The Year of the Bible s2

John – These words are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

The themes of John

Each gospel brings a different perspective on the work of Jesus, but John’s gospel it the most dramatically different. The Gospel of John is not as much history as it is instruction. The quote above is from the end of John, and before he lays down his stylus, he gives us this theme. He wrote the Gospel so we may believe in Christ and have life in His name.

There are a number of themes you will encounter in John’s Gospel. Both in this book and in his letters are the themes of “life” and “light.” In addition, watch for Jesus’ statements “I am.” Here you see the Good Shepherd’s care, the themes of Christ as the Lamb of God, what it means to be born of God’s Spirit, resurrection and life, the preaching of the forgiveness of sins and the life of sanctification. What’s the Big Idea?  Read this Gospel so you may be sure that you have life in Jesus – not just life in abundance here (10:10) but life that even survives death (chapter 11)  Jesus is one with the Father – He is the great “I AM” of the Old Testament, come to rescue His people in the New Testament.

From the Lutheran Study Bible:

Blessings for readers:  John’s Gospel focuses beautifully on both the promise of everlasting life and the bodily resurrection of those who trust in Jesus. As you study the words of Jesus as recorded by John, take comfort in His many great and precious promises to you. His words are spirit, and they are life!  Just as the disciples reflected for years on Jesus’ simple yet profound d words (2:22; 21:19), commit His words to heart, consider them with hope, and grow by them. Even now, Jesus – the Word made flesh – is working for your blessing (5:17) and preparing an eternal home for you (14:1-3)

Challenges for readers:  Authorship – Early Christian testimony affirms that the apostle John wrote the Fourth Gospel. Yet the Gospel itself never states this directly. Instead, the author describes himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” and seems to mention other witnesses to the events of the Gospel (we” in 1:14; 21:24). Critics have used these facts to suggest a number of other potential authors, but none of the suggestions are compelling. The references to the beloved disciples fit well with what we know of John in the other Gospels: that he was a member of Jesus’ inner circle and a close comrade of Simon Peter in Acts. The other member of that inner circle – John’s brother James – was martyred early on (Acts 12:2). The reference to other witnesses as shows up repeatedly in the letters of John. Therefore, early Christian testimony appears sound and consistent in affirming John as the writer.  Opposition of the Jews – John frequently uses the Greek term Ioudaioi (usually translated “Jews” but also translated “Judeans”) to describe people who oppose Jesus, beginning in 1:19. Some interpreters have accused John of anti-Semitism because he used this expression in connection with Jewish- Christian hostility. Jesus and John were, of course, ethnically Jewish. Readers should note that John does record positive examples of Jews who believed in Jesus (11:45), even from among the Jewish leadership (19:38-39)/ Also note that John tends to use many ethnic or regional designations, including Greeks, Romans, Galileans, Samaritans, and Judeans (the latter three are derived from the named of Roman political entities). The other Gospels instead often us the general term “crowds” to describe the people who come to hear Jesus. Instead of reading all John’s references to “Jews” as religious or as evidence of Jewish-Christian hostility, one may see John distinguishing the responses of the Judeans from the Samaritans, Galileans and Greeks who more readily received Jesus (4:39-40, 45; 12:20-21), as noted already by the church father Chrysostom: “Behold, both Samaritans and Galileans believe, to the shame of the Jews, and Samaritans are found better than Galileans, for the first received Him through the words of woman, the second when they had seen the miracles He did.”  Enigmatic Sayings – Whereas Matthew and Luke tend to record Jesus’ parables, John records many difficult sayings of Jesus that appear throughout the Gospel and unify its composition. John often notes the trouble the disciples and the crowds have deciphering Jesus’ intent by recording their questions. In some cases, the disciples only understood Jesus’ words much later. Jesus refers to His sayings as “figures of speech,” an expression that commonly describes proverbs. They are often prophetic or have the character of riddles, demanding deep reflection.

In Ten Words or Less: That you may believe….

I Am statements of Jesus include:

6:48 I am the bread of life. Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I 8:12 am the light of the world Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell 8:58 you, before Abraham was, I am." I am the good shepherd. The good 10:11 shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who 11:25 believe in me, even though they die, will live, Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and 14:6 the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. I am the true vine, and my Father is 15:1 the vinegrower.