A Bell Curve

As I was meditating again this morning on this interchange in John 5 between Jesus and these unbelieving Jews who had such distorted ideas about God that they ended up hating Jesus Himself, I began to notice a familiar structure in the text that is very common throughout the Bible, particularly in the Greek New Testament portion. This structure is well known to Bible scholars and is called a chiasm which can be visually represented something like a pyramid or a bell curve.

This structure when observed in a passage can bring new understanding and light on the intentions and purpose of the writer and can enlighten a passage significantly. Although as read in the English translation, part of this curve seems to be out of place, it may be possible that in the original language it might be even more clear. But there are enough clues here to indicate at least to me that this may be how John wanted to show us something important here.

Chiastic writing is all throughout the Scriptures and is a very powerful tool to highlight the most important part of a passage. Unlike our style of writing where we often tend to reserve the most important things we want to say to the very end of what we are writing, chiastic structure puts the most important item right at the center or the highest peak of the curve and then arranges all the other supporting items in pairs that complement or contrast with each other. These pairs are thus related to each other by their relative position on the curve with one half of the pair on each side of the structure.

After thinking carefully about how this shape of writing might apply to this particular passage I came up with the following proposal which to me really helps to amplify just what John may be trying to highlight in this passage.

For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus,

because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.

But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working."

For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him,

because He not only was breaking the Sabbath,

but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself,

unless it is something He sees the Father doing;

for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

For the Father loves the Son,

and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these,

so that you will marvel. (John 5:16-20)

As I see this curve structure more clearly when arranged in this manner, it becomes evident to me that the main point of what John is trying to get across here is that the example of Jesus to us is to emphasize the fact that we cannot do anything of ourselves even though we are supposed to indeed seek to be just like God. Everything else that supports this main point is arranged in pairs split on each side of this central theme as I see it arranged here. So if the main words of each section were put in descending order for the pairs that they come in as written in this passage, it might look like the following list.

Instead of trying to make Himself equal with God through His own efforts, Jesus emphasizes that in actuality He is completely helpless. According to Paul's amplification of this theme in Philippians 2 this is by His own choice.

Then the supporting pairs follow this main point:

Jesus was simply imitating what He saw His Father doing on the Sabbath, which to the religious people appeared to be a violation of Sabbath laws according to their version of what was right and wrong.

Like Father, like Son in essence. This actually is the main point of two sets of the pairs.

In contrast to the Jews wishing they could kill Him, Jesus lived in a higher relationship with His Father in heaven who loved Him. That consciousness of love kept Him from becoming intimidated by the animosity of others. This motivation from living in the love of the Father is sandwiched securely in between multiple references to imitating the Father in everything Jesus did.

And lastly, even though the Jews were at that moment persecuting Jesus, He was stating that sooner or later they would find themselves marveling at Him whether or not they ever came to believe in or accept Him personally.

This whole supporting chiastic structure highlighting the kind of vital, intimate, dependent relationship that Jesus demonstrated in His life as the example we are to follow fits in perfectly with the main themes of the book of John. As I see it the main issue being addressed all throughout this book is that of belief and how we are to do it and what it might look like. This shows me what a relationship of belief can look like in the face of fierce opposition from people who insist that their views of God are more accurate than what God has revealed to my own heart and mind through the Scriptures and His Spirit.

In addition, this shows me even more clearly how vital it is to live in total trust and submission to the will of the Father so that no one around me and no circumstances can destabilize me and pull me away from a total dependence on God every moment of my life.