The gospel which John wrote is unique!
First the tone of the gospel of John reflects, and is centered in his friendship with Jesus while on earth!
Unlike the other gospels which give you more of the facts, the history, the progression of the life and times of Jesus, John gives you the Reality—the signs, the wonders and all the good eternally practical stuff. Then walks you out into where it is actually happening. Gotta love mystical writers—i.e. those who spend lots of time in the spiritual realm in order to interpret and give meaning to the natural realm.
John had that balance.
While Peter focuses us on the spiritual continuum of living hope, which the prophets learned and lean into, based in Jesus future actions on our behalf, John takes us into what He is doing now, and in the past, and in the future, so we can encounter a true context for purpose and meaning daily down here. In this sense, it is the most practical of the gospels. But in an unusual way.
His friendship with Jesus was his basic spirituality. He was a friend of Jesus (Jesus even gives him care of His own mother from the cross), so it makes since, that he went where Jesus was after He died on earth. He went to heaven and kept hanging out with Jesus as a friend. That was the nature of their relationship!
Thus, he wrote from heaven and earth about his good friend. So, we have a very unique revelation of the nature and life of Jesus in John’s writings! I relate to that way. The spirituality of St John makes sense to me. It’s a spirituality based in true friendship and intimacy. That is his challenge for us in our own personal relationship with Jesus as well. Can we become friends with Him, in such a way, He can lean over and tell us what He is really thinking feeling doing etc….
There is no distance in John’s gospel between him and Jesus—they are close. So he starts out with the Cosmic Christ who was there from the beginning, then ends up in the book of Revelation, with the future Christ intervening still with humanity. This revelation is based in friendship. So John stayed with Christ after He died and was resurrected. It is interesting that God let him live a long time as well, and appears to be one of the few apostles who was not martyred, but lived out his life into old age. Maybe Jesus just wanted to be with Him on earth for a longer time than most.
This gospel is unique and authentic linguistically as well.
It is the gospel of Jesus the Logos, Jesus the Son of God, Jesus the bringer of Grace and Truth, Jesus the one to follow after John the Baptist pointed to Him. This is a gospel centered geographically around Jerusalem rather than His Galilee ministry, and filled with the signs of Jesus while on earth! Here is the unique way of faith emphasized rather than law. Faith as a new way of entering the realm of God and His Kingdom.
John’s personal spirituality of friendship allowed this vision or knowing to be recorded. It is for this reason a great gospel, and unique in emphasizing certain aspects of Jesus personal life few writers touched or knew, or could express so poetically.
Here is the gospel of the tactile smell of perfume being broken over Jesus’ feet—a sensuous telling of Jesus’ Life on earth; and in John’s letters we see this tactile quality as well– of seeing touching the actual Logos who became flesh and dwelt among us, as a human being like us and with us.
The one he describes as The Light coming into the darkness. The Logos become flesh. The one who came into humanity which rejected him. Here is the son of man and son of God combined. As Jesus and John were friends on earth and in heaven.
In this way John’s personal spirituality is uniquely challenging for us to know Jesus as friend on earth, and as heavenly King simultaneously. To be both very down to earth, and living in heaven at the same time in our relationship with Christ. To know Him as both Cosmic Christ and Jesus our friend who washes our feet. As Jesus the wine maker (Cana’s miracle is only mentioned in this gospel). Here is a writer who is both mystic and very practical pastor, caring about the daily needs of others.
Eugene Peterson called John a theologian, poet and pastor. That’s about right. For John was a God-thinker, who had a baptized and prophetic imagination, and a carer for real people with real earthly needs! All three are reflected in his spirituality and writings! And we are challenged to emulate all three aspects in our own lives as well!
We have so much to learn from John’s practical and mystical spirituality about friendship with our Divine and very on earth Lord Jesus!
Each gospel has its nuances of who Jesus really was and is; but this one is particularly revealing of the Identity of Christ, and worth a deep and encountering meditation!
When we look at the four gospels we have to interpret the personal spiritualities of the writers—what their unique relationship with Jesus was like.
We need to sense what part of Him they were intimate with and could therefore reflect and express best. We have Luke the doctor historian, Mark the careful recorder, Mathew the thorough etc….each had their unique way of reflecting different dimensions of who Jesus really was, and is! And there are windows in each of the beautiful multifarious Nature of Christ in each. We do well to peer through each window to know more of the endless Identity of Our Lord and Savior who came to earth and dwelt among us as a real friend and king, and made us children of His Father, and brothers and sisters with Him.
Often people think of mystics as impractical people, but in St John we have quiet the opposite–a very practical mystic concerned with, as he wrote, revealing the true nature of who Jesus was, is and will be always!
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