Welcome to this Bible study of John's Gospel. Try to answer these questions reading the scripture passages given. The questions marked " * " are more advanced, perhaps, you'd like to see if you can answer them. Those questions labeled " § " are private and need only be shared when you feel comfortable doing so.
Of necessity, the questions cannot be based on all translations. The Revised Standard Version and the New International Version are the primary sources for this lesson, however, use whatever version you enjoy. The LORD will bless your daily commitment to the study of his word.
The previous lesson presented the book of Exodus. Moses led the people out of Egypt as they sacrificed the Passover lamb. Because of his unique relationship to GOD, Moses established the liturgy and structure of the Jewish religion with the help of willing sacrifices from the common people.
The Gospel of John, presented in this lesson, was written with the express purpose of convincing us that the human being known as Jesus of Nazareth, who walked, talked, breathed and ate just as we do is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing we may have eternal life in his name (20:31). Jesus is presented as a type of the Paschal Lamb of GOD who takes away the sin of the world (1:30). As such, Jesus is a type of Moses, a deliverer who leads us from existence in the temporal realm to a spiritual relationship of eternal life. Even more, the Gospel of John presents this Jesus of Nazareth as one who was with GOD in the beginning, and made all things (1:1-3).
This is an awesome task. The author of John's Gospel accomplishes this not by relating the miraculous healings as Luke does (although John does include healings) nor by relating Jesus as the one prophesied as Matthew proves (although prophecy is a part of John's Gospel). The Jesus of John's Gospel convinces us by conversation. Ironically, this makes this gospel both the most approachable and the most confusing because conversation is such a common form of expression, yet, the topic is foreign to our temporal existence. As a way of understanding the difficulty, try to imagine how you would explain colour to someone who has no ability to see. John is explaining eternity to us who have lived only in the temporal world.
After you have studied this lesson, you will understand how you may obtain eternal life. You will see Jesus of Nazareth fulfil the role of the Lamb of GOD through his death and resurrection, and you will know him to be the the "I AM" of Exodus 3:14 as Jesus repeats this phrase applying it to himself as the Light, the Truth, the Way et al. Further, you will see Jesus as very human with human concerns and emotions in his caring relationship with his friends and disciples.
The next lesson is about the Epistles of John in which the author's purpose is to present the Christ who came from GOD, as the same human Jesus of Nazareth. A concept that required reiterating to a church that lived after Jesus of Nazareth had risen and ascended to the right hand of GOD.
Recommended Reading
- Francis of Sales, St
- Graham W Scroggie; A Guide to the Gospels, Fleming H Revell Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey;
"Of course, Jesus also performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples signs not recorded in this book. But these have been recorded so that you may have faith that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this faith you may have life in his name." (20:30,31). Raymond E Brown; The Anchor Bible: The Gospel According to John; Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, New York 1970.
The author the Gospel according to John has selected signs with the intent of first, convincing us that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of GOD, and second, that we may have life through faith in the Christ. If we have rightly understood this gospel, then the signs which we have read will convince us that the human being named Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, is also the Christ, the son of GOD. The added claim is that being convinced of this, in other words, acting as if it is true, we have life in the name of Jesus.
With the importance of these signs to our spiritual relationship established, let's examine them. Scroggie writes, 'Mighty Works,' means putting forth of Divine power It does not occur in this Gospel. 'Wonders,' means a wonderful act, and it occurs once in this Gospel. 'Works,' which signifies deeds designed to arrest attention, and 'signs,' which points to deeds which symbolise spiritual truths, are the two words which John uses for miracles. Miracles as 'works' were part of 'the work' which Christ came to do (17:4). They were designed to arrest attention, create wonder, and promote faith (5:20).
There are eight signs performed by the Christ Jesus in this Gospel: seven before the resurrection (2:1-11; 4:46-54; 5:1-9; 6:1-14; 6:16-21; 9:1-7; 11:17-44) and one following (21:1-14). In addition, the resurrection is the one sign performed by the LORD our GOD who raised him from the dead as we learned from Paul in our study of Romans 10:9. The resurrection in of itself is sufficient as we learned from our study of Matthew 12:39-40, "...no sign will be given... except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in heart of the earth."
The first of the signs performed at the Wedding at Cana (2:1-11) creates the situation for the disciples to believe in Jesus (11).. Theirs was a stronger commitment than found in those who saw the signs Jesus was doing at the Passover festival (2:23-25), who nonetheless, believed because of the signs.
The second sign in which Jesus heals an Official's Son (4:46-54) also occurs in Galilee. Raymond E Brown draws attention to the fact that, "The second miracle at Cana has a twofold significance: first, it stresses faith, and thus is a culmination of the preceding scenes in Part Two of the Book Signs; second, it stresses Jesus' power to give life and thus introduces one of the major themes of Part Three." As in the first sign performed in Cana, the second leads the disciples and the household to believe in Jesus.
The Gospel of John, unlike the Synoptic Gospels, often uses the signs as text for the following discourses. The third sign (5:1-9) is the first to follow this pattern. This sign results in indignation rather than faith. In the discourse which follows (5:16-30). the reaction of the religious leaders is evidence that they understood what Jesus was saying. The theologians of Israel understood that GOD did not rest on the seventh day because divine activity was visible in at least two ways: people are born and people die. When Jesus cites their own argument in verse 21, and applies it to himself, it was clear that he was applying a privilege reserved for GOD to himself. In this, the Christ Jesus is stating in terms which the theologians of Israel would understand that he was not only sent by GOD, he thought he was GOD.
The multiplication of loaves (6:1-14) is the only sign which is narrated in all four Gospels. The discourse is separated by the fifth sign, occurring when Jesus is on the other side of the sea (6:35ff). The stumbling block of this discourse is the meaning of "The Bread of Life". Even in antiquity there was no agreement. Modern theories have done no better at settling the mystery. "The sapiential theme is primary in the discourse proper (vss. 35-50). The fundamental reaction to Jesus' presentation of himself as bread in 35-50 is that of belief (35, 36, 40, 47) or of coming to him, which is a synonym for belief (35, 37, 44, 45). Only once (50) in this section is it said that anyone must eat the bread of life; it is in 51-58 that "eating" appears over and over again. The citation that Jesus uses (45) to illustrate what is happening to the people who hear him and come to him is: 'And they shall all be taught by GOD' a clear reference to the sapiential symbolism of the bread. The nearest parallel for the bread of life is the theme of living water in chapter 4, and the water is also a symbol for revelation." Brown p272. The result is division (66-71). Many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. Simon Peter, on the other hand, was compelled to believe and know that Jesus is the Holy One of GOD.
In the fifth sign (6:16-21), Jesus walks on the water to the disciples who are in the middle of the sea. From our study of Matthew 14:28-33, we learned of Peter's faith which led him to leave the security of the boat. Even so, he possessed "little faith", and soon was frightened. Peter responded to the sign in faith, it simply was not strong, yet.
The man born blind who receives sight in chapter 9 is the sixth sign. The discourse highlights the division which results. The religious authority are driven to spiritual blindness because they prfess to see while the physically blind man receives more than sight when he acknowledges Jesus as the Son of Man.
Chapter 11 narrates the story of Lazarus, declaring that Jesus gives people life. This sublime turn of events culminates the eschatological teaching of chapter 5, and foretells of the resurrection. Again, those who oppose do so with yet greater vigour and those who have faith, find deeper faith within them. When Mary anoints him in response to this miracle (12:1-8), Jesus sanctions her faithfulness.
The eighth and final sign presented by John's Gospel is the Draught of Fishes (21:4-8). Personally, I feel that focusing on the fish misses the larger miracle that a dead man, namely Jesus, is walking and conversing! Anyway, in keeping with tradition, let's focus on the fish. ;-) Peter immediately jumped in to the sea to join Jesus on the shore.
These, then, are the eight signs written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of GOD, and that through believing you may have life in his name. The unfortunate truth is that even some of those who witnessed the signs for themselves became the most violently opposed to Jesus. And so it is in every age. These signs are life to some, and death to others. As it is written in Matthew 13:3, "Listen! A sower went out to sow...."