‘Water off a duck’s back’. What a dreadful thing to say about the Word of God! But it is possible to read the Bible in a way that gives little information and no meaning at all.

John’s Gospel should be read like rain soaking into dry ground. Only then will seeds of meaning grow. John may have been an old man. He may have been a slave in a salt mine, but he had thought and thought and thought. He had had long years teaching about Jesus. He had seen more and more deeply what Jesus meant. The Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus, had taught him.

You must enter John’s Gospel almost like a cave of mystery, holding your breath, wondering if you are going to see in the darkness ahead. It is the same Jesus. It is the same Holy Spirit who will help you. If your eyes are strained in the darkness, stop and rest awhile until you can see again. If you are weary, wait until bread and water are brought to you.

Don’t abandon the awesome search in this ... wonderful, exciting cave.

The writer of these studies, Cuthbert Dawkins, would encourage you to explore the cave with a companion or in a group. He would suggest you prepare with prayer. Then care for one another with kindly questions and answers. The Holy Spirit will help you and you will become like dry ground able to soak in rain.