John
INTRODUCTION
JOHN
ROBIN E. NIXON
There are many different theories about the origin and meaning of this Gospel, and the following summary will indicate only the standpoint adopted in this book. For other views commentaries or reference books should be consulted.
The Gospel was traditionally believed to have been written by John, the son of Zebedee, who is thought to have lived at Ephesus until about the end of the first century. Because John is nowhere mentioned by name (there is only a reference to the sons of Zebedee in 21:2), and because the Baptist is simply referred to as “John,” there seems little doubt that the evangelist intends the readers to suppose that “the beloved disciple” is the apostle John. It would seem likely, then, that John was the real author of the Gospel, even if he did not necessarily pen or dictate every word of it. While some scholars suggest that chapter 21 was added later as a sort of postscript, possibly after he died, others maintain that this chapter too is very substantially the work of John. In either event, even if the date of publication is late, the material in the Gospel, coming from an eyewitness, will have as much historical value as that in the Synoptic Gospels.
The purpose of the Gospel is similar to that of any Gospel. It is to present a selection of the deeds of Jesus in such a way that people will come to put their faith in him as the Son of God and find eternal life, and that those who have done so will be built up in the faith (20:31). It may have been written in the first place for Greek-speaking Jews who lived outside Palestine, but its message has gone home to men of every race in every age.
The relationship of the Gospel to the Synoptic Gospels presents a large number of problems, few of which are dealt with here. Some scholars have held that John knew Mark and adapted that Gospel for his own purposes. Others have suggested that he is independent of Mark and that any resemblances go back to Peter and John who were eyewitnesses of the same events. Recent study has suggested that all the evangelists were interested in the facts and in their interpretation. While John makes the interpretation more obvious, he is not necessarily less interested in the facts. Archaeological discovery has done a certain amount to confirm that a number of things found only in John fit well into the background of the times. It is often difficult to know when John intends things to be taken symbolically, and imagination must not be allowed to run riot! But the discovery of a symbolic meaning for something does not automatically mean that it was not also a historical fact.
There are seven “signs” in the Gospel which present in dramatic form the challenge of the person and work of Christ. There are seven “I am” sayings which are evangelistic appeals. In the Gospel many people recognize Jesus partially, but only the confession of Thomas after the resurrection, “My Lord and my God!” (20:28), is adequate. One of the features of the Gospel is the divine irony. Men say and do all sorts of things with deeper significance than they realize. God’s own people put God’s own Son to death. (“The Jews,” who are mentioned frequently, seem to be the Judeans, the people who live in the Promised Land and have a vested interest in the old order of things.) The supreme paradox is the way in which the shameful death on the cross reveals the glory of the Father and the Son.
The Gospel may be divided as follows:
Chapter 1
The Prelude
Chapters 2–12
The Book of Signs
Chapters 13–19
The Book of the Passion
Chapters 20–21
The Resurrection and Epilogue
There are many useful commentaries on the Gospel. But no books about the Gospel can be a substitute for careful study for oneself of one of the greatest books of all time. For here in a unique way we meet the Word of Life.