The writer of this Gospel did not identify himself as such in the text. This is true of all the Gospel evangelists. Nevertheless there is evidence within this Gospel as well as in the writings of the church fathers that the writer was the Apostle John.
The internal evidence from the Gospel itself is as follows. In 21:24 the writer of "these things"(i.e., the whole Gospel) was the same person as the disciple whom Jesus loved (21:7). That disciple was one of the seven disciples mentioned in 21:2. He was also the disciple who sat beside Jesus in the upper room when He instituted the Lord's Supper and to whom Peter motioned (13:23-24). This means that he was one of the Twelve since only they were present in the upper room (Mark 14:17; Luke 22:14). The disciple whom Jesus loved was also one of the inner circle of three disciples, namely Peter, James, and John (Mark 5:37-38; 9:2-3; 14:33; John 20:2-10). James died in the early history of the church, probably in the early 40s (Acts 12:2). There is good evidence that whoever wrote this Gospel did so after then. The writer was also not Peter (21:20-24). This evidence points to John as the disciple whom Jesus loved who was also the writer of this Gospel. The writer claimed to have seen Jesus' glory (1:14; cf. 1:1-4), which John did at the Transfiguration. There are several Johns in the New Testament. This one was one of Zebedee's sons who was a fisherman before Jesus called him to leave his nets and follow Him.
"To a certain extent each of the Gospels reflects the personality of its author, but in none of them is there a more distinctive individuality manifested than in John."1
The external evidence also points to the Johannine authorship of the fourth Gospel. Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons (c. 130-200 A.D.), wrote that he had heard Polycarp (c. 69-155 A.D.), a disciple of John. It was apparently from Polycarp that Irenaeus learned that, "John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, had himself published a Gospel during his residence in Ephesus in Asia."2Other later church fathers supported this tradition including Theophilus of Antioch (c. 180 A.D.), Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian of Carthage, and Tatian.3Eusebius (fourth century) also specifically mentioned that Matthew and John among the apostles wrote the Gospels that bear their names.4
Some scholars have rejected this seemingly clear evidence and have refused to accept Johannine authorship. This criticism comes from those who hold a lower view of Scripture generally. Answering their objections lies outside the purpose of these notes.5
Eusebius wrote that John ministered to the church in Ephesus, which Paul had founded (Acts 19:1-20), for many years.6The Isle of Patmos where John spent some time in exile is close to Ephesus (cf. Rev. 1:9-11). As previously noted, Eusebius wrote that John composed his Gospel when he was at Ephesus.7During the first century, that city was one of the largest centers of Christian activity in the Gentile world.8
A few scholars believe John could have written this book as early as 45 A.D., the date when Saul of Tarsus' persecutions drove many Christians out of Jerusalem (cf. Acts 8:1-4).9There are two main problems with such an early date. First, John seems to have assumed that the Synoptic Gospels were available to the Christian public. There is some doubt about this since it assumes an assumption, but most scholars believe, on the basis of content, that John selected his material to supplement material in the Synoptics. This would put the fourth Gospel later than the Synoptics. Second, according to early church tradition the Apostle John lived long into the first century. This would make a later date possible even though it does not prove a later date. Some students of the book believe that John 21:18-22 implies that Peter would die before John did, and Peter died about 67 A.D. In general, most authorities reject a date this early for these and other reasons.
Some conservatives date the Gospel slightly before 70 A.D. because John described Palestine and Jerusalem as they were before the Roman destruction (cf. 5:2).10This may be a weak argument since John frequently used the Greek present tense to describe things in the past.11Some who hold this date note the absence of any reference to Jerusalem's destruction in John. However there could have been many reasons John chose not to mention the destruction of Jerusalem if he wrote after that event. A date of writing before the destruction of Jerusalem is also a minority opinion among scholars.
Many conservative scholars believe that John wrote his Gospel between 85 and 95 A.D.12Early church tradition was that John wrote it when he was an older man. Moreover even the early Christians regarded this as the fourth Gospel and believed that John wrote it after the Synoptics. It is not clear if John had access to the Synoptic Gospels. He did not quote from any of them. However, his choice of material for his own Gospel suggests that he probably read them and chose to include other material from Jesus' ministry in his account to supplement them.13
The latest possible date would be about 100 A.D. Some liberal scholars date this Gospel in the second century. The Egerton papyrus that dates from early in the second century contains unmistakable allusions to John's Gospel.14This seems to rule out a second century date.
It seems impossible to identify the date of writing very exactly, as evidenced by the difference of opinion that exists between excellent conservative scholars. A date sometime between 65 and 95 A.D. is probable.
John's presentation of Jesus in his Gospel has been a problem to many modern students of the New Testament. Some regard it as the greatest problem in current New Testament studies.15Compared to the Synoptics that present Jesus as a historical figure, John stressed the deity of Jesus. Obviously the Synoptics present Jesus as divine also, but the emphasis in the fourth Gospel is more strongly on Jesus' full deity. This emphasis runs from the beginning, with the Word becoming flesh (1:1, 14), to the end, were Thomas confessed Jesus as his Lord and God (20:28). John's purpose statement (20:30-31) explains why he stressed Jesus' deity. It was so his readers would believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and thereby have eternal life.
The key word in the book is the verb "believe"(Gr. pisteuo), which appears 98 times. The noun form of the word (Gr. pistis, "faith") does not occur at all. This phenomenon shows that John wanted to stress the importance of active vital trust in Jesus. Other key words are witness, love, abide, the Counselor (i.e., the Holy Spirit), light, life, darkness, Word, glorify, true, and real.16These words identify important themes in the Gospel.
John's unique purpose accounted for his selection of material, as was true of every biblical writer. He omitted Jesus' genealogy, birth, baptism, temptation, exorcizing demons, parables, transfiguration, institution of the Lord's Supper, agony in Gethsemane, and ascension. He focused on Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem, the Jewish feasts, Jesus' private conversations with individuals, and His preparation of His disciples (chs. 13-17). John selected seven signs or miracles that demonstrate that Jesus was the divine Messiah (chs. 2-12). He also recorded the discourses that Jesus gave following these signs that explained their significance. Moreover he stressed Jesus' claims that occur in the unique "I am"statements (6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5).
About 93% of the material in John's Gospel does not appear in the Synoptics.17This fact indicates the uniqueness of this Gospel compared with the other three and explains why they bear the title "Synoptic"and John does not. All four Gospels are quite similar, though each of them has its own distinctive features. John, on the other hand, is considerably different from the others. Specifically it stresses Jesus' deity stronger than the others do. It is, I believe, impossible to determine for certain whether or not John used or even knew of the Synoptic Gospels.18I suspect that he did.
Another difference between the Synoptics and the fourth Gospel is the writers' view of eschatology. They all share the same basic view, namely that the Jews' rejection of their Messiah resulted in the postponement of the messianic kingdom. However the Synoptic writers stressed the future aspects of eschatology more than John who put more emphasis on the present or realized aspects of eschatology. This is not to say that John presented the kingdom as having begun during Jesus' first advent. He did not. He did stress, however, the aspects of kingdom life that Christians currently enjoy as benefits of the new covenant, which Jesus ratified by His death. These include especially the Holy Spirit's ministries of indwelling and illuminating the believer. Such a shift in emphasis is understandable if John wrote later than the other Gospel evangelists. By then it was clear that God had postponed the messianic kingdom, and believers' interest was more on life in the church than it was on life in the messianic kingdom (cf. chs. 13-17).
"It is . . . quite possible that one of John's aims was to combat false teaching of a docetic type. The Docetists held that the Christ never became incarnate; everything was seeming.'19That the docetic heresy did not appear in the first century seems clear, but certain elements that later were to be embodied in this heresy seem to have been quite early."20
"We have suggested that the Fourth Gospel was addressed to two groups within the Johannine community, each of which represented an extreme interpretation of the nature of Jesus: one which did not accept him as God, and the other which did not accept him as man (see the introduction, xxiii; also Smalley, John, 145-48). The perfectly balanced christology of the Fourth Gospel was intended, we believe, to provide a resolution of this theological crisis: to remind the ex-Jewish members of the group, with their strong emphasis on the humanity of Jesus, that the Christ was divine; and to insist, for the benefit of the ex-pagan members (with their docetic outlook), that Jesus was truly human."21
The context of Jesus' ministry accounts for the strong Jewish flavor that marks all four Gospels. Yet John's Gospel is more theological and cosmopolitan than the others.
"It has . . . a wider appeal to growing Christian experience and to an enlarging Gentile constituency than the others.
"The Synoptics present him for a generation in process of being evangelized; John presents him as the Lord of the maturing and questioning believer."22
As a piece of literature, John's Gospel has a symphonic structure.
"A symphony is a musical composition having several movements related in subject, but varying in form and execution. It usually begins with a dominant theme, into which variations are introduced at intervals. The variations seem to be developed independently, but as the music is played, they modulate into each other until finally all are brought to a climax. The apparent disunity is really part of a design which is not evident at first, but which appears in the progress of the composition."23
Tasker described the fourth Gospel as "the simplest and yet the most profound of the Christian Gospels."24
The preceding quotation implies that John wrote primarily for Christians. This implication may seem to be contrary to John's stated purpose (20:30-31). Probably John wrote both to convince unbelievers that Jesus was the Son of God and to give Christians who faced persecution confidence in their Savior. The word "believe"in 20:31 may be in the present tense implying that Christian readers should continue believing. It could be in the aorist tense suggesting that pagan readers should believe initially. An evangelistic purpose does not exclude an edification purpose. Indeed all 66 books of the Bible have edifying value for God's people (2 Tim. 3:16-17). John's purpose for unbelievers is that they might obtain eternal life, and his purpose for believers is that we might experience abundant eternal life (10:10).
John explained Jewish customs, translated Jewish names, and located Palestinian sites. These facts suggest that he was writing for Gentile readers outside Palestine. Furthermore the prologue seems addressed to readers who thought in Greek categories. John's inclusion of the Greeks who showed interest in seeing Jesus (12:20-22) may also suggest that he wrote with them in view. Because of John's general purposes it seems best to conclude that the original readers were primarily Gentile Christians and Gentile unbelievers.25
"By the use of personal reminiscences interpreted in the light of a long life of devotion to Christ and by numerous episodes that generally had not been used in the Gospel tradition, whether written or oral, John created a new and different approach to understanding Jesus' person. John's readers were primarily second-generation Christians he was familiar with and to whom he seemed patriarchal."26
The writer did not indicate the geographical location of the original recipients of his Gospel. This was undoubtedly intentional since the message of John has universal appeal. Perhaps its first readers lived in the Roman province of Asia the capital of which was Ephesus.
In one sense the Gospel of John is more profound than the Synoptics. It is the most difficult Gospel for most expositors to preach and to teach for reasons that will become evident as we study it. In another sense, however, the fourth Gospel is the easiest Gospel to understand. Leon Morris wrote that it is a pool in which a child can wade and an elephant can swim.28It is both simple and profound. It clarifies some things that the Synoptics leave as mysteries.
What are these mysteries? Matthew presents Jesus as the King, but it does not articulate the reason for Jesus' great authority. John does. Mark presents Jesus as the Servant, but it does not account for His depth of consecration to God. John does. Luke presents Jesus as the perfect Man, but it does not explain His uniqueness from the rest of humankind. John does.
The Gospel of John reveals answers to the mysteries about Jesus that the Synoptics leave hidden. It is therefore an apocalypse, an unveiling similar to the Book of Revelation in this respect. The Book of Revelation is the climax of biblical Christology. The Gospel of John plays that part among the Gospels. It is a revelation of the person of Jesus Christ more than any of the others. John told us that it would be this in his prologue (1:1-18).
The statement of the message of this Gospel occurs in 1:18: "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him."John claimed that Jesus was the explanation of God the Father. This Gospel presents Jesus as the One who manifested God to humankind. This book then stresses the revelation of the truth about God.
Mankind has constantly sought to represent God in some way. We want to know what God is like. Ideas about God that do not come from the revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ are idolatrous. They create a false view of God. Typically human beings without divine revelation have imagined God as being an immense version of themselves, a projection of human personality into cosmic proportions. God's revelation of Himself, however, involved the limitation of Himself to humanity, the exact opposite approach. This is what God did in the Incarnation. God's revelations are often the exact opposite of what one would expect.
John presented Jesus as the Son of God. He wanted his readers to view Jesus and to see God. In the tears of Jesus, we should see what causes God sorrow. In the compassion of Jesus, we should see how God cares for His own. In the anger of Jesus, we should see what God hates.
What do we learn about God from Jesus in John? The prologue gives us the essential answer, and the body of the book explains this answer with various illustrations from Jesus' ministry. The prologue tells us that Jesus has manifested the glory of God by revealing two things about Him: His grace and His truth (1:14). All that Jesus revealed about God that this Gospel narrates is contractible into these two words. Notice first the revelation of grace in this Gospel.
The Gospel of John presents God as a gracious person. Behind His gracious dealings lies a heart of love. There are probably hundreds of evidences of God's love resulting in gracious action in this book. Let us note just the evidence of these qualities in the seven signs that John chose to record.
The miracle of changing water into wine (ch. 2) shows God's concern for marital joy. The healing of the official's son (ch. 4) shows God's desire that people experience family unity. The healing of the paralytic (ch. 5) shows God's grace in providing physical restoration. The feeding of the 5000 (ch. 6) shows God's love in providing material needs. The miracle of Jesus walking on the water (ch. 6) shows God's desire that people enjoy supernatural peace. The healing of the man born blind (ch. 9) illustrates God's desire that we have true understanding. The raising of Lazarus (ch. 11) shows God's grace in providing new life. All these miracles are revelations of God's love manifesting itself in gracious behavior toward us in our various needs. These are only the most obvious manifestations of God's grace in this book.
This Gospel also reveals that God is a God of truth. Another one of God's attributes that we see revealed in this Gospel lies behind the truth that we see revealed in this Gospel. That attribute is His holiness. The figure that John used to describe God's holiness is light. Light is a common figure for God's holiness in the Old Testament too. The principle of God's holiness governs the passion of His love.
Jesus' great works in John reveal God's love and His great words reveal God's truth. Let us select seven of the great "I am"claims of Jesus as illustrations of the various aspects of the truth that Jesus revealed about God. All these claims point to God as the source and to Jesus as the mediator of things having to do with truth.
The bread of life claim (ch. 6) points to God as the source of true sustenance. The light of the world claim (ch. 9) points to God as the source of true illumination. The door claim (ch. 10) points to God as the source of true security. The good shepherd claim (ch. 10) points to God as the source of true care. The resurrection and the life claim (ch. 11) points to God as the source of true life. The way, the truth, and the life claim (ch. 14) points to God as the source of true authority. The vine claim (ch. 15) points to God as the source of true fruitfulness. All of these claims pointed directly to Jesus as the mediator, but they also pointed beyond Him to God the Father. They were revelations of the truth concerning God.
These are all further revelations of the character of God introduced first in Exodus 3 where God began to reveal Himself as "I am."The Law of Moses was an initial revelation about God. The revelation that Jesus Christ brought was a further, fuller, and final revelation of the grace and truth that characterize God (1:17). These revelations find their most comprehensive expression in the fourth Gospel.
What are the implications of the revelation in this Gospel? First, such a revelation calls for worship.
In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself and dwelt among His people through the tabernacle. In the Incarnation, God revealed Himself and dwelt among His people through His Son (1:14). The tabernacle was the place where God revealed Himself and around which His people congregated to worship Him in response. The Son of God is the person through whom God has now given the greatest and fullest revelation of Himself and around whom we now bow in worship.
Second, such a revelation calls for service. Under the old Mosaic economy, worship prepared God's people to serve Him. Their service consisted of carrying out His mission for them in the world. The revelation of God should always result in service as well as worship (cf. Isa. 6:1-8). When we learn who God is as we study this Gospel, our reaction should not only be worship but service. This is true of the church as a whole and of every individual believer in it. Thomas' ascription of worship (20:28) was only preliminary to his fulfilling God's mission for him (20:21-23). Worship should never be an end in itself. Even in heaven we will serve as well as worship God (Rev. 22:3).
As recipients of this revelation of God, our lives too should be notable for grace and truth. These qualities should not only be the themes of our worship. They should also be the trademarks of our service. Truth and holiness should mark our words and motives. Graciousness should stamp our works as we deal with people. If they do not, we have not yet comprehended the revelation of God that Jesus came to bring to His own. Sloppy graciousness jeopardizes truthfulness, and rigid truthfulness endangers graciousness. Jesus illustrated the balance.
This Gospel has a strong appeal to the unsaved as well. John wrote it specifically to bring the light of revelation about Jesus' true identity to those who sit in spiritual darkness (20:30-31). The knowledge of who Jesus really is is the key to the knowledge of who God really is. Therefore our service must not only bear the marks of certain characteristics, namely grace and truth, but it must also communicate a specific content: who Jesus is. People need to consider who Jesus is. There is no better way for them to do this than by reading this Gospel. Remember the stated purpose of this book (20:30-31). Use it as an evangelistic tool.
I. Prologue 1:1-18
A. The preincarnate Word 1:1-5
B. The witness of John the Baptist 1:6-8
C. The appearance of the Light 1:9-13
D. The incarnation of the Word 1:14-18
II. Jesus' public ministry 1:19-12:50
A. The prelude to Jesus' public ministry 1:19-51
1. John the Baptist's veiled testimony to Jesus 1:19-28
2. John the Baptist's open identification of Jesus 1:29-34
3. The response to John the Baptist's witness 1:35-42
4. The witness of Philip and Andrew 1:43-51
B. Jesus' early Galilean ministry 2:1-12
1. The first sign: changing water to wine 2:1-11
2. Jesus' initial stay in Capernaum 2:12
C. Jesus' first visit to Jerusalem 2:13-3:36
1. The first cleansing of the temple 2:13-22
2. Initial response to Jesus in Jerusalem 2:23-25
3. Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus 3:1-21
4. John the Baptist's reaction to Jesus' ministry 3:22-30
5. The explanation of Jesus' preeminence 3:31-36
D. Jesus' ministry in Samaria 4:1-42
1. The interview with the Samaritan woman 4:1-26
2. Jesus' explanation of evangelistic ministry 4:27-38
3. The response to Jesus in Samaria 4:39-42
E. Jesus' resumption of His Galilean ministry 4:43-54
1. Jesus' return to Galilee 4:43-45
2. The second sign: healing the official's son 4:46-54
F. Jesus' second visit to Jerusalem ch. 5
1. The third sign: healing the paralytic 5:1-9
2. The antagonism of the Jewish authorities 5:10-18
3. The Son's equality with the Father 5:19-29
4. The Father's witness to the Son 5:30-47
G. Jesus' later Galilean ministry 6:1-7:9
1. The fourth sign: feeding the 5,000 6:1-15
2. The fifth sign: walking on the water 6:16-21
3. The bread of life discourse 6:22-59
4. The responses to the bread of life discourse 6:60-7:9
H. Jesus' third visit to Jerusalem 7:10-10:42
1. The controversy surrounding Jesus 7:10-13
2. Jesus' ministry at the feast of Tabernacles 7:14-44
3. The unbelief of the Jewish leaders 7:45-52
[4. The woman caught in adultery 7:53-8:11]
5. The light of the world discourse 8:12-59
6. The sixth sign: healing a man born blind ch. 9
7. The good shepherd discourse 10:1-21
8. The confrontation at the feast of Dedication 10:22-42
I. The conclusion of Jesus' public ministry chs. 11-12
1. The seventh sign: raising Lazarus 11:1-44
2. The responses to the raising of Lazarus 11:45-57
3. Mary's anointing of Jesus 12:1-8
4. The official antagonism toward Lazarus 12:9-11
5. Jesus' triumphal entry 12:12-19
6. Jesus' announcement of His death 12:20-36
7. The unbelief of Israel 12:37-50
III. Jesus' private ministry chs. 13-17
A. The Last Supper 13:1-30
1. Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet 13:1-20
2. Jesus' announcement of His betrayal 13:21-30
B. The Upper Room Discourse 13:31-16:33
1. The new commandment 13:31-35
2. Peter's profession of loyalty 13:36-38
3. Jesus' comforting revelation in view of His departure 14:1-24
4. The promise of future understanding 14:25-31
5. The importance of abiding in Jesus 15:1-16
6. The warning about opposition from the world 15:17-27
7. The clarification of the future 16:1-24
8. The clarification of Jesus' destination 16:25-33
C. Jesus' high priestly prayer ch. 17
1. Jesus' requests for Himself 17:1-5
2. Jesus' requests for the Eleven 17:6-19
3. Jesus' requests for future believers 17:20-26
IV. Jesus' passion ministry chs. 18-20
A. Jesus' presentation of Himself to His enemies 18:1-11
B. Jesus' religious trial 18:12-27
1. The arrest of Jesus and the identification of the high priests 18:12-14
2. The entrance of two disciples into the high priests' courtyard and Peter's first denial 18:15-18
3. Annas' interrogation of Jesus 18:19-24
4. Peter's second and third denials of Jesus 18:25-27
C. Jesus' civil trial 18:28-19:16
1. The Jews' charge against Jesus 18:28-32
2. The question of Jesus' kingship 18:33-38a
3. The Jews' request for Barabbas 18:38b-40
4. The sentencing of Jesus 19:1-16
D. Jesus' crucifixion 19:17-30
1. Jesus' journey to Golgotha 19:17
2. The men crucified with Jesus 19:18
3. The inscription over Jesus' cross 19:19-22
4. The distribution of Jesus' garments 19:23-24
5. Jesus' provision for His mother 19:25-27
6. The death of Jesus 19:28-30
E. The treatment of Jesus' body 19:31-42
1. The removal of Jesus' body from the cross 19:31-37
2. The burial of Jesus 19:38-42
F. Jesus' resurrection 20:1-29
1. The discovery of Peter and John 20:1-9
2. The discovery of Mary Magdalene 20:10-18
3. The appearance to the Eleven minus Thomas on Easter evening 20:19-23
4. The transformed faith of Thomas 20:24-29
G. The purpose of this Gospel 20:30-31
V. Epilogue ch. 21
A. Jesus' appearance to seven disciples in Galilee 21:1-14
B. Jesus' teachings about motivation for service 21:15-23
C. The writer's postscript 21:24-25
