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John

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Events of Jesus’ Life

The “I AM” Statements of John’s Gospel

Twenty-three times in all we find our Lord’s meaningful “I AM” (ego eimi, Gk.) in the Greek text of this Gospel (4:26; 6:20, 35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12, 18, 24, 28, 58; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 13:19; 14:16; 15:1, 5; 18:5, 6, 8). In several of these He joins His “I AM” with seven tremendous metaphors which are expressive of his saving relationship toward the world.

“I AM the Bread of life” (6:35, 41, 48, 51).

“I AM the Light of the world” (8:12).

“I AM the Door of the sheep” (10:7, 9).

“I AM the Good Shepherd” (10:11, 14).

“I AM the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25).

“I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life” (14:6).

“I AM the true Vine” (15:1, 5).

The Blueprint

1. BIRTH AND PREPARATION OF JESUS, THE SON OF GOD

(1:1-2:12)

1. MESSAGE AND MINISTRY OF JESUS, THE SON OF GOD (2:13-12:50)
2. Jesus encounters belief and unbelief from the people
3. Jesus encounters conflict with the religious leaders
4. Jesus encounters crucial events in Jerusalem
5. DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS, THE SON OF GOD (13:1-21:25)
6. Jesus teaches his disciples
7. Jesus completes his mission

John makes it clear that Jesus is not just a man; he is the eternal Son of God. He is the light of the world because he offers this gift of eternal life to all people. How blind and foolish to call Jesus nothing more than an unusually good man or moral teacher. Yet we sometimes act as if this were true when we casually toss around his words and go about living our own way. If Jesus is the eternal Son of God, we should pay attention to his divine identity and life-giving message.

Jesus meets with individuals, preaches to great crowds, trains his disciples, and debates with the religious leaders. The message that he is the Son of God receives a mixed reaction. Some worship him, some are puzzled, some shrink back, and some move to silence him. We see the same varied reactions today. Times have changed, but people’s hearts remain hard. May we see ourselves in these encounters Jesus had with people, and may our response be to worship and follow him.

Jesus carefully instructed the disciples how to continue to believe even after his death, yet they could not take it in. After he died and the first reports came back that Jesus was alive, the disciples could not believe it. Tomas is especially remembered as one who refused to believe even when he heard the eyewitness account from others disciples. May we not be like Thomas, demanding a physical face-to-face encounter, but may we accept the eyewitness testimony of the disciples that John has recorded in this Gospel.

The claims of Christ

Those who read the life of Christ are faced with one unavoidable questions - was Jesus God? Part of any reasonable conclusion has to include the fact that he did claim to be God. We have no other choice but to agree or disagree with his claim. Eternal life is at stake in the choice.

The Names of Jesus

In different settings, Jesus gave himself names that pointed to special roles he was ready to fulfill for people. Some of these refer back to the Old Testament promises of the Messiah. Others were ways to help people understand him.

Jesus' Appearances after His Resurrection

The truth of Christianity rests heavily on the Resurrection. It Jesus rose from grave, who saw him? Hod trustworthy were the witnesses? Those who claimed to have seen the risen Jesus went on to turn the world upside down. Most of them also died for being followers of Christ. People rarely die for halfhearted belief. These are the people who saw Jesus risen from the grave.

Mary Magdalene.
The other women at the tomb.
Peter in Jerusalem.
The two travelers on the road.
Ten disciples behind closed doors.
All the disciples, with Thomas (excluding Judas Iscariot)
Seven disciples while fishing.
Eleven disciples on the mountain.
A crowd of 500.
Jesus' brother James.
Those who watched Jesus ascend into heaven.

Mark 16:911; John 20:11-18
Matthew 28:8-10
Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5
Mark 16:12, 13; Luke 24:13-35
Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25
John 20:26-31; 1 Corinthians 15:5
John 21:1-14
Matthew 28:16-20
1 Corinthians 15:6
1 Corinthians 15:7
Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8

John Overview

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