The Gospel of John
John is the fourth Gospel, written so that readers may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and have life in his name. The book says so itself near its close, and every chapter builds toward that aim.
Instead of a birth story, John opens with a prologue about the Word who was with God in the beginning and became flesh. The first half follows a series of signs, from water turned into wine at Cana to the raising of Lazarus, along with long conversations such as those with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well. The second half slows down for the last night with the disciples, then the arrest, the cross and the empty tomb. It ends with the risen Jesus beside the Sea of Tiberias.
Much of John is found in no other Gospel, including the "I am" sayings such as the bread of life and the true vine. Christian tradition links the book to the apostle John, while the Gospel itself rests its account on the witness of "the disciple whom Jesus loved." The Your Bible App study takes you through John in the order the book unfolds, in short, fun rounds that make it stick.
Key people
Jesus
The Word made flesh, whose signs and sayings reveal who he is.
John the Baptist
The man sent from God to testify about the Light, who points his own followers to Jesus.
Nicodemus
A Pharisee and leader who comes to Jesus at night and later helps bury him.
Lazarus
The brother of Mary and Martha at Bethany, whom Jesus raises from the dead.
Mary Magdalene
In John’s account, the first to find the tomb open and the first to meet the risen Jesus.
Simon Peter
The disciple who denies Jesus three times and is asked three times by the risen Jesus whether he loves him.
Themes
Believing and life
The book asks for belief in Jesus and promises life to those who believe.
Signs
John calls Jesus’ miracles signs, because each one points to who he is.
The "I am" sayings
Jesus describes himself with pictures such as bread, light, the good shepherd and the true vine.
Light and darkness
From the prologue on, Jesus is the light that the darkness has not overcome.
Love one another
On his last night Jesus gives his disciples a command to love one another as he has loved them.
Key verses
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
John quiz: sample questions
How does the Gospel of John begin?
- With a genealogy tracing Jesus through David back to Abraham
- With John the Baptist appearing in the wilderness and nothing before it
- With a written dedication addressed to a named reader
- With a prologue about the Word, who was with God in the beginning
Show the answer
Answer: With a prologue about the Word, who was with God in the beginning
Why: John opens with a prologue about the Word, who was with God in the beginning and became flesh. The genealogy, the dedication to Theophilus, and the abrupt start in the wilderness belong to Matthew, Luke, and Mark.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Gospel of John places the first of Jesus' signs, the turning of water into wine at a wedding, in a named town of Galilee. Which town does the Gospel name?
- Tiberias
- Jerusalem
- Capernaum
- Cana
- Nazareth
- Damascus
Show the answer
Answer: Cana
Why: John records that Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. The Gospel calls this the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory.
Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
The Gospel of John records a long conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at a well. Which town does the Gospel name as the setting of that meeting?
- Emmaus
- Cana
- Capernaum
- Tiberias
- Sychar
- Nazareth
Show the answer
Answer: Sychar
Why: John names Sychar, a town in Samaria near the plot of ground Jacob gave to his son Joseph, as the place where Jesus rested by the well and spoke with the Samaritan woman.
So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
As the Gospel of John begins its account of the last of Jesus' signs, it introduces a man named Lazarus who was sick and tells where he lived. Which place does the Gospel name as the home of this sick man?
- Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha
- Nazareth, where Jesus had been brought up
- Cana in Galilee, where a wedding took place
- Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter
- Capernaum, by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali
Show the answer
Answer: Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha
Why: The verse says plainly that Lazarus lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. The other towns offered here are named in other passages and are not given as his home.
At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
In the teaching given to the disciples at the final meal, He uses an image taken from growing things to say who He is. According to this verse, which of these is the claim He makes about Himself?
- I am the resurrection and the life
- I am the good shepherd
- I am the bread of life
- I am the light of the world
- I am the true vine
Show the answer
Answer: I am the true vine
Why: This verse opens the farming image of the passage: He says He is the true vine, and His Father is the keeper of the vineyard. The other sayings listed are spoken elsewhere in the Gospel, so they are not what this verse states.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main point of the Gospel of John?
John says it was written so that readers may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing have life in his name (John 20:31).
How is John different from Matthew, Mark and Luke?
Most of John’s material appears in no other Gospel. It has no birth story, tells few parables, and gives more room to long conversations, a series of signs and Jesus’ visits to Jerusalem for the festivals.
Who wrote the Gospel of John?
The Gospel does not name its writer, but it credits its testimony to "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Christian tradition identifies him as the apostle John, son of Zebedee, and scholars continue to discuss the question.
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