Bible Study Guide: John's Gospel

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What makes John unique?

It is only in John's Gospel that Jesus is presented as pre-existing the world. Unlike the narratives of Matthew, Mark, or Luke, nothing is said of Jesus' birth, genealogy, or early childhood. John the Baptist calls Jesus the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (1:29). Philip soon believed Jesus to be "the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about" (1:45). Nathanael calls Jesus "the Son of God and the King of Israel" (1:49). In this Gospel, Jesus describes himself as: the Messiah (4:25, 26); the bread that gives life (6:35); the source of living water (7:37-39); the good shepherd (10:14); the one who raises the dead to life (11:25); the way, the truth, and the life (14:6); and the true vine (15:1). John also reports that when Jesus explains who he is and what God is doing through him, he uses the words "I am." These are the same words God told Moses to use when referring to God (Exodus 3:13-15).

Why was John written?

The author of John's Gospel indicates that the Gospel was written "so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life" (20:31, CEV). However, there may have been other reasons as well. For instance, there is a remarkable similarity between Jesus' vocabulary and that of the narrator. Many critical scholars conclude, therefore, that the speeches of Jesus in John's Gospel do not necessarily represent those of the historical Jesus himself, but rather represent a series of profound theological and Christological reflections on the significance of Jesus' life and death. The speeches were then attributed to Jesus over time by the Johannine community (i.e., the church or group of churches in which this text developed) as they told and re-told his story.

What's the story behind the scene?

John's Gospel took shape sometime after the Romans destroyed the temple and suppressed a Jewish uprising in A.D. 70. After this time, Jewish people who accepted the teachings of Jesus were being banned from the Jewish meeting places (synagogues) to keep them from spreading the message about Jesus there. John refers to this terrible rejection three times (see e.g., 9:22, 23; 12:42; 16:1; cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16).

How is John constructed?

The action in John's Gospel shifts back and forth quickly between Galilee and the area in and around Jerusalem. Time is also marked by certain Jewish festivals. The basic outline of John can be described in the following way:

The Introduction to Jesus' Ministry (1:1-51)