Luis Sánchez Navarro, «Estructura testimonial del Evangelio de Juan», Vol. 86 (2005) 511-528
Following the Prologue (John 1,1-18), the Gospel of John is demarcated by an
inclusio which extends from 1,19 ("And this is the witness of John") to 21,24
("This is the disciple who bears witness"). This Gospel contains a multiple
witness to Jesus as Messiah and as Son of God (cf. 20,31), organized around two
main characters: John (1,19 -> 10,42) and the beloved disciple (13,1 -> 21,25). In
the central unit (11, -> 12,50), which serves as a link between the two sections,
the Father intervenes by rising up Lazarus (11,41-44) and makes His own voice
heard from heaven (12,28); through these events the Father bears the supreme
witness to Jesus. In this way, the Gospel appears as a testimonial triptych with a
christological purpose.
The Sword of the Messiah 55
Paraclete and the disciples also results in salvation or judgment,
dependent on whether one accepts or rejects it (15,20; 16,8-11; 17,14-
20; cf. 4,39). Thus, Jesus hands over his “sword†to his disciples and
commands them to continue his liberating mission in this world by
means of their Paraclete-imbued witness to the truth (cf. 20,21-23) (62).
4. Summary
According to the Fourth Gospel, people in general are “from the
worldâ€, under the rule of the devil, enslaved to sin, and hence
experience primarily a spiritual oppression. The devil can also operate
through human beings (Judas, Pilate), religious institutions (the
Judaism of “the Jewsâ€) or political entities (Rome) (cf. Belial and the
Kittim in Qumran). In addition to, or perhaps as an expression of, this
spiritual oppression, people also suffer from physical, social, political
and religious oppression. Although Jesus primarily liberates from the
world and the spiritual oppression of the devil, sin, judgment and
death, he also provides liberation from other forms of oppression and
implicitly from derivative rulers such as Rome and “the Jewsâ€, and
often these are not watertight categories. Therefore, liberation in the
Fourth Gospel should be seen as holistic. Jesus liberates people from
oppression primarily by means of his Spirit-imbued word of truth,
which is double-edged in that it liberates and gives life to those who
accept it, but it results in (immediate) judgment, continued oppression
and eventually death for those who reject it. Jesus’ “sword†is aimed at
the world at large to sift it and to constitute a liberated community of
people who live in exclusive allegiance to him and his rule, which will
inevitably clash with an allegiance to Rome or to any other regime or
ideology that has its source in this world and hence ultimately belongs
to the devil’s rule. Jesus’ new society transcends and subverts any
“worldly†society in that it no longer belongs to the world but still
operates in the world. After his departure from this world, Jesus will
hand over his “sword†to his disciples, who will continue his liberating
mission in this world by means of their Paraclete-imbued witness.
*
**
(62) For a comprehensive elaboration of the disciples’ Paraclete-empowered
ministry, see BENNEMA, Power, 221-247. For the actual transference of the
“swordâ€, see C. BENNEMA, “The Giving of the Spirit in John’s Gospel – A New
Proposal?â€, EvQ 74 (2002) 195-213.