Elementary Notes on the Gospels: Part V, John

The Gospel of John, called the "Most Beloved Gospel", 

its Greek name is  τὸ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγέλιον. 

John's account is  written with a different style and intent as the Synoptic Gospels , John writes with such insight into the Deity and Humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John of all the writer's seems to speak to believers and presents an ongoing and growing Revelation of Who God is,  as He reveals Himself in Jesus .

In closing His account John tells us why he was moved to tell of Jesus.
"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." John:20:31

John was a fisherman from Caprnaum , a community set on the shore of lake Galilee. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome and brother of James.  Jesus called  the brothers  "Boanerges" (translated "sons of thunder")  Mk:3:17   at times they would show their anger became wild, fierce and thunderous causing them to speak out like an untamed storm. At one point John and his brother James wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town, but Jesus rebuked them. Lk:9:51-6 .

From early times  it was believed that John died of old age being in his late 90's , it is thought that he was one of the youngest of the Apostles. Some legends say that his enemies attempted to boil him alive, but were unable to do so,  that is why  in some church iconology John is represented as an eagle in a cauldron. Mostly John is represented as an eagle as an eagle fly high in heavens so John saw from a heavenly view.  


John was called by Jesus to be one of His twelve Apostles. It seems evident that John had a close friendship with Jesus he is called:"One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to Him" John:13:23.

John was, along with Peter and James,  one of the witness of the rising daughter of Jairus and one of the three who was with Jesus and saw the Transfiguration. Mark 5:21–43, Matthew:9:18–26, Luke 8:40–56    Matthew:17, Mark:9, Luke4:9


The date of the writing of John is thought to have been between 70-100 AD and was probably  written from Ephesus in Asia Minor where John
  led the Church being the last of the original Apostles of Jesus.  John is also credited with writing 1 John, 2 John,  3 John and the Book of Revelation.
Some believe that John was asked to write his account to counter gnostic teachings  that were rising in the church at that time, especially the belief that Jesus was not fully God. 
What was occurring was the emergence of "gnostic" teachers who claimed to represent the "true Church"  which in truth was just an alternative history to that of orthodox Christianity as taught by the disciples and their predecessors.  These "teachers"  had a whole host of teachings  but one was against the full divinity of Jesus. Some viewed Jesus as a mere apparition that  He only seemed to be "real" .
Some taught that Jesus was a man who became "good enough" to be called or adopted as God's son. There was a belief that Jesus was just a man who was "possessed" by the "divine spirit" which abandoned him at the cross.
And some taught that Jesus was an angel or created being.

Themes of John

Some of the themes of John , is that Jesus is that one who from the very beginning  was to come. John starts his Gospel in a unique way, tying the creation of the material  universe as seen in Genesis:1: "In the beginning"   first chapter  to the spiritual creation we have in Christ, and even proclaiming Jesus as the agent of both creations. John:1:1 " In the beginning" . Jesus is demonstrated  to be the Word of God , the "Logos"  the perfect Revelation of Who God is .

That the "Logos" is "Theos".    In the Hellenistic world there was a belief that above and beyond the pantheon of gods was a "power"  which superseded even them, and humanity could appeal to this "power" to find help from the oppressive Olympian gods. This "power" if resorted to would intervene and prevent the gods from harming humanity any further.

John is explaining to them that what their myths hinted at Jesus is the realty of it. He, Jesus,  is not just a "power" but God,  the true God,  the only God.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John:1:1

John shows how Jesus is that Messiah and provides several examples of power and signs to prove that He is. John includes uses of Scripture, the testimony of John the Baptist, Jesus Himself, God the Father ,the miraculous healing and works , the Holy Spirit's witnesses and even John's eye witness account
. 

Just a note: some who deny the Triune nature of God, those who believe that the Holy Spirit is just "divine power" the flows from God, will often turn to John:1:1 and ask if God is one God in three person's , why isn't the Holy Spirit mentioned here? That is a good question. The answer is; He is not mentioned here by name because He is the one doing the speaking, and He  speaks not of Himself but of Jesus.

 " He will not speak on his own;" & He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you" John:16:13a ,14.

Understand, there is not "three persons" in one God but rather One God in three persons- this  is what is called Tri-Theism. This is not Historic Christan teaching. Nor is God two persons who have eternally  agreed to be in agreement, yet completely distinct from each other , or a "family" of gods this is  binary-ism. Nor is God just one divine person alone, that would unitarianism. God is one God in three. Father, Son , Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity actually emerged out of the need of the early church to defend its true monotheism that there is one God.

Out Line of John

1.Prologue: The Word, Incarnate,

2.Evidence of Jesus' Messianic Credentials

3.Passion Narrative:Death-Resurrection

4.Epilogue:Parting Words to Peter &  John

The  Seven Great "I AM"s

John is careful to show the divine nature and identity of Jesus in his presentations of what is called the great "I AM"s showing that very one who preached and walked in their midst was the very one Who from eternity past was and is and will always be God.

Jesus said to them: 'Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM'." John 8: 58 

The Jews would have understood what Jesus was saying to them He was telling them it rattled their accepted view of their God. This challenged the view that they always held.

 "God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you." Exodus:3:14

John is making sure that there is not question in our minds as to Who Jesus is.

"I AM the bread of life" (6:35, 48).

 "I AM the light of the world" (8:58). 

"I AM the door" (10:7, 9).

"I AM the good shepherd" (10: 11, 14). 

"I AM the resurrection and the life" (11:25).  

I AM the way, the truth, and the life (14:6).  

I AM the true vine (15:1, 5).   

 YHWH

Jesus is identifying himself to Israel and to all humanity as the  I AM, the very one who is God that created all things, that called Abraham out of Ur, Who met Moses on the Mountain and spoke the words from the burning bush, "I AM that I AM". Jesus is One and is the very One Whom the Jews believed they worshiped. Jesus is telling them that He is  YHWH , which is  possibly pronounced Yahweh.

Clearing the Temple

John,  in his account gives attention to the clearing of the Temple of the money changers and animal pens in the Temple courts. These persons who were using the worship at the Temple as a means to profit and defiling this place of worship  , but their presence and activities were actually keeping some out.  In John's Gospel this incident  is placed early in the narrative  in John:2 yet in the Synoptic Gospels it is placed at the end of Jesus' ministry. Mark:11, Matthew:21, Luke:19.  

Some have speculated that it may be describing two separate events one taking place at the early point of Jesus' ministry the other at the end. 

It maybe that the truth is found in the whole  point of John's Gospel, that Jesus has come to restore a right relationship between God and  humanity, that Jesus has come to remove from the "temple of our lives" those selfish inclinations and anything else that clutters our spiritual lives. John may have placed this event early to demonstrate the intent of Jesus' coming,  placing it early on in his account so that it is there in our minds as we read his Gospel. John seems less concerned about the chronology and more concerned with the intent and what it means for us all.

Behold the Lamb

John give some time as well to the ministry and witness of John the Baptist , in fact,  when John engages us at the inauguration of the work of Jesus he does so by taking us to the banks of the Jordan where John the Baptist prepares the way  for Jesus as He steps  into His public ministry.

"John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" John:1:19-23

John also used the Baptist's pronouncement that  Jesus is the "Lamb of God"

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John:1:29

The lamb of God would again be a symbol that John would present in the Book of Revelation where John would sees Jesus as the Lamb still bearing the wounds of the crucifixion 

"Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne" Revelation:5:6a

In this verse John brings together the death and the resurrection, the" lamb looking as if slain" ,(the death), but is "standing  before the throne",   (the resurrection).

Nicodemus

Only John gives us  some of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus John:3:1-14

The Beloved Verse

"For God so loved the world" John:3:16  is found only in John.

Woman at the Well

The account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well is only John:4, where Jesus asked for and then offered  her and us the true "Water of Life" .

"He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life." Revelation:21:6

Lazarus- and the Shortest Verse 

John also takes us to the tomb of  Jesus' friend  Lazarus and Jesus calling Him forth from the grave, here we read the shortest veras in all the Bible.

"Jesus wept." John:11:35

It is here that Jesus calls Himself the Resurrection, even before His own actual  resurrection,  showing us that His resurrection only demonstrates what has always  been true. He is Life and the grave nor death have power over Jesus. It also tells us that Jesus can resurrect any situation, that He is never too late to act for us even when we may think other wise.

Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” "Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” John:11:21-27

Foot Washing

 John pays attention and describes the foot washing that Jesus preform at the "Last Supper", where as the Synoptics do not.

"The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John:13:2-5

John uses the foot washing in the same way that the Synoptic accounts uses their descriptions of the Bread and Wine, that it is through Jesus we are forgiven all our sins by His actions, but John uses the foot washing to reflect what Christ has accomplished for us, that is He has made us clean. John tells us in detail that it is Jesus who does the washing. Jesus was looking ahead to the cross and what He'd accomplish for us, that is the washing our sin away.

"Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them" .John:13:12c

"let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews10:22

"and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1John:1:7c

Discourse and The Lord's Prayer

John also gives us the account and discourse of Jesus just prior to His arrest and death, the  promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

John:14- Jesus' comforts and encourages Apostles, He is the way

John:15: Vine and Branches 

 John:16:- the Work of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus' overcoming of the World

John:17- As He prays as our High Priest for all Christians through out the ages , that we might all have that oneness and unity

Post Resurrection

John:21 contains the account of the seven disciples meeting the resurrected  Jesus on the beach of Galilee, they had gone back to fishing, but Jesus wants them, and us, to understand that after they, and we,  encounter Him our lives can never be the same again. Jesus  tell them to cast the net and there will be a great haul.  

We ready of Jesus' love for Peter, 15-19, and lastly the last words of affection and promises of work yet to done by John himself, 20-24.

No Book Big Enough

John closes his account telling us all that there is no means possible for anyone to list all the acts of Jesus

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" John:21:25.

We find John's reason for his Gospel in 

"Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 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." John:20:3-31

All that we might Believe....Amen

 Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

Fountain of Life Church

Washington, Pa 

Fountain of Life Broadcast heard on RKP Radio 1710 & 1670 in Washington, Pa.

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