Introduction to the Book of John
Sermon 1
John’s Gospel is written so that readers may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing they may have life in his name; it uniquely presents Jesus’ identity, signs, and discourses to call for that faith.
Outline
- Purpose of the Gospel (John 20:30-31)
- Distinctive features of John
- Structure and major sections
- Key themes that run through the book
- How to read and benefit from John
- Conclusion
Themes: Purpose of John · Believe and Have Life · Signs · I AM Statements · Son of God · Christology · Eternal Life · Faith
Key Cross-References: John 20:30-31, John 1:1-18, John 3:16, John 5:24, John 6:35, John 8:12, John 10:10, John 11:25, John 14:6, John 17:3, 1 John 5:13
MANUSCRIPT
Introduction – Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus?
What is the evidence that he is the promised Christ, and Son of God?
Why should anyone believe in him?
What will happen to, or what are the benefits of, believing in him?
John wrote his gospel to answer these very questions. Specifically, John wrote his gospel so that his readers would understand that Jesus, is the long-awaited Messiah, and Son of God. Why? So that those who believe might have eternal life.
John 20:31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
So, John explicitly states that he wrote his book for the purpose of evangelism. John knows that eternal life comes only to those who believe in Jesus. John then, more than any other gospel, also focuses on the theme of belief. What must one believe? Who can believe? Why must one believe? What does it mean to believe? What will be done for those who believe? These are answered in the Gospel of John.
Author
John does not explicitly state that he is the author of this Gospel by name. Instead, we are told that a disciple, frequently referred to as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” wrote it.
In reference to this beloved disciple, John 21:24 says:
John 21:24 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.
So then, if John How do we know then that “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is John?
First, we know that this disciple is an Apostle. The beloved disciple was at the last supper, and we know from elsewhere that only the twelve joined Jesus for this meal.
Because the beloved disciple is a frequent companion of Peter we know:
That the beloved disciple is not Peter
That the beloved disciple is easily identified with John, who is Peter’s frequent companion in the other gospels.
We also know that the beloved disciple is not Andrew, Philip, Thomas, or Judas since they are called by name in this gospel, unlike the beloved disciple.
Next, we know that the beloved disciple is the one who laid his head on Jesus’ chest at the last supper, showing us that among the 12, he was one of the closest to Jesus.
We know that among the 12, there were three who maintain this type of closeness to Jesus. Those three are Peter, James and John.
Peter has already been eliminated, and James is not a candidate since he was an early martyr and the beloved disciple was alive to write this gospel in 80-90 AD.
Add to this the fact that John, who is a key figure in the other gospels is entirely absent from this gospel, and it makes a lot of sense that the “beloved disciple” is John himself.
Beyond this internal evidence, externally, the early church Father’s universally accepted that John was the author of this gospel.
Who was John?
John and his older brother James are the “sons of Zebedee.” They, along with their father were fishermen.
John and James were first disciples of John the Baptist and, believing John’s testimony that Jesus was the promised Messiah, followed him.
John with his brother James and Peter were among Jesus’ inner circle. It was only these three who were present at the raising of Jairus’s daughter; at the mount of transfiguration; and with Jesus during his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. John’s status as one of Jesus’ inner circle makes him an ideal eye witness to pen a Gospel.
Early on, John with his brother had the reputation of having short tempers. It was these two brothers, remember, who asked Jesus if they should call down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans who refused to lodge them. This incident earned them the nickname “Sons of Thunder!”
It was also these two brothers who boldly asked Jesus that they would be granted the privileged positions of sitting on either side of him as he reigned over his kingdom.
John however, like Peter, matured in the faith as the Holy Spirit worked in his heart and on his character. John became a powerful Apostle, and a pillar to the church. His short-tempered, rivalrous, selfish character gave way to God-directed passion, and love.
John has come to be known as the Apostle of Love because of the heavy emphasis on love to be found in the Gospel and his letters.
Audience
It is likely that John’s intended first audience were Greek-speaking Jews among the dispersion. First, those who were unbelievers, and next those whose faith was being shaken through pressure from the synagogue, and the increasing cost of following Jesus.
If tradition is correct and John wrote this Gospel while ministering in Ephesus, it would make sense that he would pen a Gospel intended for Greek-speaking Jews likes those who would be present in his own city.
These Jews would benefit immensely from John’s case that the promised Christ, was Jesus; that no one could come to the Father through him; and that through him the temple has been replaced. Such a case, would point these Jews away from their dead faith, and their now destroyed temple, and to Jesus as the final fulfillment of all Jewish religion and promises.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Date
John’s gospel was the last gospel to be written and the only gospel to be written after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. Most conservative scholars place the date of John around A.D. 80-90. This makes John’s gospel unique and really brings incredible significance to Jesus’ own identification as the one who came to replace the temple.
Consider how John 2 takes on greater significance when you realize that John’s readers were Jews living after the destruction of the temple…
John 2:19-21 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Or how about the account of the woman at the well when we read:
John 4:20-21 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
For the unbelieving Jew, who has lived through the destruction of their temple, the revelation that God designed for the temple to be replaced by Jesus, would be incredibly impactful. Through this motif of Jesus as the new temple, John shows his Jewish audience that access to God’s presence can still be achieved, but only through Jesus. All of their religious affection, and worship toward the one true God, should be directed to Jesus, so that, as Jesus said in John 5, “all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father…”
Distinctions from the Other Gospels
The Gospel of John’s late date means that there are significant distinctions between it and the other gospels. It is very likely that John would have had access to the other gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke when he wrote, and for this reason, purposely chose to write about aspects of Jesus’ ministry which the other three did not emphasize and leave out some content which the other three covered.
For example, since the synoptic gospels focus on Jesus’ ministry in the North in Galilee, John focuses on his ministry in the South, in Judea including frequent visits to Jerusalem, and extended dialogues in the temple.
Another interesting thought is that John’s late date, in 80-90 AD, means that John, as the last living Apostle at the time, has had the most time to reflect the life and death of Jesus.
Remember that we already mentioned Jesus’ promises to the Apostles regarding the Holy Spirit:
John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 16:13-14 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
John, of all the Apostles, due to his long life has benefited the greatest from these promises. He has the other three gospels, divinely inspired at his disposal, and has had 50 years of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to help him do biblical theology. As Jesus said, on multiple occasions in John’s gospel, all of the Old Testament testifies to him. John has had decades to pore over the scriptures, with the Holy Spirit’s help, to understand just in what ways this is true. We see these reflected as John makes man illusions to grand Old Testament motifs and their fulfillment in Jesus.
As readers of John’s Gospel, we are the beneficiaries of these many years of Spirit-driven, Apostolic insight.
Other distinctions of John’s Gospel:
No parables
No transfiguration
No Lord’s Supper
No exorcism of demons
No Temptation of Christ
No account of Jesus’ baptism
No Olivet discourse
There is not a heavy emphasis on the Kingdom of heaven, or kingdom of God as the other gospels.
On the other hand, John’s gospel features elements absent from the synoptic gospels:
Jesus turning water into wine
Jesus dialogue with Nicodemus
Jesus’ ministry in Samaria (including the woman at the well)
The raising of Lazarus
Jesus’ frequent visits to Jerusalem
Jesus’ extended teaching in the temple, or synagogues.
Focus on the Identity of Jesus
These distinctions are not by accident. John has a very specific purpose for his writing and has written a gospel, inspired by the Spirit, in order to focus on the identity of Jesus as the Son of God and the need to believe in his name. In fact, it’s not an overstatement to say that John’s gospel is really a study in Christology.
Every page you turn in John’s gospel leads to some other witness to the identity of Jesus. Whether it be John the Baptist, Jesus’ disciples, a Samaritan woman at a well, or an inquisitive crowd, Jesus’ identity is continually stated, or debated.
In fact, a persistent theme throughout the gospel is that of “witnesses.” John the Baptist is a witness that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the Messiah, the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ own works are a testimony that the Father has sent him. God the Father bears witness to Jesus, that he is his Son, whom he has sent. Jesus in John states explicitly that the entirety of the Old Testament scripture bear witness about him. Further, the Holy Spirit, Jesus says in chapter 15, will bear witness about him, and his disciples also will be his witnesses. Clearly John’s concern is to credibly establish that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, sent from the Father to take away the sins of all who believe in him. In order to do so, he has built a rock-solid case and has offered unassailable witness.
In that same vein, Jesus in John’s gospel seems to always be speaking about his own identity, and why he came into the world. He does this with an emphasis upon what he will do for those who believe in him.
So, John writes to set forth Jesus for all to see because it is through belief in him, that men and women can be saved. He, as narrator, is sure to always steer his reader to the inevitable conclusion that Jesus is the divine Son of God who died to take away the sins of all who would believe in him.
Colin Kruse in his commentary on John helpfully summarizes John’s presentation of Jesus:
“The Gospel of John is unique in its portrayal of the person and work of Jesus. He is equal and one with God the Father, and is the agent of creation, the revealer of God and full of grace and truth. He is the ‘bread of life’, ‘the light of the world’, ‘the gate of the sheep’, ‘the good shepherd’, ‘the resurrection and the life’, ‘the way and the truth and the life’, ‘the true vine’, the ‘Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’ and ‘the Saviour of the world’. His words are ‘full of the Spirit and life’, and those who believe in him will never die spiritually; even though they die physically, they will live – he will raise them up on the last day.“
In chapter 1 alone, we see Jesus identified as: the lamb of God, the son of God, the Son of Man, the Messiah, and the King of Israel.
In addition, we see in John’s gospel that God the Father has granted Jesus to have life in himself, so as to give eternal life to all who believe; and has entrusted Jesus with all judgment, so that all who would honour the Father, must also honour the Son.
So, John presents us with an exalted Christology. A vision of Christ which firmly establishes him as divine Lord. And this, by the way, is one of our purposes as a church as we approach this gospel – to ensure that we have a Biblical Christology. That is, to ensure that our conception of Jesus Christ is not as some diminished saviour, but as the very Son of God, who was not only present with the Father from before the foundation of the world, but who, according to John’s prologue, is very God.
How exactly does John set out to establish the identity of Jesus? That is, what is the structure of John’s gospel?
Structure and Content
John’s gospel follows a simple structure. John divides his gospel into a prologue, two major sections, and ends with an epilogue.
The first 18 verses of chapter 1 form a prologue which serves as a sort of table of contents for the entire gospel. Let’s read the first 14 verses now.
John 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This theologically rich portion of scripture sets forth important themes which John intends to develop and prove in the body of his gospel. It’s a sort of table of contents signalling what is to come. For this reason, when we come to the exposition of these verses, we won’t get too bogged down, with the understanding that we are going to be working through these themes throughout our journey in the gospel of John.
So, the first 18 verses form an important prologue in which Jesus is set forth as the pre-existent Word who was one with, yet distinct from the Father, and who became flesh, and dwelt among men. He brought life and light to men, but his own people rejected him. Those who did believe that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, he gave the right to become children of God. This Jesus, according to John, is the glorious Son of God who brought a salvation attained by grace, through belief in his name.
John then sets out to expand upon the themes he introduces in this incredible prologue. He does this by presenting his gospel in two clear divisions.
The first division, spanning from immediately after the prologue to chapter 12 is what is commonly referred to as:
“The Book of Signs.”
Signs
A distinctive feature of the gospel of John is his focus upon the miracles of Jesus. Interestingly however, John does not use the word miracle. John consistently refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs.” For John, each of Jesus’ miracles is a sign, testifying to his identity as the Christ, the Son of God. That is, each miracle was meant to point to or signify something much greater than the miracle itself. Each miracle tells us something about Jesus, and why we should believe in his name.
All of these miracles, besides his own resurrection are contained within the first 12 chapters of the book. It’s for this reason that many have come to think of John’s gospel as containing two distinct “books.” This, the first 12 chapters, are commonly considered “The Book of Signs.”
In it we find:
Water turned to wine,
The healing of an official’s son,
The healing of a paralyzed man,
The feeding of the 5000,
The healing of a blind man,
The raising of Lazarus from the dead.
Each of these, as signs, have special signification regarding the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.
Festivals
Another feature of these first 12 chapters is the fact that John has chosen to highlight Jesus’ teaching and actions in the context of four major Jewish feasts or festivals. In chapters 5-10, John highlights:
The Sabbath,
The Passover,
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Dedication
It is in the setting of these festivals that we see Jesus healing, and teaching. Inevitably, controversy ensues. Either because he healed on the Sabbath, or taught something which was misunderstood, or taught something true, but unexpected, which was understood! These chapters repeatedly find the Jewish leaders and the crowds debating who Jesus is, and what his words mean. It is in the midst of these misunderstandings and controversies that we find some explicit statements by Jesus regarding his identity.
As these debates about who Jesus is unfold, John is sure to trace the thread of belief and unbelief, telling us who believed and who did not.
Another way in which John focuses upon the identity of Jesus in chapters 5-10 in the context of these Jewish feasts, is by presenting Jesus to the reader as the final fulfillment of those very feasts. That is, Jesus is the substance which these feasts have always foreshadowed. In this way, as we read about the crowds and leaders debating Jesus’ identity, we experience a sense of irony, knowing who Jesus is, and seeing a degree of his glory which the characters have missed.
We see the irony of men debating who Jesus is, at the Passover Feast, knowing that they are actually commemorating him – the final Passover lamb.
We see the irony of men debating who Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles; a feast which celebrated God’s miraculous provision of bread, and water while the children of Israel lived in makeshift tents in the wilderness. A feast which was celebrated with the lighting of huge lamps in the temple’s court. Jesus the true bread from heaven, and the source of living water, and the light of the world, who has taken up temporary residence in a tent (or human body), is rejected by celebrants of the feast, while standing as the fulfillment of that feast!
We see such irony again at the Feast of Dedication. This feast was meant to commemorate the sanctification of the temple. Yet, at this time, celebrants of the feast were accusing Jesus of blasphemy, while he walked in the temple. The irony being that Jesus himself is the true temple, and the ultimate purification of the temple. Their response? To attempt to kill him.
And of course, we see such irony every time Jesus is accused of violating the Sabbath, since Jesus himself is the final Sabbath rest.
I AM
John gives further revelation regarding the identity of Jesus in this first section of his gospel but relaying to us 6 of Jesus’ major “I AM” statements. We learn who Jesus is as he plainly states:
I am the bread of life.
I am the light of the world.
I am the gate for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd.
I am the resurrection.
And “Before Abraham was, I AM”
So, throughout the first section of John’s Gospel (or “The Book of Signs”), John as built a case for Jesus’ identity by setting forth multiple unassailable witnesses; by recording six significant miracles; by presenting Jesus as the fulfillment of the Jewish feasts; by highlighting Jesus’ own I AM statements; and by recounting multiple controversies and misunderstandings which lead Jesus to make clear statements about who he was.
Nicodemus and the Woman at the Well
We should also quickly mention that this first section of John’s gospel also features two very important lengthy conversations which Jesus holds with two individuals. First, in chapter 3 he speaks with Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel, and presents himself as the one who will usher in the New Covenant. Then, in chapter 4, John shares with us Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. It is within this conversation that Jesus first explicitly states that he is the Messiah.
Jesus’ miracles, or signs, climax in chapter 11, as he raises Lazarus from the dead. It is in the midst of those events that Jesus declares himself the resurrection and the life, opposition against him is solidified and a conspiracy is launched to put him to death.
The Book of Signs ends with Jesus’ triumphal entry, and his more clearly speaking of us coming crucifixion.
“The Book of Exaltation – 13-20”
This brings us to the second major section of John’s Gospel. Whereas the first 12 chapters of the gospel spanned about 3 ½ years of Jesus’ life, the second half of John’s gospel, chapters 13-20, are dedicated to only the last week of Jesus’ life.
Whereas the first half, or first book is known as “The Book of Signs”, this second half could be called “The Book of Glory” or as Andreas Köstenberger better puts it - “The Book of Exaltation.” These latter chapters take us through to the cross and resurrection, anticipating Christ’s final exaltation.
These chapters are can be further divided into Jesus’ Farewell Discourse in chapters 13-17 and the Passion Narrative in chapters 18-20.
Farewell Discourse
Knowing his death is just days away, Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure through an extended discourse, spanning three chapters.
Jesus leaves an example of love and submission by washing his disciples’ feet.
Jesus foretells his betrayal by Judas.
Jesus commands his disciples to love one another, as he loved them.
Jesus promises to return to take his disciples to be with himself
Jesus claims to be the exclusive means by which men can come to God.
Jesus states explicitly that those who have seen him, have seen the Father.
Then Jesus gives a lengthy discourse on the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit will be the equivalent of Jesus’ presence with his disciples
The Holy Spirit will teach them, and bring to remembrance what he had taught
The Holy Spirit will bear witness about Jesus
The Holy Spirit, indwelling all believers, is better than Christ’s presence only with his immediate disciples.
The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
The Holy Spirit will declare to them the things that are to come.
The Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus.
Jesus then prepares his disciples for the sorrow they will experience upon his crucifixion, showing them that their grief will give way to an eternal joy.
It is within Jesus’ farewell discourse that we encounter Jesus’ other I AM statements.
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life
I am the True Vine
Then we come to chapter 17, the entirety of which is Jesus’ high priestly prayer to the Father. And then 18-20 which is the account of Jesus’ arrest, trials, crucifixion, and resurrection.
Before his epilogue, John ends his gospel by sharing what was his clear purpose for writing. He says:
John 20:30-31 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
With that John once again pulls together the major themes of his gospel – signs, belief, the identity of Jesus, and eternal life. Although much more could be written, John feels that he has made the case by all he has presented, that Jesus is indeed the promised Christ, the Son of God. His hope and purpose is that his readers would weigh the evidence he has presented, believe in Jesus and receive eternal life.
CONCLUSION
Who is Jesus?
What is the evidence that he is the promised Christ, and Son of God?
Why should anyone believe in him?
What will happen to, or what are the benefits of, believing in him?
As we embark on this study of John, we will answer these questions. My prayer is that as a result of this study, we will together as believers, develop an exalted Christology, understanding that Jesus is the not only the promised Christ, the Son of God, but that he is very God of very God. He is the one through whom the worlds have been made, and are sustained. He is the one to whom all scripture testifies. He is the final fulfillment of all biblical shadows and types. He is God’s final word to man, and the perfect image of the Father.
Further, our hope, like John’s, should be that as we study this book, unbelievers will also come to see that Jesus is the Son of God, and that by believing in his name, they too can receive eternal life and the right to become children of God.
