John.
The Author. From the evidence found in the gospel, we may learn
several things about the author. (1) _That he was a Jew_. This is seen
in his evident knowledge of Jewish opinions concerning such subjects
as the Messiah, and his knowledge of their customs, such as the
purification. (2) _He was an eye-witness to most of what he relates_.
This is seen in his exact knowledge of time, as to the hour or time of
day a thing occurred; in his knowledge of the number of persons or
things present, as the division of his garments into four parts; in
the vividness of the narrative which he could hardly have had without
first having seen it all. (3) _He was an apostle_. This is seen in his
knowledge of the thoughts of the disciples (2:11, 17); in his
knowledge of the private words of the disciples to Jesus and among
themselves (4:31, 33, etc.); in his knowledge of the private resorts
of the disciples (11:54. etc.); and in his knowledge of the Lord's
motives, etc. (2:24-25, etc.); and in his knowledge of Christ's
feelings (11:33). (4) _He was the son of Zebedee_ (Mar. 1:19-20), and
was probably one of John's two disciples whom he turned to Jesus (1-
40). (5) _He is one of the three most prominent of the apostles_,
being several times especially honored (Matt. 17:1-3. etc.), and is
prominent in the work of the church after Christ's ascension, as well
as in all their work before his death: (6) _He also wrote three
epistles and Revelation_. He outlived all the other apostles and is
supposed to have died on the Isle of Patmos as an exile about 100 A.D.
The Times and Circumstances of the Writings. These are so different
from those which influenced the other evangelists that one can hardly
escape the feeling that John's gospel is colored accordingly. The
gospel had been preached in all the Roman empire and Christianity was
no longer considered a Jewish sect, attached to the Synagogue.
Jerusalem had been overthrown and the temple destroyed. Christians had
been sorely persecuted, but had achieved great triumphs in many
lands. All the rest of the New Testament except Revelation had been
written. Some had arisen, who disputed the deity of Jesus and while
the gospel is not a mere polemic against that false teaching, it
does, by establishing the true teaching thoroughly undermine the
false. He perhaps wrote to Christians of all nationalities, whose
history had by this time been enriched by the blood of martyrs for the
faith. Instead of the Messiah in whom Jews would find a Savior or the
mighty worker in whom the Roman would find him, or the Ideal Man in
whom the Greeks would find him. John wrote concerning the eternal,
Incarnate Word in whose Spiritual Kingdom each, having lost his
narrowness and racial prejudice, could be forever united.
The Style and the Plan. This gospel differs from the others in
language and plan. It is both profound and simple and has several
elements of style as follows: (1) Simplicity. The sentences are short
and connected by coordinate conjunctions. There are but few direct
quotations, and but few dependent sentences, and most of them show the
sequence of things, either as a cause or a purpose. (2) Sameness. This
arises from the method of treating each step in the narrative as if
isolated and separate from all the rest rather than merging it into
the complete whole. (3) Repetition, whether in the narrative proper or
in the quoted words of the Lord, is very frequent. The following
examples will illustrate this: "In the beginning was the word and the
word was with God and the word was God." "The light shineth in
darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not." "I am the Good
Shepherd; the Good Shepherd giveth his life." "Jesus then, when he saw
her weeping and the Jews that were weeping with her." "If I bear
witness of myself my witness is not true. There is another that
beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth
of me is true." Let the student gather a list of all such repetitions.
(4) _Parallelism_, or statements expressing the same or similar
truths, such as the following are common. "Peace I leave with you, my
peace I give unto you"; "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid"; "I give unto them eternal life and they shall never
perish." This parallelism, which at the same time becomes repetition,
is seen in the way a subject or conclusion is stated and, after
elaboration, restated in a new and enlarged view, thus teaching the
truth in a gradually unfolding beauty and force. An illustration is
found in the statement, "I will raise him up in the last day," 6, 39,
70, 44. (5) _Contrasts_. The plan is more simple and more easily seen
all along than is that of any other of the Evangelists. On the one
hand, he shows how love and faith are developed in the believer until,
in the end, Thomas, who was the most doubtful of all, could exclaim,
"My Lord and my God." On the other hand, he shows the unbeliever
advanced from mere indifference to a positive hatred that culminated
in the crucifixion. This purpose is carried out by a process of
contrasting and separating things that are opposites, such as (a)
Light and darkness, (b) _Truth_ and falsehood, (c) Good and evil, (d)
Life and death, (e) God and Satan. In all of these he is convincing
his reader that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.
Characteristics and Purpose.
1. It Is a Gospel of the Feasts. Indeed, if subtract from it those
miracles and teachings and other works performed in connection with
the feasts, we should have only a few fragments left. The value of the
book would be destroyed and the most beautiful and the profoundest
teachings of the gospel lost.
The student will do well from the following list of feasts to endeavor
to group around each all that John records as occurring in connection
with it. (1) The Feast of the Passover (2:13, 23), First Passover, A.
D. 27. (2) A Feast of the Jews (5:1), probably Purim. (3) Passover a
Feast of the Jews (6:4), Second Passover, A. D. 28. (4) Feast of the
Tabernacles (7:2). (5) Feast of the Dedication (10:22). (6) Passover
(11:55-56; 12:1, 12, 20; 13:29; 18:28). Third Passover, A. D. 29.
2. It Is a Gospel of Testimony. John writes to prove that Jesus is
the Christ. He assumes the attitude of a lawyer before a jury and
introduces testimony until he fells certain of his case and then
closes the testimony with the assurance that much more could be
offered if it seemed necessary. There are seven lines of testimony.
(1) The testimony of John the Baptist. (2) The testimony of certain
other individuals. (3) The testimony of Jesus' works. (4) The
testimony of Jesus himself (see the I am's). (5) The testimony of the
scripture. (6) The testimony of the Father. (7) The testimony of the
Holy Spirit.
3. It Is of Gospel of Belief. The purpose being to produce belief
there are given: numerous examples of belief, showing the growth of
faith; the secret of faith, such as hearing or receiving the word; the
results of faith, such as eternal life, freedom, peace, power, etc.
4. It Is a Spiritual Gospel. It represents the deeper mediations of
John, which are shaped so as to establish a great doctrine which,
instead of history, became his great impulse. To John "history is
doctrine" and he reviews it in the light of its spiritual
interpretation. It furnished a great bulwark against the Gnostic
teachers, who had come to deny the diety of Jesus. He also emphasized
and elaborated the humanity of Jesus. His whole purpose is "not so
much the historic record of the facts as the development of their
inmost meaning."
5. It Is a Gospel of Symbolism. John was a mystic and delighted in
mystic symbols. The whole book speaks in the language of symbols. The
mystic numbers three and seven prevail throughout the book not only in
the things and sayings recorded but in the arrangement of topics. Each
of the Eight Miracles is used for a "sign" or symbol, as the feeding
of the five thousand in which Jesus appears as the bread or support of
life. The great allegories of the Good-Shepherd, the sheep-fold and
the vine; the names used to designate Jesus as the Word, Light, the
Way, the Truth, the Life, etc., all show how the whole gospel is
penetrated with a spirit of symbolic representation.
6. It Is the Gospel of the Incarnation. "Matthew explains his
messianic function; Mark his active works and Luke his character as
Savior." John magnifies his person and everywhere makes us see "the
word made flesh." God is at no great distance form us. He has become
flesh. The word has come as the Incarnate Man. Jesus, this Incarnate
Man, is God and as such fills the whole book, but he, nevertheless,
hungers and thirsts and knows human experience. God has come down to
man to enable him to rise up to God.
Subject: Jesus, the Christ, God's Son.
Analysis.
Introduction or prologue, 1:1-18.
(1) The divine nature of the word. 1-5.
(2) The manifestation of the word as the world's Savior, 6-18.
I. The Testimony of His Great Public Ministry, 1:19-12 end.
1. He is revealed, 1:19-2:12.
2. He is recognized, 2:13-3 end.
3. He is antagonized, Chs. 5-11.
4. He is honored, Ch. 12.
II. The Testimony of His Private Ministry with His Disciples, Chs.
13-17.
1. He teaches and comforts his disciples, Chs. 13-16.
2. He prays for his disciples, Ch. 17.
III. The Testimony of His Passion. Chs. 18-19.
1. His betrayal, 18:1-11.
2. The Jewish or ecclesiastical trial, 18:12-27.
3. The Roman or civil trial, 18:28-19:16.
4. His death and burial, 19:17 end.
IV. The Testimony of His Resurrection and Manifestation, Chs. 20-21.
1. His resurrection and manifestation to his disciples, Ch. 20.
2. Further manifestations and instructions to his disciples, Ch.
21.
For Study and Discussion. (1) The events and discourses connected with
each feast mentioned above. (2) The seven lines of testimony mentioned
above. List examples of each. (3) The following miracles as "signs,"
pointing out what they symbolize about Jesus: (a) The Cana miracle,
2:1-11; (b) The nobleman's son, 4:48-54; (c) The impotent man, 5:1-16;
(d) Feeding five thousand, 6:3-14; (e) Walking on the sea, 6:16-20;
(f) Healing the blind man, 9:1-16; read all the chapter; (g) Raising
Lazarus, Ch. 11; (h) The draft of fishes, 21:1-11. (4) The following
discourses: (a) The conversation with Nicodemus, Ch. 3; (b) The
conversation with the woman at the well, Ch. 4; (c) The discourse on
the shepherd and the sheep, Ch. 10; (d) The discussions of chapter 13;
(e) The discourse on the vine, Ch. 15; (f) The Lord's prayer, Ch. 17.
(5) From the following passages find the cause or explanation of
unbelief, 1:45; 3:11, 19, 20; 5:16, 40, 42, 44; 6:42, 52; 7:41, 42,
48; 8:13, 14, 45; 12:26, 44; 20:9. (6) From the following study the
results of unbelief, 3:18, 20, 36; 4:13, 14; 6:35, 53, 58; 8:19, 34,
55; 14:1, 28; 15:5; 16:6, 9. (7) Make a list of all the night scenes
of the book and study them. (8) Study each instance of someone
worshiping Jesus. (9) Name each chapter of the book so as to indicate
some important event in it-as the vine chapter or Good Shepherd
chapter. (10) Find where and how many times each of the following
words and phrases occurs and study them as time will admit. (1)
Eternal life, 17 times, only 18 in all the other gospels, (2) believe,
(3) believe on, (4) sent, (5) life, (6) sign or signs (Revised
version), (7) work or works, (8) John the Baptist, (9) verily, always
double and used by Jesus, (10) receive, received, etc., (11) witness,
or testify, testimony, etc.. (12) truth, (13) manifest, manifested,
(14) "I am" (spoken by Jesus).
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