CHAPTER SEVEN

The Gospel of John:

Jesus the Word of God

Background
- Gospel contrasts sharply with the
synoptic gospels of
Matthew, Mark, and Luke
-Written for Jewish-Christians who
were expelled from
synagogues after the Roman
Revolt
-Written to strengthen faith and
win converts
These goals lead to eternal life

Background
- Special liturgy feature is long,
well developed discourses
delivered by Jesus
Jesus reveals the Father
Teaches truths about Himself

- The key to being Jesus follower:

Have faith in Him and His
word
Love others as He loves us
Trust the Holy Spirit

Background
Two other purposes of Gospel:
1.) To combat false ideas about
Jesus divinity
2.) To oppose followers of John
the Baptist who believed he
was the Messiah

Background
New Characters in Johns Gospel

Nicodemus
Lazarus
Samaritan woman
Man born blind

Background
Differences in Johns Gospel:
- Jesus attends three Passover festivals
compared to one
- He makes several trips to Jerusalem
for various festivals
- Teachings take form of long
discourses, not parables
- He focuses on Himself as Gods
revelation
- Does not stress the kingdom of God

Background
- Johns gospel is very poetic
Presents a more solemn and
holy Jesus

- Uses literary techniques such as

irony and figurative
language to help clarify the
misunderstandings people
had of him

Background
Two major sources for Johns Gospel:
1.) Collection of miracles,called
sign sources
Changing water to wine
Cure of a man born blind
Raising of Lazarus

2.) Version of the passion and

resurrection narratives

Background
Identity of the author:
- In A.D. 180 the Church Father
Irenaeus attributed the fourth
gospel to John
Church tradition identified John
as one of the apostles

- Tradition held that John wrote the

gospel towards the end of his
life at Ephesus in Asia
Minor

Background
- Today, scholars believe
Irenaeus may have
confused John the apostle
with another John, a
Church elder and disciple
of the apostle John
- Scholars believe the gospel may
have been written in
several stages and edited
by many people
Some material appears twice
with only slight changes in
wording

Themes
- The first 18 verses of Johns
Gospel serve as a prologue
to the gospel.
- There, he introduces three
theological themes of the
gospel:
1.) Christology From Above
2.) Major Conflicts
3.) Who is Jesus?

Themes
Theme 1: Christology From Above
-Study of Jesus Christ
Trying to understand who He is

- All of the gospels are interested in

Jesus identity
- Johns gospel stresses Jesus:
Heavenly origins
Fundamental identity as the Son of
God
Preexistence as the Word of God

Themes
Theme 2: Major Conflicts
-Light of Christ versus darkness of
the world that refused Jesus
-Life-giving faith in Jesus versus
unbelief
-Truth versus untruth

Themes
Theme 3: Who is Jesus?
- John testifies that he is not the
Christ, Elijah, or the prophet
The reader knows that only
Jesus deserves these titles

- The prologue and chapter one

use various titles to reveal
who Jesus is
Word of God, Son of God,
Christ, Son of Man
Because He is God, no one
title totally describes him

Book of Signs
- Organized around seven miracles

- Uses the words ergon (work) or

semeion (sign) to describe
Jesus miracles
-Miracles of Jesus reveal:
His identity
Purpose of his incarnation
His heavenly glory
His relation to his heavenly Father

Book of Signs
Sign 1: Changing Water to Wine
- Performed at the wedding at Cana
- First public event where Jesus
revealed His glory, leading
disciples to believe in Him
- Providing wine shows the
richness of the wisdom and
revelation Jesus brings from
God
- Fulfilling prophesies of flowing
wine when the Messiah comes

Book of Signs
Sign 2: Cure of the Officials Son
- Power of Jesus word is enough to
heal the son of a court official

- Sign teaches that the faith in Jesus

can rescue us from spiritual
death

- Also teaches the power of

intercessory prayer

Book of Signs
Sign 3: Cure of the Paralytic
at the
Pool
- Jesus healed a man on the
Sabbath who was lame for
38 years
- Point of third sign is that Jesus is
the source of life
- Shows that he is Lord of the
Sabbath, doing his Fathers
work because the Father
never rests

Book of Signs
Sign 4: Feeding of 5,000
- Multiplication of the loaves
reveals Jesus to be the
Bread of Life.
- Jesus is the new bread God has
given to them, their source
of eternal life
- Reference to the Eucharist
As the Father is the source of
Jesus life, so Jesus is the
source of our life

Book of Signs
Sign 5: The Walking on Water
- Revealed that Jesus was Gods
Holy One
- Jesus says, It is I. Do not be
afraid. (6:21)
Jesus points out his identity as
God

- Despite the storms that come our

way in life, God is always
with us, the way Jesus was
with the disciples

Book of Signs
Sign 6: Cure of the Blind Man
- Contrast between:
A blind man given his sight

&
Those who had sight yet were
spiritually blind

Spiritual blindness is worse than physical blindness

Book of Signs
Sign 7: Raising of Lazarus
-Most important miracle in Johns gospel
Preconfigures Jesus death and resurrection

Jesus weeps
for his friend
Lazarus

Jesus prays to
God, thanking
Him for
answering His
prayer
Dead man comes out and is
freed from burial clothes

Jesus calls
Lazarus out
of the grave

Book of Signs
Sign 7: Raising of Lazarus Cont.
- This last sign sums up all of the
other signs and pulls together the
themes in the Gospel
Jesus is the way to life
He is the resurrection
He is God (I am)
Faith is essential for us to gain
eternal life

Book of Glory
- Second part of Johns Gospel
consists of two major
sections:
1.) Last Supper Discourse
2.) Jesus Death and
Resurrection

An Epilogue includes Jesus

resurrection appearances in Galilee

Book of Glory
Part One: Last Supper Discourse
- Johns gospel reports the Last
Supper occurred a day earlier
than the Synoptic gospels
- Began with washing the feet of the
disciples
Only gospel to report this incident

- Jesus prays we remain united to

Him so that he can continue to
work through us

Book of Glory
Part Two: Resurrection of Jesus
- Collectively the gospels give us
14 stories that describe the
resurrection
- All gospels proclaim the
resurrection was a real
event, with historically
verifiable elements
- Differ to the point that it is
impossible to blend them
into one narrative

Book of Glory
All Gospels agree:
- Resurrection took place early in
the morning on the first day
of the week
- Women were present at the
tomb, most certainly Mary
Magdalene
- Stone had been rolled away and
tomb was empty
- Messenger(s) were at the tomb

Book of Glory
- Jesus only appeared to his disciples
- They were slow to recognize him
because:
They were not expecting the Lord to
come back to life
Jesus resurrected body shone with
glory of Gods life
He was not a ghost

-Jesus prepared his disciples for his

ascension and the descent of the Spirit

Book of Glory
Essential beliefs about Resurrection
1.) Proves Jesus claims to be Gods
Son
Confirms Jesus works and teachings
Fulfills OT promises
Proves Jesus divinity

2.) Accomplished our salvation

Proves Jesus conquered sin and
death

Book of Glory
3.) Gives us new life, justifies us
in Gods grace, and adopts
us into the divine family
Resurrection allows Jesus to
live in us so we already share
eternal life

4.) If we join ourselves to the

Risen Lord and live
according to his message of
love, we will also share in
our own final resurrection
at the end of time

Vocabulary
Christology
Glory of God
Logos
Paraclete
Priest