John Bible Notes

John Bible Notes

Background of John. John knew Jesus as well as anyone. He walked with Him from day to day, he ate with him, and traveled with him. On the night of the last supper, he put his head on His chest. He stood by His cross and entered the tomb. He was one of the twelve, and he was one of the inner circle of three. He saw Jesus when He was tired. He saw Jesus when He wept, and He saw Jesus risen from the dead. John had ample opportunity to observe His character--faults and personality defects--if there were any. Even though Jerusalem had been destroyed for ten to twenty years, he knew Jerusalem like the back of his hand. John is an old man now. He had been turbulent, ambitious, intolerant, and exclusive--now he looks back at the Jesus who has been the passion of his life. With all this, he says without hesitation that Jesus is indeed God.

One Solitary Life

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.

Peter Marshall said, "We have had enough of the emaciated Christ, the pale, anemic, namby-pamby Jesus, the gentle Jesus, meek and mild. Perhaps we have too much of it. Let us see the Christ of the gospels, striding up and down the dusty miles of Palestine, sun-tanned, bronzed, fearless."

C. S. Lewis, "Either Christ was all He claimed to be and more, or else He is to be compared to a man who goes around trying to convince people that he is a poached egg."

Napoleon said, "I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man. Only superficial minds see Christ as a man. Everything in Christ astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, and His will confounds me."

Josephus, Testimonium Flavianum, Aniquities, 18.63-64, completed in 93 A.D., said: "At this time Jesus, a wise man (if it is appropriate to call him a man), appeared. For he was a worker of incredible deeds, a teacher of men who happily receive the truth, and he drew to himself many Jews--and many Greeks, too. This man was the Christ. And when Pilate had executed him at the instigation of the leading men among us, those who had first loved him did not give up. For he appeared to them on the third day alive again (the divine prophets had spoken concerning him of these and countless other wonders). And to this day the tribe of 'Christians' (named after him) has not vanished."

92% of the content in John in not found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The Gospel of John has no parables and is primarily topical rather than chronological, revolving around seven miracles and seven "I am" statements. The purpose of the book is stated in John 20:30-31. The seven miracles:

1) Jesus has power over time: He turnswater into wine (2:1-11);

2) Jesus has power over distance: From Cana, He heals the official's son in Capernaum (4:46-54);

3) Jesus has power over deformity: He heals the man at the pool who has been an invalid for 38 years (5:1-18);

4) Jesus has power over supply: He turns 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish into food for 5,000 men plus women and children (6:1-14);

5) Jesus has power over nature: He stills a storm and walks on the water (6:16-21);

6) Jesus has power over birth defects: He heals the man who was born blind (9:1-41);

7) Jesus has power over death: He raises Lazarus after being dead for 4 days (11:1-44).

Vocabulary in John. Believe (pisteuo): 98 times in verb form only; witness (marturia): 46 times, 13 times as a noun and 33 times as a verb, bear witness, testify; truth (aletheia): 58 times as truth, true, real, indeed, verily; light (phos): 24 times; darkness (skotia): 8 times; know (oida): 84 times; know (ginosko): 56 times; sign (semeia): 18 times; life (zoe): 51 times, 15 times as a verb

1:1In the beginning was. The beginning of beginnings--not the Genesis beginning. Three times the imperfect eimiis used which indicates “continuing existence” with no idea of origin for the Word of God (ATR).

1:1 the Word. The logos is the intelligent design and designer of the universe. The logos (Word) is the thought of God stamped upon the universe. "The Word. John called the Son of God, who was with God his Father in the beginning,the Word. John did not identify this person immediately, but described his nature and purpose before revealing his name (see vv. 14, 17). As the Word, the Son of God fully conveys and communicates God. What does John mean by 'the Word'? Theologians and philosophers, both Jews and Greeks, used the termword in a variety of ways. The Greek term islogos. In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, 'the Word' is described as an agent of creation (Psalm 33:6), the source of God’s message to his people through the prophets (Hosea 1:2), and God’s law, his standard of holiness (Psalm 119:11). The Greeks used 'the Word' in two ways. It could mean a person’s thoughts or reason, or it might refer to a person’s speech, the expression of thoughts. As a philosophical term,logos conveyed the rational principle that governed the universe, even the creative energy that generated the universe. In both the Jewish and Greek conceptions,logos conveyed the idea of beginnings—the world began through the Word (seeGenesis 1:3ff., where the expression 'God said' occurs repeatedly). John may have had these ideas in mind, but his description shows clearly that he spoke of Jesus as a human being he knew and loved (see especially1:14), who was at the same time the Creator of the universe, the ultimate revelation of God, and also the living picture of God’s holiness, the one in whom 'all things hold together' (Colossians 1:17NIV). Jesus as thelogos reveals God’s mind to us. Life Application Bible Commentary

1:1 with God. Implies intimacy and equality. The absence of the definite article does not mean "a God" but instead ascribes quality to God.

"The Word was God. Not only was the Son with God, he was himself God. According to the Greek, this phrase could be translated 'the Word was divine.' John’s Gospel, more than most books in the New Testament, asserts Jesus’ divinity. Jesus is called 'God' in1:1;1:18; and20:28.

"Bad News. Often little words become large issues. Cults like Jehovah’s Witnesses attempt to insert an indefinite article inverse 1, making it 'and the Word was a god' (New World Translation, a specific 'translation' by Jehovah’s Witnesses). It is a small addition with devastating results. The addeda serves to bolster the teaching that Jesus was a created being who 'earned' divine qualities that are attainable by the rest of us. If Jesus is only a god, then the so-called gospel is only bad news. However, John was writing not about gods but about God, and he clearly claimed that 'the Word was God'!" Life Application Bible Commentary

1:1 the Word was God. No definite article which ascribes quality to God--not a God.

1:15 In ancient times the older person was given respect and regarded as greater than the younger. Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1720.

1:19 John was a second cousin to Jesus.

1:27 "Disciples would perform all sorts of service for their rabbis (teachers), but loosing sandal thongs was expressly excluded, as this was considered a menial task, fit only for a slave." Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1721.

1:28 "The Bethany mentioned elsewhere in the Gospels was only about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Jerusalem. . . . The site of this other Bethany is uncertain, except that it was located on the eastern side of the Jordan." Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1722.

1:35-37 "John the Baptist encouraged two of his own disciples to follow Jesus. One was Andrew (v. 40), and the other is not named. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, the earliest converts to Jesus are identified as Andrew, Peter, James and John (see Mk 1:16-20). The unnamed disciple may be a concealed reference to the apostle John, the author of this Gospel and likely the mystery person behind the title 'the disciple whom Jesus loved' (Jn 13:23, 21: 7, 20; see also 19:26; 20:2)." Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1722.

1:40 Andrew was always bringing someone to Jesus: Peter (1:41), the boy with loaves (6:8-9), and the Greeks (12:22).

2:1 Cana of Galillee. "Khirbet Qana, located about 9 miles (14.5 km) north of Nazareth and just north of the Beit Netofa Valley, is the likely location. Excavation of Khirbet Qana began in 1998. Remains of what could have been a first-century synagogue (although this has not yet been firmly established) have also been found, along with a miqveh (a pool for Jewish ritual cleansing). Cisterns held water for the village since there appears to have been no aqueduct. John 2:6 mentions that water was stored in large stone jars . . . the prospect of uncovering artifacts there that existed when Jesus worked his first miracle is profoundly exciting." Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1723.

2:20 "Herod's new temple was not finally completed until A.D. 63/64. The meaning here is that work on the edifice had been going on for 46 years. Since construction had begun in about 19 or 20 B.C., . . . the year of the event recorded here is about A.D. 27." Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1724.

2:2"The wedding ceremony itself took place late in the evening after a feast. After the ceremony the young couple were conducted to their new home. By that time it would be dark and they conducted through the village streets with the light of the flaming torches and with a canopy over their heads. They were taken by as long a road as possible so that as many people as possible would have the opportunity to wish them well. But in Palestine a newly married couple did not go away for their honeymoon; they stayed at home; and for a week they kept open house." (Barclay).

2:12 Capernaum. 680 ft. below sea level.

2:13 up to Jerusalem. 2500 ft. above sea level.

2:12-16What was right in this practice: 1) collecting temple tax (1/2 shekel-Ex. 30:13); 2) money-changing (Talmud approved including interest); 3) offering animal sacrifices (Num. 28:16-25).

What was wrong in this practice: 1) disruption of the place of prayer. With the noise of oxen, sheep, doves and the shouts of hucksters, the rattle of coins, and voices raised in bargaining disputes, this turned the Court of the Gentiles into a place where no one could worship; 2) animal inspection fraud. The court of the Gentiles must have resembled a stockyard with the stench, filth, bleating and lowing of animals. A worshipper was allowed to bring an animal of his own selection, but in all likelihood, it would not be approved by the judges; 3) sale of animals at exorbitant prices. A pair of doves worth a nickel would cost $4--80 times the going price; 4) money exchanged for large sums. The money-changers, sitting cross-legged behind their little coin-covered tables, were ripping the people off. Only Jewish coins were allowed in the temple, and the money-changers would charge as much as a day's wages to exchange their money.

The exchanging of money was allowed; however, the temple merchants charged one fourth of a day’s wages to inspect animals, and they sold doves worth about a nickel for four dollars, about 80 times the normal price. In addition, they charged one day’s wages to exchange money. This was the Jerusalem Mafia ripping off the poor.

3:1Nicodemus: see John 7:50; 19:39. Apparently, Nicodemus did not become a believer until after the crucifixion.

4:1-26 Keys for Effective witnessing: 1. Establish a point of personal contact (v. 1-6); 2. Look for common interest (v. 7-8); 3. Stimulate discussion (v. 9-12); 4. Tactfully present good news (v. 13-15); 5. Pinpoint personal need (v. 16-19); 6. Stay with the main issue (v. 20-24); and 7. Present the Savior (v. 25-26).

New Life

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Cor 5:17

-1 Repentance and Faith in Christ

John 3:16; Acts 2:38

-2 Decision to Receive Christ

John 1:12

-3 Personal Need or Problem Recognition

Acts 16:29-30; Romans 10:13

-4 Positive Attitude Toward Christ

John 3:2; 1 Peter 2:12

-5 Awareness of God’s Love in Christ

John 4:25; Romans 10:14

-6 General Belief in God

James 2:14,19

-7 Agnostic

Acts 17:23

-8 Atheist

Psalms 14:1; 53:1

2001 Dave Beckwith. Steps adapted from What’s Gone Wrong with the Harvest?

4:6 sixth hour. 12:00 Noon, Jewish time, 6 AM by Roman time. John follows Jewish time throughout the book of John.

4:6 "For both safety and permanence, wells in Bible times were generally surrounded by walls of stone. In the case of some famous wells, like that of Jacob of Sychar (ch. 4), the walls were beautifully constructed with dressed stone. . . . Modern Bir Ya'kub is doubtless the well referred to in this verse as 'Jacob's well.' . . . The well is near the base of Mount Gerizim, whose bluffs may have been intended in Jesus' phrase 'this mountain' (Jn 4:21). A narrow opening 4 feet (1.3 m) long was dug through limestone. . . . When the well was cleaned out in 1935, it was found to be 138 feet (42 m) deep." Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1726.

4:9 "Jews would become ceremonially unclean if they used a drinking vessel handled by a Samaritan, since they held that Samaritans were "unclean." . . . The Jewish high priest and ruler John Hyrcanus destroyed the Samaritan sanctuary on Mount Gerizim in 128 B.C., and tensions between Jews and Samaritans remained high throughout the first century A.D. Samaritans scattered bones in the Jerusalem temple during Passover in A.D. 6-7 and in A.D. 52 massacred a group of Galilean pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem (Josephus, Antiquities, 20.6.1 and Wars, 2.12.3). Typically Jews would avoid passing through Samaria when traveling between Judea and Galilee."Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1726, 1737.

4:29-30 There was a 15-30 minute time lapse.

4:31 disciples urged him. Continually request to eat.

4:35The harvest was in April and this was January. Sychar was famous for corn fields. The men of Sychar wore white and from a distance would have looked like a ripe grain field.

4:46 royal official (Grk. basilicas, ruler of the king). His boss was likely Herod Antipas (4 B.C. to 39 A.D.) who had John the Baptist beheaded. Jesus later referred to Herod as "that old fox." It is entirely possible that Joseph and Jesus had been carpenters in the building project of Herod's at Tiberias (Merrill C. Tenny, vol. 3). Seventh hour: 1 PM, Jewish time.

5:1 pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda. "The pool at Bethesda was a familiar locale among the Jews of Jerusalem. It was mentioned, for example, in Qumran's Copper Scroll as the 'place of poured out water.' It was located near what are now the ruins of the basilica of Saint Anne to the north of the temple mount. The 'pool' was actually two pools surrounded by four porticoes, with a fifth portico situated between them. The surface area of the enclosed water was 3.10 square miles (5 sq km). . . . The connection between the pool and the healing process is attested not only by the fourth Gospel but also by archaeological remains indicating that the Romans also sought healing there after taking over Jerusalem in approximately A.D. 135." Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1728.

5:17 "The Jews did not refer to God as 'my Father,' regarding the term as too intimate--although they might have used 'our Father' or, in prayer, 'my Father in heaven.'" Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1730.

5:19-29 Jesus makes several astounding claims: 1. I am doing what God does (5:19-20); 2. I am the giver of life (5:21); 3. I am the final judge (5:22-23); 4. I determine every person's destiny (5:24); and 5. I will raise the dead (5:25-29).

5:33-47 Jesus claims several witnesses to His divinity: 1. John the Baptist (5:33-35); 2. His life and works (5:36); 3. God the Father (5:37-38); 4. Scriptures (5:39-47).

6:1 "The 'far shore' refers to the northeastern shore, probably near Bethsaida. . . . The Sea of Tiberias was probably the official Roman name for the Sea of Galilee. . . . The name came from the town of Tiberias (named after the emperor Tiberius Caesar), founded about A.D. 20. . . . Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great and the tetrarch of Galilee (Mt 14:1; Lk 3:19, founded the city of Tiberias. . . . A large number of tombs discovered there during the initial stages of its construction were cleared away and new buildings erected over them, but this act rendered the city unclean for pious Jews (cf. Nu 19:16). As a result Herod was forced to populate the town with a mixture of Galileans, foreigners and freed slaves. According to Josephus, a continual settlement of the city was ensured through land and housing grants, as well as through the emancipation of great numbers of slaves who were freed with the obligation to live there (Josephus, Antiquities, 18.2.3). Antipas built the city according to the Hellenistic-Roman conventions of his time, including within it a stadium, forum, public baths and a lavish royal palace adorned with animal statuary, which was offensive to Jews. Tiberias was thus a city that was thoroughly Gentle in atmosphere. But Antipas also constructed a large synagogue to accommodate its Jewish inhabitants. As Tiberias grew in importance as both an urban and an administrative center, the Sea of Galilee became known as the Sea of Tiberias (Jn 6:1; 21:1)." Archaeology Study Bible, p. 1731-32.