The Bible’s New Testament: The Gospel of John IV: Jesus Rolls up His Sleeves and Leads by Example

Posted on October 16, 2013 by virgowriter

When I was a server, I dreaded when a good server moved into management.  Sure, there was always a learning curve for the new position, but I was bracing for the cardinal mistake I’d seen countless managers make: they forgot what it was like to be a server. For whatever reason, they lost touch with knowing how to work the floor, how and when to step in if a server was in the weeds, and how to make sure the flow of the restaurant made sense to the people that were charged with working it: the servers.  They made sure the host or hostess didn’t slam a particular station, which—when it happened—lead to other sections being slammed later as well as backing up the kitchen.  Slammed servers tend to take a bunch of orders at once, which slams the kitchen.

The worst managers offered a lot of textbook phrases about staying motivated throughout service and then hid in the office once they unlocked the front door.

I’ve felt this same issue translate to teaching, as I’ve seen a number of young teachers (and even some veterans) overload their students with assignments, neglect to provide prompt feedback on essays, and delay grading exams. You need to recall what it was like to be a student, I want to tell them. Sadly, I don’t know that they would listen.

A student’s job is to conform to the teacher’s standards, not the other way around. That’s why he or she is in charge, right? Just like servers are to fall in line with the manager, not the other way around, right?

Each Gospel has a few unique stories about Jesus, and most of these are pretty interesting, adding a different dimension to my impression of him.  One of the ones I appreciate the most is the example Jesus sets on the night of the Last Supper. As the meal was being served, he removes most of his clothes, fills a basin with water, and washed his disciples’ feet, even drying them with the towel around his waist when he was finished (13:4-5). When he was done with everyone, he explained himself – you are not better than those you serve (13:16).  He wanted them to follow his example and eliminate the master/slave paradigm.

This seems like a crucial part of that last night for Jesus. Yet it only appears in John.  All the other Gospels contain the Last Supper scene.  Aside from all of the miracles Jesus is purported to have performed, this seems one of THE moments that demonstrates just how strong and important of a leader Jesus was. One could perhaps roll their eyes at the miracle—yeah, prove they happened.  Here, though, is an action that demonstrates a point in a way that anyone could relate to—and learn from.  Why not include it in ALL of the Gospels?

So often you hear about and see leaders who are content to let their words do the talking. Few appear willing (or even capable) of rolling up their sleeves and setting an example through their actions. Jesus was apparently not opposed—and even embraced—leading by example. Given this, is easy to see why so many people lined up to listen to what he had to say.

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The Bible’s New Testament: The Gospel of John III – Jesus Takes One for Mom: The Water into Wine Miracle

Posted on October 13, 2013 by virgowriter

The Bible’s New Testament: The Gospel of John III – Jesus Takes One for Mom: The Water into Wine Miracle

When I was in junior high, my dad worked for an import/export business owned by a Chinese family.  One night, the boss asked Dad if his family would like to join his family for dinner in Chinatown. Understandably, Dad was flattered and Mom was interested.  My brother already had plans. I was looking forward to ordering pizza.

The invite had made clear that Dad’s sons were welcome as well. I was touched but was wondering how long I should wait to order that pizza.  No, Dad clarified, by “invited” my boss means “expected.” It would be insulting to turn down the invitation. I had no idea what restaurant we were headed to but I was positive there would be nothing I would eat. Tough, Dad said. You will eat what is placed in front of you and you will like it. Mom basically nodded.

On the second floor of the restaurant, we gathered at a round table that fit about 12. As the courses I arrived, I wanted nothing to do with the shark fin soup, the shrimp dish or, especially, the plate of partridges (heads intact), whose opened beaks were pointed in my direction, asking for the help I too desperately needed. Why did my parents feel the need to torture me this way? If only I could magically change some of this food to a pizza or at least chicken nuggets.

The Gospel of John discusses a few of Jesus’ miracles unmentioned in any of the other Gospels.  The set-up for one of these involves a wedding, to which Jesus, his disciples, and his mother go.  When the wine runs out, she tells her son, “They have no more wine.” Although it’s not mentioned, you can practically tell she’s saying: look, you may be the son of God and a lot of people may fall at your feet, but you can perform miracles and these people are in need, so get this done. Now. You can amost picture him rolling his eyes when he responds, “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” (2:4).

I have to admit, I rather enjoyed the image of Jesus pouting and resisting like a teenager.  This provided another glimpse of the human side to this man that made him more real for me.  He also concedes like a good son: he gives directions to servants to fill six 20-to-30 gallon jugs with water, to which Jesus turns into wine (2:6-7).

Since wine is so important to Christian services (and the Last Supper), it seems strange that this miracle only surfaces in John.  It’s also one of the few I knew about prior to reading the new Testament. Still, it’s an engaging scene—even if you choose not be believe in the wine miracle.  At its heart, it’s a story about a mother and son spending time together, with the son basically forced to comply.  See, even Jesus sucked it up and did things to please his mother.

When I was at dinner, I did my best to put on a good show for Dad’s boss and his family.  I nibbled on things here and there and consumed a TON of rice that night.  Still, even though I could have been a better sport, my dad’s boss was happy to have me there—family being so important in their culture. I may not have been happy about it at the time, but I am glad I went.

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The Bible’s New Testament: The Gospel of John II– Make Your Case by Developing Your Examples

Posted on October 10, 2013 by virgowriter

When I teach academic writing, I constantly emphasize to my students one principle: if you want to convince your audience, you need to develop your examples. If people are on your side, they won’t require much convincing—you are, in effect, preaching to the choir.  If your goal is to convince those who are disinclined to see your point of view, you have to convince them. To do, you need to present a solid case. You cannot make this case without providing your examples/reasons and then developing these examples so that the point is clear. That way, even if they don’t agree with you, at least they understand your position.

Sometimes, this is all you can ask from your audience.

Each of the Gospels approaches the life of Jesus in a slightly different way.  John tends to pick and choose which examples from Jesus’ life to explore, but the ones he does include, he tends to really develop these scenes/examples. The depth here does a pretty good job of establishing why—if you haven’t yet been convinced—why Jesus attracted such a strong following.

One of these examples is especially interesting because it apparently does not appear in the “earliest and most reliable manuscripts” of the Bible: 7:53-8:11.  I’m not sure if that invalidates its inclusion in the edition I have but it seems a pretty significant story to include.

While teaching in the temple courts, the teachers of the law and Pharisees bring in a woman who was caught in an act of adultery.  They were looking to see how Jesus would respond when they asked: The Old Law says we stone her. Should we? (8:4-5). Jesus began writing in the ground with his finger (apparently the only scene that shows him writing anything) and then he eventually responds to their question: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (8:7). He returned to writing. This challenge sends everyone away, until the only two left are Jesus and the woman. He then asks her if anyone has condemned her. With no one left, she says no. He says then he doesn’t either, and sends her on her way.

The message seems clear.  First, even though laws/rules are in place (The Old Testament), who is available to enforce them? How can someone stand in judgment of a person when he himself is imperfect? Second, Jesus puts a stop to people in power who seem all too eager to punish people; in this case, only the woman is present, not also the man responsible. The teachers may be thinking they are merely enforcing a hard line in respect to the laws; yet Jesus is the one with the hard line: These laws are too harsh. How can you expect people not to make mistakes?

Clearly, people responded to the reason and compassion that Jesus demonstrated towards people. By drawing out this scene, this becomes more clear than if it were shorter. Now I don’t know when this part was added (or why it might have been omitted from older texts) but it seems a wonderful example of why people shouldn’t go around judging others. If this section were really embraced, would people who constantly roadblock gay rights with the Bible think twice?

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