Introductory Matter – Gospel According to St. John

The following matter are notes from which I taught my adult Sunday School class. They are posted here primarily for the benefit of class members who were not in attendance for the lesson.

Preliminary remarks:

I believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible. [see this Theopedia article for explanation). This means that I have a high view of Scripture. I believe that when John used certain words it was the design and intent of the Holy Spirit that John used that particular word. It also means we must handle the Word of God reverently, carefully, and honestly.

This is to be an exhaustive study of the Gospel. I anticipate that we will be at it two years or more, should God give us time. We are not in a hurry. I hope to post the more salient portions of the lessons in my blog for those that are absent, so you will be able to keep up and not miss out on much.

During the course of our study I will be using vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to you. Do not let me get ahead of you. I will try and define terms, but if I don’t — or if you have a question — do not be afraid to interrupt me. Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance can hurt you. So ask your question.

Some of you may have different translations than I have. You will forgive me, but I will be using the King James Version because I like it. It may not be the only translation and it may not be the best. But it’s the one I will be using.

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Author: John, the son of Zebedee and Salome

(Mark 1:16-19) Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

(Matt. 27:56)  Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.

Cf. (cf. means “compare)

(Mark 16:1-2)  And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.  (2)  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

John was uneducated, which means that he was not rabbinically trained. He did not have a seminary education.

The book is written in a simple style. The vocabulary is meager, with many words and expressions being often repeated.

(Act_4:13)  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Close friend of Jesus

John was a cousin of Jesus. His mother and Jesus’ mother were sisters.

Only John, along with his brother James and Peter were present at the raising of Jairus’s daughter, the transfiguration, and witness to Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

John was “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” (John 19:26). It was John who leaned on Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper (John 13:23)

It was John who, at the foot of the cross, was entrusted with caring for his aunt and the mother of Jesus.

Ministry:

Supposedly lived in Jerusalem for 15 years after the ascension, until Mary died.

No record of him being in Jerusalem after A.D. 50.

Elder in Ephesus

Exiled to Patmos either during the reign of Nero or Trajan

Wrote three epistles: 1, 2, and 3 John

Wrote the Apocalypse (either before A. d. 70 (internal evidence) or around A.D. 90 – 95 (external evidence).

Died in the last decade of the first century, being in his nineties.

John’s Gospel is distinctly different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

John	Synoptics
Jesus often speaks of himself	Jesus seldom speaks of himself
Style is simple; vocabulary limited
Jesus’ birth not mentioned
Jesus’ baptism not recorded
Jesus’ divinity emphasized	Jesus’ humanity emphasized
No parables, except John 15	Parables common
No demons exorcised	Demons exorcised
Only one reference to scribes (John 8:3)	Many references to scribes
Ministry: 3 years	Ministry: 1 year
Locus of ministry: Judea & Jerusalem	Locus of ministry: Galilee
Includes miracles not mentioned in synoptics (Cana, Lazurus)
No Sermon on the Mount
No Olivet discourse

Purpose in writing: (John 20:31) But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Exposition of John 1:1 to be posted shortly, Lord willing.

How May We Know There Is a God?

Many claim there is no God. Others say there is a God but he is unknowable. Some will go only as far as saying there may be a God. Some think there are a myriad of gods and that we mortals can become gods. There are theists, deists, pantheists, polytheists, atheists, monotheists, agnostics, and the confused, who honestly don't know what to believe.

The Bible is the written revelation of God. It is god's letter to the human race. The Bible tells us about God. It does not tell us all about him, but it tells us enough to authenticate the fact that there is a God. Some things about God can be known through nature, as well. The Apostle Paul informs us that through nature we may ascertain the divinity of God because we can see his power and his handiwork.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:18-20

The Bible is the only book which God himself has given to mankind. It contains all that is necessary for us to know concerning salvation, life after death, how to live a life pleasing to God, and about God himself.

Other faiths and religions have their own holy books. None of them is self-authenticating. All of them disagree with and fall short of the Bible in expression, in morals, in ethics. None of them faithfully reveals the one transcendent and immanent God of the Bible.

There are those who raise objections to the Christian view of the Bible. One group, for instance, says, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly." However, they don't seem able to point out the incorrectly translated parts.

Is the Bible translated incorrectly? Dr. Richard Lloyd Anderson of Brigham Young University says: “It is easy to get lost in debate on details and fail to see the overwhelming agreement of all manuscripts to the historical record of the New Testament gives every reason to assume a fairly stable transmission of the documents we possess. Similarly, we can state the same for the Old Testament.”

The United Bible Societies has documented every difference between the extant Greek manuscripts. The oldest extant text of the entire Hebrew scriptures is the Leningrad manuscript, dating back to A.D. 1009 or 1008. The accuracy of this manuscript has been confirmed by comparing it with portions of the Hebrew scriptures, especially the prophecy of Isaiah, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Among all the variants there are no substantial differences nor any changes affecting the Christian faith. We may safely conclude, based on objective evidence, the Holy Bible is a reliable revelation pointing us to Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe.