Become Study Guide

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A Discipleship Journey through Johns GospPt. 3


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Not a SynopticNo parables and lots of

analogies.

Not primarily Chronological,but is selective history of

Jesus (20:31)

Emphasizes Jesusreplacement of the Templeand the Sacred Feasts of

Judaism.

Likely written in Ephesus by John or is a collection of Johannine teachings on

Jesus (80-90AD). 1

Background on Johns Gospel

A LEAF OF JOHNS GOSPEL ISTHE EARLIEST NT MANUSCRIPTIN EXISTENCE. SCHOLARSREFER TO THIS FRAGMENT ASPAPYRUS #52. IT CONTAINS 5VERSES FROM JOHN

The Prologue (1:1-18) Jesus is the Word,the Light, and the Life - full of Grace and Truth.Ancient biography introduced themes at beginningFor example, Cornelius Nepos lived in the 1st centuryB.C. Is the earliest.Plutarch in the 40s-50s AD, and Imperial biographies of Galba and Otho.

The Book of 7 Signs (1:19-12:50) Hechanges water to wine, propheticallycleanses the Temple, heals the noblemansson, heals the lame, feeds the multitude, healsthe blind, raises Lazarus to life again - nally,

Jesus the Messiah is rejected by the Jewishcommunity (12:37-50).It is interesting that John records several stories from theSynoptics that he doesnt actually tell. The assumption isthat his readers already have access to them. One notableaccount is John 1:42. John records a pre-conversioninteraction between the disciples and Jesus.

The Book of His Glory: Jesus preparesto suffer and prepares his disciples for hisdeparture (13:1-20). The New Covenantpeople are cleansed and instructed, theMessiah must suffer and be gloried, theresurrected Jesus must reveal himself to his

disciples and they must witness his signs.

Epilogue (21)

1. Andreas Kostenberger, John, in Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary, vol. 2, ed. Clinton E. Arnold(Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 2002), 4-12.

2. Kostenberger, John, 22.


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John 15:4Abide in me as I abide in you.Just as the branch cannot bearfruit by itself unless it abidesin the vine, neither can youunless you abide in me.

2. True disciples cannot live productively apart fromthe Master.

BECAUSE JESUS IS THE SOURCE OF OUR NEW LIFE

(15:5) - those who remain in me and I in them bear much fruit. Apart from me youcan do nothing.

(14:6) - Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No once comesto the Father except through me.

(15:26) - When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testifybecause you have been with me from the beginning.

(4:35) - Do you not say, Four months more, then comes the harvest? But I tell you,look around you, and see how the elds are ripe for harvesting. (Mt 9:37) - Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are

few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

BECAUSE JESUS IS THE SUBSTANCE OF OUR MINISTRY

4. D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 523-524.

Why a Disciple cannot bear fruit alone:

BECAUSE JESUS IS THE SOVEREIGN LORD OF THE HARVEST

The fruit that the disciples will bear is the fruit of remaining in Jesus, his teaching, and lovingone another sacricially. Ultimately, this cultivated life of discipleship is missional in scope. AsD.A. Carson has noted, That is why the union of love that joins believers with Jesus can neverbecome a comfortable, exclusivistic huddle that only they can share. Doubtless it is a uniqueunion, an extension of the union of the Godhead; but by its very nature, it is a union, anintimacy, which, by the necessity of its own constitution, seeks to bring others into its orb. 4


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John 15:8My Father is glorified by this, thatyou bear much fruit and become mydisciples.

3. True disciples bring glory to the Father by becomingdisciples.

TO SEE IS TO BELIE VE

Jesus is the incarnate Son of God (Jn 9:24-41). The blind man becomes a lightningrod for Jesus confrontation with those who could not see who he really was. Jesus charges them with spiritual blindness. Since they claimed to see then theirsin remained. Like the blind man who realized Jesus true identity, when we see

who Jesus truly is - we believe and become his disciples.

True believers continue in Jesus teachings (Jn 8:31-59) - the term believeoccurs some 98 times in the Gospel (3rd in frequency to Jesus and theFather). 5 In 8:31ff. Jesus challenges the believers to remain in histeaching. The ensuing narrative shows that the Jews were not true believersbecause they failed to remain in Jesus.

TO BE LIEVE IS TO RE MAIN

How do disciples become disciples?

5. Kostenberger, John, 56.

6. Michael Wilkins, Following the Master: A Biblical Theology of Discipleship (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 236.

True discipleship, true belief, will be evidenced by abiding in Jesus words. The evidence of

true belief is seen in disciples who cling to Jesus word as the truth for ever area of life. Asthey hear the truth, they live it out (abide), which will eventually be evidenced in their lives.True disciples are free from bondage to sin through Jesus liberating Word. 6 - Michael Wilkins


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Jn 15:9 - Just as the Father hasloved me, I have also loved you;remain in my love. 10 If you obey mycommandments, you will remain inmy love, just as I have obeyed myFathers commandments and remainin his love.

TO R EMAIN IS TO L OVE

A Spirit lled walk of obedience to Jesus word produces the Kingdoms fruit(Jn 14:24). Jesus stated that whoever doesnot love me does not keep my commands.Choosing to obey Jesus word and hiscommand to love others is the way we stay inhim - connected to the Vine.

TO LOVE I S TO OBEY

How disciples become disciples cont...

Love is both the fruit of remainingin Jesus (15:8) and thecommandment that functions asthe condition for remaining in Jesus(15:10, 12). The close connectionbetween the fruit and thecommandment suggests that in

Johannine as well as Paulinetheology, essential works forstaying in are simply the fruit of genuinely being in and continuingto depend (believe) as one did toget in (cf. Gal 5:22-23). 7

Christians must remember thatthe fruit that issues out of theirobedient faith-union with Christlies at the heart of how Jesusbrings glory to his Father. Thosewho are contemplating the claimsof the Gospel, like Johns readers,must reckon with the fact thatfailure to honour (sic) the Son isfailure to honour God (5:23).Fruitlessness not only threatensre (15:6), but robs God of theglory that is rightly his. 8

7. Keener, The Gospel of John (Peabody Mass: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003), 1002-1003.

8. Carson, John , 518.

Though it may seem counter-intuitive to us to ask how does a disciple become a disciple?, thisquestion was not at all foreign to John or his readers. True believers show themselves to be disciplesas they continue in the faith theyve professed, and as they continually become fruit bearingfollowers of Christ. Though our status as disciples is never in question, we are continually becomingthe very thing we have been declared by faith. Thus, Paul can say live up to that which you havealready attained and work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

TO OBEY IS TO B ECOME Jn 15:8 - My Father is gloried by this,that you bear much fruit and becomemy disciples. As we live a life of faithfulobedience to Jesus life giving Word, theFather shapes us and we become thedisciples that He envisions us to be.


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9. Michael Wilkins, Following the Master , 238.

1. Read Gal 5:22-26. What are the characteristics of genuine discipleship? 9

What are these character traits dependent on? In other words, based on 5:18-20, how does Paul state a

believer comes to exhibit these qualities?

In your opinion, do you think we should focus our efforts on trying to exhibit this character

fruit, or do you feel that we should focus on being lled with the Spirit, which will result in

these qualities being expressed in our lives?

2. Read John 4:34-38. What is the food Jesus speaks of in these verses? Based on John 3:16-17, what is the

work of the Father that Jesus is completing? In reference to Jesus

statement about food in John 4:34, Craig

Keener says: Jesus here challenges his disciples just as he had challenged the woman earlier in the

narrative: he invited her to embrace a gift of water she did not understand (4:10), and now informs hisdisciples of spiritual food they do not understand (4:32).

When Jesus speaks of spiritual food, he is talking about having a priority that goes beyond mere daily life.

What kind of priority are followers of Jesus to have in regards to being harvesters?

Read John 15:18. Have you ever thought of taking part in completing God

s work as bearing fruit? Why

would taking part in completing God

s work be part of bearing the fruit Jesus talks about his followers

bearing? Based on what you discussed in the rst question, and what we read in this John passage, in youropinion, do you think the work of reaping the harvest is something we accomplish on our own, or are we

empowered to do it?

3. Read Philippians 1:11, and Colossians 1:10. What fruit does the Apostle Paul talk about Christ

followers bearing in these verses?

The theologian N.T. Wright denes God

s righteousness as his covenant faithfulness; that is as God

s

faithfulness to carry out what he has promised to carry out. Bounce the Philippians verse and the

Colossians verse off of each other. If N.T. Wright is correct in that God

s righteousness is him carrying out

his promises and living out the covenant he has made with his people, what does it mean for you to be

righteous?

In remembering what you discussed with your group in question 1, what do you think is the

source of this fruit of righteousness?

What implications does this have for you in your life and walk with Jesus?

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