The Toronto Catholic District School Board

Course: Grade 10 Religion – Christ and Culture

Date/Lesson Number: Lesson 8 and Lesson 9

Unit: Scripture

Lesson Topic: The Gospel of John

Time Period: 2 x 75 minute periods

Focus Question:

The purpose of this lesson is to illustrate the gospel portrait of Jesus Christ according to St. John.

The students will gain an understanding the origins and message of the New Testament’s Gospel

that focuses on the key to happiness.

Instructional Objective(s):

1) Students will examine the origins of John the evangelist who wrote for Jewish-Christians

who were expelled from synagogues after the Roman revolt.

2) Students will learn how the gospel of John’s titles for Jesus, reveal Him as the Son of God

and the Word (Logos = Greek) of God

3) Students will learn about John’s unique portrait of Jesus the Christ who is the bedrock of

our faith and the Way to eternal life.

New Evangelization Essential Element(s):

Key Element I: Knowledge of the Faith: What We Believe.

Key Vocabulary:

Logos

Paraclete

Humility

Priest

Glory of God

Key Scriptural Passage(s):

John 10:14-15, John 15: 12

Key Catechism Reference(s):

CCC: 512-515

Key People:

John the Evangelist

Internet Link(s):

www.avemariapress.com

www.vatican.va

www.cccb.ca

Textbook Suggestions:

Encountering Jesus in the New Testament. (2009) Michael Pennock. Notre Dame: Ave Maria

Press, Inc. Chapter 7.

Jesus Christ: God’s Revelation to the World. (2010) Michael Pennock. Notre Dame: Ave Maria

Press, Inc. Chapter 9.

Materials required:

1) Sacred Scripture (NRSV)

2) PowerPoint Presentation [Appendix A]

3) Appendix B -Meditation on John’s gospel

4) Student Handouts Lesson 8 [Friendship with Jesus, Questions on PowerPoint]

5) and Lesson 9 [Questions on Book of Signs]

6) Appendix C “Foot Washng”

Prayer learned or reviewed:

Lord, when we encounter situations that are too great for us, let us not be discouraged, but

instead look to You in prayer. Help us to need “signs” less and instead believe more in Him whom

God has sent. We give our hearts to Jesus, understanding that He is the Bread of Life. Thank You

for drawing us to the Son. We trust in Him now. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Step by Step Procedures:

Task 1: Who is John the Evangelist and Why did he Write his Gospel?

Who was John the evangelist?

[For many centuries the gospel of John was attributed to the “Beloved Disciple,” who was one of

the twelve apostles. However, scholars today believe that St, Irenaeus may have confused John

the apostle with another John, a Church elder and disciple of the Apostle John. The complex

nature of the gospel suggests that it may have been written in stages and edited by different

people. This group of people is referred to as the Johannine community.

What is the issue at hand?

A class discussion should ensue around the following questions which could be presented to the

students as part of a large group discussion.

a. Who was “John” after whom the gospel is written?

b. Why was John’s gospel chosen as one of the four gospels in the New Testament canon?

c. How did John’s gospel strengthen the faith of the early Christian community?

d. How is the gospel of John relevant today?

Important: Each of the gospels in the next four lessons will follow a pattern that addresses:

a. The context of why the gospel was written and how that context can be integrated with

current issues in the world today that require a response of justice and compassion, in

other words, a gospel response.

b. Each gospel will focus on common themes to all four gospels:

1. Titles for Jesus and how this connects with questions about who Jesus is and the

Catholic faith about Jesus,

2. The portrait of Jesus particular to a gospel,

3. The kind of call to discipleship particular to each gospel,

4. The predominant genre [miracle, parable, etc.] in each gospel that teaches about

the kingdom of God,

5. How this gospel is relevant in today’s world.

(10 minutes)

Task 2: Friendship in the Gospel of John

[As an entry point to this gospel the following exercise examines the important qualities of

friendship which are central to the message of chapter 15 of John’s gospel, verse 12-17, “I call

you my friends.”]

Friendship With Jesus

John’s Gospel expresses the great news that we, as believers, can be called friends of Jesus:

I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I

have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my

Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and

bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give

you. This I command you: love one another. (Jn 15:15–16)

The following list gives a number of important qualities of friendship

1. Trust: can always be counted on.

2. Honesty: truthful in relationship; holds nothing back.

3. Loyalty: devoted and faithful.

4. Availability: makes time for the other.

5. Caring/considerate: loving at all times.

6. Acceptance: can be oneself without proving anything.

7. Acceptance: can be oneself without proving anything.

8. Add others ________________________________________________

Answer the following reflection questions:

a. What are the kinds of friendships that we have in our lives? [Hint: some people are

more acquaintances than friends, others are very close to us]

b. Who are the people who have taught you about the qualities of friendship? [Hint: We

learn about friendship from many mentors and relatives besides our peers]

c. Share how each of the qualities mentioned above is demonstrated in your

friendships.

d. Name some of the ways that you have experienced friendship with Jesus.

e. Read the Commentary and Meditation on this scripture passage in Appendix B.

What do you think is meant by the phrase that “true love can be costly?”

f. Reflect on the people in your life who have really “laid down their life for you.”

g. What leaders or people you admire have shown you the kind of love that Jesus talks

about in this passage?

h. In what ways can you work together with your friends to make a difference in your

community?

(20 minutes)

Task 3: Review the important points from the PowerPoint of the Gospel of John in Appendix A

The Gospel of John: Jesus the Word of God

CHAPTER SEVEN

(30 minutes)

Task 4: Questions on PowerPoint for John’s Gospel.

1. What were some of the important purposes for St. John’s gospel to be written?

2. What are some important differences of John’s gospel compared to the synoptics?

3. What are the major sources for John’s gospel?

4. What are the theological themes of this gospel?

5. What does John’s gospel stress about who Jesus is?

6. What do the miracles in John’s gospel reveal about Jesus?

7. How is the “Last Supper” different in St. John’s gospel? Why?

8. What is the message about Jesus in John’s stories of Jesus’ resurrection?

(15 minutes)

Lesson 9 -- The Gospel of St. John Continued.

Task 5: The Important Genre in John’s Gospel: The Seven Signs [Miracles] and Speeches that

Reveal who Jesus is - Introduction

Share with the class the following information about the Outline of John’s Gospel. Each of the

miracles of the Book of Signs is accompanied by pictures that are quite famous (links to the

series of these pictures may be accessed by clicking on the digital version of the picture in this

lesson) in order to enlarge or access other artistic versions of these series of pictures).

Though the gospel is rich and complex in its theology, the outline is quite simple. After an

important and short prologue, two major sections follow the introduction. The first is called the

Book of Signs (miracles) which reveal who Jesus is. The second section is the Book of Glory which

begins with the Last Supper and ends with the Jesus’ Resurrection.

Outline of John’s Gospel:

Prologue: “Word Made Flesh”” (1:1-18)

Part 1: Book of Signs (1:19-12:50) [See Slides 15-23 of the PowerPoint – Appendix A]

1. The wedding at Cana (2: 1-11)

2. The cure of the officials’ son (4: 46-54)

3. The cure of the paralytic (5: 1-18)

4. The multiplication of the loaves (6: 16-21)

5. The walking on water (6: 16-21)

6. The healing of the man born blind (9: 1-41)

7. The raising of Lazarus (11: 1-44)

Part 2: Book of Glory (13:1-20: 31)

a. The Last Supper (13-17)

b. The Passion and Death of Jesus (18-19)

c. The Resurrection (20)

(15 minutes)

Task 6: Unpacking and Understanding the Miracles (Signs) in John’s Gospel

Directions:

a. Divide the class into six (Signs 4 & 5 go together) groups. Assign each group one of the

Signs (miracles) and its accompanying commentary below.

b. Have the students read the sections of the gospel for that sign(s) and its commentary.

c. As shown in this lesson, there are many artistic renditions of these miracles that focus on

the literal story. This is important and needs to be appreciated and examined. An internet

search will provide several artistic renditions of these famous miracles.

d. After understanding the actual scriptural reference to the miracle, have the group read

the short commentary for that miracle below.

Note: Other commentaries can also be used, i.e., from the recommended Textbooks,

(i.e., pp. 201-207 Encountering Jesus in the New Testament), and websites (example,

Bible Gateway)

e. After the preparation above (a. –d.), The students are then directed to answer the

following questions:

Commentary on the Book of Signs

The gospel narrative contains a series of “signs”—the gospel’s word for the wondrous deeds of

Jesus. The author is primarily interested in the significance of these deeds, and so interprets them

for the reader by various reflections, narratives, and discourses.

1. The first sign is the transformation of water into wine at Cana (Jn 2:1–11); this represents

the replacement of the Jewish ceremonial washings and symbolizes the entire creative

and transforming work of Jesus.

2. The second sign, the cure of the royal official’s son (Jn 4:46–54) simply by the word of

Jesus at a distance, signifies the power of Jesus’ life-giving word. The same theme is

further developed by other signs, probably for a total of seven.

3. The third sign, the cure of the paralytic at the pool with five porticoes in chap. 5,

continues the theme of water offering newness of life. In the preceding chapter, to the

woman at the well in Samaria Jesus had offered living water springing up to eternal life, a

symbol of the revelation that Jesus brings; here Jesus’ life-giving word replaces the water

of the pool that failed to bring life.

4. Jn 6 contains two signs, the multiplication of loaves and the walking on the waters of the

Sea of Galilee. These signs are connected much as the manna and the crossing of the

Red Sea are in the Passover narrative and symbolize a new exodus. The multiplication of

the loaves is interpreted for the reader by the discourse that follows, where the bread of

life is used first as a figure for the revelation of God in Jesus and then for the Eucharist.

6. After a series of dialogues reflecting Jesus’ debates with the Jewish authorities at the

Feast of Tabernacles in Jn 7; 8, the sixth sign is presented in Jn 9, the sign of the young

man born blind. This is a narrative illustration of the theme of conflict in the preceding two

chapters; it proclaims the triumph of light over darkness, as Jesus is presented as the Light

of the world. This is interpreted by a narrative of controversy between the Pharisees and

the young man who had been given his sight by Jesus, ending with a discussion of

spiritual blindness and spelling out the symbolic meaning of the cure.

7. And finally, the seventh sign, the raising of Lazarus in chap. 11, is the climax of signs.

Lazarus is presented as a token of the real life that Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life,

who will now ironically be put to death because of his gift of life to Lazarus, will give to all

who believe in him once he has been raised from the dead.

Reference:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/scripture.cfm?bk=John&ch

Group Questions on the Book of Signs and Commentaries.

1. After reading your scriptural passage and the commentary, discuss with your group

the following:

a. What is the central symbol of this miracle in the Book of Signs?, ( i.e., water,

transforming word from Jesus),

b. What is the most important message from this miracle (sign)?

2. According to your assigned scriptural passage (miracle), who does Jesus say he is?

3. What is the response of some of the witnesses to the miracle? Who are the ones that

reject Jesus? Why?

4. How could really understanding this miracle (sign) strengthen our faith? (Example:

What is my own blindness? What do I need to be released from?)

(30 minutes)

Task 7: The Book of Glory: Service and a Leadership of Reconciliation and Love.

Where do we go from here Lord?

Review the following from the Book of Glory:

Part 2: Book of Glory (13:1-20: 31)

a. The Last Supper (13-17)

b. The Passion and Death of Jesus (18-19)

c. The Resurrection (20)

a. Foot Washing:

1. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper to teach the important way for

his disciples to show love through service to others.

2. What was the significance of the symbolism in the Last Supper in John’s gospel of using

the “washing of the feet” rather than the blessing of bread and wine? Use Appendix C.

b. The Passion and Death of Jesus.

1. What does Jesus pray for in his last conversation with his disciples? (Jn 17:1-2)

2. What were Jesus’ last words to his mother? (Jn 19: 26-27)

3. How are Jesus’ last words connected to his words and actions at the Last Supper in

John’s gospel?

c. The Resurrection of Jesus.

All four gospels report the resurrection of Jesus but none of them claim that there are any

eyewitnesses to the event. John’s gospel emphasizes Jesus’ commissioning the disciples to

continue his work of reconciliation and love.

1. Who does Jesus first appear to after his resurrection? (Jn 20ff) Why is this person the first to

see and believe in Jesus?

2. What is the significance of the gift of the Holy Spirit? (Jn 20: 21-23)

3. Why does Jesus choose peter as his leader? How does Jesus show him love and

forgiveness? How is this a model for leadership and the mission of the church? (Jn 21: 15-

23)

(20 minutes)

Task 8: Summary Table

Summary Table for Gospel of John

Background of gospel writer John, a Church elder and disciple of John the

Apostle

When and Why it was written For Jewish-Christians who were expelled from

synagogues after Roman revolt (90-100 C.E.)

Titles for Jesus Word of God, Son of God, Christ, Son of Man

Portrait of Jesus Way to Life; The Resurrection; Jesus is God

Kind of Discipleship Reconciliation, Service and Love

Predominant Genre Book of Signs and Discourses

Singularity of gospel Poetic Gospel focuses on Jesus as God’s

revelation

Meaning of P,D, R Prepares his apostles for His passion, promises

Holy Spirit, Jesus’ P-D-R reveals god’s love for us

Contemporary Relevance Friendship on many levels, leadership as

forgiveness and reconciliation

Question for Christians today What is the truth that will truly set us free?

(5 minutes)

Task 9: Definitions.

The students will copy down the following definitions:

Logos: A term that means “Word” in Greek. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, who is both the

revealer of God and God’s revelation.

Paraclete: A Name for the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised to send an advocate, a helper, who would

continue to guide, lead, and strengthen the disciples.

Humility: The virtue that reminds us that God is the author of all good.

Priest: A mediator between god and humans. Jesus is the High priest. As God-made-man, he

bridges both Heaven and earth, bringing God to humanity and humanity to God.

Glory of God: The visible Revelation of the power of the invisible God.

(5 minutes)

Thought Provoker

Did you know that John is also the author of the Book of Revelation?

Assessment Assignment

Why is foot washing considered an important part of Holy Thursday?

Adaptations for ESL or students with IEPs:

a. The PowerPoint for this Lesson should be saved as a digital version that could be given to

the student with appropriate blanks in a few places so they can learn vocabulary.

Extensions (for gifted students):

Appendix A

PowerPoint on the Gospel of John

The Gospel of John: Jesus the Word of God

CHAPTER SEVEN

Appendix B.

The Gospel of John: a commentary & meditation

http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/john1512.htm

"You did not choose me, but I chose you"

Scripture: John 15:12-17

12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love

has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do

what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his

master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have

made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you

should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in

my name, he may give it to you. 17 This I command you, to love one another.

Meditation: Do you know the friendship of God? One of the special marks of favor shown in the

scriptures is to be called the friend of God. Abraham is called the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8).

God speaks with Abraham as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). Jesus, the Lord and

Master, in turn, calls the disciples his friends rather than his servants. What does it mean to be a

friend of God? Friendship with God certainly entails a loving relationship which goes beyond

mere duty and obedience. Jesus' discourse on friendship and brotherly love echoes the words of

Proverbs: A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17). The

distinctive feature of Jesus' relationship with his disciples was his personal love for them. He loved

his own to the end (John 13:1). His love was unconditional and wholly directed to the good of

others. His love was also sacrificial. He gave the best he had and all that he had. He gave his

very life for those he loved in order to secure for them everlasting life with the Father.

True love is costly. A true lover gives the best he can offer and is willing to sacrifice everything he

has for the beloved. God willingly paid the price for our redemption — the sacrifice of his only

begotten Son. That's the nature of true friendship and love — the willingness to give all for the

beloved. True friends will lay down their lives for each other. Jesus tells us that he is our friend and

he loves us whole-heartedly and unconditionally. He wants us to love one another just as he

loves us, whole-heartedly and without reserve. His love fills our hearts and transforms our minds

and frees us to give ourselves in loving service to others. If we open our hearts to his love and

obey his command to love our neighbor, then we will bear much fruit in our lives, fruit that will

last for eternity. Do you wish to be fruitful and to abound in the love of God?

"Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight

and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for any

reward, save that of knowing that we do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Prayer of

Ignatius Loyola)

Appendix C

Sole cleansing: The importance of our ritual foot washing

Go ahead, get your feet washed. And wash someone else’s—you’ll see why Jesus insisted on it.

Have you ever wondered why we don’t wash feet in church every Sunday? It’s something I think

about every Holy Thursday, when at my parish the bowls and pitchers and towels come out after

the gospel, the music begins, and there’s an awkward pause in the ritual: Is anyone going to do

it this year? And then inevitably someone—usually a parent dragged by a small child—gets the

action going. Before you know it, every bowl has a foot in it, and (almost) everyone takes a turn

at washing and being washed.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell a similar story of the Last Supper, with Jesus

blessing bread and wine and sharing them, commanding his friends to remember him in this

way.

And every week that is more or less what we do. But on Holy Thursday night, we read the “other”

institution of the Eucharist, from the Gospel of John: no bread, no wine, no food at all. Just feet—

not at all appetizing—along with an apostolic show of resistance from Peter, to which we all can

probably relate as we peel off our socks and hope that we remembered to clip our toenails.

But if it’s so important, the very core of following Jesus, why not do it every Sunday? Is it just

impractical to wash feet? Or is it something about feet specifically? Why not hands? If Jesus just

wanted to present an object lesson about serving one another, preparing the meal or waiting at

table surely would have sufficed.

Then again, there is something about feet: They are the places on our bodies where we most

often touch the ground from which we were taken and to which we will return. They are the

precarious perches that bear all of our weight, performing miraculous feats of balance, but

sometimes failing equally spectacularly. They even preserve the record of our lives, starting out

newborn soft and clean and usually ending up so gnarly, calloused, and beat up that no

amount of buffing or care can erase the wear and tear they suffered.

Maybe that’s why, among other things, Peter gets so incensed at Jesus’ behavior: It’s bad

enough that Jesus is behaving like a slave, but washing feet is just too much to tolerate. “You will

never wash my feet,” says Peter. “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me,” comes the

harsh reply (John 13:8).

It’s not just a question of feet, but of exposing feet, of being washed as well as washing. Jesus

isn’t talking here about the kind of service where someone with a lot of something gives it to

someone who doesn’t have enough; there are no haves and have-nots at the Lord’s table. It’s

about a different kind of relationship altogether, one in which everyone recognizes that we all

have dirty feet and we need each other to be made clean.

Maybe that’s why weekly foot washing never really caught on. It’s a little hard to expose week

after week that our feet keep getting dirty and that we need to keep coming back to wash and

be washed. With that kind of nakedness, it would be hard for some of us to lord it over others.

The emperor would have no shoes.

“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him,” says Jesus of what

he has done (John 13:31). When we wash and are washed, we celebrate the heart of what we

do every Sunday over bread and wine. The good news is that God welcomes us, dirty feet and

all, to sit and eat at the family table. The only etiquette required is that we must wash and allow

ourselves to be washed, caring for each other—and the world—as we would a family member.

We don’t wash feet every Sunday, but at least on this one night, we get our once-yearly chance

to practice in ritual the shape of Christian life. Do we dare take off our shoes and socks, to come

with dirty feet and be washed? Do we dare to kneel down and wash another person’s dirty

feet? Or, to ask it another way: Will we let God be glorified in us, as God was glorified in Jesus?

This article appeared in the April 2014 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 79, No. 4, page 8).