Book Review: John, An Earth Bible Commentary by Daly-Denton

Introduction

This paper provides a book review of Margaret Daly-Denton's John, An Earth Bible Commentary: Supposing Him to Be the Gardener, published by T&T Clark (2017) in New York. The book is 264 pages long and paperback editions are available from major retailers.

The author's stated purpose in writing the book is to invite the reader to imagine Christ as a gardener — as a "son who has learnt how to do gardening work from his gardener-Father, who planted the Garden of Eden."¹ Daly-Denton depicts Christ as one who contributes to the garden created by His Father but which has fallen into a state of disrepair. She uses the Fourth Gospel of John to develop the theme of Christ as Gardener, beginning with the ironic fact that Mary Magdalene mistakes the risen Christ for a gardener. The aim throughout is to show that Christ is a model and inspiration for anyone seeking to care for the Earth as God destined it to be cared for. This review focuses specifically on chapters 4 through 10.

Chapter Summaries: An Earth-Conscious Reading of John

In this chapter, Daly-Denton focuses on how Christ commands His disciples to re-create the world in the way it was intended by God (John 20:21–23). The author adopts an Earth-conscious perspective to examine the scenes set in Galilee and how Christ can be understood from an ecological perspective. She also uses images that resonate throughout the Bible and carry special meaning when applied to her theme. The first meaningful image is the fig tree — ficus carica — "one of the trees of the Garden of Eden, a tall tree with dense foliage providing shade whose fruit Adam and Eve enjoyed."² It is identified also by Moses in Deuteronomy 8:8 as one of the trees that will grow in the good land. It is meaningful here because Jesus tells Nathaniel that he saw him under the fig tree, symbolizing that "the restoration of Israel is envisaged as the freedom to cultivate the land and enjoy its produce in peace."³ Throughout the Gospel, Christ refers to Himself as the way — the technical Hebrew term derek — which reflects an innate wisdom and inner impulse that will be used to formulate the Logos principle of God's providential plan for the world.⁴

In this chapter the author focuses on the Jewish temple, which was seen as a "representation of the creation."⁵ Christ leads His disciples there for Passover, and Daly-Denton argues that it is important for an Earth-conscious view of Christ to understand how the Jews viewed the temple within the wider context of pilgrimage and the Passover festival. The concept of a "pilgrim path" is used to convey a sense of the Israelite belief that the Earth is God's and that the people who populate it are but sojourners.⁶ The author uses the term "pilgrim path" to show that the journey to the temple reinforces the idea of special relevance being placed on the relationship between God, the world, and the chosen people who are to be stewards of that world.

Daly-Denton states specifically that the Passover festival is important because "Passover recalled a new beginning for God's flock."⁷ The "seven days of unleavened bread" is another important phrase the author uses to explain the significance of the festival from an Earth-conscious perspective, as this preparatory event refers to "an ancient springtime celebration of the barley harvest (the first crop to ripen) when bread was eaten unleavened (as barley bread had to be), and thus in as near as possible to the grain's original state."⁸ The author notes that on the seventh day, the old yeast was discarded as a way of symbolizing a new beginning. It is this new beginning that Christ intimates as he heads to the temple for Passover — a new beginning for the Earth, because He is about to send out His disciples on a new mission of stewardship to care for God's flock.

In this chapter Daly-Denton uses an Earth-conscious approach when describing the scene between the Samaritan woman and Jesus at the well. The Samaritan woman recognizes Christ as the Savior of the World (John 4:42). The location of the scene is important because it takes place at "Jacob's well" (Greek, pege: a spring). The water from the well precipitates from the surface of the Earth to one of the natural underlying aquifers; thus, the author emphasizes that the water from the well is indeed a gift from God, even if Jacob produced the well.⁹

The fact that the woman is Samaritan is significant, as the author points out, because it "affirms Samaritan believers as the equals of Jewish believers in the renewed Israel that Jesus is establishing."¹⁰ The author also identifies the Samaritan woman as an apostle of God, noting that the term "apostle" (Greek, apostolos: one sent with a message) occurs only once in John's Gospel (John 13:16) and refers not to the twelve Apostles but rather to all men, women, and children.¹¹ This identification is crucial because it affirms that the woman becomes a messenger of God, bringing His gifts to the world.

In this chapter the author discusses the idea that the Father never stops working in the world. It also touches upon Christ's use of the term "Father" for God. The author notes that in referring to God as "Father," John is essentially building on the role of the father as "provider of the necessities of life, thus making it a suitable image for God as creator and sustainer of all life."¹² God the Father is depicted as resting on the sixth day, which corresponds with the Hebrew term shabat — to stop, to cease.¹³ Yet Christ says the Father never stops working and that He too never stops working. Jesus heals on the Sabbath in a display of unity with the Father, to show that He is also God, engaged in re-creating the world. Daly-Denton uses the term "prince" to establish a connection between what Christ is doing by healing on the Sabbath and "the fulfillment of the promises of David" as dictated in Ezekiel (34:23–24).¹⁴ Christ is thus the "prince" who fulfills God's promise to mankind.

In this chapter the author examines the feeding miracle of Jesus, which is the only miracle depicted in all four Gospels. It has special significance for an Earth-conscious reading, according to the author, because it emphasizes the "life-sustaining activity of all living things: consuming other once-living things."¹⁵ Christ uses the Earth's generosity in sustaining life to show that He too sustains life in a spiritual way: He refers to the spiritual food that He Himself wants to give for zoe aionios — the life of an eon — meaning for as long as there is life to be sustained.¹⁶

Jesus tests those near Him to see if they understand, and the verb agorazo is used, meaning to buy in the marketplace. The test is directed specifically at Philip, to see if he understands what hunger is satisfied by Christ — an earthly hunger or a deeper spiritual hunger.¹⁷ The author shows that Christ uses the Earth to indicate that He is supplying real food, but for a spiritual hunger. That is why He refers to Himself as the Bread of Life.

In this chapter the author focuses on the fact that Jesus desires to see His followers turn to Him to satisfy their thirst. She notes that it was a custom to immerse oneself in water prior to entering the sacred place, and when Jesus sees the pilgrims doing so, He cries out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink."¹⁸ It is a bold declaration because it highlights Christ's continual association with water as the life-sustaining element — He is the true life-sustaining Element. But there is also a feminine character to the association. The author highlights the terms koila, a womb from which birth waters flow, and motherliness (Hebrew, rahamin: compassion, the emotions, the womb).¹⁹ Christ is thus linked multiple times to life-giving water.

In this chapter the author focuses on Christ's healing of the blind man by spitting on clay and using it to restore his sight. The author argues that "Jesus' day work will last only as long as he is in the world, shining as its light, so he is determined to be the light of the world for this man."²⁰ She uses the term clay (Greek, pelos: moistened earth of a clay consistency) to point out the important connection Christ is making to Adam being born of dust (Greek, chous: soil, dust).²¹ The image of Christ using the Earth to renew sight to a blind man is consistent with the Earth-conscious approach that the author adopts throughout, showing that Christ is indeed re-creating the Earth by bringing into it God's light and love for creation.

Conclusion

Daly-Denton's beautifully conceived and elegantly written John, An Earth Bible Commentary provides the reader with a new way to look at God from an Earth-conscious perspective. It expertly weaves in significant details about nature, customs of the times, and the meaning of terms that associate God with the Earth in a way that leaves one highly impressed by God's intimate interest in the Earth and how it sustains us. It is a very helpful book for both deepening one's love for God and one's understanding of His use of the Earth for our own good.

Daly-Denton, Margaret. John, An Earth Bible Commentary: Supposing Him to Be the Gardener. New York, NY: T&T Clark, 2017.