Does John give us a clue that of something special in this chapter?
In the stories of Jesus, episodes are marked by a scene changes
– for instance, there is usually a shift:
• in time — After these things
• place — Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea
– here we find both in the first verse, so now the story gets underway
• but then John inserts a notation regarding Passover
◦ Passover would typically indicate time (spring) or place (Jerusalem)
◦ but here it doesn’t seem relevant to anything