Aspects of John’s Gospel

Why Is It considered the most Jewish of the four gospels?

October 29, 2008 by: Roger Bain | The Bain Journal Leave a reply

Question:
It is often said that John is the Gospel to the world (Matthew to the Jew, Mark to the Roman, Luke to the Greek). However, in 1924 Israel Abrahams said, “To us Jews, the Fourth Gospel is the most Jewish of the four!” How is that so? If it is so, why do so many people tell new converts to begin reading this Gospel?

Response:

John authored his book to present Jesus Christ not just as a man who served God faithfully, but as the Son of God. He painted the perfect picture to the world of Christ’s deity. When we read the gospel of John we are reading the true character description of God’s Logos. This was the purpose of John’s account of the events he experienced.

John’s gospel is a book of Signs to the believer, showing us the power of God. The signs of Jesus show us that He is Lord of all and our creator. John’s gospel is also the place where we see Jesus describing himself to the Jews and through John’s gospel ultimately the world.

The Most Jewish of the Four Gospels

John was trained in all that constituted the ordinary education of Jewish youth. He was also heavily influenced by the ministry of John the Baptist, who was the son of a Jewish priest. John the Apostle was first the disciple of a man’s ministry (John the Baptist) who specialized in using the law to point the way to Jesus.

John’s background was Jewish so it would make sense that his writings would have had major Jewish undertones. John was interested in the Jewish feasts and showed that he was familiar with the topography and history of Samaria by his allusions to Sychar and to the piece of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph (John 4:5).

John also details the various natural and architectural features of Jerusalem. The sheep gate (5:2), the pool of Bethesda (5:2), the temple (2:14, 7:28, 8:2) with its treasury (8:20) and porches (10:23), the pool of Siloam (9:7), the brook Kidron (18:1), the garden of Gethsemane (18:15), the Praetorium (18:28,33), Golgotha (19:17), the garden of burial (19:41), the place of the gathering of the disciples (20:19) were all familiar to the author.

Colin G. Kruse, in his commentary of the Gospel of John gave three reasons why a Jewish Scholar would make the comment that John’s gospel is the most Jewish of the four. A Jewish Scholar would recognize the many references and allusions to the Old Testament (John 10/Ezekial 34:3, 4), the intimate knowledge of Jewish festivals and symbolism reflected (John 7/Tabernacles; John 10:22-39/Dedication), and Jesus’ use of rabbinic arguments in his debates with the Jews (John 5:31-47).¹

The New Convert Gospel

John’s gospel was written during a period of tension among the Jews and Christians. As people began to believe the gospel, opposition came from the rabbis in synagogues and from general society in the form of questions, “Was Jesus truly the Son of God?” and “How can you prove that his claims were true?”

The major influences on the formation of the Gospel of John were Greek, Hermetic, or Gnostic traditions.² This reality caused John to begin to pen a resource to the early church to strengthen and encourage their faith.

Today, just as in John’s day the church is continually being pressed over the question, “Was Jesus really the Christ?” For the new convert, the gospel of John is the guide book to defend the deity of Christ. John knew Jesus intimately and in his gospel he urges us to believe in Jesus Christ and have eternal life. If a new Christian can grasp the theme and message of John, he or she is prepared to refute the lie that Jesus was only a good man and not really God.

Merrill C. Tenney, in his book, “The Gospel of Belief,” called the gospel of John a presentation of spiritual truth for an audience which either had been influenced by the philosophical currents of the day, or was likely to be so influenced.³ The Gospel of John was written to combat the pagan philosophies of its day that lead people in divergent directions of materialism and mysticism.

The purpose of the gospel of John is to inspire faith. The profound truth of Jesus as the Son of God is presented in simple language that a child can understand, but with a wealth of meaning that the learned cannot exhaust. In light of these facts, the fourth gospel makes an excellent guide to the new convert.

Related Posts