Winter 2010-2011

Now we are back to the New Testament in this Quarter. We begin our studies in John. I hope you enjoyed the study of 1 and 2 Kings we just completed. Be ready to read about God's words about the Birth, Life, Death and Resurrection of his Son.     Jesus on The Cross

The Gospel of John is a gospel apart. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels because, despite their individual emphases, they describe many of the same events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. John draws mainly upon events and discourses not found in the other gospels to prove to his readers that Jesus is God in the flesh, the eternal Word come to earth, born to die as God’s sacrifice for human sin. Seven miraculous signs prove that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (20:31). No finer gospel tract has ever been penned than John’s inspired account of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Wilkinson, Bruce: Talk Thru the Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1983 (Logos Library Systems), S. 335

Just as a coin has two sides, both valid, so Jesus Christ has two natures, both valid. Luke presents Christ in His humanity as the Son of Man; John portrays Him in His deity as the Son of God. John’s purpose is crystal clear: to set forth Christ in His deity in order to spark believing faith in his readers. John’s gospel is topical, not primarily chronological, and it revolves around seven miracles and seven “I am” statements of Christ. Following an extended eyewitness description of the Upper Room meal and Discourse, John records events leading up to the Resurrection, the final climactic proof that Jesus is who He claims to be—the Son of God. The title of the fourth Gospel follows the same format as the titles of the synoptic Gospels: Kata Ioannen, “According to John.” As with the others, the word “Gospel” was later added. Ioannes is derived from the Hebrew name Johanan, “Yahweh Has Been Gracious.” Wilkinson, Bruce: Talk Thru the Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1983 (Logos Library Systems), S. 336

Winter Quarter 2010-2011

Front Page
    December 2010
  • 5 - The Word Made Flesh - John 1:1-18
  • 12 - The Testimony of John - John 1:19-37
  • 19 - The Birth of Our Savior - Luke 1:26-80; Luke 2:1-20
  • 26 - The Necessary Birth - John 3:1-21
    January 2011
  • 2 - A Ministry Amid Opposition - John 5:1-47
  • 9 - Jesus, The Bread of Life - John 6:22-71
  • 16 - Who Is Jesus? - John 7:1-52
  • 23 - Jesus Is the Light - John 8:12-59
  • 30 - A Man Is Healed - John 9:1-41
    February 2011
  • 6 - The Good Shepherd - John 10:1-21
  • 13 - Power Over Death - John 11:1-44
  • 20 - Why This Waste? - John 12:1-11
  • 27 - The Close of Public Ministry - John 12:12-50

 

Authorship

John Jesus nicknamed John and his brother, James, “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). Their father was Zebedee, and their mother, Salome, served Jesus in Galilee and was present at His crucifixion (see Mark 15:40–41). John was evidently among the Galileans who followed John the Baptist until they were called to follow Jesus at the outset of His public ministry (1:19–51). These Galileans were later called to become fulltime disciples of the Lord (Luke 5:1–11), and John was among the twelve men who were selected to be apostles (Luke 6:12–16). After Christ’s ascension, John became one of the “pillars” of the church in Jerusalem along with James and Peter (Gal. 2:9). He is mentioned three times by name in Acts (3:1; 4:13; 8:14), each time in association with Peter. Tradition says that John later went to Ephesus (perhaps just before the destruction of Jerusalem). He was eventually exiled by the Romans for a time to the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9). Wilkinson, Bruce: Talk Thru the Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1983 (Logos Library Systems), S. 336