By rewinding all the way back to the beginning of John’s gospel, we discover that John himself rewinds us all the way back to the beginning of Genesis; what is it that John wants us to see by turning his gospel all the way back to the beginning?
The resurrection of Lazarus points forward to other resurrections that are on the way; all reminders of the restoration of shalom.
Maundy Thursday and the scent of grace
As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the apostle John focuses on the tension which is building up among the people who take note of Jesus.
Jesus uses the example of washing his disciples’ feet not only as an illustration of what he did for us on the cross, but also as a picture of how we are to live in response to God.
By looking back at the cross, we see Jesus reveal who God is; by seeing and knowing who God is, we see Jesus reveal something about who we are
Even before Jesus goes to the cross, he begins preparing his followers for what will come next—a new resurrection life guided by the Holy Spirit to be centered upon Christ and directed towards the Father.
We catch up to Jesus at the moment of his death sentence by crucifixion and begin working backward through the story to discover the reason for the cross.
Nobody wants to be treated as a project; faith that expresses outwardly takes its best shape in authentic relationships with other people.