In the Beginning
How I first read John’s gospel
Right after reading Matt, Mark, Luke - I noticed lots of repetition in the first three (synoptic)
John was new, different. Different stories, different teachings, different characters.
Synoptics events occur mostly in Galilee, John’s are mostly in Judea
Synoptics record Jesus' parables, John has none
Synoptics have Jesus primarily teach in sermons, John has Jesus teach primarily in conversations
Synoptics talk about the apostles, naming them - John never mentions the word apostle, never names Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alpheaus, Simon the Zealot - nor James and John.
John spends more time developing the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit.
Unlike Matt, Mk. Lu. Jesus is more than willing to performs signs to authenticate His divinity. John has Jesus telling extensive stories about His true nature - seven times he referred to Himself with the name reserved for God “the famous I AM statements” - The Bread from Heaven, the Vine, The Way, The Truth, the Life - I am the light of the world, the good shepherd - I am the Resurrection!
You’ll find no stories about Satan, demons or exorcisms, no predictions of end times, no Sermon on the Mount, and no ethical or apocalyptic teachings.
Last written, perhaps to fill in the blanks or to speak against false beliefs and gnosticis, 90% of John is new stuff not found in the synoptic gospels, details about the night before his crucifixion are different from the other gospels where Jesus washes the disciples' feet but does not institute communion
Who wrote the gospel of John? - we honestly don't know, the text itself states only that the Gospel was written by an anonymous follower of Jesus referred to as the Beloved Disciple. Traditionally we have believed that to be the Apostle John, who is thought to have lived at Ephesus towards the end of his life. Eusebius of Caesarea (church historian at time of canonization of the Bible) thought it written by John the elder- but an earlier authority and church father - Irenaeus (d. about 202), Bishop of Lyons - said that Polycarp told him personally he knew John and claimed John’s Gospel was his work. Comparable with the oldest person I ever knew personally knew someone who fought in the civil war.
Who was John the Evangelist?
Assuming John refers to Apostle John - he and his brother James were the sons of Zebedee and Salome. They were fishermen and business partners with Peter and Andrew (Luke 5:10). They were both called to be apostles - Herod ended James life by the sword. John’s death is not recorded.
John was part of an inner circle of three with Jesus, Peter James and John. Together they witnessed the raising of Jairus' daughter, the transfiguration, and Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Acts tells about a healing a lame man at the gates of the temple - immortalizing the famous words “Silver and gold have I none - but what I have I give to you!”
The early apostles were not academically schooled - they were inspired by a higher authority - HS.
AC 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
James and John were bold and brash as young men - Boanerges - sons of thunder - “let us be seated on right and left.” - and at another time they wanted to squash the competition:
LK 9:49 "Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."
It is believed by many that in addition to the 4th gospel, John wrote 1st, 2nd, 3rd John, and Revelation.
When was it written? Last book in the NT Bible - Written late 80’s to mid 90’s 50-60 years after the resurrection. Chapter 21 written later to explain confusion about the John’s death.
Image - Rylands P52 - the oldest fragment of the New testament contains lines from the Gospel of John 18:31-33, in Greek, and the back contains lines from verses 37-38. - it dates to 125-160 AD based on the script style. The oldest complete copy of John’s gospel is in the 4th century Codex Sinaiticus - the current NT along with the Epistle of Barnabas and The Shepherd of Hermas
Not only the latest but the most theologically refined gospel.
Not meant to be read primarily as a history book but as a Gospel - Good News - story with a point.
How did the authors remember? - HS Comforter bring to remembrance, not precisely historically because history is not the pinnacle of revelation - but by the quickening of the human soul, revealing and anointing. We must get over the love affair that modern mind has with science and the historical method as somehow supreme communicators of truth. It’s all about the Holy Spirit. Word for word is never as useful as truth for truth. Power of the HS to reveal and confirm truth in community. Canon
All gospel writers reminisce about Jesus from the vantage point of a resurrection. Some like Mark make it clear no one knew about Jesus' divinity until after He was raised from the dead. John was a very old man, in his 80’s or 90’s when he wrote or had transcribed his gospel. He paints a picture of Jesus plainly explaining His divinity on numerous occasions.
Who first read it?, Slide Where is Ephesus -Map - more than 500 miles from Jerusalem
show how John's gospel looked to those who first read it
INTHEBEGINNINGWASTHEWORDANDTHEWORDWASWITHGODANDTHEWORDWASGODHEWASINTHEBEGINNINGWITHGODALLTHINGSCAMEINTOBEINGTHROUGHHIMANDWITHOUTHIMNOTONETHINGCAMEINTOBEINGWHATHASCOMEINTOBEINGINHIM
Written for Gentile Christians and Christian Jews expelled from synagogues in 85-90 AD. John frequently explained Jewish customs and often described places in Palestine.
Why was this gospel written? Understanding the Gospel
Scholars can tell us of changes that occurred over the centuries with biblical manuscripts - most all changes were minor spelling or punctuation changes, but the gospel writers made changes of order and content. Each writer had his own agenda, purpose, and audience. We don't have the originals in our hands to know precisely what they said, but we do have access to the same HS who inspired and breathed the words. The Bible always had been interpreted by living breathing people
Reading this text will require interpreting it too. The Holy Spirit is our primary guide - not a Bible commentator or pastor. The object is not to interpret the Bible, but to allow the Bible to interpret you! To define you, to transform you. These writings are ancient, sacred, remarkable and priceless.
Texts do not speak for themselves. We will not agree on all points of meaning. That's OK!
1. The gospel of John was written for a simple purpose...
a. To produce faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God
John 20:31, "these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."
b. To share the "life" that comes through such faith
Video Clip John 1:1-18 prologue Listen to poetry of Johns Gospel
1-5 Hymn - intro by different author? John’s beginning is silent on the birth stories of Jesus, no mention of a virgin birth, a star, shepherds, or wise men. That doesn't mean that he didn't believe in them. The late date of his writing makes us certain he was aware of these birth narratives.
But John seems to want to push the beginning back, -
Mark begins the story of Jesus with a baptism,
Matthew moves back to the annunciation,
Luke begins with birth stories surrounding John the Baptizer.
But John goes way back, before Abraham, before cavemen and dinosaurs, before the broiling beginnings of the Milky Way. Before God spoke in Genesis, Jesus was.
The great dance of God - Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He Speaks
God spoke - and it was so - & it was GOOD Let us make mankind in our image. Male & Female
God created us By/through Jesus - Exclusively through Jesus
In doing so, He Extends the dance to us Invites us to dance!
You're invited to Dance with God. (Square dance)
JN 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
Three Greek words I want to highlight.
Word (logos) brings light (phos) and life (zoe)
What is Word of God? Ready to go deep, deeper still?
Word - Logos used over 300 X in NT Spoken word or saying
only here Jesus is the logos
with the advent of printing press we think of Word as something printed - the Bible?
Before 1500 - before access to Bibles what was the Word?
Children can't think words - they say them.
OT/NT the Word was Action - word always spoken Breathed Genesis God said. it was so - connect speaking and Action
Word was dynamic - spirit breathed
-Prophetic utterances Is. 55:11
-Truths behind words Holy Spirit
Word was transformed from spoken to written form - from heard to seen - From living to inanimate
Word (Logos) here in prologue referring to Jesus not anywhere else
Word not Identical w/God but what God was the Word was.
The Words and deeds of Jesus ARE words and deeds of God.
Best highest most complete definition of Word of God is not Scripture but Jesus.
In the beginning...was the Logos.
-God expressed Himself- that personal expression was Jesus.
In the beginning...was the logos.
-Was God's deeds -- the action throughout time (creation, revelation, deliverance)
Logos at beginning was great tool to open conversations with other Greeks.
Light (phos) Jesus was the 'phos-phoros' 'light-bearer and Life (zoe)
Light and life are qualities emitting from God in beginning. Let there be light/life.
Light not merely physical but ethical good over evil
God not absent from darkness - afraid of darkness.
Light = natural light of reason and spiritual light of new birth. Don't settle for only one or the other!
Light of dawn - source is not yet seen. City of heaven.
At another time - the image of light and life - by the author of Revelation
REV 22 The angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Nature of light vs. darkness, great metaphors. Darkness won't accept light but can't overcome it.
Every knee bow! Gospel for all. God loved the world not condemning world but to save it.
God's love - Irrepressible - unconquerable light and life. But never oppressive.
Offer not demand. Gift not a wage.
Cary Grant story
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Life ZOE - death is at work so God goes to work in death! He enters-embraces it, transforms and resurrects it. Death = decay, degeneration - relationships/body-mind.
Life is renewal-reproducing - relationships/body/mind.
Jesus means -Save His people from their sins.
VS 10-13 And yet then and now - He Came to His own and not received.
Rejection is nothing new. -no different then ancient Israel.
Consistently faced with a choice-light/darkness. Above- below-truth-falseness, death-life. All these choices are met at the intersection of a cross roads- a cross- a Christ.
Goal Face-To-Face Intimacy With God
Last Key insight for today - Jesus is One and only. VS 14-13 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known recorded in this book.
Moses brought the law But Grace and truth, tented in Jesus.
Moses desired to see God "face-to-face." He wanted the greatest possible intimacy with God
In Christ we like John, can say "We have seen His glory, glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth"
Word began with God - Pitched His Tent among us. Pitched Tabernacle - shekinah glory veiled in cloud - glowed in pillar of fire - now we can handle - see touch- experience!
We behold His glory, we handled glory!
S.D. Gordon "Jesus is God spelling Himself out in language that men can understand."
AMAZING! This timeless eternal truth is anchored in human history.
Moses could reveal law - only Jesus could reveal Grace & Truth.
Moses could lead out of captivity but only Jesus can lead people back to the Father.
Grace and truth - grace covers sin.
Truth sets us free, deliverance.
Grace breaks open the prison issues the problem
Truth permits repentance, change.
John 1:16 grace upon grace - there is an ocean of grace to draw from-never diminishing the source.
Next Step
This is a book about Jesus, not John James, Apostles. John begins and ends with invitation to know Jesus - God's 1 & only.Focus on a purpose - Everything hinges on what you make of Christ. Leads to God, light truth life or hostility and rejection leads top death, darkness etc.
Begins and ends with the hope of the evangelist
John begins his passage with a call - Believe in His Name - and ends with the same
John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
All life come thru Him - are you alive?
