Day 31 - John 1-3

Well, we've finished 1/3 of the NT and all three of the synoptic Gospels. Today, we start the Gospel of John. This is significantly different than the first three Gospels. Some events are repeated, but most of this Gospel is unique.

There is so much that could be said about these three chapters, but I'll try to summarize their contents by pointing out some general themes.

The supremacy of Jesus is clearly the theme of all of the NT, the Gospels in particular, but the Gospel of John just might have the strongest emphasis of this theme than any other Gospel. This theme is seen in the eternality of Jesus (i.e. He has always been). In 1:1 He is the eternal Word who has been from the beginning. Later in vs30, John the Baptist describes Him as being "before" him. This of course doesn't make sense from a physical standpoint seeing that John the Baptist was born before Jesus. It must then be referring to the fact that Jesus, as the second Person of the Trinity, has always been. The supremacy of Christ is also seen in the titles that are given to Him. He is the Word (1:1,14), God (1:1), only Son (1:14), the Lamb of God (1:29), Messiah (1:41), and Son of God (1:49). Some of these titles continue to be used of Him throughout the book. The supremacy of Christ is also seen in what He does: He creates (1:3), He gives life and light (1:4), He gives grace and truth (1:17), He makes the Father known (1:18), He takes away the sin of the world (1:29), He baptizes with the Spirit (1:33), He turns water into wine (2:6-11), and He saves (3:17).

It is because of this supremacy that we should be diligent in making Him known in this world. John the Baptist was a "witness" to the supremacy of Christ. Six times in chapter one John bears witness of Christ. He was pointing others to Him. Andrew and Philip did the same thing. After meeting Jesus, Andrew went and found his brother, Peter, and brought him to Jesus (1:41-42). Philip went and found Nathanael and told him about Jesus (1:45). This is the natural reaction after a person meets Jesus--he wants others to know about Him as well!

Another important theme that gets repeated throughout this Gospel is "believing." Be on the look-out for how many times this pops up. In these three chapters it is mentioned 11 times! Believing in Jesus is the result of the witness of John (1:7). It gives people the right to be called the children of God (1:12). The disciples believed in Jesus after seeing the miracle of the water turned to wine (2:11), and others believed after seeing other miracles (2:23). Most importantly, believing in Jesus is path to avoid condemnation (3:18) and to receive eternal life (3:15,16,36).