Welcome back to the Gospel of John. Early on in my years of ministry I would invite people to read the Gospel of John. If they were exploring the faith of Jesus for the first time, and they would ask where do I start in the Bible, I would say to read John. I am not sure why I said this. The book reads well in English. Jesus says lots of things. There are many miracles. And the world of Jesus in the Last Supper is about who Jesus was, is, and will be in the future. We are now in chapter six of John:
“A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened.But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” John 6:18-20 Do you remember this story from the other Gospels ? Peter is the main character. He steps out of the boat, and walks for a moment and then falls in the water. Jesus pulls him out. Jesus says he has little faith. In John’s version, no mention of Peter. It is as if he is taking a shortcut across the water. The disciples are afraid, but they let him in. End of story.
This reveals to me the wonderful humanity found in the writing of the Bible. The Gospel writers wrote their story of Jesus in their own way. They picked out certain events and wrote them in their own style. Why did John leave out the Peter part of the story ? John wrote it for a different purpose. What do you think is the reason ? Why do we tell stories in a certain way. We leave out certain events of our own lives, to save us from embarrassment and judgement or from some other reason.
Prayer Thank you Lord for John’s storytelling abilities. His words jump off the page, landing in our hearts , so that we might, believe in your son, Jesus of Nazareth . AMEN
Fred
Chaos in the winds Scattering my troubled thoughts to land on soft clouds Monica Pieper Landoni 2022
