The great themes of John’s gospel demand a preacher’s attention. There are six features which are crucial to understanding and proclaiming its message.
It is evangelistic in its aim
John spells out his purpose explicitly in 20:31. The evangelist wishes each reader to come to stand in the shoes of Thomas and cry out, “My Lord and my God.” (20:28) He emphasizes the conflict between belief and unbelief, between light and darkness. John stresses the work of the Holy Spirit in new birth (1:12-13; 3:1-8) and the believer’s personal, present possession of eternal life (5:24). Our eternal destiny turns on our personal attitude to Christ (3:36; 8:24). In our pluralistic society, this clear-cut message needs to be underlined.
It is systematic in its arrangement
John works from a definite plan: to display the glory of Christ in His words and works. In these, Christ reveals the glory of the Father (1:14, 18; 2:11; 14:7, 9; 17:4, 6, 26). The gospel can be outlined as a development of that plan. Note that the narrative flows towards its climax at the cross and resurrection.
The Prologue (1:1-18). This unique paragraph introduces the theme of the gospel—God’s full revelation in Christ—and also the book’s leading terms e.g. life, light, the world, and belief.
The Revelation of Christ’s Glory to the world (1:19-12:50). This lengthy history records the public ministry of our Lord from His baptism to just prior to His betrayal. Most of the events take place in and around Jerusalem.
The Revelation of Christ’s Glory to the apostles (13:1-17:26). The upper room ministry is a distinctively private ministry to the apostles (13:1; 14:22). In it, the Lord Jesus unfolds the features of the present age, especially the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Revelation of Christ’s Glory in His cross and resurrection (18:1-21:25). John uniquely presents the crucifixion as the first stage in the Saviour’s glorification. His humiliation resulted in His exaltation. In His death, the Lord Jesus supremely revealed and glorified the Father (8:28; 12:23-24; 13:31-32). This section concludes with an epilogue recording a resurrection appearance at the Sea of Galilee.
It is distinctive in its content
The first three gospels are called the synoptics because they share the same viewpoint. John presents the life of the Lord very differently. 92% of his material is unique. He alone records Jesus’ conversations with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. The upper room discourse is only found here. He especially stresses the sayings of the Lord Jesus. Approximately 80% of his content records the spoken words of Christ. Also notice the omissions: the nativity, the temptation, all the parables, most of the miracles, the agony in Gethsemane, and the ascension. John has nothing to say about the Lord casting out demons.
It is factual in its character
John is written as a narrative of historic events. “Witness” is a key word (1:8, 15; 5:30-47; 15:26-27; 18:37). The evangelist himself is presented as an eye-witness (1:14). This is especially so in the accounts of the crucifixion (19:35) and resurrection (20:8, 20; 21:24). He is writing for those who did not see these great events so that they might believe on the strength of his testimony (20:29). Christianity rests on objective facts based upon credible evidence. We must proclaim that Jesus physically died and rose again as we face the denials of these truths from Islam, religious liberalism, and a revived Gnosticism. John was probably combating similar errors.
It is reflective in its style
This gospel is the fruit of long years of meditation. John probably wrote it as a very elderly man towards the end of the first century. He not only records facts but their spiritual meaning. The promise of the ministry of the Holy Spirit given in 14:26 is especially fulfilled in the writing of this gospel. On several occasions, we are explicitly told that the apostles did not understand the significance of certain events until after the resurrection (2:22; 12:16; 20:9). Throughout the gospel, John reflects on the inner import of the history he records. This is particularly seen in the prologue. He always calls the miracles “signs” (2:11, 18, 23; 6:2; 12:37; 20:31), a point obscured in the King James Version. They are not only deeds of power but have definite spiritual significance. John is very selective in his choice of the “signs” which he records. There are only eight in all, seven before the resurrection, and one after it: the turning of water into wine (2:1-11), the healing of the nobleman’s son (4:46-54), the healing at the pool of Bethesda (5:1-15), the feeding of the five thousand (6:1-15), the walking on the water (6:16-21), the granting of sight to the man born blind (9:1-41), the raising of Lazarus (11:1-57), and the miraculous catch of fish (21:3-11). A key point is that in four of these signs there is a close link between the sign and the saying of Christ which bring out its significance. The incident at Bethesda leads on to a series of sovereign claims made by the Lord Jesus (5:16-47). The feeding of the five thousand precedes the sermon on the Bread of Life (6:25-29). The healing of the blind man comes after the declaration by Jesus that He is the Light of the World (8:12; 9:5). Finally, the Lord affirms that He is the Resurrection and the Life in the context of the climatic sign of the raising of Lazarus (11:25-26).
It is Christ-centered in its challenge
Throughout John, the identity of Jesus is inescapably thrust upon us. Neutrality is impossible. Do we accept His claims, supported by His signs, or not? The prologue asserts the Lord’s full deity (1:1) and no less clearly His real incarnation (1:14). John presents the Lord Jesus as truly human with the physical needs and emotional responses of a man (4:6; 11:33, 38; 12:27; 13:21). Nonetheless He is truly God, claiming a unique relationship with the Father which implies His deity—a point which His opponents grasped only too clearly (5:17-18). The seven “I am” sayings of Christ represent an assertion of His right to the unique title of the God of Israel (6:35; 8:12; 10:9, 11; 11:25; 14:16; 15:1). These could form an excellent basis for a series. Even more striking is the unqualified claim of 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I am”—a declaration by the Lord of His eternal and uncreated self-existence. Yet Jesus did not act independently of the Father (5:19; 8:28). Rather, He always brought Him pleasure (8:29). He was conscious that He had been sent by the Father into the world to fulfill His purposes of revelation and redemption (10:36). He summed up His whole ministry in these words: “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father” (16:28).
The Holy Spirit is sent to glorify the Lord Jesus (16:14). May He fulfill that ministry by enabling us to expound this gospel so that our hearers may behold the glory of Christ, the Word and Lamb of God, and receive from His infinite fullness grace upon grace (1:16).
Further reading
There is a vast amount of literature on John’s Gospel. I have found the following books especially helpful.
D. Carson, The Gospel According to John, Pillar Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1991). Well worth referring to for detailed exegesis.
D. Gooding, In the School of Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Gospel Folio Press, 1995). An outstanding treatment of the upper room ministry.
B. Milne, The Message of John, Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England: IVP, 1993). Contemporary paragraph-by-paragraph exposition.
H. St. John, Behold My Glory, vol. 2 of Collected Writings of H. St. John (Glasgow, Scotland: GTP, 1989). Devotional development of the theme of Christ’s Glory in John’s Gospel.