480page commentary on John's Gospel
SOON TO BE PUBLISHED!
The Gospel of John is the signature book of the Bible that exclaims the unmistakable Divinity of the person of Jesus Christ. Christianity has from its very inception, proclaimed that this Jesus was more than just a man; He was God incarnate – fully God, fully man, as He walked the earth. The claims in the book of John, overtly and covertly presuppose this truth.
Christian apologists like Josh McDowell would say there are only 3 alternatives as to who this Jesus is, given His amazing claim namely that, “He is who He claims to be or He is a liar or a lunatic.” Would the disciples and a whole movement suffer injustice, persecution, ostracism, and be prepared to give their lives, for a figment of their imagination, or a lie? It would seem highly unlikely.
No other person has had such a profound impact on humanity as this solitary life. The movement named after Him – ‘Christianity’ has revolutionized the world in so many ways, due to the impact of this 1 person, upon their lives. Kennedy in his book, ‘What If Jesus Had Never Been Born,’ surprises us, by showing how far-reaching the impact of Christ has been over the centuries, since He walked the earth. Charitable agencies – a result of Jesus’ teaching on the Good Samaritan. Value of women – Jesus elevated the status of women in society. Value of human life – Jesus preached to love friends & to love enemies also. The few mentioned here are by no means the full scope of influence that Christianity has had on society throughout the ages, from its humble beginnings.
The influence of this man is so beautifully highlighted in the words of James Francis’s, One Solitary Life:
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village, where He worked in a carpenters shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn’t go to college. He never visited a big city. He never travelled more than 200 miles from the place where He was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself.
He was about thirty when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for His garments, the only property He had on earth. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race.
All the armies that have ever marched, all the naves that ever sailed, all the parliaments that have ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as this solitary life.
His uniqueness transcends that of any man that has ever lived.
The purpose of this book is not to get embroiled in the scholarly debates that surround the authorship of the Gospel, debates on different passages, or when the book was written, eminent theologians have already written prolifically on these issues. There are however, extensive footnotes taken directly from various commentaries for each chapter, for those who wish to pursue more rigorous study, with references to key texts, which will expound on the technical aspects of the Greek language and scholarly debates. This publication can be read by any person desirous of understanding the Gospel’s content more clearly, in need of more proof for the divinity of Christ, or would like to make deeper connections within the Gospel, to the Old Testament; particularly from a Jewish perspective. The main passages are taken from the New King James Translation and other translations will be noted, where appropriate. Practical life lessons, are also given where possible; this is a publication which will meet the need of the keen Bible student, the pastor, the preacher, the casual reader, and someone who has never picked up a Bible before.
This work takes as fact, that the Gospel of John is indeed the writing of the disciple whom Jesus loved, as he identifies himself in John 21:20. It further holds, that what John wrote was under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, who oversaw its very content, in all its parts, and what he recorded, was what God intended to be recorded for the generation to which John wrote, and to all future generations of which we are one.
As we walk through sections of this Gospel my hope is to share with you its inherent beauty, its elegance and its vast depth, all of which contribute to the revelation of the Great ‘I AM.’ The Gospel of John demands more than a passing superficial read; to the astute reader who is prepared to dig beneath the surface, it will reveal pearls of great beauty, which will prove to be life changing. It is a magnificent tome, penned by John, to reveal God through Jesus, to humanity; who for the most part have sadly turned their back on God. God is not presented in this Gospel as some austere, inaccessible, transcendent deity; but rather as one who desires to meet with His creation. Humanity, has always, though somewhat unsuccessfully, sought to physically reach up to touch the divine (Gen11:4) as witnessed at the Tower of Babel; yet, here the Divine is the one who stoops from on high, to dwell and connect with the pinnacle of His creation – us! It is the most elaborate rescue plan known to humanity; a love story that surpasses all love stories. It is a story that takes the reader on a journey to bring meaning and hope to their existence. Meaning must be grounded in something greater than ourselves, and for that meaning to be found, one must believe in someone greater than ourselves. Through the pages of this Gospel, meaning will be found, in the person of Jesus Christ.
My sources for this study are varied, along with Jewish sources to enhance our appreciation of the Jewishness of our Messiah, and the important connection that John wants to make namely; that the Jesus of the New Testament is the very same as Yahweh of the Old Testament; the God of Israel. God manifest in the flesh! John unapologetically and explicitly states, that this is indeed his intention.
The heart of this book is that the Gospel of John will come alive to you in a fresh and new way, that it will be life changing and solidify your existing faith, and if you’re not quite sure about this Jesus of Christianity, that you will see through fresh eyes, and indeed believe.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16
