The Gospel of John and the Imagination

The Gospel of John  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Intro

Finish my sentence…
Eeny, meeny, miny...
Catch a tiger by the...
If he hollars let him...
Out goes Y....O....
To infinity and…BEYOND
Jesus says,
I am the way, the truth and the....LIFE
I am the vine you are the… Branches
For God so loved the world that he...
I am the Bread of…LIFE
He without sin cast the first… STONE
If you know the truth the truth will set you …FREE
Why were you able to answer these questions with such ease? Each of these sentences came from the gospel of John.
The reason you so easily recognize these sentences is because in the course of your life the gospel of John has become very familiar, it has been heard, read, memorized, studied, and taught.
The gospel of John is typically the first book we point people to when they have questions about the faith.
The reason for this is that John’s Gospel paints a picture of Jesus that see him as not only as the savior of Israel, the promised Messiah and King,
but John presents Jesus as the promised messiah and king and savior for the whole world.
in fact, John includes a purpose statement as to why he wrote his gospel and he has both believers and unbelievers in mind…
John 20:30–31 ESV
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The gospel of John is where we go to introduce people to Jesus, and it is where we go to disciple believers both old and young.
Its simple enough as you look across the landscape of John, for a young child to understand,
yet its profoundness is so startling that it leaves scholars and tested saints scratching their heads.
Example
I like to think about the Gospel of John as a great body of water.
Have you ever seen a giant lake or even a river that was so calm that the water looked like glass?
I have vivid memories of gliding across a river on a canoe where the water was so still the only disturbance, the only ripple came from my canoe.
When the water is this still paddling or rowing a boat across is so smooth and takes very little effort.
The gospel of John is like a sea of glass, it is so calm and simple that young children, listen, read, and behold the glory of God.
unbelievers can read John’s gospel and see how Christ is indeed God in the flesh who has come to save the world.
With verses like...
John 3:3 ESV
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:16 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 14:6 ESV
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
These verses illustrate the clear and direct language of John that show us that salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ.
As we read through we will see on the surface that the Gospel of John is a unique gospel in a number of ways.

The Gospel of John: a unique gospel

In the NT there are four gospels, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Mathew, Mark and Luke are the synoptic gospels - They tell the story of Jesus’ life in very similar ways.
However, the gospel of John is not a synoptic gospel, it is a unique gospel. on the surface we see there are many differences between John and the other three gospels.
Only in Johns Gospel do we find
Jesus turning water into wine
Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus
The “I am” statements
The women at the well
The upper room discourse and the high priestly prayer
Likewise, John leaves out some elements of Jesus life and ministry that are very important.
In John we don’t see Jesus telling any parables
There are no exorcisms
John does not tell us about the transfiguration
Why is this?
Its because John wants us to look at Jesus from a different angle.
John says in 1:14
John 1:14 ESV
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
What does it mean to see his glory?
How do we see the eternal glory of the only son?
how do we see a glory that is full of grace and truth?
When we look at Jesus, do we see, in his being, the complete glory of God?
This is how John wants us to see Jesus, not as one who does glorious things, but as one who is in himself glorious.
So why no parables?
John presents Jesus’s life as the parable
Why no exorcisms?
John wants us to see Jesus life, death and resurrection as the great exorcism. The one where the ruler of this age is finally cast out!
Why no transfiguration?
John wants us to see that Christ is the source of all transfiguration. All of creation, all of history, all that is found in Christ is transfigured and is given the hope of a full glory at the resurrection!.
You see, this sea of glass that is John’s gospel is not only calm on the surface, but there is a depth to these waters thats unsettling even staggering. If you look down through its calm surface you will see shapes and shadows, you will hear whispers and echos, for within this great sea of John’s Gospel we will find the whole created world and all of biblical history shifting and turning to find its place within the very person of Jesus Christ.
When we not only look across the gospel of John, but look into the depths we see
Genesis and creation,
Exodus and redemption
Leviticus and restoration
We see shapes and shadows of the tabernacle and the temple
We see the celebrations and parties around the feasts of Israel
We hear the echoes of God’s voice calling Abraham to a promised land
We see Pillar of Fire and smoke,
We hear Elijah calling from the wilderness
We hear the roaring power of the Psalms
We see the seven days of creation.
We see Adam, Eve, and Eden restored.
Within the depths of John, we see all creation, all history, all of scripture being absorbed into the very person of Christ.
As we work through the gospel of John we want to do so basking in its simplicity and delighting in the depths of its beauty.
Yet the gospel of John is not just something we just observe, its not a museum, or an art gallery. The gospel of John is one that is transformative, or perhaps a better term is that its transfigural.
John Gospel is one that takes hold of us, it tears us down and than rebuilds us… its moves us from degree of glory to the next.
John’s gospel is one that the Spirit uses to reveal our hearts, it brings to light our true loves and passions.
It exposes what we truly desire and seek in our lives
The first time Jesus speaks in the gospel of John comes near the end of Chapter one in verse 38.
John 1:35–38 ESV
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

What are you seeking?

Jesus asks this of these two disciples, and through the gospel of John He is now asking you the same question? what are you seeking?
We all come here this morning seeking something.
Perhaps you are looking for answers, for our world is full of questions.
Perhaps you’re looking or seeking for a community that you can call home.
Many are seeking direction and looking for hope in a world that feels hopeless.
Some are seeking council and wisdom, some are seeking a deeper relationship with Christ.
Each one of you, young and old, is a person who is seeking something.
What are you seeking?
John’s gospel is Jesus invitation to “come and see” that what you are seeking is found in Jesus the Christ.
Whatever it is that you are seeking, Jesus calls you, as he did those disciples to come and see.
Dive into the waters of Johns Gospel and see that Jesus is both the subject and source of what you are truly seeking.
If you seek peace, you will find it in the king of peace
If you are seeking rest, you will find that he will give you rest
If you are seeking justice, come and see the king whos throne is built on the foundation of righteousness and justice.
If you seek community, love, hope - John is calling you to come into the deep waters of his gospel and see that Jesus is all that you are seeking and more.
Here is one of the exciting parts, The Gospel of John is not only a great sea that is to be explored, but John also teaches us how to swim, how to dive down and explore the terrifying depths of the truth of Christ.
John teaches us how to swim
John teaches us how to swim in this sea the same way Jesus taught John.
You see, John knew Jesus very well. In fact, out of all the disciples John had the closest relationship to Jesus. He is referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
He was one of the first disciples Jesus calls to follow him, he was a fisherman and when Jesus called, John and his brother James left their father, left the fishing business and followed Jesus.
John’s special relationship with Jesus is highlighted at the cross when Jesus entrust the care of his mother, Mary, into the hands of John.
John learned how to read the scriptures, how to understand theology from Jesus himself.
Jesus developed John into a master theologian and interpreter of the scriptures.
Not only did John write the gospel, but he also penned 3 letters and the book of Revelation, which is actually part 2 of his gospel.
The book of revelation is so saturated with the OT that you can hardly get past a single verse without some sort of type or shadow from the OT being present.
The Gospel of John is seen, along with Romans, as one of the twin pillars of NT Theology.
John knows how to read the bible, he knows how to think, he knows how to dive down into the depths of scriptures and discover the truths of Christ.
So not only does John show us Jesus on the calm surface, and not only does he provide terrifying depths to study. But he also shows us how to dive in and swim into deep truths of his gospel.
So how does John do this?
John teaches us to swim by forming our imaginations.
John wants his readers to read imaginatively

Reading Imaginatively

Example
Kids, do your parents ever tell you to use your imagination?
Well John is telling all of us to use our imaginations when we read the bible.
Our imaginations are powerful things. The imagination is part of what it means to be made in the image of God, and God wants us to use our imaginations in such a way that we see Jesus as John saw him. The one who embodies the glory of God.
The imagination can be shaped toward truth, and it can be shaped toward falsehood. the imaginative function of the brain is what forms identity, culture, hope, fear, and to a great degree personhood.
There is a reason why a child who grows up in the slums of India, never experiencing the comforts of Air Conditioning, a fridge full of food, or modern medicine grows up without a single ounce of victimhood. While another child who grows up in East Wichita with both parents and every opportunity for health and happiness is crippled by victimhood. Your imagination forms so much of who you are.
If we had time I would love to talk about how stories, memories, and hope are all imaginative functions that shape us to our core.
Your imagination is the lens by which you see the world.
Let me give you an example:
last month we drove out to Colorado to pick up an old ford Bronco.
And if you have ever driven on i70 west to Colorado your imagination will get a workout because the drive is painfully boring.
The kids noticed some shapes in the clouds and pointed them out… we spent a while looking for shapes in the clouds.
we saw dragons, houses, shoes, alligators, airplanes and so on…
This is a good use of the imagination… and when one of us saw a shape we would point it out, it doesn’t take long before everyone saw it as well.
Our imaginations, how we saw the world, actually adjusted according to what the other person points out.
Well, as we were driving Mandee says, “I always see dinosaurs in the trees”
I looked at her funny.
She said when you see a wind blown tree standing by itself they look like dinosaurs…
I laughed at her and started to tease her when I looked and sure enough… dinosaurs… almost every tree that looked at the rest of the trip looked like a dinosaur.
She taught me to see something that i would not have seen on my own. Her imagination helped my imagination to see what she saw.
This is how so much of the bible works…
John points to creation and says, do you see Jesus?
He points to stone pots and says, “do you see Jesus?”
he points to the tabernacle and the temple and says, “surely you see Jesus there, right?”
And as our imaginations conform to the imagination of scripture we learn how to swim in the depths of the sea.
Its like John is telling us, “hey kids, open your bibles and use your imaginations.”
Let me give you some examples of John’s imagination.
John 1:1 ESV
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
If we have eyes to see and ears to hear, if our imaginations are tuned by the Spirit to the scriptures we will see that John wants us to connect John 1.1 with Genesis and the creation account.

In the beginning...

John is telling us that there is a new creation here in the very word of God, the person of Jesus Christ.
Paul understands this and that is why he calls Jesus is the firstborn of the new creation.
Not only that but we see the number 7 showing up in various places in John as well. And the number 7, within the biblical imagination is a number that is likewise connected to creation
There is a 7 day cycle in the first 2 chapters that conclude with a marriage celebration where water is turned into wine.
There are 7 signs (johns word for miracles) in the gospel of John, and each of those signs correspond with the days of creation.
the 8th sign is the resurrection, which john says is the day after the sabbath, the eighth day or the first day of the new creation.
The shadows of Genesis and creation are found lurking all throughout the gospel of John. But we need to have our imaginations tuned to see the shapes.
Not only is Genesis lurking throughout the gospel, but the tabernacle and the temple are as well.
John is a gospel with much conflict. And the primary conflict is between Jesus and the temple.
In chapter 2 we see Jesus going into the temple and turning over the tables of the money-changers.
after this action done the Jews say to him in verse 18,
John 2:18–21 ESV
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Temple
John wants us to understand that everything the temple was in the Old covenant is dying, but is being resurrected in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the new temple. Jesus is the temple that has been transfigured.
Tabernacle
Not only that shapes and shadows of the tabernacle cast all throughout the Gospel of John,
in fact, John structures his gospel is a tour through the tabernacle (which we will get into next week)
John wants our imagination to be shaped in such a way that when we see Jesus meet a gentile women at a well, we see it as a bridegroom pursuing his bride.
John wants us to see the shapes of the clouds and tree in his gospel as pointing to Jesus’ fulfillment of scripture.
And when our imagination is formed by the scripture, only then can we see our current world through a biblical lens.
When our imaginations are shaped by the spirit we will know how
to live in the midst of social unrest,
we will know how to see the lies of our culture,
we will know how to be a Moses, or Elijah, or Daniel in the face of opposition.
When our imaginations are shaped by the Spirit, meaning is infused into every part of your life.
Your jobs won’t be the same,
your relationships will flourish,
your hobbies and passions will overflow with purpose.
When you see Jesus as John sees Jesus, every part of your life will be tranfigured, you will be set on fire by the spirit of God and you will be a light in the darkness that cannot be overcome. Lets pray.

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