The Gospel of John - Part 1Sample

Introduction to the Reading Plan

When Salome and Mary played together as children, the two women could not have imagined the connection their sons would one day have. Mary's son, Jesus, became the Savior of the world. Salome's son, John, became His disciple and one of the defining figures of the early church. John describes himself as the "disciple whom Jesus loved." In his Gospel, he tells of this love of Jesus—for him and for the entire world. In doing so, he provides a unique look into the life and words of Jesus. Much of what John reports is found only in his account.

When John wrote his Gospel, likely around 90 AD in Ephesus, he was already an old man. It feels as if he is summarizing what shaped him most deeply at the end of his life. He states his goal himself at the end of the book: He writes so that we may recognize that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:31).

John lives in a time when this exact truth is increasingly being questioned—both by Jewish authorities and by early Gnostic movements drifting through the young churches. This is why he repeatedly emphasizes: Jesus is the Son of God.

Furthermore, he tells us about three specific miracles. In the Jewish tradition of that time, a distinction was made between general miracles and specific "Messianic sign-miracles." While Old Testament prophets also performed miracles, there were certain acts that, according to rabbinic teaching, were reserved exclusively for the Messiah—the Savior promised by God. These were the healing of a leper, the casting out of a mute demon, and the healing of a man born blind. In the Jewish mind, these three signs served as the identification marks of the Messiah. Jesus did all three.

In addition to the three Messianic miracles, John reports four other signs. John wants to show that Jesus doesn't just fulfill the three specific expectations of the rabbis, but possesses absolute Messianic authority over every area of creation.

John roughly follows the known sequence of events but avoids repetition, focusing instead on what the other Gospels do not report. Unlike the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), he describes only a few speeches given to large crowds. Instead, he takes you into personal conversations. We get an inside look at the private talks of Jesus.

The Gospel can be divided into three major parts:

• Part 1: Jesus reveals Himself as the Son of God—often called the "Book of Signs."
• Part 2: Jesus prepares His disciples for His absence.
• Part 3: Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection.

This reading plan is also divided into these three sections. Let´s start part one.