The Four Gospels, Part 4

The last gospel is “The Gospel According to John.” This gospel is perhaps the most misunderstood of all the four gospels. I’ll explain in a moment. John was the son of Zebedee and Salome (Matthew 4:21). Jesus called John and his brother James the sons of thunder (Mark 3:17). And John, like Matthew and Mark was Jewish.  He is also the writer of 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd John and Revelation.

John’s gospel is the most misunderstood gospel because many people believe that John’s goal was to prove the deity of Jesus. But John’s purpose was not to prove that Jesus is God, but that Jesus is the Son of God. Indeed, he states this quite clearly. “And truly Jesus did many other 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 believing you may have life in His name (John 20:30-31).”

Confusion has arisen due to a gross misunderstanding of the first three verses of John’s gospel. It reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 3:1-3).” The way in which these three verses are translated from the Greek lead many Christians to hear in their minds something like this: “In the beginning was the Son of God, and the Son of God was with God, and the Son of God was God. The Son was in the beginning with God.”

But is this really what the Greek text of John 1:1-3, is telling us? Not really and to understand the beginning of the gospel of John, I would encourage you to read point number three in the following study: (http://www.christianmonotheism.com/media/text/Chuck%20LaMattina%20--%20Twenty%20Biblical%20reasons%20why%20the%20doctrine%20of%20the%20Trinity%20is%20wrong.pdf). 

In showing us that Jesus is truly the Son of God, John’s gospel revolves around several statements showing how Jesus truly meets all of the needs in our lives. These statements are:

 

·         I am the bread of life – John 6:35

·         I am the light of the world – 8:12

·         I am the door of the sheep – 10:7

·         I am the good shepherd – 10:11

·         I am the resurrection and the life – 11:25

·         I am the true vine – 15:1

John’s gospel also features 8 spiritual signs. They are:

 

·         water turned into wine – 2:1-11

·         the healing of an official’s son – 4:46-54

·         the healing of a lame man – 5:1-18

·         the feeding of multitudes – 6:1-15

·         walking on water – 6:16-21

·         healing of a blind man – 9:1-41

·         the raising of Lazarus – 11:1-57

·         the miraculous catch of fish – 21:6-11

These signs and statements are provided to us so that we might believe that Jesus is God’s gift of love. Christ lived, sacrificed his life and was raised up from the dead for our salvation that we might have everlasting life (John3:16).

The gospels are four grand portraits of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They are all divinely inspired and written that we might believe in the Son of God and be saved. They were written that we might see the power and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. The lyrics to an old spiritual song say,

 

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Merry Christmas!