Friday, December 27, 2019

Johannine Baptismology

As many Johannine scholars have noted, the climatic point for the Prologue of the Gospel of John (vv 1-18), is, surprisingly, not the Incarnation of the Word (1:14), but our adoption as children of God (vv 12-13). This view is based on the supposed chiastic structure of the Prologue. [1] I will not defend that thesis here,[2] but will merely lay out the schema suggested by various scholars. Following the division of Fr. Raymond E. Brown, Brad McCoy in his article on the prevalence of chiasmus in Biblical literature, [3] arranges the Prologue according to this pattern:


A: The Word with God the Father (1:1–2)
B: The Word’s role in creation (1:3)
C: God’s Grace to mankind (1:4–5)
D: Witness of John the Baptist (1:6–8)
E: The Incarnation of the Word (1:9–11)
X: Saving Faith in the Incarnate Word (1:12–13)
E’: The Incarnation of the Word (1:14)
D’: Witness of John the Baptist (1:15)
C’: God’s Grace to mankind (1:16)
B’: The Word’s role in re-creation (1:17)
A’: The Word with God the Father (1:18)


Dr. Jeffrey L. Staley[4] provides a more simplified version of the chiasm:


A (vv 1-5)
B (vv 6-8)
C (vv 9-11)
D (vv 12-13)
C’ (vv 14)
B’ (vv 15)
A’ (vv 16-18)


If this schema is correct, then we should expect John’s gospel to emphasize the theme of divine adoption all throughout. And that’s exactly what we do find. From Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus (3:1-21), to His final words to John (19:26-27) and Mary Magdalene (20:17), the gospel emphasizes Jesus’ mediatorial role in bring us to the Father. It is through our incorporation into Christ, as the only begotten Son from the Father (1:14c), that we become children of God. One should take careful note of the immediate transition from giving us the power to become children of God in verses 12-13, to Jesus being the only begotten Son from the Father (monogenous para Patros). Although verse 14c can be taken as an implicit refutation of adoptionist Christology, the transition from vv 12-13 to 14c also underlies how we enter into a filial relationship with the Father, viz., through a participation in the Incarnate Son by means of baptism. The baptismal allusion is to be found in the textual parallelism displayed by vv. 12-13 and the Nicodemus discourse.



Prologue (vv 1-18)
Nicodemus Discourse (3:1-21)
1:4-5: In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
1:9 The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.
1:2 He came by night… “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God”
1:12-13 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
1:3-6 unless one is born from above, he cannot enter the kingdom of God… that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit
1:11-12 He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.
3:11 but you do not receive our testimony.
1:14 glory as of the only Son from the Father.
3:18 because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
1:9-11: the true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.
3:19 that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.



When Jesus tells Nicodemus that we must be born from above (gennēthē anōthen; 3:3c) through water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God (3:5), He is reiterating the message of verses 12-14c. The only way to be begotten by God is through participating in the sonship of the Incarnate Word (14c) by means of baptism (3:14; 12:32; cf. Rom 6:3). Through our participation in the Incarnate Word, who is the proverbial house of God (cf. 1:51), we enter into the household of God as his children (cf. 2:16; 14:2-3; 19:26-27; 20:17). Jesus even alludes to his identity as Bethel in his discourse with Nicodemus, “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man” (3:13; cf. Jn 1:51). Although Jesus descended from heaven,[5] he will go back to God (13:3; 20:17),[6]  to prepare a place for his Father’s children in the heavenly Temple (cf. 14:2-3; 2:16; Rev 11:9).



We should carefully observe the author’s placement of the Nicodemus discourse (3:1-21), which is found in between the Cana story (2:1-11), the Temple Cleansing (2:13-25) and the testimony of John the Baptist (3:22-36). The theological implications of John’s placement will become evident once we take into consideration the overarching nuptial and temple motifs. The overarching theme of the three narratives is Jesus’ identity as the Bridegroom / Temple. In the OT, Yahweh is often depicted as the bridegroom of Israel (cf. Jer. 3:14; 31:32; Isa. 54:5), who comes to cleanse His bride (Ezek 36:25-27; cf. Jn 13:1-20) and to fill her with new wine (Is 25:6-8; Amos 9:13; Joel 3:18). John depicts the Church as the Bride of Christ (3:29) that proceeds from His side (19:34), replacing the Jerusalem Temple as the proverbial house/temple of God (2:19, 21). By inserting the Nicodemus discourse between the Cana story, Temple Cleansing and the testimony of John the Baptist, the author is indicating the role of baptism in grafting us into the Bride / Temple of Christ.



Besides the nuptial motif of the Cana narrative, there are Edenic allusions as well (2:4; cf. 19:26-27, 34). Although the Edenic allusions are implicit, they highlight two important features, viz., Jesus’ identity as the New Adam, and the Church’s identification as the New Eve (19:34). To properly appreciate these Edenic allusions one would need to familiarize oneself with the Mosaic creation account that serves as its backdrop. Here are just some of the textual and conceptual parallels displayed by the Cana narrative and the Mosaic creation account:


John 1-2
Genesis 1-3
1.1a: In the beginning was the Word…
1:3a: Through Him all things were made
1.1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
1.4-5: In him was light… and the darkness could not overcome it
1.3: And God said, “Let there be light”
1.4: and God separated the light from the darkness.
1.29 The translational phrase “Next Day” (Tē epaurion) is used, implying there was a first day.
1.5: And there was evening, and there was morning—day one (yom-'ehad).
1.32: “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him”
1.6-7: “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters…”
1.35: Now the Third Day
1.8: Second Day
1.42: “You shall be called Cephas”
1.9: “Let the dry land appear”
1.43: Fourth Day
1.13: Third day
1.51: “Amen, Amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

[n.b. angels are referred to as stars in the book of Revelation (cf. Rev 1:16,20; 8:10, 12; 9:1; 12:14)]
1.14 “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens…”
2.1: On the Third Day
1.31: Sixth Day
2:1: On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee
2.10: “Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”
2.23: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh’ she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
2.4: “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
3.15:  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”




The Johannine crucifixion narrative also has several parallels with the Mosaic creation account:


John 19
Genesis 2-3
19.26: “Woman, behold, your son!”
2.23: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
19.30: “It is finished”
2.3: And on the seventh day God finished his work
19.30: and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
2.21: So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh
19.34: But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
2.21: while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh;
19.19: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
1.28: have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air
19.23: But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom
2.15: The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. (cf. Num. 3:7-8; 8:25-26; 18:5-6; 1 Chr. 23:32; Ezek. 44:14)


The Edenic allusions in the Cana and Crucfixion narratives ultimately highlight Jesus’ identity as the New Adam. We can also find other allusions to Jesus as the New Adam in the Gospel of John. For example, Pilate’s unintentional double entendre in presenting Jesus as “the man” (ho anthrōpos) alludes to his Adamic role. Also, when Jesus is praying in the garden with his disciples, he fulfills the role of Adam by confronting the approaching band of soldiers (18:1-11).


In the Mosaic creation account, the sixth day represents the pinnacle of creation, where man, formed from the dust of the ground (2:7), is created to reflect the image and glory of God (Gen 1:26-28). Whereas Adam is formed directly from the earth, the woman is taken from his side, reflecting the subordinate relationship of the church to Christ (Jn 19:33-34; 1 Tim 2:12-14; Col 1:18). Likewise, the Cana story occurs on the sixth day of the New Creation week (vv 29, 35, 43, 2:1), paralleling the marriage in the garden (Gen 1:26-27, 31; 2:20-25). Granting the Edenic backdrop of the Crucifixion narrative, the church becomes a type of New Eve that proceeds from Christ’s side (19:34).


The gospel author expands on the Edenic motif by depicting the Church as the New Eden. We find allusions to the Church as New Eden in Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to his disciples in the Upper Room (Jn 20:19-23); the same room He washed the disciples’ feet (Jn 13-14). When we place Jesus’ act of breathing in John 20:22 in relation to Yahweh’s creation of Adam in Genesis 2:7, the Upper Room serves as a type of Eden. The Edenic allusions are reinforced by the mention of “closed doors,” depicting the Upper Room as a type of sanctuary (much like the Garden). The Edenic and Temple motifs are brought together in the Upper Room, when Jesus alludes to His Father’s house (14:2; cf. 2:16). The descriptive “Upper Room” also reminds us of Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus. If we wish to enter the Upper Room, which is a type of the Church, we must be born from above through water and the Spirit (3:3-5). Or, to use an Edenic metaphor, if we wish to enter Eden, we must become new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17; cf. Jn 9:6-8; 20:19-23).


            The Gospel indicates two primary effects of baptism, namely, spiritual regeneration and illumination. The regenerative aspect of baptism is indicated in Christ’s healing of the paralytic, which occurred near the pool of Bethesda (5:2). The paralytic typologically represents wandering Israel (5:5; cf. Deut 2:14), that was spiritually desolate due to obstinacy in sin (5:14). The healing of the paralytic, therefore, prefigures the regeneration of Israel, which the prophet Ezekiel foretold of, 


Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh (Ezek 26:25-26).

As I argued in my article, “The Heptadic Chiastic Pattern of the Johannine Signs,” there are seven Johannine signs that are arranged chiastically. The healing of the paralytic and the restoration of the blind man’s sight constitute the third and fifth signs, respectively. The two signs display verbal and conceptual parallelism to a remarkable degree. Here are just some of the textual parallels:


Jesus Heals Paralytic(Jn 5:1-15)
Jesus Heals Blind Man (Jn 9:1-34)



Length of Illness
38 years (Jn 5:5)
Born without sight (Jn 9:1)
Cause of Illness
Sin (Jn 5:14)
Not sin (Jn 9:3)
Day of the Week
Sabbath (Jn 5:16 )
Sabbath (Jn 9:14, 16)
Close association with water
Jesus heals the paralytic near the sheep gate and the 5 porticoes (Jn 5:2)
Jesus sends the blind man to wash in the pool of Siloam (Jn 9:7)
Mention of works
Jesus mentions the works He must accomplish (Jn 5:36)
Jesus mentions the works He must accomplish (Jn 9:4 and 10:25)
Pharisees investigate
5.12-13: They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.
9.12: They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”


As I indicated above, the paralytic typologically represents wandering Israel, which had sinned repeatedly. However, in the case of the blind man, the cause of his blindness was neither personal sin, nor the sin of his parents. However, this is not to suggest that the cause of his blindness is unknown. In John 9:6 there is an Adamic allusion in Jesus’ prophetic act of healing, “he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man’s eyes with the clay” (cf. 20:19-23). If the blind man typologically represents Adam, then his blindness is the result of original sin (which all men inherit). As St. Augustine writes, “Blindness came upon the first man by reason of sin: and from him we all derive it: i.e. man is blind from his birth.”[7] Jesus does not heal the blind man by His mere word (as in the case of the paralytic), but tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. Therefore, baptism is not only spiritually regenerative, but illuminative as well.[8]






[1] R. A. Culpepper, “The Pivot of John's Prologue,” NTS 27 (1980-81) 1-31,
[2] Peter M. Phillips, “The Prologue of the Fourth Gospel: A Sequential Reading,” The Library of New Testament Studies 294 (Bloomsbury Publishing 2006).
[3] Brad McCoy, "Chiasmus: An Important Structural Device Commonly Found in Biblical Literature," Chafer Theological Seminary Journal 9, no. 2 (2003), 29
[4] Jeffrey Staley, “The Structure of John's Prologue: Its Implications for the Gospel's Narrative Structure,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 48 (1986), 245-246.
[5] Using different terminology, Jesus comes from above (3:31; 8:21), or descends from heaven (3:13).
[6] Jesus ascends back to heaven / the Father (8:21; 14:3)
[7] Aquinas, Catena Aurea: Gospel of John
[8] Charles A. Gieschen, “Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in the Gospel of John,” CTQ 78 (2014), 33-34. (https://ctsfwmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/CTQ/CTQ%2078-1%2C2.pdf

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