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Today we are beginning a new series of sermons.
We are going to study the book of encourage you to open your bibles there.
Why study John?
For some of you, you were here when we were studying Matthew, just about 1 1/2 years ago.
We just studied the life of Christ.
Why are we going to another gospel?
Well, I have a few reasons.
Some of which will come out as we go through this introduction today.
When beginning to study a book, it is good to look at the background.
Who is writing this book?
Who are they addressing, or writing it for?
Where were they?
What is the purpose of their writing.
Who?
When beginning to study a book, it is good to look at the background.
Who is writing this book?
Who are they addressing, or writing it for?
Where were they?
What is the purpose of their writing.
So, who wrote this Gospel?
There have been those who have questioned this, and some ‘scholars’ question if John wrote this.
Why?
Well, honestly, it never says, “I, John,” am writing to you.
In fact, John is not named in this gospel.
Instead, we find this ‘unnamed disciple’ throughout the book.
From the 1st chapter when two disciples of John the Baptist first follow Jesus, through the end.
This is the one that is described as the disciple that Jesus loved.
He is the one that leaned on Jesus during the last supper, at Peter’s request, to know who Jesus was talking about when he spoke of one of the disciples betraying him.
It was this disciple that apparently knew the high priest and gained entry for himself and Peter when Jesus was on trial.
It was this unnamed disciple that Jesus spoke to on the cross, telling him to care for his mother.
It was this unnamed disciple who went fishing with Peter and recognized Jesus when he was on the shore in .
In that passage, it is obvious that is it one of the sons of Zebedee (Jams or John), or one of two other unnamed disciples.
Then, this disciple was the one that was following Peter and Jesus while they talked, and Jesus restored Peter.
It was he that was thought by many to live until Jesus came to establish the kingdom.
And...
...
John 21:24 who was the one who testified to these things...
So, who was this disciple?
It is obvious that this disciple was intimate with Jesus, and with Peter.
John 20:
This disciple knew things that no one else would have been privy to.
And, since he was at the last supper, which only the twelve disciples were attending, it had to be one of the sons of Zebedee.
James was martyred early on in .
That leaves… John.
Not only that, but outside of the scriptures, an early church father who was a disciple of a disciple of John, Irenaeus specifically named John as writing this gospel.
That brings us to the second question.
To Whom
To whom was this written.
From the gospel, we can see that it was written to Jews and Gentiles.
Matthew wrote his gospel to Jews to show that Jesus fulfilled the scriptures, and was indeed the Messiah.
Mark wrote his gospel for the gentiles in Rome to know who Jesus was and what he did.
He emphasized Jesus as the Son of God, and a servant.
Luke wrote his ‘orderly’ account to make sure they knew it was an accurate account, and that they would see Jesus, the Son of Man.
John wrote to Gentiles, explaining Jewish words of customs ( “rabbi - which means teacher...”)
He also included a lot of Jewish types and showed that Jesus fulfilled them, like the lamb, the temple, the new birth, the serpent lifted up, the bread from heaven.
John focuses on Jesus, who He was, and the meaning of what he did.
He focuses on understanding Jesus.
Irenaeus tells us that John wrote this gospel while in Ephesus, where this mixed audience of Jewish and Gentile believers lived.
We know it was mixed from the accounts in Acts, and from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
, while he was in Ephesus.
I think knowing ‘to whom’ can help us understand why he wrote.
Who were the Ephesians?
Well, John has a specific message to them in another of his writings. .
Why?
John wrote this gospel to this group of people who had good deeds.
They had hard work.
They had perseverance.
They had shown false teachers to be false.
They knew their bible and their doctrine.
They had the answers...
John wrote this gospel to this group of people who had good deeds.
They had hard work.
They had perseverance.
They had shown false teachers to be false.
They knew their bible and their doctrine.
They had the answers...
But they had lost their love for Jesus.
Paul writes about love in his letter to the Ephesians.
John writes this message from God. (Granted, I believe Revelation was likely written after the gospel.
However, John lived among the am sure he knew this to be the case from his own experience while he lived there.
And, the Ephesians are not unique.
This is a trap all Christians can fall into.)
They had knowledge.
They knew facts.
But they lost their love.
So why does he write his gospel?
He wrote so they would know Jesus.
He wrote because he wanted them to know more than the facts of what Jesus did.
He wanted them to know Jesus.
To believe he is the promised one, the hope of all, the Son of God.
He wanted them to ‘be believing’ and thus have life in his name.
How many Christians, how many of us know the facts, know the answers, and yet now have no life… Yes, we are alive, and living day to day.
But, where is the life?
Where is the abundant life as Jesus says in ?
Do you fell like you have life to the full?
Or, as the New Living Translation puts it, ‘rich and satisfying’?
So, why are we studying John?
Because I want to have life!
How about you?
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