That You May Believe Jesus is the Christ!

Who do you say Jesus is?

Jesus asked a lot of questions. Query was one of His favorite teaching tools. One of the questions Jesus put to the disciples was “Who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20). This question drew out a response that is instructive to all of us. The context of Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” is important: “Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ “They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’ “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ “Peter answered, ‘God’s Messiah’” (Luke 9:18–20). Parallel accounts are found in Matthew 16 and Mark 8. Matthew relates that Peter did more than just identify Jesus as the Christ; he also proclaimed Jesus’ divine nature: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus’ question “Who do you say I am?” was not a sign of ignorance; He knew all things, including what was on the disciples’ minds. The question was also not motivated by some type of self-conceit or vanity; Jesus did not preen, and He had no desire to fish for compliments. Rather, His question was aimed at provoking the disciples to consider their level of faith. The immediate results of His question make it clear why He asked them what He did. Jesus began the conversation by asking a related question: “Who do the crowds say I am?” (Luke 9:18). In response, the disciples related the various things they had heard: the opinions included several personages come back to life, pointing to the fact that the crowds viewed Jesus as someone special. But the crowds’ guesses were all wrong. So Jesus directs the question to the disciples themselves: “Who do you say that I am?” In other words, are you following the crowd? Are you sticking with the conventional wisdom about Me? Or do you have another, more insightful answer? What do you really think? Peter then speaks up. In answer to the question, Peter affirms his belief that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah and, more than that, the Son of God. By this time, the disciples had seen many miracles, including the raising of a widow’s son in Nain, the calming of a storm, the casting out of many demons from a man in the Gerasenes, and the feeding of 5,000. The disciples knew that Jesus was more than a prophet; He was absolutely unique; He was, in fact, God in the flesh. In response to Peter’s declaration, Jesus expresses the blessedness of his faith: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). God, in His grace, had opened the disciples’ eyes to see Jesus for who He truly was. So Jesus asks the question “Who do you say that I am?” and He receives the correct (divinely inspired) response from Peter. This marks a turning point in Jesus’ teaching ministry with His disciples. Starting then, the Lord gives His disciples additional information, as shocking as it was for them to hear: “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21). Jesus had refrained from telling His disciples about His death and resurrection until they had reached an important milestone: namely, that their faith had grown to the extent that they could express their conviction that Jesus was the Son of God. How the disciples handled the additional information of Jesus’ death would depend on who they believed Jesus to be. Knowing that He is the Son of God, they should be able to trust Him—even to the point of accepting His death (and resurrection) without being shaken. Unfortunately, the disciples had a hard time processing what Jesus was now telling them, as evidenced in Peter’s response (Matthew 16:22–23). Even having faith in Jesus as the divine Son of God, the disciples were thrown into confusion at the prediction of Jesus’ death and resurrection (see Mark 9:32). (Got Questions)

Aim of the Study of The Gospel of John

John 20:30–31 ESV

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 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’s aim os to convince you that Jesus is the Messiah and how to rightly respond to Him in order to have eternal life.

As we read the Gospel of John, we need to ask three questions:

How does this passage enable me to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God?

What does it mean to have life in His name?

What does the right response of belief in Him look like?

Each passage will be approached with questions such as, What does this passage teach me about Jesus? What sort of Christ is He? What does it mean to have life? How does Jesus want me to respond to hIm knowing what I know now?

You need to understand, you faith is not passive. You need to take responsibility for your soul. You need to read the Bible on your own, or at the very least have it read to you. Use a kindle, online app, or you laptop to read the bible to you. Stop making excuses and do the best you can. No one is asking you to be a professor or preacher. Read or listen to what you can and get as much as you can, then trust the Lord to help you in the process.

To begin our study, I want you to read the Gospel of John. What are you first impressions? What observations do you make? Jot a few of these down. Also, any questions that come to mind, jot those down as well. We will address them in class.

The Structure of the Gospel of John

Jesus says

John 16:28 ESV

I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

This statement summarizes the structure of John. There are two parts to John. In chapters 1-10, Jesus describes himself as the Christ, the Son of God, and how he came from the Father. In part 2, chapters 11-21, Jesus describes himself as the Son who would return to the Father as a means to open a way for sinners to come to the Father.

You will see the boundaries of this structure in how John arranges his gospel, especially around the signs and miracles. John as already said

John 20:30 ESV

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;

So, John has carefully chosen particularly signs that he believes will prove to you Jesus is the Messiah. The signs are significant events that have a teaching point and a special meaning. So we need to pay attention to these signs, and recognize they act like brackets to divide the gospel up into teaching opportunities.

Part 1 Chapters 1-10: Jesus is the Son who came down from heaven to reveal His Father

Chapter 1 Introduction: The Everlasting Word, the Long Awaited King

Chapters 2:1-4:54 Jesus is the Christ, come from His Father to His people to bring life (the two signs at Cana bracket this section)

Chapters 5:1-10:42 Jesus is the Son, come from His Father, who is rejected by His people but who continues to offer life (the two healings on the Sabbath bracket this section)

Part 2 Chapters 11-21: Jesus the Son and Christ is returning to heaven to open the way to His Father

Chapter 11:1-20:31 What Jesus’ death has achieved; Life! (the two resurrection signs bracket this section)

Chapter 21 Conclusion: Feed My Sheep! (the unpaired sign leaves the book open and the reader looking forward)

The study of John’s gospel is going to know Jesus and mature in our faith

Jesus’ delay in introducing the subject of His death and resurrection suggests that the disciples’ faith needed to mature to the point that they could hear and understand. All of us are called to grow in our faith. There is always more to know of Christ. “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity” (Hebrews 6:1).

Hebrews 6:1 ESV

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,