John for Normal People: A Guide through the Depth & Drama of the Fourth Gospel

by Jennifer Bashaw

In this thoughtfully researched, playful commentary, Jennifer Garcia Bashaw illuminates the theological world of the Gospel According to John and explores what we might learn about Jesus when we are attentive to the text. Re-creating key passages as theatrical scenes, Bashaw dramatically illustrates John’s narrative brilliance and draws on biblical scholarship to explore the stories behind the story.

Continuing The Bible for Normal People’s mission to make the best in biblical scholarship accessible to all people, this commentary unpacks questions of authorship, dating and redaction history, and explores the historical, cultural and social contexts within which the Fourth Gospel was written. But it is through her creative approach to narrative criticism that Bashaw uncover Jesus as the author of John’s Gospel understood him.

If you want to learn more about this unique Gospel and the Jesus it portrays, this book is for you. Join Jennifer as she skilfully guides you through the depth and drama of the Fourth Gospel.

Genres: Faith, Christianity, Religion, Nonfiction, New Testament

150 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2023

Reviews

[LaRae☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t read many Bible commentaries, but I saw a short video of Jennifer Garcia Bashaw referring to her book, and I was intrigued.

This look at John has helped me see the gospel with fresh eyes, and I appreciate the care she takes to be faithful to the text, while simultaneously approaching the gospel in a creative and engaging way (like a stage production). She includes a playlist for each scene in her production, and oddly (for me) some of the musical selections were really moving, and added depth to my understanding of that scripture. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it for anyone looking for an in-depth look at the Gospel of John.

[Whitney Dziurawiec · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved how Bashaw turned John into a play to capture the drama it was meant to be. I definitely learned some things, but it also felt very accessible and simple. a great first commentary to dip my toes into John.

[John Lustrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great brief and informative overview of the book of John. It had the exact right fun tone but with great scholarship. Plus the theater angle was fun and fresh.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I’ve long known that John was different from the other gospels, thanks to Eric Huntsman and others, but this is the first source I’ve read that really digs into the details. As a fan of the theatre, I appreciated how Bashaw framed her commentary with frequent references to stage directions, references to popular Broadway musicals, and set lists from those musicals.

Some insights that I loved:
(*) John flattens (one-dimensionalizes) both the heroes and the villains. The good people are better, the bad people are worse.
(*) For John, sin is denying Jesus. Eternal life (the kingdom of God/heaven in the Synoptics) is living the life Jesus modeled.
(*) Jesus is the paschal Lamb of God, not a sacrificial lamb. The blood of the paschal lamb wards off the Destroying Angel. How Jesus functions as the paschal lamb, though, is not explained. It could be cosmic, it could be by revealing the evil forces of empire and tyranny.
(*) The temple conflict, coming in Ch 2, frames Jesus’ entire ministry as revolutionary. In the Synoptics, the temple conflict is a reason (the reason?) Jesus is arrested.
(*) Mary the Tower (ie Magdalene), not Peter the Rock, makes the central Christological confession
(*) Lazarus’s resuscitation reveals that Jesus is on a collision course with Rome. His adversaries fear that Israel will be collateral damage in that conflict. This fear is validated in 70 CE.
(*) Jesus, the source of living water, is wrung completely dry by the crucifixion, to the point he declares “I am thirsty”.
(*) Mary is the apostle to the apostles, the one sent by Jesus to declare His resurrection to those sent by Him to declare His gospel.
(*) Jesus delivers the Spirit personally, rather than it arriving unaccompanied on Pentecost.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the past decade or two, I've been learning about the text that is known as the Gospel According to John, much which is not taught (or welcomed) in the conservative and traditionally leaning Christianity. Does this book, which is aimed for the lay audience and many who may be coming from such traditional environments, have anything to offer to those who are familiar with modern (mainstream) biblical scholarship? The answer is yes.

Jennifer Bashaw takes a very unique approach to her development of the explanation of the Fourth Gospel. She sees considerable care put into the creation and editing of the text into a dramatic form. She uses this foundational approach in bringing light to new ways of seeing the text and correcting some traditional assumptions that have been held in many quarters of Christianity.

Anyone wanting to approach John with a fresh approach, including preaching from it, will benefit from this book.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our bible study group used this book to guide our exploration of John's Gospel. I was initially skeptical of the author's setup as a stage play but, in the end, that worked very well and allowed us to look at what John's writers were trying to get their audience to focus on. The many footnotes were very helpful and added excellent and critical information. The book, paired with actually reading the gospel, gave us lots of food for thought, as evidenced by how long it took us to get through it.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed “John for Normal People”. Jennifer Garcia Bashaw has taken this beautiful Gospel and has turned it into a drama. The way the story flows is masterful and shows a different side of Jesus, one in which we can continue to follow today.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave me a new way of looking at John - treating it like a play! A short and sweet way to get some good background information.

[Wayne's · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting approach treating the book as a staged production. For me it didn't work.

[Mark Hackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful commentary that illuminates The Gospel According To John in a way that makes it more understandable, familiar, fun, and visceral.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the commentaries produced by The Bible for Normal People. They are short but cover the book well. In this case author uses a dramatized approach to came the gospel of John. She uses current scholarship to help us understand the message Johns author wants us to get.

[Roger McCort · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the books in this series. They all have different ways to approach the content of their subjects. This one was VERY different.

As a commentary, I found it somewhat lacking. It doesn't contain many details or discussions about the underlying culture or any dissections of the scripture to find hidden or deeper meanings or any academic sidebars breaking down the Greek verbs or Jewish teaching or anything like that. But that wasn't what the author was trying for, so I can't hold that against her writing.

As a new and interesting way to read and think about the Gospel of John, I found it fascinating and fulfilling! Dr. Bashaw turns the scripture into script notes and the text into textured storytelling, which draws the reader into the history. She helps us FEEL the events.

This is a good way to get into the gospel. Go, buy, read, and enjoy!