Parallel YHN Intro

The Gospel of John

Purpose

To generate belief in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God and to connect this belief with eternal life

Author

Likely the “beloved disciple,” traditionally identified as John, son of Zebedee

Date

Around AD 90

Setting

Written toward the end of John’s life during a time when the early followers of Jesus were facing strife from local synagogues

John wrote his Gospel to inspire faith. John knew Jesus intimately, and John’s Gospel provides an intimate portrait of the Lord. John referred to himself as “the disciple Jesus loved.” His Gospel has become the “beloved Gospel” of the church. Here we meet Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, Lazarus, and doubting Thomas. John records for us many of Jesus’ most memorable sayings, longest sermons, and most profound miracles. Here we meet God face to face.

Setting

A small community of Christians lived in ancient Ephesus during the late first century AD. They had learned the remarkable news about Jesus and accounts of his life from the apostle Paul. Eventually, the apostle John moved to Ephesus and settled there, bringing his own recollections of Jesus’ life and ministry. In his later years, John wrote these recollections down, providing his followers—and us—with the fourth Gospel.

John’s desire above all was for his followers to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 20:31). He realized that they had not had the privilege of seeing Jesus’ many signs and miracles as he had (John 20:29). John’s authority and deep experience with Jesus ring out from every story he told. As an eyewitness to Jesus’ life (John 19:35), John had heard, seen, and touched the Word of life (see 1 Jn 1:1-4) and was a valuable source of many stories that are unique to his Gospel.

As the Christians of Ephesus told their fellow citizens about Jesus, they quickly found themselves debating about Jesus with rabbis in the local synagogues. Was Jesus truly the Son of God? How could he be the Messiah? Can Christians legitimately claim to be “children of Abraham”? Could anyone prove that Jesus’ claim of being sent from God was true? Guided by the Holy Spirit in his teaching and writing, John brilliantly led his Christian readers through these debates.

Tensions grew. As small churches grew up alongside synagogues, more Jews converted. Opposition to the Christian believers was inevitable. But John stood by the church during terrible persecution and conflict. When it seemed that the fledgling church’s struggle with the prestigious synagogue community would overwhelm them, John courageously gave witness to the ministry of Jesus Christ. When false teachers later brought internal controversy and conflict to the church, John again gave the community strength. Writing letters to encourage and exhort (see 1, 2, and 3 John), John became the heroic pastor–theologian of the churches in Asia Minor.

John’s writing is as beloved today as it was in the earliest years of the church. Few books of the Bible have influenced Christian life and thought like John’s profound and dynamic Gospel. By combining intimacy of expression with penetrating insight, John provides a deeply satisfying portrait of Christ.

Summary

John divided his Gospel into two main sections, which comprise chs 1–12 and chs 13–21. The first section, which is often called “The Book of Signs,” tells about Jesus’ public ministry of revealing himself to the Jewish world. The second section, often called “The Book of Glory,” records Jesus’ private words to his disciples and tells of his death and resurrection.

Chapters 1–12. The Gospel prologue (1:1-18) artfully summarizes the entrance of God’s Word into the world. Jesus was baptized and called his earliest followers (1:19-51). Then a series of remarkable events (chs 2–4) highlights Jesus’ revelation of himself to the Jews. At a wedding in Cana, Jesus turned water into wine. In Jerusalem, he used a whip to drive corruption and money-dealing out of the Temple. He debated the meaning of spiritual rebirth with a rabbi named Nicodemus. At a well in Samaria, he met a woman with a checkered marital history and offered her “living water,” which no well can ever provide. In each of these events, Jesus unveiled his identity.

In the following section (chs 5–10), Jesus appears at a number of Jewish festivals, using ancient Old Testament symbols and practices to reveal himself to God’s people. On the Sabbath, Jesus worked by healing a lame man. On Passover, Jesus provided bread for five thousand. In the symbolic light of the Festival of Shelters, Jesus healed a blind man, reinforcing his own identity as the light of the world. John’s clear message is that Jesus came to fulfill what Judaism had promised since Old Testament times.

Then Jesus began to prepare for his death and resurrection. John describes Jesus’ arrival in Bethany, a town just east of Jerusalem (ch 11). His friend Lazarus had died, and Jesus raised him to life. Following this remarkable event, Jesus made his final public appeal to the world to believe in him and his mission (ch 12).

Chapters 13–21.  John turns to Jesus’ death and resurrection, reminding readers that the cross is not a sign of despair but a picture of glory. Jesus was returning to the Father and needed to prepare his disciples for his departure. At his final Passover meal, Jesus disclosed to his disciples the things nearest to his heart (chs 13–17). He told them candidly about his death and departure to the Father. He reassured them that he would not abandon them, but that he would return and turn their sorrow into joy. He promised them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Finally, Jesus prayed for them.

Following this Passover meal, Jesus led his followers east of the city and across a valley to an olive grove called Gethsemane (ch 18). Judas, who had agreed to betray Jesus, soon appeared with a large contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards. Following his arrest, Jesus stood before the Jewish high council to be interrogated, first by Annas and then by Caiaphas, the reigning high priest. By morning, the Jewish leaders took Jesus to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who asked probing questions about Jesus’ identity. Pilate, coaxed by the Jewish leaders, decided to have Jesus crucified (ch 19).

The climax of John’s Gospel is Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (ch 20). This event begins a series of dramatic accounts in which Jesus appeared to his followers and encouraged them. He gave them the Holy Spirit and commissioned them to represent him to the world. Jesus then gave his disciples their marching orders (ch 21). He reminded them of his power (21:1-14); reinstated Peter, who had denied him (21:15-17); and instructed Peter to follow him in his mission (21:18-19).

Author and Date

As with the other Gospels, John provides no explicit evidence as to its author, although the enigmatic figure of the “beloved disciple” provides clear clues (see 13:23; 19:26-27; 20:2-10; 21:7, 20-24). The Gospel of John must be connected with this person, for he is identified as the eyewitness source of this record of Jesus’ life (19:35; 21:20-24).

Who was this beloved disciple? Beginning in AD 125, leaders in the early church wrote that he was the apostle John, the son of Zebedee, who was living in Ephesus when he wrote this Gospel (see, e.g., Eusebius, Church History 3.23). John was one of the Twelve and, along with James (his brother) and Peter, was part of an inner circle around Jesus (see e.g., Matt 26:36-37; Mark 5:37; 9:2). The Gospel of John reflects this close perspective. Most scholars believe that John completed writing his Gospel by around AD 90.

Recpients

John most likely wrote his Gospel for Jewish Christians living in Ephesus, Asia Minor, and the broader Mediterranean world. These believers were caught between Jewish and Greek cultures, and their grasp of Judaism may have been slipping.

While John’s knowledge of Palestine and Judaism is reflected throughout his Gospel, he assumed that his audience was unfamiliar with some particulars of Jesus’ world. For example, he explained that rabbi is a Hebrew word meaning “teacher” (1:38), and he gave an alternate name for the Sea of Galilee (6:1). At the same time, John assumed that his readers were familiar with Jewish traditions, concepts, and festivals. They were probably also familiar with the basic story presented in Mark’s Gospel. For example, John refers to John the Baptist’s imprisonment (3:24) without ever telling the complete story.

Meaning and Message

Revelation and Redemption.  “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (1:5). The light of God has inhabited the world: Christ reveals the Father (14:9). In Christ we see the glory of God in a human being. And even though Jesus was persecuted, tried, and crucified, the light cannot be extinguished. Jesus’ purpose in revealing God is to redeem people: “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone” (1:4). Those who embrace Christ’s revelation and redemption with faith will gain eternal life.

Worship and the Spirit.  Worship must take place “in spirit and in truth” (4:24), energized and informed by the Spirit of God. Nicodemus had to be born of “water and Spirit” to enter the Kingdom of God (3:5). In Galilee, after feeding the 5,000, Jesus told the crowd that living bread is available in his body, which was to be sacrificed. He instructed them to consume his body and blood, symbolic of the Lord’s Supper (6:51-59). Yet worship that is focused only on the individual elements and not accompanied by the Spirit of God is worth nothing (see 6:63).

Jesus Christ.  John recorded Jesus’ descriptions about his nature, origin, and relationship to the Father. Jesus affirmed his oneness with the Father (10:30; 14:9-10) and their unity of purpose (5:17; 8:42), as well as their personal distinctiveness (14:28; 17:1-5). Jesus even used the very title (“I Am”) that God used for himself in the Old Testament, thus affirming his own deity (see 8:58; 18:4-5; Exod 3:13-14).

The Holy Spirit.  John’s Gospel underscores the work of the Holy Spirit as a central feature of Jesus’ human experience (chs 4, 7) and of our lives (chs 3, 14, and 16). The transforming power of God’s Spirit is a hallmark of true discipleship.

The Mission of the Church.  God sent Jesus into the world (8:18) to proclaim his glory and to testify to the Good News of redemption. After his departure, the Son continued this mission through the Spirit (16:5-11), who in turn would fill the church and empower believers to fulfill the mission of Jesus in the world (20:20-23; Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:7-8).

The End Times.  Early Christians anticipated the return of Christ, and John affirms this anticipation. Yet in the meantime, believers can experience Jesus’ longed-for presence in the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ announcement of the Spirit’s coming echoes the language of his own second coming (see 14:15-26). In a vital way, Jesus is already with us in the Spirit as we continue to look forward to Christ’s personal return at the end of history.