This short course does not address the entire text of the gospel. While an overview is offered in the initial session, subsequent sessions focus on a selection of texts from different parts of the gospel. A session is devoted to the Prologue that stands at the head of the gospel. The remaining sessions focus on narrative scenes inviting participants to “enter” into them imaginatively and so become part of the “story” and experience its transforming effects.
Week 1
Session Title: An Overview of the Gospel of John
The Gospel is usually divided into two books: the Book of Signs (1:19 – 12:50)and the Book of Glory (13:1 – 20:31). The evangelist tells us why he wrote the gospel: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life in his name.” (20:31). He is going to argue a case about the identity of Jesus viz. that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. The deal is: if you believe that identity, you will experience new life in his name.
Week 2
Session Title: The Prologue (John 1:1-18)
The Fourth Gospel wants us to be very clear about the identity and status of Jesus from the start. It begins with a richly theological statement known as the Prologue. Rather like an overture to an opera, the Prologue puts us in the mood, so to speak, for what we are about to learn. It also airs several themes that will become prominent as the story progresses. But its central statement concerns the Incarnation: Jesus is God’s Beloved Son, who has become human for our salvation. Unlike all other human beings, he had a “before” – a “pre-existence” – with God prior to his human life.
Week 3
Session Title: The Raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-44)
The raising of Lazarus is the climax of the public life of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel. The miracle is the last straw for the authorities. It leads immediately into the plot to arrest Jesus and bring about his death. The miracle functions as a confirmatory sign of Jesus’ claim to be “the resurrection and the life” for all who believe.
Week 4
Session Title: Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet (John 13:1-17)
The account of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet is a very significant episode in the Fourth Gospel and is a prelude to the long discourse that Jesus gives at the Last Supper. In this gospel it performs the role that the institution of the Eucharist has in the Synoptic Gospels in that it points to the meaning of the death that Jesus will undergo the next day. The foot-washing, like the raising of Lazarus, acts as a paradigm of the entire mission Jesus has received from the Father.
Week 5
Session Title: The Risen Lord in Jerusalem and Galilee (John 20:1 - 21:25)
The Fourth Gospel portrays Mary Magdalene as the first disciple to meet the risen Lord and be commissioned by him to bring the good news to the male disciples. A striking characteristic of the appearances of Jesus as risen Lord is that he comes to people and interacts with them exactly where they are emotionally. This is the case with his appearance to the disciples as a group: first on Easter Sunday evening in Jerusalem, then eight days later in the same house, and finally in Galilee by the lakeside.
Reading for Session 1
Daniel J. Harrington SJ, “The Evangelist and His Gospel” in Meeting St. John Today. Understanding the Man, His Mission and His Message, Loyola Press, Chicago 2011, pp.3-14.
Watch a two-part summary of the Gospel of John from the Bible Project:
Gospel of John Summary | Watch an Overview Video (Part 1) (bibleproject.com)
Gospel of John Summary | Watch an Overview Video (Part 2) (bibleproject.com)
For those who wish to read further
Raymond Brown, The Gospel and Epistles of John: A Concise Commentary, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville Minnesota 1988,pp. 9-19.
Brendan Byrne SJ, “Structure of the Fourth Gospel” in Life Abounding. A Reading of John’s Gospel. Liturgical Press, Collegeville Minnesota 2014, pp.9-19.
Suggested Questions for Reflection
1. Why did you choose to sign up for this course?
2. What do you hope to gain from your study of and reflection on John’s Gospel?
3. Do you have a favourite passage from John’s Gospel? If so, what is it and why does it appeal to you?
4. Does the idea of a Johannine community or school behind this Gospel make sense to you? Why, or why not? How does your own situation and community influence how you understand your faith?
5. Did you find anything unexpected, surprising or disturbing in this session? If so, explain what it was and why you found it that way.
Session 1 Summary (see resources)
Reading for Session II
John 1:1-18
John Parr, “John the Evangelist (John1:1-18)” in Credible Witnesses, Kevin Mayhew, Buxhall, Stowmarket, Suffolk 2016, pp. 15-19.
For those who wish to read further
John Parr, “Introduction: What kind of Gospel is John?” in Credible Witnesses, Kevin Mayhew, Buxhall, Stowmarket, Suffolk, 2016, pp. 5-14.
Silvester O’Flynn OFMCap, Come and See. Lectio Divina with John’s Gospel, The Columba Press, Dublin 1999, pp.9-14.
Jerome H. Neyrey SJ, The Gospel of John, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2007, pp.37-47.
Questions for Reflection
1. What statement in the Prologue has particularly struck me?
2. Do I think of creation as something that happened “back there,” without any relevance to my present life? Or can I find traces of God’s creative power continually at work?
3. Are there aspects of darkness in my life – areas where I need to hear God say, “Let there be light”?
4. Can I see myself drawn into “the chain of intimacy” with God suggested by the final verse of the Prologue?
5. Did you find anything unexpected, surprising or disturbing in this session? If so, explain what it was and why you found it that way.
Summary of Session II
John 11:1-44 The Raising of Lazarus
Brian Purfield, “The Raising of Lazarus” in Thinking Faith. The Online Journal of the Jesuits in Britain, 27 March 2020.
For those who wish to read further
Sandra M. Schneiders, “The Community of Eternal Life (John 11:1-53)” in Written That You May Believe, The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York 2003, pp.171-1
Notes on “Signs in John’s Gospel”
Questions for Reflection
1. How does the Gospel of John prepare the reader for the approaching death of Jesus?
2. In what ways, if at all, can I identify with Martha in her interaction with Jesus?
3. Can I identify with Lazarus & see the whole episode as a playing out of Paul’s statement about Jesus: “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me &delivered himself up for me” (Gal 2:20)?
4. Did you find anything unexpected, surprising or disturbing in this session? If so, explain what it was and why you found it that way.
Summary of Session III
Reading for Session IV
John 13:1-17 Jesus washes the disciples’ feet
John 13:1–17:26 The Farewell Discourse & The Last Testament of Jesus
Prosper Grech OSA, “Response to the Light: John” in An Outline of New Testament Spirituality, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, UK, 2011, pp.103-124
For those who wish to read further
Pheme Perkins, “John: Jesus, The Divine Son” in Reading the New Testament, Paulist Press, New York 1988, pp.242-253.
Ian Boxall, “John: The ‘Spiritual Gospel’” in The Books of the New Testament, SCM Press, London 2007, pp.115-129.
Notes on “The Discourses in John’s Gospel”
Questions for Reflection
1. How does reflection upon the foot-washing affect my image of God?
2. What does the foot-washing contribute to my understanding of Jesus’ death upon the cross?
3. If I “enter” the scene in the person of Peter, to what extent do I share his feelings & his protests?
4. How do I think Jesus’ injunction to “wash one another sheet” should be reflected in my life?
5. Did you find anything unexpected, surprising or disturbing in this session? If so, explain what it was and why you found it that way.
Summary of Session IV
Reading for Session V
John 20 – The discovery of the empty tomb, the appearance to Mary Magdalene and the two appearances to the disciples
John 21 – The appearances in Galilee.
Brian Purfield, “Woman, who are you looking for?” in Thinking Faith. The Online Journal of the Jesuits in Britain, 6 March 2015.
Brendan Byrne SJ, Come to the Light. Reflections on the Gospel of John. Liturgical Press, Collegeville Minnesota2021, pp.96-111.
For those who wish to read further
Thomas L. Brodie, The Gospel According to John. A Literary and Theological Commentary, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1993, pp.560-596.
Brian Purfield, “The Appearances of the Risen Lord” in Thinking Faith. The Online Journal of the Jesuits in Britain, 27 March 2008.
Questions for Reflection
1. Why do you think John’s Gospel gives such attention to the wounds visible on the body of the Risen Christ?
2. How would you describe the role of Mary Magdalene in the resurrection stories of John’s Gospel?
3. One of the motifs of the resurrection stories in John’s Gospel is the Risen Jesus’ reconciliation with his disciples, especially Thomas and Peter. Why is forgiveness and reconciliation such a central feature of Christian life?
4. Did you find anything unexpected, surprising or disturbing in this session? If so, explain what it was and why you found it that way.
5. What will I take away from these brief reflections on the Gospel of John?
Summary of Session V
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Originally from Birmingham, Brian studied philosophy and theology at the Gregorian University, Rome and later gained a Masters Degree in Franciscan Studies from St. Bonaventure’s University, New York. He has given retreats and courses throughout the UK and Ireland, North America, the Far East and Australia. He taught at the International Franciscan Study, Canterbury and at Campion House, Osterley before joining the Mount Street Jesuit Team when it began in 2004. Brian also taught at Heythrop College on the Foundation Degree in Pastoral Ministry. His particular interest is in opening up the Scriptures to people, young and old, at a level that they can understand and seek to apply to their daily lives. Brian is married to Deborah who works for CAFOD. They live in Buckinghamshire.
