John Writes His Gospel

95 CE (approximate)

Near the end of the first century, the last living apostle composed a Gospel unlike the others. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke recounted Jesus’s deeds and teachings, John probed deeper—exploring the mystery of incarnation, the meaning of signs, and the eternal life offered through belief. Writing after decades of reflection and pastoral ministry, John presented Jesus as the divine Word who became flesh, the “I AM” who reveals the Father. This profoundly theological Gospel has been called “the spiritual Gospel”—where water becomes wine, bread multiplies, and ordinary conversations unveil cosmic truths.

The author:

Church tradition identifies the author as John, son of Zebedee, one of Jesus’s closest disciples. Evidence includes:

Early attestation: Irenaeus (180 CE) explicitly states: “John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus”

Internal evidence: The Gospel refers to “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 20-24)—never named but present at key moments (Last Supper, crucifixion, empty tomb). The epilogue states: “This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down” (21:24).

“We” testimony: The prologue includes: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory” (1:14)—suggesting eyewitness participation

Distinctive perspective: Unlike the Synoptics, John focuses on Jesus’s Judean ministry, temple visits, and extended theological discourses—possibly reflecting a different geographic and chronological perspective

Authorship debates: Some scholars question traditional authorship, proposing an elder named John or a Johannine community/school. Arguments include:

Different Greek style than 1-3 John and Revelation
Theological sophistication suggesting late development
Possible editorial additions (chapter 21)

Most conservative scholars maintain apostolic authorship, with possible editorial input from disciples. The Gospel’s eyewitness details (specific times, places, names) support this.

Date and setting:

Consensus dates the Gospel to 90-100 CE:

Latest Gospel: After the Synoptics were circulating
After 70 CE: No mention of temple destruction suggests it’s assumed knowledge
Johannine epistles: Similar language and themes suggest common authorship/community
Expulsion from synagogues: References to being “put out of the synagogue” (9:22, 12:42, 16:2) reflect late first-century tensions

Setting: Ephesus in Asia Minor, where John led the church after leaving Jerusalem (possibly following the Jewish revolt, 66-70 CE).

Purpose:

John explicitly states his purpose: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31).

Additional purposes:

Supplement earlier Gospels: Provide theological reflection on Jesus’s identity
Combat emerging heresies: Address early Gnostic-type beliefs denying Jesus’s full humanity or divinity
Strengthen believers: Facing persecution and synagogue expulsion, affirm Jesus’s divine identity
Deepen understanding: Move beyond surface events to their meaning

Structure and content:

John’s Gospel is organized around “signs” (miracles) and extended discourses:

Prologue (1:1-18): The Word becoming flesh—the Gospel’s theological key

Book of Signs (1:19-12:50): Seven signs revealing Jesus’s glory:

Water to wine at Cana (2:1-11)
Healing official’s son (4:46-54)
Healing paralytic at Bethesda pool (5:1-15)
Feeding 5,000 (6:1-15)
Walking on water (6:16-21)
Healing man born blind (9:1-41)
Raising Lazarus (11:1-44)

Book of Glory (13-20): Jesus’s passion, death, resurrection

Last Supper and farewell discourse (13-17)
Arrest and trials (18-19)
Crucifixion: “It is finished” (19:30)
Resurrection appearances (20)

Epilogue (21): Restoration of Peter, the beloved disciple’s fate

Distinctive features:

Theological depth: John emphasizes Jesus’s divine identity more than the Synoptics. Opening verses declare: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1)

“I AM” statements: Jesus uses the divine name (Greek ego eimi, echoing Exodus 3:14 “I AM”):

“I am the bread of life” (6:35)
“I am the light of the world” (8:12)
“I am the door” (10:9)
“I am the good shepherd” (10:11)
“I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25)
“I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6)
“I am the true vine” (15:1)

Signs not just miracles: John uses semeion (sign) rather than dynamis (power/miracle)—events pointing beyond themselves to Jesus’s identity

No parables: Instead of Synoptic parables, John records extended metaphorical discourses and symbolic narratives

Different event selection: No birth narrative, no temptation, no Sermon on the Mount, no exorcisms, no transfiguration, no institution of Last Supper (instead: footwashing)

Focus on Judea: More Jerusalem visits, temple teaching, interactions with Jewish leaders—complementing Synoptics’ Galilean focus

Chronological differences: Cleansing the temple at beginning (2:13-22), not end; different Passover timeline; crucifixion on day of Preparation when Passover lambs slaughtered

Beloved disciple: Anonymous figure close to Jesus, contrasted/paired with Peter

Unique material:

Nicodemus’s night visit (3:1-21): “You must be born again”
Samaritan woman at the well (4:1-42): Living water
Lazarus’s raising (11:1-44): “I am the resurrection and the life”
Farewell discourse (14-17): Most extended teaching, includes High Priestly Prayer
Post-resurrection appearances: Thomas (“My Lord and my God”), breakfast on beach, Peter’s restoration

Major themes:

Incarnation: “The Word became flesh” (1:14)—God truly entered human existence

Revelation: Jesus reveals the Father: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (14:9)

Belief/unbelief: Central focus—people respond to Jesus with faith or rejection; “belief” (pisteuō) appears 98 times

Life: Eternal life (not just future but present reality) through knowing God and Jesus Christ (17:3)

Light and darkness: Dualistic imagery—Jesus is light; unbelief is darkness (1:4-5, 3:19-21, 8:12, 12:35-36, 46)

Love: God’s love for the world (3:16), Jesus’s love for disciples, disciples’ love for each other (13:34-35)

Glory: Jesus reveals God’s glory; his “hour” of crucifixion/exaltation is his glorification

Witness: John the Baptist, works, Scriptures, Father, disciples—all testify to Jesus’s identity

Misunderstanding: People repeatedly misunderstand Jesus’s words, leading to clarification (Nicodemus, Samaritan woman, crowds, disciples)

Theological depth:

Christology: John’s portrait of Jesus is the highest in the New Testament—pre-existent Word, equal with God, yet fully human (eating, weeping, dying)

Trinity: Hints at Trinitarian understanding—Word with God yet is God; Spirit as another Advocate (14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15)

Sacramental allusions: Water (baptism), bread/wine (Eucharist), though not explicit

Realized eschatology: Eternal life begins now through belief; judgment occurs through response to Jesus; “the hour is coming and now is”

Relationship to Synoptics:

John knew the Synoptic tradition (possibly written Gospels) and chose different material. He:

Omits much Synoptic material (birth, temptation, most miracles, parables)
Includes unique material (90% of John doesn’t appear in Synoptics)
Provides different chronology (three-year ministry vs. possibly one-year)
Emphasizes Jesus’s divinity more explicitly
Records extended discourses vs. pithy sayings

The early church called Matthew, Mark, Luke the “Synoptic” (seeing together) Gospels; John was “the spiritual Gospel” (Clement of Alexandria).

Historical questions:

Chronology: John’s timeline (three Passovers, crucifixion on Preparation Day) may be more accurate than Synoptics

Geography: John’s Palestinian details are remarkably accurate (Pool of Bethesda discovered archaeologically; Jacob’s well still exists)

Discourses: Are these Jesus’s actual words or Johannine theological reflections? Most scholars see both—Jesus’s teaching filtered through decades of reflection

Historical core: Despite theological development, John preserves authentic tradition—names, places, customs, details not in Synoptics

Canonical status and influence:

By late 2nd century, John was universally accepted. Its opening verses became central to Christian theology. Church fathers used it extensively to combat heresies and establish orthodox Christology.

John influenced:

Nicene Creed: “God from God, Light from Light”—Johannine language
Christian mysticism: Emphasis on knowing God, abiding in Christ
Evangelism: John 3:16 is Christianity’s most quoted verse
Liturgy: “Lamb of God” (1:29), “Word made flesh” (Christmas)

Legacy:

John’s Gospel is often given to new believers for its clear purpose and powerful testimony. Yet it’s also the most theologically profound Gospel, studied by scholars for centuries.

Key contributions:

Highest Christology: Established Jesus’s full divinity as Christian orthodoxy
Mystical depth: Provided language for intimate relationship with God
Complementary perspective: Balanced Synoptics’ focus on Jesus’s humanity and teaching
Evangelistic tool: Clear call to belief, repeated emphasis on eternal life through faith
Conflict with “the Jews”: Unfortunately, also provided texts later misused for anti-Semitism (though “the Jews” often means religious authorities, not all Jewish people)

The author’s voice:

Unlike the Synoptics’ narrative distance, John’s voice is intimate—“the disciple Jesus loved” leaning on Jesus’s breast, witnessing blood and water flow from the cross (19:35), running to the tomb with Peter.

The epilogue includes a beautiful scene: the risen Jesus asking Peter three times, “Do you love me?”—mirroring Peter’s three denials, offering restoration. It also addresses rumors about the beloved disciple’s fate, adding: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” (21:22).

Then the final testimony: “This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true” (21:24).

Significance:

The fisherman from Galilee who once wanted to call fire from heaven (Luke 9:54) became the apostle of love. The “Son of Thunder” (Mark 3:17) wrote: “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

After seven decades of following Jesus—walking Galilean roads, fleeing Gethsemane, standing at the cross, racing to the empty tomb, leading the Ephesian church, enduring exile—John wrote a Gospel that doesn’t just tell the story but unveils its meaning.

“In the beginning was the Word”—John starts before creation. “It is finished”—Jesus completes redemption. “Do you love me?”—Jesus offers relationship. “These are written that you may believe… and have life”—John offers the reader everything.

The last living eyewitness gave the church a Gospel that combines historical testimony with theological depth, revealing Jesus as both the man who wept at Lazarus’s tomb and the eternal Word through whom all things were made—the light shining in darkness, the life of all humanity, the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.