Praying John Session 2: Encounters with Jesus in the Fourth Gospel
Channel: SSJEOnline
Date: 2021-02-17

Encounters with Jesus in the Fourth Gospel
John 3:1-21, 4:1-42, 9:1-41
SSJE.org/prayingjohn

▪ Nicodemus is “a Pharisee” and “a leader of the Jews” (Jn 3:1). He is knowledgeable, wealthy, and powerful, but he cannot seem to grasp what Jesus is talking about when he speaks of being born “from above.” Jesus is speaking about mystical experience and spiritual power, and Nicodemus, perhaps because is invested and secure in his belief system, cannot comprehend these things.
▪ The Woman at the Well, by contrast, is poor, socially ostracized and has had “five husbands.” Though she lacks training and education, her heart is open and after initially misunderstanding Jesus, she receives his words and is changed by them, becoming an apostle and evangelist by bringing others to Jesus.
▪ The Man born Blind comes to believe in Jesus over time as he is interrogated by the Pharisees. He acknowledges Jesus as Lord and becomes an example of one who ‘sees,’ while the Pharisees remain in their stubborn ‘blindness,’ refusing to see or accept the testimony of Jesus.