Narrative Analysis of John 18:28 - 19:16a Part VII (Conclusion)
Today is the final part of this seven part series of an narrative analysis of this passage in the Gospel of John in which I present my final brief conclusion. I hope that this series has been of value to you. Please let me know what you thought of it, good or bad! Here are some links to the other six parts of the series
Part One - Introduction | Part Two - Rhetoric | Part Three - Irony | Part Four - Setting| Part Five - Characters| Part Six - Plot
Conclusion
Throughout this pericope we have seen the masterful way in which the evangelist has employed the elements of the narrative. It was imperative for him to explain how and why Jesus was rejected, and at the same time relate the true nature of his kingship.1 Despite the evil that is present in the narrative through the characters of the Jews and Pilate, the evangelist makes it clear to those who are attempting to understand the nature of Jesus’ kingship that “even the worst evil cannot escape the outer boundaries of God’s sovereignty –yet God’s sovereignty never mitigates the responsibility and guilt of moral agents who operate under divine sovereignty, while their voluntary decisions and their evil rebellion never render God utterly contingent….”2 Through rhetoric, setting, character, and plot he has successfully demonstrated his point of view; that is, that Jesus is the true and rightful king who alone holds all things sovereignly in his care, he is the loving God who has humbled himself unto the humiliation of the cross in order that his people might be redeemed unto himself, and he is the just judge who alone sits in judgment against his enemies.3
1 Beasley-Murray 1999, 308.
2 Carson 1991, 600. Brown 1970, 896 notes that as the evangelist sees it “God has planned ‘the hour’ carefully.”
3 Ridderbos 1997, 607 notes that the evangelist depicts the depth of the incarnation and the descent of the Son in the most extreme consequences in this narrative. This is part of understanding the depths of the love of God for his people.
Technorati Tags: narrative analysis, Gospel of John, Jesus
