Family & Friend

The Book of John

Alyssa-

Cousin

Friend

John

Cousin to Jesus & John the baptist

Mary and Salome sisters John 19:25

Closest friend

Not just disciple

Not just friend

Family

He truly loved and saw Jesus

Purpose

The Diety of Christ

John 1:1-5

Mark’s purpose-Superhuman power of Jesus

Through things he did

Luke’s Purpose

The humanity of Jesus

Matthew’s purpose

Jesus is the messiah foretold by the prophets

quoting from the old testament often

To what people

Matthew- To the Jews

Using prophecy and old scripture

Mark- to the Romans

Luke- To the Greeks

Using classical and orderly story form appealing to the Greek cultured, philosophical, wise & reasoning and beauty appreciating, educated Greek mind

Said to be the most beautiful book ever written

Depicting Jesus as the most glorious, beautiful and perfect, ideal and universal man.

John- thought to be for the Ephesus church in its origin.

Making it clear Jesus was God in Human form.

Each Author’s relation or correlation to Christ

Matthew was a disciple called by Christ

Mark was a child during Christ’s life and wrote his book from what he learned from Peter about Jesus

Luke was a companion worker with Paul, like Mark. His research happened primarily in 58AD-60AD in Caesarea from many who where close to Jesus.

John was not only Jesus friend and disciple he calls himself the one Jesus loved

His mother was Salome, Mary (Jesus Mother’s) sister.

He was raised alongside Jesus, new him from early childhood life

Son of Zebedee

brother of James

Fishermen

business owners

one of 5 owners in a fishing business

Disciple of John the Baptist first

Kin to him as well

John was one of the first 5 disciples to Jesus

He followed him after at the testimony of John the baptist

went back to fishing business for 1 year

Called John completely out of his business and on the road with him as a full time disciple

Eyewitness to all Jesus work

One of 3 closest disciples to Jesus

mentioned as the one whom Jesus Loved

John 13:23

John 19:26

John 20:2

John 21:7

John 21:20

Jesus nicknamed him “Son of Thunder” Mark 3:17

vehement & violent temper

Mark 9:38 Stranger casting out demons in Jesus name

Luke 9:54 desire to bring down fire on the Samaritans

When was the book wrote

Gospel of John was the last gospel wrote. By about 30 years.

All the rest written in about 60 AD and John was written in 90 AD

John lived to old age and wrote the gospel of John, 1,2 &3 John and Revelations

It’s believed he wrote the gospel of John right after the resurrection in Hebrew and then later issued it in Greek the Ephesian edition.

Why Four?

Most important part of the bible

more important than the rest of the Bible.

“For we could afford to be without the knowledge of everything else than to be without the knowledge of Jesus”

the books before the 4 are anticipatory

The books after the 4 are explanatory.

Many more than four to start

Luke 1:1

Great literary activity

At least 10 gospels written.

The story of Jesus was a desired story to have written during this time.

These gospels spread the story of Jesus to all of the known world.

Only these four survived the imperial persecutions of the first 3 centuries.

John is a book from the point of a beloved friend and cousin of Jesus.

His book is, to a point, abstract

He starts different than the other 3 gospels and this start shows us an intimate and observant lover of the Lord. He saw Jesus deeper than any of the others, it seems. The familial ties and then his close relationship in adulthood gave him profound insight and understanding that we now get to glean from.

What a gift it is to read and study the book of John and see Jesus through the lens of cousin, friend, disciple and close companion. To see our savior in through such eyes of love and adoration may we too grow in our adoration of Him, the one who came to give us life abundant.