Notes for Tuesday, May 6th

John 8:12-30 Jesus the Light of the World


Prelude

John’s theme of “Light.” Jn 1:1-5

Still the Festival of Booths (remembering the time wandering in the desert)

Significance of light in context of the festival: Exodus 13:21-22.

Lighting of huge lamps during festival.

Jn 8:12

For whom is Jesus the light and how does this differ from the pillar of fire in Exodus?

Widening covenant:

To a man in Abraham.

To a nation through Moses.

Now, Jesus is the covenant to the world.

What is the significance of the symbolism of light?

Poignancy of darkness.

Isaiah 9:2-4; Lk 1:67-79.

God is beyond comprehension, but we understand through analogies.

What are some analogies of God?

See 1Jn1:5. God is light. What does this tell us about God? (theo’l note)

Jn 8:13-14

Testimony requires multiple witnesses. Who else testifies to Jesus?

Jn 5:31-32.

What does he mean in verse 14?

Jn 8:15-16

Why can’t the Pharisees understand?

They also couldn’t understand the teaching on the Eucharist, Jn 6:62.

What does Jesus mean when he says he judges no one?

Creed: “From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.”

Analogy of light.

Jn 8:17-18

Once again, the issue of two witnesses. Where did the Father testify on Jesus’ behalf?

Jn 8:19

The Pharisees ask where his father is.

Contrast their attitude with Jn 14:8.

If they knew Jesus, they would know the Father. Why don’t they know Jesus?

Advanced Questions

A prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas describes two types of darkness brought about by original sin (cf. CCC 374-77):

Creator of all things
true source of light and wisdom
lofty origin of all being
graciously let a ray of your brilliance
penetrate into the darkness
of my understanding
and take from me the double darkness
in which I have been born
an obscurity of both sin and ignorance

The darkness of sin.

In what ways does God dispel this darkness?

Strategies for cooperating with God’s transforming grace?

Ultimately fulfilled in heaven.

O felix culpa – heaven will be better than the original state of justice.

The darkness of ignorance.

In what ways does God dispel this darkness?

Continued guidance of the Church.

Levels of doctrine.

Week XVII John 8:1-11 Christ with the Woman Taken in Adultery, Tues, 4/12

John 8:1-5
•What laws governed the sin adultery? What was the penalty?
-Lev 20:10, Deut 22:22, 23-24
•Does the law only apply to woman?
•Why did not they also bring the man?
-Lk 11:53-54

John 8:6
•why it’s a tricky question?
-If Jesus said “no”
-If Jesus Said “yes”
•Which answer were the Pharisees expecting Jesus to make?

John 8:7
•According to the law, who should be the 1st to throw a stone
-Deut 17:7

John 8:8
•What might Jesus have written? This is the only account of Jesus writing anything.
•What had God written with his finger in OT?
-EX 31:18
•Who’s the author of the law?
•What did St John imply by writing down this detail?

John 8:9
•Why did the Pharisees leave one by one?
•Why was Jesus’ answer a tricky one?
-What would the man to throw the 1st stone be claiming?
-If they stone her, what would the Romans react?
-If they let her go, who’s breaking the law, Jesus or they?

John 8:10
•How witness does it take to condemn someone of breaking the law?
-Deut 17:5-7, 19:15
-How many witness left to condemn the woman?

John 8:11
•What was Jesus command to the woman?
•Can one assume that a personal encounter with Jesus is adequate for salvation?
-CCC 162
•What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?
-LK 9:23-24

Should this story be in the Bible?
•Should this story be in the Bible?
•Who decided what should be included in the Bible? And by what criterion?
-CCC120, 1117

What does this story teach about?
•Does this story teach about relaxing moral rules?
-Rom 3:8, 6:1,15
•What does the law pronounce against us?
-Rom 3:19-20, 4:15, 7:9, CCC 708
•How does the law bring us to Christ?
-Gal 3:24-26, CCC 1982
•What’s the relationship between Christ and Law?
-CCC1982-1985, 1963-1964
•What can we learn from this story when we engage in arguments?

Week XVI John 7:32-53 Is Jesus Christ? 4/8, Tues.

John 7:32-36
•What was Jesus talking about?
•What did the Jew think Jesus mean?

John 7:37-39
•What day was the last and greatest day of the feast?
•What were the Jews doing on that day?

Living Water
•Where have we already heard this message about being thirst and living water?
-Jn 4:10-14
•Where in OT did Jesus refer to when he said “Rivers of living water will flow from within him”?
-Ex 17:6,Ezek 47:1
•What does the water refer to?
•Where does the living water come from?
-Jesus: Jn 2:21, 19:34
-Church: 1 Peter 2:5CCC 1179
-Heaven: Rev 22:1, 17

John 7:40-43
•Where in OT it was prophesized about “Messiah from Bethlehem, David's family “?
-PS 89:3-4, Mic 5:1-2

Is Jesus Christ?
•What’s Jesus’ last name?
•What does Messiah mean?
•What’s the Jewish understanding of Messiah?
-Orthodox Judaism believes in a unique future physical messiah who will usher in the messianic age of war before peace to the world.
-Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism do not accept the idea that there will be a messiah as a physical being.
•What’s the Christian understanding of Messiah?
-CCC 453

John 7:44-49
•How Pharisees’ words show their attitude toward common man?

John 7:50-53
•Where did we heard about Nicodemus before? Later?
-Jn 3, Jn 19:39
•What did it show about Nicodemus’ spiritual development?
• Did any Pharisees believe in Jesus?
-CCC 595

Advanced questions
•Why did Pharisees hate Jesus so much?
-Jn 3:19, 1 Jn 3:12, CCC596
•Please review John 7