The bible contains four gospels.  They are found at the beginning of the New Testament and they are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Matthew, Mark and Luke are considered to be “synoptic” gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording.  “Synoptic” comes from two greek works, “Syn” meaning together and “optic” meaning seen.

 

But the fourth gospel is intriguingly different.  John's gospel omits, or leaves out, several accounts found in each of the synoptic gospels.  The temptation of Jesus, Jesus' transfiguration, the sermon on the mount...these are not found in John's gospels and so in a way, John's gospel will feel faster at times.   As an example of this, chronologically between chapters 5 and 6 of John, chapters 4 – 14 of the Matthew's gospel takes place...

 

With that being said, John includes a lot of content that is not found in the synoptic gospels.  Jesus' early Galilean ministry is found only in John's gospel.  Jesus' several visits to Jerusalem prior to His final entry are only found in John's gospel.  The account of Lazarus and Jesus raising him from the dead is only found in John's gospel...and therefore...truly John's gospel is unique.

 

 

 

 

 

The gospels are in no way exclusive, whether synoptic or not...they corroborate each other and flow quite well together when considered chronologically.  Although there are differences, they are not at all contradictory but rather complimentary.  Each gospel, does just that, presents the gospel...the good news of the free gift of salvation through God's Son Jesus Christ...however Matthew presents Jesus as King, Mark presents Jesus as Servant, Luke presents Jesus in His manhood, and John presents Jesus as God, deity, as eternal and everlasting. 

 

John is the place to start if you are new to bible study for sure, and it is the best place to point a non-believer to if they are seeking the truth and willing to read the word.  Why?  Because the key to unlocking the truth found in all scripture is Jesus.  Getting Jesus right.  Knowing Jesus, who He is, what He has done, and who you are in Him. 

 

Why do I say this?  Simply because getting the correct Jesus is essential to a real saving faith.  Paul writes in 1 Cor 15 (verses 1-4)...Brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.

 

Consider this...when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the back of a colt, the crowd cheered and they roared and they laid palm branches at the feet of the colt signifying the entry of the King...but they had gotten Him wrong...Yes He is the King but what they believed, what they expected was way off and that was manifested by the lack of the same crowd, doing the same thing, at the foot of the cross...

 

An unknown author once wrote...”It’s no use getting all excited and shouting and cheering for Jesus, if the Jesus you are shouting and cheering for is the wrong one!   The crowd welcoming Jesus to Jerusalem got it wrong. They were welcoming someone who fulfilled their wishes, not the real person who had come to suffer, die and rise again. And when the wrong Jesus didn’t do what they wanted, they rejected him. And so the story carries on, down through the years people have crafted their own versions of Jesus and in every case the ‘wrong Jesus’ has been found to be wanting.”

 

As biblical students, as Christians...even as seekers, we must get Jesus right! >>>Matthew 6:33 can be translated this way “Jesus first, and then  everything else will be understood correctly, revealed righteously...”

 

So many believers and unbelievers alike seek to debate creation, seek to debate and discuss the secondary matters of the bible such as who really was at the tomb first and how many Mary's were there...listen, Paul in Romans 14:1 would call these believers “weak in the faith...” why?  Because the focus is not on the Author of the faith and therefore everything else is twisted...

 

And if that's you, if you are the one to engage, to endulge to obsess over secondary issues, non-essentials, topics that can be argued and discussed until the cows come home, then its not only strong believers that see the lack of relationship with the Author – because He is all consuming – but even infidels can scope the weakness...

 

The Islamic Hadith reads in Chapter 11, “Leave that about which you are in doubt for that about which you are in no doubt.”

 

If those that are lost and deceived know and teach this, how much more should we as those not deceived focus our time, energy, effort and studies around the truth that matters the most...which is learning and growing in the Lord Jesus?

 

Your exhaustive knowledge of the Kings of Israel is not going to fulfill your life; your exhaustive studies of the immaculate conception are not going to bring you lasting joy...these things are good but I promise you, if your focus is not Jesus, if you do not yet know Jesus and abide in Him – Nehushtan! (Numbers 21 original – Nehushtan by Hezekiah – destroyed)

 

In the Marine Corps, during basic training they teach recruits how to shoot the M16 properly and accurately. It’s weird because at first what the recruit thinks is “man all I have to do is set this thing in the pocket of my shoulder, take a brief aim and jerk the trigger as many times as possible and I’ll hit the target.”

However, what is taught to the recruit is that the rapid fire, “guns-a-blaze ‘n” approach will get you killed and cause your unit to bear the burden of your ammo, weapon and equipment. Instead, Marine recruits are taught to put the weapon in the pocket of their shoulder, get a clear sight picture, breathe steadily, and take a slow steady squeeze ensuring the round hits its target.  - We MUST get a clear sight picture!

 

John has discovered the truth about Jesus.  You see I believe John is a book written specifically to bring man into a life lived unto Jesus.  Each one of the gospels present the truth of God's kingdom and the truth of the abundant life to be found in Jesus.  However, Matthew, Mark and Luke, combined mention the exuberant, joyful “zoe” life in Christ an aggregate total of 16 times.  John mentions the true life to be found in Christ 36 times!  John has found true life, He has found the true Jesus!

 

John has discovered that Jesus is the key to unlocking the truth...as Jesus Himself is the Truth...

 

John was written by John.  That is the Apostle John.  The brother of James and the son of Zebedeee.  Early extra-biblical sources help to identify the author as John.  Irenaeus, a disciple of John's disciple Polycarp, accredits the Gospel of John to the Apostle John.  Like the other Gospels, the title "According to John" (KATA IWANNHN) is found in the earliest manuscripts.

John became a follower of Jesus when one day John and his brother James, accompanied by their father Zebedee, were preparing their nets in a boat when Jesus called them. Both James and John left the boat and their father to follow Jesus (Matt 4:18-22).  Immediately

 

John's Gospel is generally considered to be the last of the four canonical Gospels to be written. On the other hand, as Michaels points out, "no limit could be fixed on how early it could have been written" because John does not rely on the Synoptic Gospels.  In the past, some have dated the Gospel in the second century, but that view has decreased in popularity after the discovery of two important manuscripts of John's Gospel that are dated in the early part of the second century (P46 and Egerton Pap. 2). The majority of scholars date the Gospel in the period AD 90-100, though some have dated it much earlier.

 

Early church tradition suggests that that John composed his Gospel in Ephesus which is in Asia Minor. This is based upon the testimony of Irenaeus who penned: "Then John, the disciple of the Lord, who had even rested on his breast, himself also gave forth the Gospel, while he was living at Ephesus in Asia."

 

John specifically states his purpose in 20:31, "...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." 

 

And so John Chapter 1, verse 1...In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

Each of the four gospels begins at a different time.  Matthew begins his gospel at Abraham, tracing Jesus' lineage clear on back.  Mark begins his gospel at Jesus' baptism.  Luke begins his gospel at the birth of John the Baptist...but John goes clear on back to the beginning...

 

Not the beginning of creation, that's found in Genesis 1:1...in the beginning God created...that is the beginning of creation...John's beginning is before that...

 

In fact, the beginning in Genesis and the beginning in John are two very different words...John uses the word arche which literally means “the extremity of origin” while Moses uses the word re-shiyth (ray-sheeth) which literally means “first of its kind, or first born.”

 

And so John begins his gospel with the infinite...infinite time origin and infinite God...he says, in the arche was the Word...

I actually love how the NLT states this, the NLT states, “In the beginning, the Word already existed...”  I love that because in the Greek there for “word” there is Logos, it is a proper masculine noun and down in verse 14 John tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...and John says there in verse 8 that he, John, came to bear witness of the Light and then there in verse 15 John says this man Jesus is He of whom I have spoken...” and of course later in John chp 8 Jesus proclaimed “I am the Light...”

 

And so the Word, the Logos, that became flesh...is none other than Jesus Christ...and so John says, in the beginning was Jesus, and the Word, Jesus, was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.

 

So so simple.  So so easy to understand and grasp.  So very clear that John is stating expressly that Jesus and God are One.  Jesus was with God, separate and distinct, and Jesus was God...One God in three persons...

 

Back in Genesis 1:1 the bible says “In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth...”  The Hebrew word for God is El yet the bible uses a different word, Elohim, which literally translates as “Gods.”  The trinity, the Holy communion of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is found in the very first sentence of the bible...and later God says “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...” 

 

In the beginning was Jesus and Jesus 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 calls Jesus the Logos...the Word...It was the Greeks who introduced the idea that before a word can be spoken, it must first be an idea.  The chair you're sitting in today was first an idea, then a design, then a chair was brought forth.  But John takes it one step further ans says that in order to be a thought, there must be a Thinker...and Jesus, as John tells us is the creator, and not only that, Colossians tells us He is the object of creation.

 

Colossians 1:16 says For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.

 

And so not only is He the creator, He is the object of creation..its all for Him.  All of creation, you, me...we're all His...

 

I heard a story once of a man who used to go to Christmas services with his family, but he didn't believe in Jesus...he didn't understand or accept why a creator would have to step down into His own creation to save them...and so one cold snowy Christmas eve, he refused to go...and so he sat in his chair by the fire with his favorite book and just as he began to read he was interrupted by the sound of bird crashing into his window...this happened a few times and so he got up, went out to the barn, opened the door and turned the light on....but the bird continued to harm itself...and so the man thought of if I could only be a bird for a moment then I could tell you...

The earth and all its fullness belong to Him and He loved us so much that He humbled Himself and came as a little baby to reveal to us the truth about God...and to bring us salvation...

 

Verse 4.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The love that Jesus has for man is revealed in that John says He is the light of men.  Light dispells darkness...and if life, true life, is described as light, then truly those walking in darkness, living apart from the Lord and His word, do not have life...they have an appearance of life but really they are zombies...because in Jesus is found true life and that true life is light....

 

Light brings issues out into the open.  Light reveals areas that need to be addressed, need to be cleaned.  Light scatters the roaches.  Light shows the obstacles so that you can make the right decisions and navigate this way or that...

 

Jesus is the light of men.  He is continually, constantly bombarding every corner of our hearts in order to remove the darkness, chase it out so that you might have life and have it more abundantly. 

 

Man, created by Jesus and for Jesus unto the glory of God, so lost touch with who God really is...the lover of our souls, the love sick Father, the compassionate, the comforter, the strong tower....but verse 5 says that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it...

 

Now later John will tell us that man rejected the Light (in 1 John 5:11) because men loved darkness, but if men knew, comprehended the truth about the darkness, truly we wouldn't love it....

 

Man has so gotten God wrong...one of the most commonly used expressions in profanity is that God would actually damn a person or situation...nothing could be farther from the truth...the bible says in 1 Cor 2:9 “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him...”

 

And so to correct man's thwarted image of God, God came down and Jesus said Philip have you been with me this long and yet do not know Me...(it is sufficient for us if you show us the Father)...verily I say unto you...if you have seen the Father then you have seen Me...

 

Oh yes, Jesus is not the brother of Lucifer...Jesus is not the spirit child of Father God and Mother Earth...Jesus is not a great prophet of Alah...Jesus is God and we must establish the correct foundation of our faith on truth...we must get a clear sight picture as we take aim at a close, victorious, joyful and age-abiding walk with God....

 

And so we will study the gospel of John which presents Jesus as He said He is...as the second person of the Trinity, God the Son...(reread verse 1)