John

Bk Sec Outline Sec Bk
 
THE GOSPEL OF
JOHN
 
 
O U T L I N E
– LIFE: The Son of God Manifested to Meet Man’s Need John 1 – 7
– Introduction to the Person of the Son John 1 – 2
– Preface: Essential Truths Concerning the Person of the Son John 1:1-18
– The Record of John as to the Superiority of Christ John 1:19-28 (P)
– The 1st day: The Leading Features of Christianity John 1:29-42 (P)
– The 2nd day: The Restoration of Israel through a Remnant John 1:43-51 (P)
– The 3rd day: The Blessing of the Earth in the Millennium John 2:1-12 (G)
– Judgment Of the Jews’ Temple & Presentation of the True Temple John 2:13-22 (J)
– The Son of God bringing Life to Man John 3 – 7
– Nicodemus: Man’s Spiritual Condition, New Birth, and Eternal Life John 2:23 – 3:36 (J)
– The Woman at the Well: Satisfaction, Worship and Service John 4 (S) (G)
– The Infirm Man: Jesus as Son of God vs. the Law John 5 (J)
– The Feeding of the Five-Thousand: Jesus as Son of Man vs. the Manna John 6 (G)
– Feast of Tabernacles: Jesus as the Perfect Servant vs. Worldly Glory John 7 (J)
– LIGHT: The Son of God Exposing Evil and Revealing Truth John 8 – 12
– An Adulterous Woman: Jesus as Light of the World Rejected by Israel John 8 (J)
– Healing a Blind Man: Jesus as Light of the World Awakens a Remnant John 9 (J)
– The Door & the Good Shepherd: Christ becomes the Gathering Center John 10 (J)
– Raising of Lazarus: Jesus as Resurrection & Life, Israel’s Restoration John 11 (J)
– Entry Into Jerusalem: Christ as Blesser of the Millennial Earth John 12 (J)
– LOVE: The Son of God bringing Believers into Relationship John 13 – 21
– The Upper Room Ministry: The Character of Christianity John 13 – 17
– Maintenance of Communion & Love in the Time of Jesus’ Absence John 13 (J)
– Comfort for the Disciples in view of Jesus’ Absence John 14 (J)
– Fruit-bearing in the Time of Jesus’ Absence John 15 (J)
– Divine Provisions for the Time of Jesus’ Absence John 16 (J)
– The Son’s Intercessory Prayer to the Father John 17 (J)
– The Sacrificial Death of Christ John 18 – 19
– Arrest in the Garden John 18:1-14 (J)
– Jesus on Trial Before the Jews John 18:15-27 (J)
– Jesus on Trial Before Pilate John 18:28 – 19:16 (J)
– The Crucifixion Scene John 19:17-37 (J)
– The Burial Scene John 19:38-42 (J)
– The Resurrection and Appearances of Christ John 20 – 21
– The Lord Appears to Mary Magdalene John 20:1-18 (J)
– The Lord’s First Appearance to the Disciples (Thomas Absent) John 20:19-25 (J)
– The Lord’s Second Appearance to the Disciples (Thomas Present) John 20:26-29 (J)
– The Lord’s Third Appearance to the Disciples (On the Sea of Galilee) John 21 (G)
 
Geographical setting:
 
(P) = Perea;  (G) = Galilee;  (S) = Samaria;  (J) = Jerusalem or Judea
 
Author. The author of this gospel is not mentioned, but the style and themes of the gospel is similar to that of three epistles, pointing to a common author.

But how do we know John wrote the gospel and the three epistles? The author must have been one of the twelve apostles as he was present at the Passover supper where only the twelve sat down with our Lord. The gospel shows on multiple occasions a connection between Peter and the author (John 13:24; John 18:15; John 20:2). One disciple that was closely connected with Peter is Andrew (his brother), yet the author couldn't be Andrew because the gospel mentions him by name (John 1:40; John 12:22) while referring to the author as "the disciple whom Jesus loved". Of the twelve, seven are ruled out because they are mentioned by name: Bartholomew (Nathanael), Philip, Andrew, Peter, Judas (Thaddeus), Thomas, and Judas Iscariot. This leaves us with five disciples unnamed: James, John, Matthew, Simon Zelotes, and James the son of Alpheus. When compared with the synoptic gospels we see Peter often in special company with James and John, the sons of Zebedee. It would naturally tend to limit the identity of the unnamed author to either James or John, the other two disciples in the familiar trio. The gospel never mentions James or John by name, and only once refers to them as "the sons of Zebedee" (John 21:2). This would leave them both open as candidates. But then, James was killed by Herod (Acts 12) long before either the gospel or the epistles were written, leaving us to conclude that the surviving brother John was the unnamed author of the gospel and also the epistles that bear a striking resemblance to it. Further, the author's character is revealed in the way he graciously refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved". The same disciple was "leaning upon Jesus' bosom" (the place of affection) at the Passover supper (John 13:23). The dying Savior committed the care of His mother to him (John 19:26-27). It is fitting that this same disciple, characterized by nearness to Jesus and the enjoyment of His love, should be used to write about eternal life, the nature of God, and Divine love.

 
Not a Synoptic Gospel. The first three gospels are sometimes called “synoptic” gospels because they give a synopsis of the Lord’s life and ministry. John is different. John gives us the Lord as seen through the lens of Christianity. John was the only New Testament writer that wrote after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70. John wrote around A.D. 90, by which time John had been a Christian for sixty years! At that time a powerful heresy was in the making, a group known as the “Gnostics” with so-called “higher knowledge”. The Gnostics were denying some of the fundamental truths concerning the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. John’s gospel and epistles combat that heresy. Another difference is that the synoptic gospels focus on the Lord’s ministry in Galilee, and do not bring in the Lord’s time in Jerusalem until His final visit prior to His death. The vast majority of John’s gospel brings out the other visits to Jerusalem and Judea (see right-hand column of outline) for the feasts, etc. (Deut. 16:16). One reason the majority of John’s gospel takes place in and around Jerusalem is that the Spirit is highlighting the Person of Jesus as a contrast to Jerusalem in every way. In the synoptic Gospels, we have Christ presented to man to be received, but man fails the test and Christ is rejected. In John, Christ is rejected by man and Israel from the beginning, and God’s sovereign ways in grace and resurrection are brought in. Hence, there is a greater emphasis in John of God’s love for the whole world, and the death of Christ for the salvation of “whosoever believeth” (John 3:16). In the synoptic gospels, we find the Lord touching people to heal them, but never in John. In John it is the glory of His Person, and word of His power (John 5:25, “the voice of the Son of God”) that heals or raises the dead (John 11:43). We also have the lesser apostles brought forward in John; Andrew, Nathanael, Philip, Judas not Iscariot.
 
The Theme of John’s Gospel. In Matthew we have the Lord presented as the Christ, the Son of David. In Mark we have Him presented as the Perfect Servant. In Luke we have Him presented as the Son of Man. But in John He is presented as the Son of God. The Apostle John summarizes the purpose of his gospel in John 20:31; “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.” The great theme of this gospel is that the God has sent His Son into the world to make the Father know, and that God can only be known in the Person of His Son.
“The sum and substance of all blessedness, both in this life and in that which is to come, is to know God… and He can only be known in the Person of His Son.”1
There are marked differences between John and the other gospels. The account of the Transfiguration of Christ is given in all three Synoptic Gospels, and yet neither Matthew, Mark, nor Luke were present for that event. The only gospel writer present was John, and he doesn’t speak of it! If the scriptures were of human authorship, John would never have neglected that majestic experience. But the scriptures have a Divine design, and there is a reason for the inclusion or exclusion of every detail. In John, the whole Gospel is a transfiguration, where we can behold the glories of the only-begotten Son of God! The deity of Christ comes out on every page of this gospel. We find all the essential attributes of God to be in the Person of the Son even as a man on the earth!
 
The Burnt-Offering Gospel. 
 
Connection between Matthew, John, and Paul. Matthew documents the rejection of Jesus as the Christ, and John begins with His rejection as a forgone conclusion! In Matthew, man's rejection of the Christ is the cause of Him retreating into His eternal identity as the Son of God (Matt. 11:17, Matt. 16:16), but just mentioned in a kernel-form. Then in John, the glories of the Son of God and the revelation of the Father are fully treated of. In Paul's writings, we have the glories of the Son as a foregone conclusion, and the main subject is the unfolding of those blessings that are ours as associated with the Person of the Son! There is a doctrinal progression therefore from Matthew to John, and from John to Paul.
 
 Matthew        
Foregone conclusion
Old Testament history of Israel
   John    
Main subject
Christ presented and
rejected by His people
 ⇨
Foregone conclusion
Christ presented and
rejected by His people
   Paul
   
Main subject
The glories of the Son,
the Father revealed
  ⇨
Foregone conclusion
The glories of the Son,
the Father revealed
       
Main subject
Our blessings in
association with Christ
 
Eight “I AM” statements in John:
  1. “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 48)
  2. “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5)
  3. “I am” (John 8:58)
  4. “I am the door” (John 10:9)
  5. “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11)
  6. “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25)
  7. “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)
  8. “I am the true vine” (John 15:1)
A Transition from Judaism to Christianity. In the Gospel of John we get the transition from Judaism to Christianity emphasized in every chapter. For example: in ch.1 Jesus is presented as the new gathering center in contrast with the earthly center of Jerusalem: for the Church (day #1), for the remnant of Israel (day #2), and for the Millennial kingdom (day #3). We have the “father’s house” of the second chapter (the earthly temple) and the Father’s House of the fourteenth chapter. In John we have the Good Shepherd systematically leading His sheep from one to the other!2
 
Various “Hours” brought before us in John’s Gospel:
             – –  F O U R   P a s t – –
  1. John 7:30; 8:20 ………The Hour of His Sufferings From Man’s Hand
  2. John 12:27……………..The Hour of His Atoning Sufferings
  3. John 16:25……………..The Hour of His Resurrection, when He would Openly Declare the Father
  4. John 13:1; 17:1……….The Hour of His Return to the Father
             – –  T H R E E   P r e s e n t – –
  1. John 5:25……………….The Hour of His Grace When Souls Are Quickened
  2. John 4:21……………….The Hour of Worship in Spirit and Truth
  3. John 16:2-4 ……………The Hour of Man, When Believers are Persecuted
             – –  T W O   F u t u r e – –
  1. John 5:28 ………………The Hour of Resurrection
  2. John 2:4; 12:23………The Hour of His Manifestation to the World
As a side note, it tells us in 1 John 2:18 that “it is the Last Hour”, referring to the dark day we live in now.
 
Seven Figures of the Holy Spirit used in John’s Gospel.
  1. ch.1 – a dove – representing spotless purity
  2. ch.3 – the wind – representing an unseen power
  3. ch.4 – a fountain – representing satisfaction and worship
  4. ch.7 – a river – representing channels of blessing to others
  5. ch.10 – the porter – representing a power to chance circumstances
  6. ch.14 – the comforter – representing sustenance and guidance
  7. ch.20 – breath – representing the character of resurrection life
Eight Signs in the Gospel of John – all to do with Israel:
  1. ch.2:1-10 – the marriage of Cana – Christ supplies Israel’s joy in the Millennium.
  2. ch.4:46-54 – the healing the nobleman’s son – Christ shows grace to the faithful remnant.
  3. ch.5:1-9 – the healing the infirm man – Christ does for Israel what the Law could never do.
  4. ch.6:5-14 – the feeding the 5000 – Israel under the Millennial, Melchizedek Priesthood of Christ.
  5. ch.6:15-21 – walking on the sea – Christ brings the faithful remnant through the tribulation.
  6. ch.9:1-7 – the healing of the blind man – Christ opens the spiritual eyes of the Remnant.
  7. ch.11:1-44 – the raising of Lazarus – Christ effects the national resurrection of Israel.
  8. ch.21:1-14 – the haul of fishes – Israel casting the Kingdom Gospel net into the sea of nations.
While the majority of the Lord’s time in John’s Gospel is spent in Judea and Jerusalem, five of the eight signs are done in Galilee! The three done in Judea were: the healing of the powerless, the blind, and the dead men (figures of Israel)!
 
Jesus often taught by contrast. In ch.3, Jesus used the one of the most educated and upright of pharisees to teach man’s need of new birth. In ch.4, Jesus used an immoral Samaritan woman to teach the privileges of Christian worship. In ch.5, Jesus used an impotent man to teach His life-giving power. In ch.6, Jesus used a hungry crowd to teach that He alone can satisfy the needs of man’s soul.
 
Gnosticism.

The word Gnostic comes from the Greek word ‘gnosis’, which means knowledge. The word is used by historians to describe a school of thought. Gnosticism arose from a group of evil workers who claimed to have higher light, special spiritual knowledge, or “secret wisdom”. This movement began in the days of the apostles, and continued into the 5th century. Before John died, the seeds of Gnosticism had been sown; perhaps even before Paul's death (1 Tim. 6:20). John’s epistles are written to defend against the inroads of Gnosticism (2 John 1:7,9). Peter warns of their false teaching, and Jude warns of its moral effect on the Christian testimony. Gnosticism is responsible for not just one heresy, but seven or eight. What is it? In this mystical system, the spiritual world was good, and material world was evil. They rejected the incarnation, because it connects the human with the divine. The Gnostics would try to separate “Jesus” from “Christ”, by making Christ an emanation (a shining out from a source) from God that never truly became flesh, or else was united to a mere man named Jesus at his baptism, but returned to God before Jesus’ death on the cross. In doing so, this evil system annulled the incarnation, the atonement, and the resurrection. The New Testament anticipates this irreverent and wicked system of doctrine by stating the simple truth of Christ's Person and work.

Read more…
 
Life & Light & Love. Three great principles run throughout this Gospel:
  1. Life – the manner of existence that the Father and Son enjoy (love, joy, peace, holiness), which is far beyond what humans experience naturally. The Son came into this world and fully displayed that life; hence He is called “the Word of life” (1 John 1:1). This life is “in the son”. Not only is the Son able to impart that life to men (initially), but that life cannot be practically enjoyed and sustained apart from Him.
  2. Light – the character of God displayed toward man. There are really two aspects of light: (1) that which exposes man’s true moral condition, and (2) that which reveals the character of God to man. Christians “are light” in the Lord, and we “walk in the light”.
  3. Love – the heart of God revealed. Divine love is a settled disposition of favor. Love is what led Father to send the Son, and led the Son of God to the cross.
This provides us with a simple outline of the body of John’s gospel:
  1.  John 1 – 7 ……………….Life
  2.  John 8 – 12 ……………Light
  3.  John 13 – 19 …….……Love
John’s Ministry vs. Paul’s Ministry. In John’s writings we have God presented to us, come down to us as a man; “the Word became flesh”. In the epistles of Paul we have man presented to God, accepted “in Christ”.
 

References:

  1. Hole, F. B. The Gospel of John Briefly Expounded. Central Bible Truth Depot.
  2. Grant, Leslie M. Comments on the Gospel of John. Believers Bookshelf Inc.
  3. Kelly, William. An Exposition of the Gospel of John. T. Weston, 1898.
  4. Darby, J. N. Synopsis of the Books of the Bible. G. Morrish, 1940.
  5. Huebner, R. A. The Eternal Relationships in the Godhead: Fundamental Truth Concerning the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Word, the Eternal Life, and the Eternal Sonship. Vol. 1, Present Truth Publishers, 1997.
Bk Sec Outline Sec Bk
  1. Chuck Hendricks, Address on John 7. Richmond, BC. 1997.
  2. Address by Stan Jacobsen, Thoughts on John’s Gospel, Vestal 1987
Tagged with: