Expository Study on the Gospel of John: Chapter 1

Intro:

First, I’d like to welcome everyone to our first Bible Study and give honor to those who started this evdevour.

Speak of Ch Gaylon and Ken Pickler

Second, I’d like to celebrate those who are here. You’ve made a decision to gather together with those of like mindedness and study the Word of God.

Today we will be covering John Chapter 1. I will say that this will be challenging in our short amount of time, but I have faith that we can do it!

For ease of reading, I will be using the Newly Revised Standard Version of the Bible; however, there may be times I refer to the KJV or even the original languages such as Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic.

Section 1 - The Word

Quote - “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

We should understand several supporting factors when studying John and the NT as a whole:

1st - the NT is written in Koine Greek and words should be studied in context and linguistic meaning. Similar to English many Greek words have several meanings. For instance, look at the word bat. In one instance it can mean an animal and the other it may mean an instrument used to play baseball.

2nd - Many of the early Christians were Jews and thus, had a Jewish background. The early church struggled with quarrels of how things are to be done. Hence, when we see such quarrels in churches today, we should not be surprised. This isn’t a new issue, but an issue that orginates with our humanity. It is only by the grace and power of God that people can come under the understanding of Christ and come into unity together.

John 1:1

Often, we look at such a verse and wonder…how can God, who is a spirit, become the Word?

Our author, the Apostle John - son of Zebedee - states that God is a spirit

“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:24

So when John discusses God as being with the Word and the Word itself - what does he mean?

Let us look at the meaning of “Word” in the:

Logos means: Generally, a thing that is spoken, or a matter.

In the Septuagint, this word translates the majority of instances of Hebrew Dabar.

John’s usage of logos bears witness to the Old Testament usage, where logos should be seen in the light of God’s powerful activity in creation. Further, philosophers saw someone’s word as an outward projection of their inner thought. In essence, God’s inner thought, which is deemed connected to his spirit, was released through His word.

You may be asking yourself at this time, why is this word so important. Let us jump to John 1:14

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Earlier we talked to the power of God’s word in creation. Pauls states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16 ).

What Paul was saying in context to this Johannine literature is that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, the gospel, is God’s word given to humanity for salvation. God gave us His mind through the Jesus first and then through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit found in Acts 2.

Further, John’s writing uses unique greek language here in Jn 1:14. John uses the Greek word, σκηνόω. This word literally means to be tabernacled, where the NRSV translates the word “lived.”

This holds very special meaning for the readers of John’s day, as they would all be very familiar with Moses’ acts in the desert. It was in Exod 26 that the directives for the Tabernacle were first given. It would not be until Exod 36 that the Tabernacle’s making would begin. The Tabernacle had great significance!

It was mobile…the people went where the Tabernacle went because it contained the Holy Spirit

It was at the center of the Israelites

I’d like to highlight one more important thing we’ll see throughout the Johannine text, the words grace and truth.

These words call back to Moses’ account in Exod 34:5-7 “And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

Section 2 - John the Baptist

Jn 1:19-23 “And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.”

Isa 40:3 “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

Look at note in NRSV HC Bible

Jn 1:29-33 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.”

Based on John’s text and Matt 22:40, what did John’s prophetic spirit provide the world a road for?

Section 3 - The Disciples

Emphasize who the first two disciples by asking the question - who were the first two called by Jesus? Don’t let John answer.