1. John the Baptist testifies that Jesus of Nazareth is The One; sent by God before time began, to bring the saving light of God to creation, and though many (including most of his own people) are going to reject him, unexpected folks will respond to this good news
2. Jesus begins to reveal who he is through miracle and sign and to challenge those who question him; water is quietly turned to wine at country wedding, but in the temple at Jerusalem, a fractious confrontational scene is precipitated
3. In conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus surprises the other man by talking of the need for a spiritual rebirth, even for God's chosen people; while John the Baptist surprises his own disciples by confirming that the ministry of Jesus completes and succeeds his own
4. Avoiding the Pharisees, Jesus ends up tired and hungry in a lonely place, and having a conversation with a Samaritan woman, which results in her (and most of her village) becoming followers; an unexpected outcome that refreshes Jesus immensely.
5. On the Sabbath, a man at the temple is able to walk after Jesus tells him to; witnessing this the Jewish leaders ask questions (examining carefully to see if the law has been broken), and Jesus tries to convince them that he does only his heavenly Father's will
6. Traveling through remote Galilee, Jesus feeds the large crowds he attracts; first with donated bread - multiplied miraculously - then offering himself, as the imperishable Bread of Life, which unlike manna in the wilderness, gives life for more than just a day
7. Everyone is divided in what they think of Jesus; no-one can decide if he is he a prophet, the Messiah, a teacher, a misguided fool or demon-possessed, but whether in rural Galilee or the temple at Jerusalem, he continues to tell everyone that he is sent from God to do God's will
8. Jesus continues to teach in the temple, and is tested by the authorities, who cannot accept his claims to be the Living Water sent from God; only a few among the crowds believe in him
9. Jesus challenges the generally assumed connection between illness, disability and sin when healing a man born blind; the Pharisees are so focused on finding sin they cannot accept that the miracle could come from God, and choose to condemn.
10. Day by day at the temple Jesus tries to explain how he has come from God; that he is the Good Shepherd sent to care for the sheep that belong to him, but despite acknowledging his good works, the Pharisees hear only arrogance and he leaves Jerusalem again.
11. After a time Jesus feels called to return to the region of Jerusalem and to perform a very public miracle - raising Lazarus from death; the temple authorities agree that such a sign cannot be covered up or explained away and that it therefore threatens the status of all Jews in the Roman held territory, and so they plot Jesus's death (for the greater good).
12. The story of Lazarus draws diverse crowds to Jesus; who continues to proclaim that he is sent from God, to be light in a dark world, he also begins to explain that his own death is a necessary part of God's plan, accepting public anointing by Mary as a sign of his coming death.
13. At supper the night before Passover, Jesus understands that his death is near; he washes the feet of his disciples and encourages them to follow this example in their love and care for one another, then he sends Judas on his mission of betrayal
14. Jesus comforts his disciples, who are unsettled by the idea of his leaving them; he promises that they have already received all the instruction they need, simply by knowing him, and that God will also send a companion to aid them - the Holy Spirit of Truth.
15. Again Jesus assures his disciples that they and he are branches of the same true vine, growing from God, connected by love; in contrast the people who heard his words and saw the signs but did not respond, are like dead branches, fit only for burning.
16. He tells them plainly, that he is about to leave them, and knows that this will cause them great sorrow, but Jesus promises that his disciples will rejoice again and that everything he's shown them will make perfect sense.
17. As time runs out Jesus offers a prayer to God for his disciples, those in the room and those who will follow because of them; he prays for unity of spirit and for them to know that God's Spirit will be with them always.
18. Setting out to a regular meeting place, Jesus is betrayed, arrested and dragged away, and his disciples fail the first test of their discipleship by abandoning their leader to face an unfair trial alone.
19. Jesus is repeatedly questioned, mocked and whipped for his claims; Pilate is satisfied that his claim to be the king of the Jews is no threat to him and plans to release him, but those bringing the charges insist on crucifixion, and the tortuous sentence is carried out quickly and publicly and Jesus's body is interred in a tomb, all before the end of Passover preparation day.
20. Before dawn on the day after Passover, Mary is alarmed to discover that Jesus's body is gone from the tomb; other disciples confirm her story and gather in secret to discuss the situation - and in the midst of all this chaos and fear, Jesus appears to his disciples and comforts them.
21. A final story of another post resurrection meeting of Jesus and his disciples, where he cooks them breakfast on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius, and affirms Simon Peter in his future ministry.
John's Gospel is so different to the synoptic Gospels. At times Jesus seems remote and otherworldly, but these moments are contrasted by homely stories of weddings and breakfasts, chance meetings and staged events. The question throughout is who is this man? It's left ultimately up to the reader to decide, but the clues are there for those who seek them. One of the keys to understanding the rich language and imagery used in John's Gospel, is a good working knowledge of the prophetic writings of scripture. Jesus constantly refers to himself using prophetic language and imagery, and it's clear that some of his listeners got it and understood, others got it and rejected it, but his closest disciples really didn't get it until afterwards. I've come to see that titles like Messiah, Son of God and Son of Man, although familiar from Christian liturgy, are concepts that I'm only just beginning to make sense of, as my knowledge and grasp of prophetic writing slowly grows. I take hope from the fact that even the closest friends and most devoted followers of Jesus took a while to figure this stuff out. Being a follower of Jesus requires a journey, and such things necessarily take time, but I'm very glad that I started.