Short texts Big ideas

July 12, 2022 ( eight more sleeps )

Good afternoon,

There are some passages in the Bible that are all-defining for the faith of people:
Genesis 1-2 ( creation and the beginning of the world…)
Micah 6:6-8 ( love mercy, do justice … )
I Corinthians 13 ( the love chapter )
Ephesians 2 ( breaking down the wall of hostility… )
Matthew 5-7 ( the Sermon on the Mount )

Jesus, in the Gospel of John, at the last supper with his friends, is one of those kinds of passages. It begins at the beginning of chapter 13, and does not end until 18:1. Please read the meal conversation at one of your own meals, or at least at one sitting while you are on the couch. Jesus seems to be trying to get all the words to his friends before the night turns to death. He must have been sad, tense and worried.

Who wrote all these words down ? The person did not have a notepad. He did not have a computer or a cell phone, or a copy machine. Writing material was expensive and time consuming to make. But some people remembered what had been said. The Last Supper was around 33 A.D., and John did not write his Gospel until between 8–100 A.D. . We do not know for sure which one of many men called John who was writing the story of Jesus. If it was the disciple then he might have been between 70-80 years of age. Did he remember it all ? Or was it passed down orally from disciple to disciple for decades ? I do not remember what I was going to get in the kitchen. I could not remember it. But it was a different time and place.

So, next week, I will begin with foot washing from chapter 13. Matthew, Mark and Luke do not mention the action. Paul, when talking about the celebration of the Lord’s supper, does not mention it. How have you experienced foot washing ?

Grace and peace in our Lord Jesus of Nazareth/Christ.
Fred
Chaos in the winds
Scattering my troubled thoughts
to land on soft clouds            Monica Pieper Landoni 2022