A. Images of ministry: feet washing (Johannine transfiguration story) and abiding and fruit bearing (Johannine mysticism)
B. Witness as Mission
The topic of mission in the New Testament and in particular John’s Gospel has been discussed off and on in biblical scholarship, but it has regained currency in light of contemporary popular discussion of the mission of the church (and the so-called mission of God). Scholars have looked to John’s Gospel as a depiction of mission and have seen how Jesus’ mission as the one sent from God provides motivation for Jesus’ and the disciples’ activities.
1. Johannine understanding of Ministry:
1.1. Feet Washing:
Before the festival of Passover, Jesus has a supper with his disciples as a sign of cleansing he was washing his disciples’ feet. As usual, peter spoke out in astonishment. He was immensely embarrassed by Jesus’ act. To him, a teacher washing the disciples’ feet is very awkward and unthinkable. But Jesus taught them that washing others feet is sign of humility, which is the sign of true ministry. Jesus intent and the guru’s essence are parallel to each other. Like Jesus, a guru teaches his disciples simplicity, love and readiness to serve others. These are the qualities which are taught by Jesus’ washing of disciples’ feet. The foot washing foreshadows the salvation and cleansing offered by Jesus on the cross that creates a mystical union between him and his follower. It is a lowly service to others, self-denial and complete humility which the leaders of the church have to follow as this is the example set by Jesus. It is not indicating spiritual cleansing but also humble service following the example of the Master.[1]
1.2. Fruit Bearing:
According to John 15:2-4, Jesus is the vine, and his followers are the branches. A vine normally has branches that bear fruit. Jesus thus continues the metaphor and refers to all his disciples collectively as ‘every branch of mine’. The sense is inclusive, denoting the many branches that are attached to the true vine. The function of the branches is to ‘bear fruit’, and the importance of doing this is underscored by the use of this expression three times in this single verse. In synoptic gospels, bearing fruits means ‘doing good works’ after repentance (Mt. 3:8, 10; 7: 16-20 etc.). God expects good works from human beings, and failure to perform them will lead to God’s judgment, which results in being separated from his community and consigned to complete destruction. The same idea is expressed in verse 2 and 6 of this chapter. It is thought that the fruit goes beyond mere excellence of character to include a willingness and capacity for service, including missionary work. It is also commented that bearing fruit denotes all aspects of the Christian life lived in close communion with Christ.[2]
2. Some Statements of Johannine Understanding of Mission by Different Scholars
According to Martin Erdmann, “Presents themes of mission in John’s Gospel including the sending of the Son, and the objective of, motivation for and scope of mission, all of which are built upon a Christological foundation”.[3]
According to Ferdinand Hahn, “Johannine mission as found in the Gospel and letters. John’s Gospel uniquely brings together the concept of salvation in relation to the church and the theme of mission in a way that the Synoptic Gospels do not”.[4]
According to Teresa Okure, “Seeks to reassess the role of Jesus in mission, the relation of the evangelists to the evangelized, methods of mission, and the role of the audience from the viewpoint of John’s Gospel”.[5]
3. The Author of the Mission (God the Father)
According to the book of John the Gospel, the mission originated with the Father, who sent the Son to reveal God’s glory and the great works of God in salvation to all who believe (John 1:14, 18; 3:16). In the mission of the Son, the glory of the Father is revealed to men. The mission flows from the Father’s love for His people. In love He sent His only son into the world in order that men and women might have eternal life (John 3:16, 1 John 4:9, 10). The mission is from the Father, through the Son, and is motivated by the Father’s great love.[6]
4. The Mission of Jesus and the Disciples
The central message of John’s Gospel is the Mission of Jesus, as He and then the disciples are called to bear witness to God in the world. In this mission, the Father sent the Son into the world in order that all who believe in Him will be saved. After Jesus returned to the Father, the mission continued with the disciples. They were called to continue His mission. Initially, the mission began with Jesus’ witness to the Jews but now it extends throughout the whole earth.
The aim of the mission is to bring “those given by the Father to the Son into a relationship of glory, unity and love that eternally exists between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (17:24-26).” In the mission a new community of faith and love is established. The whole gospel is the revelation of the mission, from the prologue to the epilogue. The mission frames the entire book.[7]
The mission of Jesus is particularly developed in the first half of John’s Gospel, and in His death and resurrection. In the second half of the gospel, in the upper room discourse, Jesus commands the disciples to continue this mission after He has ascended to the Father. After Jesus has ascended, they must continue His mission in witnessing to the world. The risen Jesus will send them the Spirit to equip them for this work. All of Jesus’ disciples are to continue this work until He returns.
5. Mission as a task of the Son and the Father
In coming, the Son takes upon Himself the Father’s mission. Jesus is the perfect Son, always obedient to the Father as He does the works prepared for Him, reflecting the Father’s glory (John 1:14). He is the Father’s agent, faithfully making the mission His own.
Jesus entered into the world, revealed the Father’s glory, accomplished His works, and defeated the Father’s enemies (John 12:30-32). He then returned to the Father. As the Son does the Father’s mission, they are united in it. A defining mark of the Son is His perfect obedience to His Father. He always does the Father’s will. In all things, the Father and the Son are one in their purpose and mission.[8] In salvation, the Father gives the sheep to the Son, and the Son, as shepherd, gathers this new community, keeping, sustaining, and protecting them. In so doing, the Father and the Son show they have a single mission: Jesus says I and the father are one (John 10:31).
Like the Father, the motive for the Son’s mission is His love for His own. In love, the Son has laid down His life for His own. Father and Son are one in mission and in purpose. As the One sent from the Father, Jesus alone is the way to the Father (John 14:6). The disciples were included in that one mission and purpose.[9]
6. The Continuing Mission of the Disciples (Aided by the Spirit)
Jesus promised to send the Spirit at His ascension in order to assist the disciples to continue the mission as we have seen in the book of John. He sent the Holy Spirit to sanctify them, setting them apart for the mission. The aid of the Spirit enables the church to continue the mission of the Son. As the Spirit aided Christ in His mission (1:32, 33), so the Spirit will aid the disciples to continue the mission after Christ’s return to the Father.
Like the Son, the Spirit will convict men of sin, convince them of the righteousness of the Son demonstrated by His return to His Father’s glory, draw all men to Himself, and judge the devil. In their mission, the Father sends Jesus, and both the. Father and the Son send the Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26). He equips believers to bear witness of Jesus (15:26). He takes the things the Son revealed concerning the Father and reminds God’s people of them. In summary, in His own distinct way, each member of the Trinity is involved in the mission of God. The Father sends the Son, the Son is the Sent One, the Father and the Son send the Spirit, and the Spirit equips the church to continue the Son’s mission on earth.[10]
7. The Mission: Salvation to the Entire World, to Both Jew and Gentile.
We have seen clearly in the book of John the Gospel, the mission of Jesus began with the Jews, but it is also for the whole world, Jew and gentile. Jesus came to His own, the Jews (John 1:11), but even during the time of the Jewish mission, Jesus indicates that the mission would extend to the whole world. The scope of Jesus’ mission is seen in:
1) In John 3:16, we read: God so loved the world, that all who believe (both Jew and gentiles) would have eternal life.
2) The conversion of the Samaritan woman and then her whole village, related in John 4:1-41, anticipates Jesus’ broader mission to the entire world (John 4:43-57).
3) Jesus promised to draw all men both Jew and gentile to Himself, through His death (John 15:8).
In Jesus, Israel is redefined around the Son. All who are linked to the Son abide in the true vine (John 15:1-8), whether Jew or gentile.[11]
8. Witness as Mission
Strikingly, the statement on “witness” in the Gospel focus less on Jesus’ witnessing activity to the Father and more on the Father’s own witness to Jesus and on the witness which other bear to Jesus himself: that of John the Baptist (1:16), of the Holy Spirit and the disciples (John 15:26), of the beloved disciples (John 19:35), of the Scripture (5:39), of Moses (John 5:45-47), of Jesus’ own work (John 10:25), and even of Jesus himself (John 8:14).[12]
A distinction is a further made between witness which Jesus bears to Father and the witness which others bear to Jesus himself. For while Jesus’ witness to the Father is synonymous with his revealing the Father and is borne out by his entire life and work (John 8:46, 10:37), the witness which the Father, others and Jesus’ own work bear him means giving convincing evidence to his unique identity as the Father’s sole salvific agent.[13]
CONCLUSION
From the above explanation regarding Johannine understanding of mission, we could realize that mission of Jesus is the centre theme and theological message of John. Johannine theology of mission, but it is John’s Gospel that is pertinent for a theology of mission, because it addresses those outside the community, not those inside. The Johannine perspective is consistent with that of the Synoptic Gospels and is missionary oriented with a universal perspective.
Bibliography
- Buetler, Martyria Johannes, Johannine Tradition and Understanding of Mission. Frankfurt: Josef Knecht, 1972.
- Erdmann, Martin. Mission in John’s Gospel and Letters. Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis, 1998.
- Hahn, Ferdinand. Mission in the New Testament. London: SCM Press, 1965.
- Okure, Teresa. The Johannine Approach to Mission: A Contextual Study of John 4:1–42. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1988.
- Porter, Stanley E. Johannine Writings and Apocalyptic. Leiden Boston: Hotei Publishing, 2013.
- Zugg, Julian Michael. Johannine Literature: A Literary and Theological Study of John’s Writings. Houston, Texas: Miami International Seminary, 2007.
Footnotes
[1] H. Joseph Lalfakmawia, Re-reading the Gospel of John from Indian Perspective (Kolkata: Sceptre, 2013), 118-119.
[3] Martin Erdmann, Mission in John’s Gospel and Letters (Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis, 1998), 226.
[4] Ferdinand Hahn, Mission in the New Testament (London: SCM Press, 1965), 13.
[5] Teresa Okure, The Johannine Approach to Mission: A Contextual Study of John 4:1–42. (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1988), 31.
[6] Stanley E. Porter, Johannine Writings and Apocalyptic (Leiden Boston: Hotei Publishing, 2013), 8.
[7] Julian Michael Zugg, Johannine Literature: A Literary and Theological Study of John’s Writings (Houston, Texas: Miami International Seminary, 2007), 27.
[9] Okure, The Johannine Approach to Mission, 31.
[10] Zugg, Johannine Literature, 31.
[12] Okure, The Johannine Approach to Mission, 6.
[13] Martyria Johannes Buetler, Johannine Tradition and Understanding of Mission (Frankfurt: Josef Knecht, 1972), 360.
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