"One" in the gospel of John, Part 1
How the Israelites thought of the number one in the Gospel of John
There are twelve occurrences of the word “one” in the book of John. In the first instance, Jesus rebukes the Jews, saying they are not Abraham’s children because they do not obey him.
They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.”
John 8:39-40
The Jews reply first with an insult and then a theological rebuke of Jesus.
They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”
John 8:41
The usage of the Jews was a statement of monotheism. They were using it to draw attention to the singular unity of God, as stated in the prayer they recited every morning—the Shema. The was a statement of uniqueness. This God, Yahweh, is the One and only.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Deuteronomy 6:4
The Israelites were historically surrounded by different nations which had different gods. This was not a statement of unity, as if God’s being were identical with his essence, but was to say that the Elohim Yahweh is in a class of his own when compared with the other elohim. There was no comparison to Yahweh.
The word is used differently in John 10:16:
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
John 10:16
Here the word one takes on a different meaning—one of unity. Jesus will bring together and unify the sheep into one flock, and he will be their shepherd. This does not mean unique, as the usage in John 8:41.
All of the passages have one of these two meanings (8:41; 10:16; 10:30; 11:50, 52; 17:11, 20-23, 26)1.
This term “one” held huge theological significance for the Jews of that time. The Shema was like a creed to the Jews. Rather than an article of faith, it was religious devotion. To this one God they were to devote themselves completely, in body, spirit, and mind. This God was unique and there was none like him, thus they were to be devoted to him in a way that was unique when compared to the other nations and their gods.
The second usage is important for their personal identity for the people of Israel. This God, Yahweh, had made promises regarding the people of Israel which centered on the word one. We can get a feel for what the Jews of the time thought of this other usage of the word one.
And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.
Ezekiel 34:23
I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob;
I will gather the remnant of Israel;
I will set them together
like sheep in a fold,
like a flock in its pasture,
a noisy multitude of men.Micah 2:12
And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
Hosea 1:11
Assemble yourselves and come;
draw near together,
you survivors of the nations!Isaiah 45:20a
The sentiment all these passages share in common is a reuniting of Israel. Israel split after Solomon’s kingdom. The oneness that is sought is the reuniting of the tribes of Israel into one nation under one king.
So we can how the word one is used the word “one.” First, to signify God’s uniqueness; second, as a term which showed their longing for the reuniting of God’s people back into one people.
Tomorrow we will see how Jesus mixes the two terms to create theological glimpses into the nature of God as well as God’s people.
This is a simplified list as compared to lecture from which I heard it: Lecture - Richard Bauckham - Divine and Human Community in the Gospel of John, 2014.
.