Through The
Bible
Session #36
– John’s Gospel
January 7, 2004
Graham N. Stanton said, “John’s Gospel is like a stream in
which children can wade and elephants can swim.” What does he mean by this?
- Many
of the themes of John are simple and straightforward.
- Behind
the simplicity and straightforwardness lies a layered complexity.
- There’s
an overlap of the Hellenistic and Jewish world.
- Poetic
imagery flows yet perplexes the reader.
- John’s
Gospel is thoroughly Jewish yet profoundly anti-Jewish.
- The
Harper-Collins Study Bible says that since the 2nd century,
John has been known as the “spiritual Gospel.” It’s more theological than historical.
What influences were on the writer to shape the Gospel of
John in the form we have today?
- Greek
philosophical thought
- Ideas
of light, truth, and the concept of the Word, are all signpost words of
philosophical language.
- This
language is less concrete and tangible.
Differences between John and the other synoptics (Matthew,
Mark, Luke)
- Jesus’
teaching in John contains few of the well-known parables of the other
Gospels.
- The
speeches of Jesus in John are much longer.
- The
“I am” sayings in John are not in the other Gospels.
- In
Mark, Matthew, & Luke the ministry of Jesus begins in Galilee. In John, Jesus begins in Judea and
Jerusalem.
- In
Mark, there’s an abruptness and more compartmentalization of the
stories. In John, the stories seem
more dependent on one another and you can’t lift them out of their context
so easily.
- In
the synoptics, Jesus’ proclamation of God’s kingdom lies at the heart of
his teaching. In John, the word
‘kingdom’ is found only in two passages: 3:3-5; 18:36-38.
- The
word ‘power’ (Greek: dunamis) is
found 10 times in Mark, 13 in Matthew, and 15 in Luke, but it’s never used
in John.
- John’s
favorite words (life, light, the world, the Jews, and to witness) are used
frequently in John, but no more than a handful of times in the synoptics.
- In
the synoptics, Jesus rarely makes open claims about himself. But in John, we have the ‘I am…’
sayings (6:35; 8:12; 10:9; 10:11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1).
- John’s
account of Jesus last week (his preparation for crucifixion, arrest,
trial, crucifixion, etc.) is much more confident than in the
synoptics. Jesus is portrayed as
being in complete control of the events (see 18:5-6; 18:11).
- In
John, Jesus is not the man of sorrows but the king of glory.
- In
comparison with Matthew, Matthew identifies the religious leaders more
specifically (i.e., scribes, Pharisees, Chief Priests). John tends to generalize the religious
leaders (Jews). John also presents
the most hostile picture of relations between Jesus and the Jews.
- A note of caution: We should not focus too much
on the differences between the Gospels but should marvel at their
similarities!
John’s focus on the Incarnation of Jesus
- The
aim of the Gospel: See 20:31; Believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the
Son of God. Given the believed
circumstances of the time, the book was probably written to encourage
believers in the midst of a troubled time, (i.e., conflicted Christian-Jew
relations).
- The
incarnation is central to John’s Gospel.
- The
Word was: (a) in the beginning, 1:1; (b) with God, 1:1; (c) was God, 1:1;
(d) became flesh and lived among us, 1:14.
- For
John, Jesus provides unique and unprecedented access to God because Jesus
is God incarnate.
Dating and authorship
- Like
many biblical documents, dating, authorship, and location are hard to
determine.
- Regarding
authorship – 19:35 and 21:24 refer to an eyewitness whose testimony forms
the basis of the Gospel. 21:20
identifies this person as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Who was the disciple whom Jesus loved?
- Several
approaches to answering this question:
- This
person was a prominent New Testament figure: John, son of Zebedee; or
Lazarus; or John Mark; or Thomas.
- Some
scholars have suggested this beloved disciple is pure symbol, created to
model the perfect disciple.
- Other
scholars suggest that the beloved disciple was a minor figure during the
ministry of Jesus and was too unimportant to be mentioned by the other
synoptics.
- Tradition
holds that the Gospel was written by John, the son of Zebedee, one of
Jesus’ disciples. Irenaeus states
at the end of the 2nd century that John lived to be an old man
in Ephesus and there wrote the Gospel.
- However,
there’s no evidence from earlier writers that John lived in Ephesus.
- The
writer of John seems intentional about not disclosing authorship.
- What
was important to the writer is not the identity of this disciple, but his
relationship to Jesus.
- The
one whom Jesus loved is a model of love and witness (see 21:20-24). He is also referred to in the 3rd
person which leads many to conclude that the author of the Gospel and the
disciple whom Jesus loved are not the same person.
- Regarding
dating – a range of AD 75 – AD 100 seems most likely. If John was written toward the latter
end of the range, it would make this gospel a contemporary of Matthew and
Luke. Some would date John as the
latest of the four Gospels.
- A
date of about AD 90 seems most probable.
Circumstances of writing
- Most
likely, John was written in the context of a Christian community that was
undergoing a painful separation from the Jewish society to which its
members had belonged. Claiming
Jesus was the Messiah brought painful discipline from the synagogue to
which they belonged. Passages that
support this thought:
- 1:11
– Jesus was rejected by his own people.
- 3:11
– There’s a switch here from a discussion between just Jesus and
Nicodemus to a discussion between Jesus and a group (the 2nd
‘you’ is plural).
- In
chapters 5-9 there are repeated references to theological disputes
between Christians and Jews.
Outline of John’s Gospel
I.
The
Prelude to Jesus’ ministry (1:1-51)
a.
The
Prologue (1:1-18)
b.
John
the Baptist’s testimony to Jesus (1:19-34)
c.
The
gathering of the first disciples (1:35-51)
II.
The
Beginning of Jesus’ ministry (2:1-5:47)
a.
The
wedding at Cana (2:1-12)
b.
Jesus
in Jerusalem (2:13-3:21)
1.
The
cleansing of the Temple 2:13-22)
2.
Jesus
and Nicodemus (2:23-3:21)
c.
John
the Baptist’s final testimony (3:22-4:3)
d.
Jesus
outside of Judea (4:4-54)
1.
Jesus
in Samaria (4:4-42)
2.
Jesus
Heals the Royal official’s son (4:43-54)
III.
Jesus’
ministry continues: conflict and opposition grows (6:1-10:42)
a.
The
bread of life (6:1-71)
b.
Conflict
in Jerusalem (7:1-8:59)
c.
The
Healing of the Blind Man (9:1-10:21)
d.
Jesus
at the Feast of Dedication (10:22-42)
IV.
The
Prelude to Jesus’ Hour (11:1-12:50)
a.
The
raising of Lazarus (11:1-54)
b.
The
Anointing (12:1-11)
c.
The
entry into Jerusalem (12:12-19)
d.
Jesus
teaches about his death (12:20-36)
e.
Epilogue
to Jesus’ ministry (12:37-50)
V.
The
Farewell Meal and Discourse (13:1-17:26)
a.
The
farewell meal and foot washing (13:1-38)
b.
The
farewell discourse (14:1-16:33)
c.
Jesus’
farewell prayer (17:1-26)
VI.
Jesus’
arrest, trial, and death (18:1-19:42)
a.
The
arrest (18:1-12)
b.
The
Interrogation by Annas and Peter’s denial (18:13-27)
c.
The
trial before Pilate (18:28-19:16a)
d.
The
crucifixion and burial (19:16b-42)
VII.
The
first resurrection appearances (20:1-31)
VIII.
Jesus’
resurrection appearances at the Sea of Tiberius (21:1-25)