Jay Lemke contends that the meaning of the text can be better understood by analyzing its relationship with the intertextual discourses of its time. In what thematic discourses is the Gospel of John situated? The approach that portrays the Gospel of John as opposing Judaism, as proposed by Louis Martyn and Raymond Brown, has been challenged by scholars such as F. J. Moloney, A. J. Köstenberger, R. Bauckham, S. E. Porter, and Wally Cirafesi. These scholars investigate the Gospel’s attitude toward “the Jews” and argue that (1) the relationship between John and Judaism is more complex than it appears, (2) the term “the Jews” functions as a literary device to represent unbelievers, (3) the various senses and references of “the Jews” should be distinguished, and (4) different forms of Judaism—such as the priestly-oriented and diasporic types—existed, with John’s attitude varying accordingly. However, in addition to merely examining the attitude toward “the Jews,” I posit that how John interacts with the core values of Judaism, including the temple, Jewish practices, festivals, and laws should be analyzed.
To this end, I explore the Sabbath controversy highlighted in the Gospel of John (John 5:1–18; 7:22–23; 9:1–16, 19:31) to examine how John’s Gospel uniquely deals with it within a Jewish context. I employ Jay Lemke’s theory of intertextual thematic formation to understand how Jesus engages with dialogues in relation to the Jewish Sabbath debate of that time. I argue that Jesus reveals his identity and role as one like God the Father who is actively working toward the fulfillment of creation by aligning himself with God the Father, the creator of the world, instead of aligning himself with created beings bound by the Jewish Sabbath tradition.
Recurring discourses in Second Temple literature, such as those found in 1 and 2 Maccabees, the Book of Jubilees, and the Qumran Documents, focused on which activities were permissible on the weekly Sabbath. Within this context, the Pharisees in the Gospel of John accused Jesus of healing invalid men, arguing that his actions violated the Sabbath tradition (John 5, 9). The Johannine Jesus responds to this accusation in a unique manner, distinct from the discourses found in Second Temple literature and the Synoptic Gospels, where Jesus emphasizes the misapplication of the Sabbath commandment’s essence (Matt 12:1–8; Mark 2:23–28; 3:1–6; Luke 6:1–5; 13:10–17). In contrast, Jesus in John invoked the Sabbath motif from Genesis 1–2—where God worked and then rested—as the basis for his healing (John 5:17).
Overall, the Gospel of John should be understood within the context of Judaism, as it reflects the discourses of early Jewish literature. However, rather than simply adhering to traditional Jewish Sabbath practices, John introduces a novel discourse that connects Jesus directly to God the Father. In this way, the Gospel of John not only remains rooted in Judaism but also transforms it by emphasizing that Jesus works in the same way as God the Father.