John 1:1-18
Lesson 164
Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."
"The Gospel According to Saint John"
"Christ, the Son of God."
Authorship:
The last of the four Gospels, "The Gospel According to Saint John" was written in Ephesus around AD 85 by the apostle John though the Holy Spirit. One of the original twelve disciples, John was the son of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21-22; 10:35; Luke 5:10-11) and Salome, the younger brother to the disciple James (Matthew 10:2), and a fisherman on the sea of Galilee when called by Jesus. John's mother Salome and the Virgin Mary were sisters, making Jesus and John cousins. They probably knew each other from childhood. John was a Jew, born in Palestine (Bethsaida) into a wealthy family, had "hired servants" (Mark 1:19-20), was well connected, and knew the high priest (John 18:15). He first learned about Jesus from John the Baptist. Since John was a cousin to Jesus, he would have also been related to John the Baptist. He captained a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee but gave up everything to follow the Messiah. Jesus nicknamed John and his brother James the "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17) and John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; and 21:20 refer to him as "the disciple whom Jesus loved," quite an honor. Along with Peter and James, John was part of Jesus' inner circle and was allowed to witness the resurrection of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37-42), the Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-13; Luke 9:28-36), and Jesus praying in Gethsemane while waiting to be arrested (Mark 14:32-34). Unlike the other disciples who ran and hid when Jesus was arrested, John followed Christ to Calvary, witnessed the crucifixion, and stayed by Jesus' side until the end. While dying on the cross, Jesus entrusted His mother's care to John (John 19:26-27). It is believed that Mary lived and traveled with John until her death. After the crucifixion, John became a driving force for Christianity. Bold yet uneducated (Acts 4:13), John wrote "The Gospel According to ST. John," the Three Epistles of John, and the prophetic "The Revelation of John the Divine." Late in his life, the Romans exiled John to the island of Patmos, a penal colony in the Aegean Sea fifty miles offshore from Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey), for preaching the word of God (Revelation 1:9). He was eventually freed and died an old man around AD 98 in Ephesus.
But what a life John led. He traveled with Jesus, saw the miracles, heard the sermons, witnessed the suffering, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension. He was the last of the original twelve disciples to die and the only one to die a natural death.
Purpose and Theme:
While the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus on Jesus' Galilean ministry, "The Gospel According to Saint John" emphasizes Jesus' Judean ministry. Unlike the other three Gospels, John is not a biography of Christ. It doesn't repeat the details of Jesus' birth, childhood, or recite any of His parables. But it does supply information not found in the other Gospels. St. John reports on many conversations between Jesus and His disciples and some miracles not covered in the other Gospels. It also gives us more details about Lazarus and Nicodemus and Jesus' trial, death, and resurrection. Plus, we learn more about the disciples Philip, Andrew, and Thomas. Frequently called the "spiritual Gospel," or "God's love letter to the world," John is more theological than the other Gospels and "lays out a strong and methodical case that Jesus is indeed the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God, and "the light" of mankind sent to save us from our sins. Jesus tells us sixteen times in John that He is the Son of God. The word "believe" is found 98 times.
Perhaps the key verse of the entire Gospel is;
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that, believing, ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31).
John was written for both Jew and Gentile. It is an excellent Gospel for beginners to study, yet Bible scholars find fresh revelations with each read. In his book "The Gospel According to John" (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; page seven), Leon Morris likens "John's Gospel to a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant can swim." Over eighty percent of John is unique material. By furnishing us with four Gospels penned by four different authors, God has offered us a deeper understanding of Jesus and His divinity.
The last of the four Gospels, "The Gospel According to Saint John" was written in Ephesus around AD 85 by the apostle John though the Holy Spirit. One of the original twelve disciples, John was the son of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21-22; 10:35; Luke 5:10-11) and Salome, the younger brother to the disciple James (Matthew 10:2), and a fisherman on the sea of Galilee when called by Jesus. John's mother Salome and the Virgin Mary were sisters, making Jesus and John cousins. They probably knew each other from childhood. John was a Jew, born in Palestine (Bethsaida) into a wealthy family, had "hired servants" (Mark 1:19-20), was well connected, and knew the high priest (John 18:15). He first learned about Jesus from John the Baptist. Since John was a cousin to Jesus, he would have also been related to John the Baptist. He captained a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee but gave up everything to follow the Messiah. Jesus nicknamed John and his brother James the "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17) and John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; and 21:20 refer to him as "the disciple whom Jesus loved," quite an honor. Along with Peter and James, John was part of Jesus' inner circle and was allowed to witness the resurrection of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37-42), the Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-13; Luke 9:28-36), and Jesus praying in Gethsemane while waiting to be arrested (Mark 14:32-34). Unlike the other disciples who ran and hid when Jesus was arrested, John followed Christ to Calvary, witnessed the crucifixion, and stayed by Jesus' side until the end. While dying on the cross, Jesus entrusted His mother's care to John (John 19:26-27). It is believed that Mary lived and traveled with John until her death. After the crucifixion, John became a driving force for Christianity. Bold yet uneducated (Acts 4:13), John wrote "The Gospel According to ST. John," the Three Epistles of John, and the prophetic "The Revelation of John the Divine." Late in his life, the Romans exiled John to the island of Patmos, a penal colony in the Aegean Sea fifty miles offshore from Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey), for preaching the word of God (Revelation 1:9). He was eventually freed and died an old man around AD 98 in Ephesus.
But what a life John led. He traveled with Jesus, saw the miracles, heard the sermons, witnessed the suffering, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension. He was the last of the original twelve disciples to die and the only one to die a natural death.
Purpose and Theme:
While the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus on Jesus' Galilean ministry, "The Gospel According to Saint John" emphasizes Jesus' Judean ministry. Unlike the other three Gospels, John is not a biography of Christ. It doesn't repeat the details of Jesus' birth, childhood, or recite any of His parables. But it does supply information not found in the other Gospels. St. John reports on many conversations between Jesus and His disciples and some miracles not covered in the other Gospels. It also gives us more details about Lazarus and Nicodemus and Jesus' trial, death, and resurrection. Plus, we learn more about the disciples Philip, Andrew, and Thomas. Frequently called the "spiritual Gospel," or "God's love letter to the world," John is more theological than the other Gospels and "lays out a strong and methodical case that Jesus is indeed the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God, and "the light" of mankind sent to save us from our sins. Jesus tells us sixteen times in John that He is the Son of God. The word "believe" is found 98 times.
Perhaps the key verse of the entire Gospel is;
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that, believing, ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31).
John was written for both Jew and Gentile. It is an excellent Gospel for beginners to study, yet Bible scholars find fresh revelations with each read. In his book "The Gospel According to John" (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; page seven), Leon Morris likens "John's Gospel to a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant can swim." Over eighty percent of John is unique material. By furnishing us with four Gospels penned by four different authors, God has offered us a deeper understanding of Jesus and His divinity.
John is broken down into three parts:
1) Prologue/Introduction - Jesus is God (1:1-18); John the Baptist and the first disciples (1-19-51); The first miracle (2:1-12).
2) The ministry - Some believe, some don't, four more miracles (2:13-6:40); Opposition grows (6:41- 7:53); The coming judgment (8:21-30); Jesus heals the blind man (9:1-41); Jesus is rejected (10:1-39); Jesus raises the dead (11:1-44); The Pharisees can stand no more (11:45-57); Jesus is anointed, The triumphal entry (12:1-19).
3) The crucifixion and resurrection - Jesus teaches, the Last Supper (13:1-16:33); Jesus prays for believers (17:1-26); Arrested, tried, crucified (18:1-19:42); Resurrected (20:1-31); Victory, Post resurrection sightings, another miracle (21:1-25).
1) Prologue/Introduction - Jesus is God (1:1-18); John the Baptist and the first disciples (1-19-51); The first miracle (2:1-12).
2) The ministry - Some believe, some don't, four more miracles (2:13-6:40); Opposition grows (6:41- 7:53); The coming judgment (8:21-30); Jesus heals the blind man (9:1-41); Jesus is rejected (10:1-39); Jesus raises the dead (11:1-44); The Pharisees can stand no more (11:45-57); Jesus is anointed, The triumphal entry (12:1-19).
3) The crucifixion and resurrection - Jesus teaches, the Last Supper (13:1-16:33); Jesus prays for believers (17:1-26); Arrested, tried, crucified (18:1-19:42); Resurrected (20:1-31); Victory, Post resurrection sightings, another miracle (21:1-25).
Miracles in John:
Jesus turns water into wine (2:1-11).
Jesus heals a young boy (4:46-54).
Heals the lame man (5:1-9).
Feeds five thousand people (6:1-14).
Walks on water (6:15-21).
Heals the blind man (9:1-41).
Raises the dead (11:1-44).
Great catch of fish, after the resurrection (21:1-14).
Jesus turns water into wine (2:1-11).
Jesus heals a young boy (4:46-54).
Heals the lame man (5:1-9).
Feeds five thousand people (6:1-14).
Walks on water (6:15-21).
Heals the blind man (9:1-41).
Raises the dead (11:1-44).
Great catch of fish, after the resurrection (21:1-14).
Who was -
John the Baptist -
John the Baptist was the son of the Jewish priest Zacharias and mother Elizabeth (Luke 1:8-13; 3:2). Elizabeth was the Virgin Mary's cousin (Luke 1:34-36), making John and Jesus distant cousins. John was a prophet of the Old covenant
sent by God to preach repentance (Matthew 3:2), to bridge the gap between the Old and New Testaments, and to prepare
"the way" for the Messiah's arrival (Luke 1:17; 1:76-77), a mission so important it is mentioned in all four Gospels
(Matthew 3:1-17; Mark 1:2-5; Luke 3:4-11; John 1:19-27). Jesus Himself said that there was never a person born greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28). John was the first prophet in four hundred years and a lifetime Nazarite (Luke 1:15). To honor God, Nazarite Jews made religious offerings, took periodic vows not to drink alcohol or cut their hair, and avoided contact with the dead. These vows lasted anywhere from thirty to one hundred days. Only three men in the Bible were under lifetime Nazarite vows, Samson (Judges 13:2-7), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11), and John. All three men were set aside by God to perform extraordinary missions. John's purpose was to prepare the way for the Messiah, as prophesied in Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1, and 4:5-6. King Herod Antipas eventually beheaded him for denouncing Herod's marriage to his niece and brothers ex-wife, Herodias, and the other "evils" he had committed (Luke 3:19-20). To learn more about Nazarite vows, read Numbers 6:1-21.
John the Baptist -
John the Baptist was the son of the Jewish priest Zacharias and mother Elizabeth (Luke 1:8-13; 3:2). Elizabeth was the Virgin Mary's cousin (Luke 1:34-36), making John and Jesus distant cousins. John was a prophet of the Old covenant
sent by God to preach repentance (Matthew 3:2), to bridge the gap between the Old and New Testaments, and to prepare
"the way" for the Messiah's arrival (Luke 1:17; 1:76-77), a mission so important it is mentioned in all four Gospels
(Matthew 3:1-17; Mark 1:2-5; Luke 3:4-11; John 1:19-27). Jesus Himself said that there was never a person born greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28). John was the first prophet in four hundred years and a lifetime Nazarite (Luke 1:15). To honor God, Nazarite Jews made religious offerings, took periodic vows not to drink alcohol or cut their hair, and avoided contact with the dead. These vows lasted anywhere from thirty to one hundred days. Only three men in the Bible were under lifetime Nazarite vows, Samson (Judges 13:2-7), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11), and John. All three men were set aside by God to perform extraordinary missions. John's purpose was to prepare the way for the Messiah, as prophesied in Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1, and 4:5-6. King Herod Antipas eventually beheaded him for denouncing Herod's marriage to his niece and brothers ex-wife, Herodias, and the other "evils" he had committed (Luke 3:19-20). To learn more about Nazarite vows, read Numbers 6:1-21.
