SECOND MEETING: THE WORD MADE

FLESH

1. Mark does not have infancy narratives. Matthew and Luke have it but there are the
similarity but also difference.
2. John 1:1-18 follows the model of the book of Genesis mentions ‘from the beginning’:
beresyit (H) – en arche (G) – in principio (L). God is eternity, timeless. The beginning means
when human being come to the consciousness of time.
3. Dabar (H) as noun also memra and the verb amar, ne’um – Logos G) connected with
legein = to speak) – Verbum (L) = Word. It is not a noun, a substantive. As the words live in a
man then when a man speaks, there are words but the word is the concrete expression of a human
being. The Word was God (Elohim – H – Theos - G – Deus (L).
4. The time is ‘imperfect’ (not perfect) denoting continuous, timeless existence contrasts
with ‘aorist’ (past tense without time) in verse 3 (all things), verse 6 (John) and 14 (was made
flesh in time and space).
5. In Hellenistic thinking logos meant divine utterance, emanation, mediation. In the OT
the Dabar is God’s manifestation, the revelaton of God himself, whether in creation, in deeds of
power and of grace, in prophecy, in the whole Ktb. In the OT there are two strands of Jewish
speculation: (1) the personification of the hokmah in wisdom literature (2) the glorification of
Torah.
6. John’s synthesis of this Jewish thought with Christian revelation is partly polemical:
Christ is the true Word of God existing from eternity. The Word was in god’s presence. The
Word was God (without article) means The Word is divine, but is not all of divinity, for he has
already been distinguished from another divine person (7:28 ‘the One having sent’; 8:42 ‘Ho
Theos pater’; 16:28 Pater).
7. As The Word is living God, so The word gives life as in the creation. In The Word there
was life (hayyiym - in Indonesian hayat) – zoe (G) – vita (L) in the living Word. Life signifies
some kind of sharing in the being of God.
8. Also ‘light’ = or in H – phos in G – lumen (L) not only that physical one as in the
beginning of creation with darkness that is also the evil one. Darkness is antithesis of light, the
opposition to God, the rejection of god, the world bound over to the sin. There is the irony: the
same word or phrase may also have several levels of meaning at one and the same time.
9. John is mentioned as martus (G) – witness who has his martyria until the shedding of
blood because and to many who did not receive him. Martyria is one of John’s fundamental
ideas: John the Baptist, the Samaritan woman, the works (asah in Hebrew – ergon-erga, The OT,
the crowd, The The Ruah Ha-emet (H) -Parakletos, to pneuma tes aletheias G) (chapter 15) and
the disciples, The Father, the evangelist: all bear witness (martyria) to The Word.
10. The world did not know does not mean simply to perceive, but has the full Semitic sense
attached to knowledge in which personal involvement is always supposed.
11. Aman in the name that is an euquvalence of a person. Those receive The Word has the
power to become sons (ben – H – tekna (not huios) of God, was newly created in The Only Son
(Ben H - Huios G) of God. Those believe = amin (H) – pisteuein (G) - credere (L) = put the
whole ‘aman’, a commitment to God.
12. Those were born negatively not in blood, flesh and man’s will: all human capacities but
the Dabar (Logos) became (in passivum theologicum: totally of God) flesh – basar (H) – sarx
(G) – caro (L) and has his real presence as the tent in the desert is the presence of Yhwh. Basar is
not evil, the antithesis of God; but it is transitory, mortal, and imperfect, and at first glance
incompatible to God. John was striking the docetims, a gnostic view that the incarnation is only a
matter of appearance (G dokeo = seem) and monophysitism (one physic).
13. The kabod (H) – doxa (G) – gloria (L) is the real presence of the abstract God visibly
manifested, especially in the connection with the Tent of Meeting (Ex 40) and the Temple
(1Kings 8:11).
14. The pre-existence of the Word is above the presence of Torah through Moses and The
OT.
15. The superiority of The Word over the prophets and The OT: through whom, not through
the Torah, comes hesed (H) – xaris (G)– gratia (L) = grace = freely given: the loving kindness
exercised by God toward Israel in election and covenant (used only in this prologue); and emet
(H) – aletheia (G), veritas (L) = truth not a thing but God himself who is faithful and reliable in
his covenant commitment (used 25 times in the gospel) that can be translated in its more proper
Greek sense as ‘truth’, for it represents from OT as divine revelation (8:32) and therefore is
identified with Jesus himself (14:6 way, truth, life).
16. The final title of this part (verse 18) can be read ‘God, the only Son’ or ‘the only-begotten
Son’: the sense is the same for John has already identified The Word with The Son, and The Son
with God. He is in The Father’s bosom: denotes the complete intimacy, a community of life.

17. Dabar = Logos = Verbum = Word is a central theme in the Bible, dominating every major
strand of biblical literature. It denotes that God is a speaking, revealing, and communicating
God. From Genesis, there is an equivalence of word/speaking and fact/matter. Psalms summarize
that the word is God himself who creates. The Torah also is a revealed Word of God. The
Pentateuchal legislation is likewise promulgated by God who speaks. The nebi’im with oracle,
vision, word that received from God who speaks. In hokmah literature, the wisdom is offered by
God who speaks through the wise men. John identifies the word as Jesus. This is parallel to
Paul’s teaching that the wisdom of god visited earth in the form of Jesus. Similarly, the writer to
the Hebrews directly applies wisdom terminology drawn from widom to Christ. The same in
Apkalypsis. So, for the Bible, the Dabar = Logos = Verbum = Word is God and paramountly
Jesus Christ.

THE WORD FORMS THE FIRST CLASS OF

IS DISCIPLES
1. The Dabar-Logos-Verbum-Word with the titles: God, life, light, flesh, full of grace and
truth, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, surpassed John and the prophets. Now John the Baptist
introduces Jesus as seh Elohim in H – amnos tou theou in G – agnus Dei in L, The Lamb of God.
The Passover lamb and more probably the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah 53:7-12 where the
Servant is compared to a lamb (LXX) who bore the iniquity of many. It is an apocalyptic title for
the Messiah; the militant-yet-slain lamb of Apocalyptic 5:6ff in turn, a combination of this figure
with that of the lamb of sacrifice.
2. There are two disciples of John who as the Jewish tradition find for themselves a rabbi
not as in Synoptic: the teacher calls his disciples. The meeting, the question, the answer
and have their hora = hour four o’clock is the process and the kairosI = grafeul time not just
chronos = physical time.
3. Only one with name ‘Andrew’, a G word means ‘man’. The second one, the anonymous
one is whomsoever who decides to follow the rabbi. The third one is Kefa (a H name – in
G Petros means the ‘rock’. It is not as the synoptic tradition that Peter is primus inter pares. Peter
should acknowledge Messiah H – Christos. In its basic sense the term refers to a person who has
been consecrated to a high office by ceremonial anointing with oil. In the ancient world priests
and kings were so anointed as a practice reflected at 1 Kings 19:16, Psalm 133:2. The anointing
to an office gave a person high and sacred status and assured authority, reference, and respect.
4. The fourth was Natanael, two H words nathan = give and El. As the two first disciple,
now Nathanael has misunderstanding about the humble origin of the rabbi. Jesus gives the
explanation that Nathanael is truly ( be-emet in H - alethos in G) Israelite, under the fig tree (as
in patriarchs). Nathanae l learn the name of the Ben-Elohim in H – Huios tou Theou in G – filius
Dei in L. The disciple has kairos, the graceful time to learn with Jacob who sees the angels
malak in H – aggelos in G. The experiences of Abraham when sacrifices his son and Moses on
Horeb: see the angel: the concrete presence of God who is Yhwh = Adonai = Elohim when
express his abstractness.

THE FIRST SEMEION (SIGN) AT KANA

1. In John 1:39 it is mentioned ‘the day’ as the ‘first’ day and the ‘saah’ in H (saat in
Indonesian) ‘hora’ in G = hour: tenth hour (four o’clock). Then ‘on the morrow’ (1:43) as the
‘second’ day. In 2:1 the ‘third’ day there was a marriage. Jesus continues the process of
formation of his disciples.
2. Theological topology. The first and the second day happen in Judea. The third day in
Galilee at Cana. Then 2:13 Jesus went to Jerusalem. 4:3-4 from Judea to Galilee passing through
Samaria. 4:43 from Samaria to Galilee. 5:1 to Jerusalem. 6:1 in Galilee. 7:10 to Jerusalem then
until the passion and resurrection.
3. The technique of misunderstanding begins with the mother of Jesus (without name in the
whole gospel of John) who was called ‘woman’ as from Genesis. The possibility of
misunderstanding was passed by asking the servants to prepare water. Another possibility to
misunderstand that is: people need vine to drink but Jesus asks to prepare water to wash the feet
as the ritual of purification. Even the servants passed this misunderstanding.
4. Number six as the number of imperfection (Apokalypsis 13:18).
5. Misunderstanding of the steward of the feast because the wine is abundant and higher in
quality.
6. By doing this, Jesus manifests his glory = kabod in H = doxa in G. From the OT the
theophanies are the manifestations of God’s glory, his presence that can be experienced
concretely. The NT especially in John Jesus’ glory preexisted with the Father. It is revealed
through Jesus erga as full of grace and truth. The cross is the culminatingsign, the hora of
Christs’s kabod = doxa. God glorifies Jesus in his passion-resurrction and continues to do so
through the work of The Spirit (Ruah Qadosh in H – Pneuma Hagion in G. Paul until Hebrews
Jesus is a man whom God glorifies, has crowned with glory and honour because of his vicarious
suffering. Revelation 21:23 He is glory’s lamp, the reflection of glory, showing the true character
of God.
7. His disciples believed. The Hebrew word ‘aman’ and its cognates emuna and emet with
the basic meaning ‘be steady, firm and trustworthy’. The NT term is ‘pistis’, pisteuein. John uses
the verb to indicate the circumstance of believing. The NT community, like its OT counterpart,
identified faith primarily with trust, give one total self to God.
8. Sign. in Hebrew ot, in Greek semeion denotes a visible reminder or token of the
relationship between God and his people, particularly a ‘sign of covenant’. Synoptics use the
word dunamis in Greek – in Hebrew tukal: a word or action with dynamic power. John uses the
word ot in H -semeion – semeia = in G means ‘sign’ and me’asah in H - ergon – erga in G
means ‘work’. In John it is used repeatedly e.g. 4:34; 5:20.36; 6:28-29; 9:3-4; 10:25.37-38;
14:10-14; 15:24. The culmination of God’s work will be the accomplishing of his ultimate plan
(Apokalypsis 15:3), namely the establishment of the new heaven and the new earth (21:1-4).

THE SEMEION (SIGN) OF THE TEMPLE

1. Synoptics tell the temple story by the end of Jesus public life. John puts it at the
beginning.
2. They have almost the same story. In Synoptics the priests, the elders and the scribes ask
the authority.
3. In John the sign and Jesus answered that the sign is his body. The disciples aman the
scripture = katub in H – graphe in G and the word = dabar that Jesus dabar in H – logos that
Jesus eipen (not legein).
4. It is important in John that Jesus gave a sign and the disciples learn to aman (verse 22).
5. By the end of chapter 2:23-24 it is mentioned the Passover, many aman in his name that
is he himself.
6. Jesus does not trust = commit himself to them. In English there is a difference between
believe (verse 23) and trust (verse 24) as in H but the G has the same verb pisteuein.
FROM GROUP TO INDIVIDUAL DISCIPLE : A PHARISEE, A RABBI

1. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews is one of the candidates to become disciple.
2. He comes by night. It is darkness, evil, sin, not knowing anything. But he acknowledges
Jesus as rabbi from God and the semeia done by God through Jesus. As many in 2:23 also
Nicodemus in 3:2 acknowledges the semeia (plural): at Cana and the temple called in H miqdosh
– in G hieron with the content of ‘holy’. Then called by Jesus ‘my Father’s house = bet in H –
oikos in G.
3. Nicodemus gets opportunity to learn to become a disciple.
4. Jesus says: “Amen, amen” twice as certain and serious.
5. The process of misunderstanding begin with Jesus mentions to be born milma’lah in H –
anothen in G that has two meanings: from above and once again (anew).
6. Nicodemus gets the second meaning. Then Jesus explains the first meaning by insisting
the double ‘amen’ and the birth should be of water and Ruah = Pneuma not born of flesh (basar
in H – sarx in G with negative nuance not that dabar made basar in John 1:14.
7. Ruah (H) – pneuma (G) – spiritus (L) can mean wind, breath, or spirit. The wordplay in
John 3:8 with both meanings. The title Ruah Qadosh occurs 3 times in the OT (Psalm 51:12 and
Isaiah 63:10-11 (two times). In the NT Pneuma Hagion appears nearly one hundred times, more
than half in Luke-Praxeis. John mentions three times (1:33; 14:26; 20:22). In John 3 Jesus
teaches Nicodemus to see the connection between the Spirit and martyria not only a noun or an
act but the wholeness of a self to be Word of God and consequently a disciple to aman.
8. Jesus takes the example from the desert to explain the exaltation of the Son of man =
Ben-Adam (H) = Huios tou anthropou (G) = filius hominis (L). The gospel of John uses the Son
of man for Jesus in relation to John’s Christology of the descending and ascending redeemer
(3:13; 6:62; 1:51; 5:27; 6:27) and in relation to the death of Jesus, viewed as his glorification
(3:14; 12:23.34; 13:31).
9. Jesus speaks about God agape (not that eros or philos) in giving his only Son so all can
aman and will not be judged and condemned that is do not live in darkness (evil deeds) but in
light that is wrought in God. The Son saves the world ( = all in enmity with God) and gives
eternal life. The connection between Jesus and eternal life in Johannine literature (3:15-16; 6:68)
so that the disciples has eternal life (3:36; 5:24; 6:47.54; 10:28; 17:2-3; 1John 5:11.13), that
Jesus is life (11:25; 14:6; 6:48; 1John 1:2) and that he is, like the living God, the one who has life
in himself (1:4; 5:26).
10. Hebrew or = phos (G) = lux (L) as a metaphor of life. In John Jesus is the true light (1,
the light of the world (8:12; 9:5; 12:46; 1John 1:5-7), so also are believers in him ‘sons of light’
(12:36).
11. The darkness = hosek (H) = scotia (G) = tenebrae (L). John contrasts the realms of light
and darkness. The light, as John identified Christ (8:12) comes into the world (1:5) in order to
lead people out of spiritual darkness (12:46). Though people would reject Jesus’ message (3:19),
he urges his disciples to continue to walk in the light rather than to be misled into spiritual
darkness (12:35). 1John presents an even more pronounced contrast between light – God and
Christian community – and the darkness of the hateful and disobedient (2:9.11).

THE FIRST HALF-PAGAN WOMAN

DISCIPLE TO ALL SAMARITANS

1. A dark back-ground. He is a Samaritan considered half-pagan because they have their

own Torat (Pentateuch), the place of adoration at Gerizim and the specific Messiah called Ta’eb.
2. The switch of theological topology: Judea – passing Samaria – to Galilee. The meeting
beside the well. The tradition from Abraham, Jacob, Moses about this kind of meeting ended
with the marriage.
3. Her personal darkness and the process of becoming a disciple.
4. Jesus starts with asking physical water while the disciples go to buy the food. The
process of misunderstanding.
5. Jesus moved to the gift of God that is the living water. The most complex water
symbolism in the NT may be of the gospel of John, where water occurs as a focal point of
several incidents. In addition to the baptism of Jesus (1:26-33), seven of this water pericopes are
unique to John: (1) water to wine (2:7-9; 4:46) (2) water in conversation with Nicodemus (3)
with the Samaritan woman (4) the pool of Bethzatha (5) water at the feast of Tabernacles (6)
washing of the disciples’ feet (7) water and blood that flowed from the crucified’s side. John
uses water almost exclusively to express his theology of the Spirit, which is closely linked to the
activity of the Spirit. The living water, water of life in Apokalypsis 21:6; 22:1.17; 7:17 denotes
genuine, everlasting life, life eternal, for which those in this earthly life thirst.
6. Then husband, baalim as the Israelites have Yhwh as husband but zinah = having other
husbands. The monotheism in front of polytheism.
7. The woman called Jesus as nabi and connects this title with the place of adoration. The
theological topology: even though the salvation is from the Jews but the worship is in spirit and
truth.
8. The concept of truth is prominent in the Johannine writings: God is true, i.e. reliable in
his martyria through Jesus whom he has sent (3:33; 7:28; 8:26.40; 17:3; 18:37; 1John 5:20. Jesus
is true light, true bread, true vine. Jesus is the truth himself. The Spirit of truth. True Christian
life in truth. Pilate even asks: “What is the truth = emet (H) = aletheia (G) = veritas (L).
9. The knowledge of the woman about Messiah leads her to autopresentation =
automanifestation = autotheophany: Ehyeh asher eyher = Ego eimi (G) = Ego sum (L).
10. The disciples come and the woman goes to invite the others to come and have their
process to be disciples.
11. The disciples get the teaching that the real food is to do God’s will and to accomplish his
work. Also the missionary work.
12. The Samaritans get their opportunity to learn to be disciples by believing and
experiencing that Jesus was the Saviour of the world. In the gospel of John Jesus is presented as
the one sent to save the world (3:17; 4:42; 12:47). This universal focus is the counterpart to a
focus on the individual, ‘whoever believes’. Including John, the NT acknowledges the
relationship of the salvation in christ to the salvation history in the Jewish people, even goyim
(H) = ethne (G) = gentes (L).