This Is The One!

John 1-3

This Gospel or "Good News" of Jesus is unlike the other three. There are some similar stories - baptism, miracles, teachings, crucifixion and resurrection. But John includes perspectives and angles and insights into these events from a different point of view. Not only that, but he has a lot of original material. The purpose of this gospel, as John states it is this: "...so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it."

You can see this purpose at work in the first chapters. Chapter 1 includes the declaration that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. Chapter 2 includes the first sign - turning water to wine at a wedding. Chapter 3 includes an invitation to believe and the promise of eternal life. As you read through John, you'll be looking to see how the case is built for why Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God, and why he is worth trusting, worth believing in.

It was quite the controversial claim to make that Jesus was the Messiah. Israel was awaiting their "anointed one" to come and save them from the Empires. They wanted their Deliverer to free them from political and economic oppression so that they could be back on top again, like in King David's day. They wanted vengeance for all the terrible atrocities that had been committed against them. They wanted vindication - if we really are the people of God, then when will this benefit us? As you can imagine, there were big expectations for Jesus. 

But more than that, it was outrageous that the disciples of Jesus were proclaiming him as the Son of God. This was blasphemy! This was religiously unacceptable. It was also a political claim. The Caesars had been claiming the title of Saviour, of Son of God, of Prince of Peace. John was putting onto Jesus the title of the Emperors. This was a sure way to attract the spear-point of Rome. And it was a guaranteed way to fuel the wrath of the religious leaders.

We're so used to hearing Jesus referred to as the Son of God and as Christ (Greek for "anointed one") or Messiah (Hebrew for "anointed one"). But John lays out a sophisticated, nuanced, layered, dramatic, compelling, intriguing, memorable gospel for how we can believe that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and the Messiah. We all start in the dark about God. He comes as the light. What will we do with what he hear, with what we see?