Paperback
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
- 22 lessons that lead you through the book of John
- Wide margins and extra space for your reflections
- Discussion questions for group study
- Thought-provoking reflection questions and prompts
- Notes for further study
- Applications to help you go deeper
- Helpful excerpts on the historical context
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780891092377 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tyndale House Publishers |
| Publication date: | 02/06/2018 |
| Series: | LifeChange , #20 |
| Pages: | 224 |
| Sales rank: | 407,114 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d) |
| Age Range: | 12 Years |
About the Author
The Navigators is an interdenominational, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people "know Christ and make Him known” as they look to Him and His Word to chart their lives.
Navigators have invested their lives in people for more than seventy-five years, coming alongside them life on life to study the Bible, develop a deepening prayer life, and memorize and apply Scripture, The ultimate goal is to equip Christ followers to fulfill 2 Timothy 2:2—to teach what they have learned to others.
Today, tens of thousands of people worldwide are coming to know and grow in Jesus Christ through the various ministries of The Navigators. Internationally, more than 4,600 Navigator staff of 70 nationalities serve in more than 100 countries.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Lesson One
INTRODUCING JOHN'S GOSPEL
Jesus' Ministry
Leon Morris compares John's Gospel to "a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant can swim." On the one hand, it is commonly given to new believers and even inquirers to examine the foundations of Christian faith. It is a favorite for the simple faith of simple folk. On the other hand, "years of close study of this Gospel do not leave one with a feeling of having mastered it, but rather with the conviction that it is still 'strange, restless, and unfamiliar.'" Like Him whom it portrays, this book readily welcomes the humble and endlessly challenges the wise.
First impressions
You should have a chance to form first impressions of a book before someone tells you what you should see. The best way to do this is to read John's gospel through, in one sitting if possible. Read quickly for an overall view, not stopping to ponder the details. Notice the passage subtitles in your Bible, if it includes them.
Before you begin reading, look over questions 1 through 7. Keep them in mind as you go through the gospel. You can list repeated words as you read, or underline them in your Bible. You can also jot notes about your first impressions in this study guide, a notebook, or the margin of your Bible.
1. What are your first impressions of this book? (For example, what is it about? What overall impression does it give you of Jesus? What do you notice about the way the author writes? Is there a lot of action, description, dialogue, doctrinal teaching, instructions for behavior, or what? Is it easy or hard to follow?) _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________
2. What key words and phrases appear over and over? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________
3. If you are familiar with any of the other three gospels, how is John's gospel like and unlike them?
_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________
4. Give a title to each of the following sections:
1:1-18 ______________________________________________________________
5. Another clue to the author's intent, perhaps the most obvious one, is what he says explicitly about it. What do you learn about John's purpose from 20:30-31? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
6. Now that you've made some initial observations, try to pull your thoughts together into a summary statement. What would you say was John's main purpose in writing this book? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
7. Did this overview suggest questions you would like answered and topics you would like to pursue further as you study the book in detail? If so, jot them down to serve as personal objectives for your study. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
8. Look over your notes so far, and ask the Lord to help you see one or two areas He wants to focus on in affecting your life. Write down those general areas or specific ways in which you want to change and grow. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
9. Is there anything you want to do about this during the coming week? If so, jot down your plans. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
A gospel of John?
Few scholars today, besides conservative evangelicals, believe the ancient tradition that the apostle John wrote this gospel. Readers interested in this debate should consult the commentaries. Despite the current fashion of opinion, the evidence points to a Palestinian Jew who had access to much eyewitness testimony about Jesus' life, who had substantial authority in some part of the church, and who wrote before AD 100. The unanimous opinion of the church from AD 180 onward (we have no clear records before then) was that this person was John the apostle.
When did John write his gospel? Modern scholars no longer find any good reason to date the book after ad 100, and some evidence suggests before ad 70. Anytime toward the end of John's life seems reasonable.
Four Gospels
Gospel is an Old English word that means "good news." It translates the Greek word euangelion (eu-, "good" and angelion, "message"), which also gives us words like "evangelist" and is related to words like "angel." When the first Christians wanted to record the "good news" about the Man who was God, none of the familiar forms of literature seemed suitable. The Christians didn't write the kinds of biographies or sacred texts that were common in Greek or Jewish culture. Instead, they created a new form: the gospel.
Many collections of Jesus' words and deeds were composed in the century after His death, but God uniquely inspired four men to write the Gospels that would bear His authority. The early Christians took time and trouble to discern authentic from spurious records of Jesus' life. The books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic (one view) Gospels because they have much more material in common than any of them has with John.
The Synoptics focus on Jesus' ministry in Galilee and His last week in Jerusalem, but John highlights Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem during several visits over the space of three years. John omits Jesus' birth, His human ancestry, His baptism, the Transfiguration, almost all of Jesus' parables, the bread and wine of the Last Supper, and the agony in Gethsemane. Only one of the miracles John records (the feeding of the five thousand) is in all three of the other gospels. Instead of the short, pithy parables and sayings in the Synoptics, John gives us long discourses on subjects related to Jesus' identity and mission. He records seven "I am" statements by Jesus, none of which are in the Synoptics. Why the differences?
Even an ordinary man is usually seen differently by different friends. We have accounts of Socrates by two different disciples that make one wonder if they are describing the same man. The Synoptics seem to be based on the memories of Peter, Matthew, Mary and others, while John's gospel seems to be his own recollections independent of theirs. God apparently prompted John to show us another face of Jesus.
Many people have remarked on how different Jesus' teaching in John is from His teaching in the Synoptics. Yet there are many possible explanations. For example, the parables and short sayings we find in the Synoptics are the kind of public teaching that rabbis used to make their students memorize. First-century students didn't take notes on paper; people thought you hadn't really learned a thing until you had memorized it. So, the Sermon on the Mount, the parables, and so on are probably material Jesus made His disciples commit to memory. "But any teacher does more than engage in public discussion and instruction. There is also more informal teaching which takes place in private." It may be that John has given us some of Jesus' informal discussions with His disciples and other people He met.
These are just a few of the differences between John and the other gospels. In His wisdom, God has given us a fuller portrait of His Son than one human mind could convey.
Misunderstandings
In your first reading of John, you may have noticed that almost everyone who encounters Jesus in this gospel misunderstands what He says and does. This fact and 20:31 suggest to some scholars that John wanted to clear up misunderstandings of what "the Christ" and "the Son of God" meant. The Jews had a distorted idea of the Messiah, so they were confused about Jesus' identity and mission. Even the disciples didn't understand Jesus' words and deeds until after the Resurrection, when Jesus and the Spirit began to make things clear (2:22; 7:39; 12:16; 16:13-16). From the time of Jesus onward, it was dangerous for a Jew to profess faith in Jesus (9:22,34; 12:42; 16:1-4; 19:38), and John may have wanted to encourage his fellow Jews to understand and believe in Jesus despite opposition.
But John was not only trying to sort things out for Jewish converts. His gospel so often explains Jewish customs that he seems to have had his eye on a Gentile audience as well. By the time John was writing, most Jews were rejecting the gospel, but Christians were finding many Gentiles hungry for it. John was apparently as concerned that they believe accurately and actively as he was that Jewish converts do so.
A pattern occurs over and over in John's gospel. Jesus reveals something about Himself through a sign or some teaching, and people react in mixed ways. Some accept the revelation — these receive further revelation and have their misunderstandings clarified. Others reject the revelation, and their misunderstanding deepens. John 9:39 is Jesus' own statement on this pattern. As you study this gospel, think about why John may have emphasized this pattern and what its implications are for you today.
Outline
Question 4 gave you a start on outlining John's gospel. Many good and different outlines have been made of it, so you should feel free to make your own or look at some commentaries and Bible handbooks. As a broad framework, consider the following:
THE WITNESS TO JESUS
I. Prologue (1:1-18)
II. Public Ministry — Signs and Discourses (1:19–12:50)
III. Private Ministry — Discourses for the Disciples (13:1–17:26)
IV. The Passion8 — The Great Sign (18:1–19:42)
V. Resurrection Appearances — Signs (20:1–21:25)
As you study further, think about how you could improve these divisions and titles.
For the group
This "For the group" section and the ones in later lessons are intended to suggest ways of structuring your discussions. Feel free to select and adapt what suits your group. The main goals are to get to know John's gospel as a whole and the people with whom you are going to study it.
Worship. Most groups like to begin with some kind of worship — a few minutes of prayer and/or a couple of songs. Worship helps people lay aside the business of the day and focus on God. It relaxes, renews, and opens you to listen to the Lord and each other. If you don't already have worship built into your meetings in some way, discuss how you might do so.
Warm-up. The beginning of a new study is a good time to lay a foundation for honest sharing of ideas, to get comfortable with each other, and to encourage a sense of common purpose. One way to establish common ground is to talk about what each group member hopes to get out of your group — out of any prayer, singing, sharing, outreach, or anything else you might do together. Why do you want to study the gospel of John? What do you hope to give as well as receive? If you have someone write down each member's hopes and expectations, then you can look back at these goals later to see if they are being met. Goal-setting at the beginning can also help you avoid confusion when one person thinks the main point of the group is to learn the Scriptures, while another thinks it is to support each other in daily Christian life, and another thinks prayer or outreach is the chief business.
How to use this study. If the group has never used a LifeChange study guide before, you might take a whole meeting to discuss your goals for the group and go over the "How to Use This Study" section on pages 5–8. Then you can take a second meeting to talk about the background and questions in this lesson. This will give you more time to read John and prepare lesson one for discussion.
Go over important points of the "How to Use This Study" section that you think the group should especially notice. For example, point out the optional questions in the margins. These are available as group discussion questions, ideas for application, and suggestions for further study. It is unlikely that anyone will have the time or desire to answer all the optional questions and do all the applications. A person might do one "Optional Application" for any given lesson. You might choose one or two "For Thought and Discussions" for your group discussion, or you might spend all your time on the numbered questions. If someone wants to write answers to the optional questions, suggest that he use a separate notebook. It will also be helpful for discussion notes, prayer requests, answers to prayers, application plans, and so on.
Invite everyone to ask questions about the "How to Use This Study" section.
Reading aloud. It is often helpful to refresh everyone's memory by reading aloud the passage you are going to study. You probably won't want to read all of John, but consider having someone read 1:1-18, another read 3:16-21, another 19:16-30, and another 20:1-9,19-23. These selections will remind the group of John's themes, his style, and his personality. You can shorten them if your time is limited.
First impressions. Ask the group to share first impressions of John's gospel — its style, mood, content, or whatever strikes you. For instance, how is this book like and unlike the biographies people write today, and like and unlike the other three gospels?
Next, zero in on John's themes and purposes by discussing questions 2, 5, and 6. Try to state as succinctly as possible what the book is about.
You probably don't need to discuss the evidence for whether John did or didn't write this gospel. Also, you probably don't have to take a lot of time to compare your broad outlines (question 4). Do allow time for the group to share questions (question 7) and areas for application (questions 8 and 9).
You will probably want to leave many of the group's questions about the book until later in your study; they may answer themselves if you are looking for answers. Point out the list of references, and encourage members to bring questions to their pastors or other Christians they respect.
Wrap-up. The group leader should have read lesson two and its "For the group" section. At this point, he or she can give a short summary of what members can expect in that lesson and the coming meeting. This is a chance to whet everyone's appetite, assign any optional questions, omit or clarify any numbered questions, or forewarn members of any possible difficulties.
You might also encourage anyone who found the overview especially hard. Some people are better at seeing the big picture or the whole of a book than others. Some are best at analyzing a particular verse or paragraph, while others are strongest at seeing how a passage applies to our lives. Urge members to give thanks for their own and others' strengths, and to give and request help when needed. The group is a place to learn from each other. Later lessons will draw on the gifts of close analyzers as well as overviewers and appliers, practical as well as theoretical thinkers.
Worship. Some groups like to end with singing and/or prayer. This can include songs and prayers that respond to what you've learned from John, or prayers for specific needs of group members. Many people are shy about sharing personal needs or praying aloud in groups, especially before they know the other people well. If this is true of your group, then a song and/or some silent prayer, and a short closing prayer by the leader, might be an appropriate end. You could share requests and pray in pairs instead, if appropriate.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "John"
by .
Copyright © 2010 The Navigators.
Excerpted by permission of NavPress.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments, 4,
How to Use This Study, 5,
One — Introducing John's Gospel (Overview), 9,
Map — Jesus' Ministry, 9,
Two — The Word (1:1-18), 19,
Three — Testimony (1:6-8, 19-51), 31,
Four — The Ministry Begins (2:1-25), 41,
Five — Born of the Spirit (3:1-36), 49,
Six — Living Water (4:1-54), 59,
Seven — Opposition Begins (5:1-47), 67,
Eight — The Bread of Life (6:1-71), 75,
Nine — Who Is Jesus? (7:1-52), 83,
Ten — The Light of the World (8:12–9:41), 93,
Eleven — Sin and Judgment (7:53–9:41), 101,
Twelve — The Good Shepherd (10:1-42), 109,
Thirteen — Lazarus Raised (11:1-57), 119,
Fourteen — The Hour Comes (12:1-50), 127,
Fifteen — Love and Betrayal (13:1-38), 139,
Sixteen — Parting Words: 1 (14:1–16:33), 147,
Seventeen — Parting Words: 2 (14:1–16:33), 155,
Eighteen — The Lord's Prayer (17:1-26), 163,
Nineteen — Condemned (18:1–19:16), 169,
Twenty — Crucified (19:17-42), 181,
Twenty-one — Resurrection (20:1-31), 189,
Twenty-two — Epilogue (21:1-25 and Review), 199,
Study Aids, 211,