June 21 - July - 12
Overview
Study: Gospel of John (Part 3)
Theme: Believe
Belief has more than one nuance. It can refer to everything from believing it will rain, to believing the Cubs will win another World Series, to believing in God. If God does the providing for salvation, then people do the partaking of salvation. They do this by believing. Belief looms large in John’s Gospel. The verb believe occurs scores of times in this Gospel, and it never appears as a noun because, for John, belief is something one does. In this third month of the study of John’s Gospel, students will learn of the belief of the disciples, the lack of belief of the Pharisees, and how signs (miracles) and sight interface with belief.
Introduction
Author
Although he is not identified in this Gospel account, aside from describing himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 20, 24), the apostle John has long been recognized as the author of the fourth Gospel. Both internal evidence and the witness of early church leaders identify the apostle John as the author.
Audience
John’s Gospel was likely to have been written in Ephesus to both Jewish and Gentile Christians of the late first century. John’s purpose was to encourage the Christian community and to reinforce belief in Jesus’ divinity. John states that his Gospel was “written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31, New International Version).
Date
John’s Gospel has traditionally been dated after the writing of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Church tradition has John spending his final years in Ephesus and writing his Gospel account, along with his letters, late in life. The fourth Gospel is often dated between 85 and 95.
Setting
Church tradition says that the apostle John, along with Mary, Jesus’ mother, relocated to the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor after the destruction of the Jewish temple in AD 70. From this location, John wrote his Gospel and his letters to both encourage the early saints and to assure them of the divinity of Jesus.
Theme
Jerome (c.345-420), one of the early leaders of the church, described John’s Gospel as a “spiritual Gospel.” While the Synoptic Gospels provide an historical overview of Jesus’ life, Jerome contended that John’s Gospel was more theological and reflective. John’s themes in his Gospel include the Divinity of Jesus (1:1-3, 1:14, 5:18, 8:58, 10:30, 14:9, 20:28, 20:31), Light versus Darkness (1:4-5, 3:19-21, 8:12, 12:35-36, 12:46), Love (3:16, 13:1, 13:34-35, 15:9-13), Truth (1:17, 4:23-24, 8:31-32, 8:44-46, 14:6, 15:26, 16:13, 17:17, 18:37-38), and the Necessity of Belief (1:12, 3:16-18, 6:35, 11:25-26, 20:30-31).
Why Study the Gospel of John?
John clearly stated that his Gospel was “written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31). John goes beyond merely telling the story of who Jesus is, he calls for a committed relationship with Jesus. John both provides further details about Jesus’ life that are overlooked in the Synoptic Gospels and he provides theologically rich insights into the life of Christ and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. John’s Gospel clearly demonstrates the divinity of Jesus and provides essential information for understanding the rest of the New Testament.
