the one that gave it to Jacob (cf. 8:58).The Jews ask, "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from theoffspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" (7:42).Their question implies that they deny Jesus' Davidic descent and birth in Bethlehem.The reader knows the opposite is true.Caiaphas declares, "nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you thatone man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish"(11:50). Caiaphas means that the execution of Jesus as a revolutionary will save theJews from the wrath of Rome. The reader knows that Caiaphas (the high priest),without being conscious of it, has prophesied the death of Jesus for the spiritualredemption not only of the Jews but of the whole world!When Pilate asks, "What is truth?" (18:38), his question implies that one cannotfind the truth. John's readers know that the truth Pilate despairs of finding standsbefore him in the person of Jesus, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (14:6).Finally, when the soldiers mock Jesus as king (19:2-3), John's readers grasp thedouble irony: He whom the soldiers ironically declare to be king is, ironically, trulya king!7. ForeshadowingThis is a narrator's technique whereby knowledge of the future is given inadvance in order to arouse anticipation and suspense, and at the same time preparethe audience to look for an interconnection of the parts of the story with the whole.There are several excellent examples of foreshadowing in John's Gospel. In thePrologue, John says, "He came to His own, and those who were His own did notreceive Him" (1:11). Hearing these words, the reader is led to anticipate both therejection of Jesus by the Jews and His eventual death on the cross.When Jesus looks at Peter and says to him, "'You are Simon the son of John; youshall be called Cephas' (which translated means Peter)" (1:42), the reader, whoalready knows the significance of Simon's nickname, Peter (cf...
