This Week: John 1:19-34
Posted Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 4:48 AM
We continue our discussion on the gospel of John. If your schedule allows, spend some time to read and reflect on the passage before life group this week. 
Just a Little Deeper: John 1:1-18
Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 at 5:00 AM
The first verses in John, often referred to as the Prologue, act as a window into the rest of the Gospel of John: John touches on his key points that he will address later in the gospel. In a sense, these verses would act much like a movie trailer would today, it gives you just enough information for you to determine if you'd be interested in seeing how the movie (or gospel, in this case) builds those ideas out. Take a look at the parallels between the Prologue and the rest of the gospel of John:
| | Prologue | Gospel |
| The pre-existence of the Son | 1:1-2 | 17:5 |
| In him was life | 1:4 | 5:26 |
| Life is light | 1:4 | 8:12 |
| Light rejected by darkness | 1:5 | 3:19 |
| Yet not quenched by it | 1:5 | 12:35 |
| Light coming into the world | 1:9 | 3:19; 12:46 |
| Christ not received by his own | 1:11 | 4:44 |
| Being born to God and not to flesh | 1:13 | 3:6; 8:41-42 |
| The ‘one and only’ Son | 1:14; 1:18 | 3:16 |
| Truth in Jesus Christ | 1:17 | 14:6 |
| No one has seen God, except the one who comes from God’s side | 1:18 | 6:46 |
This Week: John 1:1-18
Posted Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 5:46 AM
We continue our discussion on the gospel of John. If your schedule allows, spend some time to read and reflect on the passage before life group this week.
Just a Little Deeper: John 1:1-5
Posted Monday, September 19, 2011 at 3:46 AM
So some of this we may have alluded to yesterday, but let's take just a little deeper look at the passage that we discussed yesterday...
Don Carson, in his commentary The Gospel According to John, believes that though the author of the gospel of John is very much aware of his Greek audience, the author is intending to unpack the works, life, and importance of Jesus to the Jewish community at large. From the very first verse, John intends that his gospel be read with the emphasis that the words and deeds of Jesus Christ are the deeds and works of God. Nothing is more obvious than the opening phrase, "In the beginning," which immediately draws ones thoughts to the Genesis 1 passage describing how God created the world.
Working from the context of John's gospel being written primarily for a 1st-century Jewish audience, then we can best understand this gospel (or the New Testament, in general) in the light of the Old Testament; Jesus is present and active in the Old Testament. Before John even identifies Jesus by name, he identifies him as "the Word." If John's gospel is to be better understood in the light of the Old Testament, then where would 1st-century Jewish minds be drawn, especially if John's goal is to strongly identify Jesus and God as one? There are three strong candidates for where Jewish thought would go upon hearing someone so closely identified with God and named "the Word": God's activity in creation, revelation and deliverance. Take a look at the following verses and how "the Word" was used in the Old Testament:
- Creation - Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6
- Revelation - Jeremiah 1:4; Isaiah 9:8; Ezekiel 33:7; Amos 3:1
- Deliverance - Psalm 107:20
If John intended his readers to see Jesus as creator, what practical difference does that make in my daily life? If Jesus is to be seen in the light of God's revelation, what implications exist to my daily interactions with Him? If the deliverance of God is synonymous with Jesus, then how does my routine change?
Note: Any information of any note was gleaned from the commentary mentioned above.
Upcoming Study: The Gospel of John
Posted Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 10:55 AM
This Sunday, tomorrow to be more specific, our church begins an emphasis on the gospel of John that will take us until Easter Sunday. Pastor Stephen will begin with a sermon about the gospel author's purpose for writing the gospel, and the life groups will spend the next two Sundays studying the background of John and his gospel. We will finish our current study in time to sync back up with the other life groups when they start working through the gospel itself, but it is important that we understand who John is so that we will better understand his message. Below is a teaching that will help us understand more about who John was, and hopefully help us gain more insight as we proceed the his gospel.
Additionally, if you'd like to study ahead, here's an outline of the first few weeks:
- Sept. 18 - John 1:1-5
- Sept. 25 - John 1:6-18
- Oct. 2 - John 1:19-34
- Oct. 9 - John 1:35-51
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