{"id":13002,"date":"2013-02-12T20:24:42","date_gmt":"2013-02-13T02:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianrep.com\/blog\/?p=13002"},"modified":"2013-07-30T20:02:23","modified_gmt":"2013-07-31T01:02:23","slug":"the-gospel-of-john-the-abcs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianrep.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/12\/the-gospel-of-john-the-abcs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gospel of John: The ABCs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Authorship, Background, and Contents of Johns Gospel<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

Authorship<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Though the names traditionally assigned to the four gospels go back to earliest Christian times \u2014 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John \u2014 it is true that none of the four actually names its author. We have accepted the identities of the authors on other grounds, chiefly consistent early tradition along with internal evidence. Probably the last gospel written, the authorship of John can be established with confidence.<\/p>\n

In one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle\u2019s Sherlock Holmes stories, the decisive clue leading the detective to the solution of the mystery is \u201cthe curious incident of the dog in the nighttime.\u201d When a puzzled character says, \u201cBut the dog did nothing in the nighttime,\u201d Holmes replies, \u201cThat is the curious incident.\u201d The dog did not bark because he knew the person who came to the stable, guiding Holmes to the culprit. The mystery hinges on what did not <\/i>happen.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the Fourth Gospel is striking because of the central character who is never named \u2014 the apostle John. This John was the brother of James and the son of Zebedee, nicknamed with his brother \u201cthe Sons of Thunder.\u201d These brothers along with Peter figure prominently in the other three gospels as Jesus\u2019 inner circle. In this gospel Peter appears often, as do many lesser-known disciples, such as Nathaniel, Philip, and Thomas. It is therefore surprising that John, who is mentioned so often in all of the other gospels, is never named in this one.<\/p>\n

There is a person referred to as \u201cthe disciple whom Jesus loved,\u201d and this person is identified as the author in 21:20-24. James was martyred too early to have written this gospel (about A.D. 44), so that leaves John. Many scholars have pointed out that the author of this gospel was a Jew who lived in Palestine before the destruction of Jerusalem. He is accurate on many details that someone would not know otherwise, such as geography, culture, religious practices, and architecture \u2014 much of which did not exist after A.D. 70. Some of the architectural features he mentions were not verified until they were discovered by archaeologists in the 20th<\/sup> century. John\u2019s descriptions are true.<\/p>\n

All early Christian writers identify John as the author. Irenaeus, writing about A.D. 180 wrote that:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon his breast, had himself published a gospel during his residence in Ephesus in Asia.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John himself in his youth, giving a strong link back to the first generation of Christians. Irenaeus writes:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I remember the events of those days more clearly than those which have happened recently \u2026 I can speak even of the place in which the blessed Polycarp sat and disputed \u2026 how he reported his converse with John and with the others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what were the things concerning the Lord which he had heard from them, including his miracles and his teaching, and how Polycarp had received them from the eyewitnesses of the word of life, and reported all things in agreement with the Scriptures.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The early Christian historian Eusebius, writing about A.D. 325, says that the first three gospels having already been written (Matthew, Mark, and Luke, known as the \u201cSynoptic\u201d gospels), they were presented to John for his comments:<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He admitted them, giving his testimony to their truth; but that there was only wanting in the narrative the account of the things done by Christ among the first of his deeds, and at the commencement of the gospel.\u2026For these reasons the apostle John, it is said, being entreated to undertake it, wrote the account of the time not recorded by the former evangelists.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

John reflects this, seeming deliberately to avoid retelling many of the teachings and events already presented in the Synoptics, and filling in many of the blanks they do not cover (see Contents).<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Despite the unanimous early testimony of believers and the absence of contrary evidence, radical scholars have attacked the authenticity of John for 150 years. The main reasons given are 1) the supposed 2nd<\/sup> century philosophy represented in it, especially John\u2019s use of Logos, \u201cthe Word,\u201d for Christ; and 2) the supposed \u201cadvanced Christology.\u201d However, recent scholarship has skewered the first view, finding that the concept of logos was already known and used in the first century. The second charge of \u201cadvanced Christology\u201d is based on the faulty assumption that the first followers of Christ considered him only a man (though highly revered) and subsequent decades showed a gradual growth into belief in his deity. A study of the New Testament epistles shows the foolishness of this view \u2014 John says nothing about Christ that was not taught about him from the beginning. Particularly Paul\u2019s letters and the book of Hebrews, written in the 50s and 60s, prove that Christians believed all along that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and Creator of all things who has now become man to redeem us and reconcile all things to himself.<\/p>\n

Two important archaeological discoveries also have confirmed the traditional date of John. One of these, the John Rylands papyrus, is the oldest extent portion of New Testament Scripture: a fragment of the Gospel of John dated about A.D. 130. This proves that, allowing time for copying and transmission, this gospel could have been written no later than the time always assigned to it \u2014 sometime between A.D. 70-90.<\/p>\n

There have always been, and always will be, committed skeptics. However, believers today can be confident that this gospel was written by \u201cthe disciple whom Jesus loved,\u201d the faithful disciple John.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Background<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As seen in the Irenaeus quote above, John <\/i>appears to consciously supplement the three gospels that had already been written. Early traditions are consistent in placing John in and around Ephesus during the last decades of his life.<\/p>\n

The first three gospels in the New Testament are known as the \u201cSynoptic\u201d gospels, meaning \u201cseen together\u201d or giving a \u201ccommon view.\u201d Matthew, Mark, and Luke share a common outline, probably because Matthew and Luke used Mark as the structure upon which they built additional records about Jesus\u2019 life and teachings. John <\/i>stands apart as a strikingly different viewpoint of Christ, emphasizing different teachings and events than the others.<\/p>\n

In the first decades after Christ\u2019s resurrection, the Church was primarily Jewish. Jewish Christians coexisted within the community of the Jews, and there was alternately uneasy tolerance and rejection (the Epistle of James was probably written during this period). But after the destruction of Jerusalem, relations between Christians and non-Christian Jews widened, and there was much animosity. The Jewish Christians among them would have been special targets of scorn. John\u2019s writings \u2014 the Gospel, his three letters, and especially the Revelation \u2014 reflect that hostility, and give encouragement to keep believing.<\/p>\n

We can know, however, that his listeners were primarily Gentiles. As such, they would have had a weaker foundation of Old Testament understanding. They would have been quite familiar with the religious currents of the day, and more susceptible to the errors of the cultures from which they came. The religious atmosphere of the time was a swirling mix of pagan mythologies, philosophical speculations, and mystery cults. Believers needed clear truth to keep their focus on Christ and the gospel.<\/p>\n

Many early traditions say that John contended with a false teacher named Cerinthus, who taught an early version of Gnosticism. In brief, Gnosticism was a religious and philosophical movement based on the understanding that the material universe is an illusion and evil. Only \u201cspirit\u201d is good. Therefore, pure \u201cspirit\u201d could not be united with matter. The word Gnostic comes from the Greek gnosis<\/i>, knowledge. \u201cSalvation\u201d for a Gnostic meant coming to this \u201cspiritual knowledge\u201d and escaping the illusion of this world.<\/p>\n

Cerinthus taught that Jesus, being pure Spirit, could not have joined himself to matter. He only seemed <\/i>to have a human body. From this view, the error of Cerinthus has been called \u201cDocetism\u201d \u2014 from the Greek word dokeo<\/i>, \u201cto seem.\u201d The First Letter of John directly attacks this false teaching.<\/p>\n

Whether or not this controversy had arisen by the time this gospel was written, John could hardly have chosen language better designed to attack Docetism than these words:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God \u2026 and the Word became flesh.<\/b><\/p>\n

John 1:1,14<\/b><\/p>\n

Jesus was not partly<\/i> God. He was not God pretending<\/i> to be a man. He was not God who only seemed <\/i>to be a man. Jesus Christ was truly God-become-Man.<\/p>\n

The profound claims of Christ and the profound teaching of the apostle John have given us incredibly strong assurance of who Jesus was and is.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Contents<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

A major contribution of John is his narrative of the beginning of Jesus\u2019 ministry, a period passed over by the other gospel writers. For example, Mark summarizes in a single chapter the inaugural preaching of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus, and the temptations. Then he goes straight to this comment:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. <\/b>(Mark 1:14)<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Matthew and Luke follow this pattern, giving the impression that Jesus\u2019 move to Galilee was immediate. It is John who explains more fully, telling us that Jesus spent several months working in Judea under the umbrella of the Baptist\u2019s ministry. The first four chapters of John describe Jesus\u2019 activities during this period. From the viewpoint of the public at the time, John the Baptist was seen as the leader of the movement, with Jesus subordinate. But Jesus quickly took over the dominant role. That\u2019s why we have this exchange:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They came to John and said to him, \u201cRabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan\u2014the one you testified about\u2014well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

To this John replied, \u201cA man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, \u2018I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.\u2019 . . . He must become greater; I must become less. <\/b>(John 3:26-30)<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

During this period the disciple John became acquainted with Jesus and began to follow him. John also tells of how Peter met Jesus in 1:40-42. Thus we know that when Jesus calls Peter and Andrew to full-time discipleship in Matthew 4:18-20 (\u201cCome, follow me,\u201d Jesus said, \u201cand I will make you fishers of men.\u201d) it is not the first time they had ever met him. Peter and Andrew had known Jesus for several months, as John makes clear. The same was true for John and his brother James.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Theme of John: Eternal life comes through faith in Jesus Christ<\/b><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

According to Stephen S. Kim, \u201cThe literary structure of the Fourth Gospel makes it one of the most carefully crafted pieces of literature in the Bible.\u201d But what was it crafted to accomplish? Merrill C. Tenney has written, \u201cOne of the peculiarities of the Fourth Gospel is the fact that its author chose to hang its key by the back door.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is speaking of John 20:30-31, where the apostle reveals his purpose:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then Jesus told him, \u201cBecause you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.\u201d Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 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.<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just as in his letters, John wanted believers to have a clear understanding of who Christ is and what He has accomplished, and thus have assurance of salvation through faith in Him. John identified his aim in his first letter, which could also serve as the purpose statement of his gospel:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. <\/b>(1 John 5:13)<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scholar N. T. Wright points out that the Greek \u201cverb \u2018believe\u2019 (pisteuein<\/i>) occurs more in this gospel than in Matthew, Mark and Luke put together; and, perhaps even more surprising, more than in all of Paul\u2019s letters put together.\u201d It is used 99 times in John\u2019s gospel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Knowing Whom to Believe: Emphasizing the claims of Christ.<\/b><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Biblical faith requires content<\/i>; that is, it is not a feeling, nor is it \u201cputting your brain on the shelf.\u201d Exercising faith according to the Scriptures means you know the person who is the object of your faith.<\/p>\n

John establishes the identity of Jesus immediately:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. <\/b>(John 1:1-3)<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In this profound opening, John refers to Christ as \u201cthe Word\u201d \u2014 Greek, Logos<\/i>. Logos <\/i>means not only \u201cword\u201d but \u201ccommunication,\u201d \u201cspeech,\u201d \u201creason,\u201d and \u201clogic.\u201d Thinking of the Word as Creator, it is striking to recall the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1, where God creates all things merely by speaking. <\/i><\/p>\n

Notice that not only was the Word \u201cwith God\u201d in the beginning, but also that \u201cthe Word was <\/i><\/b>God.\u201d How can a Person both be \u201cwith\u201d God and \u201cbe\u201d God at the same time? It boggles the imagination, but from passages like this we see a glimpse of the eternal three-fold nature of God, who is a Trinity: three Persons in one Divine Nature. Then in verse 2 it is made clear that the Word is not some impersonal quality of God, but a Person: \u201cHe <\/i><\/b>was with God in the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

This same Word \u201cbecame flesh\u201d (v. 14) \u2014 a real human being in whom we see the glory of the invisible God. Therefore, as Jesus says later,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. <\/b>(John 14:9)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 direct claims to deity can be seen throughout this gospel. Some examples:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n