NLT Study Bible - Gospel of John - Flipbook - Page 3
T h e G o sp e l A c c o r d i n g t o
John
John wrote his Gospel to inspire faith. John knew Jesus
intimately, and John’s Gospel provides an intimate portrait
of the Lord. John referred to himself as “the disciple Jesus
loved.” His Gospel has become the “beloved Gospel” of the
church. Here we meet Nicodemus, doubting Thomas, Laz
arus, and the Samaritan woman at the well. John records for
us Jesus’ most memorable sayings, his longest sermons, and
his most profound miracles. Here we meet God face to face.
Setting
A small community of Christians lived in ancient Ephesus during the late
first century AD. They had learned the remarkable story of Jesus from the
apostles Paul and John. This early church became strong in faith under
the leadership of these men. While many stories circulated about Jesus,
the apostle John had his own recollections and insights. In the later years
of his life, John wrote these stories down, providing his followers—and
us—with the fourth Gospel.
As an evangelist, pastor, and theologian,
John’s desire above all was for his followers to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God (20:31). He realized that they had
not had the privilege of seeing Jesus’ many
signs and miracles as he had (20:29).
John’s authority and deep experience with
Jesus ring out from every story he told. As
a valued eyewitness to Jesus’ life (19:35),
John was the source of many stories from
faraway Galilee and Judea. John had heard,
seen, and touched the Word of life (see
1 Jn 1:1-4). He told about Nicodemus and
rebirth, described Jesus’ miracle at Cana,
and recorded many other episodes.
As the Christians of Ephesus told their
fellow citizens about Jesus, they quickly
found themselves debating about Jesus
with rabbis in the local synagogues. Was
Jesus truly the Son of God? How could he
Key Places in the Gospel of John. The book of John
describes Jesus’ ministry in GALILEE (2:1-12; 4:43-54;
6:1–7:9), JERUSALEM (2:13–3:21; 5:1-47; 7:10-10:42;
12:12-50), JUDEA (3:22; 11:1-44; 12:1-11), and SAMARIA
(4:4-42). The book includes a full account of Jesus’ death
and resurrection in JERUSALEM (13:1–20:31) and his postresurrection appearance to his disciples beside the SEA OF
GALILEE (21:1-23).
