We saw in Part 1 that the gospel of Matthew shows Jesus as a shepherd king who brought God’s kingdom to earth. In Part 2 we saw that the gospel of Mark presents Jesus as a servant, humbled below all. In Part 3 we saw that the gospel of Luke shows Jesus as the Son of Adam, tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin, who reached out to others with great compassion.
In Part 4, we will look at the gospel of John: where Jesus is the Son of God. We will also see our rights and privileges as sons of God through what Christ has done for us [we are redeemed, justified, righteous, and sanctified]. And we will see our future joy at Christ’s return.
john: jesus christ yesterday
Jesus Christ yesterday shows Jesus living on earth as God’s Son.
One unique feature in each gospel is the background, or genealogy, of Jesus Christ. John opens with the declaration that God had the word in the beginning [John 1:1]. It says that later, that word became flesh and dwelt among us as Jesus [John 1:14]. He is the living word made flesh. All the fullness of God dwells in Christ [Colossians 2:9]. And it says that true grace came by Jesus Christ [John 1:17]. No man has ever seen God, Who is Spirit. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He fully made him known [John 1:18; I John 4:12]. That is what the gospel of John is all about.
Many Old Testament prophets made known the Creator, God, as a loving Lord. But it was Jesus Christ who was sent to make known the Father. Jesus said that no one knows the Son but the Father, and no one knows the Father but the Son, and to whom the Son reveals Him [Luke 10:22]. That is our great quest in life, to know the Father through His Son. We want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection [Philippians 3:10].
The word “son” is used more than 50 times in the gospel of John. “Father” is used nearly 140 times. Jesus was “sent” by the Father. The Greek word for “send” is apostello, where we get the English word “apostle.” It is used nearly 30 times in John.
So much of our responsibility being a Christian is going to the written word that makes known Jesus Christ, the living word. We need to learn how to study to show ourselves approved unto God [II Timothy 2:15]. There are a few simple keys that will help you read and understand the Bible better.
Scope: read the Bible then read it some more. So much of our understanding about people comes from what they tell us. To know the Father’s heart, we go to His Word often. As we read, we can start to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Context: so much of the Bible makes sense in the verse itself. Just read what is there. God so loved the world that He gave His Son [John 3:16]. Often, we need to see what the immediate context is about. The Bible literally does say “there is no God” in Psalms 14:1 and 53:1. The problem is that the full context says: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”
The more remote context, the “bigger story” is also important. Jesus’ actions in the gospels make more sense when you read about the suffering servant in Isaiah 53. Genesis 3:15 promises that the seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head. God told Abraham that all nations would be blessed in his seed. Galatians 3:16 later explains that the “seed” is Christ.
Knowing about the times and culture of the Bible is important. Jesus taught about a father giving his son a stone for bread, a serpent for a fish, and a scorpion for an egg [Matthew 7:9-11; Luke 11:11-13]. That seems silly to us. But in Bible times, flat round bread was made on stones of the same size, shape, and color. There were fish like eels that resembled serpents. There was a white scorpion with a yellow underbelly that could look like an egg. Jesus taught that a really careless father could make such a mistake. But our heavenly Father, would never give a bad gift, especially when we ask Him for the holy spirit.
Idioms are also important. We have idioms like “it rained cats and dogs” or “dry as a bone.” Some people have actually cut off their hands because the Bible talks about doing that [Matthew 18:8; Mark 9:43], when it is simply an idiom meaning to put away what you don’t need.
Asking for God’s guidance: perhaps the greatest study key is prayerfully going to the scriptures with a pure heart and humble mind. We search the scriptures daily to understand our Father’s love and to explain the life we experience. Nothing really makes sense without a knowledge of God, and the respect for the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
That was Jesus’ attitude, as seen in the gospel of John. Jesus said in John 5:17 and 18 that he came to fulfill the Word and that not one jot or tittle, not even a little marking, would pass away until it was all fulfilled. In his final prayer in John 17, Jesus told the Father that he gave his disciples the words that the Father gave him. He said that God’s word is truth. Then he prayed for those of us who would one day believe on him through the words of his disciples and those who preach.
john: jesus christ today
Jesus Christ is still God’s only-begotten Son today. Now we are sons of God through Christ.
I John 3:1,2:
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Now we are the sons of God. We were born the first time by our earthly father’s corruptible seed [Hebrews 2;:14]. As God’s sons we are born again of incorruptible seed by the word of God which lives and abides forever [I Peter 1:23]. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ [Romans 8:17]. We were spiritually dead in trespasses and sin, and now are made alive, raised, and seated in the heavenlies with Christ [Ephesians 2:1-6].
He has redeemed us, bought us back from the Devil and the courses of this world [Galatians 3:13; I Peter 1:18-21]. He has justified us and made us legally righteous to stand blameless before the Father [Romans 5:18; II Corinthians 5:21]. He has sanctified us and set us apart from this world [I Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 10:10-14]. We live in the midst of an evil age, but our true home is in heaven [Philippians 2:15; 3:20].
john: jesus christ forever
And Jesus Christ is forever. We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Someday Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will come back for us. The dead in Christ will rise and those still alive will be changed [I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:51-58]. What is the proof that Jesus is the Son of God?
It’s very simple and true. Romans 1:4 says he is “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Jesus is the only person who died who is alive in a new body at this time. No other religious leader throughout history can make that claim.
John 20:31 says John wrote his gospel so that you “might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John later wrote in an epistle that “this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” [I John 5:12].
Let’s live today as God’s wonderful sons and daughters in the glorious liberty that we enjoy through the work of God’s only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. God bless you.
