Intertestamental History & Gospels

1. Intertestamental History & Gospels Gospel of John Part 1 of 2

2. Schedule of the Class

3. Devotional • John 14:15-31

4. John 14:15-31 • 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. • 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. • 25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

5. John 14:15-31 • 26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 

6. Setting • Historical setting • Two historical settings for any narrative: • Setting of events portrayed • Later setting of the author • Setting in the Gospel of John • Unique as it speaks of two different conflicting relationships: • Jesus and opponents • Author’s Christian community (Johannine community) and Jewish opponents

7. Evidence of Two Conflicts • Evidences: • Author frequently uses term Ioudaioiwhich means “Jews” or “Jewish leaders” for Jesus’ opponent • Strange because Jesus and his disciples were also Jews • Historical conflict between Jesus and religious leader was Jew vs. Jew • Now suggests conflict of Christian vs. Jew – written at a time when church was separated from the synagogue • Expulsion from synagogue (John 9:22; 12:42; 16:2)

8. Expulsion from Synagogue • John 9:20-22 • 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) • Man born blind. Parents fear admitting Jesus’ miracle.

9. Expulsion from Synagogue • John 12:42 • 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did notconfess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; • Unbelief of the people

10. Expulsion from Synagogue • John 16:1-4 • 16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. • Warning from Jesus about coming/present difficult times

11. Setting • Gospel of John was likely written in late first century • Composed by apostle John while he was ministering in Ephesus

12. Portrait of Jesus • John – the Gospel of Son who reveals the Father • John 20:30,31 • 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. • John 21:25 • 25Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. • Miracles, teachings, and letters of the Apostles

13. Uniqueness of John • ~90% of John’s Gospel is different from the Synoptics • Key features of Jesus’ ministry are absent: • No exorcisms or parables • No table fellowship with sinners • Key Synoptic phrase “kingdom of God” only occurs twice (John 3:3,5) • Most of Jesus’ teachings are unique • Five of John’s eight miracles do not occur in the Synoptics

14. Uniqueness of John • ~90% of John’s Gospel is different from the Synoptics • Key Synoptic events that are absent: • Jesus’ baptism (John 1:24-34) • Only before and after baptism is accounted for • Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness • The transfiguration • Institution of the Lord’s Supper

15. Style of John • Simple style and vocabulary but has profound theological truth • Similar to the Gospel • Simple enough for a child to learn but profound enough that one could never comprehensively understand it

16. Style of John • Unique literary style • Style is simplistic with short sentences connected by coordinate conjunctions (“and”) - FANBOYS • Repetitious style with parallelism used for emphasis • John 14:27a • 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. • John 1:10-11 • 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own peopledid not receive him.

17. Style of John • Many Contrasts • John 1:10-11 • 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own peopledid not receive him. • Light and darkness • Truth and falsehood • Life and death • Above and below

18. Light and Darkness • Gospel of John plays out the struggle between the two throughout its entirety • John 1:5 • 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. • John 3:19 • 19 And this is the judgment:the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

19. Light and Darkness • Gospel of John plays out the struggle between the two throughout its entirety (cont.) • John 8:12 • 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” • John 12:35 • 35 So Jesus said to them,“The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

20. Light and Darkness • Gospel of John plays out the struggle between the two throughout its entirety (cont.) • John 12:46 • 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. • Such stark contrasts provoke us to respond and reflect. • Are we in the light or darkness?

21. Style of John • John’s seeming simple vocabulary carry profound significance: • know, abide, believe, witness, truth, life, light, glory, the world • In Jesus’ teachings: • the Synoptics focus on the kingdom of God, repentance, and right behavior towards God and others • John focuses on philosophical issues of truth, life, and knowing God

22. Structure of John • Prologue • John 1:1-18 • Book of Signs • 1:19-12:50 • Book of Glory/Passion • 13:1-20:31 • Epilogue • 21:1-25

23. The Prologue • God’s self-revelation through the Son • What do you see about God and/or Jesus in John 1:1-18? And what does this mean? • 1. Jesus is the self-revelation of God (v.1,14,18) • The Word – communicative revelation of God through Christ • 2. Jesus is himself God (v.1), cf. Hebrews 1:3 • 3. Jesus is eternal (v.2) • 4. Jesus is the Creator (v.3)

24. The Prologue • What do you see about God and/or Jesus in John 1:1-18? • 5. Jesus is the life-giver (v.4) • 6. Jesus is the light-giver (v.4) • 7. Jesus was rejected by his own (vv.10-11) • 8. Those who receive him become part of a new spiritual family (vv.12-13) • 9. Jesus initiates new era of salvation, not of law but of grace (v.17) • 10. Jesus reveals the invisible God (v.18)

25. Next Week • Gospel of John – Part 2 of 2 • Revelation of Son through Signs/Miracles • Revelation of Son through Personal Interviews, Dialogue, and Debate • Book of Glory and Passion • Revelation of Son through “I am” statements • Farewell Discourse – Promise of the Holy Spirit

26. Assignment • Reflect on the Prologue (John 1:1-18). • Read / Re-read Gospel of John. • Remember. Remind. Review. • John 14:26 • 26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 

27. Questions? • Citation of Sources and Bibliography • Fee, Gordon D. & Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. • Strauss, Mark L. Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.