Is the Jesus of Johns Gospel really human?

It is clear from the prologue that John’s gospel is unique in its approach to Jesus. Whilst Matthew begins with a genealogy, John opens with a renewed creation myth: “In the beginning was the word”, in which the Word (or Logos) is written as being central to and present in creation. It is only clear later in the chapter (1:15) that the Logos is incarnated in Jesus; this immediately places Jesus within an eternal continuity and brands him the creator and bringer of life - defining aspects of the God of the Jews. This theme is present throughout as in contrast to its synoptic counterparts John contains continual reference to Jesus as bringer of life and light: a theme most explicit in the raising of Lazarus from the dead and in 14:6 when Jesus describes himself as “the way, the truth and the life”. Jesus is also presented as less concerned with his identity and the politics of his time, the eschatological discourse of Mark 13 is entirely omitted, with prophecies such as the destruction of the temple not featuring. Jesus’ Jewishness is not seen as central, briefly featuring as an important element in His discussion with the Samaritan woman by the well. Likewise, his rejection of customs of the Sabbath and challenging of the Rabbis shows Him to have an authority that transcends the politics and custom of his present, reflecting instead the eternal word of God. Therefore, by attributing to Jesus the qualities of creation and eternality He is elevated to a divine status and made clearly separate from humanity.

This interpretation however is easily challenged by many elements of the gospel. Despite the explicit mention of the word becoming flesh in 1:14 and being incarnated in Jesus, this relationship is not entirely clear throughout. Jesus specifically claims to be the source of the word of God, but as his death approaches and his revelation is complete he embraces his disciples “no longer as servants, but as friends”.  This suggestion implies that Jesus is not divine, but a man who carries with him the word of God; his uniqueness is not in his being but rather his special knowledge, which any man who embraces the word and believes is capable of having. Were he divine, by equating himself to his disciples in 15:15 he would be granting his disciples a divine status. Therefore, Jesus is seen to rely on the word and wisdom of God to be passed to him, he himself not being a deity but a man. This is also true in his reliance on God to glorify him. In Jesus’ prayer prior the passion he asks God to glorify him and explains that he has been “given authority over all people.” In this sense Jesus seems to be no different from a prophet; a man bestowed by God with knowledge and a mission, but a being that in himself is not God but rather relies on him. Thus, in the gospel there appears to be a clear separation between God, the Word and Jesus the human who brings the word to the world.

John’s gospel is unique in its focus on the supernatural and Jesus’ use of miracles to prove his divinity. His “signs” are emphasised in Gospel, becoming one of the central political tensions, with the plot to kill Jesus beginning as the Pharisees in 11:48 claim that such activity will lead to the downfall of their authority. Christ explicitly uses his miracle working as a device to conjure belief, with the blind man stating in 9:33 that “if this man was not from God, he could do nothing”. The raising of Lazarus from the dead shows Jesus’ ability to overcome death; by defying mortality He displays his status as non-human. But despite this focus on this paranormal activity it does not mean by Christian or Jewish standards that Jesus is any less human than the prophets before him or the saints after him. Miracles are performed in the Old Testament by prophets granted powers from God, and notably in Kings 17:21 Elijah, like Jesus, raises from the dead the relative of a loved one. The performing of miracles is also a necessary element of cannonisation. Therefore, despite the focus on miraculous activity this does not suggest that Christ is any less human, but rather that God has granted him unique abilities. Much like the relationship between Jesus and the logos the miracles also have an ambiguity. It is unclear whether Jesus is granted the ability to perform these feats by God, or that he has powers that are beyond human.

Unlike the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus’ birth by a virgin is not mythologised as an important event in his life in John. The virgin birth is central to the Christian understanding of Jesus being the second Adam. With the nativity, Jesus becomes a redemptive figure not born out of sex and concupiscence who will redeem mankind. In Matthew and Luke this grants Jesus a status as something other than human, he is born in a way physically different from post-lapsarian humanity, thus distinguishing his being from others. In John’s gospel there is no mention of any unique past of Jesus with his mother and siblings feature fleetingly in Cana. With no mention of his past in John, the Jesus of Johns gospel is implied to have lived an ordinary human life before the inauguration of his ministry by John the Baptist in the river Jordan, featuring nothing divine.

One way in which it is clear that Jesus is human is through the reactions of those who came into direct contact with him. While his disciples were loyal in following him, listening to his word, and even witnessing his miracles they still had their struggle to believe. Judas succumbed to the political plot to kill him, and even Simon Peter, Jesus’ rock (Cephas) on which he built his church, denied Him. This suggests that he must have been human as he struggled to maintain loyalty, with several disciples that had previously followed John the Baptist leaving him; in 6:66 “many of the disciples turned back and no longer followed him”. Many more seem shocked that a man could claim such authority over heavenly matters and thus rejected him. The Pharisees and Rabbis that Jesus confronts find his behaviour to be revolutionary, blasphemous and inappropriate. At first they are quick to disbelieve all Jesus’ claims, lamenting in 7:47 that “he has deceived you also?” Later as Jesus preaches at the Festival of Tabernacles the Pharisees “sent the temple guards to arrest him” (7:32). Further to this, his own Jewish people reject him and see him as the enemy: “are we not right in saying you are a Samaritan and demon possessed?” (8:48). In response to this charge Jesus seeks glorification from the father which, were he divine, he would not require. However, the gospel seems to recognise this disbelief and rejection, and finds that such reactions have scriptural support, with Isiah 6:10 “he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts” being cited in 12:40. Regardless of Biblical continuity the strong rejection that Jesus underwent during his ministry and the challenges of loyalty faced by is closest disciples allow us to understand just how human Jesus was.

One aspect of the gospel that presents Jesus’ status as human is in his expression of human emotion and physical needs. He prophesises his time coming to an end and Judas’ betrayal, approaching his death with a disarming stolidity that shocks those around him evident in 18:3 when the guards summoned to his arrest “drew back and fell to the ground” as Jesus came forward. The final utterance of 19:30 is a relatively impassive “it is finished” compared to the cry of “Eli Eli lama sabachthani?” in Mark and Matthew. One may see this as a suggestion that Jesus was not human, as he did not fear death and did not recognise mortality. However, his journey to Calvary is incongruously calm compared to other emotional outpourings in the Gospel. The expelling of the money changers from the temple sees Jesus angrily brandish a “whip made of cords”, showing him to be subject to strong physical emotions. Similarly, the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead is one brought out of personal emotion, that of mourning. Being the brother of Mary Magdalene Jesus feels a great personal sympathy, and despite his foreknowledge of Lazarus’ later resurrection and the afterlife, Jesus expresses his sense of loss plainly in 11:25 when “Jesus wept.” One may say that this is no evidence to suggest that Jesus is more human that divine as the God of the Old Testament is also subject to anger, wrath and even deception. Nonetheless, Jesus shows that he has not transcended the emotional trappings of being human.

The Jesus of Johns gospel is human. Despite the high Christology of the text, with its emphasis on the supernatural side of Jesus’ life, it is explicitly clear in his reliance on the father for glorification and his unremarkable life before his ministry that he is no separate in his essence from any other human, but unique in his being a vessel for the word of God and his ability to perform miracles. Jesus’ humanity is also seen implicitly in studying his relationships with those he encounters; he is rejected, disbelieved and condemned by his own people, while also having human emotional responses to the events around him. Despite Jesus’ humanity the text is heavily focussed on Christ being the sole source of salvation, “no one comes to the father except through me” (4:6). This and his claim that “I have overcome the world”(16:33) may imply that he is beyond humankind, but the text shows that however close to God, Jesus was always subject to the conditions of humanity.