THE STRUCTURE OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
BASED UPON HIS
STATED PURPOSE
by Ron Merryman
By stating
his purpose in writing the Gospel that
bears his name, the Apostle John
helps us greatly in analyzing its structure.
Note the clear annunciation of purpose in John 20:30-31 (I have
underlined five key words that underscore the development of his purpose):
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the
presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Five Key Words Upon Which the Purpose of John
Pivots
1. Signs (shmeia/semeia): seven selected miracles of Jesus form the
structure of this book (eight if one includes Christ’s resurrection). John chooses these signs to serve his
immediate purpose. The word translated sign is one of four words used for
miracles in the New Testament. The
emphasis when this word is used is on what the miracle signifies, hence it is
seen as a “sign” of something very significant; in this case, that Jesus is the
Messiah, the Son of God.
2. Christ: used 19 times, the
anointed King, the Messiah. It is
interesting that the only transliteration of the Hebrew title Messiah in the New Testament is found in
John 1:41 where Andrew says to Peter, “We have found the Messiah” followed by John’s insertion, “which, being interpreted,
is the Christ.” John expected Jews to
clearly see who Jesus was by reading this account of His life.
3.
Son of God: used 11
times; God’s eternal and unique (only one of His kind, the monogenes) Son, therefore, worthy of worship.
§ To be
the Son is to be equal with God, 5:18.
§ As the
Son, Jesus receives worship in the same sense as does God, 9:35-38.
§ For claiming
to be the Son, Jesus was condemned to death, 19:7.
4.
Believe (pisteuw / pisteuo):
used 98 times; “to trust,” “to rely upon.” The person who trusts or relies upon the person and work of
Christ at Calvary is said to possess eternal life as stated again and again in
this Gospel. Encouraging the reader to
this trust is a major purpose of John.
5.
Life (zwh/zoe): used 35 times,
often modified by “eternal;” defined by Jesus in John 17:3; 11:25; 14:6.
Analysis: The following choices of signs by John attest
to the Deity of Christ and form the core backbone/ structure of the Book.
7-8 Signs in John’s Gospel
1. Water to Wine, 2:1-9
2. Nobleman’s Son, 4:46-54
3. Healing at Pool, 5:1-18
4. Feeding 5,000 plus, 6:1-14
5. Walk on Sea, 6:15-21
6. Blind Man Healed, 9:1-41
7. Raises Lazarus, 11:1-44
8. Resurrection of Jesus, 20:1-10
Attestation to Christ’s Deity
Deity has no limit on quality of
life
Deity is not limited by space
Deity is not limited by
time/condition
Deity is not limited by human resources
Deity is not limited by natural
law
Deity is not limited by genetic
misfortune
Deity is not limited by death
God demonstrates Christ’s Deity, Rom. 1:4
Effect of the Sign
His disciples believed on Him,
2:12
Nobleman believed and his house,
4:53
Jews sought to kill Him
(unbelief), 5:18
See Him as Prophet of Deut. 18:15,
18
Disciples worship Him as the Son
of God,
Matt. 14:33
Blind man believes and worships
Him, 6:35-38
Many Jews believe on Him, 11:45
Readers are to believe on Him,
20:30, 31
These miracles are set in an
historical, narrative context. John is
not composing a biography of Christ; he is working from his own design with a
stated purpose under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Since John sets out to present
evidence that Jesus is the unique Son of God, the Messiah, one should expect
the structure of the book to reinforce his goal.
With these facts in mind, I
suggest that the following would be a good structural outline from which one
could develop an exegetical series to communicate the Holy Spirit’s intent in
motivating John to so write.
The Structure Of The Gospel Of John Based Upon His Stated Purpose
Theme: Jesus, The Messiah, is Deity
The Word
existed from eternity, v 1a
The Word
was God, v 1b
The Word
became flesh, v 14
The
Word, Who is the Son, exegetes the Father, v 18
He is after me in time, but He is preferred before me, for He was before me, v 15
He is
the lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, v 29
He is
the Son of God, v 34
#1 Sign, Water to Wine, 2:1-9 (Cana, Galilee)
#2 Sign, Healing of Nobleman’s Son, 4:46-54 (Cana, Galilee)
#3 Sign, Healing of Paralytic, 5:1-18 (Bethesda Pool, Jerusalem)
#4 Sign, Feeding of 5,000 plus, 6:1-14 (Galilee)
#5 Sign, Walking on the Water, 6:15-21 (Sea of Galilee)
#6 Sign, Healing of Blindman, 9:1-41 (Jerusalem)
#7 Sign, Raising of Lazarus, 11:1-44 (Bethany)
VI. 20:1-21:25
THE RESURRECTION AND APPEARANCES OF THE SON OF GOD
When an author of Scripture states the purpose or purposes of the book or even a section of a book, the student and teacher should search out the plan or structure that the author uses to make his purpose telling. The Gospel of John is a good example of the benefits of such an analysis. ¢
Ron Merryman served the Lord in
Bible colleges for 11 years, and also pastored Holly Hills Bible Church in
Denver, CO, for 14 years.