Introduction to the Study of the Book of
John
By:
Bob Deffinbaugh
I feel a good deal like
the late Dr. J. Vernon McGee as I attempt to
introduce this study. In his “Through the
Bible” series which he did on the radio and
in print, Dr. McGee used to speak of each
new book in his study as the “greatest book
in the Bible.” Let’s face it, they’re all
great. But there are certain books of the
Bible that just seem to stand out, and the
Gospel of John is surely one of those books.
It is the book of the Bible we encourage
non-Christians to read, in the hope that its
message will lead them to faith in Christ
(after all, that is the purpose of the
book—see
John 20:31). On previous occasions when
I have taught John’s Gospel in home Bible
studies, I have seen people come to faith as
the message of this book captivated them. I
well remember one woman blurting out during
our study, “Well, if I didn’t know any
better, I’d think Jesus was claiming to be
God.” It wasn’t long before her husband was
telling me that they had come to faith in
the course of their study of John’s Gospel.
For Christians, the
Gospel of John is a source of much truth
about our Lord and the Gospel. But it’s much
more than this. It is an opportunity for us
to “follow Him” as we read, and to identify
with the disciples as their knowledge of Him
continued to expand. It is our opportunity
to get to know the heart of the Savior, and
to fellowship with Him through His Word. If
men of old found their hearts set on fire as
they listened to Him teach in person (Luke
24:32), so we will find our hearts
warmed as we seek to listen to Him through
this Gospel.
The Gospel of John is of
particular interest because of its unique
approach—very different from the approach of
the other three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and
Luke (sometimes called the “Synoptic
Gospels”). Over 90% of the material in
John’s Gospel is unique to John, not to be
found in the other three Gospels.
This study also provides
a unique opportunity to employ a new and
exciting translation, known as The NET
Bible, or the New English Translation.
Several years ago the Biblical Studies
Foundation sought to obtain permission to
make a modern and accurate translation of
the Bible available to readers around the
world via the Internet. The cost of
purchasing the rights to do so was
prohibitive, and thus it was determined that
a new translation was the better choice. The
New American Standard Bible, famed for its
accuracy, is not accepted and used
internationally. In America, its popularity
and use is diminishing. The NIV is a very
readable and enjoyable translation, but it
is not precise enough for serious students
of the Bible. The New King James Version is
becoming more popular, but it still suffers
from some of the weaknesses of its
predecessor. The NET Bible seeks to
reflect the best of these great translations
(readability, reliability, and the use of
relevant language), in one new translation
of the Bible.
The NET Bible is
the first translation that has been designed
to take advantage of the power of the
computer for Bible Study, and the use of the
Internet to make the Scriptures and Bible
Study tools available around the world. The
study notes and translators notes are the
most extensive that have been made widely
available. The Scripture citations in this
series on the Gospel of John will therefore
employ and showcase this exciting new
translation, which can be used and shared
for personal use (at no cost) with friends
around the world.
This study in the Gospel
of John is in progress. I am a teacher and
elder at Community Bible Chapel in
Richardson, Texas. As much as possible, a
new lesson in the study of John will be
posted on the Biblical Studies Foundation
web site each week. I challenge you to join
me in making the Gospel of John the subject
of your study. May God use it to see Jesus
Christ as the Son of God, who takes away the
sin of the world, who takes away your sin.
That You Might Believe:
A Study of the Gospel of John
by
Robert Deffinbaugh
deffinbaugh@bible.org
Biblical Studies Press
www.bible.org
1998
Robert L.
Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological
Seminary with his Th.M. in 1971. Bob is a teacher
and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson,
Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study
series for use by the Foundation.
Unless otherwise indicated, all
Scripture quotations are from The NET Bible.
The New English Translation, also known as
The NET Bible, is a completely new translation
of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a
previous English version. It was completed by more
than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly
from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic,
and Greek texts. The translation project originally
started as an attempt to provide an electronic
version of a modern translation for electronic
distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact
disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet
connection will be able to use and print out The
NET Bible without cost for personal study. In
addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with
others can print unlimited copies and give them away
free to others. It is available on the Internet at:
http://www.bible.org.
I feel a good deal like the
late Dr. J. Vernon McGee as I attempt to introduce
this study. In his “Through the Bible” series which
he did on the radio and in print, Dr. McGee used to
speak of each new book in his study as the “greatest
book in the Bible.” Let’s face it, they’re all
great. But there are certain books of the Bible that
just seem to stand out, and the Gospel of John is
surely one of those books. It is the book of the
Bible we encourage non-Christians to read, in the
hope that its message will lead them to faith in
Christ (after all, that is the purpose of the
book—see John 20:31). On previous occasions when I
have taught John’s Gospel in home Bible studies, I
have seen people come to faith as the message of
this book captivated them. I well remember one woman
blurting out during our study, “Well, if I didn’t
know any better, I’d think Jesus was claiming to be
God.” It wasn’t long before her husband was telling
me that they had come to faith in the course of
their study of John’s Gospel.
For Christians, the Gospel of
John is a source of much truth about our Lord and
the Gospel. But it’s much more than this. It is an
opportunity for us to “follow Him” as we read, and
to identify with the disciples as their knowledge of
Him continued to expand. It is our opportunity to
get to know the heart of the Savior, and to
fellowship with Him through His Word. If men of old
found their hearts set on fire as they listened to
Him teach in person (Luke 24:32), so we will find
our hearts warmed as we seek to listen to Him
through this Gospel.
The Gospel of John is of
particular interest because of its unique
approach—very different from the approach of the
other three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke
(sometimes called the “Synoptic Gospels”). Over 90%
of the material in John’s Gospel is unique to John,
not to be found in the other three Gospels.
This study also provides a
unique opportunity to employ a new and exciting
translation, known as The NET Bible, or the
New English Translation. Several years ago
the Biblical Studies Foundation sought to obtain
permission to make a modern and accurate translation
of the Bible available to readers around the world
via the Internet. The cost of purchasing the rights
to do so was prohibitive, and thus it was determined
that a new translation was the better choice. The
New American Standard Bible, famed for its accuracy,
is not accepted and used internationally. In
America, its popularity and use is diminishing. The
NIV is a very readable and enjoyable translation,
but it is not precise enough for serious students of
the Bible. The New King James Version is becoming
more popular, but it still suffers from some of the
weaknesses of its predecessor. The NET Bible
seeks to reflect the best of these great
translations (readability, reliability, and the use
of relevant language), in one new translation of the
Bible.
The NET Bible is the
first translation that has been designed to take
advantage of the power of the computer for Bible
Study, and the use of the Internet to make the
Scriptures and Bible Study tools available around
the world. The study notes and translators notes are
the most extensive that have been made widely
available. The Scripture citations in this series on
the Gospel of John will therefore employ and
showcase this exciting new translation, which can be
used and shared for personal use (at no cost) with
friends around the world.
This study in the Gospel of
John is in progress. I am a teacher and elder at
Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas. As much
as possible, a new lesson in the study of John will
be posted on the Biblical Studies Foundation web
site each week. I challenge you to join me in making
the Gospel of John the subject of your study. May
God use it to see Jesus Christ as the Son of God,
who takes away the sin of the world, who takes away
your sin.
Introduction
In some scholarly circles, this
message would not be considered worthy of a hearing.
Leon Morris cites A. M. Hunter, who says, “‘For these
and other reasons, scarcely a reputable scholar in this
country nowadays is prepared to affirm that the Fourth
Gospel was written by John the Apostle.’”
Liberal scholarship has tended to
the view that this Gospel was not written by John the
Apostle, but by some anonymous second century Christian
who “never set eyes on Jesus.”
If this were true, of what value could a study of John
the Apostle be to the study of this great Gospel? I
would like to explain why I believe it is of great
value.
To begin, I believe the Gospel of
John was written by the Apostle John.
There are a number of reasons we should accept the
Johanine authorship of this Gospel. This was the
conviction of the second century church fathers, who
first addressed this matter.
This has always been the view of truly evangelical
scholarship.
Morris comments, “The basic reason for holding that the
author was John the Apostle is that this appears to be
what the Gospel itself teaches.”
In reading through the four
Gospels, one finds that Matthew refers to the Apostle
John by name three times; Mark ten times; Luke seven
times, and John not at all. John does refer to the “sons
of Zebedee” in 21:2, and there are allusions to
himself in 13:23; 18:15-16; 19:26-27; 20:1-10; 21:7,
20-23, 24. It is not at all surprising that John would
refrain from directly referring to himself by name.
Neither does he specifically refer to the “inner three”
(Peter, James, and John—see Mark 5:37; Matthew 17:1;
Mark 14:33) in his Gospel. Of the four authors of the
New Testament Gospels, two (Mark and especially Luke)
were not present with our Lord as one of His 12
disciples. Matthew was not one of the inner three. And
so while Matthew can write about our Lord’s ministry
from the perspective of one of the nine “outside”
disciples, it is only John who can describe certain
critical events from the perspective of one of the inner
three. Each Gospel thus has its own purpose, its own
perspective, its own audience, and its own unique
contribution.
John: The Man
The Gospels give us a fairly
clear picture of the Apostle John. For us to understand
John’s Gospel, we should consider the biographical
sketch the Scriptures give us of this man.
Our first introduction to John
may come in John 1:35-40. Here, John the Baptist
looks upon Jesus and declares, “Look, the Lamb of
God!” (John 1:36, NET). Immediately, two of John’s
disciples leave him and attach themselves to Jesus. We
are told that the name of one of these two men is Andrew
(verse 40); the other disciple of John the Baptist is
not named. I doubt that it was Peter, Andrew’s brother,
because Andrew will find Peter and inform him that they
have found the Messiah (verses 40-42). Since Peter and
Andrew were partners of James and John, there is a fair
chance that John the Apostle may be the second disciple
of John the Baptist. It is interesting that John’s
Gospel quickly turns our attention to “John the
Baptist,” who is never called by this title in the
Gospel of John; he is always referred to simply as
“John.” This may be because the Apostle John knew him so
well, as his former disciple.
Next, we read of the call of
John and his brother James, right after the call of
Peter and Andrew (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:19). Jesus
is walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He
first comes to Peter and Andrew, to whom He says, “Follow
Me,” Jesus said to them, “and I will have
you fish for people” (Mark 1:17). Next, He comes to
James and John, who were sitting in the boat with their
father mending their nets. He called them, and these two
brothers immediately left their nets to follow Him. This
does not appear to be a permanent leaving and following,
which will take place later. It is a calling to leave
their occupation for a time so that they can be with
Him. John appears to be one of the first to follow our
Lord as a disciple. If so, he was with Him from the
beginning.
John, along with his brother
James, accompanied Jesus to the home of Simon Peter and
Andrew, where Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law, and
then many others (Mark 1:29-31f.). According to Mark,
this happened after Jesus taught in the synagogue of
Capernaum. The people who heard Jesus were amazed
because He, unlike the scribes and Pharisees, taught
with authority (verses 22, 27). The authority which
Jesus possessed was demonstrated by His ability to heal
and to cast out demons. If anyone was a witness to the
authority of our Lord, it was John who, along with Peter
and James, witnessed more miracles at the hand of our
Lord than nearly anyone.
During the time he spent with
the Lord, John became increasingly aware of just how
great and awesome Jesus was. In Luke 5:1-11, John’s
grasp of who Jesus was takes a quantum leap. Jesus had
been teaching the crowds beside the lake of Gennesaret
(the Sea of Galilee). Two boats were nearby; one
belonged to Simon and Andrew and the other to James and
John. As Jesus taught, these men were in their boats,
washing their nets after having fished all night without
success. Jesus taught from one of the boats, and then
instructed Peter to put out into deep water and to let
down the nets for a catch. Peter momentarily protested,
but then relented and let down the nets, which
encompassed a very large catch. The catch was so large
he had to call to his partners, James and John (verse
10), to help bring in the nets. They filled their boats
until they began to sink. Seeing this, Peter fell
trembling before our Lord with the words, “Go away
from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!” (verse 8).
But the text also tells us that Peter’s partners, James
and John, did likewise. Jesus’ words, “Do not be
afraid, from now on you will be catching people,”
were spoken to all three men, not just to Peter (see
verse 10). John was on his way to understanding the
majesty and power of the One he would follow.
John was chosen by our Lord to
be numbered with the twelve (Matthew 10:1ff.; Mark
3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16). Mark informs us that at this
time Jesus nicknamed James and John “sons of thunder”
(Mark 3:17). This certainly squares with what we see of
these two elsewhere. These two fellows were an ancient
version of movie stars John Wayne and Clint
Eastwood—they were a rough and tumble pair. John does
not seem to have talked as much as Peter, but he was
certainly one who could hold his own. He was the strong,
silent type, the kind of fellow you would not want to
make mad at you.
John was one of the “inner
three” disciples of our Lord. Only Peter, James and
John were allowed to accompany Jesus into the house of
the synagogue official, whose daughter had already died
before Jesus arrived (Mark 5:35-43; Luke 8:49-56). Here,
apparently, John first witnessed our Lord’s power over
death.
John was present at the
transfiguration of Jesus, along with James and Peter
(Matthew 17:1ff.; Mark 9:2ff.; Luke 9:28ff.). Here, John
had a foretaste of the glory of our Lord and His
kingdom. While Peter did not hesitate to speak on this
occasion, John seems to have remained silent, perhaps
having been dumbstruck by what he saw.
It was John who confessed that
he and others had come across a man who was casting out
demons in Jesus’ name and forbade him to do so again
(Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49). John and others (which must have
included at least Peter and James) had somehow concluded
that they owned the “Jesus franchise,” and thus had the
right to license or to prohibit others from acting in
His name. Jesus did not agree, and He went on to warn
them about causing “little ones to sin [stumble].”
It was James and John who
asked Jesus for permission to call down fire from heaven
and “torch the place” when some Samaritans did not want
Jesus to come to their village (Luke 9:54). These
two brothers were ready and willing to use God’s power
to punish the pagans.
At a most inappropriate time,
John, along with his brother James, asked Jesus for
prominent positions in His coming kingdom (Mark
10:35). When Jesus was approaching Jerusalem, He told
His disciples He was soon to be condemned to death there
(Mark 10:32-34). As the time of our Lord’s death draws
near, He takes His disciples into His confidence by
telling them what is about to happen. It is as though
James and John did not even hear what Jesus had just
said. They took Jesus aside and asked Him privately to
grant their request that they be given positions of
prominence in the kingdom, above the other disciples.
Naturally, the other disciples were incensed. James and
John had no idea what they were asking, or what true
discipleship really was.
Peter, James, and John, along
with Andrew, privately asked Jesus to reveal to them
details concerning the last days (Mark 13:1-4).
Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem, and the
disciples were awe-struck by the beauty of the temple.
Jesus cautioned them not to become too attached to the
temple since it was to be destroyed. The two sets of
brothers waited until they could get Jesus alone, and
then asked Him to tell them the “inside story” of what
was going to happen and when. Actually, they were not so
concerned with “what” would happen as “when” it would
happen. They had the “what” figured out, they thought;
they just needed to know “when.” Their seeking to obtain
secret knowledge from Jesus, apart from the rest, was
just another form of one-upmanship. There have always
been—as there will always be—those who seek to obtain
“inside” prophetic knowledge which is unknown by others.
This inside knowledge enables some to think of
themselves as superior to others.
When Jesus sent two of his
disciples to make preparations for the Passover, one of
these men was John and the other was Peter (Luke
22:8). Among other things, it seems these two (who would
spend much time together in the Book of Acts) were the
most trusted disciples. Judas could certainly not have
been trusted to do this task. There was a certain
mystery about the location of this meeting room, but
these two were able to find it just as Jesus had
indicated. There is an almost prophetic element in the
way Jesus both informed and instructed these two, so
that they could make preparations for celebrating the
Passover, yet without allowing Judas to know where.
John seems to be the “disciple
whom Jesus loved” in John 13:23, and the one who leaned
on Jesus’ breast during the Passover celebration.
Jesus and His disciples were in the upper room
celebrating Passover. During the meal, Jesus told the
disciples that one of them would betray Him. The
disciples could hardly believe their ears. They had no
idea whom He referred to as His betrayer. Peter was a
close friend of John. They were not only partners in
fishing but appear to have been close friends as well.
It seems that John must be “the one Jesus loved”
(verse 23), who was leaning on Jesus’ breast and to whom
Peter signaled, hoping John would be able to press Jesus
for more details.
John was there when our Lord
agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane, along with Peter
and James (Mark 14:33).
After our Lord was arrested,
Peter followed Jesus, along with “another disciple” who
appears to be John. It was this “other disciple”
who was known to the high priest, and thus was able to
enter the court of the high priest and bring Peter with
him (John 18:15-16).
As our Lord was hanging on the
cross, the “disciple whom Jesus loved” was there at the
foot of the cross. From the cross, Jesus entrusted
the care of His mother into this disciple’s hands. It
seems that this man almost has to be John (see John
19:26-27).
John was one of the first to
see the empty tomb and to believe that Jesus was indeed
risen from the dead (John 20:1-10). After Jesus had
been crucified, buried, and resurrected, Mary came to
the tomb early in the morning on the first day of the
week. When she found the stone already taken away, she
ran to tell Peter and the “other disciple whom Jesus
loved” about it. The “other disciple” (John)
outran Peter, arriving first at the empty tomb. Looking
in, he saw the linen wrappings, but he did not enter.
When Peter arrived (huffing and puffing, I imagine), he
barged right in and saw the grave clothes neatly
arranged, but without the Lord’s body. John then entered
the tomb, appraised the situation, and believed. John
was not only one of the first to witness the
resurrection, he was one of the very first to believe
it.
John appears to be the “other
disciple” about whose future Peter is inordinately
concerned after our Lord’s resurrection (John
21:20-23). In John 21, we read of our Lord’s words to
Peter, with the three-fold question, “Do you love Me?”
After charging Peter to tend His sheep, our Lord informs
Peter that he will be led away against his will, a
veiled prophecy of his death as a martyr. Peter
immediately looks in the direction of “the disciple
whom Jesus loved” and asks, “What about him?” Our
Lord replied that this was none of Peter’s business.
Some seem to have mistakenly understood our Lord to mean
that this “other disciple” would live until the
Lord’s return. The Apostle John corrects this
misconception, and then goes on to say that this same
fellow is the one who witnessed the things recorded in
his Gospel and who was the author of it (John 21:23-24).
This “other apostle” is the one whom Jesus loved,
the one who leaned on Jesus’ chest at the Passover meal,
and who wrote the Book of John. This “other apostle”
is almost certainly John.
We have not seen the last of
John when we reach the end of the Gospels, for (apart
from the Apostle Paul) John and Peter are the dominant
apostles in the Book of Acts. John is one of the
disciples gathered in the upper room (1:13). He
accompanies Peter on his way to the temple at the hour
of prayer and thus participates in the healing of the
lame man (3:1ff.). John and Peter are arrested and
instructed to cease preaching Christ by the Sadducees,
but they refuse, insisting they must obey God rather
than man by preaching that Jesus has been raised from
the dead (Acts 4:1-22). When the Gospel is proclaimed in
Samaria and many come to faith, Peter and John are sent
there, and when they lay their hands on these new
believers they receive the Holy Spirit, just as the
apostles did at Pentecost (Acts 8:14-17). James, the
brother of John, was killed by Herod, who intended to
kill Peter as well, but God delivered Peter so that he
could continue to preach the Gospel (Acts 12:1ff.).
In Galatians 2:9, Paul refers
to John as one of the “reputed pillars” of the church in
Jerusalem. John is, of course, the author of the
Johanine Epistles (First, Second and Third John) and
of the Book of Revelation. This one who once “leaned
on Jesus’ chest” in the Gospel of John is also the
one who “fell as a dead man” at the feet of his
resurrected and glorified Lord in the Book of Revelation
(1:17).
More at
http://bible.org/series/you-might-believe-study-gospel-john
