Gospel of John 09.vp

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The Gospe l of John

b. The magnetism of Jesus is linked to his passion, suffering, and death , John 12.32 – “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

4. Jesus sets forth his own death , 12.33.

5. The crowd’s misunderstanding of the Son of Man’s purpose and identity, 12.34

D. The Light is in the world a little while longer, 12.35-36.

1. The Light’s brief stay in the world, 12.35

2. Walk in the light while you have it, lest you be overtaken by darkness, 12.35b.

3. Believe in the light while you have the light in order to become children of light, 12.36.

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The Passion of Our Lord: The D-Day of the Kingdom of God

Oscar Cullman has compared [the Already and Not Yet] dimensions of the kingdom of God to D-day, when the decisive battle is fought and the outcome of the war decided, and V-day, when the war is finally ended. With the coming of Christ – and here, rather than thinking of one event such as the baptism, the temptation, the crucifixion, or the resurrection, we should think of the entire Christ event – Satan is defeated and the Old Testament promises are fulfilled. Yet while victory is certain, Satan is defeated, and the firstfruits of this victory already realized, the “war” is not over. D-day has come but V-day is still future. Only at the parousia will the enemy be forced to his final surrender and forever judged.

~ Robert H. Stein. The Method and Message of Jesus’ Teachings . Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1978, p. 77 .