2026/08/24

262. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: The Way to the Tree of Life

Jesus, who is God, knew that the people of that time would not believe even if they saw His works, for they lived in the world of the books of the Prophets and the Psalms rather than following Moses. So, Jesus said to them, "It is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope" (Jn 5:45).

Among the commandments God gave to Moses are instructions on how a king should be chosen when the people demand one, and how one chosen by the people to be king ought to conduct himself. In particular, the commandment stating, "And he shall not multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply for himself silver and gold" (Deut. 17:17) was severe for the kings of that time. And the remorse felt by those kings who, having transgressed these commandments, were unable to lead the people to God is interwoven throughout the entire Book of Psalms. The hymns of praise and thanksgiving offered to God, rooted in this lament, resound as crying voices of supplication; and, owing to their unique character, many people still empathise with these voices and are captivated by them even today. The people of the old covenant understood the Law of Moses and the books of the Prophets within the fictional context of a narrative that a king like one of them would rise again to save them, chanting the Psalms.

The expressions of the Psalms that fell from the lips of kings—who took many wives and thus allowed their hearts to be led astray, hoarding vast quantities of silver and gold for their own sake—invited the people, who had been unable to form a father-son relationship with God, to savour the joy of the wedding day. In time, the people came to liken God and them to a bridegroom (husband) and a bride (wife). Drawn to this preference, savouring it in fiction, they often mistakenly perceive this sensation as highly spiritual. In this way, without realising it, as a particular sense of equality grows within them regarding their relationship with God, the desire befitting a person created in God's image and likeness transforms into a higher-order desire, such as desires for belonging, recognition and self-actualisation. They sometimes manifest as desires to dominate and control their neighbour. This gives rise to ceaseless conflict. It was no coincidence that, after Jesus had fasted for forty days before beginning his public ministry, the devil sought to tempt him by quoting from the Psalms. This is because the Psalms have such a tendency. Jesus replied by quoting from Deuteronomy, one of the Books of Moses (cf. Mat 4:1–11).

Jesus came as man from the Father, bearing the priesthood of the New Covenant to forgive sins and fulfil the Law. At the beginning of his public ministry, after reading from the Book of Isaiah handed to Him in the synagogue, Jesus clearly revealed Himself by saying, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk 4:21). Again, it is written that after His resurrection, He appeared to the disciples on their way to Emmaus, and that "beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (24:27). In this way, Jesus used the Old Testament "to bear witness to Himself." He did so to reveal and fulfil God's plan, which had unfolded over a long history. Then, He said, "You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (Jn 5:39-40). By these words, Jesus is saying that, now that He has come, there is no longer any need to look for Him in the Old Testament.

Jesus said, "You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth" (Jn 5:33), reminding them that they had regarded John the Baptist—born into a family of legitimate priestly lineage and speaking as a prophet—as a lamp burning and shining, and had been willing to rejoice in his light. John the Baptist bore witness: that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world; that the Holy Spirit had descended upon Him and that He was the one who baptised by the Holy Spirit; and that He was the Son of God (cf. 1:29–34). Thus, he bore witness to the truth. Jesus continued, "But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John" (5:36). The testimony "greater than that of John" was a testimony concerning the life—the life that leads to the Father—which lies beyond the truth of which Jesus had spoken: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (14:6).

The words of Jesus are the way to the "tree of life" which God closed off in Genesis. Through the truth contained therein, these words connect people with the "breath of life" (Gen 2:7) that God breathed into them, awaken them to God's life, and restore them to life before God. They revive the realm of the human spirit. All of these are mysteries of the Kingdom of God (the Kingdom of Heaven) about eternal life, which cannot be understood without studying the New Testament. Thus, the words of Genesis—"He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life" (Gen 3:24)—are reflected in the structure of the New Testament. The four Gospels, which even now guard the "way to the tree of life"—the words of Jesus—can be likened to the cherubim (cf. Rev 4:6–8). Similarly, the teachings of Acts of the Apostles and the various epistles represent the "flaming sword." And the Book of Psalms, which had filled the minds of the people of the old covenant and held them captive, was superseded by the Book of Revelation in its role.

The Book of Revelation depicts how these writings interconnect to perform their unique function. It implants truths that the conscious mind cannot grasp into the unconscious of believers who recite and listen to it every day, transforming them into tacit knowledge and preparing them to work in harmony with the Holy Spirit. Jesus, risking His very life, prepared all the new methods of formation introduced with the New Testament for the Holy Spirit sent in His name and for the believers. Unfortunately, we believers have not yet fully utilised such treasures. Instead, we search for the shadow of Jesus within the Old Testament, which bears witness to Him, and place our complete trust in the Psalms. Thus, the following statement that Jesus spoke to the Jews is also addressed to us, who make no effort to optimise our understanding for the new formation set out in the New Testament.

"I do not receive glory from men. But I know that you have not the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me " (Jn 5:41–43).

Maria K. M.