Friday, 7th April 2006

LC Day 32

John 1-2 in the Lent Challenge

It’s interesting that John starts not with the physical history and authority of Jesus, but his spiritual one, going back to before creation. A really strong and powerful way of claiming Jesus as the ‘Christ’ as ‘the Word’.  I’m looking forward to an interesting journey with John.

Side note time:

On the wedding, Lamsa (who wrote the book ‘gospel light’) has quite a bit to say!

He says that there’s been a big translation error on 2: 4.  Jesus wasn’t rebuking his Mother for bothering him.  The word for ‘time’, in this context actually means ‘turn’.  So Jesus was really saying ‘It’s not my round’!  It was the custom that the guests provided the drinks for the long (often many days) wedding celebrations, and when their round was shared, it would be annouced who had supplied it.

So as there was a lull, Mary suggested this to Jesus and he said it wasn’t his round yet.  So Mary told the servants to do what ever Jesus said and she would pay for it.

He also suggests that the water might not have been turned into wine, but have been the best ’spiritual’ water the guests had ever tasted.  As a religious leader, Jesus would not have drunk heavily (as was the custom at weddings) and for him to offer wine, would have been looked down on.  So he supplies water, the giver of life. (think of the samaritain women at the well)

I think it makes a good deal of sense, especially the mis-translation.

by james in Lent Challenge | permalink

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