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A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF JOHN
I. GENERAL CONTENTS OF THE BOOK.
It begins with the Word, Who is identified as "the
only begotten of the Father" (1:14), being with God "in the
beginning" (1:1).
In terms of earthly events, it begins with John the
Baptizer being a witness for Jesus, the true Light (1:5-9).
It ends with Jesus appearing to seven disciples following
His resurrection. At that time He gave a special charge to Simon Peter to feed
His sheep and follow Him (ch. 21).
II. WRITER: the apostle John.
The writer was "the disciple whom Jesus loved"
(21:20).
The writer is also identified as the one "which
also leaned on" Jesus’ bosom during His last meal before His
death" (21:20,24).
III. WHEN WRITTEN: In the latter part of the 1st
century, perhaps as late as A.D. 90-95.
IV. TO WHOM WRITTEN: For all mankind – "For
God so loved the world . . ." (3:16).
V. PURPOSE:
To prove that Jesus is the Son of God: "And many
other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not
written in this book: 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" (20:30,31).
Speaking of himself, John wrote, ". . . and his
record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe"
(19:35).
VI. UNIQUE CONTENT OF THE BOOK:
The content is much different in many aspects from the
first three books of the New Testament. Most likely it was written much later
than they were, and thus there was no need to repeat a lot of the material
contained in them.
It omits the 1st 30 years of Jesus’ life,
making no mention of His genealogy, birth, or childhood years.
There is also no mention of Jesus being tempted in the
wilderness, the Sadducees, publicans, hell, or transfiguration, and no list of
the apostles’ names is given.
Unlike the first three "gospel accounts," wherein
we read a great number of parables, John records no parables of Jesus [the KJV
has the word "parable" in John 10:6, but the meaning of the
Greek word is more similar to an "illustration" (NKJV) or a
"proverb" (ASV footnote)].
Nearly ˝ of the book [chapters 12-21] deals with only the
time from the last week of Jesus’ life before His death to some of His
post-resurrection appearances.
In fact, chapters 13-19 deal with events that took place in
less than 24 hours (from the Passover meal to Jesus’ burial).
VII. BRIEF CONTENT OF EACH CHAPTER:
1 – The Word, John the Baptizer’s testimony of Jesus,
Jesus’ earliest disciples
2 – Water to wine, Jesus cleanses the temple
3 – The new birth
4 – Jesus and the woman of Samaria, Jesus heals the son
of a nobleman
5 – Jesus heals a man who had been sick 38 years,
witnesses of Jesus
6 – Jesus feeds 5000, He walks on water, "the bread
of life" sermon
7 – "Never man spake like this man," Jesus
teaches in temple during feast of Tabernacles
8 – Woman taken in adultery
9 – Jesus heals a blind man
10 – The good shepherd
11 – Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead
12 – Mary anoints Jesus, Jesus enters Jerusalem riding a
donkey
13 – Jesus washes the apostles’ feet
14 – Jesus promises the apostles to send the Comforter
(Holy Spirit) to them
15 – The vine and the branches
16 – If Jesus goes away, He will send the Comforter
17 – Jesus’ prayer for unity
18 – Judas betrays Jesus, Jesus is arrested
19 – Jesus’ death and burial
20 – Jesus’ resurrection from the dead
21 – Miracle of 153 fish
[Note: Except for chapters 18-20, either all or at least most
of every chapter in John is unique material – it is found nowhere else in the
Bible.]
VIII. MIRACLES OF JESUS IN JOHN:
Water to wine (ch. 2)
"Miracles which he did" (2:23)
Healing of a nobleman’s son (4)
Healing of a man who had been sick 38 years (5)
Feeding of 5000 (6)
Walking on water (6)
Healing of a blind man (9)
Resurrection of Lazarus (11)
"So many miracles" (12:37)
Jesus’ resurrection (20)
153 fish (21)
IX. WHAT JESUS CLAIMED ABOUT: HIMSELF
"I am he (Messiah" (4:26).
"I am the bread of life" (6:35).
"I am the light of the world" (8:12).
"I am from above" (8:23).
"Before Abraham was, I am" (8:58)
"I am the door of the sheep" (10:7).
"I am the good shepherd" (10:11).
"I am the Son of God" (10:36).
"I am the resurrection & the life" (11:25).
"I am (Lord & Master) (13:13).
"I am the way, the truth, & the life" (14:6).
"I am the true vine" (15:1)
X. VERSES TO USE IN EVANGELISM:
To show the Deity of Jesus:
Jesus (only begotten Son) is the Word, and "the
Word was God" (1:1,14).
The evidence from His miracles: ". . . the works
which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear
witness of me, that the Father hath sent me" (5:36; cf. 20:30,31).
"I and my Father are one" (10:30).
Jesus accepted Thomas’ confession in which he said to Him, "My
Lord and my God" (20:28).
To show the necessity of being born again of the water and
Spirit: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God" (3:5).
To show the necessity of believing in Jesus as God’s Son:
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not
is condemned already" (3:18).
To show the biblical criteria for acceptable worship:
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth" (4:24).
To show the importance of Jesus’ words – they are
"the words of eternal life" (6:68).
To show the importance of knowing and abiding in the truth:
"If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (8:31,32)
To show an example of people that believed but were
not saved:
"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but
because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out
of the synagogue" (12:42; cf. Mk. 8:38).
To show the standard by which men will be judged: ".
.
. the word that I [Jesus] have spoken, the same shall judge him in the
last day" (12:48).
To show that a person can come to the Father for salvation
only through Jesus: "I am the way, the truth, and the life"
(14:6).
To show how one demonstrates love for the Lord: "If
ye love me, keep my [Jesus’] commandments" (14:15).
To show that God’s word is our standard of truth: "Thy
[God’s] word is truth" (17:17).
To show that all of God’s truth was revealed in the 1st
century to the apostles: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all truth" (16:13).
To show Jesus’ desire for unity among those that believe
on Him: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their [apostles’] word" (17:20).
To show that Jesus’ kingdom is not an earthly one: "My
kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my
kingdom not from hence" (18:36).
[Note: These are certainly not all of the verses from the
book of John that one might use in teaching the lost, but these are ones that
I have personally used on many occasions.]
-- Roger D. Campbell
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