Study John's Gospel Volume I

By Paul Avent

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 28, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453570142

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Copyright © 2010 by paul avent.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2010913011

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4535-7013-5

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Contents

DEDICATION

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

CHAPTER 1

CALLING THE DISCIPLES

CHAPTER 2

INTRODUCTION TO THE

PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS

CHAPTER 3

INTRODUCTION TO THE DISCOURSE WITH THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 7

INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 8

INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 9

INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 10

INTRODUCTION [11:1-16]

CHAPTER 11

THE WAY THIS BOOK WAS COMPOSED

This book was written by first (1) quoting from GOD’S WORD, THE BIBLE, dividing the text by chapter and verse, then (2) quoting from a number of commentators, and then (3) writing a number of questions under each comment quoted, in an attempt to use the quote from the designated commentator as the answer to the questions asked. Occasionally a question is asked which is not directly the subject of the quoted commentator. The commentator quoted is designated by a capital letter in parentheses. Each commentator has a designation by use of capital letters in the parentheses at the beginning of each quote.

Occasionally the use of introductory material is used. This of course falls outside the verse outline. The commentators used are as follows:

(B) THE GOSPEL OF JOHN by F. F. BRUCE. Copyright 1983 by F. F. Bruce. ISBN 0-8028-3407-8.

(BO) THE GOSPEL OF JOHN by JAMES MONTGOMERY BOICE [VOLUMES 1-5]. Copyright 1985, 1999, 2005 by James Montgomery Boice. ISBN 0-8010-6577-1; 0-8010-6580-1; 0-8010-6581-X; 0-8010-6587-9; 0-8010-6588-7.

(BY) GOD AMONG US: Studies in the Gospel of John by Raymond Bystrom. Copyright 2003 by Kindred Productions ISBN 0-921788-81-9.

(C) CALVIN’S NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARIES [VOLUMES 1 & 2 JOHN 1-10 & JOHN 11-21]. Translator T. H. L. PARKER. Translation copyright 1961 by Oliver and Boyd Ltd. ISBN 0-8028-804-2 & 0-8028-0805-0.

(H) WHAT LOVE IS THIS? by DAVE HUNT. Copyright 2002 by Dave Hunt. ISBN 1-9291-30-5.

(I) GOSPEL OF JOHN by H. A. IRONSIDE. Copyright 1980. ISBN 0-87213-373-7.

(K) THE GOSPEL OF JOHN by CRAIG S. KEENER [VOLUMES 1 & 2]. Copyright 2003 by Craig S. Keener. ISBN 1-56563-378-4.

(M) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN by LEON MORRIS. Copyright 1995 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. ISBN 0-8028-2504-4.

(P) THE BOOK THAT JOHN WROTE by EARL F. PALMER. Copyright 1975, 1999. ISBN 0-8499-2941-5 (A) and [#]s by the author paul avent.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to those who faithfully studied this book with me, and pointed out errors and stimulated better questions. These people are from the Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church in Oakhurst, California. These fellows have strengthened my faith in God.

To Albert Strain, Ray Bayly, Don Hendrickson, and Larry Poffenberger

LEARNING AND TEACHING

This book is dedicated to the proposition that all learning and true teaching is under the power, direction, and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit.

But the Helper: the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name. He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26)

PREPARATION done by the author to teach this material was as follows: (1) Read the context of the verses you will be teaching from on a daily basis. (2) Since we had approximately two hours of study time with those studying with us, it seemed good to read ten pages for the two days preceding the date of the actual study. Generally we covered approximately five of those pages each session; the second part of the ten pages provided continuity for the study for the coming week.

In class we first read the context, having each member read a verse, rounding the group so everyone got to read one or more verses of the passage where the verses to be studied were. Next we prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In teaching, the questions were presented to the class first, for an initial reaction to the questions themselves. When everyone who wished to had expressed their opinions, then we read the comments of the commentator, and then we discussed what the commentator had to say. Occasionally we asked questions that did not have a commentator’s answer.

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

PURPOSE: John 20:30-31: Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Were the other miraculous signs important?

What is believing?

Is it important to believe that Jesus is the Christ?

Is it important to believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

How do we form a basis of belief?

TEACHER: 14:26: But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

16:12-13 I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come. [These are the words of Jesus.]

Who is the Spirit of truth?

Who guides us into truth?

How much truth will he guide us into?

What does the Sprit of truth tell us about Himself?

Where does the Spirit of truth get the truth from?

Does the Spirit of truth speak of the future?

AUTHOR: 2 Timothy 3:16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God.

What does this mean? In reading commentaries, it becomes quite apparent that the commentary writer looks for a natural explanation as to why the text will be the way it is. For example, some commentaries say that it was not John who got the gatekeeper to let Peter in when Peter followed Jesus to his trial and finally denied him. They reason that John was a Galilean, and his speech would have been just as objectionable as Peter’s. If God is the inspiration and the author, isn’t it clear that all the details will be correct whether John was a personal observer or not?

Who then is speaking the words we read when we read this Gospel?

WRITER: I. The writer is not named in the text of the Gospel.

II. If the writer did not identify himself, and the author is God, why do we need to inquire further? III. (M) says: The basic reason for holding that the author was John the Apostle is that this appears to be the teaching of the Gospel itself. In the concluding chapter, after the reference to the disciple whom Jesus loved, we read: This is the disciple who testifies to these things and wrote them down (21:24).

What is the difference between the AUTHOR and the WRITER?

DATE: I. The Fourth Gospel was written at a comparatively late date compared to other books in the New Testament.

II. It is commonly held that it was written in the last decade of the first century.

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER GOSPELS:

I. It has been usually accepted that John was written after Matthew, Mark, and Luke. One commentator says that Matthew was written to show that Jesus was King of the Jews, and that Mark was written to show Jesus as the Perfect Servant, and that Luke was written to show that Jesus was the Son of Man, and that John was written to show that Jesus was the Son of God.

II. Look again at 20:29-30, which tells us that Jesus did many other miracles. We will find that there are only seven miracles listed in this Gospel.

CHAPTER 1

The first eighteen verses of chapter 1 are called the prologue. They provide a summary of what the entire book is all about. Why do you think God would give us a prologue to summarize what this Gospel is about?

The first five verses are an introduction to the prologue, it seems. Do you see God’s design here in these first five verses?

John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word.

What beginning is God talking about here?

Who is the Word?

Does God tell us here when the Word was created?

John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word.

If the Word was in the beginning, when did he begin his existence?

Considering these questions, and the absence of an answer, what is God telling us about the Word?

Do you notice a similarity between these words and any other familiar passage of scripture?

In Genesis 1:1, God says: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Do you think God is going to tell us about creating something else here in the Gospel of John?

Do you think there will be other similarities between the first five verses of the Gospel of John and the creation story in the book of Genesis?

Who will volunteer to keep track of these similarities as we discuss them, and give us a quick report at the appropriate time in this study?

Does God tell us at this point who the Word is? Do you think that God has something else He wants us to know about the Word?

When you think about the Word, what is the first thing that comes to your mind while you are here at church? The BIBLE, right?

Is the BIBLE the Word? Why? Who spoke the Word? Isn’t the BIBLE the only way we have of knowing what God says? Isn’t the BIBLE what God wants us to know of Him? Isn’t the BIBLE the Word speaking? Doesn’t this tell us a little of what the Word is all about?

Is it possible that the Word in Hebrews 4:12-13 is a person?

For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

See also Revelation 19:11-16, especially verse 15:

Now out of His mouth goes a shape sword that with it He should strike the nations . . . .

What, if anything, can we learn about the Word by examining Genesis chapter 1?

1:3: And God said, Let there be light and there was light

1:6: And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.

1:9: And God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.

John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word.

1:11: Then God said, Let the land produce vegetation: seed bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it according to their various kinds.

1:14: And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as sign to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.

1:20: And God said, Let the water teem with living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.

1:24: And God said, Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.

1:26: Then God said, Let US make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth. And over all the creatures that move on the ground."

Does the spoken word of God here tell us anything about who the Word is?

How many days did God speak in the creation of the world?

Do you think that we might see God giving us another seven of anything else?

Who will volunteer to make a list of the different series of 7s? (M) When God speaks He does something. His Word is divine action. God’s revelatory act is often described by saying that the word of the Lord came. . . . In keeping with this, God says, So is my word that goes out of my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isa. 55:11). (M) tells us, The term LOGOS (the Greek word for the Word) was in frequent use among the Greeks . . . . denoted thought or reason . . . or it might refer to the word going forth from the person, when it denotes the expression of the persons thought that is speech . . . . It denoted something like the world-soul, the soul of the universe. It was an all-pervading principle, the rational principle of the universe. It was creative energy. In one sense all things came from it, in another people derived their wisdom from it . . . . one philosopher declared that the LOGOS is always existent, and again, all things happen through this LOGOS.

1:26: Then God said, Let US make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth. And over all the creatures that move on the ground.

We may sum up the discussion this way: The LOGOS, alike for Jew and Gentile, represents the ruling fact of the universe, and represents that fact as the self-expression of God. The Jew will remember that by the Word of the Lord were the heavens made; the Greek will think of the rational principle of which all natural laws are particular expressions. Both will agree that this LOGOS is the starting-point of all things . . . . God uses a term that would be full of meaning to John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word.

His readers whatever their background. But whatever their background, they would not find His thought identical with their own. God’s idea of the LOGOS is essentially new.

After the prologue, God does not apply the specific term LOGOS to Jesus, but it should not be overlooked that He puts a great deal of stress on the word(s) of Jesus. He makes it clear that Jesus’s words are God’s words. (See 3:34; 14:10, 24; 17:8, 14.) . . . Jesus’s words bring life (5:24; 6:68; 8:51), and in fact are life (6:63). The reverse side of the coin is that the refusal to heed Jesus’s word or words brings judgment (12:47-48). It is quite plain that the use of LOGOS on the threshold of this Gospel is not a casual expression."5

It was a force that originated and permeated and directed all things. The Greeks thought of the gods as detached from the world . . . . but God is passionately involved. The LOGOS speaks of God coming where we are, taking our nature upon himself, entering the world’s struggle, and out of this agony winning our salvation.

(C) says: For just as in men speech is called the expression of the thoughts, so it is not inappropriate to apply this to God and say that He expresses Himself to by His Speech or Word.

IRONSIDE divides the first five verses up this way:

1. Our Lord’s Eternity of Being: In the beginning was the Word.

2. His Distinct Personality: The Word was with God.

3. His True Deity: The Word was God.

4. His Unchanging Relationship: The same was in the beginning.

5. His Full Creatorial Glory: All things were made by Him.

6. His Life-giving Power: In him was life.

And in verse 14:

7. His Incarnation: The Word became flesh. (I) says: He became flesh in order that He might reveal the Father to man and redeem man to God.

14:8: Thomas saith to him, Lord show us the Father and that will be enough for us.

14:9: Jesus answered: Don’t you know me, Phillip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father

And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(B) reminds us: J. B. Phillips renders the clause ‘At the beginning God expressed himself.’

John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word.

If we understand logos in this prologue as word in action, we may begin to do it justice . . . .

The deeds and words of Jesus are the deeds and words of God.

2: He was with God in the beginning.

3: Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

What does verse 2 tell us about the personalities of God the Father and God the Son?

They were separate personalities.

What attribute of God is demonstrated in verse 3? God’s omnipotence. [He is all-powerful in that He created the world.]

According to verse 3, which member of the Trinity is the creator? [Jesus the Word.]

What is unique about Jesus that makes Him capable of being the creative agent of the Trinity?

[Jesus is the light and giver of life.]

Why does God give us two sides (the positive and the negative) of the exercise of His creative power? (B) says: God is the Creator; His Word is the agent. The two parts of the verse say the same thing, first positively (through him everything came into being) and then negatively (apart from him nothing that exists came into being). God says in Colossians 1:17 (NV): He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

3: Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Will our Creator always see that in Him all things hold together? But see also 2 Peter 3:9-10.

Why do you think that the first attribute God tells us is about His power to create?

[We could get into a long discussion about evolution, but of course, that is beyond the scope of this study.]

4: In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

Who was the creative agent in the Trinity? [Jesus.] (C) says: It is God, therefore, who gives us life; but He does so by the eternal Word . . . . And since this light streamed forth to us from the Word its source, it should be as a mirror in which we may see clearly the divine power of the Word.

Does Calvin seem to agree that Jesus is the creative agent of the Trinity? [And since this light streamed forth to us from the Word its source, it should be as a mirror in which we may see clearly the divine power of the Word.]

Is this eternal life that God is telling us about here, or is it human life, or is it the life of every living thing on this planet?

What does light have to do with life? [In Jesus, His life is light to mankind.]

What kind of light is God talking about here? How can light come from life?

Does this have anything to being made in the image of God? [See Genesis 1:26: Then God said, ‘let Us make man in Our image.’]

In the life of Jesus, what does the light of His life show us? [The way to physical and eternal life.]

5: The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

(C) says: He says that men are now very different from that sound nature with which they were endowed in the beginning; their mind, which should have been radiant in every part, is sunk in the shades of unhappy blindness.

5: The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

According to (C), what part of man is the darkness referring to? [Man’s mind.] Is there any other part of man that is in darkness? [His soul, His spirit.]

If (C) is correct, what does this say about man’s capacity to see the light of the Gospel?

How would you describe this light to a new believer?

What is the meaning of the fact that the Light shines? . . . (C) For after man was estranged from God, such ignorance held sway over his mind that whatever light remains in it lies choked and ineffectual.

For though the Son of God sheds His light upon them, they are so dull that they do not comprehend the source of that light; carried away by doting and perverse fancies, they end up in madness . . . . In short, natural reason will never direct men to Christ."

In the creation of the earth in Genesis 1:2, there was darkness at the beginning, but what was the first thing that God made in the process of creation? [He made light.]

F. F. BRUCE says: In the first creation, ‘darkness was upon the face of the deep’ (Gen. 1:2) until God called light into being, so the new creation (in which the Word is God’s agent as effectively as in the earlier one) involves the banishing of spiritual darkness by the light which shines in the Word. Apart from the light (as is emphasized repeatedly in the body of the Gospel), the world of mankind is shrouded in darkness.

What kind of darkness did Jesus come to deal with when He came as a man to this earth?

According to verse 5, when does the light shine? [It is shines, in the present tense, and that means right now, here, today.]

Are light and darkness opposites? Are they opposites of equal power? (B) Light and darkness are opposites, but they are not opposites of equal power. Light is stronger than darkness; darkness cannot prevail against it . . . .

What is the light that is now shining? [See next quote from (B).] (B) Light and darkness are to be understood ethically rather than metaphysically: ‘light’ is a synonym of goodness and truth, while ‘darkness’ is a synonym of evil and falsehood.

6: There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.

7: He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.

8: He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

Why does God introduce us to John the Baptist in the prologue? [John the Baptist had quite a following and probably developed quite a few disciples. The Apostle John was probably one of them. See 1:35-40.]

Are there any differences in the text that distinguishes Jesus from John? (See next quote from (M) next page.) (M) The contrast is . . . [developed] when John is described as a man for Jesus has already been described as the Word.

Was John the Baptist’s mission of divine or human origin? Did God intend to denigrate John by pointing out differences between him and Jesus? [See (M) next quote.]

The words sent from God, (M) comments: This bold assertion at the very first mention of the Baptist is clear evidence that [God] is not engaging in a campaign of denigration. He fully recognizes the greatness of the forerunner.

What is the divine commission of the Baptist? [John was sent to bear witness of the Light.]

What is a witness? How can we find out what a witness is from the book of John? [As the text develops, we will see what a witness does.]

In human terms and perspectives, quite apart from his divine mission, did John have any insight as to who Jesus was?

Remember when Mary the mother of Jesus came to visit with Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist? What happened there? [While still in the womb, John recognized Jesus.] See Luke 1:41. (M) John’s witness is what matters. It was for witness that John came, and nothing else that he did can be compared in importance to this. (M) In this Gospel, there are SEVEN that bear witness of Jesus. They are:

6: There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.

7: He came as a witness to testify concerning that light so that through him all men might believe.

8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

1. The Father—5:31-32, 34, 37, 8:18

2. Jesus Himself—8:14, 18, 37 cf. 3:11, 32

3. The Spirit—15:26, cf. 16:14

4. The works of Jesus—5:36, 10:25 cf. 14:11, 15:24

5. The sacred scripture—5:39 cf. 5:45-46

6. John the Baptist

7. Various human witnesses

                           a. the Samaritan woman—4:39

                           b. the multitude—12:17

(B) adds [1] the disciples (15:27), including the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved (19:35, 21:24).

Again the purpose of this witness is? [20:31] (I) Now in verse 6, we enter into the story of the incarnation. First, our attention is directed to His forerunner. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. How often that has been true throughout the centuries! When God has called out a man to carry the Gospel to the lost people, how frequently He has taken a man named John! In the Bible, we have John the Baptist, the Apostle John, and John Mark. Since then there have been many Johns whom the Lord called out to proclaim His Word. When we come down to the days of the Reformation, we have John Knox and John Calvin, and later on in the great revival of the eighteenth century, we have John Wesley, who was sent by God to preach to those who knew nothing of the assurance of salvation. I think one reason there are so many Johns is because the name appeals to the people of God. You know what John means? It signifies the grace of Jehovah, the grace of the Lord.

We will talk later of the greatness of John from God’s perspective as we continue through this study.

6: There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.

7: He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.

8: He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

What is there about John’s mission that is similar to the mission that Jesus has called us to?

He called John to be a witness to the light (see verse 7).

Do we have the same job as John?

What is a witness?

A witness is one who commits themselves to telling the truth.

What does that mean for us and our mission?

Why does the light need a witness? [Note: John was called to bear witness of the light.]

To borrow an illustration from Chuck Missler: Who is the only person who needs to be told that the sun is shining? [A blind man.] Does this demonstrate spiritual darkness?

Why does Jesus need a witness among men? [Let us listen carefully to what (C) has to say.] (C) At first sight it might seem absurd that another should bear witness to Christ as if He were in need of it. For He declares that He does not seek witness from man. The answer is easy and obvious: this witness was ordained, not for Christ’s sake but for ours. If any object that the witness of man is too weak to prove that Christ is the Son of God, the solution is again easy: the Baptist is not cited as a private witness, but as one who, endowed with divine authority, appeared in the role rather of an angel than a man. And so he is not praised for his own abilities, but just because he was the ambassador of God.

6: There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.

7: He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.

8: He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

Who does God refer to when he says in verse 8, He was not that light? [John the Baptist.] [Let us look carefully at a quote from (B).] (B) In pointing out that John himself was not the light, but a witness to the light, did God have in mind a group of people, surviving at the time when this Gospel was written, who looked back to John as their founder and venerated him as the one through whom God had made his final revelation to mankind, the last and greatest of the prophets . . . . If [it seems that God is saying] that John was not a light [at all], we should not forget that Jesus later speaks of him as the lamp that burns and shines (5:35). The function of a lamp is to let the light be seen; that was Jesus’s estimate of the quality of John’s witness.

How would Jesus describe the light I am giving?

How would Jesus describe the light we are giving?

Note: The lamp is merely the conveyer of light. It is not the only way in which light is conveyed. Think of the flame itself as that light and the lamp as a mere mechanical means by which the light is conveyed. See how important the that is in verse 8.

9: The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

(9) What is the true light? Or perhaps a better question is, who is the true light?

(9) How can a person be a light? How do we get to be light? [By getting to be like Jesus who is the light.]

(9) What is the light that is given to every man? [Jesus calling us to come to Him.]

(9) What is the meaning of was coming? [Jesus because of His love for the world has continued to come into the world to save men from the beginning of time until the present]

(9) What world is God speaking to us about here? [All the world that was ever, or ever will be, in existence.]

9: The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

(9) If true light here is referring to Jesus, why isn’t the title capitalized?

(9) How long does the light come into the world?

(9) Does God shine the light of the Word on every man? [See Rom. 1:20-21.]

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Why did God consider it necessary to come in person to live with mankind? Why was it that the world rejected Him? [See next quote from (M).] (M) Attention is now fastened on the incarnation. Two points receive special emphasis: (1) the astonishing fact that the Word of God, true God as He is, took upon Himself a human nature, and the other is (2) the even more astonishing fact that when he did this, people would have nothing to do with him. [God] is concerned that we should miss neither the good news of the incarnation of God nor the tragedy of human rejection of God.

(9) Do you agree that Jesus took upon Himself a human nature? Is this possible? Tell me of one situation where the scripture demonstrates that Jesus had human nature.

(9) Are there any shadows in the light spoken of here? [See next two quotes from (M).]

(M) There is a sense in which the Word gives light only to those who believe, for those who do not believe in him are yet in darkness (3:19-20).

John 3:20 says: For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. If a person can avoid the light, isn’t it reasonable to believe that there is such a thing as what we might call a general illumination? If we know where the light is and we can avoid it, doesn’t it seem reasonable that we would be at least exposed to that general illumination? (M) But, as [God] tells us [in the book of James], Every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17). There is a general illumination of the whole race, and it is a common teaching of [God] in the New Testament that he has revealed something of Himself to all people (Rom. 1:20), sufficient at least for them to be blameworthy when they take the wrong way instead of the right way.

9: The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

Is the light totally invisible to the unredeemed? [See next quote from (C).] (C) Men . . . bear the distinction between right and wrong engraved in their conscience. Thus there is no man to whom some awareness of the eternal light does not penetrate.

What is the light as it is described by Calvin and Morris? [The light which glows from men’s conscience.]

But didn’t we just say that the light is Jesus? [Yes, but men are responsible for a response to even a general illumination.]

Are we then talking about the light or the effect the light has on all mankind?

If it is the effect of the light, what is the effect of the light on believers? [We take it in, and it gives us life. Or we reject it and are responsible to God for our rejection.]

What is the effect of the light on mankind in general? [If they reject it, it condemns them.]

(See next quote from (C).)

(C) We must remember that the light of reason which God imparted to men has been so darkened by sin that scarcely a few meager sparks still shine unquenched in this intense darkness or rather dreadful ignorance and abyss of errors.

Did the coming of the Word into the world change the illumination of the light? (B) The illumination that [God] has in mind is that spiritual illumination which dispels the darkness of sin and unbelief, and it was by coming into the world that the true light provided this supreme illumination, and provided it for all mankind.

What purpose then does the light have in bringing us to a belief in the Word? [The beginning of the restoration of the relationship that Adam and Eve had in the garden of Eden.]

Does the true light help us see our imperfections or our needs, and thus our need for the true light in our lives? [See next quote from (I) on the next page.] (I) That is the true Light which, coming into the world, casts light on every man. Has He only come to make manifest my imperfection? No, indeed. He must make me first to see my need, but it is only [so He can] reveal Himself as my Savior.

9: The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

If we do not know our need for Jesus, is there any chance that we would accept Him as our Savior?

10: He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

HOW DID THE WORLD REJECT THE WORD?

How does the world reject the Word today? See Romans 1:28. The world refuses to acknowledge the revelation of God or respond positively to His overtures. And yet the world remains the object of His love (John 3:16). [The world refuses to recognize Jesus as who He is.]

Are we a part of the world that rejects the Word? Yes. And how do we reject Him now? [Absence of complete trust is a kind of rejection.]

HOW WAS THE WORD IN THE WORLD BEFORE VERSE 10?

Was the Word in the world by virtue of his creative power? [Yes.]

Explain!

Was the Word in the world by virtue of His appearance to all spoken of in the Old Testament from Adam through the shepherds in the New Testament?

Is the rejection here aggravated by a rejection of the Word who was continually coming in the world?

Remember verse 1 where it says: in the beginning? Is this the same way the Word was in the world?

Is the rejection aggravated by the fact that the world owes its very existence to the Word?

WHAT KIND OF RECOGNITION DID THE WORD WANT?

Why did God create mankind? [The fellowship that He had with Adam and Eve.]

Did God want the companionship, friendship, and intimacy that He had when He walked in the garden of Eden with Adam before sin came into the world? See Genesis 3:8.

10: He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

DO WE RECOGNIZE THE WORD IN THE WAY HE IS TALKING ABOUT HERE?

Do we walk with God in the cool of the day?

When are we in communion with God?

When do we walk with Him?

HOW DO WE DO THAT?

Do you set a time each day, each week, each month, each year in which you devote yourself to having communion with your Creator? Do you think that He still desires that same communion? Is this how He wants to be loved?

Is this how you want to be loved?

If we want to be loved in the same way that God wants to be loved, does that show in some small way that we are created in His image?

Do you feel any sense of satisfaction in recognizing some part of your creation that you are made in God’s image?

11: He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

How is verse 11 different from verse 10 in who it is, who rejects the Word, Jesus?

WHO WAS HIS OWN THAT DID NOT RECEIVE HIM?

Was it all of mankind that rejected and did not receive Him, for He was the maker of mankind?

Was it to the Jews his chosen people? See Isaiah 1:3, Deuteronomy 4:7-8, Psalm 147:20, and Acts 7:51.

The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider. (Isa. 1:3)

For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatsoever reason we may call upon him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? (Deut. 4:7-8)

11: He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His judgments they have not know them. (Ps. 147:20)

You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did so do you. (Acts 7:51)

Are we doing a better job of receiving Him than the Jews did? What is rejection? [Refusing salvation, refusing His leading.]

Is our receiving Him in a continuous way as He is continuing to come into the world? See the phrase coming into the world in verse 9.

Who would recognize Him to be the Redeemer of the whole world when He was despised and rejected by [you fill the name of the proper party here] that nation to which He had been especially promised?

How would you feel if you came to your home and those there did not even ask you to come into the home you had built and furnished, as the Word built and furnished the nation of Israel?

ARE WE HIS OWN, AND ARE WE RECEIVING HIM?

Is God getting far more personal in these words He gives us about rejection?

How many think we could escape the scathing accusation and the open incision of the words God has left for us here? In other words, does this verse apply to us?

Are we receiving Him as our Friend and Companion when He comes looking for us today?

Do we look for Him in the same way he looked for Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden in the cool of the day? [If we don’t have that same communion, isn’t it because of what we have failed to do?]

Do we look for Him in the same way He was looking for us when He set these words here for us for eternity? See John 13:1.

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

Does verse 12 tell us anything about who rejected Him? [If we could receive Him, couldn’t it also be us who rejected Him in verse 11?]

12: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

WHO RECEIVED THE WORD BEFORE VERSE 12?

Those who receive Him are clearly not limited to the Jews. God by his Word here is reaching to all mankind. In an opposite view of rejection, it seems that believing is a certain way to get into God’s family.

WHO WERE THOSE WHO BELIEVED IN HIS NAME?

Could this be us?

Is receiving Him the same as believing in His name?

WHAT NAME IS IT THAT THEY BELIEVED IN?

Shakespeare said: That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. This seems to say that there is really nothing in a name, and that is the way of our age. In God’s world, there is a different attitude. (See Psalms 5:11 and 20:1.)

What does it mean to believe in His name? What does it mean to receive Him? (M) It means to believe in Him as He is. It means to believe that God is the God revealed in the Word and to put our trust in that God.

It means that when we believe, we yield ourselves up to be possessed by Him in whom we believe.

WHAT IS BELIEVING?

Do we see here the exercise of volition (free will) in the process of believing?

Does giving someone a right (to become the sons of God) seem to suggest that the person with the God-given right might by this right have some power to exercise his will? (M) To them the Word gave the right or the authority to become God’s children. (I) To receive Him is to trust Him, to open your heart to Him. (I) As many as received Him. To receive Him is to believe in His name, to take Him at his WORD. It is to trust Him. Do not try to make a great mystery of faith. Faith is simply putting your Amen to what God says . . . . Do you receive His testimony into your heart? Would you dare make God a liar by refusing to believe the testimony He has given concerning His Son?

12: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING THE CHILDREN OF GOD AND HAVING THE POWER TO BECOME THE CHILDREN OF GOD?

Is it the difference between having and exercising the right to become the children of God? Why does God use the word children here?

What other word could be used here to describe the person who exercises the right to become the children of God? [Sheep, Ps. 23.]

WHAT DO WE DO TO EXERCISE THE RIGHT TO BECOME THE CHILDREN OF GOD?

[Believe in the name of Jesus]

13: Born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God, children.

With three negatives, what are the words that describe the positive? [Born of God.]

Why does God give us three negatives here and only one positive? (B) So here, the repeated negatives insist that birth into the family of God is quite different from physical birth. This divine birthright has nothing to do with racial or national or family ties. It is spiritually irrelevant to be descended from Abraham in the natural order if one is not a child of Abraham in the only sense that matters before God—by reproducing Abraham’s faith.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING BORN OF NATURAL DESCENT AND BEING BORN OF HUMAN DECISION?

If your parents are both Christians, does that mean that you too are a Christian?

Can we make ourselves Christians simply by our own decision?

Can we make ourselves Christians by saying: From now on I am a Christian?

Can anyone make you a Christian? [Only God can.]

Does being baptized as either an adult or child or a baby make you a Christian?

13: Born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God, children.

Some versions use the words the will of the flesh. What do you think this may mean?

Might this refer to sexual desire? (See next (M) quote on the next page.) (M) The will of the flesh refers to the desire that arises out of the human bodily constitution.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING BORN OF A HUSBAND’S WILL AND BEING BORN OF HUMAN DECISION?

What similarities do you see here between human life and eternal life? [Both begin with birth, both give life, in both God is the giver of life, both have fathers, both are begun supernaturally.]

Is it true that we as human beings do not have the power to create either? [Yes and No.]

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BORN OF GOD?

Is God here taking the initiative in another creation within the eternal souls each time a soul is born again?

Is it possible that we are too bad for God to save us? What, according to what we have been studying, is the only sin God cannot forgive? [Rejection.]

Is it possible that we are so good that we do not need God to give us a new birth?

What part of this verse do you think would have helped Nicodemus when he appears to confuse natural birth and spiritual birth?

Was the Word physically born of God? [Yes. See Matthew 1:18.]

Does this suggest some connection between the birth of Jesus and our new birth by which we become children of God and part of God’s family? [Unless God saves us, we remain unsaved.]

What similarity do you see between the birth of creation as we know it and the new creation that God makes when He gives us new birth? [God is the active agent in both. God made something out of nothing.]

Is it possible that here God is again making something out of nothing?

13: Born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God, children.

Is it possible that here God is again creating something out of darkness?

Is it possible that here God is again acting in the same way He did when He spoke us into existence when He said: Let US make man in OUR image?

God the Father

God the Son

God the Holy Spirit

14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Light looked down and beheld Darkness.

Thither will I go, said Light.

Peace looked down and beheld War.

Thither will I go, said Peace.

Love looked down and beheld Hatred.

"Thither will I go, said Love.

So came light and shone.

So came Peace and gave rest.

So came Love and brought life.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

IF THE WORD BECAME FLESH, WHAT WAS HE BEFORE HE BECAME FLESH?

14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

What else does the Word become? And He became sin for us who knew no sin. [See 2 Corinthians 5:21.] He became poor (2 Cor. 8:9).

Why does God use the word flesh instead of using the word man?

Does God ever speak of the word flesh in high or noble terms? (See Isaiah 40:6.) [All flesh is grass, perhaps only when flesh is an offering for sin.]

Is God already looking here to the crucifixion, where the Word will sacrifice his flesh as a sin offering for those who receive Him?

THE WORD FLESH IS USED IN THE PREVIOUS VERSE. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOD’S PURPOSE IN USING THE SAME WORD HERE TO DESCRIBE THE PROCESS BY WHICH HE CAME INTO THE WORLD?

Does it mean that he came to be as lowly as any human being He ever created? [I am meek and lowly in heart (Matt. 11:29).]

Does it show His effort to be equal to us in human form?

WHAT IS THE TIME PERSPECTIVE HERE IN THE USE OF THE WORD BECAME?

Is God here looking at the world from the perspective of John, some sixty years or so since Jesus departed earth in bodily form?

The word became here is used in the past tense, correct?

HOW DID THE WORD MAKE HIS DWELLING AMONG US?

Where did the Word live?

Did God ever live with man before? (See Exodus 40:34.) (M) The place of His dwelling is His flesh, quoting A. M. Ramsey. And again quoting the same author, We are reminded both of the tabernacle in the wilderness and of the prophetic imagery of Yahweh tabernacling in the midst of His people, and of the Shekinah which He causes to dwell among them.

14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

WHY DOESN’T GOD DEAL WITH THE BIRTH PROCESS OF JESUS HERE? [Because Jesus existed before He became flesh. And because this book of John is written to prove that Jesus is the Son of God.]

WHAT GLORY WAS SEEN OF THE ONE AND ONLY?

Was this like God shining through the flesh to show that He was God? [V. 4 and the life was the light of men. Ye are the light of the world (Matt 5:4).]

Was the glory of God expressed in the Word in the miracles that are described by God in this particular book of God’s word? [Are glory and light the same?]

Is the seeing here something that was seen physically?

(M) God is speaking of that glory which was seen in the literal, physical Jesus of Nazareth. Since he came in lowliness, we have an example of the paradox that God uses so forcefully later in the Gospel, that true glory is to be seen, not in outward splendor, but in the lowliness with which the Son of God lived among us and suffered for us, . . . it is true that the miracles sowed the glory of Christ (2:11; 11:4, 40). But in a deeper sense, it is the cross of shame that manifests the true glory (12:23-24; 13:31). The repletion of the word glory" emphasizes its reality. The true glory was there in the earthly life of the Word. And it was seen. Jesus was the unique embodiment of the glory of God.

(B) At the dedication of Solomon’s temple, a cloud filled the house of the Lord . . . for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord (1 Kings 8:10-11). So, when the Word became flesh, the glorious presence of God was embodied in him, for he is the true shekinah.

(B) Moses in the wilderness asked a boon from God: I pray thee, show me thy glory. The reply was: I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name ‘the Lord’ (Ex. 33:18-23 & 40:34-35). The glory seen in the incarnate Word was the glory which was revealed to Moses when the name of Yahweh was sounded in his ears, but now that glory has been manifested on earth in a human life, full of grace and truth.

14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

WHO WAS THE ONE AND ONLY? ["the only begotten of the Father]

Is God telling us here that Jesus and the Word are the same? [Yes.]

Does this mean that in no other person was God born in the flesh? [Yes.]

WHERE WAS THE WORD BEFORE HE CAME FROM THE FATHER? [With the Father.]

HOW WAS THE WORD FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH? [He was the origin of grace and truth.]

Is there any truth apart from Jesus?

What is there about Him that makes Him the TRUTH?

Is truth more likely an abstract concept, a quality of action, or a person, and why?

God uses the word truth twenty times in this Gospel, do you have any idea what He is saying to us each time He uses this word?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GRACE AND TRUTH?

How can we contrast grace and mercy? [Grace is getting what we do not deserve, while mercy is not getting what we do deserve.]

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DWELL AMONG US? This is the last place where God will use the term WORD to refer to THE ONE AND ONLY. From here on, the THE ONE AND ONLY is referred to by the more personal name, the name JESUS [the name Jesus is used for the first time in v. 17]. (B) The tabernacle was erected by God’s command in order that His dwelling place might be established with his people: Let them make me a sanctuary, he said, that I may dwell in their midst (Ex. 25:8). So it is implied, as God formerly manifested his presence among his people in the tent which Moses pitched; now in a fuller sense he has taken up residence on earth, the Word made flesh.

15: John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’

WHICH JOHN IS GOD TALKING ABOUT HERE? [John the Baptist.]

WHY WOULD JOHN TESTIFY? [See Isaiah 40:1-11 and read aloud to class who listens.]

Is John merely attempting to give honor to the Lord Jesus by this testimony? [No, John was commissioned.]

WHY WOULD JOHN CRY OUT HIS TESTIMONY? [See Luke 1:11-17.]

What is the tense of the word cries here?

Does this mean that John continued to cry out?

How could this happen?

Wasn’t John dead when God gave these words to His faithful secretary?

Was John’s testimony continuing even sixty years after his death?

Do you still hear the voice of some dear loved ones who have gone before into heaven?

Do you still hear the voice of authority of your first school teacher?

Tell us if you will hear the voice that you hear that still has an influence on your life.

Do you attempt to say things that will be remembered when you are with the Lord Jesus by those who remain behind you?

WHY DID JOHN SAY, This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me’?

Does this mean that John knew of the existence of our Lord Jesus before he became flesh?

[See Luke 1:36: Thy cousin Elizabeth. Mary the mother of Jesus was the cousin of John the Baptist’s mother Elizabeth.]

John was born before Jesus: so how could John say He was before me?

15: John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’

What has God said to us in the first chapter of this gospel that agrees with what John is saying here?

Do the words this was He of whom I said indicate anything about the purpose of John’s testimony and crying out?

Do the words this was He of whom I said indicate how long John preached about Jesus before Jesus was made known publicly?

In a way. was John an ambassador for the coming of Jesus?

In what other way was Jesus before John? How about in terms of excellence?

Did Jesus come before John in terms of honor?

Whose ministry came first, John’s ministry or Jesus’s ministry?

Did John hand his torch of God’s good news the truth to the Lord Jesus before he faded from the Judean scene? (M) Till Jesus came John the Baptist occupied the center of the stage, but he who was later in time ‘has surpassed’ his forerunner

WHY DOES GOD HERE POINT OUT THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN FULFILLING HIS PURPOSE OF PROVING THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD? WHAT SPECIAL IMPORTANCE IS THERE TO THE FACT THAT IT IS JOHN TESTIFYING?

[Because it fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 40:1-11]

How did John’s disciples respond to this testimony?

Does this in any way forecast God’s opinion of John?

Will God ever quote you and me to future generations?

16: From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

WHO DOES THE WORD WE INCLUDE? Does it include you and me?

Does it include John the Baptist with us?

Does it include all of mankind? Does it include all flesh?

16: From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

Does it include the Lord Jesus Himself? (No, He is the source. Remember verse 15.)

Are you here classed with all of God’s people described in His Holy Word?

HOW IS HIS GRACE FULL?

Is the grace spoken of here the same grace that is spoken of in verse 14 where Jesus is described as full of grace and truth?

Or is the grace and truth God refers to in verse 17?

WHAT KIND OF BLESSINGS IS GOD TALKING ABOUT HERE?

Is the blessing Jesus Himself