Return of the Believer

John the Believer

Studies in the Gospel of John most often, naturally, focus on the story of Jesus, but there is more. First, in the Prayer of Jesus, the most urgent concern is the immediate departure of Jesus and the continued work of the disciples. Second, although very subtle, John presents Jesus in a unique way that departs from other traditional renderings of the life of Jesus. Not only does John offer a new version of the life of Jesus, he also presents a theological interpretation, unlike any other account. One might ask where John’s story of Jesus originated. We know from internal evidence that John acknowledges the existence of other records about Jesus. For example, John begins with his famous Prologue where he introduces Jesus as the eternal Logos who came to earth to dwell among people (John 1:1–18). We do not learn the Logos would be Jesus until a few verses into the chapter. The implication here is that while many people know about Jesus, they might not know of his connection with God as Logos. And Jesus the Son as Logos is not necessarily synonymous with the Jewish understanding of the Messiah or the Church’s vision of Christ. For John, Jesus is first and foremost the Son of God who was sent to earth by God the Father. Once Jesus completes his work on earth, then he will return to his heavenly abode with God the Father. The incarnation of the Logos and Jesus’s return to God the Father suggest the preexistence of the Son. This cycle of the incarnation and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is linked to the Logos interpretation of the Son and God the Father. But from where did John get this information since other Gospels do not follow John’s understanding of Jesus as the preexistent Son of God nor his identity as the eternal Logos?

In brief, John the Gospel writer possesses information not revealed to other New Testament writers. He has insights into the nature and purpose of Jesus Christ that are uniquely his own. And this is not just about any new interpretation of Jesus but about new information about what Jesus did and taught during his time with his disciples. Now, we stress the importance of being a believer in Jesus Christ. However, our study shows that John the apostle stands behind his presentation of Jesus as a true believer. Like the apostle Paul who met Jesus on the road to Damascus, John, we believe, also met Jesus at some point beyond the events recorded in the Gospels. This is entirely possible since John, we argue, reveals a level of faith quite different from other writings in the New Testament, and John’s faith can be imitated by other believers. So, as we study the Prayer of Jesus, we should pay close attention to how Jesus is portrayed since John, through his faith, is the messenger behind the Prayer of Jesus as well as the Gospel itself.

The apostle John “appears to be a man without definite contours,” as one writer puts it. “We hear his voice, a voice distinct from the rest of primitive Christianity. . .. But his voice retains a strange otherworldly quality.” John the Gospel writer is technically an omniscient narrator; in that, he knows details and understandings of Jesus Christ that other Gospel narrators do not. John knows the very heart of Jesus, his concerns, his joys, and his knowledge of life. It is as though John knows as Jesus knows. In other words, John “sees everything from the Divine side. . .. This is especially true of Christ’s person.” One might conclude if we read the Gospel of John through his eyes, that John represents himself as a true believer who has accepted the entirety of Jesus’s story as his own. His understanding of faith is defined by his interpretation of the Gospel story, and as believers, John’s story of Jesus should become our story of Jesus. Because he is a true believer, like Jesus himself as the incarnation, his knowledge and faith include his understanding of both Jesus’s divinity as well as his humanity. The incarnation made it possible for God to join the human community as the Son Jesus Christ. John as the true believer is also able to enter the divine realm just as Jesus wished. In the Prayer, Jesus willed that believers would become one with God and the Son as well as one another. To be a believer is to participate in divinity.

The majesty of Jesus Christ the incarnate deity remains at the top of the Jesus narrative all the while his true humanity is no less important to the whole Jesus story. The Prayer brings these two aspects of Jesus’s nature together in John’s ideal model of the divine-human union that provides the model for every human encounter with Jesus. John’s enlightened faith has made it possible for him to interpret the story of Jesus quite differently from other believers. He knows this of himself, and he invites the reader to come to Jesus Christ in the same way as he has already done. We can confidently claim that something happened to John in a similar way that the apostle Paul experienced, for through this very personal experience both believers changed Christianity forever.