The Gospel of John is the 4th book of the New Testament. It is written by the apostle John,
who was likely Jesus' closest friend. This is John's biography of Jesus, where John reports
everything he saw, heard from Jesus, and knew about Jesus, as he followed Jesus for three
years, as one of Jesus' chosen apostles.
Most of John's gospel is straightforward reporting. However the first paragraph can be a little
confusing. John starts with important truths about Jesus, but does not yet reveal who he is
talking about.
John writes, "In the beginning, the Word was with God and the Word was God."
Later, John lets us know the Word is Jesus. "...the Word became human and made his home
among us...the Father's one and only Son."
Today we're going to look at John 1:1-5. (John, chapter 1, verses
1-5)
Q - When did Jesus begin to exist? (see below)
A1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
It says that the Word was *with* God, yet also *was* God.
Q - In verse 2 (see above), was Jesus ever not with God?
AJesus did not come into existence as a baby in the manger, Christmas morning. Jesus, as God,
has always existed. In fact, he was involved in the creation of the universe.
Q - How was Jesus involved in the creation of the universe? (see below)
A3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
A candle is stronger than any darkness. It says that his life brought light to everyone.
Q - When you hit dark times in your life, how does verse 4 and the following verse, give you
hope?
A5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Write a summary here of what you learned from these 5 verses:
A-
That's a lot!! I'm amazed at all that God reveals to us in such a few sentences. He's so kind to
disclose so much to us.
"Thank you, Jesus, that you want us to know you."
Next email we'll pick up from here. Feel free to read all of John, chapter one.
Gospel of John—Some Major Events
Where possible, events have been listed in chronological order
Each Gospel map traces a different series of events
1. Near Bethany across the Jordan, John calls Jesus “the Lamb of God” (Joh 1:29)
2. In Cana of Galilee, Jesus performs his first miracle (Joh 2:3, 7-9, 11)
3. Jesus cleanses the temple for the first time (Joh 2:13-15)
4. Jesus goes to the Judean countryside; his disciples baptize; John baptizes in
Aenon (Joh 3:22, 23)
5. At Jacob’s well at Sychar, Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman (Joh 4:4-7, 14, 19,
20)
6. Jesus heals an official’s son from a distance, his second sign in Cana of Galilee
(Joh 4:46, 47, 50-54)
7. Jesus heals a sick man at the pool of Bethzatha in Jerusalem (Joh 5:2-5, 8, 9)
8. Northeast side of the Sea of Galilee; after Jesus miraculously fed about 5,000
men, people try to make him king (Mt 14:19-21; Joh 6:10, 14, 15)
9. In a synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus says that he is “the bread of life”; many are
stumbled at his words (Joh 6:48, 54, 59, 66)
10. At the pool of Siloam, Jesus heals a man born blind (Joh 9:1-3, 6, 7)
11. In Solomon’s Colonnade in the temple, the Jews try to stone Jesus (Joh 10:22,
23, 31)
12. When the Jews try to seize Jesus, he goes to where John was baptizing at first;
many across the Jordan put faith in Jesus (Joh 10:39-42)
13. Jesus resurrects Lazarus in Bethany (Joh 11:38, 39, 43, 44)
14. When Jews in Jerusalem conspire to kill Jesus, he departs for Ephraim, a city in
the region near the wilderness (Joh 11:53, 54)
15. On the road from Bethphage, Jesus rides a donkey and enters Jerusalem
triumphantly (Mt 21:1, 7-10; Mr 11:1, 7-11; Lu 19:29, 30, 35, 37, 38; Joh 12:12-15)
16. Jesus crosses the Kidron Valley and goes to Gethsemane with his disciples (Mt
26:30; Mr 14:26; Lu 22:39; Joh 18:1)
17. In the garden of Gethsemane, Judas betrays Jesus and Jesus is arrested (Mt
26:47-50; Mr 14:43-46; Lu 22:47, 48, 54; Joh 18:2, 3, 12)
18. Jesus is scourged and mocked in the governor’s palace (Mt 27:26-29; Mr 15:1520; Joh 19:1-3)
19. Jesus is nailed to a stake at Golgotha (Mt 27:33-36; Mr 15:22-25; Lu 23:33; Joh
19:17, 18)
20. The resurrected Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene in the garden near the tomb
(Mt 28:1, 5, 6, 8, 9; Joh 20:11, 12, 15-17)
21. On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus appears to his disciples; Peter affirms
his affection for Jesus (Joh 21:12-15)
THE CHRONOLOGY OF JESUS FROM JOHN'S
GOSPEL


Appendix: JOHN and the CHRONOLOGY of JESUS’ LIFE
John is more thoroughly chronological in its structure than the other Gospels, with many time references
being given. Matthew and Mark do not always events in their exact order, although Luke, as well as
John, is in chronological order (Luke 1:3) and gives us vital chronological information (Luke 1:5; 2:1;
3:1,23; 13:6-9). It is John, however, who gives us the backbone of the chronology (timing) of the life
and ministry of Jesus. He does this largely by centering his thought around the Feasts of Israel and
relating
the
ministry
of
Jesus
to
them.
Jesus fulfilled the Law and therefore kept the Feasts, for every Jewish male
was
required
to
attend
the
three
main
Feasts
every
year
(Deut
16:16):
(1) Passover and Unleavened Bread was a week starting on 14th day of the
first
month
(April/
May).
(2)
Pentecost
was
about
50
days
later
in
June.
(3) Tabernacles was a week starting on the 15th of the 7th month (October) Therefore, these were the
main fixed times on the Jewish Calendar, around which religious life revolved. John clearly believed
that
the
utterances
of
Jesus at these occasions were especially significant. The Feasts were full of prophetic significance, and
so
Jesus,
as
the
Messiah,
must
personally
fulfil
these Feasts, and John’s Gospel shows how He did this. Thus most of the
action in John takes place around the Feasts, and what happened between
these
appointed
times
is
supplied
by
the
other
Gospels.
First of we shall reconstruct the overall chronology of Jesus from John.
1. His Birth was on the Feast of Tabernacles (2 BC). “The Word became flesh and dwelt
(TABERNACLED) among us and we beheld His glory”(John 1:14). The glory of God (Christ) coming
and dwelling in a human Temple or Tabernacle is a clear fulfilment of the Feast. Solomon’s Temple
was
also
dedicated
and
filled
with
God’s
glory
at
Tabernacles.
2. His Ministry started when He was close to His 30th Birthday (Luke3:23) Therefore, this was about
Tabernacles
AD
29.
3. We also know Jesus died at Passover AD 33, as our Passover Lamb. Thus His Ministry was three
and a half years, as confirmed by Luke 13:6-9 and by the Feasts in John (as we shall see).
4. Thus His total life on earth was exactly 33.5 years from Tabernacles (15/7/2 BC) to Passover (14/1/33
AD)!
The
Feasts
in
John. There
are
3
Passovers
in
John:
1. John 2:13 is clearly His first Passover in ministry (AD 30)
2. As we shall see the Passover of AD 31 is not mentioned.
3. John 6:4 mentions the Passover of AD 32 (Feeding the 5,000).
4. John 11:55 mentions the final Passover of AD 33 at which Christ died. This shows how John spans
the
three
and
a
half
years
of
ministry.
There is also an unnamed Feast in John 5:1, upon which opinion is divided between Passover (1st
month) and Tabernacles (7th month). I choose the latter as Passovers are always mentioned by name
in John. However, Tabernacles is often just called ‘the Feast’ (John 7:2,10,14,37). Whichever it is, we
can
fix
the
year
to
AD
31,
from
other
clues.
We can date John 4:35 in Samaria to January/February AD 31 (see page 45), which means the Feast
of 5:1 must be after this, either Passover or Tabernacles AD 31, but no later than this, because the
Passover of AD 32 is John 6:4. This is confirmed by the incident of the disciples picking ripe corn in
Luke 6:1 (Matt 12:1, Mark 2:23) which must be Springtime, and its position in the accounts make AD
30
too
early
and
32
too
late.
Thus
we
have
The
The
Feast
Feast
of
of
justified
the
Tabernacles
Dedication
existence
of
the
unmentioned
AD
32
(October)
is
(December
32/January
Passover
of
AD
31.
mentioned
in
John
7:2.
33)
is
in
John
10:22
It remains to demonstrate the chronology of John’s Gospel, and how it gives the backbone for hanging
the
added
information
from
the
other
Gospels.
1.
John
1:1-18: Jesus,
the
Word
in
eternity
past,
born
at Tabernacles (2
BC).
2. John 1:19-4:42: First Phase of Ministry (only in John’s Gospel)
a) 1:19-2:11 gives a two week sequence (see page 8 on), soon after Tabernacles 29
b) 2:12, “After this” covers the 6 month jump to the next Passover 30 (2:13)
c) 2:13-3-21 covers events at Passover 30 in Jerusalem.
d) 3:22 “After these things” is a move to a Judean and Samaritan ministry (3:22-4:42)
3. John 4:43 -5:47: Second Phase of Ministry until Feeding of the 5,000 at Passover 32. (Matthew 4:1714:12, Mark 1:14-6:30, Luke 4:14-9:10).
a) 4:43: “After 2 days” (February 31) gives the transition to new ministry in Galilee.
b)
5:1:
“After
these
things”
covers
the
jump
to Tabernacles 31.
c) 5:1-47:
covers
events
at Tabernacles 31
in
Jerusalem.
:
4. John 6:1-71: Third Phase of Ministry (from Passover 32 to Tabernacles 32) (Matthew 14:13-18:35,
Mark 6:31-9:50, Luke 9:10-50)
a) 6:1: “After these things” covers the 6 month jump to just before Passover 32.
b)
6:1-71:
covers
events
near Passover 32.
5. John 7:1-11:57: Fourth Phase of Ministry (from Tabernacles 32 - Passover 33). (Matthew 19:120:34, Mark 10:1-52 and Luke 9:51-19:28 - for more detail)
a) 7:1: “After these things” covers the 6 month jump to Tabernacles 32.
b) 7:1-10:21: covers events at Tabernacles 32.
c) 10:22-39: covers events at Dedication 32/33.
d)
10:40-11:57;
covers
events
leading
up
to Passover 33.
6. John 12:1-21:25: Fifth Phase of Ministry (at Passover 33). Death and Resurrection. (Matthew 21:1
on, Mark 11:1 on, and Luke 19:29 on).
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN
The Gospel according to John is quite different in character from the three
synoptic gospels. It is highly literary and symbolic. It does not follow the
same order or reproduce the same stories as the synoptic gospels. To a
much greater degree, it is the product of a developed theological reflection
and grows out of a different circle and tradition. It was probably written in
the 90s of the first century.
The Gospel of John begins with a magnificent prologue, which states
many of the major themes and motifs of the gospel, much as an overture
does for a musical work. The prologue proclaims Jesus as the preexistent
and incarnate Word of God who has revealed the Father to us. The rest of
the first chapter forms the introduction to the gospel proper and consists of
the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus (there is no baptism of Jesus in this
gospel—John simply points him out as the Lamb of God), followed by
stories of the call of the first disciples, in which various titles predicated of
Jesus in the early church are presented.
The gospel narrative contains a series of “signs”—the gospel’s word for
the wondrous deeds of Jesus. The author is primarily interested in the
significance of these deeds, and so interprets them for the reader by
various reflections, narratives, and discourses. The first sign is the
transformation of water into wine at Cana (Jn 2:1–11); this represents the
replacement of the Jewish ceremonial washings and symbolizes the entire
creative and transforming work of Jesus. The second sign, the cure of the
royal official’s son (Jn 4:46–54) simply by the word of Jesus at a distance,
signifies the power of Jesus’ life-giving word. The same theme is further
developed by other signs, probably for a total of seven. The third sign, the
cure of the paralytic at the pool with five porticoes in chap. 5, continues
the theme of water offering newness of life. In the preceding chapter, to
the woman at the well in Samaria Jesus had offered living water springing
up to eternal life, a symbol of the revelation that Jesus brings; here Jesus’
life-giving word replaces the water of the pool that failed to bring life. Jn
6 contains two signs, the multiplication of loaves and the walking on the
waters of the Sea of Galilee. These signs are connected much as the manna
and the crossing of the Red Sea are in the Passover narrative and
symbolize a new exodus. The multiplication of the loaves is interpreted for
the reader by the discourse that follows, where the bread of life is used
first as a figure for the revelation of God in Jesus and then for the
Eucharist. After a series of dialogues reflecting Jesus’ debates with the
Jewish authorities at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jn 7; 8, the sixth sign is
presented in Jn 9, the sign of the young man born blind. This is a narrative
illustration of the theme of conflict in the preceding two chapters; it
proclaims the triumph of light over darkness, as Jesus is presented as the
Light of the world. This is interpreted by a narrative of controversy
between the Pharisees and the young man who had been given his sight by
Jesus, ending with a discussion of spiritual blindness and spelling out the
symbolic meaning of the cure. And finally, the seventh sign, the raising of
Lazarus in chap. 11, is the climax of signs. Lazarus is presented as a token
of the real life that Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, who will now
ironically be put to death because of his gift of life to Lazarus, will give to
all who believe in him once he has been raised from the dead.
After the account of the seven signs, the “hour” of Jesus arrives, and the
author passes from sign to reality, as he moves into the discourses in the
upper room that interpret the meaning of the passion, death, and
resurrection narratives that follow. The whole gospel of John is a
progressive revelation of the glory of God’s only Son, who comes to
reveal the Father and then returns in glory to the Father. The author’s
purpose is clearly expressed in what must have been the original ending of
the gospel at the end of Jn 20: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book. But these are
written that you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son
of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.”
Critical analysis makes it difficult to accept the idea that the gospel as it
now stands was written by one person. Jn 21 seems to have been added
after the gospel was completed; it exhibits a Greek style somewhat
different from that of the rest of the work. The prologue (Jn 1:1–18)
apparently contains an independent hymn, subsequently adapted to serve
as a preface to the gospel. Within the gospel itself there are also some
inconsistencies, e.g., there are two endings of Jesus’ discourse in the upper
room (Jn 14:31; 18:1). To solve these problems, scholars have proposed
various rearrangements that would produce a smoother order. However,
most have come to the conclusion that the inconsistencies were probably
produced by subsequent editing in which homogeneous materials were
added to a shorter original.
Other difficulties for any theory of eyewitness authorship of the gospel in
its present form are presented by its highly developed theology and by
certain elements of its literary style. For instance, some of the wondrous
deeds of Jesus have been worked into highly effective dramatic scenes (Jn
9); there has been a careful attempt to have these followed by discourses
that explain them (Jn 5; 6); and the sayings of Jesus have been woven into
long discourses of a quasi-poetic form resembling the speeches of
personified Wisdom in the Old Testament.
The gospel contains many details about Jesus not found in the synoptic
gospels, e.g., that Jesus engaged in a baptizing ministry (Jn 3:22) before he
changed to one of preaching and signs; that Jesus’ public ministry lasted
for several years (see note on Jn 2:13); that he traveled to Jerusalem for
various festivals and met serious opposition long before his death (Jn
2:14–25; 5; 7–8); and that he was put to death on the day before Passover
(Jn 18:28). These events are not always in chronological order because of
the development and editing that took place. However, the accuracy of
much of the detail of the fourth gospel constitutes a strong argument that
the Johannine tradition rests upon the testimony of an eyewitness.
Although tradition identified this person as John, the son of Zebedee, most
modern scholars find that the evidence does not support this.
The fourth gospel is not simply history; the narrative has been organized
and adapted to serve the evangelist’s theological purposes as well. Among
them are the opposition to the synagogue of the day and to John the
Baptist’s followers, who tried to exalt their master at Jesus’ expense, the
desire to show that Jesus was the Messiah, and the desire to convince
Christians that their religious belief and practice must be rooted in Jesus.
Such theological purposes have impelled the evangelist to emphasize
motifs that were not so clear in the synoptic account of Jesus’ ministry,
e.g., the explicit emphasis on his divinity.
The polemic between synagogue and church produced bitter and harsh
invective, especially regarding the hostility toward Jesus of the
authorities—Pharisees and Sadducees—who are combined and referred to
frequently as “the Jews” (see note on Jn 1:19). These opponents are even
described in Jn 8:44 as springing from their father the devil, whose
conduct they imitate in opposing God by rejecting Jesus, whom God has
sent. On the other hand, the author of this gospel seems to take pains to
show that women are not inferior to men in the Christian community: the
woman at the well in Samaria (Jn 4) is presented as a prototype of a
missionary (Jn 4:4–42), and the first witness of the resurrection is a
woman (Jn 20:11–18).
The final editing of the gospel and arrangement in its present form
probably dates from between A.D. 90 and 100. Traditionally, Ephesus has
been favored as the place of composition, though many support a location
in Syria, perhaps the city of Antioch, while some have suggested other
places, including Alexandria.
The principal divisions of the Gospel according to John are the following:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Prologue (1:1–18)
The Book of Signs (1:19–12:50)
The Book of Glory (13:1–20:31)
Epilogue: The Resurrection Appearance in Galilee (21:1–25)
I. Prologue*
Copyright 2019-2023 USCCB, please revie
https://bibleprophecyandtruth.com/theGospels/theGospels
1. 1. Question
1 points
Why was John the Baptist sent from God?
o
1.
To show humility by his simplistic life
o
2.
To perform miracles and signs
o
3.
To bear witness of the light
o
4.
To explain the writings of the prophets
Correct
To bear witness of the light. John 1:6-7
2. 2. Question
1 points
What did John the Baptist say when he saw Jesus?
o
1.
Behold the Saviour of the world!
o
2.
Hosanna in the highest!
o
3.
You are the true Son of God
o
4.
Behold the Lamb of God!
Correct
Behold the Lamb of God! John 1:36
3. 3. Question
1 points
Where did Jesus see Nathanael?
o
1.
Under the fig tree
o
2.
Under the almond branch
o
3.
Within the house
o
4.
At the gate of the temple
Correct
Under the fig tree. John 1:48
4. 4. Question
1 points
What happened at the marriage of Cana?
o
1.
Jesus condemned materialism
o
2.
Jesus turned water into wine
o
3.
Jesus healed a crippled man
o
4.
Jesus forgave the couple's sins
Correct
Jesus turned water into wine. John 2:1-10
5. 5. Question
1 points
To whom did Jesus say, “You must be born again”?
o
1.
His mother Mary
o
2.
A close friend
o
3.
Peter
o
4.
Nicodemus
Correct
Nicodemus. John 3:1
6. 6. Question
1 points
What did Jesus say he could give the woman of Samaria?
o
1.
Bread of life
o
2.
Living water
o
3.
Eternal life
o
4.
Forgiveness of sins
Correct
Living water. John 4:9-10
7. 7. Question
1 points
How long had the infirm man lay at the pool of Bethesda?
o
1.
4 months
o
2.
21 years
o
3.
38 years
o
4.
41 years
Correct
38 years. John 5:5
8. 8. Question
1 points
Which of these is not declared as a witness of Jesus?
o
1.
John the Baptist
o
2.
The work God gave Jesus
o
3.
God
o
4.
Nature and creation
Correct
Nature and creation. John 5:31-47
9. 9. Question
1 points
What teaching of Jesus did the Jews not understand?
o
1.
The kingdom of God is at hand
o
2.
I am the way, the truth and the life
o
3.
I am the bread which came down from heaven
o
4.
He who is not for me, is against me
Incorrect
I am the bread which came down from heaven. John 6:41
10.
10. Question
1 points
What did Jesus say to those who accused the adulteress?
o
1.
He that is without sin, let him first cast a stone
o
2.
Take her and stone her
o
3.
You hypocrites, let each look first to his own house
o
4.
Put her in jail
Correct
He that is without sin, let him first cast a stone. John 8:7
11.
11. Question
1 points
Which two signs, or miracles, are also recorded in other gospel records?
o
1.
Feeding of the 5,000 and raising of Lazarus
o
2.
Feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walks on water
o
3.
Raising of Lazarus and the draught of fishes
o
4.
The ruler's son healed and the draught of fishes
Incorrect
Feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walks on water. John 6
12.
12. Question
1 points
How did Jesus heal the blind man?
o
1.
He touched his eyes and scales fell off them
o
2.
He anointed his eyes with oil
o
3.
He anointed his eyes with clay and told him to wash
o
4.
He took him to the best doctor in Israel
Correct
He anointed his eyes with clay and told him to wash. John 9:6-7
13.
13. Question
1 points
Which profession does Jesus compare himself to spiritually?
o
1.
Shepherd
o
2.
Lawyer
o
3.
Dentist
o
4.
Fisherman
Correct
Shepherd. John 10:11
14.
14. Question
1 points
What are the names of Lazarus’ sisters?
o
1.
Martha and Ruth
o
2.
Joanna and Salome
o
3.
Salome and Mary
o
4.
Mary and Martha
Correct
Mary and Martha. John 11:19
15.
15. Question
1 points
What did Jesus do to the disciples before the Last Supper?
o
1.
Had a big party with them
o
2.
Took them to KFC
o
3.
Anointed their heads
o
4.
Washed their feet
Correct
Washed their feet. John 13:5
16.
16. Question
1 points
What did Jesus say he would leave with the disciples?
o
1.
All His belongings
o
2.
Hope
o
3.
Love
o
4.
Peace
Correct
Peace. John 14:27
17.
17. Question
1 points
What relation was Annas to Caiaphas?
o
1.
Father-in-law
o
2.
Son
o
3.
Grandfather
o
4.
Nephew
Incorrect
Father-in-law. John 18:13
18.
18. Question
1 points
Where was Peter standing when he denied Jesus for the second time?
o
1.
In the streets outside the high priest's yard
o
2.
Warming himself at the fire
o
3.
In the garden of Gethsemane
o
4.
At the foot of the cross
Incorrect
Warming himself at the fire. John 18:18,25
19.
19. Question
1 points
What colour robe did Pilate’s soldiers put on Jesus?
o
1.
Red
o
2.
Green
o
3.
White
o
4.
Purple
Correct
Purple. John 19:2
20.
20. Question
1 points
How many fish were caught in the miracle of the draught of fishes?
o
1.
5
o
2.
62
o
3.
153
o
4.
201
Incorrect
153. John 21:11