Craig Koester Explores the Death of Jesus and the Message of Life
Luther Seminary invites pastors, deacons, lay leaders, and all who want to engage Scripture more deeply to join the 2026 Fretheim Lecture in Biblical Theology on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. New Testament scholar Craig Koester will present The Death of Jesus and the Message of Life: According to the Gospel of John. Learn more and register for the 2026 Fretheim Lecture.
For members of the Grand Canyon Synod, the lecture is available as a live, interactive webinar beginning at 6:15 p.m. Central / 4:15 p.m. Arizona and Pacific time.
In this year’s lecture, Koester will explore one of the central themes of John’s Gospel: life. John presents life as a gift of God that begins now, shapes how people live in relationship with God and one another, and carries Christ’s promise of resurrection.
At the center of that message stands the crucifixion. Jesus’ death, Koester notes, resulted from social and political forces culminating in state-sponsored violence. Yet John’s Gospel presses readers to see something more: through the death of Jesus, God reveals the fullness of divine love and gives life to the world.
This perspective moves beyond familiar understandings of sin and sacrifice toward a distinctly cruciform vision of God’s love—a love that confronts deception and hate and calls Christians to seek fullness of life for individuals, communities, and the whole creation.
Koester is the Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Professor of New Testament emeritus at Luther Seminary, where he taught from 1986 to 2022. An internationally recognized New Testament scholar and gifted teacher, he is the author of The Word of Life: A Theology of John’s Gospel, Revelation and the End of All Things, and major commentaries on Hebrews and Revelation.
The Terence E. and Faith L. Fretheim Lecture in Biblical Theology brings biblical scholarship into conversation with the theological questions facing the church and world. The lectureship honors the legacy of the late Terry Fretheim, longtime professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, and his wife, Faith.
Those near St. Paul may also attend in person beginning at 6 p.m. Central at Luther Seminary’s Olson Campus Center, with a complimentary meal provided.