Study
0 From the Book of John is: The Introduction of the book of John
The
author of this Gospel claims to have been an eye-witness of the
scenes that he records (1: 14; 19:35; cf. 1 Jn. 1:1-3), and in 21:24
his identity with 'the disciple whom Jesus loved' is asserted. Among
the many reasons for identifying this disciple with John the son of
Zebedee, one of the most striking is the Evangelist's habit of
referring to the Baptist as 'John' only, and never mentioning the son
of Zebedee by name.
The
other three Gospels are chiefly concerned with our Lord's ministry in
Galilee; a bare hint is all that they give us that He so much as
visited Jerusalem between His baptism and the final Passover (Mt.
23:37; Lk.13:34; and Lk. 4:44). John, on the other hand, has little
to say about our Lord's work in Galilee (2:1-12; 4:43-54:6); for the
most part the scene of his narrative is Judaea, and especially
Jerusalem, where almost from the first the Lord was rejected (1:11;
4:43, 44;5; etc.).
It
is important to observe that in the record of Jesus's ministry up to
His death, seven miracles are recorded in this Gospel. These are (1)
the turning of water into wine (2:1-11); (2)the healing of the
nobleman's son (4:46-54); (3) the healing of the impotent man (5);
(4) the feeding of the five thousand (6:4-13) (5) the walking on the
water (6:16-21); (6) the healing of the man born blind (9: 1-7); (7)
the raising of Lazarus from the dead (11:1-44). John calls these
miracles 'signs', by which he means that they have a meaning beyond
themselves, and point to the identity of Jesus as the Christ, and to
His corresponding works in the spiritual realm, such as the raising
of the spiritually dead, the opening of the eyes of the spiritually
blind, etc.
The
purpose of the Gospel, and particularly of the signs recorded in it,
is clearly stated, 'that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name
(20:31). It shows the divine Word coming to His own people,
revealing the Father to them both by teaching and by 'signs', and yet
rejected and persecuted to the death. To the world this Gospel
reveals the tremendous claims of the Lord Jesus and the awfulness of
rejecting Him. To the disciple it reveals the implications of
accepting Him, showing the interdependence of love and obedience, of
life and feeding upon the Lord, of fruit-bearing and abiding in Him.
The
section 7:53-8:11 is omitted by all the oldest Greek manuscripts now
existing, with one exception, and its style and vocabulary are more
like those of Luke (in whose Gospel four manuscripts insert it) than
those of John. But though this section was probably not written by
John, it bears every evidence of truth, and we may thankfully accept
it as part of the inspired Word of God.
