Intro to the Gospel of John

Before I start studying the actual verses of a book of the Bible, I spend a "Deep Dive" session in using my various assets (see My method of Bible Study - C.L.A.S.S. for more on "assets") to put together a picture of what the book is about. I read the intro in my Bible, if there is one. I read the intro in the commentary, if I have one. I read the summary in books like "Know Your Bible Illustrated (Deluxe Edition)" by Paul Kent and "The MAP" by Nick Page and "The Essential Bible Companion" by John Walton, Mark Strauss, and Ted Cooper, Jr.

As I'm reading these various assets, I'm jotting down pertinent facts that give me an overview of that book, the author, the time in which it was written and the purpose for which it was written.

Here are my notes on the Gospel of John.

Who wrote it and when?

The Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John in the late 1st century (A.D. 70-90).

  • John and his brother James ("Sons of Thunder" as Jesus called them) followed John the Baptist until Jesus calls them to follow Him.
  • John is the disciple "whom Jesus loved" and is in the closest 3 disciples to Jesus along with Peter and James.
  • No one has really ever doubted that John wrote this gospel (or, at the very least, dictated it)

Who was he?

Before Jesus

  • John was a Jew from Bethsaida, on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee
  • His father was Zebedee and James was his older brother
  • John, his brother and father are fishermen and partners with Peter (Simon Peter the disciple)
  • His mother was Salome

With Jesus

  • John was called to be a disciple by Jesus (Luke 5:10-11)
  • Peter, James and John were the first 3 to be called -- and the first to accept and follow Christ
  • On the cross, Jesus committed his mother to John (19:26-27).
  • John is likely the youngest disciple and lived the longest ( to around A.D. 100)

After Jesus (post-Resurrection)

  • 12 years after the cross and resurrection (A.D. 44), John lost brother James to martyrdom (Acts 12:12)
  • He was part of the "Jerusalem Council" on settling the question on circumcision (Acts 15 and Galatians 2:9)
  • Tradition holds that he spend many years as the pastor of the church at Ephesus

Why did he write the gospel?

 He said so himself in John 20:30-31:

But these* are written that you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have eternal life in his name"

* That asterisk is purely me, not the Scriptures. The "these" mentioned in that verse are the signs/miracles that Jesus performed in His lifetime. I wanted to clarify since this verse is taken out of context.

From "Holman New Testament Commentary: John" (pg. 2-3):

  • "John wrote for the world", not Hebrews or a specific people, but all people
  • John chose very specific miracles that also served as signs of Jesus' person and authority "so that the Holy Spirit could produce faith in the hearts of those who could not have an earthly eyewitness experience like this own."

How is John different from other gospels?

Of the 7 miracles/signs mentioned in John, 4 of them are only mentioned in John and not in he other Gospels (not even Luke, and he's very detail-oriented). I picked up this great info in "Holman Quicksource: Bible Atlas with Charles and Bible Reconstructions" in #148 - "Harmony of the Gospels" section.  They are:

  • Jesus' 1st miracle: changing water to wine at the Cana wedding (John 2:1-12)
  • Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44)
  • Healing of a man born blind (John 9:1-38)
  • Long-distance healing of a official's son (John 4:46-54)

 

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