JOHN
The Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John, one of five books written by him, the other four are: I, II, and III John, and the book of Revelation. John was the brother of James, and their father was Zebedee, a fisherman in Galilee. Both brothers were called by the Lord while they were mending their nets. Immediately they left the boat and followed Christ. Mark observes that they left the boat with “the hired servants” (Mk. 1:20), an indication that John’s family must have been a prosperous family.
Following the ascension of Christ, John played a prominent role in Jerusalem during the early days of the Church. He was with Peter when the lame man at the Temple Gate was healed; subsequent to the healing, both apostles were arrested by the religious leaders of Israel. Later Peter and John were sent by the Church to Samaria to investigate the conversions there. After the execution of his brother (Acts 12:2), John is not mentioned in the book of Acts, though Paul refers to him as one of the “pillars” of the Church in Jerusalem (Gal. 2:1, 9).
According to tradition John eventually went to Ephesus and from there was banished to the Island of Patmos during the reign of Domitian (AD 81-96). While on Patmos he was given the material found in the last book of the New Testament. Eventually he returned to Ephesus and died there late in the first century.
His Gospel contains more lengthy statements by Christ than any of the other Gospels, therefore, his Gospel is considered to be more theological; for in the statements there is insight into the nature and mission of the Lord. John begins with an affirmation of the preexistence of Christ and moves through the great “I am” passages to the prayer of the Lord for his followers before His passion; also in the prayer the Son expressed His desire to be reunited with the Father.
John states the purpose for his book: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (Jo. 20:31). The book is an extended evangelistic exposition; more than one-hundred times some form of the word “believe” is found in the record of John.
Passages with Exegesis:
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