Foundations (Year Two)

“Encountering the New Testament”

Session #9. Encountering

The writings of JOHN

The NT Writings

Letters of Paul:Galatians (48/49 CE)1 & 2 Thessalonians (51-

52)1 & 2 Corinthians (53-57)Romans (56-57)Prison letters (61-62):

(Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon & Philippians)

Pastoral letters (64-66): (1, 2 Timothy & Titus)

Written earlier:Letter of James

(40’s/50’s)

Written later:Letters of Peter (64-66)Mark (68-70 )Matthew (70-80)Luke-Acts (70-80)Hebrews (50’s/60’s?)Letter of Jude (50’s ?)Writings of John:

Gospel, Letters & Revelation (90-96)

Who was John?

SUMMARY:

The restless fisherman.

The “son of thunder”

The “disciple whom Jesus loved”

The courageous follower

The apostle of love

John – the man• John was one of Zebedee’s sons, the younger brother of

James (Mark 4:21,22). James & John were both fishermen.• As he was mending his nets, Jesus called him to be his

disciple. (Matt. 4:21-22; Mark 1:19-20; Luke 5:10)• Previously was a disciple of John the Baptist? (John 1:35)• Included in the inner circle (with Peter & James)• Present at the raising of Jarius’ daughter (Mk 5:37)• One of the witnesses of Jesus’ transfiguration (Matt 17:1)• Accompanies Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemene (Mark

14:33)• The “disciple whom Jesus loved” (Jn 13:23; 19:26; 20:2;

21:7,20)• Accompanies Peter to the empty tomb (John 20:3-8)• Closely associated with Peter & his work (Acts 3:1; 8:14; Gal.

2:9)

Possessed an ardent temperament; one of “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). Rebuked man for casting out demons (Luke 9:49)

Wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village for not accepting Jesus (Luke 9:51-56)

Asked Jesus to grant him and James special places in the kingdom (Matthew 20:28)

Given place of prominence at the Last Supper (John 13:23)Accompanied Christ into the court and stood by him;

witnessed his death; given charge of his mother (19:26,27)Also the author of 1,2 and 3 John, as well as Revelation.Spent later part of his life in Asia Minor, probably Ephesus.Banished to Isle of Patmos during reign of Domitian.Only disciple who did not die as a martyr (John 21:22).Lives to advanced age; probably last apostle to die; became

important link to the Church Fathers (Polycarp & Irenaeus).

John’s vision of JESUS“We have seen his glory” (1:14). “He thus revealed his glory, and his

disciples put their faith in him” (John 2:11)“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we

have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard...” (1 John 1:1-3)

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw...

I, John...saw ... someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.” (Revelation 1:1-2, 12-17)

What did he have to say?

His gospel (Introducing Jesus, the son of God)

His letters (Knowing Jesus, the son of God)

His apocalypse (Faithfully following Jesus, the son of God)

The good news according to…

JOHN“John Rylands Fragment”OLDEST COPY OF NT

(c.125-150)JOHN 18:31-33, 37-38

Four perspectives on the Gospel

The gospel according to…

Matthew (man) Jesus as kingMark (lion) Jesus as servantLuke (ox) Jesus as saviourJohn (eagle) Jesus as Lord

One Message: That God has broken into history, in the person of Jesus Christ, to bring salvation to all people, and to establish his kingdom.

Four Gospels – One Jesus

1. Matthew (Jesus, the Messiah of Israel

& fulfiller of the promise to

Abraham)

2. Mark (Jesus, the man of action)

3. Luke (Jesus, the saviour of the world)

4. John (Jesus, the son of God)

Or to put it another way

John (Jesus = son of God)

Matthew Luke (Paul) (Jesus = saviour (Jesus =

saviour to the Jews) to the whole world)

Mark (Peter) (Jesus = the supreme son of man, the “lion of Judah”,

who came “to serve and give his life as a ransom for many” – the “beginning of the gospel”)

Gospel of JOHN

“John’s gospel is deep enough for an elephant to swim and shallow enough for a child not to drown.” (Attr. to Augustine)

“If the synoptic gospels provide us with a series of photographs of Jesus, John’s gospel surely provides us with a portrait.”

(Archbishop William Temple)

Authorship?Internal evidence“The disciple whom Jesus loved” 13:23 (last supper) 19:26 (cross) 20:2 (tomb) 21:7 (sea of Galilee)Inner circle: “Peter, James & John” Catch of fish (Luke 5:8-10) First in lists (Mt.10:2/ Lk. 6:14; Mk.

3:16-17; Acts 1;13) Jairus’ daughter (Mk. 5:37; Lk. 8:51) Transfiguration (Mk. 9:2; Mt. 17:1; Lk.

9:28) End of the age (Mark 13:3) Garden of Gethsemene (Mark 14:33)“This is the disciple who testifies to

these things and who wrote them down. We know his testimony is true” (21:24)

External evidence

Irenaeus, q. Polycarp: “John, the disciple of the Lord, who leaned back on his breast, published the Gospel while he was resident at Ephesus in Asia.”

(Vs. Heresies 3.1.2)

Clement: “John, last of all... composed a spiritual gospel”(Eusebius, HE 6.14.7)

Papias: “John...the elder”

Differences in Content

Unique Material 92% of John not found elsewhere in other gospels

Different Chronology Jesus' ministry in John clearly 3+ years (nb.

Cleansing of Temple placed at beginning, Jn. 2, rather than end!)

Different Themes Not in John:

Kingdom, demons/exorcism, repentance, prayer, parables Birth, baptism, temptation, transfiguration of Jesus Secrecy about Jesus’ identity

New in John: Truth, life, world, abiding, light & darkness Jesus as the logos (pre-existent to incarnation) Baptism by Jesus’ disciples Miracle stories (ie. Wedding at Cana; Raising of Lazarus) Interviews (Nicodemus, Woman at the well; Thomas) Extended discourses (“I am’s” & the Upper Room)

Different Geography & Duration

SynopticsJesus in GalileeJesus goes to Jerusalem

once at the end

One Passover mentioned

Implication = a ministry of only one year

JohnJesus makes frequent

trips up to JerusalemJesus has an extensive

ministry in Jerusalem

At least 3 Passovers mentioned(2:13; 5:1?; 6:4 & 11:55)

Implication = ministry of three years or more

Difference in Form and Content of Jesus’ Teachings

SynopticsParables & misc.

short sayings

Jesus speaks secretly about the Kingdom and downplays talking about himself

Envisions a future judgment; apocalyptic eschatology

JohnLong meditative

discourses on a single theme (eg. Bread of life)

Jesus speaks openly about his identity and relationship to God

Eternal life is a present possession: more of a realized eschatology

Distinctive Vocabulary

Dualistic

Life vs deathLight vs darknessTruth vs errorThings above vs belowFlesh vs spiritBelief vs unbelief

Common theological words

Believe x 98 Life (eternal life) x 50 Signs – mighty works,

pointing to faith in GodTestimonyThe Word (Logos)“I Am”

Kingdom of God vs Eternal life

In reply Jesus declared (to Nicodemus), “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again”…

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” John 3:3, 5

Jesus said (to Pilate), "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." John 18:36

“eternal life” x16“life” x50

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John 1:4

“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.”

John 20:31

John’s gospel: An outline

Prologue: Getting a right perspective on Jesus (1:1-18)

(a) The book of signs (1:19-10:42)

An interlude (11-12)

(b) The book of glory (13-20)

Epilogue: Peter, John & the reason for writing (21)

““The light The light shines in the shines in the darkness...”darkness...”

““...and the ...and the darkness has not darkness has not overcome it!”overcome it!”

John’s Jesus – the high-flying eagle

The eagle has landed (1)The eagle's talons,

bared for conflict (2-12)Living under the shadow of the

eagle’s wings (discipleship/ 13-17)The pursuit & death of the eagle

(passion/ 18-19)Risen with healing in his wings (resurrection/

20-21)

…from Richard Burridge: “Four gospels – one Jesus”

John’s purpose in writing

“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.” John 20:30-31

“Many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name” (John 2:23)

Miracles & Claims

SIGNS (2:11,23)

1. Water into wine (2)2. Noblemen’s son (4)3. Lame man by pool (5)4. Feeding of 5000 (6)5. Walking on water (6)6. Healing of blind man (9)7. Raising of Lazarus (11)

(Later) Resurrection (20) Miraculous catch of fish

(21)

I AM (Jn. 8:58)

The (true) vine - 15:1The door (gate) – 10:7,9The good shepherd –

10:11,14The bread of life –

6:35,48,51The way, the truth & the life

14:6The light of the world – 8:12The resurrection & the life

11:25

Jesus = the wedge of truth

Signs (wonders, mighty-works)

Belief (light) Unbelief (darkness)

Life Death

John’s mystical prologue (1:1-18)

Beginning of John: no infancy gospel.Matthew & Luke begin with Jesus’ birth, then

through genealogies to Abraham (Matt.) and to Adam (Luke).

John pushes Jesus’ origin back even further, “In the beginning” – echoing Genesis 1:1!

“Word” (Logos) – Gk. means something like Reason, Cause, Speech; The creative, governing principle behind the universe and all of life

So the true origin of the Christ is the pre-existent Logos of God; Jesus is the enfleshment (incarnation) of that Logos in human form.

All very philosophical, very Greek. But also relates to the idea of God’s Wisdom in Hebrew Scriptures.

The Wisdom of God (Proverbs 8:22-31)

The Lord brought me [Wisdom ] forth at the beginning of his work,The first of his acts of long ago. Ages ago I was appointed,At the first, before the beginning of the earth.

When there were no depths I was brought forth,When there were no springs abounding with water.

Before the mountains had been shaped,Before the hills, I was brought forth –

When he had not yet made earth and fields,Or the world’s first bits of soil.

When he established the heavens, I was there,When he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

When he made firm the skies above, When he established the fountains of the deep,

When he assigned the sea its limit,So that the waters might not transgress his command,

When he marked out the foundations of the earth, Then I was beside him, like a master craftsman;

And I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, Rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.

JESUS?

It all began with his baptism (Mark)Actually no, it all began when the angel

Gabriel appeared to the virgin Mary (Luke)Actually no, it all began with an ancient

promise to Abraham (Matthew)Well (states John), before all of these:

“In the beginning...the WORD was…the WORD was with God…the WORD was God!”

(John)

The Word of Life. The WORD was God, yet with God (vv.1-2)The WORD was the creator (v.3)The WORD was the source of life (vv.4-5,9)The WORD became flesh (v.14)His titles:He is the (one & only) Son of God (14, 18, 34,

49)He is the promised Son of Man (51)He is the long-awaited Messiah (41)He is the true King of Israel (49)He is the final lamb of God (29, 36)

SUMMARY: Jesus, the “Word”

He’s the WORD who commanded all things into being

...LIFEHe’s the WORD who explains God fully

...LIGHTHe’s the WORD who came into our world to

speak salvation...LOVE

Encounters with JESUS

John the Baptist (Chs.1. 3:22-27; 4:1; 5:33-36; 10:40-41)The disciples (Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathanael)

(Wedding at Cana: “He thus revealed his glory”)Money changers in the TempleNicodemusSamaritan womanRoman official’s sonParalyzed man (by the Pool of Bethesda)(Woman caught in adultery)Man born blindLazarus (Martha & Mary)Jewish religious leaders vs. The twelve disciplesDEATH: Annas, Caiaphas, Peter, Pilate, Mary, JosephRESURRECTION: Mary, Peter, (John), Disciples,

Thomas

John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus

“He came as a witness to testify…” (1:6)“He who comes after me has surpassed me

because he was before me” (1:15)“I am not the Christ” (1:20)“I am the voice of one calling in the desert”

(1:23)“I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his

sandals” (1:27)“Look the lamb of God” (1:29, 36)“He will baptize with the Holy Spirit” (1:33)“This is the Son of God” (1:34)“He must increase – I must decrease” (3:30)

A righteous man & a sinful woman

Nicodemus

Religious, scholar, moral

Secretly comes to Jesus by night

“Born again”

3:1-15; 7:50-51; 19:39-40

(Unnamed) woman at a well

Samaritan, sinful, outcast

Jesus goes to meet her at midday

“Living water”

(1:11-13)

Character

Context

Conversation

Challenge

3:16-21; 4:39-3:16-21; 4:39-4242

Discourses of JESUS

New wine/ new wineskins – “new temple” (Ezek.40);“born again” (Ezek. 37); “living water” (Ezek. 47)

“Life through the Son” (5:16-47)“The bread of life” (6:25-71)“The living water” (7:14-39)“The light of the world” (8:12 - 9:41)“The good shepherd” (10:1-42)“The resurrection” (11:17-57)“Prediction of his death” (12:20-50)Upper room discourse (13-17): service - suffering -

discipleship - Spirit – prayer (intimacy, unity, protection)

The Upper Room (13-17)

Lessons in discipleship:Learn how to serve (the betrayer, the beloved,

the denier)Trust in Jesus (the way to get to the Father/ the

way the Father comes to us)Receive & rely upon the Holy Spirit (14:15-27;

15:26-27; 16:5-16)Stay connected to Jesus (the secret to loving,

the secret to survival)The best is (always) yet to comeBe devoted to prayer (faith, hope & love)

The Passion of the Christ

The trials (rejection by the Jewish leaders)The denials (failure of Peter)The sentence (interaction with Pilate)The crucifixion (the lamb of God who takes

away the sin of the world – a new Passover)The burial (the forgotten day – Matt. 12:40; 1 Pet.

3:19)The resurrection: Mary Magdalene; Peter &

John; The disciples; Thomas; By the Sea of Galilee (reinstatement of Peter, responsibility of John)

The Letters of JOHN

• To all true believers (1 John)To all true believers (1 John)

• To “the chosen lady & her children” (2 To “the chosen lady & her children” (2 John)John)

• To “my dear friend Gaius” (3 John)To “my dear friend Gaius” (3 John)

Letters of JohnEarly signs of heresy concerning

CHRIST

1 John 1:1 “What was from the beginning [], what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld [] and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life [s ]” cf. John 1:1 “In the beginning [] was the Word [s ] . . . in it was life []” (v. 4); “and we beheld [] its glory” (v. 14).

1 John 4:2 “By this we know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus as the Messiah having come in the flesh is of God.” cf. John 20:31 “These things are written that you believe that the Messiah, Son of God, is Jesus.” John 1:14 “The Word became flesh.”

2 John 7 “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, who do not confess Jesus as the Messiah having come in the flesh.”

1 John 2:22 “Who is the liar, other than the one who denies, (by saying,) ‘Jesus is not the Messiah.’” cf. John 20:31

More heresy

“Many deceivers have gone out into the world, who do not confess Jesus as the Messiah having come in the flesh. Watch yourselves, lest you lose what you worked for, and should receive a full reward. Everyone who goes too far and is not abiding in the teaching [] of the Messiah does not have God; the one abiding in the teaching [] has both the Father and the Son. If someone comes to you and does not bring this teaching [], do not receive him into your home and do not even speak to him a greeting. For the one who greets him partakes in his evil deeds” (2 John 7–11).

Note: An early collection of the teaching of Jesus is in fact called the Didache, i.e., “The of the Lord.”

“I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first over them, does not receive us. For this reason, if I should come, I shall recall his deeds that he does, slandering us with evil words, and not satisfied with this, he does not receive the brothers, and those who are like-minded he forbids and casts out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate the bad, but the good”

(3 John 9–11a).

Theme of 1 John = CERTAINTY

Three tests:

To expose those who were false:

To assure those who were genuine:

1. LIGHT x5(doctrinal test/ believing)

2. LIFE x11(moral test/ being)

3. LOVE x26(social test/ doing)

John’s purpose in writing

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. (2:26)

“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.” (5:13)

“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”

(5:21)

Walking in the light (having a right view of God & a right

view of sin)

Three false claims (1:5-2:2):

I can do whatever I want – God will forgive me! (1:5-7)

I was not born a sinner! (1:8-9)

It’s not really my fault! (1:10-2:2)

Solution/ evidence (2:3-29):

Obey Christ’s commands (v.3-8)

Love your brother (v.9-14)

Do not love this world (v.15-17)

Discern the spirit of antichrist (v.18-27)

Continue in Christ (v.28-29)

Living in the love(“We exist to love God & love

others”)

Real love has a source: The father(2:5 - 3:1-3, 10; 4:7-8, 13-18)

Real love should be seen: The son(2:2 - 3:16; 4:9-12)

Real love must be shared: The church

(2:10 - 3:17-24; 4:7, 19-21)

Discerning the spirits

“The Unholy Trinity”

Spirit of antichrist (2:18-27)…Belonging

Spirit of evil (3:4-10)…Behaviour

Spirit of error (4:1-6)…Belief

Summary (How to know that you know)

Everyone who: (5:1-5)Believes in the son of GodLoves the people of GodObeys the commands of God

Who is Jesus Christ? (5:6-12)He came by water (baptism)He lived by the Spirit (who convinces our

heart)He died by (offering) his bloodHe (now) lives, and offers eternal life

Privileges & responsibilities

What we owe:

To ask according to the will of God

To rescue others from lives of sin (where possible)

To keep ourselves from idols

What we know:

We have eternal lifeWe don’t continue to

live in sinWe are under the

protection of God, in an evil world

We know God and are in God – only through Jesus Christ

2 John – 3 John (“The elder”)

To the chosen lady(whom I love in the

truth)Grace, mercy & peace“walking in the truth”Dear lady, love one

anotherWatch out for deceivers/

continue in what is goodI won’t write more, as I

hope to see you soonGreetings

To my dear friend Gaius(whom I love in the truth)Healthy in body & soul“walking in the truth”Dear friend, love one

anotherWatch out for Diotrephes/

Imitate DemetriusI won’t write more, as I

hope to see you soonGreetings & peace