All About Jesus

By R. Kirk Eland

As one of his twelve disciples, Jesus called John to follow him at the beginning of his ministry. For over three years, John witnessed first hand lame people walking, blind people seeing, and dead people living again. He heard words that conveyed power, life, freedom, love and light -- all emanating from the man, Jesus of Nazareth. Throughout this journey, John came to clearly understand who Jesus was – the Christ, the Son of God. His faith in Jesus brought him into a relationship with God the Father. It wasn't a matter of improving behavior or following the law.  It was about believing in and following Jesus. Indeed, John discovered over this three-year journey that it was All About Jesus!

• Language: English
• Publisher: EABooks Publishing
• Release date: Sep 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781955309660

Book preview

ALL ABOUT JESUS

A Journey Through the Gospel of John

R. Kirk Eland

ALL ABOUT JESUS

A Journey Through the Gospel of John

Copyright 2023 © R. Kirk Eland

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including photo copying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher or the author.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Published by EA Books Publishing, a division of

Living Parables of Central Florida, Inc. a 501c3

EABooksPublishing.com

ISBN:  978-1-955309-66-0

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Word—1:1-18

John the Baptist—1:19-34

Jesus Encounters Six Disciples—1:35-51

A Wedding at Cana—2:1-11

Jesus’ Cleansing the Temple—2:12-22

Nicodemus—2:23-3:21

Both Jesus and John Baptizing—3:22-36

The Samaritan Woman—4:1-42

The Royal Official From Capernaum—4:43-54

Paralytic at the Pool of Bethseda—5:1-47

The Feeding of the Five Thousand—6:1-15, 25-71

Jesus Walking on the Sea of Galilee—6:16-24

The Feast of Tabernacles—7:1-36

The Last Day, the Great Day of the Feast—7:37-52

The Light of the World—8:12-59

A Man Blind From Birth—9:1-41

The Parable of the Good Shepherd—10:1-21

Lazarus Raised From the Dead—10:22-11:54

Jesus Anointed—11:55-12:11

Jesus’ Triumphant Entry—12:12-12:50

The Upper Room—13:1-35

Where Are You Going?—13:36-14:14

Another Advocate, the Holy Spirit—14:15-31

Abiding in the Vine—15:1-25

The Time Has Come—15:26-16:33

Jesus’ Prayer—17:1-26

Jesus’ Arrest and Peter’s Denials—18:1-18, 25-27

Jesus Tried and Sentenced—18:19-24, 18:28-19:15

The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus—19:16-37

The Burial and Resurrection of Jesus—19:38-20:29

These Things Are Written That You May Believe—20:30-31

Restoring Peter

Follow Me!

Bibliography

About R. Kirk Eland

Dedication

To My Grandchildren

Introduction

The Bible can be daunting to someone interested in exploring the Christian faith. It seems like a good source to start familiarizing yourself with Christianity, but where do you begin? Many books comprise the Bible . . . sixty-six in total. Further, it is split between the Old and the New Testaments. Do you start on page one of Genesis and see how far you get? Or perhaps start at the beginning of the New Testament with the Gospel of Matthew.

While both of these options are commendable, the singular book most often recommended to those exploring the faith is the Gospel of John. Why? Because its author, the apostle John, focuses his gospel with one goal in mind: to reveal the person of Jesus Christ.

Any exploration of the Christian faith begins and ends with Jesus. He is the sum and substance, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. The Christian faith is not a teaching, though there are teachings. It is not a miracle, though there are miracles. It is not a path to enlightenment, though it gives enlightenment. It is All About Jesus. It is about seeing him. It is about believing in and receiving him. It is about growing in your relationship with him. It is about becoming more and more like him. Thus, John’s intent is to show us more of him.

We would think that the most religious people of Jesus’ day would be the first to recognize and welcome him. The Gospel of John tells us a different story—that the leaders of Judaism during the first century were Jesus’ most ardent opponents. Indeed, they resisted him at every turn and ultimately were responsible for his arrest and crucifixion.

Perhaps that is the reason Jesus chose twelve men from the remote region of Galilee to be his closest disciples. None of them were scholars or of high social class. They were common people, mostly uneducated. And yet they followed Jesus and listened to him teach with profound wisdom. They saw his demeanor up close—his meekness, patience, and love. They witnessed unimaginable miracles—lame people walking, blind people seeing, and dead people living again.

John, the author of this gospel, was one of those twelve. Many Bible scholars believe he was the youngest of the group; perhaps even a teenager when he was first called by Jesus. Some scholars also believe he outlived the other eleven disciples, living into his 90s.

By disposition, John was a fiery and impetuous man. Both he and his older brother, James, were known as the sons of thunder (Mk. 3:17). On one occasion he asked Jesus to bring fire down from heaven to consume a group of people who did not respond to Jesus as they thought they should (Lu. 9:52–56). Of course, Jesus refused his request.

Over the course of time, John changed from a man whose natural tendency was to mete out retributive anger to a man who graciously loved people regardless of their state. How did that happen? Quite simply it happened as John spent time with Jesus, thereby growing in his relationship with him. During those three-and-a-half years of Jesus’ ministry on earth, John described himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Of course, Jesus loved all of his disciples, but what John described here was his personal relationship with Jesus. He personally loved Jesus and Jesus personally loved him.

And that personal relationship did not end after Jesus was crucified. As he promised, Jesus rose from the dead and manifested himself to his disciples. Forty days later, he ascended to the Father in heaven. Ten days later, as Jesus had promised, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon his disciples. Their hearts were filled with the Spirit. Indeed, they were born of the Spirit to become the children of God.

Hence, their personal relationship with Jesus not only continued but also intensified! Through the Spirit, Jesus indwelt their hearts. Over the years, they grew in their relationship with Jesus and thus became more and more like him. By the time of his death as an old man, the apostle John was no longer a son of thunder. He was a man full of the loving grace of Jesus.

John’s stated purpose for writing his gospel was that others could know Jesus as he did. He set out to tell his readers about Jesus in a simple but profound way, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (20:31); and that to all who believe him and receive him would become children of God (1:12).

This guide is not meant as a verse-by-verse expository nor a theological commentary but as a simple guide to help people explore the gospel of John and thereby see more of Jesus. Hopefully it will make this gospel come alive making it more understandable and personally relatable.

This book can also be used in small groups of believers who are not primarily pursuing a theological study but who seek spiritual nourishment. It is meant to help readers know him and not merely to know about him. It is written to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus.

The Word

John 1:1–18

In The Beginning

John begins his gospel with the following statement: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

What a curious opening! The other three gospels, written by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, begin in a more expected manner. For instance, Luke begins his gospel saying that he had exhaustively researched the person and ministry of Jesus Christ by interviewing many eyewitnesses. He then sat down to record what historically occurred. That is the expected approach.

But John starts out unexpectedly. He begins not in first century Palestine with a baby in a manger, but in eternity past. He uses the phrase, In the beginning, which unmistakably refers the reader back to the first verse in Genesis, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1, emphasis mine). He takes us back to God, who is eternal, who is before all things, who has no beginning or end, and who in the beginning" of time and space, created the universe.

John then adds the phrase, was the Word. How did God create the universe? Did he did pull out his divine tool bag, gather materials from his warehouse in the sky, and begin a six day DIY construction project? No, he just spoke the Word . . . and whatever he spoke came into being. In Genesis 1, the phrase God said, ‘Let there be . . . and there was’ is repeated over and over. John clearly states, Through him [the Word] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made (1:3). One of the psalmists confirms this by saying, By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth (Psa. 33:6).

Then John does something really unusual—he personifies the Word. He says, "The Word was with God. Notice that preposition: with. This indicates that someone is relationally with God and this someone is named the Word. A few verses later, John helps us identify the Word stating, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us referring to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Hence, John is declaring that Jesus Christ was with God in the beginning. Before he entered into time and space by becoming a man in the flesh, he was there in the beginning. He was before all things and, indeed, was the one who created all things. The apostle Paul wrote, For by Him [Christ] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible. . . . All things were created through him and for him. He is before all things and in Him all things consist (Col. 1:16–17, NKJV).

Finally, John makes this bold statement: and the Word was God. Just in case you hadn’t quite caught on, John makes it unquestionably clear: Jesus Christ, the Word, who was with God in the beginning and who created all things, is God Himself. The Word is Deity. What an opening!

Why The Word?

Why did John identify Jesus as the Word?

The original Greek noun is Logos. Theologians have, over many centuries, devoted countless pages to the exegesis of this one term in an attempt to understand its meaning. Much attention has been given to how Logos was used in ancient Greek philosophical circles. But John was not interested in Greek philosophy. Moreover, he did not use this term to convey anything philosophical. His approach was, instead, revelational. It was rooted in the revelation of God. It did not come from men and women looking up to heaven and philosophically surmising the nature of God. It came from God himself coming down, entering history, and revealing himself to humanity.

God did not remain distant and disengaged in his heavenly throne room. He actively engaged us, and by such engagement, we have come to know who he is and what he is like. For instance, in the Old Testament record, God walked in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve; God appeared to Abraham and called him out to the land of Canaan; God appeared to Moses in the burning bush; God called the descendants of Israel to be his people; God personally gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai; God established a tabernacle to indwell that was situated in the midst the people of Israel; God provided food and water to his people in the wilderness; God brought his people into the land of Canaan; God personally chose David to be the King of Israel; and God spoke through all the prophets.

God was actively engaged with Israel and, in that engagement, he partially revealed himself to the Israelites. But here is a big caveat: During the Old Testament period, God’s interactions with mankind were greatly restricted as a result our sin. For instance, we know that God actually inhabited the tabernacle that was pitched in the middle of Israel’s camp. He was literally in their midst. Yet, no one was allowed direct access to see or talk with God except the high priest once per year. Yes, God was in their midst, but access was severely restricted. Thus, a complete revelation and knowledge of God was simply not possible during the Old Testament period.

This all changed with the coming of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist declared, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (1:29). Jesus came to completely remove the problem of sin and thereby remove the relational barrier between God and mankind. That which severely restricted access to God was taken away. The door to approach, talk to, engage, and know God was kicked wide open. And because the relational door between God and humanity has been opened, he can fully reveal and disclose his own person to us.

In verse 14, John tells his readers that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Greek word translated dwelt is actually the verbal form of the noun tabernacle. Thus, you could translate this verse, the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.

Instead of God dwelling in an unapproachable tent, he took on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and literally lived as a man among men. Common people could engage him, talk to him, listen to him, watch him, learn from him, touch him, and be touched by him. Almighty God, the very Creator of the universe, tabernacled among us, in the man known as Jesus of Nazareth.

By doing this, Jesus made God known. A full, unedited revelation was made of God’s person. He was the Word describing God. That’s what words do—they describe things. As John stated, No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is into the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (1:18, NKJV). This Greek word translated declared is better translated exegete.

Jesus, as the Word, exegeted, explained, expounded, described God. Do you want to know who God is? Have you ever wondered what he must be like? Then look at Jesus. A full revelation of God is expressed in his person!

The Two Creations

What was God’s purpose in fully revealing himself? Why did he go to all that trouble to take on flesh, walk among us, and thereby reveal the true God? Was it to improve our condition? Was it to help us progress to a more enlightened state, to encourage advancements in human society, or to become more religious?

John’s answer is arresting. Christ did not come to rehabilitate or improve his creation. He came to terminate it. As previously mentioned, the introduction of sin into the world caused the entirety of creation to become fallen and decrepit. In short, it became old.

Paul told us that creation is subject to frustration, is in decaying bondage, and is even groaning as if in childbirth (Rom. 8:18–22). Hence, the New Testament writers referred to it as the old creation.

Thankfully, God did not stop there. As he was terminating the old creation, he was also bringing forth a new creation. Paul put it this way: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17, NKJV). At the end of the Bible, in the book of Revelation, John wrote, Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away" (Rev. 21:1).

This is what the gospel of John is about. This is the key that unlocks our understanding of all twenty-one chapters. This gospel is a story of the new replacing the old. Through his incarnation, life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ terminated everything old and brought forth an entirely new creation.

New Life, Light, Birth, and Relationship

Two primary elements of the old creation are life and light. In the book of Genesis, we read how God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life. God also said, Let there be light and there was light. This was the old creation.

The same holds true in the new creation. Life and light are critical. And both are found in Jesus Christ. John writes, In him [Jesus] was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. In this context, he is not referring to physical life or light, but rather spiritual. This will be further seen throughout John’s gospel as Jesus presents himself as the bread of life, the water of life, the breath of life, and the resurrection and the life. He also presents himself throughout this gospel as the light of the world. Again, the life and light found in Jesus are spiritual. And they both counter the spiritual death and darkness that we are born into as sinners in the old creation.

In the old creation, physical birth occurs every day. However, Jesus introduced a new kind of birth, a birth not of the old creation but of the new creation, a birth that is not physical but spiritual. He will tell a man named Nicodemus that he must be born again. It is a birth that actually makes us the children of God (1:12) and enables us to call God our Father—something previously unthinkable to a first century Jew!

Also new is our relationship to God. John states, The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (1:17). In the old creation, God gave his law to mankind through Moses on Mt. Sinai. It required us to obey God and thus earn his blessing. But the coming of Jesus Christ changed all of that.

In the new creation, we do not earn our way into God’s favor. Rather we receive it as a gift of his grace. This is the new arrangement, the new covenant, by which God relates to us and us to him. The old covenant between God and man was cancelled at the cross. No longer are we required to earn his blessing and favor. In the new covenant, our relationship with God, our standing before God, and our qualification to receive his blessings are based entirely on believing and receiving his Son, Jesus Christ. That’s it! Believe and receive—this is what gives us the right, the authority, to be called the children of God and to call him Abba, Father!

This good news only gets better. John tells us of his fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace (1:16, NKJV).

The phrase grace upon grace means that God never runs out of grace. One dispensation of his grace is always replenished with another. It is endless, uninterrupted,