The Word

The Gospel of John:

Who & Whom?

AUTHOR: A close reading of the Gospel of John suggests that the author was an apostle (1:14; cp. 2:11; 19:35); one of the Twelve (“the disciple Jesus loved,” 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:20; cp. 21:24–25); and, still more specifically, John, the son of Zebedee (note the association of “the disciple Jesus loved” with Peter in 13:23–24; 18:15–16; 20:2–9; 21; and in ; ; ; ; Gl 2:9).

AUDIENCE: John’s original audience was probably composed of people in the larger Greco-Roman world in Ephesus and beyond toward the close of the first century AD. Hence John frequently explained Jewish customs and Palestinian geography and translated Aramaic terms into Greek.

Andreas J. Köstenberger, “John,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1662.

Andreas J. Köstenberger, “John,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1662.

When & Where?

DATE: The most plausible date of writing is the period between AD 70 (the date of the destruction of the temple) and 100 (the end of John’s lifetime), with a date in the 80s or 90s most likely.

LOCATION: The most likely place of writing is Ephesus in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), which was one of the most important urban centers of the Roman Empire at the time (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.1.2; cf. Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.1.1). However, the readership envisioned by John’s Gospel transcends any one historical setting.

Andreas J. Köstenberger, “John,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1662.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2015.

What & Why?

MESSAGE: John is divided into two main parts. In the first section (chaps. 2–11) the focus is on both Jesus’s ministry to “the world” and the signs he performed. Jesus performs seven signs that meet with varying responses. The second major section (chaps. 12–21) reveals Jesus’s teaching to his disciples and the triumphant “hour” of his passion. John’s record of the passion focuses on Jesus’s control of the events. He had to instruct his adversaries on how to arrest him (18:4–8). Pilate struggled with his decision, but Jesus knew what would happen. Jesus died as the Lamb and was sacrificed at the very time lambs were being sacrificed for Passover (19:14).

Andreas J. Köstenberger, “John,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1663.

PURPOSE: The purpose statement in indicates that John wrote with an evangelistic purpose, probably seeking to reach unbelievers through Christian readers of his Gospel. If the date of composition was after AD 70, the time of the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, it is likely that John sought to present Jesus as the new temple and center of worship for God’s people in replacement of the old sanctuary.

Andreas J. Köstenberger, “John,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1662.

The Text:

1.1-18

Why the Word? [Heb OT personality bridged with NT era Greek philosophical reference]

1-2

What’s the relationship of The Word and God?

So, was The Word ‘a God?’

3-10

What major accomplishment can be listed on The Word’s resume?

What’s special about this John who witnessed about The Word (light)?

To this point, where/when is The Word?

10-13

What’s the unbelievable shock here?

How does salvation work?

Whose idea is it?

Who gets it done?

14-18

Verse 14 describes what?

God discloses Himself. In what ways?

1.19-34

text

1.35-51

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