A Message From Ps. Jesse
I’m so grateful that you would join us in reading through the Gospel of John for this 21-day reading plan. It is so important not only to create a daily habit of reading God’s word, but also digging deeper below the surface to study God’s word. This devotional accomplishes both of those things. Not only is the scripture included, but also a thoughtful commentary that will inform, inspire and help you have a greater understanding and clarity of this beloved Gospel.
The goal is to read one chapter of John and the accompanying devotional each day with the final part (Day 21) falling on Easter Sunday. The Gospel of John contains 21 chapters so this works out perfectly and I’m looking forward to reading along with you. Filling up daily on God’s word is one of the best habits you can ever form in your life, and studies show that the common length to form a new habit in your life is…. you guessed it…21-days! It’s amazing what can happen when we read and study God’s word together as a church family. There is a sense that we hold greater unity with each other when we are all of the same mind and focus. The focus of the Gospel of John is Jesus from start to finish, so that’s a great place for us all to set our hearts and minds.
Let’s get started by first taking a look at some background on the book of John to help set the scene and give us a little context for what we will begin reading. Be Blessed!
Historical Context
The gospel of John is unique when compared to the other three gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke. John was the fourth and final gospel account written and penned in view of what the previous three accounts had recorded. This is one reason why John’s account of the life of Jesus is, in many ways, different from his fellow disciples Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John purposely leaves out certain aspects of the life of Jesus which are accounted for in the other three, from the birth of Jesus, his baptism, the wilderness temptation, confrontations with demons, parables, the last supper communion, agony in Gethsemane and the Ascension. These withheld stories seem strange at first but make sense when we see the context of who the gospel of John was written to, what the purpose and focus of the book was and how it was set apart purposely from the other three gospel accounts.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the three synoptic gospels. The word synoptic means “see-together” and the first three Gospels present the life of Jesus in a similar format. Matthew, Mark and Luke focus more on what Jesus taught and did while John focused more on who Jesus is and especially His divine origins. John uniquely presents to the reader who Jesus is by highlighting seven signs or miracles of Jesus. Six of these miracles are not mentioned in the first three gospels but were specifically focused on in John. Each of the Gospels also emphasizes a different origin of Jesus. Matthew shows how Jesus came from Abraham through David, demonstrating that He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Mark shows Jesus came from Nazareth, demonstrating how Jesus is a Servant. Luke shows Jesus came from Adam, demonstrating that Jesus is the Perfect Man. John shows throughout, but especially in chapter one, how Jesus came from heaven, demonstrating that Jesus is God. By laying all four gospels on top of each other, we see a more complete and accurate picture of who Jesus really was and is still.
The book of John is a Gospel account written for a specific purpose: that we might believe. A key verse for understanding this is found at the end of the book in John 20:31 ”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.” This Gospel has even helped scholarly skeptics come to believe in the authenticity of Christ. The oldest surviving fragment of the New Testament is a portion of John 18, found in Egypt and dating well before A.D. 150, indicating wide circulation by that early date. John doesn’t tell us much about himself in the Gospel record he wrote, but we can put a few things together about him from the Gospel records. His father was Zebedee. John’s mother was Salome, one of those to go to the tomb early on the morning the resurrection of Jesus was discovered. John’s brother was James, a fellow disciple. James was likely the older brother since he is always named first. James and John were partners in a fishing business with Peter. John and his brother James were also given the nickname, “Sons of Thunder.” John was the only disciple (other than Judas) not to be martyred for his faith. John died an old man on the Greek island of Patmos, where he also penned the book of Revelation.
The Gospel of John is a helpful and beloved gospel in understanding who Jesus is. Because of its paradoxical combination of both simplicity and depth, John has been described as, “a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant may swim.”
Are you ready to go swimming!
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the three synoptic gospels. The word synoptic means “see-together” and the first three Gospels present the life of Jesus in a similar format. Matthew, Mark and Luke focus more on what Jesus taught and did while John focused more on who Jesus is and especially His divine origins. John uniquely presents to the reader who Jesus is by highlighting seven signs or miracles of Jesus. Six of these miracles are not mentioned in the first three gospels but were specifically focused on in John. Each of the Gospels also emphasizes a different origin of Jesus. Matthew shows how Jesus came from Abraham through David, demonstrating that He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Mark shows Jesus came from Nazareth, demonstrating how Jesus is a Servant. Luke shows Jesus came from Adam, demonstrating that Jesus is the Perfect Man. John shows throughout, but especially in chapter one, how Jesus came from heaven, demonstrating that Jesus is God. By laying all four gospels on top of each other, we see a more complete and accurate picture of who Jesus really was and is still.
The book of John is a Gospel account written for a specific purpose: that we might believe. A key verse for understanding this is found at the end of the book in John 20:31 ”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.” This Gospel has even helped scholarly skeptics come to believe in the authenticity of Christ. The oldest surviving fragment of the New Testament is a portion of John 18, found in Egypt and dating well before A.D. 150, indicating wide circulation by that early date. John doesn’t tell us much about himself in the Gospel record he wrote, but we can put a few things together about him from the Gospel records. His father was Zebedee. John’s mother was Salome, one of those to go to the tomb early on the morning the resurrection of Jesus was discovered. John’s brother was James, a fellow disciple. James was likely the older brother since he is always named first. James and John were partners in a fishing business with Peter. John and his brother James were also given the nickname, “Sons of Thunder.” John was the only disciple (other than Judas) not to be martyred for his faith. John died an old man on the Greek island of Patmos, where he also penned the book of Revelation.
The Gospel of John is a helpful and beloved gospel in understanding who Jesus is. Because of its paradoxical combination of both simplicity and depth, John has been described as, “a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant may swim.”
Are you ready to go swimming!