“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." (John 3:16-18, ESV)
Jesus
The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved
As mentioned before, none of the gospels identify their authors. The gospel of John is no different, but we do read about a disciple that the author specifically identifies as, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” (See John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20) Using the information obtained from reading the other gospels and comparing the events, we can determine that this “disciple whom Jesus loved” is John referring to is himself. This distinction is not to be interpreted that John was the only disciple that Jesus loved, as John clearly states that Jesus loves all (see John 3:16), but as a less-than-direct reference to himself. Undoubtedly, the source of much consternation and even ridicule through the years, this reference nonetheless is thought to be a more humble approach than stating one’s own name.[1] On occasion John makes reference to the “other disciple” or “another disciple” (same Greek word), here again John is likely referring to himself (see John 18:15-18; 20:1-10).
Most early church writers and commentators confirm that the apostle John is indeed the author, including first and second century authors: Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, Polycarp, Papias, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian; as well as third century authors: Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, and Cypian of Carthage.
The Apostle of Love?
John refers to the subject of love more than any other author in the New Testament. For example, more than half of the 143 appearances of just the Greek verb ‘agapaō’[2] alone in the New Testament were written by John (which includes the gospel, the three epistles and the book of Revelation). Due to John’s frequent references to ‘love’, many commentators portray him as being the “Apostle of Love,” essentially a “push over.” Even many artists, especially those from the Renaissance period, depict John as almost being feminine. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Despite his reputation as “the apostle of love,” John had a fiery temperament. Jesus named John and James “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17), and the two brothers lived up to that name. Indignant when a Samaritan village refused to receive Jesus and the disciples, and overestimating their apostolic power, they eagerly asked the Lord, “Do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54). In the only place recorded in the Synoptic Gospels where John acted and spoke alone, he reveals the same attitude, saying to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us” (Luke 9:49).[3]
Same Message, Only Different
The first three gospel accounts are known as the ‘Synoptic’ gospels (from the Greek word ‘sunoptikós’, meaning “seeing the whole together” or “seeing at a glance,” can also relate to a synopsis or a summary). Many of the events or details recorded in these synoptic gospels align together and while often they can be very different (not all events are recorded in each account and the details and emphasis vary) they are similar enough to be considered synchronized. Then we come across the next gospel and it doesn’t seem to align that well with the first three accounts. In fact, it is estimated that only ten percent of John aligns with Matthew, Mark, or Luke. Does this mean that they tell a different story or that there was some erroneous reporting? No, just a different point of view. It is important to note that even though ‘different’, there is nothing in the text that is contradictory to the other gospel texts. It seems that those events that do get reported in all four gospels, are events to take special note of, as they are critical and important to understand.
This fourth gospel is written with several differences. Perhaps two of the more important emphases that make it different is that John makes a strong case that Jesus is God and that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior. It is almost as if the author read the other gospel accounts (which is likely he was very familiar with the other gospel accounts as this gospel was written many years later)[4] and desired to “fill in” what the other gospel writers left out and omits many of the events that are well-documented by the other authors. For example, John does not include any narrative parables, demon exorcising, healing of lepers, list the names of the disciples, etc. The majority of John’s account is entirely fresh, information that is not found in any of the other gospels. Each gospel was inspired by the Holy Spirit and each should be read and studied by every Christian.
Divine Perspective
Looking back at the gospels we have reviewed so far, we have seen that the gospel of Matthew offered a Jewish perspective as emphasized with Joseph’s (Jesus’ earthly father) genealogy that went back to Abraham. The gospel according to Mark focused on Jesus’ humility and servitude and omitted any genealogy as the lineage of a servant is typically unimportant. The gospel written by Luke emphasized Jesus’ humanity and appropriately presented a genealogy that went all the way back to the first human, Adam. And now we are approaching the gospel attributed to being written by John which clearly identifies Jesus as being God.
In John’s opening discourse, he begins with the same first words of the Bible, “In the beginning.” He takes his readers back to the beginning, we can’t say “back to a time before the beginning,” as there was no concept of time before the beginning. But John is emphasizing that Jesus always existed, He is and always will be eternal. With the previous gospels emphasizing Jesus’ humanity and where we read about His birth, it is easy to think that Jesus came into existence nearly two-thousand years ago. But that would be incorrect, Jesus is God, He is the second person of the Godhead (Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit). John will emphasize this throughout this gospel.
The problem of sin can’t be fixed by mankind, as only a perfect man can obtain freedom from sin. John reports that God’s love for humanity was so great that He sent His only Son as that perfect man in order to offer salvation to those that are willing to accept it. The most well-known verse in the Bible can be found in the book of John and it expresses that concept clearly, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
I Am
In this gospel John records seven “I Am” discourses. To understand the central meaning of the phrase, “I Am,” we need to first review where it was introduced in the Bible. It first appeared in the book of Exodus when Moses encountered a strange phenomena in the desert, a bush that appeared to be burning but notably not being consumed by the fire. When he approached the bush, Moses begins to interact with God through the bush where he was enlisted by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. At one point Moses asks, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 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.’ ” (Exodus 3:13b-14)
God had already told Moses that He was the God of his father, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see verse six), so what else was Moses asking for? Some believe that he really didn’t know what else to say, however, the question is valid. First of all, he knows that the Israelites will ask, but he also knows that if a group of people are going to rally behind something, they would need some sort of assurance of success. God responds with a phrase that in its simplicity, power, and majesty, declares God’s self-existent and eternal nature. “I AM WHO I AM,” or in the Hebrew language, “ě·heyě(h)[5] ǎšěr[6] ě·heyě(h)” which is the root of God’s name ‘YHWH’. Often called the tetragrammaton (a fancy name that refers to a four-letter word), and since no one knows how to pronounce the word and due to respect for God, the name is simply listed as ‘LORD’ (all capital letters) in most English language Bible versions.
It is likely the Jews in Jesus’ audiences all understood the connection Jesus meant when He used the term for Himself, He wasn’t just implying that He was sent by God, He was stating that in fact He is God. In John’s gospel we read that He announced that He was (each preceded with an “I am”): “The Bread of Life” (see John 6:22-59); “The Light of the World” (see John 8:12-30); “The Door” (see John 10:7-10); “The Good Shepherd” (see John 10:11-18); “The Resurrection and The Life” (see John 11:17-27); “The Way, The Truth, and The Life” (see John 14:1-11); and “The True Vine” (see John 15:1-11). Each “I Am” directly connects Him to the same person Moses spoke to in the burning bush.
So That You May Believe
John’s motivation to write this gospel was so that people reading it would understand that Jesus came to live a sinless life, suffer, die, and rise back to life again in order to save humanity. Appropriately you might ask, “Isn’t that what each gospel does?” And the answer is an emphatic ‘yes’, but John, perhaps we can call him an early ‘apologist’ (see below), makes it more personal. He offers explanation and evidence to consider so that anyone reading can believe in Jesus and be saved. In a sense, John breaks the “Fourth Wall”[7] and talks directly to the reader. For example: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are 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.” (John 20:30-31, emphasis added)
The subject of 'Apologetics' is often misunderstood by both unbelievers and believers alike. The term comes from the Greek word 'apologia'[8] (found eight times in the New Testament, see Acts 22:1; 25:16; 1 Corinthians 9:3; 2 Corinthians 7:11; Philippians 1:7, 16; 2 Timothy 4:16; 1 Peter 3:15) meaning "to give an answer" or offer a defense. Christian apologetics is primarily based on logic and reason from the Bible to prepare Christians to answer, as Peter would say to, "always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). While logic and reason may offend some believers as they understand that belief in Jesus requires the Holy Spirit (which is true), there are some non-believers that have intellectual barriers that prevent them from even considering Jesus. Apologetics simply aids in helping people realize their error in thinking and hopefully lead to the dissolution of those barriers. We need to remember that Christianity is a reasonable faith, one that can be defended with reason, and that believing in Jesus is nothing to be ashamed of! (See Romans 1:16)
The gospel of John offers an eye-witness account aimed at helping his readers find salvation through Jesus. He closes the book with, “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:24-25) Perhaps this is the reason the gospel according to John is a favorite among new believers.
Outline
I. The Incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God (1:1-18)
A. The Word is Jesus and the Word is God (1:1-2)
B. Jesus always existed and is the maker of all things (1:3-5)
C. John the Baptist introduced (1:6-8)
D. Jesus rejected (1:9-11)
E. For those that accept Jesus they become children of God (1:12-13)
F. Jesus becomes flesh in order to offer grace (1:14-18)
II. Introduction and Revealing of Jesus as the Christ (1:19-4:54)
A. Testimony of John the Baptist (1:19-34)
1. Encountering religious leaders (1:19-28)
2. Jesus is baptized (1:29-34)
B. Selection of Jesus' First Disciples (1:35-51)
1. Andrew and Peter (1:35-42)
2. Philip and Nathanael (1:43-51)
C. In the Galilee Region (2:1-12)
1. First miracle, turning water into wine (2:1-10)
2. Disciples believe (2:11-12)
D. In Judea (2:13-3:36)
1. Cleansing the Temple (2:13-25)
2. Meeting Nicodemus (3:1-21)
3. John the Baptist exalts Jesus (3:22-36)
E. In Samaria (4:1-42)
1. Witness to a Samaritan woman (4:1-26)
2. Teaching the disciples (4:27-38)
3. Witness to the Samaritans (4:39-42)
F. Back in Galilee (4:43-54)
1. Reception by the Galileans (4:43-45)
2. Healing of the official’s son (4:46-54)
III. Opposition against Jesus as the Son of God begins (5:1-12:50)
A. At the Feast in Jerusalem (5:1-47)
1. Healing of the paralytic (5:1-9)
2. Rejection by the Jews (5:10-47)
B. In Galilee (6:1-71)
1. Feeding the 5,000 (6:1-14)
2. Jesus walks on water (6:15-21)
3. Bread of Life discourse (6:22-71)
C. At the Feast of Tabernacles (7:1-10:21)
D. At the Feast of Dedication (10:22-42)
E. In Bethany (11:1-12:11)
1. Raising of Lazarus (11:1-44)
2. Sanhedrin plans on killing Jesus (11:45-57)
3. Mary anoints Christ (12:1-11)
F. In Jerusalem (12:12-50)
1. Triumphal entry (12:12-22)
2. Discourse on faith and rejection (12:23-50)
IV. Final Preparation of the Disciples (13:1-17:26)
A. In the Upper Room (13:1-14:31)
1. Washing of feet (13:1-20)
2. Announcement of betrayal (13:21-30)
3. About His departure (13:31-14:31)
B. On the Way to the Garden (15:1-17:26)
1. Instructing the disciples (15:1-16:33)
2. Interceding with the Father (17:1-26)
V. The Execution of Jesus (18:1-19:37)
A. His arrest (18:1-11)
B. His trials (18:12-19:16)
C. His Crucifixion (19:17-37)
VI. The Resurrection of Jesus (19:38-21:23)
A. His Burial (19:38-42)
B. His Resurrection (20:1-10)
C. His Appearances (20:11-21:23)
1. To Mary Magdalene (20:11-18)
2. To the disciples without Thomas (20:19-25)
3. To the disciples with Thomas (20:26-29)
4. John’s purpose for writing this gospel (20:30-31)
5. To the disciples (21:1-14)
6. Restoration of Peter (21:15-19)
7. Peter asks about John (21:20-23)
VII. That We may Know! (21:24-25)
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[1] See also Considerations under John 13:26-30 "The Disciple Jesus Loved."
[2] Strong’s Greek 25.
[3] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (p. 8). Moody Press.
[4] But likely no later than 70 A.D. as there is no reference to the revolt, the destruction of Jerusalem or the Temple.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 1961.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 834.
[7] The ‘Fourth Wall’ is an imaginary wall that separates actors from their audience. Typically a performer does not interact with the audience or acknowledge them in any way. The audience, in a theatre or at home watching television, are simply observers. The same applies to most narrative stories in books, like the majority of each gospel.
[8] Strong's Greek 627.