Introduction to the Gospel of John

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The Gospel Genre
  • The term Gospel is from the Greek euangelion, meaning good (eu-) message (angelion). In secular Greek, it was used to announce victory over the enemy. In the New Testament context, it is the good news about the Messiah who has defeated all enemies.
  • There are four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The first three gospels are called “Synoptic” because they have a lot in common and follow a similar chronology. John’s gospel is very different from the Synoptics–both in content and structure.
  • The gospels are orderly collections of the life, teachings, and deeds of Jesus. The gospel writers received their information from oral stories and written documents (other gospels, First Testament, and secular records).
  • Sometimes, the sources they used differed in details. The differences among the gospels help us to understand the nature of inspiration.
  • There were many gospels written about Christ, but only four are included in the Protestant Bible (the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible contains the Gospel of Thomas). Others were rejected for reasons of theology or authenticity.
2 Timothy 3:16 states that all scripture is inspired. How does the information about how the gospels were formed shed light on the nature of inspiration?
The Author of the Gospel
  • The person who wrote the gospel is identified as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” the same one who sat next to Jesus during the last supper (John 21:20-25; 13:23). The disciple does not name himself, but from the earliest days the letter has circulated in John’s name. John was the brother of James, and one of Jesus’ first disciples.
  • John is also the author of Revelation and the three New Testament letters that bear his name.
Why does the author describe himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (21:20)? What is the significance of this self-description immediately after the account of Jesus’ conversation with Peter (John 21:15-19)?
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
 
  • In addition to announcing the victory of Messiah over God’s enemies, each gospel has a unique purpose that is geared to the specific audience.
  • Many people focus on the introduction (John 1:1-18), and feel that the purpose of John’s gospel is to demonstrate the divinity of Christ. However, although John’s is the most theological of the gospels, it is a gospel nonetheless, and serves primarily to demonstrate the Messiahship of Jesus.
  • John 20:31 clearly states the purpose: “These [signs] were written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; and, as a consequence of believing, you may have life in his name.”
Read John 4:42 and 6:69 (compare Mt 16:16-23). How do these texts assist in the understanding of Messiah’s role? According to John 7:26-27, 7:41-42 and 12:33-34, why did some people doubt that Jesus was the Messiah?
Major Signs/Miracles in John’s Gospel
  1. Transformation of Water into Wine (2:1-12)
  2. Healing of Official’s Son (4:46-53)
  3. Healing of Man Paralyzed for Thirty-eight Years (5:1-18)
  4. Feeding of Five-thousand (6:1-15)
  5. Walking on Water (6:16-21)
  6. Healing of Man Born Blind (9:1-34)
  7. Resurrection of Lazarus (11:1-44)
Several times throughout the gospel, John mentions the many miracles Jesus performed (2:23; 3:2; 6:2, 26; 7:31; 11:47; 12:37). Of all the miracles that John could have chosen, why does he only include these seven? How many of these are unique to John’s gospel?
Identify the occasions in the Gospel of John where people express belief that Jesus is the Messiah. What are the circumstances surrounding each instance?
  • 1:41  
     
  • 3:28  
     
  • 4:29  
     
  • 4:42  
     
  • 6:69  
     
  • 7:31  
     
  • 11:27