The Gospel of John - part 1

preached Sept 9, 2018

Who wrote John?

'John' is John, the Apostle who later became John the Elder of Ephesus. He writes his Gospel around 85-90 AD, which if we estimate he was about 20 years old when Jesus resurrected, that would mean he is about 80 years old at the time of writing.

Why did he write a Gospel?

The main thrust of John's Gospel is found in 20:31, "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”

Seeing as John was so old, we know the other Gospels were already circulating. So why John’s Gospel?

Was it for Theology or History?

John's Gospel has a pattern of theological discourse coupled with a historical narrative. Some radicals have argued this pattern demonstrates John was not concerned about historical accuracy, only his theological discourse. However, where John can be tested, he is very accurate. Thus, John is both theology and history.

John wants us to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God

This fact becomes important when dealing with why John wrote. John wants us to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Contemporary to John's day were a plethora of early opinions over who Jesus was. Docetism taught Jesus only appeared human. The Jews taught Christians were heretics who faked Jesus' death. The Hellenists thought Jesus was some bizarre philosopher with strange moral teachings. John counters the variety of heresies by proclaiming the truth. Scholars debate on John's occasion for writing, not because they're unsure of why, but which one particularly he is addressing.

Dealing with false gospels is like dealing with false money. When a bank teller is being trained to spot forged money, they are not given a wide variety of counterfeits. Instead, the supervisor will give them the real thing and have them study it carefully. The more the new recruit studies the real dollar, the easier it is for them to spot a fake. They develop a mental checklist of items to look for. Christians, if you want to be able to spot a false teaching with ease, the best thing to do is study the truth. Dive deep into your Bible, look into the history, and most of all pray for wisdom to discern the truth.

John is clarifying both the history of Christ and the theology of Christ. It is true because it happened, and it happened because it is true. What God said He would do, He has done.

Helpful Tip

Compare it to Mark. Mark’s Gospel is very much a story. That’s why it is a fun read and a short read. There are theological implications in Mark, and it is rich with theology for those who read it slowly and deeply, but it is primarily a story. John, on the other hand, has stories, but they are embedded in deep theological discourses. Whereas Mark says, “Let me tell you the story of Jesus”, John says, “Let me tell you the great truths of God, and how they happened in history.”

So let us look at John’s first great truth.

The Prologue - John 1:1-18

“The Prologue sounds the keynote. Where Mark begins with the gospel message and Matthew and Luke have their birth stories, John takes us back in his opening to the eternal purpose of God.” (Morris 64)

This first section that we will look at today is essentially the summation of what will be in the rest of the Gospel. While every scholar agrees with the importance of calling it a Prologue, some have even gone so far as to see a hymn at work. Whether it is a form or poetry or song, is debatable, but what is certain is that it has a meditative quality to it. It uses much repetition and the words flow together easily. Later, John will sum up the Gospel in one verse (John 3:16), here John is summing up the entire Bible in 18 verses.

Let’s begin.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

John 1:1

Our first question is quite obvious—Who is the Word? John answers for us, He was with God and He was God. How can he be ‘with’ and also ‘be’ God? That is the mystery of the Trinity.

But a few things may help us wrap our heads around the idea of Trinity:

First, ‘Word’ is the best we have in terms of English words to translate the Greek logos, but it isn’t our only word. ‘Logos’ could be translated with a number of things depending on how it’s used, but as far as helpful ones here, we could also use ‘logic’ or ‘wisdom’. Keep in mind that though the Old Testament was originally Hebrew, many Jews used the Septuagint (Greek translation) because Alexander the Great had made Greek the common language in the Hellenist World. Rome made Latin the common language of the West, but the East still used Greek commonly. Now, the short version of translation history is that the English ‘word’ is still best in terms of what John is saying, but it has connotations that find Old Testament counterparts.

Do you remember the Luke 24:27? “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Consider how “Word” is found in the Old Testament:

In the Torah:

Gen 15: Abram hears from “The Word of the LORD” and follows

Numbers 3:16: “So Moses listed them according to the Word of the LORD, as he was commanded.”

Numbers 3:51: “And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the Word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses”

In the Psalms:

By the Word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

Psalm 33:6

My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your Word!

Psalm 119:25

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path

Psalm 119:105

In the Prophets:

The prophets say “The Word of the LORD came to me”…Why not “they heard the word”?

In the New Testament, John alone uses Word in this capacity, but he uses it in both his Gospel and in Revelation 19:13 in describing the Lamb of God, “He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the Word of God.”

So now that we have established John is not doing anything new here, let us return to the Prologue.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

John 1:1-5

From the beginning the Word exists with God in Creation (vs 3) and is the Source of Life. ‘Life’ here refers to the Eternal Life found in God. It is not just biological life or a way of living, it is life itself in its purest form.

And this life “was the light of men”. True life gives illumination—revelation and understanding. The world makes sense when we see it in God’s light.

Consider C. S. Lewis who wrote “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Someone might say, “I can’t be a Christian because it doesn’t make sense to me.” Well, I’ll explain as best I can for you what Christianity believes, but ultimately it won’t make sense until you put your faith in Christ. Sight does not bring faith, faith brings sight.

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world".

John 1:6-9

John refers us to the testimony of John the Baptist. John knew Jesus was coming and prepared the way of the LORD as prophesied before.

How did he prepare the way?

He told the people to repent of their sins. When John baptized someone they were proclaiming they were a sinner in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. Today is no different. When someone understands they are a sinner and need God’s grace, we tell them to:

First, Repent from their sin and trust in Jesus for forgiveness

Second, come to the church to be baptized as a new Christian.

"He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."

John 1:10-13

But even though all Creation came because of the light, because of the Word, not everyone accepted the light. His own people, the Jews, did not receive him.

But verse 12, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. If you will receive Jesus, you too will become a child of God. Notice, only those who receive Christ are called Child of God. Some may believe that we are all God’s children…it pervades pop culture. But John does not teach that. As we will see down the road, Jesus says there are two fathers at work in this world, God who is the Father to all who will receive forgiveness through Christ, and Satan who is the father of lies and all those who reject the Word of God. It may sound harsh, but it is truth. And it is ultimately more loving for me to tell you the Truth than for me to pass on a kind lie.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known."

John 1:14-18

And here is John’s ultimate point in writing. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. You may have heard ‘dwelt’ is the same as ‘tabernacle’. The Word pitched His tent on Earth. It harkens all the way back into Numbers when God’s glory would stay in the Tabernacle for a time, and then lead the Hebrews further down the road to the Promised Land.

Jesus stayed with us awhile until the time when He could lead us into the Promised Land. He fulfilled His purpose in salvation before ascending up into Heaven. And later He will return to gather his people and lead us into the Ultimate Promised Land of Heaven.

That same glory that filled the Tabernacle filled Jesus, and John says they saw His glory, the glory of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

And finally verse 18, to recap, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made him known.”

We know God, because Jesus has made him known. Jesus the full revelation of God. Paul says in Colossians, He is the image of the invisible.

Invitation

So as we close for this week, ask yourself: Do you know Jesus? Have you received the Word into your heart or are you still rejecting Him? When John the Baptist prepared the way for the LORD, he told the people to repent of their sins. John’s baptism was for repentance, and that still applies today. We must repent of our sins in order to receive life. You cannot cling to death and hope for life.

Let go of your sin and take hold of Christ.

Come.