The Book of John - Introduction

Introduction: We are beginning our series on the book of John.

Before we begin in the book itself, I would like to know a little about John the apostle.

What do we know about the apostle John?

Knowing what we can about John we help us to understand the book of John.

Notice the following points:

1. John is probably from Bethsaida (John 1:44 tells us that Simon Peter is from Bethsaida. In Luke 5:10 we see that James and John were partners with Simon Peter. ) If he was not from Bethsaida we can safely conclude he was certainly from the region of Galilee.

2. John’s fathers name is Zebedee.

Little is know about Zebedee except that he ran the family business of fishing. (Matthew 4:21 “21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.”)

3. John’s mothers name is Salome.

John’s mothers name is Salome putting together what we find in Mark 15:40, Mark 16:1 and Matthew 27:56. If Salome is related to Mary the mother of Jesus (some believe by inference they are sisters), John would be the cousin of Jesus.

4. John’s brothers name is James.

(Mark 3:17 “17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:” )

It is interesting to note this name given to James and John. Later John is known as the apostle of love because of his emphasis of Christ’s command to love one another and because of the many references to him as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7,20). Much must have changed in the apostle’s life from his younger years as he followed after the Lord.

5. John’s family was well known and Zebedee possessed some wealth.

It is evident that the family was well known and possessed some means.

- John’s family had hired servants.

Mark 1:20 “20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.”

- John was known to the high priest.

John 18:15-16 “15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.”

- John possessed a home.

John 19:27 “27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”

6. John was first a follower of John the Baptist and one of the first disciples of Jesus Christ.

John 1:35-36 “35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;”

John 1:40 “40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.”

Matthew 4:18-21 shows us that John was one of the first disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

7. John was part of the “inner circle.”

We know that John was part of what is often referred to as the “inner circle.”

Peter, James and John were the disciples who witnessed the raising of Jairus’ daughter, the transfiguration of the Lord on the Mount of transfiguration and also the Garden of Gethsemane. Also remember that the Gospel records to do not contain all that Jesus said and the miracles which he did, they are selective as the Holy Ghost moved the penman to record. (John 20:30, 21:24-25) So it is probable that there were other incidences where only these three men were involved.

Mark 5:37 “37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.”

Mark 9:2 “2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.”

Mark 14:33 “33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;”

According to Robert Gromacki, John’s name is mentioned twice as many times then even the sum of the three other Gospel writers combined. (Matthew - 8 times, Mark - 8 times, Luke - 3 times, John - 35 times)

7. John was a Jew.

It is noted that John displayed first-hand knowledge his own people, the Old Testament, Jewish customs and feasts as well as the geography of Palestine.

Here are just a few:

Jewish Wedding Feast along with the customs are penned in John 2.

Jewish Ceremonial Purification is spoken about in chapter 3.

Jewish Burial Practices are spoken about in chapter 11 and 19.

Old Testament Prophecy concerning the Messiah is 1:19-28.

John brings to light Jewish thought concerning family precedence, like claiming to be one with the Father’s is tantamount to claiming deity.

John speaks about the specifics of the traditions involving the Passover Feast and also the Feast of Tabernacles. (The pouring out of water.)

John pens the ‘I AM’ statements of Jesus Christ pointing to the Old Testament revelation of God’s name to Moses.

The religious differences between the Samaritans and Jews is spoken about in chapter 4. (Specifics include the sacred mountain of worship for the Samaritans.)

John references Old Testament law concerning witnesses.

He also brings out many discourses concerning Abraham.

John mentions Jewish thought concerning sin and physical maladies like blindness.

John mentions various Jewish feasts. (2:23, 5:1, 6:4, 7:2, 10:22, 13:1)

John gives the specifics concerning many locations and geographical features in and around Jerusalem, Galilee, and Samaria. Here are just a few examples:

The pool of Bethesda having 5 porches.

Bethany’s location in relation to Jerusalem.

The Garden of Gethsemane location across the brook Cedron.

The paved area outside of Praetorium.

John identifies the city where Jacobs well was (Sychar) and speaks to its depth.

John identifies Cana of Galilee.

John identifies the Sea of Galilee also called the Sea of Tiberias.

John identifies Capernaum.

John alludes to the fact that “Jewry” is stronger in Judaea than it is in “Galilee of the Gentiles” (as it is called in the book of Matthew.)

Traditions Concerning John

What tradition tells us concerning John:

When we speak of tradition, we mean that this is extrabiblical references from early church fathers and others concerning John.

The Bible shows us that John was involved very early on in the book of Acts after the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 1 -

Acts 3 -

Acts 4 -

Acts 8 -

Acts 12 -

In Acts 1 we find John in the upper room awaiting the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 3 we see Peter and John entering into the Temple at the hour of prayer and the healing of the lame man.

In Acts chapter 4, after Peter and John’s short imprisonment we see there discussion with the religious rulers.

In Acts chapter 8, it is Peter and John that go to confirm the work that has been done in Samaria.

In Acts 12, we see that John’s brother is killed by the sword of Herod Agrippa.

After this, we hear nothing about John until the Revelation of Jesus Christ from the isle of Patmos in the Aegean Sea the Gospel record of John.

According to the early church father Eusebius (260 AD- 339 AD) “John lived at Jerusalem until the death of Mary, 15 years after the crucifixion of Christ. Until this time it is probable that he had not been engaged in preaching the gospel among the Gentiles.”

Tradition tells us also that “John became a leader of the Ephesian church in his later years and that he was banished to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea by the Roman Emperor Domitian. Nerva, Domitian’s successor, permitted John to return to Ephesus in A.D. 96. There is stayed till his death sometime during the reign of Trajan (A.D. 98-117).

Irenaeus of Smyrna (130 AD- 202 AD)

Excerpt from Against Heresies Book III Chapter 3, “Then, again, the Church in Ephesus, founded by Paul, and having John remaining among them permanently until the times of Trajan, is a true witness of the tradition of the apostles.” Trajan began to rule in A.D. 98.

Excerpt from Against Heresies 5.30.3, speaking about the man of perdition and the number 666, “for if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, toward the end of Domitian’s reign.” Domitian died in A.D. 96.

This would place John’s age fairly young at the time that he began to follow Jesus Christ. Many believe he was the youngest of the disciples.

We can surmise that John was most likely less than 30 years of age.

John is also, as far as we know, was the only one of the Apostles who was not martyred.

This is an excerpt from Foxes book of Martyrs,

“He is called the beloved disciples and was brother to James the Great. He was previously the disciples of John the baptist and afterwards not only one of the twelve apostles, bit one of the three whim Christ communicated the most secret passages of his life. He founded the churches at Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea and Thyatira, to which he directs his book of the Revelation. Being at Ephesus, he was ordered by the emperor Domitian to be sent bound to Rome, where he was condemned to be cast into a caldron of boiling oil. But here a miracle was wrought in his favour, the oil did him no injury; and Domitian, not being able to put him to death, banished him to Patmos to labour in the mines, A.D. 73. He was, however, recalled by Nerva, who succeeded Domitian but was deemed a martyr on account of his having undergone an execution, though t did not take effect. He wrote the epistles, gospel, and Revelation, each in a different style; but they are all equally admired. He was the only apostle who escaped violent death and lived the longest of any, he bing nearly 100 years of age at the time of his death.” John Foxe - 1516-1587

When we look at John chapter 21, we see that there was a rumor that John would live till the Lord’s return from His dialogue with Peter,

“20Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved [John] following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. 23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?”

So as we think about the book of John, I want you to think about this week the end part of John’s life.

Presumably John penned the Revelation of Jesus Christ and also the book of John.

It struck me very strongly when I was preparing for this class how John, in his latter years was the only living apostle left.

I began to think about contemplate what it must have been like for John having seen or heard of the others and their martyrdom.

They had finished there race. The others, which he spent so much time with and had drawn close to were no longer around.

Much like you and I experience in one lifetime, we look around and see the world rapidly changing.

According to what we see in the Bible, heretical teaching and teachers were around. “Wolves in Sheep’s clothing” as the apostle Paul said , entering in not sparing the flock.