Mission in the Fourth Gospel

The Great Commission1 in the Fourth Gospel2, as with so much of this Gospel, has
a unique character. John identifies the sending of the disciples of Jesus into the
world as paralleling the sending of Jesus himself into the world by the Father.
That commissioning does not stand alone in the Gospel. Before his crucifixion
and resurrection, Jesus in his prayer in 17.183 mentions this sending and there is
possibly also an allusion to it in 13.20. This double sending, which introduces an
element into the Johannine sending that is not found in the synoptic accounts 4, is
the focus of Köstenberger’s book on the subject5 who argues that the Johannine
account of the sending of Jesus into the world determines what is to be
understood by the sending of the disciples. He asserts that it is illegitimate to
import data from the Synoptics in order to understand a verse in John. This is
what he accuses John Stott of doing when he argues for the task of the disciples
to include all aspects of the ministry of Jesus as one of the building blocks of his
understanding of mission that preceded the Lausanne Congress in 19746.

I don’t want in this lecture simply to reproduce Köstenberger’s arguments, but

rather look at another aspect of this sending. It is to examine the Johannine
understanding of community and to relate that into the sending of both the Son
of God and the disciples into the world. By so doing I hope to relate the subject of
mission more closely to the Johannine understanding of the formation of a new
people of God in Jesus Christ

1. The sending of the Son into the world

The mission of Jesus springs out of his relationship with the Father. John, unlike
the Synoptics, begins his Gospel before the creation of the world7. The Word is
eternal as God with God. From that status and relationship he comes into the
world. This is the classic definition of Missio Dei - the sending of the Son into the

1
The Great Commission is usually identified as Matthew 28. 19-20; Mark 16.15-18 (if
regarded as authentic), Luke 24. 47-49, Acts 1.8 as well as John 20.21-23
2
I am happy to argue for the traditional Johannine authorship of the Gospel and will
sometimes refer to the Gospel as John’s, but authorship issues are not relevant to this
paper.
3
The aorist is used and often translated as a past tense. Rather it should be regarded “as
a complete whole” see Don Carson, The Gospel according to John (Leicester: Intervarsity
Press, 1991) p.557
4
Luke does see the disciples’ ministry as a continuation of that of Jesus in Acts 1. 1.
5
Andreas J Köstenberger, The Missions of Jesus and the Disciples according to the Fourth
Gospel (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans 1998)
6
John R W Stott, Christian Mission in the Modern World (London: Church Pastoral Aid
Society, 19750
7
This is paralleled by Paul in Ephesians 1 where our salvation in Christ is determined by
God the Father in Jesus Christ before the world began. Ephesus may have also been the
locale for the writing of the Gospel.

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world as an action of the Triune God8 9. The whole sending of the Son and his
coming springs out of the eternal relationship. That relationship is preserved
when the Son comes into the world. His coming brings glory to the Father 10 as he
reveals the love of the Father11 and gives eternal life to those whom the Father
has given to him12. Throughout the Gospel this intimate relationship and unity of
purpose between Father and Son is demonstrated. The Spirit is sent by Jesus to
continue this relationship into the life of the disciples both as their life and as a
witness together with them13. The sending of the Spirit is in John’s Gospel, as in
the Synoptics, an essential part of the sending of the disciples.

The Son speaks the words that the Father has given him. The Spirit testifies
about the Son. The disciples also testify about the Son. Thus the message is
always a derived message that originates from the Father. This can be
summarised as “the words of eternal life”, which is the phrase used by Peter in
6.68. His confession continues with a statement of belief about Jesus. This is
parallel to the stated aim of the Gospel:

“That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his name.” 14

Jesus, the Word of God, brings the words of eternal life: that God in love has
given his Son so that whoever believes in him might have eternal life 15. The
disciples sent into the world in the power of the Spirit, and in fellowship with
Father and Son, testify to Jesus so that those who have not seen him may
believe16. The witness is both to the cross and the resurrection of Jesus. It is an
invitation to join the followers of Jesus, the new Israel.

2. Building a new community as the object of Mission

8
See H. Rossin Missio Dei
http://www.overstayer.com/john.flett/assets/Rosin_Missio%20Dei.pdf for an understanding
of how the use of the term has changed since the mid-twentieth century. See also S B
Bevans & S P Schroeder Constants in Context (Maryknoll Orbis 2004) pp. 286-304 and
also Bosch Transforming Mission (Maryknoll Orbis 1991 p. 390
9
The modern understanding is summed up by John Stott at Lausanne as “Mission is an
activity of God arising out of the very nature of God … so that the mission of the church
arises from the mission of God and is to be modelled on it” see J D Douglas Let the Earth
Hear His Voice (Minneapolis World Wide Publications 1975) p. 66
A useful article which highlights some implications of this is A McPhee The Missio Dei and
the Transformation of the Church (Transformation Fall 2001 Vol. 2 No. 1) at
http://www.mennovision.org/Vol%202%20No%202/Vision2.2.pdf
10
17.4
11
3.16
12
17.2,3
13
15.26,27 This is in many ways a key verse for the debate between Orthodox and
Catholic Christians about the procession of the Spirit from the Father (Orthodox and
Catholic) and the Spirit (Catholic). See the useful discussion in Carson op.cit. p. 528f
14
20.31
15
3.16
16
20.29. “Seeing” Jesus is an important part of believing in the Gospel, but is to be
replaced by belief in the testimony for subsequent generations. The idea of “seeing” is
developed in metaphors about blindness and light.

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The world will be brought to believe not only when they hear the
message, but also when they see the unity and love of the community of
believers17. This is part of the prayer of Jesus that is not only for the
contemporary disciples, but “for those who will believe ... through their
message”18. It is to be noted that the unity of the disciples is not only with
one another, but also with the Triune God. It is a fellowship united around
its belief.

Communities play a large role in John’s Gospel. There are several that can
be identified. Water metaphors are a common identifier for these
communities.

• There are the Jews, who can be sub-divided into the Pharisees,
rulers etc. This is symbolised by the water pots in John 2 and the
water that does not bring healing in John 5. The water of Jewish
purification needs to be changed into the wine of the Gospel. The
healing water is superseded by the word of Jesus.

• There are the Samaritans in chapter 4.. The water here is Jacob’s
well with its racial and cultural identity.

• There are those who are baptized by John the Baptizer.

• There are those who become part of the community of Jesus

the Messiah by baptism and/or “water and the spirit”.19

John and Jesus both baptize disciples20. Whilst many of those baptized by
John become followers of Jesus without another baptism, there are both
those who come directly to Jesus for baptism and also those who remain
with John the Baptizer21.

All these have only water, but the essential nature of the water of Jesus is
in its connection with the Spirit and the cross of Christ where his blood is
shed. There are several verses that indicate this:

3.5 - water and spirit characterise the new birth.

17
17.21
18
17.20.21
19
I suppose we could also add the blind man on chapter 9 who is healed by a
combination of Jesus’ spittle and water from the Pool Siloam, which means sent, but it
only seems to be a community of one and is pushing John’s water metaphors too far!
20
3.26, 4.1
21
There is a continuing “Baptist” movement as testified by Acts 19.1-4. It is interesting
there is a repeated baptism here which suggests that the validity of Johannine baptism
for followers of Jesus was only applicable to those who went directly from John to Jesus.
Modern day Mandeans claim John as their greatest prophet and reject Jesus. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandeans I have suggested in my unpublished MPhil Thesis,
“That you may know...” that the seceders in 1 John may have been followers of John the
Baptizer.

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 7.37 - links spirit, water and the glorification of Jesus on the cross.

19.34-37The water and the blood that flowed from the side of the dying
Saviour may also link in 22.

It is only this Baptism that is the route of identification with the Messiah.
The challenge of the Gospel is not only to belief in Jesus, but also to
identification with his community. An issue which John faces is people who
are hesitating as to which community they belong to. Nicodemus, who
comes by night to Jesus, is taught about the new birth of water and spirit.
He defends Jesus in the Sanhedrin, but never seems to make the
transition from one community to the other. In fact the spices that he
prepares for the burial of Jesus are in marked contrast to the faith of Mary
who anoints Jesus living because she believes in the resurrection23. The
healed man at the Pool of Bethesda does not become a follower of Jesus,
but informs on him to the authorities24. This is in contrast to the blind man
of chapter 9 who is prepared to be cast out of the synagogue, that is to be
rejected from the Jewish community, rather than deny that Jesus has
healed him. In the course of the Gospel story there are various followers of
Jesus who do not continue to follow him. In chapter 6 many go back after
he has explained the nature of salvation through his death. In chapter 8,
the Jews “who had believed in him” take up stones to kill him after he has
challenged their identification of salvation with membership of the
Abrahamic family rather than as receptors of the liberty from slavery that
Jesus brings. There is no option to be a member of more than one
community. You are either a member of the Jesus community or you are
outside the salvation that he brings.

This communal aspect to the Gospel continues into the mission of the
disciples. The testimony of the disciples, as they are sent out into the
world, is not only to bring individuals to know eternal life in Jesus, but also
to form them into a community that will be a witness to the world because
of their love one for another. The Commission to the disciples in John
contains the promise of the gospel preaching resulting in the forgiveness
of sins in heaven and on earth. In the Synoptics there is a parallel in the
entrusting of the keys to Peter. This is in the context of the building of the
church25. Just as in Matthew the Great Commission envisages a baptised
community which is being taught all that Jesus commanded, so John has
the baptised community loving Christ and one another and obeying his
commandments.
22
The background to water flowing is probably in Zechariah 12.10-13.6. There may also
be a reference to this in 1 John 5.8 which identifies the true community as one that has
blood as well as water in its belief system.
23
12.7 cf .19.39
24
5.15
25
Matthew 16.19

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3. The metaphors for the messianic community
There are several metaphors in John’s Gospel that identify Jesus with Israel and
present a picture of the new community which is formed in relationship to him.
These are: Temple 2. 19ff, 4.23; manna-fed Israel in the wilderness 6 passim; The
Good Shepherd 10 passim; Vine 15.1-8. This would suggest that for John the task
of the disciples is to establish a new Israel around Jesus who is himself the true
Israel.

The destruction of the temple features strongly in John as death and resurrection
are seen as the destruction and rebuilding of the new temple that is Christ
himself who is the truth in which his people will worship God26. The early position
of the cleansing of the temple27 and its association with the changing of water
into wine alerts the reader to the theme of the redundancy of temple and Jewish
ritual with the coming of Jesus. It is at the Feast of Tabernacles 28 that Jesus
declares, in the Temple, that he has been sent from God29. Now, as the Prologue
stated30, the Word of God has tabernacled among his people revealing his glory.
With the presence of the Word of God tabernacled on earth in glory, what need is
there of a temple for worship?

Jesus as the giver of Manna31 can be seen as the new Moses, but the emphasis
falls more upon him as the Bread of Life, which comes down from the Father who
is in heaven. It is only those who feed on Christ who have life. The miraculous
provision of bread in the wilderness is seen as just a temporary solution for the
physical needs of Israel. The future community is not one that looks back to
their fathers who ate bread in the wilderness and died, but those who eat the
flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man 32 and have life in him.

The most significant metaphors for our purposes are the Good Shepherd33 and
the Vine34. In the first, Jesus contrasts himself as the true shepherd over against
both the historic failed leaders of Israel and the contemporary Pharisees. He is
the one who calls his sheep to follow him. He is the good shepherd who lays
down his life for the sheep.The declared desire of the shepherd is to bring other
sheep into his flock so that there might be one shepherd and one flock. Those
who enter that flock are the people who hear the voice of the shepherd and
identify it as calling to them. This is made concrete in the Gospel especially in
two significant examples– the raising of Lazarus where he is summoned by name
and the addressing of Mary by name on the day of resurrection. The whole flock
follow their Shepherd. They receive, as a flock, life abundant that is life eternal.
Only those who enter his flock benefit from the shepherd's laying down of his life.
26
4.21-23
27
Which may be its historic position since John alone has Jesus visit Jerusalem more than
once
28
7.2ff
29
7.28
30
1.14
31
6 passim
32
6.53
33
10 passim
34
15.1-16

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The corporate image is developed in another way by the metaphor of the vine
and its branches. The interconnectivity of the branches is not stressed, but their
connection to the vine is. The vine is Christ. The disciples are the branches.
There are branches that are cut off from the vine and once removed they are
dead and only fit to be burned. Good branches bear fruit. This refers not to
virtues, but to evangelistic and missionary activty. So there is an organic growth
in the vine. The fruit is itself connected with the vine and only comes into
existence because the life of the vine flows through the branches.

4. The evangelism of individuals

One of the dangers of concentrating the task of Mission on the formation of the
community could be that we forget that a community, whilst having an organic
life of its own, is also a collection of individuals who have been brought into the
community. The metaphor of the vine and the branches in part guards against
this. Whilst a connection to the vine is the only source of life, it is clear that not
all seeming branches have that life. There is a need for individual participation in
the vine and individual fruit bearing. But more than that, we see the balance of
the Gospel in its detailed narration of Jesus’ engagement with individuals. We see
this from the beginning of the Gospel. Jesus invites Andrew and his companion to
“Come and see”35. Andrew in turn invites Simon to meet Jesus. Philip is called to
follow36 and he immediately calls Nathanael. The calling of one individual sets
him as someone who then calls others. They then meet with Jesus and he deals
with them directly as individuals – giving Simon a new name and overcoming
Nathanael’s doubts. The second case is most interesting in that Jesus reveals
that he knew Nathanael before Philip invited him to meet Jesus. It is those given
to Jesus who come to him37. Philip and Andrew’s role in this is especially
significant. They are the two disciples who have Greek names and they are the
ones who are approached by the Greeks who want to see Jesus38. This is the
pivotal event in the Gospel. It is at this point that Jesus states that his hour has
come and that when he is lifted up he will draw everyone to himself.

From the first encounters we have a pattern: Jesus calls an individual; that
person invites someone else to meet Jesus; Jesus engages directly with the
second individual and establishes a personal relationship with them. The
testimony of the Samaritans is a summary of this:

“We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for
ourselves, and we know that this man really in the Saviour of the world.”39

The testimony of the disciples is to draw people to Jesus just as his testimony is
to draw people to the Father40. In turn people come to Jesus because the Father

35
1.39
36
1.43
37
10.29
38
12.21
39
4.42
40
See i.a. 8.42ff.

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draws them41. We should not forget also the work of the Spirit who not only
testifies alongside the disciples42, but also convicts the world of its sinfulness,
righteousness and judgement43. We thus see an on-going relationship of Father,
Son and Spirit working within, through and alongside the disciples. This is a
continuation of the relationships from which Jesus was sent into the world.

The reproducible pattern of Jesus engaging with individuals is especially

demonstrated in the extended dialogues with Nicodemus and the woman of
Samaria. In each case Jesus explains, in response to their questioning of what he
is saying, the inadequacy of their current religious and national thinking. He
ministers to each in their specific situation. To the Jewish religious leader he
emphasises both the need for a new birth from above and his own role as the
one lifted up to bring salvation; the Son sent from the Father. The Jewish ruler
comes by night and is warned that a failure to believe does not leave him in a
neutral position, but as one under judgement 44. The dialogue with the Woman of
Samaria reaches a more satisfactory conclusion. Jesus engages with her as an
individual in both her cultural and personal situation. He again asserts the
inadequacy of inherited community membership for the true worship of God. He
calls her both to recognise her marital sinfulness and also himself as the source
of living water, the Messiah.

These stories are concentrated at the beginning of the Gospel. In the rest of the
book there is a working out of the implications of what it means to belong to
Jesus’ community. In particular there are the mixed group of people who follow
because of the miracles. The informer of chapter 5 contrasts negatively not only
with the man with renewed sight in chapter 9, but also with the royal official in
chapter 4. The crowds who follow because of the feeding of the 5000 in chapter
6 are sharply distinguished from true disciples like Peter. The falling away of
erstwhile followers is explained in chapter 10 under the metaphor of the sheep
which hear the voice of the shepherd. The Mission of Jesus is thus one of
distinguishing between true followers and false. The mission of the disciples has
a similar pattern of separating the true branches from the dead ones which will
result in the sins of some being forgiven and others not receiving forgiveness.

5. Prayer for the new community as a pattern of prayer

in Mission
Central to the sending of the disciples into the world is the prayer of Jesus in John
17. This is the conclusion to the “Farewell Discourses” that begin in chapter 13.
Jesus regards his own ministry before the cross as complete - the hour has

41
10.29
42
15.26-27
43
16.8-10
44
Whether these are regarded as the words of Jesus or an editorial comment, this is still a
part of the message of the Gospel.

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arrived45. This is occasioned by the arrival of the Greeks to see Jesus. This shows
that the Mission of Jesus in John’s Gospel is broader than just ethnic Israel. His
Mission is not only to call out of Israel those who will join his community, but also
to seek “other sheep”46. Having “loved his own to the end”47, he will now instruct
the current community so that they can complete their part in his work of being
“the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” 48. His prayer will focus on
them and on the subsequent generations. Note that on the cross also he cries
out that all is finished49. He sees the task of bringing life to the world continuing
through his disciples and subsequent generations, but he is very clear about
what belongs properly to the stages of his ministry and what will be theirs.

The work of Mission will involve the continuing presence of Jesus through the
Spirit, but also the role of prayer is emphasised both in the new access that the
disciples have to the Father through the ascended Christ 50 and in the prayer of
Jesus himself that John records.

The prayer is centred on the on-going life of the community. The overriding
theme is the glorifying of God. This is a reminder that Mission is not merely about
the salvation of individual people or the formation of the church, but the
completion of God’s eternal purposes of salvation which glorifies him. The
coming of Jesus into the world is a revelation that God’s glory is to be seen in the
suffering servant; that Christ’s exaltation is being raised up on a cross to draw all
men to himself51. The authority of Christ to give eternal life to those whom the
Father has given him is more directed towards a planned and accomplishable
goal than the more general statement in Matthew 28 that connects the authority
over the nations with the sending out of the disciples. This would be in line with
the statements that the shepherd already knows his sheep even before they are
brought into his one flock.

It chimes also with the continuation of the prayer that is specifically not for the
generalised “world”, but for the disciples called out of the world. In addition to
the community membership that we have already seen, here is the overarching
separation of the people of Christ from the whole hostile wicked world that is
doomed to destruction. The prayer for those engaged in on-going mission in the
world is centred on their protection. Those sent as the Son was sent need
protection not only in terms of the attacks of the world, but also on the unity that
they have with one another and with the Triune God. Thus Jesus puts the
community unity in truth and in love as not only the object of his prayer or a
desirable addition to salvation, but as the core to the work of Mission. This is not
only for the first generation of whom none are lost, except for Judas, but also for
those who believe because of their testimony so that the witness to the world is
not only in the verbal testimony, but in their unity. It is this unity with the

45
12.23
46
10.16
47
13.1
48
1.29
49
19.30
50
16.24
51
1.14; 3.14; 12.32

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Godhead and one another that becomes the saving ordinance for the world as
the disciples are sent out in to it by Jesus.

Ray Porter Eastertide 2007

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