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| JOHN |
| Explanatory Footnotes - page 2 |
| 8:6 Belong in the Bible? Because most ancient manuscripts don't include this story about the woman caught in adultery, many scholars question whether it was added later or perhaps originally fell at a different place in the Gospel. According to the story, the Pharisees weren't following Moses' law, which required the woman's partner in crime to appear also. Interestingly, verse 6 records the only scene of Jesus writing. 9:2 Does Suffering Come Because of Sin? In this story, Jesus corrects a commonly-held notion that suffering comes because of sin. The healed man became a loyal spokesman for Jesus. His testimony, however, failed to convince the Pharisees, who also rejected Jesus' teaching about why the man had been born blind (verse 34). In typical style, John wove together the incident with Jesus' comments about a different kind of blindness. 11:53 Climax of the Drama John wrote his book with a great sense of drama. The first six chapters reveal the identity of Jesus. The next six chapters (7-12) show the increasingly divided opinions about Jesus. On the one hand, his disciples were won over, and Jesus gained a loyal following among the people. On the other hand, his enemies rejected all the evidence about him. Their opposition culminated in this plot, which finally brought about Jesus' death. 13:4 The Role of a Servant Before beginning an intimate meal with his disciples, Jesus gave them a lesson about humility. Normally, slaves performed the act of washing the feet of dinner guests. Here, Jesus, the guest of honor, dressed himself like a slave, with a towel around his waist, and insisted on washing the feet of his disciples. Paul comments on Jesus' servanthood in Philippians 2:5-11. |