Study Through the Book of John: A Verse-by-Verse Look at the Gospel of John

By Rebecca Barron

Of the four gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, it is generally accepted that the book of John was written last and includes unique perspectives about Jesus’s first miracle, the resurrection of Lazarus, the last week of Jesus’s earthly life, the crucifixion, and post-resurrection. In reading John, we are presented with a remarkable opportunity to experience what John felt most important for us to know about his friend, his Savior, his Jesus.

In an in-depth, verse-by-verse study of the book of John, Rebecca Barron examines what the Bible says about John, builds a profile of him, and provides introspective questions that encourage believers to apply God’s Word to their own lives. The questions cover John’s family and professional life, his time with Jesus, his contribution to the Bible, and then delve into chapters one through twenty-one of the book of John.

Study through the Book of John is a biblical study guide that offers thoughtful questions that lead believers through this unique gospel written between AD 85 and 95.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798385000791

Rebecca Barron

Rebecca Barron has a passion for the practical application of God’s Word. She has taught women’s bible studies and has spoken at conferences and retreats during her time involved with women’s ministries. Rebecca is married with three adult children and lives in Utah.

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Rebecca Barron.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 979-8-3850-0078-4 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-0079-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023911647

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/14/2023

CONTENTS

Introduction: The Book Of John

John Chapter 1

John Chapter 2

John Chapter 3

John Chapter 4

John Chapter 5

John Chapter 6

John Chapter 7

John Chapter 8

John Chapter 9

John Chapter 10

John Chapter 11

John Chapter 12

John Chapters 13 And 14

John Chapters 15 And 16

John Chapters 17 And 18

John Chapter 19

John Chapter 20

John Chapter 21

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION:

THE BOOK OF JOHN

There are four gospels, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Of the four, it is generally accepted that the book of John was written last. Some unique things stand out about this book. For example, there is no genealogy included for Jesus, no mention of Jesus’s teaching in parables, and not a word about the transfiguration (especially interesting when you consider that John was among the few actually there).

Equally of note are things included in John’s account and not in the others. John writes about Jesus’s first miracle and dedicates a whole chapter to the healing of the man born blind, including the reaction of the Pharisees. We would not know about the resurrection of Lazarus if it were not for the book of John.

The book is divided into twenty-one chapters and scholars date its writing somewhere between AD 85 and 95. Whereas the first three gospels center around Jesus’s ministry in Galilee, John focuses much more on what Jesus said and did in Jerusalem. He presents Jesus as the Son of God in His own words and records long discourses of Jesus about Himself.

Beginning in Chapter 12, the final ten chapters of the Book of John deal with the last week of Jesus’s earthly life, the crucifixion, and post-resurrection. Almost half the book is devoted to this period.

In reading John, we have a firsthand account from someone who actually heard Jesus’s voice audibly on a daily basis for three years. We can hear Jesus’s inflection, His pauses, His laugh, and His expressions. We are presented with a remarkable opportunity to experience what John felt most important for us to know about his friend, his Savior, his Jesus.

THE APOSTLE JOHN

Longstanding tradition holds that John the apostle was the writer of the book of John. Because of this, we’re going to start our study by looking at what the Bible says about John and the facts we can use to put together a profile of this close friend of Jesus. This is not meant to be an all-inclusive study of John, but just enough to give us a foundation to build upon.

JOHN’S FAMILY LIFE

1. Matthew 4:21 tells us the names of John’s father and brother. Write their names here.

2. In looking first at Matthew 27:56 and then Mark 15:40, we seem to have been given John’s mother’s name. What is it?

It has been speculated because of John 19:25 that she was Mary’s (the mother of Jesus) sister, making John a first cousin to Jesus, but it is only conjecture.

JOHN’S PROFESSIONAL LIFE

3. From the verse in question 1, what is John’s vocation at the time he is called to follow Jesus?

4. What are the brothers doing when Jesus sees them on the boat?

One of the most important skills of fishermen was making and mending nets. Made of linen, a common fabric used in the ancient Near East, these nets had to be carefully cleaned and dried each day or they would quickly rot and wear out. The majority of a fisherman’s life probably was spent mending nets (Luke 5:2). Net weights, small pieces of stone with holes drilled in them, were fastened to the bottom of the nets. This too took time. Fishermen also had to be skilled, of course, in the use of the nets in fishing for various types of fish ¹

5. Read Matthew 4:18–22 and Mark 1:16–20. List some facts about John, other than those we’ve mentioned above, that appear in these passages.

6. From Luke 5:10, we get a little bit more information about the relationship between John and Peter. What are your thoughts about Jesus calling them into the ministry at the same time?

7. What qualities do you think a fisherman would possess that would also be beneficial in his new vocation as a disciple of Jesus?

8. John’s path in life was already set when it was interrupted by a call from Jesus. List another example in the Bible (New Testament or Old) where a personal encounter with the Lord altered a person’s life in a similar way.

One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.

—JOHN 9:25B

JOHN’S TIME WITH JESUS

9. John’s name is always mentioned in the first four in lists of the twelve disciples (Matt. 10:2, Mark 3:17, Luke 6:14, Acts 1:13). He is even part of a group of three disciples set apart by the Lord on occasion, indicating a close relationship. Write at least two (more if you have time) references and describe the scene in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and/or John when this inner three are particularly involved with Jesus.

10. Choose one of your examples from the previous question, read the account again, and think about John specifically. Based on the facts you know of John, write anything you observe or might be able to conclude about him from the example you chose (i.e., what he saw, what he did, his reaction to what Jesus did).

11. Jesus gave James and John nicknames. Write what they are from Mark 3:17.

12. What conclusions can we draw about these brothers with a description like that?

13. Take a look at the following references and write who is involved, what the motive might have been behind the question or statement, and Jesus’s response to what was being asked or said.

Mark 9:38–41:

Mark 10:35–41:

Luke 9:51–56:

14. The Lord knows us. He knows our personalities, our weaknesses, our strengths, where we’re vulnerable, and where we’re confident. He will use all of these things to His glory, if we allow Him the freedom to do so in our lives. Think about this for you personally. What does this mean in your own life?

15. It is generally accepted that the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, and 21:7, 20, 24) was John himself. He does not describe himself in those exact terms until the Last Supper in Chapter 13. The longer we walk with Jesus, the more we come to realize His heart for us. Using Scripture to back up your answer, write about how we know Jesus desires that each of us would describe ourselves as the one whom He loves?

JOHN’S WRITTEN CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLE

Five books in the Bible are attributed to John as the human author: the Gospel of John, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Revelation. In each case, the traditional view that the apostle was the author of these books can be traced to writers in the second century. Neither the Gospel nor the epistles identify their authors by name. Modern scholarship has raised questions about the credibility of this tradition, and discussion of these matters continues. Many would agree, however, that the strongest case can be made for the apostolic authorship of Revelation, followed in order by the Gospel and epistles (1, 2, and 3 John).²

Church tradition holds that John remained in Jerusalem after the death of Christ and took Jesus’s mother into his home there. After the destruction of Jerusalem, he moved to Ephesus. By this time, Ephesus had become the center of the growing Christian population. While