

Reprinted eight times

Reissued 2014

Copyright Nicholas Thomas Wright 2002

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

SPCK does not necessarily endorse the individual views contained in its publications.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9780281071890

eBook ISBN 9780281072903

Typeset by Pioneer Associates, Perthshire

eBook by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong

CONTENTS

For

Oliver,

remembering Johns words

about the father and the son

On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very clear: this message is for everyone .

It was a great daysometimes called the birthday of the church. The great wind of Gods spirit had swept through Jesus followers and filled them with a new joy and a sense of Gods presence and power. Their leader, Peter, who only a few weeks before had been crying like a baby because hed lied and cursed and denied even knowing Jesus, found himself on his feet explaining to a huge crowd that something had happened which had changed the world for ever. What God had done for him, Peter, he was beginning to do for the whole world: new life, forgiveness, new hope and power were opening up like spring flowers after a long winter. A new age had begun in which the living God was going to do new things in the worldbeginning then and there with the individuals who were listening to him. This promise is for you , he said, and for your children, and for everyone who is far away (Acts 2.39). It wasnt just for the person standing next to you. It was for everyone.

Within a remarkably short time this came true to such an extent that the young movement spread throughout much of the known world. And one way in which the everyone promise worked out was through the writings of the early Christian leaders. These short worksmostly letters and stories about Jesuswere widely circulated and eagerly read. They were never intended for either a religious or intellectual elite. From the very beginning they were meant for everyone.

That is as true today as it was then. Of course, it matters that some people give time and care to the historical evidence, the meaning of the original words (the early Christians wrote in Greek), and the exact and particular force of what different writers were saying about God, Jesus, the world and themselves. This series is based quite closely on that sort of work. But the point of it all is that the message can get out to everyone, especially to people who wouldnt normally read a book with footnotes and Greek words in it. Thats the sort of person for whom these books are written. And thats why theres a glossary, in the back, of the key words that you cant really get along without, with a simple description of what they mean. Whenever you see a word in bold type in the text, you can go to the back and remind yourself whats going on.

There are of course many translations of the New Testament available today. The one I offer here is designed for the same kind of reader: one who mightnt necessarily understand the more formal, sometimes even ponderous, tones of some of the standard ones. I have of course tried to keep as close to the original as I can. But my main aim has been to be sure that the words can speak not just to some people, but to everyone.

The gospel of John has always been a favourite for many. At one level it is the simplest of all the gospels; at another level it is the most profound. It gives the appearance of being written by someone who was a very close friend of Jesus, and who spent the rest of his life mulling over, more and more deeply, what Jesus had done and said and achieved, praying it through from every angle, and helping others to understand it. Countless people down the centuries have found that, through reading this gospel, the figure of Jesus becomes real for them, full of warmth and light and promise. It is, in fact, one of the great books in the literature of the world; and part of its greatness is the way it reveals its secrets not just to high-flown learning, but to those who come to it with humility and hope. So here it is: John for everyone!

Tom Wright

1There was a man in Bethany named Lazarus, and he became ill. Bethany was the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (2This was the Mary who anointed the Lord with myrrh, and wiped his feet with her hair; Lazarus, who was ill, was her brother.)

3So the sisters sent messengers to Jesus.

Master, they said, the man you love is ill.

4When Jesus got the message, he said, This illness wont lead to death. Its all about the glory of God! The son of God will be glorified through it.

5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6So when he heard that he was ill, he stayed where he was, to begin with, for two days.

7Then, after that, he said to the disciples, Lets go back to Judaea.

8Teacher, replied the disciples, the Judaeans were trying to stone you just now! Surely you dont want to go back there !

9There are twelve hours in the day, arent there? replied Jesus. If you walk in the day, you wont trip up, because youll see the light of this world. 10But if anyone walks in the night, they will trip up, because there is no light in them.

11When he had said this, Jesus added: Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But Im going to wake him up.

12Master, replied the disciples, if hes asleep, hell be all right.

(13They thought he was referring to ordinary sleep; but Jesus had in fact been speaking of his death.)

14Then Jesus spoke to them plainly.

Lazarus, he said, is dead. 15Actually, Im glad I wasnt there, for your sakes; it will help your faith. But lets go to him.

16Thomas, whose name was the Twin, addressed the other disciples.

Lets go too, he said. We may as well die with him.

Why didnt they do something?

A friend of mine had been invited to take on the leadership of a vibrant, growing church. He and his family were eager to go and meet this new challenge. But the church authorities seemed to be dragging their feet about where he was going to live. The present house was quite unsuitable; should they build a new one? Should they convert an existing church building? Should they house him some way off for the time being and hope something would turn up?