St. John s Gospel Lesson 1: Introduction Sept. 26, 2018 Introductory Quotes about Holy Scripture: (All scripture references will be in New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised) All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16) In the Bible, God not only reveals Himself but also the path to happiness. Pope John Paul II Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. St. Jerome We speak to God when we pray; we listen to Him when we read the Scriptures. St. Ambrose An Anglican Approach Reading Holy Scripture is our great privilege as Christian people. When we open the Bible we believe that we are reading the inspired Word of God. As Anglicans we believe that the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God and contain all things necessary to Salvation. (Book of Common Prayer) When we read the Bible, we believe it is the ultimate rule and standard of faith (Anglican Quadrilateral), meaning it is the final word and authority in all matters of faith and morals. The Bible is a great gift of God and we receive it with joy, faith and obedience. Word and Sacrament St. Laurence is a Bible Church in the very best sense of the term; both our doctrine and our worship are thoroughly biblical. As we read the Bible, we read that the early Christians continued in the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42) In that one verse, we read that both Word and Sacrament have been essential parts of the Church s life from the very beginning. The Breaking of the Bread is the Eucharist. The Apostles teaching is the New Testament. So, Anglicans have always emphasized the need to both study the Bible and receive the sacraments. We believe that as we do both, we are being nourished and given the things we need for Christian living. Some brother and sister Christians believe that sacraments distract from the message of the Bible, but Anglicans believe that nothing could be further from the truth. As we will particularly see in this study of St. John s Gospel, the writers of the New Testament assumed that everyone reading their works would be participating in Sacramental worship, the kind of worship that we
Page! 2 of! 6 practice every day at St. Laurence. We honor Christ present in Holy Scripture and believe that studying the Holy Scriptures is essential for the Christian to grow closer to Jesus Christ. The Gospel according to St. John Outline 1. Purpose of the Gospel 2. Themes 3. Structure 1. The Purpose of St. John s Gospel A. The Key Word is to Believe St. John clearly states his purpose for writing his Gospel in John 20:31: But these are 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. John s key word here is believe which emphasizes the importance of an active trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. The word believe appears 98 times in his Gospel, emphasizing the reason why John wrote it. His Gospel is not just about informing the reader about the life and teachings of Jesus. John s Gospel is written for a far more significant purpose: so that all who read the Gospel may believe in the Son of God and because they believe, may have the abundant life (John 10:10) that only Jesus can give. B. The Nature of Jesus Fully God and Fully Man John wrote his Gospel not only to assist believers in the life of faith but also to clarify the nature of Jesus, who he really was and is. In the early days of the Church, some were not quite sure if Jesus was truly God or if he was a man just like everybody else. Some of the early Christians knew Jesus had done amazing things but were not so clear on what those things meant. St. John goes out of his way to emphasize both the divinity of Christ and the humanity of Christ as he tells about the life of Jesus Christ. John s Gospel leads its readers to the conclusion that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. 2. Themes of St. John s Gospel A. A Four Parter The Gospel of John can be divided into four parts: 1. The Prologue (John 1:1-18) 2. The Book of Signs (John 1:19-12:50) 3. The Book of Glory (John 13:1-20:31) 4. The Epilogue (John 21:1-25)
The Prologue In the first 18 verses, John introduces all of the major themes of his Gospel. Jesus Christ is God, the Creator, the source of life and light, the eternal word. A key verse, that you might want to memorize, in the prologue is John 1:14a: And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. This verse is the basis for the doctrine of the Incarnation, the Christian understanding that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ. Page! 3 of! 6 The Book of Signs The Book of Signs focuses on the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah, the promised one. For John, the word sign is important. The wonders and miracles that Jesus performs aren t simply random displays by a gifted man they unveil the power of God. To draw attention to Jesus divinity, John focuses on seven key signs. These signs point to one thing: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who has come into the world. The Book of Glory A major turning point in the gospel happens at the juncture of chapters 11 and 12. There, two things happen: the Jewish religious leaders resolve to kill Jesus and, at almost the same moment, Gentiles ask to see Jesus. Until this moment, Jesus insists that it is not yet his time but after this he says his hour has come. (John 12:23) When he says this, Jesus is telling us he intends to die and that his death isn t an unforeseen tragedy. Jesus tells Andrew and Philip that it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. (John 12:27), letting us know that his death and sacrifice are at the core of his mission. The Book of Glory, fittingly, culminates with his Resurrection. The Epilogue The final section of the gospel records the last of Jesus resurrection appearances at the Sea of Galilee and the rest of the story of St. Peter. In his final word, John tells us how Peter went from abandoning Jesus to becoming the leader of the newborn church. The epilogue is a final bit of encouragement for all who struggle to follow Jesus. B. We are Family John s gospel has an extreme focus on the theme of family, both human and divine. Nearly every chapter contains familial imagery. The Blessed Trinity is the divine family The Father loves the Son; the Son gives himself as a perfect self-offering of love to the Father; and the special mission of the Spirit is to bring every human being into this divine family. Through the sacrament of Baptism, and through faith in Jesus Christ, Christians live their lives as part of God s family. We are made sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and we participate in the trinitarian life of God. So, we Christians are family to God and to each other. C. Love, Love, Love While all four Gospels emphasize the importance of love, St. John s Gospel stands out among them. It was St. John in one of his letters who wrote God is love. (1 John 4:8) John s favorite theme is Love. He highlights that God s primary motivation is love and it is our right response
Page! 4 of! 6 to God: We love Him because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) John s Gospel highlights the new commandment that Jesus gives to his followers, This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12) 3. Structure John s Gospel takes its structure from the I am statements of Jesus and from the Signs that he works throughout the gospel. There are seven of each. A. The 7 I am statements The I am statements of Jesus are scandalous at the time they are uttered because Jesus is clearly identifying himself with God. Remember that when Moses was receiving the 10 commandments, he asked God what His name was and God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you. (Exodus 3:14) When John structures his gospel around these 7 statements, he does so to emphasize the divinity of Jesus Christ: Jesus is God. The 7 I am statements are: I am the bread of life (John 6:35) I am the light of the world (John 8:12) I am the door (10:7) I am the good shepherd (John 10:11) I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25) I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) I am the vine (John 15:1) B. The 7 Signs Rather than just miracles, these seven works are described by John as signs. Just like all signs, they are meant to point us to a deeper reality. These wondrous miracles are not just neat tricks but signs pointing to the authority of Jesus Christ over all things. The 7 signs are: The miracle at Cana (John 2:1-11) The healing of the official s son (John 4:46-54) The healing of a paralytic (John 5:1-9) The multiplication of the loaves (John 6:1-14) Walking on water (John 6:16-21) The restoration of sight to the blind man (John 9:1-41) The raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:17-44). 4. Memory Verse for the Week And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Page! 5 of! 6 Questions Read Notes and References again and answer questions 1-4. 1. What is John s main purpose in writing his Gospel? 2. What are two other reasons why you think he wrote the Gospel? 3. Around what did John organize his Gospel? 4. What are the signs in John s Gospel meant to point us to? Looking Ahead to our Study of John s Prologue, read John 1:1-18. Also read Proverbs 8:22-30. The Word John 1:1-5 1. Read Genesis 1:1-5, and list the parallels between the opening verse of the Gospel of John and the opening verse of Genesis. 2. What do John 1:3 and Colossians 1:15-17 tell us about the Word? A Man Sent From God John 1:6-14 3. What is John the Baptist s mission? What does the Gospel say is not John the Baptist s mission? Why is this highlighted?
Page! 6 of! 6 4. What is the contrast between all who received him and his own people? The Word Became Flesh John 1:14-18 5. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) This is our suggested memory verse. What is meant by this verse? 6. In John 1:15, John the Baptist bears witness that Jesus was before him. What is the double meaning of the word before in this statement? 7. In John 1:16, St. John mentions grace. How would you define this term? 8. In John 1:17, he mentions Jesus by name for the first time. What reason does he give for why Jesus is superior to Moses? 9. In what ways does your life bear witness to the light as St. John the Baptist s did? Describe a time you were afraid to be bold and speak out for Jesus. How did you handle it?