The Gospel of John: Overview | Whiteboard Bible Study

Summary

The Gospel of John, the fourth book of the New Testament, presents a unique perspective on Jesus' life and teachings. Unlike the synoptic gospels, John's narrative includes distinctive content and is the last to be written. It's divided into the Book of Signs, showcasing Jesus' miracles, and the Book of Glory, highlighting his love for disciples and divine glorification. The Gospel aims to inspire belief in Jesus, even amidst skepticism, and concludes with an epilogue emphasizing the ongoing mission to care for Jesus' followers.

Takeaways

• 📖 The Gospel of John is the fourth book of the New Testament and the last of the gospels in the Bible.
• 👤 Although traditionally attributed to John the son of Zebedee, the author is anonymous and refers to himself as 'the disciple Jesus loved'.
• 📜 The Gospel of John is distinct from the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), containing unique content not found elsewhere in the New Testament.
• 🔑 The purpose of the Gospel, as stated in the text, is to present 'signs' or miracles to encourage belief in Jesus.
• 📚 The book is divided into two main sections: the Book of Signs (chapters 2-12) and the Book of Glory (chapters 13-20), with a prologue and epilogue.
• 🌟 The prologue (John 1) establishes Jesus as divine, referring to him as 'the Word', and introduces the theme of Jesus calling his disciples.
• 💧 The Book of Signs includes seven miracles, such as turning water into wine and raising Lazarus from the dead, to demonstrate Jesus' divine power.
• 📢 Jesus delivers significant teachings throughout the Gospel, including his role as the Good Shepherd and the importance of love among his followers.
• 🕊️ The Book of Glory focuses on Jesus' love for his disciples, his teachings on mutual love, and the promise of the Holy Spirit.
• 🙏 The Gospel concludes with the resurrection of Jesus, the doubt of Thomas, and the call to belief, emphasizing the ongoing struggle to believe in Jesus' divinity.

Q & A

What is the Gospel of John's position in the New Testament?

The Gospel of John is the fourth book of the New Testament and the last gospel in the Bible.

Who is traditionally believed to have written the Gospel of John?

The author is traditionally believed to be John, the son of Zebedee, one of Jesus's twelve disciples, although the book itself does not explicitly state this.

Why was the Gospel of John written according to the script?

The Gospel of John was written so that readers would believe in Jesus, as stated near the end of the book where the author mentions telling the story of Jesus' miracles for this purpose.

How does the content of the Gospel of John differ from the other three Gospels?

The Gospel of John contains unique content not found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and it was likely the last gospel written.

What are the two main sections of the Gospel of John?

The Gospel of John is divided into the 'Book of Signs' (chapters 2 through 12) and the 'Book of Glory' (chapters 13 through 20), with a prologue (chapter 1) and an epilogue (chapter 21).

What is the significance of the prologue in the Gospel of John?

The prologue establishes Jesus as divine, referring to him as the Word of God, and sets the stage for the miracles and teachings that follow.

How many miracles are recorded in the 'Book of Signs' and what is their purpose?

There are seven miracles recorded in the 'Book of Signs', and their purpose is to demonstrate Jesus' divine nature and to encourage belief in him.

What is the main focus of the 'Book of Glory'?

The 'Book of Glory' focuses on Jesus' love for his disciples, his teachings, and the glorification of God's name through his actions, culminating in his crucifixion and resurrection.

Why does the Gospel of John include the story of Doubting Thomas?

The story of Doubting Thomas is included to show that belief in Jesus can be challenging, and it emphasizes the author's purpose of writing the gospel to help readers decide whether to believe in Jesus.

What is the final message of the Gospel of John as described in the epilogue?

The epilogue concludes with Jesus instructing his disciples to continue his work, particularly Peter, to feed and care for his followers, highlighting the ongoing mission of the disciples and the believers.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Introduction to the Gospel of John

The Gospel of John is the fourth book of the New Testament and the last gospel in the Bible. It is divided into two main sections: the Old Testament, which focuses on the relationship between God and the Jewish people, and the New Testament, which centers on Jesus and his followers' actions and teachings. The author of the Gospel of John is traditionally considered to be John the son of Zebedee, one of Jesus's twelve disciples. The Gospel's purpose, as stated in the book itself, is to present the miraculous 'signs' performed by Jesus to encourage belief in him. Unlike the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), John contains unique content and was likely written last. The structure of John is divided into a prologue (chapter 1), an epilogue (chapter 21), and two main sections: the 'Book of Signs' (chapters 2-12) and the 'Book of Glory' (chapters 13-20). The prologue introduces Jesus as the divine 'Word' and sets the stage for the miracles and teachings that follow.

05:00

🕊 The Structure and Themes of the Gospel of John

The Gospel of John is further explored through its two main sections, each with distinct themes and narratives. The 'Book of Signs' (chapters 2-12) presents seven miracles performed by Jesus, including turning water into wine, healing the sick, feeding the 5,000, walking on water, and raising Lazarus from the dead. These miracles are intended to demonstrate Jesus's divine nature and to inspire belief in him. Accompanying these miracles are significant teachings, such as Jesus's discourse on being the Good Shepherd. Despite these miracles, the Jewish leaders often respond with misunderstanding and hostility. The 'Book of Glory' (chapters 13-20) focuses on Jesus's final days, his love for his disciples, and the Father's glorification through Jesus's actions. This section includes Jesus's comforting words to his disciples, new teachings, the promise of the Holy Spirit, and the high priestly prayer in John 17. It culminates in Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection, the ultimate miracle that overcomes death. The epilogue (chapter 21) sees Jesus interacting with his disciples post-resurrection, reaffirming his love and commissioning Peter to care for his followers. The Gospel concludes with the author's purpose for writing: to provide a record of Jesus's acts and teachings to encourage belief in him, even for those who have not witnessed his miracles firsthand.

Keywords

💡Gospel of John

The 'Gospel of John' is the fourth book of the New Testament and the last gospel in the Bible. It is a unique account of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The video script discusses the distinctive narrative style and theological emphasis of this gospel, which sets it apart from the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). It is noted for its poetic and theological depth, focusing on the divinity of Jesus and the miracles he performed to inspire belief.

💡Old Testament

The 'Old Testament' refers to the first part of the Bible, primarily focusing on the relationship between God and the Jewish people. In the context of the video, it is contrasted with the New Testament, which includes the Gospel of John and centers on the life and teachings of Jesus. The Old Testament provides historical and theological background that complements the New Testament's focus on Jesus.

💡New Testament

The 'New Testament' is the second part of the Christian Bible, focusing on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as the early Christian church. The video emphasizes that the Gospel of John is a significant component of the New Testament, detailing Jesus' miracles and teachings to encourage belief in him.

💡Disciple Jesus loved

The 'disciple Jesus loved' is a reference to the author of the Gospel of John, who does not identify himself by name but as the disciple whom Jesus loved. This is traditionally associated with John the son of Zebedee, one of Jesus' twelve disciples. The video script mentions this title as a way to introduce the author's perspective and close relationship with Jesus.

💡Book of Signs

The 'Book of Signs' is a term used to describe chapters 2 through 12 of the Gospel of John, where Jesus performs seven miracles to demonstrate his divine nature. The video script explains that these signs are meant to lead readers to believe in Jesus, showcasing his power and authority over nature and death.

💡Book of Glory

The 'Book of Glory' refers to chapters 13 through 20 of the Gospel of John, where Jesus demonstrates his love for his disciples and God the Father is glorified through Jesus' actions. The video script highlights this section as a beautiful and profound part of the Bible, detailing Jesus' final teachings, his prayer for his followers, and his crucifixion and resurrection.

💡Prologue

The 'Prologue' of the Gospel of John is chapter 1, which sets the stage for the entire gospel. It introduces Jesus as the Word of God and establishes his divine identity. The video script points out that the prologue is a poetic and theological introduction that lays the foundation for understanding Jesus' role and mission.

💡Epilogue

The 'Epilogue' of the Gospel of John is chapter 21, which serves as a conclusion to the book. It includes the story of Jesus' appearance to his disciples after his resurrection and his reinstatement of Peter. The video script notes that the epilogue wraps up the narrative by emphasizing Jesus' ongoing relationship with his disciples and his mission for them.

💡Miracles

In the context of the Gospel of John, 'miracles' are the supernatural acts performed by Jesus, such as turning water into wine, healing the sick, and raising Lazarus from the dead. The video script discusses these miracles as 'signs' that demonstrate Jesus' divine power and are meant to inspire belief in his divinity.

💡Belief

The concept of 'belief' is central to the Gospel of John, as the author's purpose is to present Jesus' miracles and teachings to encourage readers to believe in him as the Messiah. The video script emphasizes that belief in Jesus is a choice that leads to eternal life, a theme that is reiterated throughout the gospel and is the ultimate message the author hopes readers will take away.

Highlights

The Gospel of John is the fourth book of the New Testament and the last gospel in the Bible.

The Gospel of John is divided into two large sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The author of the Gospel of John is traditionally considered to be John, the son of Zebedee.

The Gospel of John is written to show signs and miracles of Jesus so that readers will believe in him.

The content of the Gospel of John is unique and not found in the other gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

The Gospel of John was likely the last gospel written.

The book is divided into a prologue, an epilogue, and two main sections known as the book of signs and the book of glory.

The prologue establishes Jesus as divine, referring to him as 'the Word'.

The book of signs includes seven miracles performed by Jesus to demonstrate his divinity.

Despite the miracles, the Jewish people did not believe in Jesus, which is a significant point in the narrative.

The book of glory focuses on Jesus' relationship with his disciples and God's glorification through his actions.

Jesus' love for his disciples is a central theme in the book of glory.

The high priestly prayer in John 17 is a powerful moment where Jesus prays for his disciples and future believers.

The Gospel of John ends with Jesus' resurrection and the instruction to his disciples to continue his work.

Doubting Thomas' story is used to illustrate the ongoing struggle to believe in Jesus even after his resurrection.

The Gospel of John poses the question to its readers: do you believe in Jesus?

The author acknowledges that there is much more that could be written about Jesus, but the world couldn't contain the volumes.

Transcripts

the Gospel of John is the fourth book of

the New Testament and the last gospel in

the Bible now if you're familiar with

the Bible then you know that it falls

into two large sections there's the Old

Testament which primarily looks at the

relationship between God and the Jewish

people and then there's the New

Testament which focuses on Jesus and

what his followers did and said after

him John tells the story of Jesus but

how does John tell that story and why

does John choose to tell the story that

he does well that's what we're going to

look at when we examine the story and

structure of John but before we do that

let's get a look at the book as a whole

beginning with who wrote it now while

the Gospel of John is named John nowhere

in the book does it say that a person

named John wrote this gospel in fact the

author only refers to himself as the

disciple Jesus loved now for a long time

church leaders have associated this

person with John the son of Zebedee and

this was one of the leading disciples in

jesus's group of twelve so although

there are other theories as to who may

have written John we'll get into that in

a different video for now let's just say

the author of the Gospel of John is John

since that's what Christians have been

saying for almost 2,000 years now what's

more important than who wrote it is why

it was written and were told that toward

the end of the book the author says that

he is telling the story of all these

signs or these miracles that Jesus

performed so that the reader will

believe in Jesus now some interesting

notes to keep in mind are that while the

Gospels of Matthew and Mark and Luke

generally track with each other and

cover roughly the same events John

doesn't do this a lot of the content

that you're gonna see in the Gospel of

John is unique it's not going to be

found anywhere else in the New Testament

and also John was probably the last

gospel written so keep that in mind as

we look at the story and structure of

the Gospel of John let's jump into that

John falls

to two very large sections with two

smaller sections as bookends we have the

prologue which is chapter 1 and then an

epilogue which is chapter 21 that's that

last chapter and then the bulk of the

book of John falls into two big groups

that Christians have called the book of

signs which is chapters 2 through 12 and

then the book of glory which is chapters

13 through 20 let's start with the

prologue the prologue begins with in the

beginning which is a throwback to the

very first words of the whole Bible in

Genesis but it goes on to say that in

the beginning was the word which is a

name that John uses for Jesus he's

saying that Jesus is God he establishes

Jesus as a divine being right from the

get-go

and then in this prologue we see God

sending Jesus and Jesus beginning to

call his disciples and from there were

drawn right into this book of signs now

remember the whole reason that the

Gospel of John was written was to show

us signs so that we the readers would

believe in Jesus so we want to pay

attention to these signs John lays out

seven miracles in the book of signs we

see Jesus turning water into wine he

heals several people we see him feeding

5,000 people walking on the water and it

all culminates with Jesus miraculously

raising his friend Lazarus from the dead

now while we're seeing these miracles

take place we also see Jesus giving some

very important teachings such as when he

talks about how he is the Good Shepherd

who lays down his life for the Sheep we

also see the Jewish leaders responding

usually with misunderstanding and

sometimes some anger to the teachings of

Jesus until finally even though Jesus

has worked such powerful miracles even

raising someone from the dead we get to

the end of the book of signs and the

Jewish people still don't believe in

Jesus now this is very important because

remember john has pulled together these

miracles so that

people reading this gospel will believe

in Jesus but these miracles didn't

convince the Jewish people to do that so

remember that as we look at the rest of

this book because that's going to be

really important to us since the Jewish

people don't believe in Jesus he

withdraws and spends the rest of this

book focusing on his relationship with

his disciples in the book of glory now

the book of glory is called this because

in this section we see Jesus

demonstrating his love for the disciples

and also God the Father glorifying his

name through the actions of Jesus it's a

very very beautiful part of the Bible it

opens with John saying that Jesus hour

had come and he loved his disciples to

the end it's very very beautifully

written and we see Jesus comforting his

disciples passing on new teachings to

love one another he promises to send the

Holy Spirit after him after he has died

and risen again and then he prays for

them in John 17 it's known as the high

priestly prayer where Jesus prays on not

only the disciples of his times behalf

but also on behalf of Christians who

come after the disciples very very

powerful and then finally like the Good

Shepherd Jesus dies for his followers

it's very beautiful very surprising not

the way people would have expected a

king to act in the first century but

plot-twists

Jesus rises from the dead this is the

greatest miracle of all he has defeated

death and we have an empty tomb but

similarly to how the book of signs ended

with a resurrection from the dead and

the people didn't believe him we meet a

character that you've probably heard of

doubting thomas one of jesus' followers

still struggles to believe in Jesus

after he rises from the dead and it's at

that point that John tells us exactly

why he wrote this gospel he wrote this

gospel because he knows that we're going

to struggle to believe in Jesus

long after we're not seeing him so he's

written all this down so that we need to

make a choice and we can choose whether

or not we're going to believe in Jesus

and have life in him this brings us to

the epilogue and in the epilogue we see

Jesus visiting seven disciples including

Peter who famously denied Jesus right

before he died and also Thomas who is no

longer doubting Jesus feeds the

disciples and then he tells Peter

because you love me continue to feed my

disciples keep taking care of my

followers and this is where the book of

John ends John says that there's so much

that could be written about Jesus but

the world probably wouldn't even hold

all the books that it would take to

record what he did so that's what the

book of John is about it's a very poetic

and very artistic and very compelling

book of the Bible that pulls together

the acts of Jesus the teachings of Jesus

and poses us with the question do you

believe in him that's what the book of

John is all about if you want to see

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