By Jesse Higgins

Audio of The Gospel According to John (56 min)

Background

John is an English transliteration of the Greek Ἰωάννης (Ioannes), which itself is a Greek transliteration from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (yo-khaw-nawn’), or Johanan (2 Kings 25:23, & others) meaning Yahweh has shown grace.

Who?

Johns of the NT:

John…

  • the baptizer -ministry, arrest, beheading and burial (Mk 1:4,14; Mark 6:27-29)
  • the apostle, a son of Zebedee, James’ brother, “sons of thunder” (Mk 3:14, 16, 17)
  • the “disciple whom Jesus loved,” six occurrences, none outside of John
  • father of Peter (John 1:42, Mt. 16:17)
  • of the High Priestly family -interrogates Peter and John (Acts 4:6,7)
  • Mark (Acts 12:12). The writer of the Gospel according to Mark.
  • of Patmos, the seer (Rev 1:1) -traditionally also the apostle John

Church tradition: John the apostle/John the elder wrote this gospel account and such testimony was passed on orally from its conception, regardless of whether direct written testimony has survived from prior to Iranaeus, ca. AD 180. Iranaeus heard the preaching of Polycarp, who he said was baptized by John himself in AD 69.

Eusebius in AD 313 sees a distinguishment in Papias’ earlier writing where he refers to a “John the Elder” in present tense vs “John the Apostle” whom he refers to in past tense. So, even amongst professing Christians there is not absolute certainty as to which John this gospel account was initially attributed.

What?

Gospel account of Jesus as the Divine Son. More than 90% unique material, largely written to Hellenized Christians or Jews living in a highly Greco-Roman world well outside of Jerusalem, who were influenced by Greek philosophy where logos (word, reason, discourse, doctrine) was thought to be a cosmic/divine reason behind all reason and order.  By the Holy Spirit, John reveals that Jesus is Logos in the flesh, the embodiment of order and power, who created all things having existed before the beginning as and with the Eternal God. (Possibly seen as “evocatio.” May have avoided a death sentence that Socrates suffered “for introducing new deities,” a centuries-long capital crime).

When?

When? ca. AD 65. Writing style, grammar, idioms, other textual references, details concerning Jewish life and local geography knowledge that is pre-Jewish war of AD 66, as well as the patristic tradition all support relatively early dating, possibly between AD 55-90. (For comparison, Tiberius, a Roman contemporary to Christ died in AD 37, yet his closest biographies by Tacitus & Seutonius are ca. AD 110-120. Alexander the Great died in 323 BC, yet Diodorus Siculus didn’t compile a biography until 30 BC, nearly three centuries after!).

John was the youngest apostle and the only one to live out his life to a natural death in old age, ca AD 100. Interestingly, a saying had spread far and wide that the disciple that Jesus loved would not die (Jn 21:23), which the writer addresses by stating that Jesus had not actually said that. Additionally, the description with which Peter identified “the disciple that Jesus loved” as the one who had leaned against him (Jesus) at the supper (Jn 21:20) seems to further support John the Apostle’s authorship since numerous other disciples are quickly ruled out. Peter is out since he is a named third party. John’s brother James is the first martyred Apostle when he is killed by the sword by Herod Agrippa 1 in AD 44 (Acts 12:1,2). In light of this, rumors that he would never die do not make sense, therefore he is out. Judas is out for obvious reasons, as well as Matthias/Nathanael since he replaced Judas and was not at the Last Supper. And so forth down through the list of apostles who would have been at the Last Supper.

Where?

Galilee, from the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, to Cana, Nazareth, to Samaria, Jerusalem, and down to Judea.

We know with certainty that this gospel is:

  • penned anonymously, (possibly for humility-sake) yet and still it is…
  • “breathed out by God” (2 Tim 3:16)
  • “…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.” (Jn 20:31)
  • “the power of God for salvation” (Rom 1:16)
  • “…the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” (1 Thess 2:13)
  • written by an eyewitness disciple “…He who saw it has borne witness…” and “…has written these things…” (Jn 19:35 & 21:24)

The Structure of the Gospel of John

Prologue

  • John 1:1-14 In the Beginning… The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (poem, Genesis 1 imagery)
  • John 1:15- 28 John the Baptizer prepares the way and Testifies of the One coming after
  • John 1:29-2:1 and Jesus calls his disciples in a “week” of preparation for ministry.

7 Days

  • Day 1 (Jn 1:1-3ff) In the beginning…the WORD was with GOD… the WORD was GOD…
  • Day 2 (Jn 1:29ff) “The next day” he Jesus [and]… I saw the Spirit descend from heaven
  • Day 3 (Jn1:35ff) “The next day” Andrew… said “we have found the Messiah”
  • Day 4 (Jn 1:43ff) “The next day” Truly, truly, you will see Heaven opened…
  • Day 7 (Jn 2:1ff) “On the third day” (three days after the fourth day) A wedding!

Book of Signs: 7 Signs

  1. Water to Wine (2:1-11)
  2. Healing a Sick Boy (4:46-54),
  3. Healing a Paralyzed Man (Jn 5:1-15, Eph 2:8,9),…Saved…not your own doing…
  4. Feeding the 5,000 (Jn 6:1-14),
  5. Walking on Water (Jn 6:15-21, Jb 9:8), HE treads upon the waves of the sea.
  6. Healing a Blind Man (9:1-41, Pr 20:12),the seeing eye, the hearing ear, the LORD has made them both.
  7. Raising Lazarus (11:1-44, 1 Thess 4:13, 1 Cor 15:55) …if you believed, you would see the Glory of GOD… Jesus Wept, but not as one without hope. Where O death is your sting?

7 “I AM” Statements

“GOD said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Ex 3:14) -Jesus uses the ‘unspeakable’ name of GOD.

  1. The Bread of Life (6:35) whoever comes to me shall not hunger…
  2. The Light of the World (8:12) whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.
  3. The Door (10:9, 10) If anyone enters by me, he will be saved…
  4. The Good Shepherd (10:11-18) I know my own and my own know me…
  5. The Resurrection and the Life (11:25, 26)…Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die
  6. The Way, Truth, and Life (14:6) No one comes to the Father, except through me.
  7. The True Vine (15:1) The branch cannot bear fruit by itself… abide in me…
    Culminates in the fruit of the vine going to the winepress in Gethsemane— Some who were not bearing fruit, the Father cuts at their hearts, and they fall at Christ’s declaration: I AM! (Jn 18:4-6)

Book of Glory

The Last Supper and Farewell (John 13-17)

  • Washing of the disciples’ feet (13:1-20): Jesus models servant leadership.
  • The New Commandment (13:34-35): Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
  • Promise of the Holy Spirit (14:15-31): Spirit of Truth will comfort and lead you into all Truth
  • Jesus’ Prays for His disciples (17:1-26): Sanctify them in the Truth, Your Word is Truth. Unity.

The Passion Narrative (John 18-19)

  • Arrest and Trial (18:1-40): Jesus is betrayed and tried before Pilate.
  • Crucifixion (19:1-37): Jesus suffers and dies according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3-4)

The Resurrection (John 20)

  • Resurrection Appearance (20:1-18): Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene.
  • Doubting Thomas (20:24-29): Jesus reassures Thomas of His resurrection.

Epilogue (John 21)

  • Final Instructions to Disciples (21:1-25): Jesus reinstates Peter and commissions His followers.

Appendix: A Pondering…

John was one of at least four professional fishermen that Jesus called as his apostles. Did they directly influence why the fish symbol became one of the most significant symbols and shibboleths of the early church with widespread usage persisting even into the fourth century? ἰχθύς (“icthus”) is Greek for fish and it was used as an acronym for early Christian confession as each letter represents a word in the phrase “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior” ( Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ –iota, chi, theta, upsilon, and sigma, respectively). The symbol would be made of two intersecting arcs, which resemble a fish, and could often be drawn covertly with the foot of one believer making one arc and another believer reciprocating by making the second arc. Otherwise, the simple gesture could go unnoticed if the would-be believer turned out to be ignorant.