The Book of John?

[Littlelambseativy]

The first verse tells us who and what John's book is about. Jesus is not only the Son of God but very God - the Word - who was with God from the beginning and created all things.

I personally love the part of the resurrection 'story' when Jesus the gardener meets Mary a Gentile before He meets His disciples. The Jews rejected Him but it was to the Gentiles who did not know Him that the word was preached through the ages. It's His tenderness toward her at the time she does not recognize Him (my interpretation).

[JohnD]

The Gospel of John stands out from Matthew, Mark, and Luke (the synoptic Gospels) which some folks of the higher criticism camp believe had a single source text which they assign a letter to (like "M" or some such thing). Frankly, I believe looking that closely to what has otherwise proven by the test of time and antagonism to be the Word of God is a scholarly waste of time. This thread on the other hand is a great one!

The Apostle John IMHO holds a special place in the heart of the Lord (much like Daniel Did before him). The debate is still out on when he wrote the Gospel attributed to him. IMHO it was a late writing perhaps even after the Apocalypse (which I believe he wrote in 90-96 CE). It was some time before the writings circulating through the early Church were canonized. But there is some evidence that the synoptic Gospels were circulating as early as 66 CE and possibly sooner. I am convinced John was inspired to write what the others had not. Some of the most profound theology of the Bible is found in this book.

The pedigree of the Lord appears in each of the Gospels. In Matthew his Jewishness is emphasized. In Mark it isn't actually there because the Gospel emphasizes his servant-hood. In Luke his humanity is emphasized. In John his deity.

There are two passages in my Bible that I drew a pink heart over:

Isaiah 54:9-10 (NASB95)

9 “For this is like the days of Noah to Me, When I swore that the waters of Noah Would not flood the earth again; So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you Nor will I rebuke you.

10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” Says the Lord who has compassion on you.

And:

John 3:16 (NASB95)

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

[JohnD]

John also tells us something about the Father. His only creation is the body of Jesus.

John 1:14 (NASB95)

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Hebrews 10:5 (NASB95)

5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me;

And Jesus is the lone Creator of all else that was created.

John 1:3 (NASB95)

3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Colossians 1:16 (NASB95)

16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

Isaiah 44:24 (NASB95)

24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone,

[GoldenEagle]

Due to the length of the answers I'll divide them into 3 parts for discussion purposes.

1. What do you know about the book of John?

• Written by John, the son of Zebedee & Salome
  
• James’ older bro. (one of the “Sons of thunder”)
  
• a Palestinian Jew; a fisherman
  
• Likely "the Disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20)
  
• One of “the Twelve” disciples (an eyewitness to Jesus Christ’s teachings, death, and resurrection)
  
• John wrote 5 NT writings (John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Revelation)
  
• Became the caretaker for Mary (John 19:26)
  
• Exiled to Island of Patmos
  
• Written from an ethereal (spiritual, other worldly) viewpoint
  
• Primary Audience: Greek world
  
• Written around AD 90, from Ephesus towards the end of John’s life.
  
• Outline is organized around a select group of signs (miracles)
  

1. The miracle of water into wine (John 2: 1-11)

2. Healing the noble man's son (John 4: 46-53)

3. Healing the man at the pool (John 5:1-9)

4. Jesus feeds the 5,000 (John 6: 4-13)

5. Jesus walks on water (John 6: 16-21)

6. Healing the blind man (John 9: 1-12)

7. Jesus raises the dead (John 11: 30-44)

Thoughts?

[GoldenEagle]

Part 2.

2. What do you believe was the purpose of this Gospel account (which was very different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke)? What do you believe was the emphasis?

• Purpose of the book of John: apologetic, written to those having a partiality to philosophy to emphasize Jesus Christ’s divine nature. Yet this book could be understood by both the Jew and the Greek (Gentile).
  
• Emphasized the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11)
  
• Emphasized certain words: signs, believe, life
  
• Has the 7 "I am" passages
  

The Bread of Life

John 6:35

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

The Light of the World

John 8:12

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

The Door

John 10:9

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

The Good Shepherd

John 10:11

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

The Resurrection and the Life.

John 11:25

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

The Only Way, Truth, Life

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The True Vine

John 15:1

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

JohnDB made a good disctinction between the other Gospels:

I am convinced John was inspired to write what the others had not. Some of the most profound theology of the Bible is found in this book.

The pedigree of the Lord appears in each of the Gospels. In Matthew His Jewishness is emphasized. In Mark it isn't actually there because the Gospel emphasizes His servant-hood. In Luke his humanity is emphasized. In John His deity.

The book of John gives a different I would say even more intimate perspective of what Jesus Christ did on earth. Miracles and converstions we wouldn't otherwise have known about. I agree John emphasizes Jesus's deity. 1 John emphasizes His humanity.

Thoughts?

See next part.

[GoldenEagle]

Part 3.

3. In your opinion around what date was it written, to whom was it written, and by whom was it written?

The book was written IMO John the elder, “the disciple whom Jesus Loved”, around AD 90 from Ephesus towards the end of John’s life. It was written probably 50-60 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! The book was written primarily to Greeks but also to the Church as a whole.

4. What passage in this book speaks to you the most about our Savior - Jesus Christ?

IMO Key Verses in John: John 3:16; 8:58; 14:6; 20:31

Believe and have everlasting life through Jesus Christ.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Jesus is the great I AM.

John 8:58

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

There is no other way to God except through Jesus Christ.

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John wrote so that others might believe in Jesus Christ, in John’s testimony, and have eternal life.

John 20:30-31

³⁰ And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ 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.

Thoughts?

God bless,

GE

[GoldenEagle]

The first verse tells us who and what John's book is about. Jesus is not only the Son of God but very God - the Word - who was with God from the beginning and created all things.

Good perspective Littlelambseativy

[GoldenEagle]

1. What do you know about the book of John?

Written by the Apostle John.

Addressed/callenged the Gnosticism doctrine that had been infecting the Body of Christ.

Yes I agree Nebula!

[GoldenEagle]

2. What do you believe was the purpose of this Gospel account (which was very different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke)? What do you believe was the emphasis?

The emphasis was showing the miraculous events surrounding Jesus mission and that Jesus was indeed the Son of God who had come to save the world.

Right on! This is a good description. :thubmsup:

[GoldenEagle]

Well, starting with questions #2 & 3 is that what really strikes me is the manner in which it is written. Unlike the other (synoptic) Gospels, this book is not written from a Jewish perspective, but uses a (for lack of a better term) Greek presentation...

In other words, I believe this to be a "universal Gospel" written in such a way that the "Greek" or "gentile" world would be able to understand the presentation of Jesus as Savior and Lord to people who had no messianic expectation, no Old Testament background, and to whom Jewish thought and theology was probably incomprehensible.

For example, in John 1:1, The Apostle uses a universally recognized term ho logos (ο λογος...The Word) to establish the deity of Christ. This ο λογος (although understood by the Jews of the time) was not of Jewish origin or background...but rather carried the meaning of "the mind" or "reason" (i.e. substance) of God...and had done so for about the 550-600 years prior to Christ...stemming from the Stoic Philosophers...and a well known concept to the gentile.

When John writes in Vs 14: 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. The gentile would immediately understand that God had come to dwell with men and was seen as a real flesh-and-blood being, and not an "emanation" or "offspring" of some other minor god.

Again, when John writes: And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John is referring to the stoic concept of nemesis, and the word translated as either "comprehend" or "overcome" carried with it the common meaning of "to extinguish" in stoic philosophy...

Once again an example (of many) Greek thought and philosophical patterns that are not found in any other Gospel.

It's for that reason that I view John's Gospel as "The Universal Gospel" with the Greek (gentile) audience as the target of the Gospel. I don't view it as an apologetic in the manner of 1 John (which directly refutes the gnostic heresy promoted by Cerinthus), but rather as a presentation of the good news to the gentile world.

I believe that this Gospel was written by the Apostle John prior to his death circa AD 100...although there is still some contention, the Rylands fragment (P 52) has been dated to (if I remember correctly) around AD 65...though as I mentioned there is some contention as to the date...

The verse that most speaks to me personally is one that I already quoted...1:14...That the Creator would become the creature He created to live with us, die for us, offer Heaven to us...speaks to me of a love that I can not begin to describe.

This is a great perspective Mcgyver. The whole thing.