Sunday May 22

Over the coming weeks, we will be reading the book of 1 John. It is a short book, near the end of the Bible. A benefit of the shorter books of the Bible is that we can really dig in and still see the book as a whole in just a few weeks!

This Sunday, May 22, we will be considering the background of 1 John. There are a few helpful pieces of information for us to help make this letter “come alive” as a message to churches not unlike our own, even if we are dealing with different problems. First, the author of this letter was “John,” who is likely the same John who wrote the Gospel of John, the fourth book of the New Testament which recounts the story and meaning of Jesus’ life and ministry. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, John was part of the generation of “eyewitnesses,” or “apostles” — people who had known Jesus personally.

John eventually ends up in Asia, modern-day Turkey, where he shepherds the early Christian communities as a pastor, likely being part of a community around Ephesus, while encouraging other communities through visits and letters. That’s where the letter 1 John comes in. It is a letter that John feels compelled to write to the churches in his region as more eyewitnesses of Jesus die, and there is a new generation of Jewish and Gentile believers who did not know Jesus personally. This new generation of Christians are trying to understand how God could become human, as well as understand this God’s message. In good Roman fashion, these questions were both philosophical and practical: how can a God become human? (seems preposterous!) But also, what are we supposed to do to please this God?

“Pastor John” keeps bringing the churches back to two central points of faith: Jesus was indeed human, and there is just one command given by Jesus himself: love God and love neighbor.

Smell: Read 1 John 1:1-5

Taste: Watch the videos

For Sunday, I have chosen three videos (total 20 minutes) that will help us read the letter in its historical context.

• Video #1 starts at 8:55 and you should stop the video at 12:30 (watching past “To Die Like a Gladiator” is optional!)  John’s ministry was in Asia Minor, likely around Ephesus. 8:55-12:30 describes Ephesus as it was like in the first century. The dates can be confusing. The presenter starts with an event in BCE (“before the common era,” or “before Christ”), and continues to describe later events in “CE” (the “Common Era” or “after Christ”). It is those later “CE” events that are about the same time as John wrote his letter. Also, the presenter focuses on a guy named Paul. He was another eyewitness of Jesus, like John, who spent a lot of time in Ephesus.
• Video #2 (about 7 minutes): Pastor John of Ephesus, the author of 1 John, had to contend with Christians who were teaching that Jesus was actually a spirit, and only appeared to be human. This group, called the “Docetists,” are some of the “Christians” John is warning the believers about in his letters. After watching this video about the Docetists, read 1 John 1:1-2? Why do you think he is so insistent on describing his first-hand knowledge of Jesus? We will return to this in a couple of weeks when we get to John’s warning of an “antichrist.”
• Video #3 (about 9 minutes): An overview of 1-3 John from the Bible Project. This video highlights an important part of reading letters in the New Testament: they are often responses to events in the churches we have little information about, or as this video puts it, John is doing “damage control.” I think many pastors can relate 🙂

Eat: Join the conversation.

In person: We gather Sundays at 5 PM. We eat a meal together, followed by a time of conversation and encouragement. No one will call on you. No need to bring anything, but if you are more comfortable with a contribution bring chips, bread, or a side dish. We hope to make you feel welcome! For more about what to expect, click here.

On Zoom: To join us for the conversation log on  to Zoom around 5:40: click here for the link.