John is calling his audience to a full confession of resurrection faith: Jesus is God in the flesh, and therefore his claims cannot be compromised, for synagogue or for Caesar. John will settle for no faith less secure than this. Further, while Thomas " s faith by sight is accepted, the faith without sight expected of John " s audience is greater (20:29; cf. 2Сог 5:6–7 ; 1Рет 1:8 ). It is grounded in the beloved disciplés testimony sampled in the Gospel (20:30–31), confirmed to hearers by the Paraclete (15:26–16:15). 10778 E.g., Ellis, Genius, 297–98; Minear, «Functions.» The «signs» include the resurrection chapter (esp. 20:27, 29) but also the rest of the «signs» in this Gospel (with, e.g., Lightfoot, Gospel, 336). 10779 E.g., Aeschines Timarchus 196; Cicero Fin. 5.32.95–96; Or. Brut. 40.137; Polybius 39.8.3; Dionysius of Halicarnassus Demosth. 32; Thucyd. 55; Musonius Rufus 6, pp. 54.26–56.11 (esp. 54.26; 56.7–11); Aelius Aristides Fifth Leuctrian Oration 43–44; Rhet. Alex. 36,1443b.l5–16; 1444b.21–35; 37, 1445b.21–23; Hippolytus Haer. 10.1; Anderson, Rhetorical Theory, 181–82; less fully, cf. Matt 28:18–20; Rom 16:17–19 . Of course, open or abrupt endings also appear, as in Магк 16 (see our comments on Магк 16:9–20 above, on the resurrection tradition). 10780 E.g., Isaeus Estate of Cleonymus 48, out of fifty-one paragraphs. Often they come at the conclusion of the proofs, though this might be near the work " s end (Cicero Quinct. 28.85–29.90), possibly relevant here; they could also conclude a section (Xenophon Hel1. 3.5.25, ending book 3; 4.8.19, ending only some events; Polybius 2.71.7–10, esp. 2.71.7–8; Cicero Fin. 3.9.31; Quinct. 19.60). 10781 Aeschines Timarchus 111. After his closing summary (Polybius 39.8.4–6), Polybius adds only closing comments (39.8.7–8). 10782 Achtemeier, «Miracle Workers,» 176. Even if redactional, Homer " s claim that Aeneas would rule the Trojans (Il. 20.303–308) is pre-Virgil and virtually invited the sort of development one finds in Virgil Aeneid. 10783 E.g., Valerius Maximus 2.7.5; 3.8.ext.l; Musonius Rufus 10, p. 78.22. Epideictic bards might also complain that time provided the only limit on their praises (Pindar Nem. 4.33–34; O1. 2.95; Pyth. 4.247–248; cf. Heb 11:32). In many oral genres, one should limit onés examples (Menander Rhetor 2.4, 393.25–30). 10787 Dionysius of Halicarnassus Thucyd. 55; Isaeus 19–20; Demosth. 42,46, 58; Lit. Comp. 11. More detailed discussion might await another occasion, but he needed to use most wisely the space that he had (Demosthenes 32; Isaeus 14); he wanted to avoid wasting the reader " s time (Demosthenes 40).

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It was still imitated in the early Christian period, 9240 probably including the most explicit examples we have of the Johannine community " s prophetism, the letters of Rev 2–3, 9241 in which the term λγχω appears in Rev 3:19; the term also describes other early Christian prophecies ( 1Сог 14:24 ; cf. Luke 3:19). 3. The Charges If λγχω means here «to prosecute,» then the three parallel περ clauses represent the charges leveled against the opponents of the community. As Holwerda notes, «In a judicial process it would seem proper that when conviction occurs the grounds for conviction would also be presented.» 9242 The cm clauses probably explain the shorter, single-word charges; Carson " s objection to the on explicative is predicated on his improbable view that v. 10 refers to the world " s (pseudo-)righteousness. 9243 The conclusion of my exegetical analysis is virtually the same as that of W.H.P. Hatch: First, that it has sinned because it has not believed in Christ; second, that believers are justified or acquitted because Christ has gone to the Father to act as their advocate (παρκλητος); and third, that evil has been condemned because the ruler of this world (the devil) has been condemned. The whole context is forensic. 9244 The Paraclete would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9245 the sin is 9246 the world " s unbelief in the Son, the one provision for salvation (v. 8; cf. 1:29, 8:24); 9247 the righteousness is that of God and his people, established by the vindicated, exalted Jesus as heavenly advocate against all the accusations of the world (v. 9; cf. 8:46); 9248 the judgment (condemnation) is that the ruler of the world, the accuser of God " s true people, has been judged in Jesus» glorification and shown to be wrong (v. 11; cf. comment on 12:31–32,14:30–31). The Paraclete continues Jesus» ministry of exposing the world " s sin (3:20; 7:7; 15:22). Christ " s own δικαιοσνη–jusmificamion, or vindication–is established by the Father " s witness in enthroning him; 9249 the disciples» δικαιοσνη is established because they are bound together with him in the Spirit and his exaltation is their vindication as well (cf. 1 John 2:1 ). 9250 But just as the believers are justified with Christ, so also is the world condemned 9251 in its ruler (16:11). 9252

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10982 A probably later tradition, purportedly stemming from the late first century, claims that though all the seas were ink and the earth scrolls, R. Eliezer and R. Joshua, teachers of R. Akiba, believed it would not be enough to record all the Torah that they had learned, and they had understood at most a drop of what there was to understand about Torah. 10983 The number of books actually available in John " s day would have been limited in any case, but estimates remained hyberbolic. One widespread Jewish story offers an estimate on the number of books then in circulation; Demetrius of Phalerum reportedly sought to collect for Ptolemy all the books in the world (Let. Aris. 9), which came to over 200,000, reaching for 500,000 (Let. Aris. 10). The point is that the author provided only a small selection of Jesus» works; 10984 Jesus is further praised by what the author must leave unsaid (cf. Heb 11:32). What John does include, however, is sufficient to summon his audience to deeper faith and was selected for that purpose (20:30–31). 10963 Cf, e.g., Hunter, John, 197; Minear, «Audience,» 348; Blomberg, Reliability, 37–39. «Siblings» here refers to believers, at least (though not necessarily exclusively) in the Johannine circle of believers (cf. Brown, John, 2:1110). 10966 Carson, John, 684, though allowing that it may refer to the elders of the Ephesian church; Köstenberger, John, 195. Cf. 3:11; the apostolic circle in 1:14; 1 John 1:2,4 (though church tradition makes John its final survivor). 10968 As frequently noted, e.g., Bultmann, John, 718. Theodore of Mopsuestia thought that 21was a later editorial addition, but there is no textual evidence for this view (Sinaiticus " s first hand omits and then corrects the verse; Birdsall, «Source»). 10969 This is the only verse in John that Robinson, Trust, 83, thinks must be an addition. Morris, John, 879; but his secondary appeal to the transition from plural to singular in 1 Thess 2may recall Silvanus and Timothy (1 Thess 1:1). 10970 Cullmann, Circle, 2. This might be the «elders of the Ephesian church» (Hunter, John, 198), though we think Smyrna somewhat more likely. 10971 The final verses establish the beloved disciplés authority, but not necessarily against Peter (Kysar, John, 321). Smith, John (1999), 400, thinks 21attests that probably «the Beloved Disciplés witness authorized the Gospel,» though he doubts that he actually wrote it down. 10972 E.g., P.Eleph. 1.16–18; 2.17–18; P.Lond. 1727.68–72; P.Tebt. 104.34–35; P.Co1. 270.1.25–28; BGU 1273.36–40; P.Cair.Zen. 59001.48–52; the Aramaic git from Wadi Murabbáat ca. 72 C.E. (Carmon, Inscriptions, 90–91, 200–201); Cicero Quinct. 6.25; cf. further comments in Epictetus (LCL 1:136–37 η. 1). Prof. Dale Martin, then of Duke University, first pointed out this correspondence with legal documents to me (January 23, 1990).

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Traditionally some have viewed Jesus» intercession in this passage in terms of the OT role of high priest 9393 (Jesus» role in some early Christian traditions; Heb 2:17; 3:1; 4:14–15; 5:10; 6:20; 7:26; 8:1; 9:11); the chapter title «Jesus» High-Priestly Prayer» has circulated since the theologian David Chyträus (1531–1600). 9394 But Jewish tradition also emphasized the intercessory role of prophets; 9395 more significantly, the probably testamentary character of the final discourse might point to patriarchal blessings, 9396 particularly the prayer and blessing of Moses ( Deum 32–33 ), 9397 as background. But because the content of these blessings does not parallel John 17 very closely, 9398 » one may need to look to the experience of John " s audience for more of the content. A variety of backgrounds are possible, but most important within the context of the Fourth Gospel is that Jesus becomes, before his exaltation, the first Paraclete, or intercessor ( Rom 8:26; 1 John 2:1 ; see extended comment on 14:16). 9399 This suggests that John 17 models part of the ministry of the Paraclete who would come after Jesus» departure (14:16) and of those who share his ministry (15:26–27). 9400 The Fourth Gospel presents the Paraclete especially as an advocate or prosecutor in the disciples» conflict with the world, but Jesus has also been promising them more direct access to the Father in prayer once he goes to the Father (14:13–14; 15:7, 16; 16:26–27). The setting of the prayer is essentially the same as that of the last discourse, excepting the specific mention of a change in Jesus» posture. «Lifting up» onés «eyes» was a common posture of prayer (11:41; cf. Магк 6:41; 7:34 ) in early Judaism (1 Esd 4:58; 4 Macc 6:6, 26) 9401 and appeared among Gentiles. 9402 Because God was envisioned as being in heaven, 9403 both Jews 9404 and Gentiles 9405 regularly lifted their hands in prayer, supplication, or worship. Reciprocal Glory of Father and Son (17:1–5) John 17:1–5 alludes back to previous declarations that the hour of glory had come, through which the Father and Son would glorify one another in the cross (12:23–24, 28; 13:31–32).

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And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth (Gen. 7:6). And Noah lived after the (beginning of the) flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died (Gen. 9:28-29). The correctness of the inserted words is confirmed by the sum 600 + 350=950. By analogy, Shem was an hundred years old (as the flood came upon the earth) , and begat Arphaxad two years after the (beginning of the) flood (Gen. 11:10); that is, at the age of 102. Further (cf. Gen. 11:12-25), Arphaxad live 135 years and begat Cainan. After 130 years Cainan begat Salah; in 130 year Salah begat Eber; in 134 years Eber begat Peleg: in 130 years Peleg begat Reu; in 132 year Reu begat Serug; in 130 year Serug begat Nahor; in 79 years Nahor begat Terah. It follows that Terah was born in year 2162 + 102 + 135 + 130 + 130 + 134 + 130 + 132 + 130 + 79=3394 from the creation of man. And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran ; the eldest of them was Haran (cf. Gen 11:26-29). Inasmuch as Terah died in Haran at the age of 205, when Abram was 75 (cf. Gen. 11:31-32; 12:4-5), then Terah begat Abram at the age of 205 – 75=130. Abram-Abraham begat Isaac at age 100 (cf. Gen. 17:1-6; 21:5). Isaac begat Jacob at age 60 (cf. Gen. 25:25-26; 35:28); that is, in the year 3394 + 130 + 100 + 60=3554 from the creation of man. Jacob begat Joseph (cf. Gen. 30:22-24). At age 17 Joseph was sold by his brothers into Egyptian slavery (cf. Gen. 37:2-28): Prof. A. P. Lopukhin designates that at age 30, Joseph had been a slave for 13 years. At age 30, Joseph was presented to Pharoah (cf. Gen. 41:14-16, 46); after seven years of plenty and two years of hunger (cf. Gen. 41:25-30; 45:4-11) Joseph sent his brothers to bring his father, giving them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and … provision for the way (Gen. 45:21). Jacob, arriving in Egypt with his family, was presented to Pharoah at age 130 (cf. Gen. 47:7-9). It follows that Jacob-Israel (cf. Gen. 32:28) begat Joseph at age 130 – (30 + 7 + 2)=91. And inasmuch as his brothers who came to Egypt at Joseph’s request called themselves Pharoah’s slaves (cf. Gen. 46:33-34; 47:3-4), then the beginning of captivity of the future people of Israel should be considered the year 3554 + 91 + 17=3662 from the creation of man.

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9406 In the context of the entire Gospel, Jesus» return to glory here includes his exaltation but takes place by way of the cross. 9407 The reader of the Fourth Gospel is by now prepared for such a statement, but we should not miss the striking offensiveness of the language: glory was partly honor, whereas the cross was one of the greatest humiliations conceivable to the ancient Mediterranean mind. 9408 Jesus «looks for glory in the last place» the world would expect it. 9409 In this passage as in others, a complex of associations cluster together, including Jesus» glory and love, God " s name, and the revealing of God " s word; 9410 this is the natural outworking of the analogy with Moses introduced in 1:14–18 (see comment there). Thus Jesus» crucifixion and exaltation to the Father is the theophany that will reveal the divine name to the disciples. Jesus and the narrator had been declaring that his «hour» would «come» from 2onward (7:30; 8:20); from 12they have been declaring that it had finally arrived (12:27; 13:1; 16:32; cf. Магк 14:41 ). The request that the Father glorify the Son so that the Son might glorify the Father was in effect a request that the Father now hasten the cross (12:23–24; 13:31–32), revealing the Son " s love for, and devotion to, the Father. 9411 This prayer is strikingly different from Jesus» Gethsemane prayer in the Markan passion tradition, but John undoubtedly intends this prayer to complement Jesus» revulsion to the cross, not to contradict it. It continues the Johannine «Gethsemane» prayer of 12:27–28 9412 and fits «Your will be done» at the close of Магк 14:36 . Jewish literature often declared the eschatological sanctification 9413 or glorification of God " s name. Jewish literature also recognized that God must be praised or glorified in the present. 9414 Because onés «name» involved onés «honor,» it is not surprising that some texts link name and glory. 9415 Perhaps lest the accusers of John " s audience complain that glorifying Jesus detracted from God " s glory, John is at pains to demonstrate that it is the Father himself who glorifies Jesus and that Jesus» costly glory glorifies the Father (7:18; 8:50,54; cf.

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Craig S. Keener The ultimate model for love and service. 13:1–38 THE FOOT WASHING IN JOHN is the narrative introduction for the final discourse, part of the lengthy prolegomena to the Passion Narrative. Jesus» impending death dominates this scene. It intersperses Jesus» words and example of service (13:1, 3–10, 12–17, 31–35) with foreshadowings of his betrayal (13:2, 10–11, 18–30), then opens directly into discussion about Jesus» departure by way of the cross (13:36–38; 14:3–6). 8048 This scene therefore paves the way for the Farewell Discourse (13:31–17:26). 8049 By the foot washing Jesus prefigures his impending glorification, which is the theological subject of most of the context (12:16, 23, 28,41; 13:31–32). This act identifies Jesus as the Suffering Servant and defines his passion as an act of loving service. At the same time, however, it also summons Jesus» followers to imitate his model, serving and loving one another to the extent of laying down their lives for one another (13:14–16, 34–35). The Setting (13:1–3) John again links Jesus» imminent «hour» with the Passover season (13:1). (On the «hour,» see comment on 2:4; cf. 12:23.) In contrast to the Synoptic picture of the Last Supper, however, Jesus» closing hours before his arrest in this Gospel are «before» Passover (13:1). This detail fits John " s chronology (13:29; 18:28; 19:14, 31, 42), 8050 which ultimately supports his portrayal of Jesus as the paschal lamb (1:29,36; 19:36). At this point, however, John underlines a different aspect of the chronology: Jesus loved his own «to the end» (13:1). This is Johannine double entendre: it can imply «to the utmost,» «fully,» as well as «to the point of his death.» 8051 Such a double entendre reinforces the measure of God " s love in the Fourth Gospel (3:16) and early Christianity ( Rom 5:5–9 ): Jesus» death. The preceding context also illustrates Jesus» love (11:5) that would cost him his life (11:7–16), but here the specific objects of his love in the Lazarus story give way to all of «his own» (cf. 10:3) who would be remaining in the world (17:11).

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Sermon for the Feast of the Apostle Matthew 2015      The Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, like the Evangelist John, was one of the twelve Apostles, whereas the Evangelists Mark and Luke were of the Seventy. The Apostle Matthew was first called Levi, as we are told in Luke’s Gospel. As Peter was called Simon ( cf. St. Mark 3:16, St. Luke 6:14) and Paul was called Saul ( cf. Acts 13:19), each of them receiving a new name from Christ. Levi was a tax collector (i.e., publican) and spent his days in the tax collector’s booth (i.e., custom house), in Capernaum, collecting money from his fellow citizens. We can understand the type of employment Levi had, and how his countrymen thought of his trade, by reading what he wrote regarding publicans in his Gospel. We find that the word “publican” is used as a derogatory term and is often synonymous with “sinner” and “heathen.” For example, Matthew writes that if we love others as they love us we do not deserve a reward because even publicans do the same (St. Matt. 5:46-47). He also mentioned that Christ was viewed negatively because he was accused of eating with publicans and sinners (St. Matt. 9:10-11; 11:19). Another reference is made when he writes that if a Christian is corrected by an elder of the Church but does not listen, he is to be treated as a heathen and a publican (St. Matt. 18:17). Lastly, we see that publicans are even grouped with harlots, when Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees, said: “Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you” (St. Matthew 21:31). One day while Levi was applying his trade in the custom house, Jesus walked by and, upon seeing him, said, “Follow me.” It is said of Levi that at that moment, “he left all, rose up, and followed Him” (St. Luke 5:27, cf. St. Matthew 9:9). Next, the Apostle Luke writes: Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But [the] scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?” And Jesus answering said unto them, “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (5:29-32)

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This could be taken as corresponding to the more radical second-century gnostic ideologies, such as Valentinianism, where knowledge «is not only an instrument of salvation but itself the very form in which the goal of salvation, i.e., ultimate perfection, is possessed.» 9430 Such a view might, however, still equate knowledge with eternal life, which reading the grammatical construction in this manner would not. Further, a grammatical argument based on the classical force of να would be misleading; this construction in 17may simply represent a Semitism 9431 or, more likely, an example of the broadened use of conjunctions in Koine. 9432 In this case it means «that» (e.g., 4:34; 6:29), which is how translators usually take it. Knowing God includes embracing his revelation in Christ, sharing his «things» (16:13–15; 17:14, 17), particularly an intimate relationship of love with him (17:25–26). 9433 That Jesus glorified the Father «on the earth» (17:4) refers to the whole of his earthly ministry. Jesus was not «of the earth» (3:31) but spoke in earthly analogies (3:12) and, in a sense, provided, to some degree, an earthly analogy in his incarnate life to explain the character of God in humanly comprehensible form; finally, he would be lifted up from the earth into glory (12:32). 9434 In the cross, he finished the work the Father called him to do (cf. 4:34; 19:30), though his followers still need to be «completed» or perfected in unity (17:23). His request for glorification in 17repeats the thought of 17:1, except that it adds the notion of Jesus» precreation glory. This is no Jewish-Christian adaptation of the Hellenistic concept of apotheosis for heroes; 9435 Jesus is not becoming God but returning to the glory he shared with the Father before creation. His preincarnate glory appears in 12:41, but his precreation glory harks back to the very opening of the Gospel (1:1–2), manifested in a way obscure to the people among whom he lived in the Gospel (1:10–11,14). Prayer for the Disciples (17:6–24) The prayer is arranged chronologically; after Jesus prays for himself in 17:1–5, he turns to prayer for his disciples.

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Jesus warned that rejecting him meant rejecting God " s agent, for he and the Father were one (10:30). That Jesus» hearers would regard his words as blasphemous, hence take up stones (10:31), would not be surprising under such circumstances; nor would one normally hope to escape such a situation alive (11:8). As noted earlier (comment on 8:59), some others in the first century confronted such actions on the part of an angry mob; 7486 careful Roman legal procedure was undoubtedly not on their minds. John " s audience, however, would think of Jesus as God " s true agent rather than a blasphemer, and so would interpret the scene in a very different framework. As Glasson points out, Israel often murmured aganst Moses, and stoning was conjoined with murmuring in Exod 17(with Joshua and Caleb in Пит 14:10 ). 7487 They might also think of the Jewish wisdom tradition in which the wicked complain because the righteous one boasts that God is his father (Wis 2:16). When Jesus» enemies seek to stone him ( 10), John uses a regular term for such stoning (λιθζω, 10:31–33; 11:8; cf. 8:5) that appears twice in the LXX, both times in passages about a descendant of Saul opposing David ( 2Sam 16:6,13 ). Whereas the Maccabees were honored for good works at the feast (10:22), Jesus» enemies seek to stone him, the true Davidic Messiah, for his good works (10:32). 7488 Jesus reveals his opponents» character by contrasting their attempt to kill him with his good works (10:32; cf. 8:39–40; Acts 4:9); comparison was a standard rhetorical technique (e.g., Demosthenes On the Embassy 174), 7489 as was reductio ad absurdum (cf., e.g., commentaries on Gal 5:12 ). Jesus in fact declares that they seek to kill him because of his good works (10:32)–such as healing on the Sabbath (5:9; 9:14). 7490 In their minds, the issue at this point is not Jesus» works but his claims (10:33); 7491 for John, however, the works support Jesus» claims (10:25, 37–38). Ironically, though his opponents do not believe, they do «understand» his claim (10:38): they believe that he is claiming deity.

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