From a general non-acceptance of Jesus by people in the early chapters [of John], the opposition becomes more and more identified with a [specific] group …, the Jews. Ultimately the group stands for the forces opposed to Jesus, which are the forces of darkness. It is obvious that we are not dealing with an ethnic group, but with a dramatic theological symbol.… We would miss the full significance of this symbol if we considered the Jew in John only as an historical figure.… “The Jews” are an ever-present reality and threat to any worship of God in spirit and in truth (emphasis added).18
