Swindoll Study Bible - Book of John - Flipbook - Page 13
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John 21
John 2
Mediterranean
Sea
Usual route
to Jerusalem
John 2-3; 5
What’s the Big Idea?
John 6
EE Capernaum
LIL
A
G
Geresa
Cana
Sea of
Nazareth
Galilee
Mt. Tabor
Nain
SAMARIA
Mt. Ebal
Mt. Gerezim
Back in
Jerusalem
John 7–10;
12–20
Sebaste
Sychar
DECAPOLIS
Jordan River
By invoking the language of
Genesis 1:1, “in the beginning,”
John starts this book by making
a direct link between the nature
of God and the nature of the
Word, Jesus Christ (John 1:1). The
emphasis on the deity of Christ is a
striking quality of John’s Gospel. It
comes through clearly throughout
the book, particularly when Jesus
claims the divine name, “I am,” for
Himself, leading an angry mob of
Jews to try to stone Him for blasphemy (John 8:58).
John 4
PEREA
John 11, 12
Bethany
Jerusalem Mount of Olives
JUDEA
Bethlehem
John states his theme more clearly
Dead
than any of the other Gospel
Sea
writers. He turns to his readers
Beersheba
NABATEA
near the end of the book and
IDUMEA
addresses them directly, explaining
that he has written it “so that you
In John, Jesus journeys from Galilee through
may continue to believe that Jesus
Samaria to Judea and back a number of times
is the Messiah, the Son of God,
going to and from Jewish festival celebrations
and that by believing in him you
in Jerusalem.
will have life by the power of His
name” (John 20:31). To accomplish this goal, John presents a riveting and distinctive picture of Jesus Christ, one that is in complete unity with the portraits in the
other three Gospels, but one that also adds significantly to the Bible’s revelation
of Jesus as the God-man.
John uses a variety of techniques to communicate to his readers the nature
of Jesus. These include his citation of Jesus’ seven “I am” statements, in which
Jesus speaks of Himself in terms such as “the light of the world”
John presents
(John 8:12), “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), and
“the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). In addition, a large
a riveting and
section of John’s Gospel has sometimes been called the Book
distinctive
of Signs because it recounts seven different miracles Jesus
performed, like turning water into wine at Cana and raising
picture of Jesus
Lazarus from the dead at Bethany (John 2–12). These miracles
Christ that adds
support His identity as the Son of God.
significantly
to the Bible’s
revelation of
Jesus as the
God-man.
How Do I Apply This?
Jesus’ identity as the divine Son of God sets Him apart from any
other man who ever lived. He carries with Him the transcendence
that comes only with God Himself. Therefore, His work on our
behalf makes our salvation sure. Because He is God, His sacrifice
on the cross has eternal implications, unlike the limited effect of
