Religion and Theology

Main Idea
In chapter 20 v 30, 31 John gives his reasons for writing the gospel. These are written that you may believe the Jesus is the Christ.

John 1 Outline  The gospel is set out as a kind of drama with a prologue, two acts  and an epilogue.

Verses 1-14  The Prologue
John 1 v 1-5 The pre-existent Word of God
John 1 v 6-8 John the Baptist as witness
John 1 v 9-13 The coming of the Light into the World
John 1 v 14-18 The Word made flesh

Verses 14-51 Early witnesses
John 1 v 14-34, John the Baptist
John 1 v 34- 42, The first disciples, Andrew and Peter.
John 1 v 43-51, Philip and Nathanial.

Introduction and Context
Johns gospel is the fourth one in the New Testament as we have it. One reason for this placement may be its date, much further on in the first century than the other three gospels. The other reason may be because, although describing the same life of the same very special person, it is so different. Although Matthew and Luke each have their own individual material such as Matthews Sermon on the Mount, and Lukes birth narratives, they also have large sections in common with Mark, generally considered to be the earliest gospel written. For this reason they are known as the synoptic gospels, i.e. those which describe things from a similar point of view, in this case as far as the chronology is concerned. John on the other hand is more concerned with the message than the order of events. He records what seems to be a Judean ministry before the Galilean one. The majority of the action is set in Jerusalem and large section of healing ministry and teaching material as included by Mark are omitted. Blacks Bible Dictionary describes it as

Historical fact is blended in it with religious interpretation, vivid dramatic narrative, and profound theology.

However, in his prologue, which takes up the first part of John 1, he is absolutely certain about the chronology In the beginning was the Word. His purpose is also clear  to inspire faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This first chapter contains Johns main theological themes Light,, life and glory and the relationship of Jesus with God . Kenneth Wuest in his Expanded Translation says The word was in fellowship with the Father.

By the time John was writing the mission to Israel was over following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70C.E. It is possible that he was still writing to a mainly Jewish audience, Jewish Christians of the Dispersion as suggested by Metzer and Coogan., who also point out that he seems to be writing to a living church, his own community. Some scholars have held that the gospel was altering in order to fit in with Greek thought according to Hunter.

Donald Guthrie told us that there is a possibility that the  gospel was circulating  by 115 C.E. Guthrie suggest that differences between  John and the other writers  may be due  to the passage of time which gave John more time to reflect on the amazing  events that had occurred.. William Barclay concurs. He quotes a scholar who said  of Johns gospel, it is  What Jesus becomes to a man who has known him long.                                                                              

It seems likely that the text was written in Ephesus as tradition states. Guthrie does mention the idea that there was also a tradition that John died violently as a young man, but admits that  this is based  upon fairly scanty evidence and  that the tradition that he lived to a great age on Ephesus is stronger, although Hunter makes brief references to both Antioch and Alexandria, before quoting  Ireneus, who was bishop of Lyon  c 180 C.E. -John, the disciple of the Lord, who leaned on his breast, himself issued the Gospel while dwelling in Ephesus.

John 1 v 1 .
George Eldon Ladd, writing about the first 14 verses of this gospel mentions briefly the idea that this prologue was meant to set out the theology for the whole work, or asks whether it was added afterwards, or even whether John is quoting from an early Christian hymn.

J.B. Phillips renders this verse as At the beginning God expressed himself. The Living New Testament renders this as Before anything else existed, there was Christ. A Spanish translation uses the phrase En el principio which ,although it can be translated as In the first place  or In the beginning does give the impression, because of common roots, of  Most importantly. Matthew and Luke go back to the birth narratives, Mark to the beginning of Jesus ministry. John however goes back even before history began. The whole of the Bible is concerned with Gods revelation of himself to man and this too is one of Johns main themes. To the Jewish reader the words are reminiscent of Genesis 1, but to the Greeks, according to Hunter the words could signify at the heart of the universe.
The word Logos is identified with Christ further on in the passage.

John 1 v 2 He was with God in the beginning Matthew Henry points out that this means co-existence.. Guthrie states that the Greek proposition used literally means towards God  but because  there is no article before the word God this strengthens rather than weakens the idea of deity. What God was the Word was as Hunter says.

John 1 v 3  Christ as the ultimate creative force. The Greek according to Tasker, implies  came into existence, rather than made as it is usually rendered.  The all thing would imply the good, but also the bad as John acknowledges in v 5 when he speaks of the darkness.                

John 1  v 4 Light and life originated with him .One rendition  might be alive with his life. He was the agent of all creation.

John 1 v 5 The darkness refers to the world without reference to God, the pagan world.

John 1 v 6  There  came a man.The Greek term egnato comes from the theatre The play had begun and  John appeared on the stage of history

John 1 v 7 John the witness, through him others would come to believe in the Light of the world. In vaudeville  terms he was the warm up man. Without his appearance the show would not go on. John doesnt stay on stage very long. His role is very much secondary when compared to his slightly younger cousin Jesus, but he never sought to be otherwise. Jews believed that before the Messiah came Elijah would return. Marks physical description of John fits in with such a belief.

John 1 v 8 This verse is very strongly negative. This could be because there were those in the evangelists time  who would promote the claims of John as Tasker notes.

John 1 v 9   The word translated true implies real as opposed to counterfeit i.e. not a false messiah. Was coming into the world. Jesus was obviously already an adult, about 30years of age , so in one sense he was already in the world and had been for some considerable time. The implication is that he was coming into public view.  Mark 1 v 9 At that time Jesus came.

John 1 v10  The word rendered as World would have been understood by Greeks as referring  to the cosmos i.e. creation. As the poet as said God stepped out in space. Johnson was referring to the Creation, but the imagery is similar. Here was the creator of the world, but no body recognized him. According to Genesis 1 v 27 man is created in the image of God , yet they still failed to recognize him.

John 1 v 11 The his own refers in the first instance to the people of Israel. He was not accepted by the Jews authorities as Messiah, although there were many Jewish individuals who did so.
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John 1 v 12 The new Israel, the citizens of the Kingdom of God.- all who believed in him. believe on his name i.e. believed in what that name implied.

John1 v 13 . Tasker , basing hi s belief on the Latin version who was born agrees with Tertullian  that  this  may be a referral to the virgin birth o f Christ . Most manuscripts though have a plural which would refer  therefore  refer to spiritual birth  as described by Christ in chapter 3 .

John 1 v 14 made his dwelling. Hunter tells us that the word implies only a temporary stay, being used for someone pitching a tent. To Jews the implication would be rather that of Shekinah  Gods actual presence with his people. Gods glory had filled the sanctuary and now it was shining in the form of Jesus Christ.

John 1 v 15 Open public testimony. In todays church testimony tends to be within a service , and addressed almost entirely to believer for their encouragement. This was for anyone who would hear because all people needed to know that the long promised Christ had come. John do snot explain how the Baptist arrived at this point. Had he met the adult Jesus How long had he been aware of his specialness Thee questions are unanswered because John is only concerned about who Christ was. There is a lesson there for those who would get over concerned about aspects of translation etc. The message of the Bible is  not to answer questions such as how long did creation take , but about the relationship God wants to have with his creation.

John 1 v 16 . The all here can be taken to mean all who have come to know Christ as Savior, whether or not they ever met him in the flesh.


John 1 v 17. Jesus himself said -
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come
 to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
J.B.Phillips says To complete them. and by completing Gods word he is completing and fulfilling  lives that were empty without him.

John 1 v 18, The truth about Jesus Christ is the truth about God, because in some mystical way they are one and the same. God is revealed in Christ. In John 14 v 9 Jesus tells Phillip Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

John 1 v 19 - 28 John deals with the Jewish authorities and makes matters clear to them regarding his own role. Hunter heads this passage in his commentary as Johns witness to Israel.

John 1 v 21 This refers back to Malachi 4 v 5 where Israel is promised -
I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord.
The phrase Are you the prophet  refers to Deuteronomy 18 v 15
John denies he is Elijah, but in Mark 9 v 13 Jesus identifies him with that prophet. These people obviously knew their scriptures, but their motivation was more likely to be  to find out about a possible  cause  of trouble than a real spiritual search.

John 1 v 28. Often Johns gospel is dismissed as not being historical, but in this instance he seems to be trying to emphasize that these things really happened. .

John 1 v 29 Judaism was based upon a sacrificial way of worship. Christ would become the peoples sacrificial lamb in order to cleanse them for their sins. This is an idea that goes back to Abraham and Isaac, is continued in Exodus with the Passover lamb whose blood is used to save the people. The idea of a suffering, sacrificial Messiah comes across strongly in the book of Isaiah in passages known as the Servant Songs

John 1 v 32  John does not describe Jesus baptism, but he is nevertheless aware of it and was in fact a witness of it.

John 1 v 35. John s is the only gospel which tell show Johns disciples  became followers of Jesus. When compared with Mark 1v16 it possibly refers to an informal meeting before the more formal call to full time service. Nazareth was only a walk away from Capernaum where many of the disciples lived and worked and it is quite likely that they already knew Jesus, without necessarily realizing all that he was.

John 1 v 40ff The future disciples meet Jesus, apparently for the first time.  The result is instant. They turn their backs on their lives up to that point and instantly become evangelists, rushing off to tell others We have found the Messiah No half measures, not a really special person, a great teacher, but the promised Messiah, and this is before any record of miracles. John adds the phrase The Christ for his Gentile readers.

John 1 v 47 and 49 Nathanial. Possibly this was Bartholomew, as that name simply means son of Tholomew and he is linked with Phillip in lists of disciples). He is described as one in whom there was no guile nor deceit nor falsehood nor duplicity.and it is this same honest man who says  in verse 49 You are the Son of God

John 1 v 51. Jesus turns Nathanials description on its head by describing himself as the Son of Man. This phrase originated back in Mesopotamia and simply meant a man, part of humanity. In Philippians 2 Paul quotes from an early Christian hymn which describes how Christ came down to earth and humbling himself took on human form.

Applications
Johns purpose, as already stated was to tell people who Jesus was. That task has now passed on the church in the present age. Just as people in the Ist century were in need of a Savior, in need of the true light mentioned in verse 9, so are the many more people of the 21st century.  In verse 36 John points out who Jesus is, not a carpenters on from Nazareth, not even a good person, but the Lamb of God, the long promised Messiah. John has already quoted John the Baptist as having said This is he. The implication is This is what youve been waiting for, this is what God promised. The result is instantaneous and powerful. Johns two disciples immediately turned and followed Jesus. These two were obviously already seeking spiritual things or they wouldnt have become disciples of John. This points out to the church that if Christians faithfully proclaim who Jesus is to those who are already seeking after spiritual things then they will turn to him. The disciples went and explained personally. Today Christians have large numbers of media resources available to them and these have their place. There are also many fine church buildings where the gospel is proclaimed week after week, but these are not the church. The church consists of millions of individuals, each of whom have friends and families who have spiritual needs and who dont know Christ as Savior, despite all that media input. This places a huge responsibility upon those who do know him to speak out, and in particular to  a  responsibility to speak personally to those who are already expressing an interest in spiritual things. There are links to the great commission as described in Matthew 28 v18 f.-

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
The earliest disciples went immediately to tell someone else. Andrew seeks out his brother Peter who was to go on and have such an important role in the early days of the church as Luke describes in Acts. Philip goes and seeks out his friend, the very skeptical Nathanial. These instances are again challenges to the church. Have they told their families and friends the good news about Jesus that they claim is so important to them. A little later in his gospel John includes the important words-
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
 believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

If that is who Jesus really is, and if the church believes it to be true, then they should be wanting so much to tell all they know, even those  who they dont expect to accept the message.