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CHAPTER 43 – John: Eternity Past-31 A.D.

John is the forty-third book of the Bible and the last of the four books known as The Gospels. The title of the book in Greek is Euangelion kata Ioannen meaning “The Gospel According to John.” The English title comes from the Greek title.

Authorship

John, who was chosen by Jesus Christ as His disciple, and whom Christ called an apostle, is the author of the book of John. It was probably written about 96 A.D.

Summary

The book of John opens by setting forth Jesus as the Word of God in human flesh. John the Baptist bears witness that Jesus is He of whom, he, John the Baptist had spoken of to the people. The Jews send priests and Levites from Jerusalem to John the Baptist and he says to them that he is not the Christ (the Messiah).

The next day John the Baptist points out Jesus as the Lamb of God and the Son of God, and he does likewise on the following day. Then two of John the Baptist’s disciples follow Jesus, one of them being Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew finds his brother Simon and brings him to Jesus. The next day, Jesus invites Philip to follow Him and Philip invites Nathanael to come to Jesus.

The following day Jesus and His disciples attend a wedding in Cana where, when the wine runs out, Jesus performs the miracle of turning water into wine (pure, fresh grape juice). After this Jesus goes to Capernaum with His disciples, His mother and brothers. Jesus then goes up to Jerusalem at the time of the Passover and He drives out of the Temple all those who bought and sold there and the moneychangers.

A Pharisee named Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night and Jesus speaks to him about the kingdom of God. After this, Jesus and His disciples go into Judaea where His disciples baptized people and John the Baptist also baptized people in Aenon near Salim. When Jesus knew that the Pharisees heard that He baptized and made more disciples than John the Baptist, He left Judaea and went into Galilee.

On the way, Jesus passes through Samaria where, in the city called Sychar, He speaks to a woman at the well about living water and declares to her that He is the Messiah, the Christ. The woman goes into the city and calls the men to come to Jesus and they do so. As a result, the Samaritans believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah.

Two days later, Jesus goes into Galilee and in Cana He heals a nobleman’s son. After this, Jesus goes up to Jerusalem where, on a Sabbath day, He heals a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years. Therefore, the Jews seek to kill Jesus because He had healed the man on a Sabbath day. Next, Jesus goes across the Sea of Galilee, a multitude of people follow Him, and Jesus miraculously feeds 5,000 men, besides women and children with five loaves of bread and two fishes.

When Jesus perceives that the people would take Him by force to make Him a king of the Jews, He goes into a mountain alone. When it is evening, His disciples get into a ship to go across the sea to Capernaum without Jesus. A storm arises on the sea and the disciples see Jesus walking on the water and coming near the ship and they are afraid. Jesus reassures them that it is He and they willingly take Jesus aboard the ship and, immediately, the ship is at its destination.

The next day, the people come to Capernaum by ships and Jesus teaches them in the synagogue. As a result of what Jesus says then, many of His disciples turn away from Him. After this, Jesus goes about Galilee but would not go about Judaea because the Jews there were seeking to kill Him. After Jesus’ brothers had gone up to Jerusalem to the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus secretly goes to the feast there.

In the middle of the feast, Jesus goes into the Temple and teaches openly, and many of the people believe in Him. The Pharisees and the chief priests send officers to arrest Jesus but the officers return without Jesus, saying that no man ever spoke like this man. Jesus then goes to the Mount of Olives and early in the morning He returns to the Temple, where He teaches the people.

The scribes and the Pharisees bring a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus, and accuse her before Him, testing Jesus so that they might have something of which to accuse Him. Jesus’ response to them and what Jesus wrote on the ground cause them to be convicted by their own conscience and to leave Jesus alone with the woman. Jesus does not condemn the woman, but tells her to go and sin no more.

After this, Jesus teaches in the Temple and many people believe in Him, but others took up stones to stone Him. Jesus escapes from them and He leaves the Temple. Jesus then heals a man who was blind from birth. As a result, the man speaks favourably of Jesus and the Pharisees cast out the man from the membership of the synagogue. When Jesus hears of this, He goes and speaks to the man who believes in Jesus and worships Him.

At Jerusalem in winter when it is the Feast of Dedication, Jesus teaches in the Temple and again the Jews take up stones to stone Him. Jesus escapes from them and He goes and stays in the place beyond the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized at first.

News comes to Jesus that Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha, is sick. Jesus goes to Lazarus’ tomb after Lazarus has died and raises Lazarus from the dead to life again. As a result, the chief priests and the Pharisees plot to kill Jesus. Six days before the Passover, Jesus goes to Bethany and Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with a very expensive, sweet-smelling ointment.

The next day, many people meet Jesus on His way to Jerusalem with branches of palm trees and cry out loudly in blessing Jesus. When Jesus has found a young donkey, He sits on it and goes into Jerusalem with the people. This displeases the Pharisees. Next, before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus rises from supper with His disciples and washes their feet. Jesus then announces that one of them would betray Him. Satan then enters Judas Iscariot and Judas leaves Jesus and the rest of the disciples.

Jesus then tells Peter that He will deny Jesus three times before the cock crows, which Peter denies, and Jesus next teaches the disciples many things. After this, Jesus crosses the brook named Cedron with His disciples to where there is a garden. Judas comes with a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, and Peter draws a sword and cuts off the right ear of the high priest’s servant named Malchus.

Then the band of men, the captains and officers, bind Jesus and lead Him away, first to Annas, father-in-law to Caiaphas, the high priest. After questioning Jesus, Annas sends Jesus bound to Caiaphas, the high priest. There Peter denies Jesus three times and immediately the cock crows. Next, they lead Jesus away to Pilate, the governor, with accusations against Jesus. There Jesus has two trials before Pilate who delivers Jesus to be crucified.

Jesus is crucified at a place called Golgotha along with two others, one on His left and the other on His right. While on the cross, Jesus commits the care of His mother to His disciple, John. Jesus then dies and Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus beg Pilate for the body of Jesus. They place Jesus’ body in a new sepulchre (tomb) and it was the preparation day.

On the first day of the week, when it is still dark, Mary Magdalene finds the stone at the door of the tomb taken away. She runs and tells Peter and another disciple and these disciples go to the tomb and find it empty. After the two disciples had left, two angels in white appear to Mary and then Jesus Himself appears to her. Mary goes and tells the disciples that she had seen Jesus.

The same day at evening, Jesus appears to the disciples but the disciple, Thomas, is not there. Thomas does not believe that they have seen Jesus until eight days later when Jesus again appears to the disciples with Thomas being present. After this, Jesus again shows Himself to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. Jesus feeds them with fish and bread and commissions Peter to care for Jesus’ other disciples.

The book of John ends by stating that many other things Jesus did which, if they were all written, the world could not hold all the books that should be written.

Themes

• The life, death, burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, Son of the living God.
• Unbelieving Jewish leaders and their murderous plots leading to the murder of Jesus.
• The preaching and teaching of Jesus, often by using parables.
• Miracles of healing, of control of the forces of nature, of multiplying food, of raising the dead to life again.
• The love, longsuffering, humility, gentleness, wisdom of Jesus.
• The call to be disciples of Christ, following Him, and worshipping Him.
• The public ministry of Jesus to Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles).
• Division among the Jews as to whether Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah.
• A people led astray from God by their religious leaders.
• What sin is, how to live godly lives, and so enter God’s kingdom.

God as Revealed in the Book

• God, the Father, the One who sent Jesus into the world.
• The Holy Spirit as another Comforter for humanity like Jesus.
• God who manifested Himself on earth with regard to Jesus.

Connections with the Rest of the Bible

“What shall we [humanity] then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He [God] that spared not his own Son [Christ], but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:31, 32.

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect [God’s chosen]? It is God that justifieth. For “by…[Christ] we have access by faith into this grace [this unmerited favour of God] wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God [in hope of ourselves fully displaying God’s character of love].” Romans 5:2. “Who is he that condemneth [us for our sins]? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Romans 8:33, 34.

Spiritual Applications

Pray to God sincerely and ask God to help you to do His will, believing that God will help you, and thus you will be enabled to make the spiritual applications noted below:

• Believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
• Study the book of John and learn its lessons.
• Be like Jesus Christ in character and so be saved.
• Believe God’s miracles; note though that Satan deceives through certain miracles which he is able to do.
• Be faithful to God, and endure persecution as Jesus did.

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