Bible

In the Bible room today, we begin reading the Gospel of John, the apostle. Here is Session 1, the summaries of chapters 1, 2, and 3.

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John

Session 1

Introduction:

Writer: John. Though this book does not include the name of the writer, early church leaders have stated with certainty that it was written by the apostle John. A first cousin of Jesus, John was originally a disciple of John the Baptist, and a fisherman with his brother, James, and his father, Zebedee. As one of the twelve disciples called by Jesus to help Him spread the Good News of the New Covenant, John was an eye witness of all the things he has written about.

Scope: Originally written in Greek, perhaps two decades, or more, after the resurrection of Jesus, John states that his purpose in writing this Gospel is to strengthen all believers in their faith, and to persuade all those who may later become believers.

Chapter 1. Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God:

• And the Word was God;
• Everything was made through Him;
• Nothing was made without Him;
• Life was in Him, and it was the light of men;
• It shines in darkness, and darkness does not understand it;
• There was (another) man named John sent from God;
• He was not the Light but was sent as a witness for that Light;
• That he might lead many to believe;
• That Light gives life to everyone who is born into the world;
• He made the world, and then He was in the world;
• But the world did not know Him;
• He came to His own people, and they did not receive Him;
• But all those who received Him would become children of God;
• The Word became a man, and lived among His people;
• He was the only Son of God, full of grace and truth;
• John, the witness, preaches in the wilderness:
• This is the One he has said is coming, One who is above John;
• The law came through Moses, but grace is through Jesus Christ;
• Priests and Levites come to ask John who he is:
• He says he is not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor a Prophet;
• He is a voice in the wilderness preaching the coming Lord;
• John says he is baptizing people in water;
• But there is One among them who is far above John;
• The next day John meets Jesus, the One of whom he speaks;
• He says Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away sin;
• John witnessed the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus;
• And heard the voice from heaven that He is the Son of God;
• The next day John introduces two of his disciples to Jesus;
• He tells them Jesus is the Lamb of God, so they follow Him;
• One of them is named Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother;
• Andrew then goes to find his own brother, Simon;
• He tells him: We have found the Messiah, the Christ;
• When Jesus sees Simon, He tells him he will be called Cephas;
• (The writer says Cephas is translated ‘A Stone;’)
• The next day they start walking toward Galilee;
• On the way, Jesus meets Philip, says to him: Follow Me;
• Philip finds Nathanael, tells him to come see Jesus of Nazareth;
• Nathanael asks if anything good can ever come from that city;
• When Jesus sees Nathanael walking toward Him, He remarks:
• Here comes Nathanael, a pure Israelite who is without deceit;
• Nathanael is surprised that Jesus already knows him;
• He says: Jesus, you are the Son of God, the King of Israel;
• Jesus says as a believer, he will see greater things than this;
• He will see the heavens open, and the angels of God;
• They will be ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

Chapter 2. Signs

Three days later Jesus is in Cana, along with His mother and His disciples:

• They are all there to attend a wedding;
• When they run out of wine, the mother of Jesus tells Him:
• There is no more wine; Jesus tells her it’s no concern of His;
• He says His time has not yet come;
• His mother tells the servants to obey whatever Jesus says;
• They have six twenty-and thirty-gallon stone waterpots;
• Jesus tells the servants to fill all the waterpots with water;
• This they do, filling them to the brim;
• Jesus tells them to take some to the leader of the party;
• He tastes the wine, does not know where it has come from;
• But the servants all know what has happened;
• The leader of the party calls for the bridegroom;
• He tells him he has kept the good wine until now;
• In Cana of Galilee Jesus has begun giving signs of His power;
• He has manifested His glory, and His disciples believe in Him;
• After this, Jesus goes to Capernaum with His mother;
• His disciples also go with them but they do not stay there long;
• The day of Passover has come and Jesus goes to Jerusalem;
• In the temple, He finds business men buying and selling;
• Jesus makes a whip of cords and drives them out of the temple;
• He tells them not to do business in His Father’s house;
• The Jews ask Jesus for a sign since He can do these things;
• He says: Destroy the temple, He will rebuild it in three days;
• They say it has taken forty-six years to build this temple,
• And Jesus says He can rebuild it in three days?
• Jesus was speaking of the temple of His body;
• Later, after Jesus has risen from the grave,
• The disciples remember His saying this in the temple;
• And this helped them to believe the scriptures and in Jesus;
• During Passover Jesus performs many signs;
• Seeing these signs, there are many who believe in His name.

Chapter 3. Life

A leader of the Jews named Nicodemus, a Pharisee, comes to Jesus at night:

• He has seen some miracles and knows Jesus is from God;
• Jesus tells him one must be born again to see God’s kingdom;
• He must be born of water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom;
• Jesus says we don’t understand everything about the wind;
• So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit;
• Nicodemus does not understand, he still has questions;
• Jesus tells him he will not understand heavenly things;
• Only one man has entered heaven,
• And come down from heaven: That is the Son of Man;
• As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
• Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, and those who
• Believe in Him will not perish but will have eternal life;
• For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son
• That those who believe in Him will not perish,
• But they will have everlasting life;
• God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
• But that through Him the world might be saved;
• Those who do not believe in Him are already condemned;
• Light has come into the world, but men love darkness;
• They hate the light which exposes their evil behavior;
• But those who love truth have come into the light of God;
• Jesus and His disciples continue baptizing in Judea;
• John was also baptizing as he had not yet been put in prison;
• Some of John’s disciples and some of the Jews are arguing:
• They have heard about the One baptizing beyond the Jordon;
• He had previously been with John, about whom he testified;
• So, they ask John about this One who is gaining followers;
• John reminds them he had said he is not the Christ;
• But he has been sent to go before Him;
• John says he is like the close friend of a bridegroom
• Who rejoices along with the bridegroom; His joy is complete;
• He who comes from heaven is above all;
• He who has come from God has the words of God;
• He who believes in the Son has everlasting life;
• But he who does not believe will see the wrath of God.

End of Session 1 of the book of John.