"This book by Herman Ridderbos is well characterized by its subtitle, A Theological Commentary. Its brief introduction consists of a concentrated description of the theological issues raised by the Gospel. The exposition of the text of the Gospel has as its great concern the identity of Jesus as 'Messiah; 'Son of Man; 'Son of God; and the record of the controversies of Jesus with the Jews and their leaders through his claims to be identified with such titles . . . . The result is an exegesis of the Fourth Gospel of exceptional worth, such as could come only from a seasoned scholar who has long labored in the field of Johannine studies. To read it is to gain an understanding of the Gospel in light of the discussions of theologians and exegetes of earlier times and of our own, enriched by the personal insights of a scholar who has profited from them all." - G.R. BEAStEY-MURRAY "This scholarly commentary is valuable both for the insights it contains from a noted scholar and for the information it brings to non-Europeans about European scholarship. Ridderbos points out that John's Gospel displays evi dence of detailed knowledge about Jesus and events not known to us from any other source. Ridderbos argues against those who maintain that much of John is unreliable, that faith did not produce the story but rather the story produced the faith. He also argues that the great difference between our Fourth Gospel and the other three is that John adds interpretations to the facts; he gives a theological exegesis of what he records. But this does not mean that the facts are distorted. Ridderbos insists that the question which the whole Fourth Gospel focuses on is Who is Jesus?" - LEON MORRIS "I am very happy to see this commentary in print. Although Ridderbos engages some recent scholarship on John, the bulk of his attention is devoted to a theo logical exposition of the Fourth Gospel 'as the Christian church adopted it': the words are his, and are not so much designed to sidestep contemporary issues as to place primary emphasis where it belongs - on unpacking the meaning of the text as it stands. The result is quality exposition, a stimulus to scholarship interested in John's theology, and an enormous boon to preachers." - D. A. CARSON HERMAN RIDDERBOS taught New Testament for many years at the Theo logical School of the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands in Kampen. Among his numerous books is Paul: An Outline of His Theology. Cover art: portrait of John, The Book of Kells, courtesy of The Board of Trinity College Dublin ISBN 0-8028-0453-5 Cover design: Lorraine White I~M.B.EERDMANS CO. PUBLISHING 9 780802 804532 ••• Grand Rapids/Cambridge THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN The Gospel according to John A Theological Commentary Herman N. Ridderbos Translated by .J ohn Vriend WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN / CAMBRIDGE, U.K. Dedicated to the UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH in gratitude for the Graad D. Th. honoris causa, bestowed on the author December 12, 1991 Originally published in two volumes as Het Evangelie naar Johannes. Proeve van een theologische Exegese, © 1987, 1992 Uitgeversmaatschappij J. H. Kok, Kampen, the Netherlands English translation © 1997 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 / P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K. All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 02 01 00 99 98 97 7654321 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ridderbos, Herman N. [Evangelie naar Johannes. English] The Gospel according to John : a theological exegesis / Herman N. Ridderbos. p. cm. Originally published: Kampen, Netherlands: Uitgeversmaatschappij J.H. Kok, 1987 Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0-8028-0453-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Bible. N.t. John - Commentaries. I. Title. BS2615.3.R4913 1997 226.5'07 - dc21 96-53632 eIP Contents Preface xiii INTRODUCTION The Peculiar Character of the Fourth Gospel 1 The Evidence of the Gospel Itself 1 The Evangelist as Tradent 3 Tradition and Interpretation 6 The Point of This Focus 10 History and Revelation 12 The Witness of the Spirit 14 1:1-18 The Prologue 17 1:1-5 "The Word in the Beginning" 23 The History of Religions Approach 27 The Logos and "Wisdom" 31 1:6-13 The Coming of the Word as the Light of the World 41 1:14-18 "The Word Became Flesh" 48 v vi Contents 1:19-51 Preparation for Jesus' Public Ministry 61 1:19-28 The Forerunner 61 liThe Jews" in the Gospel of John 62 1:29-34 "Behold, God's Lamb!" 69 1:35-51 Jesus' First Disciples: "Come and See" 78 2-4 From Cana to Cana: The Revelation of Jesus' Glory 97 2: 1-11 The Wedding in Cana 99 2:12-22 Jesus at Jerusalem, the Cleansing of the Temple 114 2:23-3:10 Jesus' Knowledge of Humankind, the Dialogue with Nicodemus 121 Flesh and Spirit 129 3:11-21 The Descent of the Son of Man 133 3:22-30 John the Baptist's Final Testimony 143 3:31-36 Epilogue 148 4: 1-26 The Woman of Samaria: The Well and the Mountain 152 4:27-42 Fields White for Harvest 166 4:43-54 Back to Cana: The Healing of the Royal Official's Son; Faith and Miracles 173 5-6 Jesus' Self-Revelation as Son of God and Bread of Life, Resistance from "the Jews" 181 5: 1-18 The Healing of a Paralytic at Bethesda, Conflict over the Sabbath 184 5:19-30 The Self-Witness of God's Son 191 5:31-47 Jesus' "Witnesses," the Unbelief of "the. Jews" 202 6:1-25 The Feeding of the Five Thousand, Jesus Wlilks on the Sea . 208 Contents vii 6:26-59 Bread from Heaven, the Synagogue at Capemaum 219 6:26-35 "I Am the Bread of Life" 223 6: 36-47 God's Saving Will Is Realized in People Coming to Jesus 229 6:48-59 "The Bread That I Will Give Is My Flesh" 235 6:60-71 Division among the Disciples 244 7-10 Who Is Jesus? 253 7:1-13 Jesus' Delayed Departure for Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles 256 7:14-24 Jesus Teaches in the Temple: Who Fulfills the Law? 261 7:25-39 Jesus among the Pilgrims: "Whence" and "Whither" 267 7:40~52 Division among the Jews, Nicodemus's Judgment 276 Nicodemus 282 7:53-8:11 Jesus and the Adulterous Woman 285 8:12-20 Jesus' Self-Witness Again under Attack 291 8:21-29 "I Am He" 299 8:30-47 The Seed of Abraham and the Identity of the Father 305 8:48-59 "Before Abraham Was, I Am" 317 Reflections on Chapter 8 324 9:1-41 The Healing of a Man Born Blind 331 9: 1-7 The Miracle and Its Background 332 9:8-23 Preliminary Hearings 337 9: 24-34 Interrogation and Expulsion of the Man 344 9:35-41 The Man's Confession, "Those Who See" and "Those Who Are Blind" 347 10:1-21 The Good Shepherd 351 10:1-6 A Misunderstood Comparison 354 viii Contents 10:7-10 HI Am the Door" 356 10:11-21 HI Am the Good Shepherd" 359 10:22-39 Final Dialogues with "the Jews" 367 10:40-42 Back to the Beginning 378 II-I2 Prelude to the Passion Narrative 381 11: 1-44 The Raising of Lazarus 383 11:1-16 Lazarus's Illness Reported 386 11:17-27 Jesus' Journey to Bethany and Conversation with Martha 393 11:28-44 The Raising 400 11 :45-54 The Sanhedrin Takes Counsel, Jesus Withdraws to Ephraim 407 11:55-12:8 Jesus' Journey to the Passover Feast and the Anointing at Bethany 411 12:9-19 Jesus Enters Jerusalem 421 12:20-36 Jesus' Glorification Announced, the Son of Man 426 12:37-50 A Retrospective: Israel's Unbelief and Jesus' Self-Revelation 442 12:37-43 Israel's Unbelief 443 12:44-50 The Nature of Jesus' Self-Revelation 447 13 The Last Supper Conversations with the Disciples 451 13: 1 Transition 451 13:2-38 The Final Meal 453 13:2-11 The Footwashing 457 13:12-17 Jesus'Interpretation of the Footwashing 463 The Unity of the Footwashing Story 464