#068 This is our fourth of eight episodes in our mini-series entitled, Greatest Victory EVER! | Matthew to Acts. We’ll be overviewing the book of John, our fourth book in the New Testament today.
I’ve entitled this episode, Jesus in His Own Words. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus on signs, sayings, and parables of Jesus in his Galilean ministry. John focuses on long discourses of Jesus and events in Judea.
The Apostle John, the brother of James and son a Zebedee, is believed to have written his gospel while residing in Ephesus. John noted of himself in John 20:21, 24, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He was in the inner circle of Jesus’ Apostles, and while Jesus hung on the cross he assigned John to care for his mother Mary (see Jn 19:27).
The purpose of John’s gospel is not a mystery. John tells us in John 20:31 – 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. With this purpose in mind, many who are exploring the claims of Jesus and seeking to know more about him are encouraged to begin their reading with the book of John.
My point in these gospel overviews is not to cover the entirety of each book. Rather, I’ve been tracking a theme through each book, trying not to repeat parallel passages. The goal is to cover as much of the whole of what the four gospels combined convey about the life, ministry, lessons, persecution, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our LORD.
In Matthew we followed the theme, the Son of Man. For the book of Mark we followed the theme, Jesus Encounters. With Luke we followed the theme of Jesus’ Hard Lessons.
The theme we’ll be following in John is Jesus was Sent. Jesus being sent was a fulfillment of God’s words to Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18-19 – I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. Twice in this passage God uses the phrase “my words.” And that’s just where John starts his gospel.
Comments & Upvotes