Not much to say here -- certianly not of a religious or spiritual nature.
It is a short transitional passage leading up to Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. From a narrative standpoint it escalates the dramatic tension. From the old us vs. them motif that John seems to revel in -- its another nail in the Pharisee's coffin lid -- so to speak.
I also thing in its anachronistic. It presents the leaders of the Jewish people so upset about folks deserting the faith to follow Jesus that they are willing to arrange an assassination of Lazarus over it.
But at this point -- Jesus is a Jewish preacher. I'm not saying the events did not happen. I'm saying teh way they are framed seems to me to refelct the perspective of a later point in history -- when Jews and Christians are at least starting see themselves as different faiths or at least different communities.
It is important to me that Christians not lose their sense of Jewish roots. Passages like this encourage us to see "the Jews" as a different group hostile to our "true faith". Christians run into trouble everytime we forget that we are a minor Jewish sect.
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I saw this today at a Franciscan site I sometimes visit ...
Q: If Jesus was Jewish, why don’t Catholics follow Jewish teachings?
A: In fact, Catholics do follow many Jewish teachings, such as the Ten Commandments. Catholic Sunday Masses almost always include a reading from the Hebrew Scriptures and a Psalm response. The Mass prayer, “Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread [wine] to offer...,” comes from Judaism.
When a second-century Roman priest said that the God of the Hebrew Scriptures was not the same as the God of the New Testament, the Catholic Church described such teaching as heresy. Jesus was born Jewish and cannot be understood apart from Judaism.
What Jewish teachings was this question referencing, I wonder? From my limited knowledge, Christians follow the most significant Jewish teachings, skipping the more regulatory stuff (which Reformed Jews also skip, like keeping kosher). I guess the Jews can slam us on the idolatry part, but what else? I guess thats enough, huh?
Passages like these verses in John have encouraged and incited millions of Christians to curse , revile, and persecute Jews throughout the centuries. That is what many scholars have against John.
Hopefully, through the growing acceptance of interspirituality, the Christian community will expand their spiritual awareness to genuinely embrace (love)all their neighbors as they were taught to do all along, beginning with Judaism. In this, we are all one.
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