John: Life in His Name

John 20:30-31

When I was attending seminary in Dallas, Jim and Susan lived in the condo above Lori and me. They were in a similar stage of life, so it was fun having them as neighbors. However, there was one problem. They were Texas A&M grads and serious about the Aggies. We went with them to College Station to watch the Aggies play the Oklahoma State Cowboys. We didn’t know until it was too late that you had to stand the entire game! Or do you stand until they score? Either way, we were stuck standing the whole game. 

Jim and Susan agreed to do a Bible study with us, which we were excited about. I had Howard Hendricks as a professor, and one day after class, I told him about our friends and asked for advice on what book we should study together.  

Without hesitation, Hendricks replied, “The gospel of John.”  So, why was this the book he recommended? I think it will become clear as we study this book together.

As mentioned before, each book of the Bible has a purpose for being written and a specific audience in mind. Understanding the intended purpose is important when studying each book. When we examine John’s gospel, it’s helpful to know the purposes and targeted audiences of the other three gospels as contrasted with John’s account. 

Matthew wrote to a Jewish audience, presenting Jesus as the Messiah. Mark wrote to a non-Jewish audience (Romans), showing Jesus as the Suffering Servant and the Son of God. He emphasizes discipleship and the cost of following Jesus. Luke wrote to a non-Jewish audience, mainly the Greeks, providing an orderly historical account of Jesus’ life for a man named Theophilus. 

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels because they are similar in content. The Greek word syn means “together.” The Greek word optis means “seeing.” The word synoptic then means “seeing together.” These first three gospels cover many of the same events in Jesus’ life. Almost ninety percent of Mark’s content is found in Matthew’s account, and nearly fifty percent of Mark’s content is also in Luke’s gospel.[1] The parables of Jesus are only recorded in the synoptic gospels.

John wrote to a broad audience and clearly explained the reason for his gospel. 

John 20:30-31
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The heartbeat of John’s writing focuses on convincing his readers to trust in Jesus as the Messiah. That’s his “Why”. The word “believe” (pisteuo) is found some ninety-eight times in his account. He accentuates throughout this book that the only way a person can have eternal life is through believing in Jesus. John frequently puts the word “believe” in a Greek tense that emphasizes “an active, continuous, and vital trust in Jesus.”[2] Our trust in Jesus is from the beginning to the end (Rom. 1:16-17). 

Most commentators agree that there are thirty-five miracles of Jesus recorded throughout the gospels. John chose only seven signs (semeia) to persuade people to “believe that Jesus is the Christ” (Lit. the Anointed One). These seven “signs,” John believed (inspired by the Holy Spirit), would make the most convincing case that Jesus was and is the Son of God. 

Why would John choose miracles as a means to help us believe? Shouldn’t our belief be based solely on God’s word? John Calvin’s comments are helpful here: 

It may be thought strange, however, that faith is founded on miracles, while it ought to rest exclusively on the promises and word of God. I reply, no other use is here assigned to miracles than to be the aids and supports of faith; for they serve to prepare the minds of men, that they may cherish greater reverence for the word of God, and we know how cold and sluggish our attention is, if we be not excited by something else. Besides, it adds no small authority to the doctrine already received, when, for the purpose of supporting it, he stretches out his mighty hand from heaven; as Mark says that the Apostles taught, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by accompanying signs…(Mark 16:20).^[3]

John’s gospel is a “gospel presentation.” It tells us how to know Jesus. And knowing Jesus plumbs a depth that none of us can reach. Here’s the way John ends his book: 

John 21:24-25
This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.  Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. 

As John concludes, he reveals his selectivity of material: “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did.” If one tried to write an exhaustive account about Jesus, John suggests, “I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” The statement is hyperbole, but it serves as a reminder that the knowledge of Jesus is still only partial. He is fully God and fully man. He can never be known exhaustively. There is far “more to know about Jesus than could ever be written down, or even known.”^[4]

The purpose of studying the Bible is to know Jesus more intimately, to love him more passionately, and to follow him wholeheartedly. And… our knowing, loving, and following will never be mastered. Yet, we can gain a deeper and richer knowing, loving, and following throughout our lives until Jesus welcomes us home. 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD 
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on John’s purpose statement: John 20:30-31.

Talking to God:  Ask God to help you know his Son more intimately. 

Have Questions?
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Know Jesus more intimately.
Love Jesus more passionately.
Follow Jesus wholeheartedly. 

John: Overview
  Prologue: 1:1-18
  Seven Signs: 1:19-12:50
  Instructions to Disciples: 13-17
  Death and Resurrection: 18-20
  Epilogue: 21