John 20:30-31 - The Gospel of John (Rev. Erik Veerman)
John 20:30-31 - The Gospel of John
We’re starting a new sermon series this morning in the Gospel of John. Or more precisely the Gospel According to John. John is one of the four books in the Bible which considers the life and ministry of Jesus. The others are Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
We’re 5 and 1/2 years into our existence as a church and we have yet to work through one of the Gospel narratives chapter by chapter. That is not to say that we have not had sermons in the different Gospel accounts. For example such as during Advent and Easter. And as some of you know, David Fraser has preached a few sermons in Mark.
By the way, I haven’t been avoiding going through one of the Gospels. It’s just a big task. John has 20 chapters and some of them are long. Some pastors have taken two years to work through John. We won’t take that long, but it will take over a year to complete.
Now, if you look at your sermon text, you may be slightly confused. We’ll be starting with chapter 20 verses 30 and 31. That is because those two verses explicitly tell us the purpose of the book. Today’s sermon will be an overview. We’ll cover the author and audience and the book’s purpose and various themes. Then next week, we’ll get into its iconic opening.
So, if you would please turn to John 20, verses 30 and 31. That is on page ??
Reading of John 20:30-31
Prayer
Isn’t it nice to have such a clear purpose statement? We’re given 3 aspects to the book’s purpose John 20:31.
· First, it says, “These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ” In other words, the author wants the reader to believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
· Second, that he is the Son of God. Jesus is more than a mere man. He is also God in the flesh.
· And third, it says, “and that by believing, you may have life in his name.” Believing these things is not merely intellectual. No, they have life-changing results. As mentioned throughout the book– eternal life.
So, God has given us the Gospel of John, that we may believe in Jesus and have life everlasting.
I’ve read John several times in the last few months in preparation for this series. Quite honestly, it’s overwhelming how many times the word “believe” is used. There are just over 80 uses of the word “believe” (In the Greek, it’s the word pisteo – believing something which is trusted). 18 of those uses are about not believing.
Throughout the book, we’re called to believe, and given examples of believing, but we’re also told the consequences of not believing and are given some examples of what it means to not believe – a majority of those are the religious establishment.
Well, that brings us to some important questions.
Who was the human author? Who was he writing to? What was their situation? And how does he make case to believe in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God?
My goal is to answer those questions this morning.
We’ll go through those in 5 points. And all 5 start with the letter “J.” You know, J for “John.” Maybe that will help you remember.
1. the first “j” is actually for “John” himself. Addressing the question of the author.
2. Second, Jews. They are the primary audience, although not exclusively.
3. Third, Jerusalem. That is the setting for the majority of the book.
4. The fourth “J” is, you guessed it, Jesus. Really, he is the big emphasis. You could, of course, say that about all four Gospels. However, this book focuses in on Jesus’ nature and identity.
5. And the last “J” is Jehovah. Jehovah is a derivative of the Hebrew word Yahweh for God himself. I would rather use the word Yahweh or the LORD, but it didn’t start with a J. John focuses not only on Jesus but on God himself.
So that is where we are headed. John, Jews, Jerusalem, Jesus, and Jehovah.
1. John
Now, as far as the author, you may be thinking, “well, of course it’s John, that’s the title of the book.” Well, yes, but titles were given by the early church in the second century. So, John is the traditional author. But interestingly, the author never directly identifies himself in the book.
However, there is an overwhelming consensus that the human author of this book is the Apostle John. Not John the Baptist. We’ll get to him in the first chapter, but rather John who was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples.
And the case is pretty strong. The author speaks of being a disciple of Jesus and being a witness about the things he wrote. That narrows it. He’s present at the Last Supper where he indicates that he reclined next to Jesus. He was also one of the three closest to Jesus – he mentions that. Jesus calls out to this author on the cross to care for Mary, Jesus’ mother. And the author mentions that he outruns Peter to the tomb. John and Peter were very close.
What seals the deal for me is that the author mentions almost all of the other disciples but never himself. That was a common stylistic approach of the time. He wanted to keep the focus on Jesus rather than himself.
By the way, I’m of course referring to the human author. The apostle John, like the other authors, were carried along by the Holy Spirit as 2 Peter 1 puts it. That doesn’t take away from the human situation at all. The Scriptures are communicated at specific times by specific authors to specific people. And all of that is a blessing as we seek to apply it to our situation.
2. Jews
Ok, number 2 – John’s primary audience was the Jewish community. The themes in the book overwhelmingly connect to various Old Testament matters including the temple, the sabbath, different feasts, Moses (including a mention of the manna from heaven), and Abraham.
Furthermore, many of the interactions that Jesus has are with the Jewish leaders or people in the Jewish community - not exclusively, but overwhelmingly. Think about Jesus and the woman at the well – she was a Samaritan, so she was sort of Jewish but not really. However, Jesus met her at Jacob’s well. Jacob was one of Israel’s patriarchs and she mentions him as their forefather and she also says that the Messiah is coming. So, even with her, the conversation references Old Testament ideas.
Also, consider our sermon text again - chapter 20 verse 31. John’s stated purpose is that his audience may believe that Jesus is the Christ.
Throughout the book, John mentions the fulfillment of the Scriptures multiple times. He quotes various Old Testament books. A few of the signs that Jesus performed, which John testifies to, are connected to Jesus fulfilling the prophecies of the Messiah.
To say it again, the primary audience in John’s mind were the Jews, however, he desired the Gentile community to believe as well. It is important for both Jews and Gentiles to understand the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets.
In fact, in my interactions with people unfamiliar with the Bible, I usually recommend they read the Gospel of John. My reason is that this book is clear about who Jesus is and about saving faith in him alone and the call to believe. It also introduces all Scripture and testifies to God’s promises and how they are fulfilled.
I am not saying that the other Gospel accounts are not as clear. They are but in different ways.
So, John’s audience was primarily Jewish. As we get to the next points - Jerusalem and Jesus and Jehovah - we’ll see that even further emphasized.
3. Jerusalem.
Which brings us to the third “J” – Jerusalem. A vast majority of this book took place in Jerusalem. This is different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The majority of those accounts took place up north in Galilee.
And almost half of the Gospel of John happened in the week leading up to and just after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Almost all of that took place in Jerusalem. Even in the first 12 chapters of the book, many of the interactions took place in Jerusalem.
But you ask, why does that matter?
Well, there are two important historical reasons.
First, John was writing after the temple had been destroyed in 70 AD – perhaps 10 years or so after. The other Gospel accounts were written before the temple was destroyed. And, as you can imagine, after the temple was destroyed the Jewish community was devastated. And so, one thing that John emphasizes is how Jesus fulfills and is greater than the temple. Consider chapter 1 verse 17. It says, “and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The idea of God dwelling with his people was directly related to the temple and tabernacle before it. And now, John tells us that Jesus has dwelt among us. In chapter 2, Jesus even refers to himself as the temple. And as he puts it in chapter 15 - he abides in us and we in him.
Jerusalem was an important setting for John to reveal Jesus as the fulfillment of the temple and also of the various feasts connected to the temple.
So that is one important thing related to Jerusalem.
Second, John wrote his Gospel shortly after Christianity was no longer considered a sect of Judaism. For the three to four decades following Jesus’ resurrection, Christianity was seen as a subset of Judaism. However, over time, that changed. That was partly because the Gospel had been travelling far and wide among the Gentiles. But also, over time, the Jewish establishment distanced themselves from the Christians and even kicked them out of the synagogues.
It was very important for John to reinforce the connection between Christianity and the redemptive history of Israel. And Jerusalem was central to God revealing himself to Israel and the world.
What I am saying is that our history, as Christians, is connected to Jerusalem and the temple and the festivals of old. Their ultimate fulfillment in the cross of Christ. Maybe you’ve heard me say this before, but there is no such thing as only being a New Testament Christian. No, all of Scripture testifies to God and Christ and is profitable for believers.
John wanted to make that abundantly clear. Just because Christianity was no longer socially associated with Judaism, it in no way negated the redemptive history found in the Old Testament. Rather Christianity believes that Jesus has fulfilled their promises and prophecies. And he wanted the Jewish people to know and believe that.
Ok, let me pause here. I know that is a lot of information. This sermon probably feels more like a lecture than a sermon. That is in part because of the nature of an intro sermon. However, I don’t want this to be void of compelling application in our hearts and minds.
4. Jesus
Which that brings us to the fourth “J” - Jesus. Again, of course the book is about Jesus. But what is overwhelmingly compelling is how theologically rich is the case it makes for Jesus’ humanity and especially his divinity.
Over and over Jesus is referred to as the Son of God or the Son of Man – both of those testify to his human and divine natures. Think also about the opening chapter. We’re going to spend 3 Sundays on it. In the beginning was the Word. He was with God. He was God. All things were made through him. This Word is Jesus Christ.
We don’t often think about the Gospel of John being a theological treatise about Jesus, but it expounds the amazing depth of his natures and person.
Furthermore, John includes various “signs,” as he calls them, which testify to Jesus’ divine power. For example, Jesus raised Lazarus form the dead. He broke bread and fish and multiplied it for the crowds. He also walked on water. Who can do such things? Well, the very one through whom God created all things. While all the Gospels tell of Jesus’ miracles, John uses the term “signs” 3X more than the other Gospel writers
Another thing that is very clear in John is how the religious elite wanted to kill Jesus. Why did they want to kill him? Well, because he was committing, in their minds, blasphemy. Blasphemy was when someone claimed to be God. Jesus had said, “I and the father are one.” And he said that those who know him know God the Father.
5. Jehovah
But perhaps the most compelling testimony to Jesus’ divine nature are the “I AM” statement that Jesus makes throughout the book.
By the way, side note: we’re now transitioning to the last “J” Jehovah. Jehovah comes from the Hebrew word Yahweh, which means “I am.” When Moses was in the wilderness and saw the burning bush and approached it, God spoke to Moses. And Moses asked God who he was. God answered “I am who I am.” “I Am” is the word Yahweh. As I mentioned earlier, the word Jehovah is a derivative of that. It’s a Latin based word that some older translations use. More modern translations us all capitals, LORD.
Well, Jesus refers to himself multiple times as the “I AM.”
In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes 8 “I am” statements. As he does this, he is asserting his own divinity.
In chapter 8, when speaking to the Pharisees about Abraham, he said to them, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” He was directly referring to Moses interaction with God. Jesus was saying that he, himself, was the Covenant God. He is the great I AM. The pharisees knew exactly what he was saying because right after that, they picked up stone to kill him for blasphemy.
The other “I Am” statement similarly allude to his divinity. Some of them are metaphors.
· Jesus sais, “I am the bread of life”
· And “I am the light of the world”
· “I am the door”
· “I am the good Shepherd”
· “I am the true vine.”
· Before raising Lazarus, he says, “I am the resurrection and the life”
· He finally he says, “I am the way the truth and the life… no one comes to the Father except through me”
Each of these assert Jesus’ identity as the one through whom Salvation has come.
Now, besides emphasizing Jesus’ divinity, the John’s Gospel also reveals rich truths about God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
I love chapters 14-16. Those chapters give us a rich description of the Holy Spirit. Jesus teaches about the Helper whom he and the Father will send. He calls this helper the Spirit of Truth. Jesus says the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, and righteousness and truth. He will bring to remembrance Jesus’ teaching and bear witness to Jesus, himself.
You see, the Gospel of John presents a rich theology of the Trinity. It speaks not only of who Jesus is, but also of God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of John profoundly testifies to God’s nature and character and persons, all whom are equal in glory and power.
Conclusion and Belief
So, John, Jews, Jerusalem, Jesus, and Jehovah.
Through John and his Gospel, God has revealed the fullness of his Son. He’s fulfilled the temple ceremonies and presence as the one who dwelt among us. Jesus is one with God
as the great I AM. He is the Christ – the anointed Messiah. He is the door and the way and the resurrection. In him is life, and as chapter 1 says, his life is the light of man.
Before I bring this to a close, there’s one more thing I want to highlight.
There’s a phrase which we are going to come across in almost every chapter. When Jesus teaches, he often says “truly, truly, I say to you…” He says it 25 times in the book.
In more than half of them, Jesus appeals to his hearers that there is only one path to eternal life. Let me highlight some:
· Chapter 3 - Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God
· Chapter 5 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.
· Chapter 6 - Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you
· Chapter 8 - Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.
· And Chapter 13 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” He’s speaking about both the Holy Spirit whom he will send as well as God the Father who sent him.
You see, the entire book of John was written so that we may believe in him. He has been sent by the Father and he is the eternal God, creator of all things.
And his purpose in coming was to give his life that we may live.
In fact, all throughout John, he foretells of his death and resurrection. He uses indirect language, but he is clear about his mission.
· For example, in chapter 2, he says that if the temple is destroyed, he will raise it in three days. In that same chapter, John explicitly tells us that Jesus was referring to his body.
· In chapter 10, he says that he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.
· In three places he mentions that he will be lifted up. The lifting up language refers to how Jesus would die, which John explicitly mentions in chapter 12. He would be lifted up on the cross.
· Other references mention departing from this world and going to the Father.
The point is that Jesus’ mission was to die an atoning death for sin. And Jesus accomplished that mission. Going back to one of Jesus’ I AM statements. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he will live.”
The resurrection life that Jesus offers after death comes through his own death and resurrection.
You see, the Gospel of John does not leave us with only the call to believe but also the reasons to believe. It reveals to us, as each of the Gospel accounts do, how Jesus gives life. He gives life because he gave his life. As the most famous verse in all of the Bible says (John 3:16), “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The condemnation that all deserve has been absorbed by Jesus for those who believe.
My prayer is that as we journey through John with Jesus to Jerusalem, that we each would believe. That we would either come to believe in the Son of God or shore up our belief in the very Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us.