journey through the bible: gospel of john

Bible Readings1 John 1:1-7 Page 862John 9:1-35 Page 758

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Saturday, 29 August 2015

Why is John's gospel so different?

• Matthew, Mark and Luke, were all written before 70 AD.

• Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

• John's gospel was written many years later, possibly as late as 90 AD, about 60 years after Jesus died.

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The "disciple whom Jesus loved".“After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in His spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom He spoke. One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom He was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” (John 13:21–25, ESV)

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“but standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:25–27, ESV)

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The "disciple whom Jesus loved".


Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” (John 20:1–2, ESV)

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“That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.” (John 21:7, ESV)

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“Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against Him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray You?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” . . . . This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, (and we know that his testimony is true). Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:20–25, ESV)

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John wrote his gospel about 90 AD

• The writer of this gospel had a very close and special relationship with Jesus.

• This disciple was John.

• John was the youngest of the disciples.

• John became the bishop of Ephesus, a great city and the centre of conflict with the pagan cult of Diana.

• John was exiled by the Romans to the prison island of Patmos.

• He wrote the letters of John and the Book of Revelation.

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John wrote his gospel about 90 AD• In this Gospel we have an eyewitness

account of a disciple who was Jesus' closest friend.

• He assumes that you know all the basic facts about Jesus.

• John shows us that Jesus was the Eternal Son Who revealed the true character of God.

• He shows us that even though Jesus was divine He was truly flesh and blood and died for sins and was raised to life on the third day.

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The Purpose of this Gospel:

"that you may believe."

“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His Name.” (John 20:30–31, NKJV)

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• at the beginning of the gospel John states as clearly as he can the the truth that Jesus was both God and man.

• “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, NKJV)

• Jesus is both the messenger and the message.

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"that you may believe."• John shows us how people react

to this revelation.

• Some refuse to accept the divine nature of Jesus and misunderstand everything He says.

• The chief priests and Pharisees see only the human being, the flesh and blood man and close their minds to any other possibility.

• People's responses to the truth of Jesus have eternal consequences.

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"that you may believe." “There is no judgement against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgement is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.” (John 3:18–19, NLT)

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• In this Gospel the distinction between belief and unbelief becomes sharper.

• People have less and less excuse for not believing in Jesus.

• All the signs He did showed His divine nature and power more and more clearly.

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Belief and Unbelief

• Jesus said “And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” (John 6:40–42, NKJV)

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Belief and Unbelief

• "Jews" is John's short-hand way of referring to the Jewish leaders, the Jewish religious authorities.

• In this gospel Jesus often appears to speak in a different style to that recorded in the other gospels.

• John records Jesus teaching to the elite in Jerusalem not the crowds in the small towns: the debates between Jesus and the educated elite: the chief Priest, the Scribes and Chief Pharisees.

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Belief and Unbelief

“Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” (John 9:26–27, NKJV)

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Belief and Unbelief• Jesus comes to him and asks

him a simple question, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"

• “He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen Him, and it is He who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped Him.” (John 9:36–38, ESV)

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Belief and Unbelief

• “And Jesus said, “For judgement I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.” (John 9:39–41, NKJV)

• The Pharisees’ sin remains because they refuse to believe in Jesus and be forgiven. 19

• The Pharisees are judged because of their refusal to believe the evidence of Who Jesus is.


Belief and Unbelief“We have no idea where You are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. If you had really known Me, you would know Who My Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

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Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know Who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father! So why are you asking Me to show Him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I speak are not My own, but My Father Who lives in Me does His work through Me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.

Or at least believe because of the work you have seen Me do.” (John 14:5–11, NLT)

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Belief and Unbelief


Belief and Unbelief

• Jesus reassures His disciples that when Holy Spirit comes they will receive the spiritual insight they need.

• John shows that it is only through the gift of the Holy Spirit they and we can truly know the God the Father.

• “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. . . . .” (John 16:12–13, NLT)

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Belief and Unbelief• The last 3 chapters of the Gospel

are the testimony of one who was truly an intimate eyewitness.

• John understood more of great spiritual battle that was fought and won on the Cross than the others.

• The gospel is very carefully shaped and written by a man who knew Jesus better than anyone else and who then spent a life time meditating on what the had seen and heard and touched.

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journey through the bible: gospel of john

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