Discovering Jesus

Moments of Inspiration

Meditations on the Master from
the Radio Ministry of Steve McLean

JESUS by John

HIS GOSPEL FOR BELIEF

LESSON 1: Discovering Jesus

You are beginning the study of a life-changing book--the Gospel of John. The word "gospel" means "good news" and the message contained in this document has always been the best news to those who desire to know the truth about life and its purpose. John's gospel concerns itself with one central figure--Jesus of Nazareth. It was written for a single purpose, to give people a reason to believe that Jesus was who he said he was--the Son of God. The Bible has other gospels about Jesus (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), but John is different. For most of the events from the life of Jesus which John discusses are not the same ones talked about in the other three gospels. The author has carefully selected actions and teaching from the Master's life which give insight into his nature and document his divinity. All is written from the standpoint of an eye-witness, the author personally testifying that the things which have been written are true. Perhaps no other book in the Bible explains Jesus more fully, and in that wondrous explanation we are permitted to see into the heart of God. This, then, is "Jesus, by John--His Gospel for Belief."

Prologue: (1:1-18).
The first 18 verses of John's gospel are usually called "the prologue" because they introduce in brief form what the rest of the gospel will expand in detail. You might want to pause and read these verses before going further in your study.

In your reading did you notice a distinctive, colorful style of writing? The passage is quite poetic and in fact may have been, in whole or in part, sung as an early Christian hymn. Indeed, it is one of the most beautiful passages in all of the Bible. Did you notice certain key words in the section? The terms "word," "light," "life," "glory," "grace," and "truth" are used by John to describe Jesus. You will want to remember these important words because they appear frequently in the rest of the gospel as keystones of thought in the explanations Jesus gives as to who he is and what he has come to do.

The prologue begins with the beginning--that is the beginning of time and the world as we know it. In that beginning time there was a being called "the Word." It later becomes clear that this is none other than Jesus. John carefully used a term that was meaningful to both Hebrew people familiar with the Old Testament and non-Hebrews, or "Gentiles." In both societies "Word" was used to describe the divine "power," "reason," or "message" of God. Thus, John shows us that Jesus was of God and from God, that he contained the power of God, and that he was the divine communication or "message" to man. Not only was the Word present at the beginning of the world but he was the agent through whom God spoke all things into existence. There was nothing made without him. In a few short sentences John has made the ultimate claim for Jesus, that he was the divine creator! As the power of creation the Word was the original source of life. This same Word came back to the creation in the form of Jesus to bring life once again--life to people who were dead in spirit because they had left the God who had made them alive in the beginning. Jesus came bringing the bright light of understanding and hope into the blindly dark world of hopeless people. The plot of the gospel is introduced at this point in the prologue. The light of God, in the form of Jesus the Word, came into the world bringing goodness but the darkness of evil met him with resistance and sought to extinguish him. Darkness, however, can never overwhelm light and though Jesus the light was temporarily dimmed he was not overcome.

The prologue now shifts its focus to the one later known as John the Baptizer. The function of John was to act as a prophet from God, testifying in the manner of a character witness that Jesus the great light was on his way into the world.

With verse ten the prologue returns its view to Jesus and repeats the theme of the light meeting resistance from the darkness. When Jesus the Word did arrive in the world he was welcomed with anything but open arms. Though he had made the world and, by virtue of creation, owned everyone in it he was not recognized by his own people and was rejected by most of them. What massive irony that he who came to bring life should be rejected by the dead! There were some, however, who did believe that he was who he said he was and gave themselves into his keeping. To them he gave life in the sense of being born again, made new in spirit and acknowledged by God himself as his children. What greater thing could happen to a person?

Verse fourteen is the personal testimony of those who were born again. The Word of God became flesh, in the form of Jesus, and stayed for a brief time in the world. Those who were reborn saw him as he truly was, in his glory. "Glory" is the term most often used in the Bible to describe the true nature of God. The reborn witnessed his miracles, heard his words, and experienced his love. They knew and testified that he was filled with grace, or loving mercy, and that he was in all respects true, straight from the being of God the Father.

With verse fifteen the prologue returns us to John the Baptizer, referring again to his testimony about Jesus the Word. John cried out to the crowds, who respected him as a prophet of God, that Jesus was far greater than he was, as shown by the pre-existence of the Word. Before John was ever thought about Jesus already was--in the beginning.

The prologue concludes with a grand testimony about Jesus from the lips of the reborn. Those who followed Jesus had received one good thing, or blessing, after another. He was like a deep well filled with grace, a well which could never be exhausted. No matter how often the children of God drew love and mercy from the well of Jesus he was continually full and willing to give more. The law of God for the Israelites, given to Moses in the Old Testament, had given rules to live by but Jesus had brought merciful forgiveness for wrong and a full, true revelation about the nature of God. No one has ever seen the invisible God of the universe but through Jesus the Word it is possible to understand him. The text literally says that Jesus is one of a kind, unique, sent by God the Father and the one who has explained God completely. Do you wish to see God? Do you want to understand what he is like and how he thinks and feels? Then, according to the prologue, look to Jesus. He is God, made plain for us in human form.

John, the Baptizer: (1:19-34).
We know from other places in the Bible that the one known as John the Baptizer was the cousin of Jesus, six months his senior. The role God had given him to play was that of prophet, coming on the stage ahead of Jesus and proclaiming that the Savior was on his way. John was unusual in every respect. He dressed in camel skin, ate a strange diet of locusts and honey, and did most of his preaching in the desert-like wilderness. Yet, this compelling prophet developed quite a following. City dwellers and rural alike flocked to the wilderness to be submerged, or "baptized," under the waters of the River Jordan by John. They did this to show that they believed his message that they should change their sinful ways and be forgiven by God.

In this passage and the next we will see John on three consecutive days. Notice the progression of his testimony about Jesus, how it grows stronger and more affirmative each day. On the first day John answered questions about himself, put to him by those sent by the Jewish religious authorities. No, he was not the Christ, or "Messiah" (the one prophesied about in the Old Testament who would deliver the people of God). No, he was not the prophet Elijah, whom he resembled in style. No, he was not the prophet, a being like Moses who was expected by many. He was only one sent to build a road for the King who followed to travel on. The mighty Lord was among them at present but went unrecognized. The second day the emphasis in John's testimony is not upon himself but upon Jesus. Seeing Jesus, he described him as "the Lamb of God" who had come to take away the sin of the world. His metaphor probably had to do with the Passover lamb which reminded the people of Israel how God had saved them in Egypt. Next, as we have already seen in the prologue, John made it clear that Jesus, being pre-existent, was far greater than the prophet himself. The only reason John came baptizing was to open the eyes of people to Jesus. Indeed, John had witnessed the Spirit of God come out of heaven and in some visible way remain on Jesus to designate him as the Messiah. Jesus would baptize not just with water, like John, but would baptize people in the Holy Spirit of God himself! John testified that Jesus was "the Son of God."

The First Disciples: (1:35-51).
A disciple is a follower, or student, of some particular teacher. Our passage opens with the third day of John's testimony when he is with two of his disciples. Seeing Jesus, he said to his students, "Look, the Lamb of God!" John's statement was strong enough that those two disciples left him and began to follow Jesus, spending the rest of the afternoon with him. One of the disciples was Andrew and so convinced was he that they had found in Jesus the Messiah promised by God that he immediately found his brother, Simon, and brought him to the new teacher. When Jesus saw Peter he prophetically gave him another name, "Cephas" in the Aramaic language which Jesus spoke. "Peter" in the Greek which was used to write the gospel, "Rock" in the English which we speak. Later, Simon Peter would at times be the strong one, or "rock" of the disciples.

All of this had taken place in the southern part of Palestine, called "Judea," but on the following day Jesus decided to leave for his home territory of Galilee in the North. It appears that Jesus, with Peter and Andrew went to the brothers' hometown, the fishing village of Bethsaida on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. There Jesus found another disciple named Philip. Philip in turn sought out his friend Nathanael, who was skeptical that the Messiah would come from the Galilean town of Nazareth. Nathanael was quickly convinced, however, when Jesus told him that he had observed him under a fig tree before he was even called. Apparently the tree in question was not within the view of Jesus and perhaps Nathanael had been involved in something special while there. In any case Jesus indicated that he had extraordinary knowledge of Nathanael. To Nathanael's statement of belief Jesus replied that he would see even greater things that would affirm his divinity, affirm that he was, as the prophets spoke of the Messiah, the "Son of God."

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