Ralph Porter
© 2003
AUTHOR AND DATE
External and internal evidence combine in support of John the apostle as author.
The date is considered by most commentators to have been well after the
synoptic
gospels.
John left Jerusalem during the revolt against Rome and arrived in Ephesus about A.D.
69-70.
It has been reported that he wrote the gospel while there.
It was probably written long enough after the destruction of Jerusalem that it was no
longer considered a major issue.
The date is thus assumed to be about A.D. 85-90.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Little is known about the circumstances leading to the writing of the gospel.
Clement reports that he was moved by friends and by the Spirit to write a "spiritual
gospel."
The other gospels with their emphasis on Jesus' Messianic ministry had already been
written.
The content and stated purpose of the book show that John was concerned to
write a
gospel to a more general audience concerning the deity of Christ so that others might
learn the truth about who Jesus is and trust Him.
PURPOSE AND THEME
The purpose statement found in John 20:30-31 clearly defines what John wanted
to
accomplish.
That purpose is revealed on three levels:
1)
To demonstrate that Jesus is the Son of God, that is, He is God Himself
(5:18)
2)
That the reader might trust Jesus personally.
This trust in the One who is the Son of God would produce the third purpose:
3)
That the reader might have life.
In agreement with John's three level purpose, his theme also develops on three
levels:
1)
The central theme of the entire book is that Jesus is God's Son and
therefore makes a
legitimate claim to be God Himself.
2)
The same evidence produces two responses, some trust Him while
others refuse to
trust Him.
The reader is thus warned that he too must choose one of these two
alternatives. (1:12; 3:16)
3)
Those who trust Jesus receive life.
John observes Jesus' teachings about life.
* He has come to offer them life.
* The life He offers is a satisfying abundant life.
* It is also a life that does not end at death; it is eternal.
That you might believe: Jesus is the Son of God
Ralph Porter
|
Incarnation of the Son of God 1:1-18 |
Presentation of the Son of God 1:19-4:54 |
Opposition to the Son of God 5-12 |
Instruction by the Son of God 13-16 |
Intercession of the Son of God 17 |
Crucifixion of the Son of God 18-19 |
Resurrection of the Son of God 20-21 |
|
His identifi- cation as God 1:1-3
and Life 1:4-9
tionship to those who believe 1:10-13
tion of the Father 1:14-18 |
Witness of John the Baptist 1:19-34
of the disciples 1:35-51
the wine at the wedding 2:1-11
Jesus Himself concerning His authority 2:12-25
the new birth 3:1-21
John the Baptist repeated 3:22-36
to the Samaritan woman concerning the Water of Life 4:1-42
through healing the official's son 4:43-54
|
Opposition over healing a paralytic 5
Opposition concerning the Bread of Life 6
and unbelief 7
trap Him 8:1-11
of His words and works 8:12-22
of His death 12:23-36
of their unbelief 12:37-50 |
Washing of the disciples' feet 13:1-20
of His betrayal 13:21-30
for His death 13:31-38
Promise of His return 14:1-14
of the Holy Spirit 14:15-31
living 15:1-17
from the world 15:18-16:4
of the Holy Spirit 16:5-15
His death 16:16-33 |
Prayer for His glorification 17:1-5
His followers 17:6-26
tion for the disciples 17:6-19
of all believers 17:20-23
sence of all belie- vers with Him 17:24
presence in all believers 17:25-26 |
His arrest 18:1-14
18:15- 19:16
the High Priest 18:15-27
Pilate 18:28- 19:16
19:17-37
19:38-42 |
Discovery of the resurrection 20:1-10
of the risen Lord 20:11-31
from the risen Lord 21:1-24
The untold part of the story 21:25 |
Ralph Porter
AUTHOR AND DATE
External and internal evidence combine in support of John the apostle as author.
The date is considered by most commentators to have been well after the
synoptic
gospels.
John left Jerusalem during the revolt against Rome and arrived in Ephesus
about A.D.
69-70.
It has been reported that he wrote the gospel while there.
It was probably written long enough after the destruction of Jerusalem
that it was no
longer considered a major issue.
The date is thus assumed to be about A.D. 85-90.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Little is known about the circumstances leading to the writing of the gospel.
Clement reports that he was moved by friends and by the Spirit to write a
"spiritual
gospel."
The other gospels with their emphasis on Jesus' Messianic ministry had
already been
written.
The content and stated purpose of the book show that John was concerned to
write a
gospel to a more general audience concerning the deity of Christ so that others might
learn the truth about who Jesus is and trust Him.
PURPOSE AND THEME
The purpose statement found in John 20:30-31 clearly defines what John wanted
to
accomplish.
That purpose is revealed on three levels:
1)
To demonstrate that Jesus is the Son of God, that is, He is God
Himself (5:18)
2)
That the reader might trust Jesus personally.
This trust in the One who is the Son of God would produce the third purpose:
3)
That the reader might have life.
In agreement with John's three level purpose, his theme also develops on
three
levels:
1)
The central theme of the entire book is that
Jesus is God's Son and
therefore makes
a legitimate claim to be God Himself.
2)
The same evidence produces two responses, some trust Him while
others refuse to
trust Him.
The reader is thus warned that
we too must choose one of these two
alternatives. (1:12; 3:16)
3)
Those who trust Jesus receive life. John observes Jesus' teachings
about life.
*
He has come to offer us life.
* The life He offers is a satisfying abundant life.
* It is also a life that does not end at death; it is eternal.
ORGANIZATION
The book is logically organized into seven sections, which center around God's
Son:
1.
His incarnation
1:1-18
Jesus is God--made man--He reveals what God is like.
2.
His presentation to Israel
1:19-4:54
"He came unto His own."
3.
Opposition to Him from within Israel
5-12
"His own received Him not."
4.
His instruction to His followers
13-16
"As many as received Him."
5.
His intercession for His followers
17
6.
His crucifixion
18-19
7.
His resurrection
20-21
ARGUMENT
John begins his description of Jesus by telling us Who He is and what He came
to do.
In essence, he demonstrates that Jesus was God Himself who came to earth in
human form
to reveal to men what God is like.
Those who trust Him become God's children.
HIS IDENTIFICATION AS GOD
1:1-3
HE WAS GOD
Jesus is God Himself.
He was present in the beginning with God and participated in the creation of all
things.
HIS FUNCTION AS LIGHT AND LIFE
1:4-9
As God, He was the source of all life and light.
In spite of the light He revealed, men were not able to understand.
HIS RELATIONSHIP TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE
1:10-13
IMPORTANCE OF TRUSTING HIM
While He was in the world, humanity did not recognize Him.
Even Israel, God's own people, did not receive Him.
Nevertheless, those who are willing to trust Him, become God's children.
HIS REVELATION OF THE FATHER
1:14-18
HE REVEALED GOD
In order that men might know God, this one, who was Himself God, came and
lived in the
presence of men, that we might see what God is like.
Although no one has been able to see God and live to tell others what He is like,
Jesus has
come to reveal His nature to all men.
When Jesus came to earth He presented Himself to Israel.
His words and works demonstrated that He was different from other men.
They should have taken notice and listened to His message.
Various evidences combined to witness concerning Him.
The evidence was sufficient.
Those who sought the truth were convinced.
Witnessing--telling others what you've seen:
1:35-37
1:40-42
1:45-46--No theological argument
4:28-30, 39
**
When people's hearts were ready to accept Him, it didn't take a lot of
theological
argument to convince them. **
When people weren't ready to accept Him, no amount of theological argument could
persuade them (5:37-42; 5:46-47)
THE WITNESS OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
1:19-34
John the Baptist testified that He saw convincing evidence from the Holy
Spirit that
Jesus was God's Son.
He had given evidence of being a man controlled by the Spirit.
John's function
1:19-28
He defined his purpose as one of preparation for the Lord's coming.
John's testimony
1:29-34
When Jesus came, John declared that God had shown him that Jesus was
His Son.
John was convinced.
THE WITNESS OF THE DISCIPLES
1:35-51
The disciples also were convinced and testified that Jesus was God's Son.
Two disciples of John convinced
1:35-42
Two of John's disciples were convinced and went to tell others about Him.
Nathanael convinced
1:43-51
When Philip told Nathanael about Jesus, he was skeptical.
When Christ reveals that He knows him, Nathanael is convinced.
THE WITNESS OF THE WINE AT THE WEDDING
2:1-11
An additional proof that Jesus is God is presented at the wedding in Cana.
Christ created
wine out of water.
The miracle presents various truths concerning Jesus:
It demonstrates His creative power as God.
It also shows His ability to satisfy His people and to meet their needs.
The frequent use of the wedding as a figure for the millennium suggests an
additional
meaning:
Christ is able to create blessing out of the empty ceremonial water pots
of Israel.
This may serve as a preliminary announcement that Jesus came to establish
the
kingdom and to bring the promised blessings to His people.
THE WITNESS OF JESUS HIMSELF CONCERNING HIS AUTHORITY
2:12-25
Jesus went to the temple where He demonstrated His claim to authority by
cleansing it.
The cleansing of the temple
2:12-17
Jesus identified Himself with God by calling it His Father's house.
The sign of His authority
2:18-22
The resurrection promised
When challenged for proof of His authority, Jesus responded by predicting
the ultimate
proof of His victory over them, the resurrection.
They understood Him to be claiming to be able to reconstruct the Jerusalem
temple.
Jesus was referring back to the original purpose of the temple, to provide a
place where
God might reveal Himself to men.
This function no longer resided in the temple; it was empty.
The function which once belonged to the temple resided in His person.
He would rise from the dead.
The confirmatory signs
2:23-25
He confirmed this claim by many miraculous signs.
The people, convinced by the signs, were following Him, though Jesus
recognized the
fickleness of such a group of followers.
THE WITNESS TO NICODEMUS CONCERNING THE NEW BIRTH
3:1-21
Nicodemus is convinced by the evidence that Jesus has come from God.
When he comes to Him, Jesus exposes his real need.
Recognition of His divine origin is not enough; he must be born again.
Since Nicodemus does not understand the message, Jesus explains that what he
needs is a
new birth.
To enter the kingdom one must be born both physically and spiritually.
Spiritual birth is a supernatural act of God's Spirit in the lives of those who trust
His Son.
Men reject Him because they prefer darkness to light. They don't want to come
to Him for
life.
THE WITNESS OF JOHN THE BAPTIST REPEATED
3:22-36
John's critics try to upset him with the report that Jesus has a bigger following
than he
does.
John replies that God had planned it that way.
Jesus should have a bigger following for He is the more important One.
John's ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus.
Now that He has come, John is glad.
John concludes with the testimony that Jesus is God's Son and those who believe
in Him
will have eternal life.
THE WITNESS TO A SAMARITAN WOMAN
CONCERNING THE WATER OF LIFE 4:1-42
Jesus' message was not limited to the religious leaders who trusted in Him.
He would also satisfy the worst sinners if they would come to Him.
The sinful Samaritan woman demonstrates how He could meet the sinner's
needs also.
As He deals with her, Jesus presents Himself as the water of life who could
satisfy her
thirst.
Growth of Jesus' disciples
4:1-3
Conversation with the Samaritan woman
4:4-27
Discussion concerning the living water
4:4-15
She recognized her thirst.
Confrontation concerning her need
4:16-18
She recognized her need.
Question concerning the place for worship
4:19-24
Identification of Jesus as Messiah
4:25-27
Testimony of the woman to the city
4:28-30
Explanation of Jesus' action
4:31-38
Testimony of many Samaritans
4:39-42
THE WITNESS THROUGH HEALING THE OFFICIAL'S SON
4:43-54
Further testimony that Jesus was God's Son was revealed by the healing of the
nobleman's
son.
The nobleman trusted Christ enough to leave Him and to return home because
of His
word.
When He saw that His son was healed, he believed in Him and the rest of his
family also
trusted in Christ
The account demonstrates that the blessings of Messiah's reign are not
prerogatives of
Israel to be bestowed on the curious or on the powerful.
Only those who trust Him will receive the blessings which He came to give to
His people.
As the record of Jesus' words and deeds continues, He still demonstrates that He
is God's
Son.
However, instead of accepting the evidence and receiving Him, Israel rejects the
evidence
and the opposition begins to develop.
In spite of the evidence, the opposition develops.
4 principles seen throughout this section:
1.
In spite of abundant evidence, they reject Him.
There was no lack of evidence. Evidence wasn't the problem.
Healing 5 => 7:21-24
Bread 6:1-15
Water 6:16-20
7:31
They didn't believe because they didn't want to believe.
2.
In the midst of rejection, those who trust Him find life.
5:24 6:35 6:40 6:47-48 7:37-38
3.
Those who wanted to know God's will recognized the truth.
6:4