It s one of my favorite gospels. I use it for almost every funeral liturgy because it s the one that s SO much filled with hope. It s from John s gospel. Lord, come and see. Now again, John is the most theological of all Gospels.
Nothing is done in here without purpose.
The Church had grown, they had gotten to reflect on things. Here was a friend of Jesus who was dead. What they are doing theologically is they are inviting God to see what it is to be a man. This is what it means to be a man. It s setting up of course this whole reality of the Passion on the Cross.