What can be determined about the gospel preached by John the Baptist? It can be established, from the Bible, that he taught:
With great regularity, those around Jesus understood his figurative language as literal: John 2:19,20; 3:3,4; 4:10,11,32,33; 6:41,42, etc; John 7:34,35; 8:56,57; 9:39,40; 10:30-33; 11:11-13.
Tying these thoughts together is a Greek word used three times in John’s Gospel: “paroimia”, which is a different way of saying “parable” or “proverb” than the Greek word “parabole” used 48 times in the other three gospels. Consider how John uses this word: (1) “Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them” (John 10:6); (2,3) “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father… Then Jesus’ disciples said, ‘Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech’ ” (John 16:25,29).
And, of course, even today there are those who misunderstand or even wrest Jesus’ words to “prove” their own false doctrines, chief of which is the Trinity. So these regular occurrences of misunderstanding in the Gospel of John indicate plainly when a literal interpretation is “out of order”. To recognize this pattern is very useful in counteracting several false teachings that derive their support primarily from John’s Gospel.
The fourth and most spiritual of the gospels. The first three gospels portray mainly what Jesus did and how He taught, but the Gospel of John is different. It moves beyond the obvious facts of Jesus’ life to deeper, more profound meanings. Among the gospels, therefore, John offers a unique portrait of Christ that has been cherished by believers through the centuries. John concentrates on Jesus as He taught in private, while the other three gospels record a more public method of address. The other gospels portray the actual form of Jesus’ teaching, while John shows greater insight into Jesus as a person. John writes with a modest vocabulary, but his words are charged with symbolism. Terms like believe, love, truth, world, light and darkness, above and below, name, witness, sin, judgment (eternal) life, glory, bread, water, and hour are the key words of this gospel. Main Themes
| a. | The gospel contains a clear statement of purpose: “These [signs] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). John brings out the thought that the sole purpose of life is to know the Father and experience life eternal through faith in the Son. |
| b. | The Son has come from above to glorify the Father (John 17:1); and He does so in His “hour” (John 12:23; 13:1) through His suffering on the cross. |
| c. |
In the synoptic gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — Jesus
utters short sayings. Longer discourses, such as the Sermon on the Mount (Mat
5-7), are either collections of sayings on various themes, or, like (Mat 13),
mostly parables. John, on the other hand, records no parables and few of the
brief sayings so common to the synoptics. Rather, he expands upon an
incident:
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| d. | In the first chapter, John introduces Jesus by seven key titles, a perfect echo to the Book of Rev: Word, Lamb of God, Rabbi, Messiah, King of Israel, Son of God, Son of Man. |
| e. | In his Gospel, John stresses the importance of “believing.” The verb “to believe” is found nearly a hundred times in the gospel. |
| f. | John does not record Jesus discussing questions of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, swearing, marriage, or wealth as do the other gospels. He rather concentrates on that all-important proof of discipleship — Love. |
Outline
| John 1:1-18: | Introduction: Jesus, the Word of God |
| John 1:19-51: | Jesus, the Son of Man and the Son of God |
| John 2:1 — 4:54: | Teaching though signs, and the new birth |
| John 5:1-47: | The Son of God |
| John 6:1-71: | The bread of life |
| John 7:1 — 10:42: | The Jews’ questions |
| John 11:1-54: | Resurrection |
| John 11:55 — 17:26: | The Passover — Jesus and his Father |
| John 18:1 — 19:42: | Jesus’ death |
| John 20:1-31: | Jesus’ resurrection |
| John 21:1-25: | Final words |
JOHN, TIMELINE (Xdn 115:47):
| The 6 feasts of John’s Gospel: | Other events: |
| — | 1. Baptism, temptations, Cana (John 2:1-11). |
| 2. First passover (John 2:13) | — |
| — | 3. Early Judean ministry (John 3:22-24; 4:1-3), through Samaria (John 4:1-43); John imprisoned. |
| 4. “A feast” (John 5:1) — 2nd passover | — |
| 5. Third passover (John 6:4) | 5. Feeding of 5,000 (John 6:1-14) |
| 6. Tabernacles (John 7:2) | — |
| 7. Dedication (John 10:22) | — |
| — | 8. Raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-46) |
| 9. Fourth passover (John 12:1) | — |
The scribes and Pharisees wanted a sign from Jesus. True, they had seen his miracles; yet they asked for a definite sign, beyond any doubt, that he was the Messiah. But Jesus answered: “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Mat 12:39, NIV).
The events recorded in the book probably covered only a few months or years at the most. Jonah lived during Jeroboam II’s reign (793-753 BC).
Jesus Christ referred to Jonah as a historical person and to his experience as real (Mat 12:38-42; 16:4; Luke 11:29-32)
Jonah, outline:
| 1. | Jonah flees his mission: Jon 1:1-17 | |
| a) | Jonah’s commission and flight: Jon 1:1-3 | |
| b) | A storm at sea: Jon 1:4-14 | |
| c) | Cast overboard: Jon 1:15 – 2:1 | |
| d) | Jonah’s prayer of thanksgiving: Jon 2:2-10 | |
| 2. | Jonah reluctantly fulfills his mission: Jon 3:1- 4:11 | |
| a) | Jonah’s renewed commission and obedience: Jon 3:1-4 | |
| b) | The Ninevites’ repentant appeal to the Lord: Jon 3:5-9 | |
| c) | The Ninevites repentance acknowledged: Jon 3:10 – 4:4 | |
| d) | Jonah’s complaint and rebuke: Jon 4:5-11 | |
See Lesson, Jonah, sign of.
Why Jonah?
Of what significance was Jonah? Why would Jesus choose this rather obscure prophet as the only sign that he was Messiah? He tells them (and us): “As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (v 40).
Jonah was God’s sign to the Ninevites of Assyria, a people who weren’t serving Him. If Jonah had not gone to Nineveh, how would its citizens have heard God’s message? By the LORD’s insistence, it was clear that this task belonged only to Jonah.
We must assume that God had a special purpose in ordering the proclamation of Himself to one of Israel’s enemies. If Nineveh, hearing the word of God, repented through fear of the judgment of heaven, then perhaps wayward Israel would be persuaded to take notice and follow their example, thus saving itself also from the wrath of God.
But Jonah tried to get out of his divinely-appointed task. He recognized that the growing might of Assyria was a threat to be feared. How long would it be before that rising tide of Assyrian expansion swept south to engulf his own land? Then why should he lift a finger or raise a voice to fend off the violent judgment of God upon such a nation?
So, rebellious, and with a certain feeling of self-righteousness and nationalistic pride, Jonah determined to have no part in preaching to Nineveh. In trying to evade his commission, Jonah took a ship and tried to flee from the presence of God (Jon 1:3). “Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up” (v. 4). The sailors tried in vain to save the ship. Jonah was rousted from his sleep in the hold, and implored to explain the circumstances.
All were afraid when Jonah told them he was fleeing from his God, but there was nothing they could do — the ship was sinking. So after beseeching God to forgive them, “they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm” (v 15).
Jonah disappeared under the waves, went down to the bottom, and drowned (Jon 2:5-7). “But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights” (Jon 1:17).
No one ever expected to see him again. But “the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (Jon 2:10). Truly an amazing sign! But of what?
Why was Jonah saved?
Jonah was not delivered from this three days “grave” just to sit back peacefully and contemplate what had happened to him. He was delivered from death so that he could preach to the Ninevites. And finally (after a more circuitous and eventful journey than any other missionary ever took!), he reached his destination and went to work.
So, simply put, the worth of Jonah as a “sign” to an unbelieving generation was this: A man who had died was now alive! And empowered by God to preach to the Gentiles! What a sign for Israel, the would-be “people of God”. Jesus, the man like Jonah, would be killed by them; but God would raise him from the dead (Acts 2:22-24) — and the gospel which he preached to them, and which they refused, would be preached to the Gentiles (Act 2:39) — who would accept and repent!
That this was the intent of Jesus when citing the “sign” of Jonah is evident in his next words — as recorded by Matthew: Mat 12:41. And then, as if his lesson needed reinforcing, he referred also to another notable Gentile “conversion”: Mat 12:42. Nineveh repented; Jerusalem did not. The queen of Sheba sought wisdom; Jerusalem turned its back on the man who was the wisdom of God personified. Truly, one greater than Jonah, and greater than Solomon, was in their midst; and they were preparing to reject him! The sign of the prophet Jonah was more than a man dead and buried for three days, then resurrected. It was a contrast between the wise and the unwise, the repentant and the unrepentant — with warnings of destruction for those who refused to recognize the greatest prophet of God, Jesus Christ.
Paul’s commentary
Paul deals with this same theme: the repentance of the Gentiles as an object lesson, and as a means of provoking Israel likewise to repent: Rom 11:13-15,24,30,31).
A Last Days repentance
Scripture indicates that there will be a wholesale repentance of Israel in the Last Days (Lev 26:40-42; Deu 4:30; 30:1-7; Joel 2:12-20; Jer 31:17-20; 50:4,5; Mat 23:39; Act 3:19,20; Mat 6:10; Rev 22:17; Mat 24:22). This Last Days repentance will bring back their Messiah to save them from the latter-day “Assyrian”. The lesson from the prophet Jonah will finally have been learned!
“The young Jordan — type of that strange life of ours! Bright and beautiful in its cradle, laughing its merry morning away, through the flowery fields of the Huleh, plunging with the recklessness of youth, into the tangled brakes and muddy marshes of Merom; hurrying thence, full grown, like earnest manhood with its noisy and bustling activities, it subsides at length into life’s somber midday in the placid lake of Gennesaret. When it goes forth again, it is down the inevitable proclivity of old age, sinking deeper and deeper, in spite of doublings and windings innumerable, until finally lost in the bitter sea of death — the melancholy bourne [tomb] from which there is neither escape nor return” (LB 248).
The Dead Sea will be healed by waters from under the altar (Eze 47:8-10).
What does a “righteous” man do when confronted with the “obvious” sin of another? Does he “righteously” rebuke, and punish the sinner? “To the full extent of the law!”; how often we hear that cry of righteous zeal, or its equivalent, today! A wise man once remarked: “Every man wants justice for others… and mercy for himself. Sometimes God tests our reactions. Are we too quick to pass judgment? Are we eager to stand up for our rights? Are we as eager to cover a sin? We have all known the brother (maybe we see him in the mirror every morning) who is quick to judge, who relishes the role of “the righteous arm of the Lord” in dispensing His judgment, but who is aghast at the suggestion that he can dispense His mercy. “God can forgive, but we do not have that prerogative.” “We must make this sinner a public example, so others will be discouraged from doing likewise.” “God may have mercy on her, but that is for Him to say, not me.”
Joseph was not that sort of man; he was — “righteous”, with all the qualities of strength, decency, and mercy (but none of the harshness and arrogance) that that word implies.
This description seems an intended contrast with two of Joseph’s ancestors who are listed in the preceding genealogy of Mat 1:
If the lessons of the genealogy might be pursued a bit further, Joseph was in fact much more like two other of his ancestors:
What options were available to Joseph? The law of Moses outlined three possible courses of action to a wronged husband in Joseph’s position. All three are summarized in Deu 22:
Pursuing the first alternative was clearly out of the question. Joseph “did not want to expose her to public disgrace” (Mat 1:19). And so he considered, as the best course of action, a private bill of divorce, after the precedent of either Deu 22:26 or Deu 22:29. Such an action would need only two witnesses, and would bring the least possible reproach upon Mary. This solution would allow her either to bear her illegitimate child in private away from Nazareth, or to marry the father, if possible. Obviously Mary’s future well-being was more important to Joseph than his own vindication.
“The school of adversity is the best school possible, but its tuition fees are high!”
“…The lesson of Joseph’s life is unmistakable. It is… that God works when His hand is not apparent, and often when it would seem as if He must be taking no notice, and by means that seem to exclude the possibility of His being at work. The conclusion is comforting to those who commit their way to God. It may seem to them that God is not only not working with them, but actually working against them. Let them remember the agony of Joseph in the pit, in slavery, in false imprisonment, and learn that the darkest paths of their life may be the ways appointed for them to reach liberty and life, wealth and honor — yea, a throne in the kingdom of the antitypical Joseph, who himself had to tread the dark and tearful valley of humiliation, and who, in the days of his glory, will introduce all his brethren, amongst many bright stars, to the most interesting of Jacob’s sons” (WP 70).
Author: Joshua; perhaps with later editing by Samuel.
Time: 1406 – 1400 BC.
Summary: Joshua was selected by God to succeed Moses and lead the nation into the Promised Land. The book outlines the conquest and occupation by Israel under his military leadership. God explicitly states that all the inhabitants of the land were to be utterly driven out or destroyed in order to assure spiritual purity and complete devotion to God. Joshua is the first book of what is called the Former Prophets.
Key verse: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Josh 24:15).
Outline:
Entrance into the Promised Land: Josh 1:1 – 5:12
Conquest of the Promised Land: Josh 5:13 – 12:24
Division of the Promised Land: Josh 13:1 – 22:34
Joshua’s final speeches: Josh 23:1 – 24:33