John: The Story of Jesus

John: Overview

Simply put, the purpose of the Living Grounded Ministry is to help you engage in God’s Word. We have titled this year’s devotional journey ‘God’s Story in You.’ To this point, we have focused on Genesis (where the story begins), Job (how God works in our suffering), and Isaiah (the personal and future renewal where God will make all things new). 

We have been engaging in God’s Word together for six months! Thank you for joining me as we have studied these Old Testament books together. 

Today, we move to the New Testament, where we start with the gospel of John. We have recognized that all of Scripture is Christocentric. The Old Testament points to a coming Savior, as we have seen in the books we studied. The New Testament proclaims, “The Savior has come,” and explains how we follow him. We now transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant by focusing on Jesus through the perspective of one of his disciples, a man named John. 

I am very excited to begin this study!

John: The Man
John and his brother, James, were fishermen. They worked with their father, Zebedee, and it seems their business was thriving. However, one day they met Jesus, and when he called them to follow him, they both did so without hesitation (Mk. 1:19-20).  

John was self-assertive and competitive. Jesus nicknamed John and James the “Sons of Thunder” for their fiery temperament and personalities (Mk. 3:17). When John saw a person who was not one of Jesus’ disciples casting out demons, John told the man to stop (Mk. 9:38). When a group of Samaritans did not allow Jesus to come into their area, James and John asked, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Lk. 9:52-54). Once James and John requested of Jesus, that when he was recognized as the Messiah, they be allowed to sit on either side of him (Mk. 10:35-37). That’s bold!

Regardless of John’s personality, Jesus chose him to be in his inner circle along with James and Peter (Mk. 5:37; 9:2; 14:33). John was known as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). At the cross, Jesus asked John to care for his mother, Mary, “and from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:26-27). This request certainly reveals the level of trust that Jesus had in John.

According to church history, John took Mary to live in Ephesus, where he served the church that Paul had founded for many years. According to church tradition, John wrote his gospel in Ephesus between 85 and 95 AD. An early church father, Irenaeus (130-200) wrote, “John the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, had published a Gospel during his residence in Ephesus in Asia.”[1] 

Besides his gospel, John wrote three epistles (1, 2, 3 John) and the book of Revelation, which we will study later this year. 

In his book on the apostles, John MacArthur notes that John’s zeal for the truth shaped the way he wrote. John thinks in absolutes. Everything is black and white. In his gospel, “he sets light against darkness, life against death, the kingdom of God against the kingdom of the devil, the children of God against the children of Satan, the judgment of the righteous against the judgment of the wicked . . . receiving Christ against rejecting him . . . He understands the necessity of drawing a clear line.”[2]

During the emperor Domitian’s reign (81-96), John was exiled to the island of Patmos. It was there he wrote The Revelation (circa 95). After Domitian died, John returned to Ephesus and ministered there until his death (98-100). He was the only apostle to die of natural causes. 

In his commentary on Galatians, the early church father Jerome says that John was very frail in his old age, requiring assistance by being carried to church. Jerome wrote that one phrase was constantly on John’s lips: “My little children, love one another.” Asked why he always said this, John answered, “It is the Lord’s command, and if this alone be done, it is enough.”[3]

John: The Message
John’s gospel emphasizes how to have a personal relationship with Jesus. He earnestly desires for people to know Jesus. Next time, we will see that everything John includes in his book aims for people to “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). 

John does not include the genealogy of Jesus or introduce us to John the Baptist like the other gospels do. Instead, he gets straight to the point. He begins by explaining that God became man with the profound statement, “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). He concludes with Thomas’ declaration of Jesus’ deity when Thomas acknowledges Jesus as “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus is both “divine” (deity) and “historical” (someone who lived on earth). 

John includes the “seven signs” (John 1:19-12:50) where Jesus demonstrates that he is the Messiah. He also records the seven “I am” statements where Jesus likens himself to the “I AM WHO I AM” of the Old Testament (Ex. 3:14).[4]  See the end of today’s devotional for a high-level outline. 

John includes an extended section on Jesus’ conversations with his disciples before he went to the cross (John 13-17). These chapters provide a rich study along with private discourse that allows us “a seat at the table” as Jesus taught on the issues and challenges you and I face today. Here is the outline we will follow:

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

One more thing. As we begin our study, I am very excited about a new format for the John series. We want to encourage everyone to be in God’s Word daily, yet we know this can prove to be challenging at times. So, beginning with this study, I have created a “Weekend Recharge.” On Saturday and Sunday, you’ll receive an email with links to the previous week’s devos. That will provide an easy way to catch up as needed. This will also include a short review of each devo, a few additional questions for application, and, at times, a deeper study on a specific topic. Hopefully, this will help each of us stay current as we work through this gospel.

Once again, thank you for engaging in God’s Word. Our study through John will be another amazing journey as we seek to know Jesus more intimately, love him more passionately, and follow him wholeheartedly.  

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD 
Time in the Word: Read and Reflect on John 1. 

Talking to God:  Ask God to prepare your heart to love Jesus more passionately during this study. 

Have Questions?
Be sure to send your questions to our team. We are happy to assist you as we study God's Word together. Submit your question below, and we'll reply soon. Let us know if you’d like to learn more about a relationship with Jesus or desire spiritual counsel. 

Know Jesus more intimately.
Love Jesus more passionately.
Follow Jesus wholeheartedly.