Christ's Incarnation: Wrap Up

OK, let's wrap this puppy up!

We've talked about Christ's incarnation and what is means, we've talked about Christ's glory. Let's talk about the purpose of Christ's incarnation. There are three parts to this. Christ's incarnation is meant to reveal the nature of God, the grace of God, and the truth of God.

God's Nature (John 1:18)

We've already talked about this, but until the incarnation of Christ, men had never seen God in the flesh. They had seen many aspects of God, such as the theophanies of the Old Testament, the handiwork of God in creation (Romans 1:20), and they had read about Him in the Old Testament. But now, God wants us to know Him personally! We're able to have a relationship with Him now that we had never been able to have before!!!! In this verse (18), John says that Jesus has made Him known. The verb used here means "revealed", "interpreted", or "made known." This gives us a clue as to why John calls Christ "the Word." Think about it: through words, we make our feelings known. In the same way God makes his feelings about us known to us through His Word (check out Hebrews 1:1-2).


God's Grace (John 1:14, 16-17)

In the Old Testament, man experienced God's Law and Justice. However, God was gracious still. What are some ways that we know of that God was gracious to man in the Old Testament? So, how does the incarnation reveal Christ's grace? Well, God didn't have to send Jesus to begin with. We most certainly did not deserve it. In fact, man did not even want God's love and grace! Yet, despite our rejection of Him, God still sent His son. And this is how the incarnation reveals Christ's grace.

God's Truth (John 1:14)

What's another way to think of God's truth? Maybe this will help. God loves us, but His truthfulness will not let Him overlook our sin. Sin has to be punished. So, Christ came to be punished for us. Christ's agony on the cross reveals not only the grace and truth of God, but also these three things:

1. The awful consequences of sin

2. God's hatred of sin

3. The consequences that we must pay if we refuse His substitute

So, wrapping up John 1 (and I promise we will move quicker through the other chapters), we see both the importance of Christ's preexistence to prove Christ's deity, but also the need for Christ's preexistence to help us see and personally experience God. So, why do you think John packed this much into John 1?

The Incarnation: Christ's Doxa

Take a look at John 1:14 again to refresh your memory.

We wrapped up last time with talking about the parallels between Christ and the tabernacle. The last one talked about how the tabernacle was the center of Israel's camp and how Christ should be the center of our lives. Continuing that thought process, if Christ is the center of our lives, we should see His glory, just like Israel saw the Lord's glory resting on the tabernacle. The Greek word used here for glory is the word "doxa." This word means literally "to seem." This is referring to the lofty reputation that a person has in another person's eyes. So, in this case, a man's glory is his reputation.

OK, so if glory here means reputation, then how can we "behold Christ's reputation"? Isn't that something internal? What does this mean????

Well, glory in this context means more than a person's reputation. It means that when we behold Christ, we are basically viewing God's reputation...in other words those attributes that God alone possesses and can reveal. So, in the midst of discussing Christ's incarnation, John still takes the time to make another reference to Christ's deity. Almost like he is saying, "Christ is a man, but wait, don't forget he's God too!!!"

Let's take a second and look at these attributes and how Christ is the only one as fully man to live up to these attributes. If you recall from Christianity 101, sin is our failing to measure up to Christ's perfection. In other words, God is holy and anything that we do that is unholy, we are sinning.

God is omnipresent (or everywhere at once) and whenever we try to hide from Him, we are sinning. God is omnipotent (or all powerful) and whenever we fail to trust Him, we sin. God is merciful and whenever we are unforgiving or seek revenge on others, we sin. God is patient and whenever we are impatient, we sin. God is sovereign and whenever we try to run our own lives, we sin.

WHEW!!!! Talk about conviction! We see how we fail to measure up to God in this idea of God's glory being His reputation and we see how desperately we need a Savior. Which is why (I think just from looking at this test with fresh eyes) John takes the time to reference not only Christ's deity, but the fact that He was fully man so that we would know that we are not walking this human life alone. We have an advocate whose reputation (His doxa) is flawless and can represent us to His Father. What wonderful peace we can find in this!!!!

To wrap up this week, look at Ephesians 1: 6 and 12. Look at what "we are saved to the praise of." Kind of changes the perspective in light of Christ's doxa, doesn't it.

Questions to ponder:
1. Which of the above attributes of God convicts you the most? Why?
2. What does this idea of Christ's glory/reputation mean to you?

                                                     

                                      

The Incarnation of Christ, Part 1

OK, to save this blog from getting very long, I am going to divide it into three parts. This first part is going to focus on comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences of the appearances of God in the Old Testament and the Incarnate Christ in the New Testament.

So last week we focused on the preexistence of Christ and what it means to the Christian faith and Christ's deity. Now let's talk about his incarnation. John doesn't actually reference the historical circumstances of Christ's birth. In fact, the only reference he makes is in John 1:14, where John says "and the Word was made flesh." Literally translated, this means Christ literally became flesh. So, why does John take the time to reference this? What's the big deal really???

Well, we talked a bit about this last week, and from my understanding of scripture (and of course, what was already studied for me), this is significant because this is the first time that God (who is Spirit) became flesh, or became human, and walked among us. This is why Christ is called "Immanuel" or "God with us."

It's important to recognize the fact that Christ took on flesh and became fully man because we do have other occurrences of God appearing to man throughout the Bible. Before Christ was born, God appeared to man in visual forms, but not in a human, fleshly body. These are called "theophanies." We know of at least seven occasions that God did this. However, at each of these instances, He did not appear in a fleshly body.
Here is the key to all of this and why it is important to make these distinctions. The incarnation means that God did not "dwell" in a human body. Rather, it means that He became man, what He was not before. But, it's important to remember that He did not cease to be all that He was before.

All right, now that we've established the fact that Christ was God walking among us, let's talk about John's choice of words. In verse 14, he says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." The word that John uses for "dwelt" here literally means "Christ tabernacled, or pitched his tent" on this earth. In other words, John wants to give the image of a temporary living quarter, or that Christ only lived here for a temporary man (33 years).

This translation reminds us of the tabernacle in the dessert and we can draw some parallels between the tabernacle of the Old Testament and Christ "tabernacling" (yes, I think I just made up a word, but you get the picture) in the New Testament.

For example, the tabernacle was a temporary thing, as was Christ. Now hold on, before that is taken the wrong way, what I mean is that Christ was only on this earth for approximately 33 years. Interestingly enough, the tabernacle was only used for about 35 years in the desert.

Moving on, we know that the tabernacle was God's dwelling place (check out Exodus 25:21-22). And of course, we remember the definition of "Immanuel", or "God With Us," meaning that Christ dwelt among us.

The tabernacle was where God met man. In the Old Testament, God told Moses how to build the tabernacle and said He would meet man there (again, Exodus 25:21-22). Today, Christ is the meeting place between God and man (John 14:6)

When God told Moses how to build the temple, He directed that it be placed in the middle of the Israelite camp. In the same way Christ should be in the middle of our lives. Going along with this thought, it says in the Old Testament that God's glory rested on the Tabernacle. In the same way, when Christ was walking among us, we beheld his glory.

Now, hold that thought on glory for next week. We're going to focus on Christ's glory and what it means for us and dig into some of the original Greek and meaning of the texts. For now, here are some questions for you:

1. Why do you think that John focused on Christ's incarnation if he is trying to prove Christ is God?

2. What are some of the theophanies of God that we see in the Old Testament?

3. What does Christ's "tabernacling" mean to you and how can we keep our focus on him in light of this idea?

The Preexistence of Christ

Now, let's dig in and get some meat out of John. Read John 1:1-18

We're talking Christ's preexistence, i.e., his eternal nature, this week. Why is this so important to John that he addresses it in the first 18 verses of his Gospel? Because he wants to firmly establish that Jesus was much more than just a man, he was God, the Messiah, the Christ! So, he takes the time to set his readers straight first off. The curriculum I used said it this way, "John offers no argument, apology, or explanation for what he said about Christ's preexistence." I like that. A "take no prisoners" kind of attitude.

So, verse one. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." By saying "in the beginning," John is saying when all things began. In other words, Christ was present already when all things began. The actual Greek word that John uses for "the Word" is the word "logos," which literally translated means "thought" or "expression." Look at the beautiful picture this creates. Jesus was God's Word to us, expressing who God is and what He wants to do for us. He was God walking among us.
Sticking with verse one, the phrase "the Word was with God" literally translates that Jesus was "face to face" with God. This is very key. Remember our previous discussion about Gnosticism and Docetists? John was needing to establish for His readers that Christ was more than an idea in God's mind before the world began. In other words, "if Christ was facing God," then if God saw Christ, Christ must be more than an idea in God's mind. He was God participating in the creation of the world.
Jump onto verse 3. "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." The Greek word used here for creation is the word "egeneto" which means "came into existence." In other words Christ brought into existence something out of nothing, or "ex nihilo." Why does John take the time to talk about Christ bringing something into existence? Because he wants to establish Christ as Creator, as being part of God's work, not as being a part of God's mind.

Remember, all of this is to establish Christ's preexistence. OK, going on....
Here is what other parts of the Bible has to say about Christ's preexistence, to support John 1:
Look up John 8:58. The key phrase here is "Before Abraham was, I am." What's wrong with this sentence? That's right, the tenses are all wrong. Christ starts in the past tense and then moves onto the present tense. We're not supposed to do that in the same sentence! Jesus must not have paid attention in Hebrew class. OK, he is God. So why does he switch up tenses? He is creating this wonderful picture for us of the fact that even 2,000 years before that time, he is present. In other words, he lives outside the realm of time. 2,000 years ago, He is now, and 2,000 years from now, He already is! This is also one of Christ's claims to deity.

Look up Exodus 3:14. This is where the whole "I AM" phrase comes into play that is recorded for us. A little food for thought here. After Christ says the "I AM" phrase in John 8:58, the Jews try to stone him. In light of Exodus 3:14, why would they try to stone Christ?

OK, look up Micah 5:2. This was written several hundred years before Christ's birth. Yet, Micah foretells of one who would be born then, but has existed "from of old." All of these support the fact that Christ has existed from before the beginning of time and support John's opening chapter.

So, Christ preexisted. So what? Why is this an important part of proving Christ's deity? Let's look at some more scripture. Look up 1 John 5:11-12, Colossians 3:4, and Galations 2:20. What do these verses say that would implicate that Christ's preexistence is important enough to discuss first thing?
Think of it this way: In these verses we see that when we trust Christ, we die to ourselves and Christ becomes our lives. So, what kind of life does Christ have? Therefore, what kind of life does every believer in Christ have? That's right, eternal life. Only one who has always existed could provide eternal life.  And here's the key: because Christ was, is, and always will be, and is in us and is our life, we CANNOT lose our salvation once we are truly saved!!!! CANNOT!!!!!!!!!!! What wonderful hope that is for us! And that is the key for why we must believe in Christ's preexistence, and why John starts with Christ's preexistence. Our eternal security rests entirely on the fact that Christ lives forever and is GOD!!!!

Questions for thought:

1. What is the form of Christ's preexistence? Think about this one and we will discuss this one.
2. How did and will people respond to Christ's preexistence?
3. In today's world, we might not be fighting Gnostics or Docetists, but we do have some worldview that we have to deal with that deny the preexistence of Christ. What might those be?

The Geographic and Political Situation of Israel during Christ's Ministry

Next week we will be getting into John 1, but just to give you a little more background and to set up the book of John, let's look at what the geography and politics of Israel looked like around 30 A.D.

Location and Size of Israel:

Israel is a small country. In fact, it is 390 miles long and ranges from 30-80 miles wide. To give you a perspective from our part of the world, it is about the size of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Also, an interesting side note, Israel, when you look at a map of the world, it is roughly in the middle of the world. Coincidence or not?

The Perfect Country:

Climate:

Israel has every type of climate imaginable. It has snowy Mount Hermon, which is a popular Israelite ski spot, and then the tropical Dead Sea region. In fact, you could go skiing in the morning and then hit the beach in the afternoon!

Crops:

On the plains of Sharon, you can find crops of oranges and bananas. In Galilee, you can find grapes, cucumbers, and almost any type of vegetable imaginable.

As far as land is concerned, the country of Israel really is the perfect country. In fact, it makes sense why the area is called "the land flowing with milk and honey."

Christ's Itinerary:

Here is just a quick overview of Christ's itinerary through the book of John. Notice how much land he covered.

John 4:1-5—From Jerusalem to Galilee through Samaria: about 50 miles through hills
John 4:43-46—From Samaria to Galilee: about 40 miles through hills and coastal plains
John 4:54-5:1—From Galilee to Jerusalem: about 90 miles through coastal plains and hills
John 10: 40—From Jerusalem to beyond Jordan: about 20 miles through hills and the Jordan Valley
John 10:40-11:1-17—From beyond Jordan to Judea, Bethany: about 18 miles through hills and the Jordan Valley

John 11:54—From Bethany to Ephraim: about 25 miles through hills

Political Divisions During Christ's Time:

There are three major areas in Israel: Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. Remember, John focuses most of his gospel on Judea. Now, Rome is ruling Israel at this point, and the Roman government divided Israel into three political areas. As we look at these divisions, try to tuck them in the back of your mind for future reference when we talk about the people Christ ministered to in these areas. It will help you understand why he said what he said and did what he did.

We have Judea and Samaria, which is made up of broken hills and valleys and was good for grazing herds and flocks. Seven different men ruled this area during Christ's lifetime.

We have Galilee and Perea, which was heavily wooded in some areas during this time, received a great amount of rain and run-off from nearby Mount Hermon (about 25 inches annually), and was a rich and fertile land. Herod Antipus ruled this area.

Lastly, we have Iturea and Trachonitis, which is in the northern Galilee area. Trachonitis was northeast of the Sea of Galilee. Because the Itureans were nomads, we don't know an exact area they lived in, but are able to narrow it down to this area around the Sea of Galilee. Philip ruled this area during this time.

Now, there is one more area I'm going to include because we will discuss it. It is not a Roman province, but was under Rome's partial control and/or influence. This area is called Decapolis and was made up of 10 Greek cities.

OK, here's a bit more geography and then I have a great illustration to share with you. These are the break down of the geographical divisions of Israel. If you look at a map of Israel, you can draw five vertical lines through Israel to create these areas. Again, tuck these in the back of your mind for future reference when looking at Christ's ministry. Here is a quick rundown of them:

The Coastal Plains
1. It is along the Mediterranean Coast to Mount Carmel
2. It ranges from 6 to 20 miles wide
3. It contains some of the richest soil in the world
4. A large part of the most desirable land in Palestine is in this area

The Shepelah
1. Found between the Coastal plan and the central hills is a series of foothills called the Shepelah
2. It has rolling hills
3. It has low hills at 500 to 1,00 feet high
4. It is suited for growing olives, grapes, and grain
5. It is also suited for pastoral farming activities
6. It once served as a buffer zone between the Philistines and the Israel.

The Cis-Jordan Hills
1. This area is commonly associated with Israel’s history
2. Most of Israel’s cities and people are located in this area
3. The hills range from 1,500 to 3,000 feet high.
4. The elevation increases to the north, and the hills become the Lebanon Mountains in northern Galilee
5. The mountains rise to an elevation of 10,000 feet

The Jordan Valley
1. It stretches from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea
2. It represents only a small section of one of the most remarkable geographic depressions on the earth, which is fully known as the Afro-Arabian Rift Valley
3. This rift is responsible for creating the Sea of Galilee and Dead Sea in Israel
4. Due to the constant moving, between 200-300 earthquakes occur here daily!
5. Although the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are only 65 miles apart in a straight line, the Jordan River winds through this area for more than two hundred miles
6. The Dead Sea is about 1,292 feet below sea level and 1,300 feet deep
7. 6 million tons of water flow into the Dead Sea every day from the Jordan River
8. The Dead Sea has no outlet, so the water evaporates during the day, leaving behind minerals—the Dead Sea is one of the greatest mineral deposits in the world.

The Trans-Jordan Hills
1. These hills and mountains lie on the other side (east of the Jordan River)
2. It is a high plateau that rises gradually from north (about 1,320 feet high) to south (higher than 3,940 feet)

Hopefully this helps you gain a better understanding of the area and peoples that Christ was ministering to and of the politics he was facing.

OK, here's the illustration I promised (actually, I want you to think about it, see what you come up with, and then I will share with you what I see). Look back at the description of The Jordan Valley. Think about the Dead Sea. How could we use the Jordan River and the Dead Sea to describe some Christians?

This picture isn't the illustration, I just thought it was funny!

The Purpose of John's Gospel

Last week we discussed the gospels in a big picture and the portrait of Christ that they paint as a whole. This week we will be focusing in on John and the specific reasons he wrote his gospel. He had three specific emphases that we touched on a bit last week, but here they are again:

1. To prove the deity of Christ.

2. To cause men to believe in Christ and live.

3. To supplement the Synoptic gospels and supply the details that they do not mention.

Now, in writing his gospel, he had two purposes in mind. Check out John 20:30-31. According to these verses, why did he record what he recorded? Now look at John 21:25. Did he record everything that Jesus did? So, why did John include certain facts that the other gospels did not and omit others that the other gospels included?

Exactly, he wanted to choose only the facts that aided his purpose. So, here are some of the big facts that he did include (Please note that we are going to dig deep into these as we progress through John, so this is only a quick "shout out" to them).

Miracles of Christ:

John records SEVEN key miracles (remember, we know that Christ performed at least 40 and John says that there aren't enough books in the world to record all Christ did, so this is a small number)

1. John 2:1-11: Water into Wine

2. John 4:46-54: Jesus heals a nobleman's son

3. John 5:1-27: Jesus heals a lame man

4. John 6:1-14: Jesus feeds the 5,000

5. John 6:15-21: Jesus walks on water

6. John 9: 1-41: Jesus heals a blind man

7. John 11:1-57: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead

Of course, Christ's resurrection is also a miracle, but we put that one in a whole other ball park)

Each of these miracles shows Christ's power over the universe in a different way.

1. Water into Wine: Power over the Creation

2. Healing the nobleman's son: Power over space/distance

3. Healing a lame man: Power over time

4. Feeding of the 5,000: Power over food

5. Walking on water: Power over natural laws

6. Healing a blind man: Power over physical laws

7. Raising Lazarus from the dead: Power over death

So, looking at these seven miracles, why do you think John chose only these seven? Think about these, and let's move onto the next set of facts that John included in order to prove his point.

Words of Christ:

John records the eleven times that Christ uses the particular phrase "I AM." Why is this phrase so important that John would take the time to include this in his gospel? These eleven uses reveal fourteen different things that Christ claimed to be.

1. John 4:25-26 “I AM the Messiah”
2. John 6:35 “I AM the bread of life”
3. John 8:58 “Before Abraham was I AM”
4. John 9:5 “I AM the light of the world”
5. John 10:7 “I AM the door of the sheep”
6. John 10:11 “I AM the good Shepard”
7. John 11:25 “I AM the resurrection and the life”
8. John 13:13 “Ye call me Master and Lord”
9. John 14:6 “I AM the way, the truth, and the life”
10. John 15:1 “I AM the true vine”
11. John 18:5 “I AM He,” meaning Jesus of Nazareth

Why do you think John chose to focus on these eleven particular phrases? Before we finally get into the purpose of John, here are the last set of facts that John chose to include in his gospel to support his purpose.

Testimonies:

John recorded the seven testimonies of different people who testify to Christ's deity. Here they are:

1. John 1:34—John the Baptist: “This is the Son of God”
2. John 1:49—Nathanael: “Thou art the Son of God, the King of Israel”
3. John 6:69—Peter: “We believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of God”
4. John 10:36—Jesus: “I am the Son of God”
5. John 11:27—Martha: “Yes Lord, I believe thou art the Christ, the Son of God”
6. John 20:28—Thomas: “My Lord and my God”
7. John 20:31—John the Apostle: “These are written that ye might believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God.”

Remember, I said John used Christ's words more than his own? Take a look at number 4, there is one example of John doing just that.

So, let's talk purposes. John has two. Purpose number one, to cause men to believe that Jesus is the Christ (John 20:31). Purpose number two, to show us how to obtain life through His name (John 20:31).

Purpose #1: To Cause Men To Believe That Jesus Is The Christ.

The word "Christ" means "the anointed one." It is also the Greek word for Messiah. It was important to John to prove that Jesus was the Christ/Messiah because the Jews, the ones that God promised a Messiah to, had rejected Christ as the Messiah. They had been looking for him for 2,000 years, studying the prophets for every detail of what the promised Messiah would be like. And yet, when Christ came to earth, they rejected him. I can't help but wonder why? If they new the prophets frontwards, backwards, and upside down, how could they explain Christ away so easily? The answer is that they were spiritually blind. More than that, they (speaking of the leaders) were morally corrupt. No longer did they want a spiritual leader. They were the spiritual leader, so when Christ comes in saying they are "white washed tombs," they lost all credibility and power with the people. Not only that, but they wanted a political leader who would be their pawn and overthrow the Romans and revive Israel as the great country of David's and Solomon's days. They didn't want to bother with spiritual revival. So John had to re-establish for the Jews and the world that Christ was the Messiah, despite the fact that the very men who should have recognized him rejected him. There's purpose one.

Purpose #2: To Show Us How To Obtain Life Through His Name

John wrote his gospel in such a way as to draw a response from the reader. He wants us to not only believe that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah, but he also wants us to put our faith in Him. Look at John 20:31; he makes it very clear that he wants each person to make a choice. Not only to believe that Jesus was the Christ, but to believe in Him and place our trust in Him.

So, those answer emphases 1 and 2. Now for emphasis 3. John also wrote his gospel to supplement the synoptic gospels, to cover and explain parts that they did not. He wrote his gospel after the other three, so it makes sense that he uses his to wrap up any loose ends. His gospel does parallel the other three, but he also includes details that are not found in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. In fact, the majority of John deals with Christ's Judean and Jerusalem ministry, while the other gospels only mention one visit of Christ to Jerusalem during His ministry, and that was for His death! So, obviously, being a Jewish man, Christ couldn't have only visited Jerusalem once. We, therefore, look to John for the other times that Christ visited Jerusalem.

Jewish Feasts:

John centers his gospel on major Jewish feasts. For Jewish feasts, it was both tradition and a requirement that all able-bodied, Jewish men travel to Jerusalem to celebrate these feasts. So, John uses those feasts and Christ's visits to Jerusalem to anchor his gospel and provide his reader with a timeline. The four feasts that we are going to overview this time are the four Passovers that occurred during Christ's ministry.

Passover #1: "Lord of the Temple"

John 2:13-22

Go ahead and read the passage. This event tells us a few things about Christ. First of all, it demonstrates his courage. Why? Secondly, His strength and power. Again, why? This is one of the first major events John records and he starts off with a BANG! Picture what this event looked like and put yourself in the shoes of Christ's followers and the on-lookers. How would you have felt? What would you have thought about Christ?

Passover #2: "Lord of the Sabbath"

John 5:1-17

I want to discuss this one more, so after reading it, try to think of why the title "Lord of the Sabbath" fits Christ for this passover.

Passover #3: Christ did not attend this one

John 6:1-15

What do you think Christ was proving by not attending this Passover? Why do you think John recorded it anyways?

Passover #4: "Lord of Life"

John 18-19

This one is an obvious one. This is the recording of Christ's Last Supper, arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. we will spend the last several weeks of this study digging deep into this passage, so hold off on any major study of these chapters for now.

Again, this is a lot of material to take in. This week we will also go over a quick overview of John's timeline, but for now, just meditate on each of these ideas that John presents and think about how each one proves his point. And, like last week, after reading all of this, ask yourself the question that is at the heart of John's message,

"Who is Jesus Christ to you?"

The Background of John

OK, here goes....



Last week I said that John is my favorite gospel and I have to say again, after looking over my notes, it really is my favorite gospel! And I'm not alone. John's gospel is considered the most loved gospel of the four gospels.



When I go to heaven, the two disciples I want to meet the most are Peter (I mean, really, how many of you can identify with his "foot in mouth" approach to life? I know I can!) and John. John's passion and love for Christ are seen throughout his book and I am so excited to share with you what I have learned. Please don't judge me too much in my writing or teaching. I really hope to just share with you everything that I have learned.



As we approach this gospel, please keep in mind that the gospel of John is completely unique. It is truly John's defense for who Christ is, starting with John 1 as his "thesis statement", the rest of John presenting his points/arguments, and ending with John 21 as his "closing statement," with John ending 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." (John 21:24). I LOVE THAT STATEMENT!!!! It's like "Bam! Just prove me wrong!" Or, in the words of a favorite TV show, "Lawyered!"





So, take a big breath, because there is a lot to pack into "the background" of John, so this blog will be a long one. Before I try to dig into that, here are some fun facts about John.

*Although the deity of Christ (we will get into this more later) is the theme of John, the name Jesus is used more often than the name of Christ.

*The word "believe" is used more than 100 times in the book of John, while the other three gospels combined use it only forty times.

*The word "faith" does not occur once in the book of John.

*The idea of eternal life appears 35 times in John, but only 12 other times in the other three gospels.

*The other gospels are considered "historical" gospels, while John is considered to be a "spiritual" gospel.

DATE:



The date of writing for John has been much disputed over the years. We know that it was the last gospel to be written. There have been some who have suggested as late as 150 AD, some 90-94 AD, and others 85-90 AD. Most recent discoveries now suggest that John as probably written around 80-90 AD. In fact, the oldest surviving copy of any portion of Scripture comes from John's gospel!



AUTHOR:



Of course everyone assumes that John is the gospel writer, but here is how we definitely know that he was the writer. If you read John 21:20-24, it says that the author of the gospel is "the one whom Jesus loves." Luke 6:14-16 tells us the names of all of the disciples, and these names also appear in John, with the exception of John's name, so we deduce that this "is the one whom Jesus loved." We also know that John was Jesus' cousin, the son of Salome, Mary's sister. John was most likely very young when he followed Christ, probably in his teens.



ROLE:



Let's talk about John's gospel's place with the other three gospels. The word gospel means "good news". The concept of a gospel is defined in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (go ahead and look that one up). A gospel, to be considered the good news of God, must contain three elements. What do you think they are? We will talk about this one this week.



Matthew, Mark, and Luke are all considered to be "synoptic gospels." The word synoptic comes from the Greek words "syn" (together or alike) and "optic" (to see). Basically, it means that they "see alike." Their goal in writing was to present the straight, historic facts. John, however, is an evangelistic gospel. His goal, rather than just presenting historic facts, was to cause men to trust Christ for salvation (remember the thesis paper idea?).



THE FOUR GOSPELS IN A NUTSHELL: Again, to get a good grip on John, we need to understand his purpose and it helps to see the purpose of each gospel writer. I love how they all fit together like a puzzle.

A Portrait of Christ:

Each Gospel writer had an "agenda" of sorts. He wanted to display Christ in a certain light, focusing on certain aspects of Christ's walk on earth.

Matthew: Christ as King

Mark: Christ as Servant

Luke: Christ as Man

John: Christ God

I love how each of these covers the opposite of the other, covering the full portrait of Christ when viewed all together.

Prominent Words:

These are the words that are found most often in each gospel. Do you see how each of these words line up with the portrait each gospel writer sought to display?

Matthew: Fulfilled

Mark: Straightway, or Right away

Luke: Son of Man

John: Believe

Audience:

Each gospel writer had a certain audience in mind when writing, which also explains why they sought to portray Christ in a certain role. After seeing who they wrote to, why do you think they sought to portray Christ in that specific role?

Matthew: The Jews

Mark: The Romans

Luke: The Greeks

John: All people

(we will look at in more detail this week why he wrote to all people)

Emphasis:

Each gospel writer focused on a certain action of Christ during his time on earth. Again, notice how each of these lines up with the portrait of Christ the gospel writer was presenting.

Matthew: Christ's Words

Mark: Christ's Works

Luke: Christ's Humanity

John: Christ's Deity

Outstanding Sections:

These are the specific actions that each gospel writer focused on, following from what was mentioned above. Why would these impact each people group?

Matthew: Christ's Sermons

Mark: Christ's Miracles

Luke: The Details of Christ's birth and crucifixion

John: Christ's claims to deity (both words and miracles)

UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS:

OK, as we wrap up the background of John, here are some characteristics that set John apart from the other gospels:

~John emphasized evangelism, not history.

~John only recorded seven miracles.

~John focused on Judea rather than on Galilee

~John used Christ's words about himself more than he used his own words.

I know, this is a lot to read and take in. So here are some questions to consider this week:


1. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: What are the three elements of a gospel?
2. Why do you think John is the most loved gospel?
3. Why do you think each gospel writer focused on the above categories? What parallels can you see?
4. John presented through his gospel who Jesus Christ is to him. After presenting his thesis and argument, his question to us becomes "Who is Jesus Christ to you?"