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In
these arguments with 'the Jews' in the paragraphs above there are many
levels at work. There is a pattern
of repetition on the part of Jesus which has some parallels with the
repetitive couplets of the psalms.
The original language spoken would have been Aramaic and there could
have been elements of a melodious chant (c/f The Koran and other Arabic poetry and even the Essenes). Even so within the pattern of
repetition Jesus gradually introduces new concepts in a step by step way
until he reaches a conclusion “Before Abraham came to be I am”.
As
well as being conscious of what Jesus was saying one can also be conscious
of John the writer who is recording this. At one point Jesus addresses 'the
having believed Jews'. Yet next
he is telling them their father is the devil and they want to kill him. Is
this an editing error?
Consider the position of the early church. There would been 'believing Jews'
who thought of themselves as Jews who happened to be Christian. First priority for them would be the
continuation of their Jewish law.
Yet John is telling them to let go of their detailed rituals. 'The word'
of Jesus is setting them free.
In a second paragraph he talks of the need for the grain of wheat to
fall into the ground and die.
Unless these people 'let go' others will be turned away from the
church. At the turn of the first century the Jewish religion had by now
adjusted to its loss of Temple
worship. Jews moved into the
future with their focus on the Torah the first five books of the Bible and
the local synagogue. But what
would be the focus of Christians?
John puts forward Jesus as the center-point. So he tells Jewish church members.
'Stop over-stressing your heritage from Abraham.' Within the text Jesus says "Why
are you trying to kill me?"
Unless church members (all of them) recognised Jesus as the Living
Word they would be denying his full reality and in this way they would be
trying to kill him. In the
pattern of the paragraphs it appears that just as Jesus delivers an
ultimatum to his Jewish opponents, so the writer John is delivering an
ultimatum to these Jewish Christians people as well. In the meantime 'gentile' people are
wanting to join the church
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