The book of John

Main theme

Jesus is the eternal Word made flesh, the Christ, the Son of God; John reports his signs and his words so that people may believe in him and, believing, have life through his name (20:31).

Outline

1. John 1 — Prologue and first witnesses

   The eternal Word made flesh, the testimony of John the Baptist and the call of the first disciples.

2. John 2-12 — The book of signs

   Seven miracles, long conversations and discourses at the Jewish feasts reveal Jesus, who provokes both faith and rejection.

3. John 13-17 — The farewell in the upper room

   The washing of the feet, the new commandment, the promise of the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ prayer for his own.

4. John 18-19 — The hour of the cross

   The arrest, the hearings before Annas, Caiaphas and Pilate, the crucifixion and the burial: glory through being lifted up.

5. John 20-21 — The risen Lord

   The empty tomb, Mary Magdalene, Thomas, the catch of one hundred and fifty-three fish and the restoration of Peter.

Key points

• John is the only Gospel to begin in eternity: the Word was God and was made flesh (1:1, 14).
• Seven selected signs mark out the book: water turned into wine, the official’s son, the paralytic at Bethesda, the loaves multiplied, the walking on the sea, the man born blind and Lazarus (chapters 2 to 11).
• Seven “I am” statements reveal who Jesus is: the bread of life, the light of the world, the door, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth and the life, the true vine (6:35; 8:12; 10:9, 11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1).
• “Before Abraham was, I am”: Jesus claims for himself the divine name revealed to Moses, and his opponents want to stone him (8:58-59; Exod 3:14).
• John mentions three Passovers (2:13; 6:4; 11:55): Jesus’ ministry therefore lasted more than two years, about three by the usual estimate.
• Chapters 13 to 17, unique to John, report Jesus’ farewell: the washing of the feet, the new commandment, the promise of the Comforter and the high priestly prayer.
• The verb “believe” occurs nearly a hundred times: the book calls for a personal decision about Jesus (20:31).
• Personal encounters mark the book: Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the man born blind, Martha, Mary Magdalene, Thomas and Peter.

Jesus in John

John presents Jesus as God the Son made man: the eternal Word, the only begotten Son who makes the Father known, the one who says “I am” and whom Thomas worships as Lord and God (1:1, 18; 8:58; 20:28). He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the true temple, the bread come down from heaven and the good shepherd who lays down his life (1:29; 2:21; 6:51; 10:11). His cross is not a defeat but his “lifting up” and his glory, where he accomplishes the work of salvation (12:32; 19:30).

Did you know?

• The apostle John is never named in his own Gospel: he calls himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (13:23; 21:20, 24).
• The double “Verily, verily” occurs twenty-five times in John and never in the other three Gospels.
• John records none of the parables of the other Gospels, nor the account of the Last Supper with the bread and the cup; he tells of the washing of the feet instead (13:4-5).