Monday, June 13, 2011

JOHN

JOHN
Chapter 1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:1-5 (NKJV)



14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth John 1:14 (NKJV)
14 και ο λογος σαρξ εγενετο και εσκηνωσεν εν ημιν και εθεασαμεθα την δοξαν αυτου δοξαν ως μονογενους παρα πατρος πληρης χαριτος και αληθειας John 1:14 (Stephanus)

DISCOURSES IN JOHN'S GOSPEL
The dis¬courses in the Fourth Gospel are many and intricate, inculcating, for the most part, deep mystical truths which are enforced by a ceaseless reiteration tending to obscure the exact line of the argument, and illustrated by not a single parable, properly so-called.'
The doctrine and discourses of Jesus (in the Fourth Gospel) cannot in the main be the writer's, John, because in the main they are clearly out of his reach'; no man could have con¬ceived the ideas which are here recorded; they can have come only from Him who spake as never man spake (vii. 46). And Dr. James Orr says: 'The supreme guaranty of their (the Gospels) trustworthiness, is found in the narratives themselves; for who in that (or any) account could imagine a figure so unique and perfect as that of Jesus, or invent the incomparable sayings and parables that proceeded from His lips! Much of Christ's teaching is high as heaven above the minds of men still.' When, therefore, writers say that the Evangelist 'put words into the mouth of Jesus,' and this is frequently said, let us remember that they are giving some man credit for something of which no man has ever been capable. Dr. Reynolds has well said: 'It is inconceivable that the author of the Gospel invented, rather than recited, marvellous utterances of the Christ; that he appealed

John was a fisherman. He was first a follower of John the Baptist (i, 35, 40), and he left him to follow Christ. There appear to have been three stages in his fellowship with Christ: attachment (i, 40); dis¬cipleship (Matt. iv. 21, 22); and apostleship (Luke vi. 13, 14). John's relation to Jesus was unique. If, as is conjectured, Salome was the sister of Jesus' mother, John would be Jesus' cousin. (See Div. A, Pt. 1,6, p. 62, Salome). He was one of the first two disciples to be called (i. 35-40); one of the first Apostles named (Matt. iv. 18-22); one of the three privileged Apostles (Mark v, 37; Matt. xvii, I; xxvi 37); one of the four who drew forth our Lord's great prophetic discourse (Mark xiii, 3); and one of the two sent to prepare the Passover (Luke xxii. 8). He was 'the disciple whom Jesus loved' (xiii. 23; xix. 26; xx, 2; xxi, 7,20), and to whom He committed the care of His mother (xix. 25-27).


John the apostle's hometown was Bethsaida, and there was a family of four, the father and mother, Zebedee, and Salomé, and two sons, James and John (Mark 1:19, 20; 15:40; Matthew 27:56).
The father and sons were fishermen (Matthew 4:21;Salomé, the mother, was ambitious for her boys (Matthew 20:20, 21; Mark 10:35, 37). There is clear evidence that the family had some wealth, because they hired servants, and they ministered of the substance, as well as being influential in official orders Mark 1:20; Matthew 27:56; Luke 8:3; John 18:15, 16; 19:27).

One important fact about John: he lived close to Jesus Christ from the beginning of  Jesus' ministry, to His ascention. He witnessed most of the experiences Jesus endured, including the bloody physical events.  He stood and witnessed the sight of Jesus' crucifixion.  He witnessed the soldier confirming Jesus' death by ramming his spear up under Jesus' rib cage to His heart and blood and water gushing out. John witnessed numerous times Jesus walking and talking and eating following Jesus' resurrection. John viewed all these things personally and no doubt spoke often with the resurrected Jesus.

In the closing two chapters of John's Gospel, John writes a historical narrative of Jesus' actions following Jesus' resurrection, as we mentioned above. In one of those closing chapters, John 20:30-31, the Apostle writes: 
         30  Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31  but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:30-31 (ESV)

 Was John the Apostle telling a lie? He calls us to believe and put your trust in Jesus. 

John lived this faith through many trying very turbulent years.

A relative Roman Peace existed in New Testament time, from Christianity's beginning to Paul and Peter's execution, offering some safety for the spread of the Gospel. 

 However, starting in 67 AD, a Jewish revolt flashed into life and quickly spread.  Nearby, the 12th Roman Legion quickly quelled most of the rebels, but with winter approaching, turned back, heading to their winter camp.  The rebels managed to surprise them in an ambush, and scored a victory over the Romans.  This victory included the capture of the 12th Roman Legion's eagle.     While Rome could never let such a defeat stand, this humiliation of the Roman Army by the rebels turned the revolt into a war, which included the added motivation of Roman revenge.  That war lasted until 70 AD.  Following that war, Israel, as a nation, no longer existed.  Jerusalem and and the Jewish Temple were burned down.


JOHN THE APOSTLE

John the Apostle moved. Tradition tells us John escaped with Mary, Jesus' mother, to Ephesus.  With the Jerusalem gone, the Christian Center moved and the years witnessed the rapid expansion of Christianity, and it's center moving from Jerusalem to Ephesus. The last remaining apostle, John, moved to  

John would also have been aware of the cost of witnessing or teaching those facts. He would also have known that what he was teaching could mean the death or torture to those he was teaching. John's writings are written 50 to 60 years after Jesus crucifixion.  Archeologist discovered a papyri copy of a part of John's Gospel, , the John Rylands Fragment,  dating it at about 125AD.  They discovered the fragment around Alexandria Eypt, meaning Christianity had spread y location  Tthat would was 

John appears three times in the book of Acts: and the Temple (3:1); before the Council (4:13); and at Samaria (8:14). After the general reference to him and Ask 15:2, 22, 23, the next contact with them is about 18 years later (A. D. 69), and the Book of the Revelation (1:1, four, nine), and about 26 years later still in the gospel (A. D. 95), and the Epistles bearing his name.

Tradition tells us that John left Jerusalem and went to Asia. He probably took Mary the mother of Jesus along with Intuit Ephesus. The Jewish Roman war would surely have driven him out of Jerusalem. The deaths of Paul, Peter, Tennessee, and Titus, would also have left the Asian churches without a leader. John settled at Ephesus which has in the monument for him. That at Ephesus he spent a great deal of his life, died and was buried there, tradition affirms.

It was probably about A.D. 69 that the apostle Paul was banished to Patmos, or he received and recorded divisions of the book of revelations. Jerome places his death about A. D. 98.

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