Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
New Testament Notes 246-249

New Testament Notes 246-249

Last updated on: April 27, 2019 at 1:09 am by Dan Peterson

New Testament Notes 246-249 2019-04-27T01:09:18-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A street in Jerusalem (James Tissot, d. 1902)
Wikimedia Commons public domain

John 8:37-47

This is very forceful teaching.

Jesus is again saying that biological parentage means virtually nothing if one has the wrong spiritual “parentage.”

For people who took their special status as the “chosen people” so seriously, to be told that their real father — in this sense, the only father who actually counts — was Satan would be extraordinarily jarring and offensive.

It was meant to get their attention, and it did.

“Moses on Mount Sinai, by Jean-Léon Gérôme (d. 1904) (Wikimedia Commons public domain)

John 8:48-59

It’s difficult not to see a reference to Exodus 3:14 in the otherwise curious present tense “I am” (ἐγώ εἰμί ) of John 8:58.

And understanding that Christ’s Jewish audience understood it that way — and recognized in it an audacious theological claim — certainly helps to explain their reaction.

The biblical pool of Siloam is located near the modern Palestinian village of Silwan.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

John 9:1-41

Compare Matthew 13:13-15; Mark 4:12; 8:17-18; Luke 8:10

This is a wonderful passage, and Latter-day Saints are well within their rights in regarding the first few verses as pointing to an assumption of human pre-existence.

Another quick observation: Some object to Joseph Smith’s use of a “seer stone.” It’s just a rock, they rightly point out. Such derisive criticism makes a certain amount of sense coming from secularists. But it comes awkwardly from evangelicals, in this sense: If God can use mud mixed with spit to help a man see, why not a rock?

There’s a whole lot more that might be said, and should be said, about this wonderful episode and account. Maybe at some future time.

An image of Pharaoh Tutankhamon, shown with crook and flail
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

John 10:1-18

Latter-day Saints are very familiar with John 10:16, which they see as referring to the Book of Mormon peoples in the New World. Intriguingly, as I’ve pointed out elsewhere, that same passage was a particular favorite with Christopher Columbus.

The image of Christ as the “good shepherd” is a gentle one, expressing his love for his people and his willingness, as John 10:11 puts it, to lay down his life for them.

It’s also an age-old political image. In Homer and Hesiod, for example, rulers are called ποιμένες λαῶν (“shepherds of the people”). And the pharaohs of Egypt were commonly depicted holding both a flail and a shepherd’s crook, symbolizing, respectively, the monarch’s capacity to compel and his ability to lead by persuasion, example, and wisdom.

New Testament Commentary

pre-mortal

premortal existence

shepherd

Previous Post

April 23, 2019

The Mystery of Iniquity

Next Post

April 24, 2019 Sometimes, science is personal for me

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the Hebrew word 'Shema' mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Rejoice Hear Bless Obey