GOSPEL OF JOHN: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

John 1-4 How far apart are the cities, towns and regions mentioned in Jesus' ministry? How long does it take to walk from Jerusalem to Cana to Capernaum to Jerusalem to Sychar?

The whole of Jesus' ministry appears to have taken place within an area that is roughly 100 miles north to south and 60 miles east to west. From Jerusalem to Cana is about 77 miles; from Sychar to Jerusalem is 33 miles; and from Cana to Capernaum is 15 miles as the crow flies but almost double that on existing roads at the time.

The distance one could travel in a day probably varied greatly depending on the change in elevation, conditions of the road, and location of appropriate stopping points along the way. Walking time can perhaps be best estimated by considering the story recorded in Luke 24:13-35 regarding the two disciples who met the risen Jesus as they were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus (present site unknown). Most of the Greek texts say that Emmaus was 60 stadia (7 miles) away. We don't know when they set off for Jerusalem but they were able to walk there easily, have dinner with Jesus, and return to Jerusalem before dark to tell the news to the Apostles. Some Greek texts, however, say that Emmaus was 160 stadia away, but The New Bible Dictionary: Revised notes that there would not be enough time for them to make the round trip if that were the case. From these data, we can calculate a broad range of 15-35 miles traveled in a day.

John 3:16 Who said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life?” Was it Jesus or John?

Since most of the Greek manuscripts that we have for John's Gospel were written without any punctuation, the answer is mainly a matter of opinion. Thus, KJV, JB Phillips, NEB and NAS have all of verses 10-21 in quotation marks, indicating that Jesus said it. But RSV stops the quotation at verse 15, indicating that these words are a comment made by the author, John. Parenthetically there is the same disagreement among translators regarding the exact ending of John the Baptist's comment which begins at John 3:27.

One possible tie breaker is to look for stylistic or thematic features to decide if 3:16 makes more sense in Jesus' mouth or John's. In this particular case, the evidence is mixed.

1. Practically identical statements in verses 15 and 16 indicate that both may be by Jesus.

2. However, the similarity of verses 16 and 36a argues for John as the author of both.

In either case, the comment comes from a reliable source and should be believed.

John 4:23-24 I am curious about John 4:24 and the notion of worshiping God in spirit and 'in truth'... I have always assumed that the reference to 'in truth' meant an accurate worship of God for who he is, not what we would like for him to be. What is the proper interpretation of this phrase?

Let's start with a few translation issues. The first question is whether “spirit” should be capitalized.  Almost all translations use the lower case; however, The Living Bible, TEV, and Raymond Brown (The Gospel According to John I-XII) feel that it refers to the Holy Spirit.  The next point, brought up by Brown, is that the phrase “in spirit and truth” may in fact be a hendiadys (“one by way of two”).  This is a figure of speech occurring often in the Old Testament in which one of the nouns is meant to modify the other one. Thus, Brown opts for the meaning “Spirit of truth” while I personally go for “spiritual truth.”
Your reading of the passage is correct, as can be seen from the immediate context of the saying.  Jesus tells the woman in verse 22 that she is worshiping what she doesn't know. And then in verse 26, he proclaims that he is indeed the prophesied Coming One.  “Worship devoid of understanding God's activity in history operates within a vacuum. To make this point clear, the evangelist employed his theme of knowledge. Jesus said that Samaritan worship lacked knowledge, the critical relational aspect of genuine worship...” (Gerald Borchart, John 1-11)  Two added wrinkles that clarify the meaning of “truth” are pointed out in the commentaries I consulted.
The New Testament goes beyond viewing truth in the Greek sense of being the opposite of falsehood. “It has imported some features from the Old Testament as well. There the words for truth also refer to faithfulness, reliability, trustworthiness, etc.” (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John)  Borchart  agrees: “[True] worshipers participate in the divinely revealed reality of truthfulness or steadfastness/ dependability, a category that epitomizes the way God reveals the divine reality to human beings.”
The second aspect of truth that needs stressing is its close association with God's revelation through the  person of Jesus Christ:  
	“True worshipers are those who realize that Jesus is the Truth of God (John 3:21; 14:6)...To worship in truth is to worship God through Jesus.” (Bible Knowledge Commentary)
	 “Paul in Ephesians 4:21 says 'as truth is in Jesus.'  He is saying that the very truth of God, truth itself resides in Him...Jesus is not describing truth as an ethical virtue or a philosophical concept...there is a close link between truth and the gospel of God's grace.” (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John)
	“In spirit and truth: that is, in virtue of new birth, and in the light of the revelation of truth in Christ.”  (International Bible Commentary)

John 10:16 Jesus says he is the good shepherd and He lays down his life for the sheep. Then he says he has other sheep that are not of this sheep pen and that he will bring them also. Who are the other sheep? Is this a reference to the Gentiles, perhaps?

Well, according to the Book of Mormon the “other sheep” were the Nephites, a North American tribe who had already been converted before Jesus appeared on earth and were waiting for Him to appear in America. The “other sheep” couldn't be the Gentiles since at the time Jesus was speaking, the Gentiles were not yet his people.

The Jehovah Witnesses, on the other hand, state that the “other sheep” are the same as the great crowd in Revelation 7:9 who will live forever in a paradise on earth while being subject to the 144,000 specially chosen saints who will reign with God in heaven.

This illustrates the common practice of cults to take an obscure passage in Scripture, often coupling it with a completely unrelated passage, in order to establish a major doctrine.

Getting back to reality:

Since this is the only passage in the Bible where the term “other sheep” appears, a definitive answer to your question is hard to give. (The mention of a “little flock” in Luke 12:32 refers to Jesus' closest disciples and has no obvious relationship to John 10:16.)

The consensus of nine commentaries I consulted was that the most likely identification of the “other sheep” is the Gentiles. Other possibilities mentioned were Greek-speaking Jews or those living outside the Holy Land (Borchart, John 1-11) and Jews who hadn't yet come to belief in Jesus as the Messiah (Brown, The Gospel According to John I-XII).

In support of the idea that Jesus was indeed speaking about the Gentiles are (a) the many OT prophecies of the Messiah bringing light to the whole world (Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament) and (b) the citation by J. Barton Payne (Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy) of John 11:51-52 as a parallel passage: “Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God.”

In any case, “The other sheep are not to remain distinct from the existing sheep...They are to become united in one flock...under the leadership of one shepherd.” (Morris, The Gospel According to John)

John 12:40 (Matthew 13:13; Mark 4:11-12) Why would God or Jesus purposely prevent people from understanding the truth?

This passage is as difficult to understand as the scripture it is quoting: Isaiah 6:9-10. Here are some possibilities to consider:

1. One is to realize that Jesus is quoting the Aramaic version of Isaiah, which can be translated differently: Also, you must keep in mind that the Greek word for “may” can also mean “who,” and “lest” may mean “perhaps.”

2. Another approach is to realize that the Hebrew language tended to express consequences as if they were purposes. So God is not telling Isaiah to purposely confuse the people through his prophecies, but only warning him that will be the probable consequence of his teachings. This possibility is confirmed by Matthew's version.

            3. Jesus used parables extensively in his teachings because the spiritually obtuse crowd was not yet ready for the plain gospel message and would have immediately rejected it if taught plainly. Therefore he masked the message purposely through the use of unforgettable stories that they would mull over in their mind and recall after his death.

John 14:1-2 I was once asked this question by an unbeliever, “If you expect a reward for living the Christian life, aren't you more selfish than those who live a moral life expecting nothing in return?”

I think your friend is correct in that we shouldn't dwell on our heavenly reward, certainly not as a motive for our deeds, rather than the more appropriate motives of love and gratitude. A Sunday school co-teacher wanted our class to spend one semester going through a thick book he had been reading outlining all of the specific rewards we get in heaven. I felt that it would be counterproductive, and we chose another subject. But it does bring up the general question of differential rewards in heaven in addition to the common heavenly reward of all believers.

Here are some Scriptures commonly quoted to show that we will all have different rewards when we get to heaven:

1. John 14:1-2: “In my Father's house are many rooms.” In the context, this means that there will be plenty of room for all to console them; not as an appeal to their love of the highest rewards. Certainly there is no hint that some of the “rooms” will be bigger than others.

2. Then there are the oft-quoted words of Jesus: “The first shall be last and last shall be first”

These words appear at the end of the parable of the laborers in the field (Matthew 20:1-16), but it is clear that there is one common reward for all the laborers. In this case, it is probably directed at the Pharisees, who will find themselves outstripped by those who believe Jesus' words even though they are not as learned in the law.

In Luke 13:28-30 this phrase concludes Jesus' story about people coming to God and he says, “I do not know you.” “First and last” in this case clearly applies to Gentiles vis-a-vis Jews.

Mark 10:28-31: Rewards on earth may be proportional to sacrifices (but also note the addition of “persecutions”) while only one reward in heaven is mentioned for all. The “first and last” saying harkens back to the rich ruler discussion in vv. 23-27.

3. In Mark 10:35-43, James and John seek special honors. Notice that Jesus deflects the question, hinting that there may be special positions in heaven but turning the question around to their responsibilities in the here and now.

4. And then there are the “crown” references:

2 Timothy 4:8: Paul gets a crown but so do others.

James 1:12: A crown is promised to all who love him.

Revelation 4:10-11: In any case, the crowns are likely to be cast at the feet of the only one who is truly worthy to receive them.

5. Matthew 5:1-12: The beatitudes are not enumerated to point out the differences in each type of Christian's reward, but to show that whatever our needs are, they will be met in heaven and that no good deed will go unnoticed by God. Otherwise, a more literal reading would indicate that only the pure in heart, in contrast to the merciful, etc., will see God.

6. The same thing applies to the promises in the letters to the churches (Revelation 2-3). There are many specific promises (white stone, new name, etc) but each reward goes to everyone who conquers.

7. Parable of the talents (Matthew 25:20-23): This would have been an excellent place for Jesus to teach that good servants will be rewarded differently in heaven according to works on earth, but instead, the same reward was given to both faithful servants. The purpose of the parable was to contrast the fate of the faithful with the unfaithful. The same purpose is intended in Revelation 22:12: “My reward is with me to repay according to everyone's work.” Read v. 11 for the context.

John 14:2-3 Do Christians go to Heaven?

Although I could find no exact quote in the New Testament to that effect, there are a myriad of scriptures that strongly imply that Christians do indeed go to heaven. Much, of course, depends on your own definition of what heaven consists of and where it is located. I personally prefer the image at the end of Revelation where the believers reside in God's presence in the New Jerusalem on the New Earth. This can still be considered to be “heaven” if that is defined as any place where God dwells.

Nevertheless, consider the following suggestive passages, arranged roughly from the most persuasive to the least:

John 14:2-3 “In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am there you may be also.” Since Jesus was taken up into heaven (Acts 1:11) and went to the Father (John 14:28) and heaven is obviously His Father's house, that is the place where Jesus is preparing a place for his followers and he will gather us to himself there.

The same thought is taught in Hebrews 11:16: “They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore...he has prepared a city for them.”

Paul echoes this idea in II Corinthians 5:1: “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens [the singular and plural being interchangeably used in both the OT and NT].

If our future dwelling place is in heaven, it is hard to escape the logical conclusion that we will go there.

The same is true of the passages describing what else God has waiting for us in heaven.

    “You will have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21; Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22)

    “Your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:12; Luke 6:23)

    “an unfailing treasure in heaven” (Luke 12:33)

    “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20-21)

    “the hope laid up for us in heaven” (Colossians 1:5)

“an imperishable, undefiled and unfading inheritance kept in heaven for you” (I Peter 1:4)

If all these are waiting for us in heaven, it would make no sense to say that we are not going there to appropriate them.

Revelation 7 describes a great multitude from all nations “who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” and are obviously believers. They are in the very presence of God's throne, which according to Revelation 4:2 and many other NT passages is located in heaven. The same is true of the 144,000 in Chapter 14. Whether one believes that these events take place before or after the Last Judgment, at some point in time dead Christians have obviously “gone to heaven.”

Then there are the many references, especially in Matthew, to believers “entering the kingdom (or Realm) of heaven.” (see Matthew 5:20; 18:3; 19:23, for example) This can be another way of saying “going to heaven.” Some of these passages undoubtedly refer to us residing in the kingdom of God as soon as we become believers and are still alive. But there appears to be a future aspect to “entering the kingdom of heaven” as well. For example, Matthew 7:21 obviously refers to the Last Judgment when Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Also, consider Matthew 8:11 referring to the heavenly banquet feast: “Many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”

Finally, to use a little convoluted reasoning, it is well recognized that “heaven” was a Jewish substitution for “God” used extensively in the OT and also in the NT, especially by Matthew. One could therefore reason that going to heaven is another way of saying “going to God.” And it would be hard to deny that Christians are going to eventually reside with God.

John 14:12 How can we possibly do greater works than Jesus did?

The usual answer to this question is that it is not the quality of our works in relation to those of Jesus, but it is the greater impact in terms of shear numbers of people affected and the geographical reach of Christians today. However, according to Darrell Bock (Christianity Today, June 2006) that may not be the whole story.

Luke 10:24 says that even the least of believers is greater than John the Baptist. And that is because our works are powered by the Holy Spirit. Both that gift and the forgiveness of sins happen because of Christ's death on the cross and were not available up to that time. But we now get to share in the fulfillment of God's saving purposes for the world.

John 16:5 Isn't there a contradiction here since the apostles had earlier asked this same question?

“Both Peter and Thomas had in fact asked this question verbally already. But then it was because of their dismay rather than because of a real desire to know Jesus' destiny (see 14:6).” The International Bible Commentary

“The disciples' reoccupation with their own problems prevented their understanding the crucial nature of the time ('now') and the momentous significance of the events (His death, burial, resurrection, and Ascension).” The Bible Knowledge Commentary

“[John's question in 13:36] had not really indicated a serious inquiry as to Jesus' destination. Peter was diverted immediately and he made no real attempt to find out where Jesus was going. He had been concerned with the thought of parting from Jesus, not with that of the Master's destination. He had in mind only the consequences for himself and his fellows. Neither he nor they had as yet made serious inquiry as to what was to become of Jesus. So does self-interest blind men.” Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John

Three more possibilities are mentioned in Raymond Brown's commentary The Gospel According to John XIII-XX1 . The first two (a and b) are obviously unacceptable:

    a. The verses were originally arranged so that Peter and Thomas' questions came after John 16:5 instead of before it.

    b. Verses 13:36, 14:6 and 16:5 were different versions of the same event written by different authors and combined into the account we now have.

    c. There is no sharp distinction in Hebrew (or Aramaic) between “not” and “no more.” Therefore 16:5 can read, “Yet not one of you now asks any more, 'Where are you going?'”