The Writer Of The Gospel Of John
The apostle John was a son of Zebedee and the brother of the apostle James (cf. Matthew 10:2). His mother was Salome, a sister of Mary the mother of Jesus (cf. Mark 16:1; John 19:25). John, then, was a first cousin of Jesus.
John and Andrew had been disciples of John the Baptist. When John the Baptist pointed them to Jesus and told them Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, John and Andrew followed Jesus to become his first disciples (cf. John 1:29, 35-40).
John and his brother James were fishermen with their father Zebedee (cf. Matthew 4:21). They were also fishing partners with Simon Peter and his brother Andrew (cf. Luke 5:10,11; Matthew 4:18,19). Near the beginning of the second year of Jesus' public ministry, when Jesus was conducting his greater Galilean ministry, Jesus called John and James, Peter and Andrew, to follow him full time as his disciples. They then left their fishing business (cf. Matthew 4:18-22; Luke 5:10,11) and became Jesus' apostles (cf. Matthew 10:2).
John, as well as his brother James, showed that he was a high spirited man with a quick temper. Jesus called the two of them the “Sons of Thunder” (cf. Mark 3:17; Luke 9:51-56). In spite of this, John was the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” John, together with James and Peter, became a member of the innermost circle of three around Jesus. John, with the other two, was present when Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead (cf. Mark 5:35-42), and when Jesus was glorified on the Mount of Transfiguration (cf. Matthew 17:1,2; Mark 9:1,2; Luke 9:28,29). After Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, John entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, Caiaphas, because John was known to the high priest. John was the one who arranged for Peter to be allowed inside the courtyard during the time Jesus was being tried by the Sanhedrin (cf. John 18:12-16). John stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified. Jesus entrusted the care of his mother to John (cf. John 19:25-27). On Easter morning John ran out to the empty tomb and entered it after Peter (cf. John 20:3-10). John was present with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them on Easter evening, eight days later when Thomas was present with them, and again when Jesus came to them at the Sea of Galilee.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, John was an active witness in Jerusalem to the crucified and risen Christ. John was with Peter when at the gate of the temple they healed the beggar who was lame from birth and Peter preached to the crowd that then gathered in the temple (cf. Acts 3:1-26). John, too, was arrested with Peter for preaching the gospel of Jesus in the temple, imprisoned, and brought before the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews. When commanded not to preach in the name of Jesus, John, as well as Peter, testified that he could not stop speaking what he had seen and heard (cf. Acts 4:1-22). No doubt John was with the other apostles when the Sanhedrin arrested them, jailed them, tried them for preaching the gospel of Jesus in Jerusalem, and flogged them (cf. Acts 5:17-42). John remained in Jerusalem with the other apostles when the Sanhedrin initiated in connection with the stoning of Stephen the persecution of Jewish Christians in the city (cf. Acts 7:57-8:2). John became one of the recognized leaders in the church of Jerusalem. Paul stated that John was one of the reputed pillars of the church. John, as well as James the brother of the Lord Jesus and Peter, also extended the right hand of fellowship to Paul at the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem (cf. Galatians 2:9; Acts 15:1-29).
It is believed that John left Jerusalem around A.D. 66 before the Jews' war with the Romans, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. John then settled in Ephesus and ministered there as an apostle until his death around A.D. 100. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, who lived until around A.D. 180, attested to John's ministry in Ephesus. Irenaeus had a direct link to John via Polycarp, who had been a pupil of John's. Irenaeus also knew others who had been with John in Ephesus. John died and was buried in Ephesus. Polycrates, a second century bishop of Ephesus, said John was a martyr and teacher and that he slept at Ephesus. In spite of Polycrates' statement that John was a martyr, on the basis of what others in ancient times stated, John is thought to be the only apostle who died a natural death. Because of the contents of his gospel and letters, John has become known as the apostle of love.
John was the acknowledged author of the gospel bearing his name from early on. Irenaeus testified to John's writing of this gospel. In his book Heresies he reported that John, the disciple of the Lord who laid on his breast, published the fourth gospel while he was in Ephesus of Asia Minor. According to the ancient church historian Eusebius, Clement of Alexandria, a contemporary of Irenaeus, also reported that John as the last wrote a spiritual gospel as compared to the other three gospels which had recounted the externals of the story of Christ.
John's gospel was soon used in the writings of the early church fathers. Papias wrote around A.D. 130 about the aloes that John's gospel alone mentions in John 19:39. He explained that the aloes mixed with the myrrh for Jesus' burial was a substance which was burned as incense. Tertullian, who was born around A.D. 150, quoted a Latin translation of John's gospel from Carthage, Africa. He also knew of an earlier translation which was no longer in use. Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, quoted John's gospel around A.D. 180, as did Apollinaris around A.D. 170, and Athenagoras around A.D. 176. Tatian composed his Diatesseron, a harmony of the four gospels, which he began with the prologue from John's gospel. This testified to how well the Gospel of John was accepted in the church by his day.
The Recipients Of The Gospel Of John
John wrote his gospel for Christian believers in Jesus Christ, who were familiar with the three synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which they already had in their possession.
The Place Where The Gospel Of John Was Written
During the last years of his life John served the church in Ephesus. There he wrote his gospel. Irenaeus, as noted above, stated John wrote his gospel while in Ephesus of Asia Minor.
The Date Of The Gospel Of John
John wrote his gospel after the other three gospels had been written and circulated in the first century church. It is apparent that John was familiar with the other gospels when he wrote his own gospel. A comparison of John's gospel to the three synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke shows that John supplemented those three and filled in the gaps, including information about Jesus and his ministry which was not included in the three synoptic gospels.
Except for the ministry of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus, and Jesus' temptations in the wilderness, the three synoptic gospels reported nothing about the first year of Jesus' public ministry. What we know of the first year of Jesus' ministry comes from the Gospel of John. John filled in the gap of that first year. From John we know about: Jesus' gathering of his first disciples; his first miracle at the wedding in Cana; his first cleansing of the temple when he cast out the sellers and moneychangers, at which time he made his first promise of his resurrection from the dead; his conversation with Nicodemus when he said that God so loved the world...; his early Judean ministry; his brief ministry in Samaria where Jesus spoke with the woman at the well; his return to Cana and his healing of the official's son; and his return to Jerusalem to attend the unknown feast, at which time he healed the man at the pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath day and stirred up the ire of the Jewish leaders, who then began to seek to kill him (cf. John 1:19-5:47).
While John filled in the gap of Jesus' first year of ministry left by the three synoptic gospels, he wrote nothing about the second year of Jesus' ministry, which the three synoptics covered in detail. John jumped from the first year of Jesus' ministry to the third and final year, starting with the Passover and Jesus' feeding of the five thousand.
John further showed his familiarity with the three synoptics in selecting what he reported of the close of the third year of Jesus' ministry. He again chose to include material that suited the purpose of his gospel which the other three did not include. He again filled in the gaps and the blanks. From John's gospel alone we know about: Jesus' raising of Lazarus and his conversation with Martha when he said he was the resurrection and the life; the concern of the Jewish leaders that all of the Jews as a result of Jesus' raising Lazarus would believe in him and that they would lose their positions of recognition and authority, which is when Caiaphas said it was better for Jesus to die than that the whole Jewish nation should perish (cf. John 11:1-57); the Greeks who wished to see Jesus and the unbelief of the Jews (cf. John 12:20-50); Jesus' farewell discourses in the upper room Maundy Thursday evening (cf. John 14:1-17:26); Jesus' commending his mother to John's care (cf. John 19:25-27); the Roman soldier's piercing Jesus' side to verify that Jesus was dead (cf. John 19:31-37); Jesus' second appearance to his disciples after his resurrection when doubting Thomas was present (cf. John 20:26-29); and Jesus coming again to the disciples by the sea when he reinstated Peter as an apostle (cf. John 21:1-23).
What John included and excluded from his gospel clearly indicates that he had a thorough knowledge of the contents of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This indicates also that John must have written his gospel after Matthew, Mark, and Luke had written theirs. Having filled in the gaps and supplemented the other three gospels, and having written his gospel in a manner which required familiarity with the other three, John made the four gospels a single, grand unit.
It has been thought that John wrote his gospel before he wrote the Letters of First, Second, and Third John, and before the Book Of Revelation which he wrote last of all. The year of A.D. 85 has been suggested as an approximate date for the Gospel of John.
The Occasion And Purpose Of John’s Gospel
The chief, controlling purpose of John’s gospel, as explained previously, is stated in the concluding epilogue which begins with John 20:30,31.
John 20:30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The purpose of John’s gospel was not a missionary appeal. Rather it sought to strengthen and deepen the faith of those who were already Christian believers. The gospel does this by recounting the words and deeds of Jesus Christ.
John’s gospel was also written for a church in conflict in the world and subject to temptation. Emphases in the gospel indicate what some of the conflicts and temptations were. The gospel of Christ crucified was a stumbling block to the Jew and foolishness to the Gentiles, as Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 1:23. The Jews to whom Paul preached hated the gospel and persecuted those who proclaimed it and believed it, (cf. Acts 20:19; 21:27). In the Book of Revelation, which was written by John within a couple years of the writing of his gospel, he wrote of the Jews who opposed the church and stated they were the synagogue of Satan (cf. Rev.2:8-11; 3:7-10). Knowing the Jews’ hatred of Jesus and the gospel of Jesus, which the church had to contend with, John’s gospel presented the Jews’ hatred of Jesus where it began at the time of Jesus’ ministry. John’s gospel presents the Jewish hatred even more strongly than Matthew’s gospel does. John’s gospel presents the Jews in their blind, stubborn refusal to recognize that Jesus is Christ the Son of God and in their mounting hatred of Jesus. John presents the Jews denying Jesus is the Son of God (John 5:18; 8:40-59), and plotting to kill him (John 5:18; 8:40, 59; 10:31,39; 11:8,50). John presents the Jews, not as the children of Abraham, but as children of the devil (John 8:39-44). John’s gospel informs us that Jesus foretold the Jews’ hatred would persist. They would think that they were doing God a favor if they killed Jesus’ disciples (John 16:2). But the Spirit, whom Jesus would send to his disciples, would enable his disciples to continue in their struggle with the Jews as Jesus himself had done (John 16:2-4,7-11).
John was aware that among the Jews there were those who remained disciples of John the Baptist and did not accept his testimony to Jesus being the Christ. Those disciples of the Baptist ascribed the titles and functions of the Christ to John the Baptist himself. Paul encountered such disciples of the Baptist, (cf. Acts 19:1-7). Thus the Gospel of John gives special emphasis to the person and testimony of John the Baptist and subordinates him to Jesus Christ, who is the true light who had come into the world. John the Baptist came to bear witness to Jesus Christ (John 1:8). John the Baptist testified that he must decrease but that Jesus must increase (John 3:28-30). John the Baptist pointed out that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29-36). At the same time the Gospel of John upheld the divine significance of the Baptist’s ministry (John 1:6,14-15; 5:33,35).
John’s gospel also served the purpose of upholding the divinity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Word who became flesh, against the gnostic heresy of Cerinthus. The Greek word gnosis means knowledge. Following the teaching of Cerinthus, the gnostics believed that Jesus was only a man. They believed that the heavenly Christ entered the man Jesus at his baptism and occupied him for the three years of his public ministry to impart true knowledge to the world. Before the man Jesus died on the cross, however, the heavenly Christ departed from him. Thus the gnostics did not believe that Christ, the Son of God, became true man in the flesh. Nor did they believe that in the person of Jesus the Son of God died for our sins to reconcile us to God for our eternal salvation. They believed that for a fulfilling life they only needed the heavenly Christ to enlighten them with his true knowledge. Against this heresy John’s gospel testifies the Word, the eternal Creator God, became flesh and dwelt among us. Bearing the scars left by the nails and the spear in his body, John’s gospel testifies that Jesus is to be worshipped in the words of Thomas as “My Lord, and my God!”
The Structure Of John’s Gospel
John structured his gospel so that its content progresses, not in a straight line of logical thought such as you are accustomed to, but in an inverted spiral. John makes a point and then comes back to it later to expand on it.
John 1:1-18 is a prologue. It introduces the theme of John’s whole gospel. Throughout the rest of the gospel he comes back to the points he made in the prologue and elaborates on them to give us a fuller understanding of their meaning. This structure of John's gospel was fully explained by Martin Franzman in his book The Word of the Lord Grows. The outline of John's gospel that appears later in this overview is based on his explanation.
John’s chief purpose of his gospel is stated at the beginning of his concluding epilogue in John 20:30,31. There he stated the purpose of his gospel was to show that Jesus is Christ the Son of God. This was substantiated by Jesus’ miracles, which were signs and indicators of his divinity, so that we would believe in Jesus and have life in his name. These points--the divinity of Jesus, faith in him, and having life in him--were set forth already in the introductory prologue of John 1:1-18, as you will see below. John spiraled up and back to these points once again in his concluding summary in the epilogue.
John’s structure of stating a point and later spiraling up and back to it can be seen within the prologue itself. John 1:1-18 as translated in the New American Standard Bible is printed out for you below. These 18 verses have been outlined and color coded so you can see how John comes back to the opening points again and again to expand them and to elaborate on them. Note that the divinity of Jesus mentioned in the epilogue and colored red above shows up clearly in that same red color in the prologue. Note, too, that the faith and life in Jesus Christ mentioned in the epilogue and colored blue above also shows up clearly in that same blue color in the prologue. John also makes the point and comes back to it in the prologue that the world and Jesus' own people, the Jews, did not understand and believe in Jesus but rejected him and his Word of God. This is colored teal in the color coded outline below.
John 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
John 1:7 He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.
John 1:8 He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light.
John 1:9 ¶ There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
John 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
John 1:13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:14 ¶ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:15 John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’”
John 1:16 For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
John 1:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
The color coded outline of John 1:1-18:
A. Christ, the
Word, who speaks God’s message to the world, is God himself.
John 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
1. Christ, the Word, is the eternal God.
John 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.2. Christ, the Word, is the Creator God
John 1:3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.3. Christ, the Word, is God the giver of life.
John 1:4 In Him was life.
3.a. His gift of eternal life is the light that gives spiritual life and enlightenment to the people of the world.
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.3.b Christ is the divine Word whose light shines in this world’s darkness of spiritual ignorance, unbelief, false teachings, sin, death, and the sentence of damnation.
John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness.3.c The people of the world in this darkness did not understand the light of Christ the Word’s message of life. Not understanding it, they rejected it.
John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
B. John the Baptist was sent by
God as God’s messenger.
John 1:6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
1. John was a witness sent by God to testify that Christ the Word is the light of life so all might believe through the word of life that Christ spoke in the world.
John 1:7 He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.2. John was not the Christ but only a witness to Christ the true light.
John 1:8 He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light.
Note: The spiraling nature of John’s structure in his gospel can be clearly seen by the fact that in John 1:19-35 John spiraled back to John the Baptist’s testimony that he was not the Christ but that Jesus who came after him was.
C. Christ, the
Word and God himself, is the true light who came into the world.
John 1:9 ¶ There was the true light which, coming into the
world...
1. Christ is the true light who enlightens every man.
John 1:9 ¶ There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.2. Christ, the God who created the world, came and was in the world.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him.
2.a The people of the world whom he created did not recognize that he was God himself who was the light of life.
John 1:10 He was in the world...and the world did not know Him.2.b Christ who was the Creator God and spoke God’s word of life came to his own people, the Jews. But his own people rejected him.
John 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.2.c But as many as received Christ by faith as the Christ who is God, he gave them the right to be the children of God.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.
2.c.c. Such believers were born spiritually by God’s doing, not as a result of having descended from Abraham and the Old Israel, nor by the will of their sinful nature, nor by the will of another person.
John 1:13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
D. Christ, the
Word who is God, became flesh, a human being such as we are, and
lived among us on earth.
John 1:14 ¶ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.
1. The apostles beheld the glory of Christ as the only begotten Son of God the Father.
John 1:14 ¶ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father.2. The apostles beheld that Christ the Word and God was full of grace and truth in his person, his mission, and his message.
John 1:14 ¶ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory...full of grace and truth.3. John the Baptist also testified in Christ’s behalf, proclaiming that Christ is the almighty, eternal God.
John 1:15 John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’”
E. We who
believe, the New Israel, have received from this Christ, the Son
of God who lived on earth, the fulness of his grace from the
message he spoke as the Word and his going to the cross to save
us.
John 1:16 For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon
grace.
1. The law was given by Moses but the word of grace and truth came from Jesus Christ.
John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.2. No person has seen God. Christ the Word who is the Son of God has explained and made God known to us.
John 1:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
Having noted John’s spiral structure in the preceding outline, this spiral structure progresses and expands through his whole gospel. To illustrate how John presented the contents of his gospel in this spiral fashion to elaborate on his theme in the prologue, an outline of John’s entire gospel now follows.
The Prologue:
John 1:1-18
It’s theme: Jesus is the Word of God, God himself in the
flesh. He is the light of life that all may believe in him. Yet
he was rejected by men.
Part 1: John 1:19-4:54 The Word was presented to all Israel in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. (This section elaborates John 1:11: “He came to His own.”)
John 1:19-34 The testimony of John the Baptist: Jesus is Christ, the promised Messiah. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He gives the Holy Spirit. He is the Son of God.
John 1:35-51 The testimony of the first disciples: Jesus is Christ, the Messiah, the King of Israel, and the Son of God.
John 2:1-12 The testimony of Jesus’ first miracle, which he performed in Cana of Galilee so his disciples could see his glory.
John 2:13-22 The testimony of Jesus the first time he cleansed the temple. His glory would be revealed through his death and resurrection, which would attest to his being Christ the Savior.
John 2:23-3:21 The testimony of Jesus to Nicodemus. Jesus reveals God’s grace and truth in stating that one must be born spiritually to a living faith given by the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. Because of God’s love for all people, Jesus would be lifted up on the cross so that all who believe in him may have eternal life.
John 3:22-36 The testimony of John the Baptist glorifies Jesus as the one who must increase. Whoever believes in Jesus, the Son of God, has eternal life. But whoever does not believe in Jesus abides under the wrath of God.
John 4:1-42 The testimony of Jesus to the woman of Samaria at the well. Jesus reveals his grace and truth in explaining that he gives the living water for eternal life and that he is the Christ who was promised in the Old Testament.
John 4:43-54 The testimony of Jesus’ second miracle in healing the official’s son. Jesus’ gracious word is powerful, granting healing and faith.
Part 2: John 5:1-12:50 The Word is rejected by Israel. (This section elaborates John 1:11: “...and those who were His own did not receive him.”)
John 5:1-47 The Jews persecute Jesus for healing the man at the pool of Bethseda on the Sabbath day and for saying God was his Father. The truth is, however, that the Father desires all to honor his Son Jesus as they honor him, for Jesus is the judge who raises the dead and gives eternal life.
John 6:1-71 After feeding the five thousand, Jesus reveals his grace and truth in proclaiming that he is the Bread of Life. All who believe in him have eternal life and he will raise them from the dead on the last day. Upon hearing this many of his disciples desert him, because they realize he did not come to establish an earthly kingdom in which he would rule as their Bread King. Jesus makes it clear that he came as the Savior to sacrifice his flesh and blood so all who believe in him may have eternal life.
John 7:1-10:42 Jesus is opposed in Jerusalem.
John 7:1-8:59 The Jews desire to arrest and kill Jesus, who reveals his grace and truth in declaring he is the water of life and the light of the world. Because of their unbelief, Jesus says the Jews would die in their sins.
John 9:1-41 Jesus graciously restores the sight of the man born blind, who then sees by faith that Jesus is the Lord. But the Jews, who claim to see the truth, remain spiritually blind.
John 10:1-21 Jesus declares the gracious truth that he is the gate through whom the sheep enter eternal life and that he is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. This further divides the Jews.
John 10:22-42 The Jews ask Jesus if he is the Christ. Because Jesus speaks the truth in saying he is one with the Father, the Jews pick up stones to stone him for blasphemy.
John 11:1-54 Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. This substantiates his grace and truth: he is the resurrection and the life. Fearing that the whole nation of Israel would believe in Jesus as a result of his raising Lazarus from the dead, the rulers of the Jews plot to kill him.
John 11:55-12:50 On Palm Sunday the Jewish multitudes hail Jesus as the Messianic King. Jesus knows the cross lies before him. Some rulers of the Jews believe in him secretly, but the chief priests’ and the Pharisees’ hardened hearts stand firmly opposed to him.
Part 3: John 13:1-17:26 The Word is accepted by his disciples--In the upper room Maundy Thursday evening. (This section elaborates John 1:12: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”)
John 13:1-20 At the Passover meal Jesus washes his disciples’ feet as an example to them of humble, loving service.
John 13: 21-30 Jesus announces that one of his disciples will betray him.
John 13:31-35 Jesus announces, after Judas leaves to betray him, that he is being glorified and God is being glorified in him. He gives his disciples a new command to love one another.
John 13:36-17:26 Jesus prepares his disciples for their being separated from his visible presence. Jesus says he would prepare a place in heaven for them and that the Holy Spirit would come to them to teach them all things. Jesus informs his disciples that he is the vine and that they are his branches to bear much fruit. As Jesus is prepared to go the cross to die to save them, he tells them that greater love has no one than to lay down his life for his friends. He warns them that the world would hate them as the world hated him. He addresses his disciples’ sorrow over their being separated from him and promises them that their sorrow will be turned to joy when they see him again. He prays for his disciples who are with him and for all who would believe in him in the future through their message.
Part 4: John 18:1-20:29 The Word is the fullness of God’s grace and truth. Jesus’ glory is revealed through his suffering, death, and resurrection by which he saved us. (This section elaborates John 1:16: “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”)
John 18:1-14 Jesus is betrayed and arrested.
John 18:15-27 Jesus is tried before the high priest while Peter denies him.
John 18:28-19:16 Jesus is tried before Pilate and is condemned to death though he is innocent of any wrong doing.
John 19:17-42 Jesus is crucified, gives his life into death, and is buried.
John 20:1-29 Jesus rises from the dead and appears to his disciples in his glorified body.
Epilogue: John 20:30-21:25
John 20:30,31 The purpose of John’s writing his gospel about Jesus was so you would believe Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you would have eternal life.
John 21:1-19 The risen Jesus appears to his disciples for the third time by the sea. He reinstates Peter as an apostle and speaks of the death by which Peter will glorify God.
John 21:20-25 Jesus says he will determine the fate of his beloved disciple John. John testifies that what he has written in his gospel is the truth but not everything that Jesus did could be written in books.