Appreciation

John is more detailed than Mark. Instead of giving us overviews on the life of Jesus, he actually goes deeper and writes about everything that happens. Reading John I feel like I am getting all the blanks that Mark left filled with the information in these pages. Right now I think of Mark as the opening act, while John is the full show.

“Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

In Mark we never heard the part of Lazarus. After reading it I understand why Jesus’s day was coming up faster and why his fan base grew. I mean after seeing a dead guy rise up from the grave, how can you not believe that Jesus is the son of God? Another subject omitted from Mark was resurrection day of the people. Since I was little I was told that there will be a day when Jesus will come back to the people and with him will be all the dead people. So with what it is saying above I think the dead aren’t really dead but waiting to be called on to come back to the world of the living through Jesus. But only if you “believeth" in Jesus you will come back.

These priests sound meaner in John. In Mark you kind of got the idea that they were bad but in here you actually get to know what they were saying as the book progresses. In a way it wasn’t completely Gods idea that Jesus should die, but these priests plotted everything as well: “high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52 and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. 53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.”Maybe God put the idea in their head but it sure doesn’t look like a higher power was manipulating these men. Weren’t they also a close connection between God and the people? They are priests after all. Personally I think they just killed him because they felt jealous he had a bond with God while they were being cast aside. Jesus actually created a relationship with those that surrounded him, while the priests kept to themselves.

The disciples got their moment to shine in John too. We get a clear picture of Judas Iscariot and the type of person he was: “hen saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.”Judas Iscariot sounds more like the type of person to chace a profit than chase a prophet. Here you can actually see his personality clashes with that of the other deciples because they don’t complain about things like foot ointment. He is also introduced as a “thief” and none of the other disciples had that title along with their names. Also, Jesus is shown to appreciate his deciples more. He actually praises them more and shows he is truly proud of the men they are. He says: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater loves hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”He tells them they know him at a deeper level and that they aren’t his servants but his friends. You see that even though Jesus knew bad about his men, he appreciated them equally, even Judas.

One thing they didn’t leave out in either book was the fact that women are nothing. I am so tiered about reading about how we were just made to reproduce and have the children. I give Jesus credit for making it sound deep. Not many people, especially men, understand that pregnancy and the actual action of giving birth is painful. Jesus put it into a nice way by saying: “ 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.” Ok why does it have to be a man? Are we only happy when we give birth to men? Anyway, Jesus only talks about this to say that they will have sorrow for his death but they will see each other again and the sorrow will go away. And of course birth is the only way to say “hey you’ll miss me but, we’ll see each other again soon”.

In book 17 he talks to his Father knowing that the time has come. In Mark he knows his time has come, but never is it mentioned what he prays for. In Mark you just hear that he stepped away from his disciples and went into the forest to pray. When he emerges from praying he is taken by the soldiers because he is betrayed. It’s different to see what he prayed than not to because you question what it it is he prayed for. In John, seeing what he prayed for exactly, you see that he prayed for mankind and that he gave us all we needed and that he knows what his sacrifice is for. When you see that he wasn’t scared to go and give his life for us, it creates a bigger picture. You understand that he had a purpose for being hear and as he had said “he was speaking for his Father”. He had a reason to be here and he had a clear purpose on what he wanted. Sometimes I wish I knew what I will become when I am older. Its probably because my future is uncertain right now and I don’t have someone telling me what to do to take the best path. The future is a mystery if you are not the official offspring of God.