Revised by Karoline M. Lewis (8/24)
Ascension
The Ascension in the Gospel of John is never narrated as it is in LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul. (24:31) and Acts (1:1-11) but assumed throughout the narrative. JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God’s saving act for humanity. will return to the Father (John 16:28) and when he meets Mary MagdaleneFollower of Jesus and among the first to reach Jesus’ tomb on Easter. in the garden, he instructs her to announce to the disciples not that he has been raised but his ascension (20:17).
Believing
The purpose of John’s Gospel is that people might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing might have life in his name (20:30-31). Throughout the Gospel, Jesus’ words and actions are designed to bring people into belief. For John, to believe in Jesus means to be in a relationship with him that brings abundant life (10:10).
Glory
In a simple sense glory is the honor that people receive from other people (12:43), but in the fuller sense glory is the revelation of divine power and presence. Jesus reveals divine glory by works of power (2:11) and by laying down his life, which reveals the glory of divine love (12:23-25). After his resurrection, Jesus resumes his heavenly glory and prepares a place for his followers to share in it (17:1, 24).
Jesus as MessiahThe Messiah was the one who, it was believed, would come to free the people of Israel from bondage and exile. In Jewish thought the Messiah is the anticipated one who will come, as prophesied by Isaiah. In Christian thought Jesus of Nazareth is identified…
The Messiah or “anointed one” was expected to be a king, who would rule over God’s people. The hope for the Messiah grew out of God’s promise that the heir to David’s throne would have an everlasting kingdom (2 SamuelThe judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel. 7:12-13). John declares that Jesus is the one in whom God’s promises are fulfilled but at the same time, Jesus is God’s full presence in the world.
Jesus as Son of God
The expression Son of God was associated with kingship in the Old Testament (2 Samuel 7:13-14; PsalmA psalm is a song of praise. In the Old Testament 150 psalms comprise the psalter, although some of the psalms are laments and thanksgivings. In the New Testament early Christians gathered to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. 2:7-8). In John’s Gospel, it also points to Jesus’ heavenly origin. He is the Son of God since he has come from God and embodies the power and presence of God.
Judgment
People bring judgment upon themselves by rejecting the Christ whom God has sent. By way of contrast, they find life by believing in Jesus. John’s Gospel sometimes speaks of a final judgment at the end of time (5:28-29) but also says that judgment already occurs when people refuse to believe (3:19).
Life and Eternal Life
People have life in one sense as long as they are alive physically, yet true life is found only in relationship with God. Faith is the means to life because through faith people relate to the God who made them. This life is called eternal life because it is life in relationship with the eternal God (17:3). Eternal life begins here and now in faith and continues beyond death through the power of resurrection and Jesus’ ascension (5:24; 11:25-26).
Light and Darkness
As Jesus is the light of the world (9:5), those who believe are in the light and those who don’t believe have chosen to be apart from Jesus or choose darkness. Throughout the Gospel, mentions of light and darkness are not simply references to the time of day but indicate belief and unbelief.
Love
Love for the world is the reason God sent Jesus into the world (3:16). Jesus in turn shows love for others by his signs of abundance, washing his disciples’ feet, and ultimately by laying down his life (10:11; 13:1; 15:13). The love that Jesus gives to others is the source and norm for Christian life, which is shaped by the command to love one another as Jesus has loved them (13:34).
Satan
Satan is also called the devil, the evil one, and the ruler of this world (8:44; 12:31; 13:2; 14:30; 16:11; 17:15). Absent from the Gospel of John is the temptation of Jesus by Satan in the wilderness. John’s Gospel understands that the power of evil works through deception, rejection, hatred, and death. Jesus defeats the evil one, therefore, with truth, love, and the gift of life.
Sin
At its most basic level sin is a broken relationship with God, and this in turn is expressed in sinful actions against other people. The opposite of sin is faith. Therefore, identifying sin as unbelief is another way of saying that it is rooted in a broken relationship with God (16:9). Therefore, in the Gospel of John, sin is not a moral category but describes separation from God.
Spirit
The Spirit witnesses to Jesus’ identity (1:33-34) and is the source of new birth (3:3-8). The Spirit is sometimes called the Advocate or Counselor, because it brings people to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and empowers them in witness (14:26; 15:26-27). For John, the Spirit will accompany the disciples in Jesus’ absence (14:16) and Jesus will give the disciples the Spirit so that they may be sent into the world (20:22).
World
The world (cosmos) was created by God through the Word, yet the world has become estranged from God and does not know the one who made it (1:10). The world is hostile to God, Christ, and the community of faith (15:18-19), yet God continues to love the world, sent Christ to redeem it, and sends Christ’s followers into it to bear witness to the truth (3:16; 17:18).
