In my on-going attempts to put a little variety into my diet -- limited now because of a gluten allergy -- I came across a container of honey in our pantry.

It had probably been there five years or more. Bleh.

But then I remembered: honey is one food that does not spoil. It doesn't need to be refrigerated, frozen, or even freeze dried. It can stay in the pantry and it will not go bad.

I believe that's why the inspired author of Psalm 119 put it this way in speaking of the word of God:

How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth! (119:103)

The word of God revealed in Scripture -- in all of its marvelous complexity and uncomfortable simplicity -- does not spoil. It does not go bad. Its applications, challenges, and comforts are as fresh today as in ancient times.

My breakfast? I used the honey, of course. Sweet to the taste and, thankfully, good for my stomach.

We arrived back from California last night and I jumped into teaching my Thursday class on the Gospel of John.

The Gospel itself is fascinating enough. But I have become even more interested in John himself -- writer, theologian, artist, churchman.

We've gone to great lengths in this class to describe just how different John's Gospel is from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Differences in timeline, tone, and content. John arranges all his material to reinforce the purpose statement of the book in 20:31: "... but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

When you know that is his reason for writing, you'll see clues in almost every section of the book. Believe. Life. Life. Believe. The purpose defines what stories John includes and in what order he includes them.

All of which gave rise to an interesting question in our class: "Is Jesus in John's hands in the gospel, serving to advance John's agenda? Or is John in Jesus' hands, serving to advance his agenda?" Hmmmmm.

Or is there some of both?

When you learn to read the bible not only for its teaching but also with an eye to its artistry, you get to wrestle with questions like that again and again.