The Gospel of John

The Gospel of John

A 6-week club convo curriculum

Created as part of the Convocation series by the

spiritual life programs office

Written by Rachel Collins

The Gospel of John
Biblical Study Basics
This section of the leader’s guide is here to give you a crash course in studying the
Bible. Think of it as Bible Interpretation 101. Each section contains a principle of
Biblical interpretation, followed by a few sub points which are designed to help you
get your footing as you study scripture. If you have questions about any of it or you
want to talk further about it, please contact us in the Chaplain’s Office. We’d love to
walk with you through this section.

Context is Key
Where are we?
The context of a scripture passage within its larger book is important
to understanding its purpose and meaning. So, the first thing we should ask
ourselves when interpreting a Bible passage is: where are we? What book of
Bible are we in? What is that book about? Where is that book situated within
the larger context of the Bible? Knowing where we are helps us understand
the context and helps us easily navigate inside our text.

Before and After

Just as the larger context of the passage is important, so is its
immediate context. If you read a paragraph out of Harry Potter, after asking
which book it’s from, you’d next want to know what came immediately before
and after that paragraph. Those clues help you to know what’s going on! If a
text starts with “therefore,” it’s natural to ask ourselves what came before it-
how did we arrive at a conclusion warranting the word “therefore?” The
verses immediately before and after your text give you a leg up on
understanding what it means.

Genre
The genre of the text is referring to the type of literature it is. The
Bible is made of 66 distinct books- each having a separate genre. Scripture
could be: historical narrative (think the book of Judges), poetry (think
Psalms), wisdom literature (think Proverbs), apocalyptic (think Revelation),
etc. Genre gives the text a distinct function. Just as you don’t read poems for
scientific answers, you also don’t read a Math textbook to study for a history
test. Knowing the genre helps you to know what you are intended to gather
from the text.
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Translations are Interpretations

What is the Bible?
The Bible, like we said, is a collection of books. This collection spans
centuries, nations, and languages. For you, the reader and interpreter, your
task is to come to scripture as both an informed reader but also a willing
listener. We come to the Bible to hear the stories, the voices of our ancestors,
the chronicles of history, and the wisdom of God. Welcome. You’re on holy
ground.

The Languages of Scripture

Because the Bible spans centuries, spoiler alert, it isn’t written in
English. The autographs (or original manuscripts) were written in Greek,
Hebrew, and a bit of Aramaic. Scholars have painstakingly learned these
ancient versions of each language in order to understand the texts and
translate them into English, just for you! Remember, every language of the
world has its own character: idioms, emphases, words for things (and a noted
absence of words for other things). For example, ancient Hebrew is a very
pictorial language whereas ancient Greek feels a bit more precise (kind of like
art vs. science).

Multiple Translations
So, the fact that there are different languages represented in scripture
means each time the Bible is translated, translators make a leap. They leap
from one language to another, choosing words and phrases that they feel best
represent the meaning of the text. On top of that, the Bible can be translated
word for word- which is super accurate but also usually sounds weird and
awkward. Or it can be translated phrase for phrase- which is a bit less
accurate but sounds more English-y. Finally, some are translated in larger
chunks at a time. Not great for scholarship, but useful for making the Bible
sound modern and very user-friendly. It’s not that one translation is better
than another… they just all serve different purposes. Now that we know
those purposes, I suggest you choose a translation which feels good for your
group and stick to it!
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Culture informs Writing

The Bible as Ancient Text
Friendly reminder: the bridge between ancient times and today is vast.
Remember the last time you had to adjust to a new culture? Maybe when you
studied abroad or took a trip somewhere. There were so many new things to
learn- small customs, greetings, how to get around, ask for things, etc.
Reading ancient texts is similar- it takes some getting used to! Put in the
time to learn the new culture and start crossing that bridge.

Authorship
Knowing who wrote the book you’re studying is a great way to shrink
that bridge. Sometimes it’s not clear who wrote it, while other times there is
a clear consensus. A study Bible, commentary, or a good google search will
help you out. Knowing who wrote it, where they came from, and what their
context is will help you understand why they chose to write what they did. A
letter the Apostle Paul wrote from prison is going to sound different than a
letter the Apostle John wrote as a free man. Authorship matters!

Audience
Who did they write it to? Also important. An email you send to your
professor is going to sound different than a text you send to your friend.
Audiences often drive thematic content of texts. Even this guide has an
audience- you! This is written with you in mind, meaning it’s giving you some
highlights in an easy-to-digest way. If this were written and intended to be
used as a textbook, it’d be written differently, right?
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Culture informs Reading

Bridging the Gap
We started crossing our metaphorical bridge back there when we
decided authorship, audience, ancient culture, language, and genre all
matter. But in order to get further over the bridge, we need to talk about our
culture too. This isn’t a bridge to nowhere! It’s a bridge to us, and we bring
our own cultural assumptions, ideas, and biases. In order to cross the bridge
from them to us, or then to now, we must understand how our culture
informs our reading of the passage.

Who are you?

Sounds like a silly question, right? But it matters! Just like it matters
who the author was it matters who the current reader is. This means asking
yourself and your group some introspective questions. Remember, you are not
neutral. You are swimming in culture, personal experiences, family history,
and ingrained beliefs. Asking yourself how you bring your identity to the text
is like practicing seeing the water you’re swimming in.

Where are you coming from?

So, what is your context? And what is your group’s context? It’s hard to
notice the water you’re swimming in when no one points it out. It could be a
helpful exercise to talk about your group’s social identities (ie- gender,
ethnicity, socio-economic class, education, sexual orientation, etc.) Those are
often the ones we forget about but they tend to play a pivotal role in how we
interpret the Bible. For example, the story of King Solomon’s monarchy can
be read through the lens of rousing political success. It can also be read
through the lens of the exploitation of women and lower classes. Know your
biases.
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No Agenda vs. Know Agenda

Reading with No Agenda
Shoot. I have a lot of biases. What do I do now? Glad you asked.
Sometimes we are tempted to try and read the Bible with no agenda at all,
ridding ourselves of all biases and aiming for complete “neutral.” But guess
what? Human people are literally terrible at being unbiased. So, new plan.
Let’s not aim for that. It’s like aiming for an A+ on every assignment. Sounds
exhausting. Plus, interpreting a religious text within the community of faith
it represents was never meant to be a sterile environment devoid of bias,
debate, and complexities. It was meant to bring these questions to the
surface.

Do you Know your Agenda?

Instead, let’s embrace our complexity. Embrace ourselves as
chronically agenda-driven people. This changes the conversation from “I
know the Bible says X” to “I think this passage says X but I also wonder if
maybe my bias as a wealthy individually is contributing to my
interpretation.” OR, it can change our statements from “Obviously, this text
is telling us X” to “I want the Bible to say X but I’m not sure if it does- what
do you think?” Knowing and readily admitting we have an agenda, often
driven by hidden cultural and social identities, helps us come to the Bible
with humility and a willingness to listen to others in the group.

The Beauty of Uncertainty

But wait a minute, I hear you protest. Does this mean that we are
promoting a sort of relativistic “all truth is truth” idea? Nope. Not really. It
just means that we are willing to admit we are wrong. We are willing to
listen to others. And that we believe our God is big enough to withstand our
uncertainty. The beauty of uncertainty is community- we turn to one another
for help, answers, and questions. We also turn to God in community with
God’s Spirit for help with clarity. However, it also means that we do
understand that many genres in scripture are meant to render many
interpretations. The Psalms, for instance, are poetry. Poets don’t want you to
solve for X, they want you to wrestle with their texts and ask what they
mean.
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Observe First, Interpret Later

Understanding Inductive Bible Study

While some uncertainty and some bias are absolutely going to happen,
there are strategies to help us be as un-biased as possible. One of those
strategies is inductive Bible study. This Bible study method is helpful
because it slows us down and asks us to read meaning FROM a text, not
INTO a text. With enough contortion we can get any text to say pretty much
anything we want it to, but we are not being faithful to it when we do that.
Remember, we are on holy ground. Let’s do this thing the right way.

What is Observation?
We want to build meaning from our Bible passage. So, observation is
literally asking for clues- who, what, where, when, why? No observation too
small! Here are some elements to observe in a text: repetition of words,
contrasting statements, cause and effect, summary statements, progression
of the story, simile/metaphor, names, places, objects of importance, etc.
Anything that you see is fair game. Often this one is the hardest because we
aren’t used to stating the obvious. Let’s say our text was James 2:14-26. In
this example, “the word faith is repeated 14 times” is an observation. “This
text is telling us to have faith” is NOT an observation because it makes the
leap from what is in the passage to what the passage is doing.

What is Interpretation?
If observation is laying the puzzle pieces out to see them all,
interpretation is the process of putting them together. This is where we begin
to ask the question: what does this mean? Or, what is the text doing? Not
mean “for us” (that’s application). Just, what does it mean. Period. A good
way to get at a solid interpretation is to ask “what would I title this passage?”
Or “what is the main theme of the text?” In our example, an answer to that
question might be “faith without deeds is dead” or “actions must support
what we believe.”

What is Application?
Application is where we now get to see the puzzle as a picture itself
and ask what it means to us. Applying a passage responsibly relies heavily on
the first two steps. This means, if the observation was “it says faith 5 times”
and the interpretation was “faith without deeds is dead” then it would be
The Gospel of John
irresponsible to say our application is “we should baptize believers.” Not
because that statement is incorrect, per say, but because it does not reflect
our observations or interpretations. Perhaps a better application point may
be asking ourselves “which deeds are God calling us to as a community which
might reflect our faith?” Congruency here is important. That isn’t to say that
God’s Spirit couldn’t move us in a totally different direction, but the
takeaway here is to avoid haphazard application of scripture without
responsible study.

Know the Grand Narrative

Where is your text in the story?

As we conclude our section on biblical study, remember to keep your
study in the greater context of scripture. Always be asking how your Bible
passage contributes to the greater narrative of the Bible.

Where are you in the story?

Also, remember to keep asking yourself and your group where you are
in the story. This isn’t to say we should insert ourselves into biblical texts.
Instead, it acknowledges the fact that as the Church (God’s people), we are
part of the grand narrative of redemption. Don’t lose yourself in your pursuit
of these ancient texts. While the books weren’t written to you in the historical
sense, they were written for you in the spiritual sense. You are part of God’s
people. This is part of your story.

Where is the story headed?

Finally, remember that the story isn’t over. The Book of Revelation
paints a beautiful picture of the New Heavens and New Earth- the ultimate
redemption of God’s people and reconciliation between humanity and God.
That’s where we are headed, so allow that information to inform your
interpretation. The witness of scripture points to the character of God.
Welcome. You’re on holy ground.
The Gospel of John
The Gospel of John: An Intro*

Let’s take what we discussed in the Biblical Basics section and apply it to the
Gospel of John. You don’t need to read all of this to your group. Rather, I
recommend you read it yourself and bring up certain components as necessary.
Think of this section as turning you into a mini-expert on the background of the
gospel of John!

Authorship
Most scholars have historically believed the apostle John (referred to in other
gospels) wrote this text. John, not to be confused with John the Baptist (different
guy), was one of the twelve apostles and is an eye witness to Jesus’ ministry. While
recent scholars have tended to question John’s authorship and have instead
subscribed to an anonymous author, the important point is that even with an
unknown author, it seems as if the writer was close enough to Jesus to be able to
describe events in good detail.

Audience & Purpose

John was likely writing for a Jewish audience. He literally structures some of
the events around the Jewish calendar and his stories are set much more frequently
in Jerusalem than any of the other gospels. The Jewish people were wrestling with
who Jesus was- was He their Messiah? John, it seems, seeks to answer this. So,
what does that mean? And how might it inform the purpose of the text? John’s
theme of life- eternal life, comes up again and again. One could argue this is his
main purpose: to demonstrate Jesus as the source of eternal life.

Genre
We’ve been throwing around the term “gospel” a lot. What exactly is a gospel?
A gospel is an eye-witness account of the life of Jesus. Each gospel (Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John) arranges elements of Jesus’ life in order to communicate certain
themes or emphases. They often contain a mix of Jesus’ teachings, miracles,
parables, and narrative about Jesus’ life (such as Jesus’ birth, death, and
resurrection).
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Date
The Gospel of John was likely written sometime after Jesus’ death but before
70 AD. The cool thing about this dating theory is that it means the writing came
relatively soon after Jesus’ ministry, affirming the accuracy of the accounts.

Themes
Certain themes appear in each book of the Bible. For John, major themes
include: eternal life, witness, life, Messiah, Jerusalem (Jewish identity), identity
itself, and signs. Interestingly, there are zero parable in the gospel of John!

*Information in this section was summarized in part from Leon Morris’ “The Gospel
According to John” and Marianne Meye Thompson’s “John: A Commentary.”

Further Study
To dig a little deeper, check out:
- NIV Application Commentary: John
- Keener’s Commentary on John
- Blueletterbible.com
- Marianne Meye Thompson’s John: A Commentary
- Leon Morris’ Commentary on John
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Week by Week Study Guide

Leader’s Note:
Each week you will need a print out of the scripture text. Choose a translation
which you enjoy reading and stick with it. We recommend using biblegateway.com
to print the material. Try to print it without headings, verse numbers, or footnotes
so that your group is encouraged to read the passage as a story.

Each week will begin with an introductory activity. Be sure to pay attention to the
material needed, as some activities may need small items to be brought by the
leader.

After the activity, there will be an introduction, which is meant for you to read for
yourself to familiarize yourself with the week. Feel free to read any parts of it to
your group that you feel are helpful.

The Bible study section is broken into Observation, Interpretation, and Application.
For a refresher on these elements of Bible Study, see “Observe First, Interpret
Later.” Also, be sure to remind your group each week of what each element means
and how to do it!
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Week 1
Materials:
Print out of John 1:1-18, colored pencils (or markers), pens, extra blank paper

Opening Activity:
If your group is not familiar with one another, I encourage you to create a “getting
to know you” game. This could be as simple as introductions around the circle or as
complicated as an elaborate game. This opening activity is up to you! If you already
know each other well, please go around the circle and have each person express
what they hope to gain from this study. Regardless of whether you know each other
take some time to talk about your own cultures (remember, our culture informs our
interpretations). Take some time, also, as a group to write a group covenant- a
commitment to learning, growing, sharing, etc. Be sure to include in that covenant a
pledge to keep confidentiality.

Introduction:
This week is an introductory week. It is meant to introduce the group to the Gospel
of John as a whole. Feel free to take some time to do as much teaching as you feel
comfortable doing- tell your group about what we talked about: authorship,
audience, setting, themes, etc. Or, bring some reading to do together as a group for
background on the text. Now is also a good time to give your group a snapshot of
each week so that they know what’s coming and how the study works as a whole.
Each week after this one will be a passage that contains an “I am” statement. These
are statements Jesus makes, many of them metaphorical, about his identity.
Introduce your group to these statements and how they might contribute to the text
as a whole.

Leader’s note: Remember, you can teach the introductory material as much or
as little as you’d like. Just be sure to get the information across. If you’re
uncomfortable teaching it outright, I encourage you to perhaps take turns reading
from “The Gospel of John: An Intro.”

Scripture: John 1:1-18

The Word was light. The Word was God. The Word became flesh. This week’s
scripture serves as the author, John’s, introduction to his gospel. A sort of poetic
prelude. An artist’s narration of the creation story. It also introduces us to a
character: John the Baptist. Remember, John the Baptist, as mentioned in John
1:1-18 is different from John our author!
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Observation
As you start with observation, be sure to give a thorough explanation of what
observation actually is (and what it is not!). Because this is the first week, allow
everyone time to observe on their own, in silence, using colors. This will help
everyone focus on the task and work out any kinks in their understanding.
Here are some questions to think about during observation:
- Who is present in the passage?
- What is being said? What is going on?
- Where is it taking place?
- When is it taking place?
- What are the literary devices employed?
- What is the genre?
- What cause and effect do you see?
- Where are the contrasting statements?
- How does the text progress?

Come together after 4-5 minutes to share your observation. As the leader, write
down everyone’s observations on one sheet of paper to refer back to later.

Interpretation
Next, explain to your group the step of interpretation. Again, refer to the section
“Observe first, Interpret later” for a refresher. Because this is the first week, let’s
keep our activities consistent. Give everyone time to practice interpretation on their
own, in silence for about 4-5 minutes. Have them brainstorm and write down
answers to some interpretive questions:
- What is the main point of this text?
- What is the main theme that emerges?
- What title would you give this passage?
- What is the total sum of your observations?
Come together and have each person share what they think the main theme is.

Application
Finally, explain the step of application. This is the culmination of your study and it
is only after observation and interpretation that you can safely venture into
application. In order to explain application, it may be helpful to utilize the “crossing
the bridge” analogy found in the Biblical Study Basics section. Give everyone 4-5
minutes to silently journal their application (and make sure to remind them that
their application must tie into their main theme found in the interpretation
section). Hand out new blank sheets of paper if need be.

Here are some questions your group can silently contemplate as everyone journals:
The Gospel of John
- What is this text revealing about the nature of God?
- What is this text revealing about the nature of humanity?
- What is this text saying to me about my spiritual formation?
- What is this text saying to my community?
- Is this text calling me or my community to confession and repentance?
- Is this text calling me or my community to action?

Come together as a group to share your application journaling. Challenge each

other to follow through on any action points.

Leader’s note: Sharing application journaling is a vulnerable experience. Be

sure not to pressure your group into oversharing prematurely. If you do not know
each other at all, acknowledge the vulnerability and relieve the pressure to share
intimate information this week. If you do know each other fairly well, you may be
able to do the opposite: instead of relieving the pressure of intimacy, encourage
vulnerability as an act of trust.

Prayer
This week involved a large learning curve and lots of heavy lifting! Spend a brief
time in prayer today as a leader. Pray over your group!
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Week 2
Materials:
Print out of John 6:24-40, colored pencils (or markers), pens, extra blank paper

Opening Activity:
Now that you have one week under your belt, it’s time to dig a little deeper. For this
week’s opening activity, give everyone a sheet of paper and some drawing utensils.
Instruct everyone to draw a large table. This table represents their current spiritual
life. Then, over the next few minutes, each person will fill in their tables however
they see fit, based on the prompt. Prompt: The table drawn in front of you
represents your spiritual life. Take the next few minutes to fill in your table based
on how you currently perceive your spiritual life. Is your spiritual state filled to the
brim with all manner of food? Is it completely bare? Is it filled with just essentials?
After a few minutes, come together and share your drawings.

Introduction:
This week’s text is challenging. It challenges its readers to dig into its meaning and
does not easily present one theme or one major takeaway. Your job as a leader this
week is to help your group bring together disparate parts and craft meaning from
this passage. Be sure to focus your group on asking deeper questions: what is the
nature of belief? Why is the crowd so interested in bread? Etc.

Leader’s note: This text will likely bring up more questions than answers. Help
guide your group to sit in the tension and remember, your group will likely walk
away from many Bible studies with more questions than they bring in. Your job is
not to solve problems, but rather to guide them to ask the right questions.

Scripture: John 6:24-40

Jesus declare that he is the bread of life. This is the first “I am” statement in the
Gospel of John and it is a pointed commentary on the nourishment of Christ’s
incarnation for the whole of humanity. There is also a special nod to the Old
Testament story of God’s provision for the Israelites through manna (see Exodus
16). As you read through this text, remember the importance of cultural context and
historical situation- there are a lot of those elements to note in this text!

Observation
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This week, practice your study steps in pairs. Have each group member pair off and
brainstorm what they observe together, referring to the questions in week one to
stimulate observations. After 4-5 minutes of working in pairs, come together to
share your observations in the whole group, noting which ones seem particularly
important or relevant.

Interpretation
Next, get back in your pairs for interpretation. Have the pairs focus this week on
crafting a well-worded title for this text. This title should come from the themes
they discover. After 4-5 minutes, come together and share each pair’s title and vote
on the one you think fits the text best.

Application
Finally, spend 4-5 minutes journaling individually on the application points each
person would like to take away from the study. After some individual reflection
time, get back together in those same pairs to share. Focus on individual application
this week. Commit to one action point for each person to do or commit to this week
and allow that person’s partner to hold them accountable to that action point in
week three.

Leader’s note: Be sure to send an occasional encouraging text or email to your

group members. Because this week involves a concrete action point with
accountability, this week may be a great time to check in with each participant.

Prayer
This week we will stick to our pairs. Pray for your partner from this week, sharing
prayer requests and encouraging one another.
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Week 3
Materials:
Print out of John 8:12-20, colored pencils (or markers), pens, extra blank paper, a
large poster-board or large sheet of paper (big enough for everyone to see)

Opening Activity:
This week’s study is all about light. Light flooding the darkness. So, for our opening
activity, have each group member, going around in a circle, share a 2-minute story
of a time when they saw metaphorical “light” flood a metaphorically “dark” space.

Leader’s note: For activities which involve story-telling, sometimes it is best to

set a timer on someone’s phone to make sure everyone gets an equal amount of time
to talk.

Introduction:
This week’s scripture passage focuses on Jesus’ relationship to both the darkness of
the world and the light of the Father. Jesus defends his statement through the use
of testimony and validity of the truth of who he is. Thus, your discussion will likely
be centered on the identity of Jesus as he relates to the light of the Trinity in
contrast to the darkness of humanity.

Leader’s note: This week’s focus on light will likely bring up darkness as a
result. Remember, it is your job as a leader to be on the lookout for any statements
made which might reveal a deeper need. Be on the ready to refer group members to
the Chaplain’s office, Counseling office, health center, HRL, etc.

Scripture: John 8:12-20

The title of our study is “Illuminate.” In this text, Jesus declares himself to be the
light of the world! Jesus’ light, emanating from his God nature, brings revelation
into the darkness. This week will focus on the act of confession and repentance in
response to Jesus’ light.

Observation
Like week one, this week we will allow everyone time to observe on their own, in
silence, using colors. This week’s text lends itself to individual reflection. Come
together after 4-5 minutes to share your observation. As the leader, write down
everyone’s observations on one sheet of paper to refer back to later.
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Leader’s note: Remember- you can always refer back to week one for prompting
questions regarding observation, interpretation, and application. If your group ever
gets stuck, refer to week one to get them going again.

Interpretation
Next, give everyone time to practice interpretation on their own, in silence for about
4-5 minutes.

Come together and have each person share what they think the main theme is.
Decide together on the best title for the text.

Application
Give everyone 4-5 minutes to silently journal their application (and make sure to
remind them that their application must tie into their main theme found in the
interpretation section). Hand out new blank sheets of paper if need be. As an
additional application exercise, spend 3-4 minutes journaling individually on the
following question:
What is an area of darkness in your life that needs the light of Jesus?
Come together as a group to share your application journaling. Challenge each
other to follow through on any action points.

Leader’s note: Because this text is about light, it may bring some convicting
parts to the discussion. Be prepared to spend some time talking about that during
prayer.

Prayer
This week’s prayer time is in two parts. Part 1 gives the pairs from last week some
time to check in on accountability- how did each of you do with your action point
from last week?
Part 2 will focus on group confession in response to the application journaling
exercise. Feel free to structure this prayer time in a way that works best for your
group.
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Week 4
Materials:
Print out of John 10:1-10, colored pencils (or markers), pens, extra blank paper, play
dough

Opening Activity:
In this passage, Jesus is the gate for the sheep (his followers). Jesus gives refuge to
his sheep. Using the play dough, have each group member sculpt something which
has brought them refuge or comfort. It could be an object, a person, a place, or an
abstract idea/concept. Go around the group after a few minutes of sculpting and
share your creation with the group.

Introduction:
This week’s text is all about Jesus giving his follower access and refuge. The entire
passage is an extended metaphor: seeking to convey certain truths to the reader or
listener through heightened language. Jesus’ sheep know his voice and they follow
him.

Leader’s note: Metaphors and heightened language mean tricky interpretation.

Be aware of this as you move your group into your scripture study and be sure to
continue to anchor your discussion in context, history, culture, and the meta-
narrative of scripture.

Scripture: John 10:1-10

Jesus, in this scripture passage, says that he is the gate (some texts say door).
Remember, each “I am” statement is meant to illuminate to us a part of God’s
character as revealed through Jesus. As you interpret, be sure to break down the
metaphor with your group, paying attention to who Jesus is talking to and why. For
this text, it may be helpful to familiarize yourself and your group fairly well with
what comes before and after the passage.

Observation
This week’s observation exercise will be a group-collaborative effort. The group
leader will serve as the recorder and the rest of the group will shout out their
observations as you write them down on your poster-board or large sheet of paper.
Make sure everyone in the group can see your observations list!
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Leader’s note: Remember- you can always refer back to week one for prompting
questions regarding observation, interpretation, and application. If your group ever
gets stuck, refer to week one to get them going again.

Interpretation
Next, the group as a whole will work together to come up with their interpretation
of the text. Write down on the poster-board the main theme that becomes the
consensus of the group and from there, write down your main title of the passage.
Discuss as a group how you went from observation to interpretation.

Application
Finally, because this week is all about group collaboration, focus your application
efforts on communal application. What is this text saying to your group as a whole?
Is the text challenging your group to work toward something or adjust something?

Leader’s note: Communal application can be challenging because the majority

of us are immersed in a fairly individualistic culture. Our churches like to get us to
think about our personal spiritual lives but rarely challenge us to think about our
communities. Be ready to provide some examples of communal application and help
the group brainstorm through directing questions.

Prayer
This week’s prayer time will be done… you guessed it… as a group! But instead of
choosing one person to pray, everyone will get to pray- just in short bursts. Think
along the lines of “God, thank you for our time together.” (that’s it!). Then another
person might say “God we pray for your wisdom in applying this passage to our
lives” (done!). Then a third person might say “God we confess to you that we have
not loved one another as we ought” (that’s it!). See how each person prays a short
prayer but everyone gets to pray? Encourage that style of “popcorn prayer” for about
5 minutes. Every gets to pray as many times as they like. Then you, as the leader,
can close the prayer time.
The Gospel of John
Week 5
Materials:
Print out of John 11:17-43, colored pencils (or markers), pens, extra blank paper

Opening Activity:
The text today is about hope. The ultimate hope. The hope of resurrection. Jesus
demonstrates this by resurrecting Lazarus and declaring himself THE resurrection
and the life. For this week’s opening activity, pass around blank sheets of paper and
have each participant draw a scene from a movie. This scene must be one where the
audience thinks all hope is nearly lost but then something changes- a superhero
swoops in, the main character remembers a hidden skill, the antagonist is defeated
just in time, etc. Have everyone go around and share their drawings- bonus points
for silliness and bad drawings!

Introduction:
This week’s text is a narrative, a full story with a beginning, middle, and end. Quite
different from what we’ve had with many extended metaphors and teachings from
Jesus. Be sure to re-orient the group to think through the “I am” statement in the
context of narrative and to think through what it means that it is told through a
story. This miraculous story also gives a window into the future resurrection of
Christ, so it’s really important to think through what it means to situate this story
with the over-arching story of scripture!

Leader’s note: Orienting your group to narrative means talking about how to
interpret a narrative. Be sure to think through ahead of time what that might look
like so that you can be ready to discuss this with the group.

Scripture: John 11:17-43

The story of Lazarus’ resurrection is one which demonstrates the beauty and hope
of Jesus’ incarnation. In this story, Jesus literally illuminates the grave. Jesus
shines light and hope on death- the ultimate hopelessness becomes the ultimate
hope. What does it mean that Jesus says HE is the resurrection? That HE is the
life? Let’s explore this!
The Gospel of John
Observation
Like week two, this week, practice your study steps in pairs. Have each group
member pair off and brainstorm what they observe together, referring to the
questions in week one to stimulate observations. After 4-5 minutes of working in
pairs, come together to share your observations in the whole group, noting which
ones seem particularly important or relevant.

Interpretation
Next, get back in your pairs for interpretation. Have the pairs focus this week on
crafting a well-worded title for this text. This title should come from the themes
they discover. After 4-5 minutes, come together and share each pair’s title and vote
on the one you think fits the text best.

Application
Finally, spend 4-5 minutes journaling individually on the application points each
person would like to take away from the study. After some individual reflection
time, get back together in those same pairs to share. Focus on individual application
this week. Commit to one action point for each person to do or commit to this week
and allow that person’s partner to hold them accountable to that action point in
week three.

Leader’s note: Here is a friendly reminder again to send an occasional

encouraging text or email to your group members. Because this week involves a
concrete action point with accountability, like week two, this week may be a great
time to check in with each participant.

Prayer
This week we will stick to our pairs. Pray for your partner from this week, sharing
prayer requests and encouraging one another.
The Gospel of John
Week 6
Materials:
Print out of John 15:1-17, colored pencils (or markers), pens, extra blank paper, a
handful of something from nature (pebbles, blades of grass, twigs, leaves, etc), a
container for those elements

Opening Activity:
Today’s text is another extended metaphor. This time, Jesus talks about gardening,
vines, and branches. For the opening activity, ask each participant to take as many
elements of nature from the bag that they want (without explanation). Everyone
must take at least 2 but can take more. (make sure you, as the leader, have
enough!). For however many elements each person took, that is how many ideas
they must present for ways to stay connected to God after this study is over. For
example, if I took 3 pebbles, I might say “pray daily, commit to a regular small
group, spend time with God in nature.”

Introduction:
This last “I am” statement wraps up our “Illuminate” study. This week, we will
focus on what it means to “remain in Christ.” So, you can utilize the last week as a
bit of a reflection time, as well as a study of a new text. What have we learned over
the last 5 weeks about Jesus’ character? How does that communicate the
importance of remaining with Jesus as the vine?

Leader’s note: Balancing a new text with summary elements can be tricky. Be
sure to map out the timing of your study so that you’re able to adequately reflect on
the study as a whole while also making time for John 15.

Scripture: John 15:1-17

The vine. The branches. Bearing fruit. So many of Jesus’ metaphors, teachings, and
parables are directly related to the earth. The Bible opens in Eden. Jesus, when
resurrected, is mistaken for a gardener. The Book of Revelation closes with a garden
planted in the city. It seems like God really appreciates a good garden. “Dig” into
what these metaphors mean and what Jesus as the vine reveals or “illuminates” to
us about His character.
The Gospel of John
Observation
Like week four, this week’s observation exercise will be a group-collaborative effort.
The group leader will serve as the recorder and the rest of the group will shout out
their observations as you write them down on your poster-board or large sheet of
paper. Make sure everyone in the group can see your observations list!

Leader’s note: Remember- you can always refer back to week one for prompting
questions regarding observation, interpretation, and application. If your group ever
gets stuck, refer to week one to get them going again.

Interpretation
Next, the group as a whole will work together to come up with their interpretation
of the text. Write down on the poster-board the main theme that becomes the
consensus of the group and from there, write down your main title of the passage.
Discuss as a group how you went from observation to interpretation.

Application
Finally, because this week is all about group collaboration, focus your application
efforts on communal application. What is this text saying to your group as a whole?
Is the text challenging your group to work toward something or adjust something?

Leader’s note: The last week of any small group can be hard. Make a plan
during the application time to check up on one another after the study!

Prayer
This is our last week together. Take a little more time than normal to pray together.
Bring up your action points from last week with the group and reflect on how well
you’ve done with that application point. Reflect also on the study and allow each
person to go around and share one thing they plan to take away from the six weeks.
Allow each person to also share a prayer request which relates to what they shared
about the study. Have each person pray for the person on their left. Close the prayer
time with a blessing that you give to your group.