John’s Introduction & Additional Resources
Author
In his Gospel, John is referred to as “the one whom Jesus loved” (19:35; 21:24), showing how the life and love he received from Jesus were more fundamental than any other part of his identity. He was also a son of a man named Zebedee and brother of James, another disciple of Jesus. Along with Peter and James, he was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, and so was able to witness more-private scenes which the crowds did not (like Jesus’ transfiguration in Matt. 17, even though John’s Gospel does not record it). John was a fisherman before he became a disciple of Jesus, and gave up everything to follow him. By the end of his life he was an established elder at one or more early churches, to whom he also wrote the letters 1, 2, and 3 John.
Recipients / Setting
John’s purpose is to help people believe that Jesus is the Christ and receive salvation (20:31), so he probably intended the Gospel for a wide audience including those who didn’t yet believe. This would include both Jews and Gentiles: there are plenty of prophecies from the Old Testament mentioned, with which Jews would have been familiar and used to test whether Jesus fulfilled them; and the original Greek the letter is written in is very simple, indicating that it could be sent to a wide variety of Gentile audiences who didn’t necessarily know the language well (i.e., in the Roman empire, where Latin was the official language). Yet even with simple words, John draws out profound depth.
1 John may have been a document which John sent around to various churches he helped lead; it has no introduction, specific recipients at the start, or greetings to others at the end, as most other New Testament letters do. It is clear that he is close to and cares for his readers, calling them things like “my little children” (2:1).
2 John is written to “the elect lady and her children.” Some think this is a metaphorical reference to the Church (being the bride of Christ), but it could also just be a woman in a local church in which John holds some authority (since he refers to himself as an “elder” in v. 1).
3 John is written to “Gaius” (v. 1), who is evidently someone in authority at a church under John’s leadership, and the same church where the subject of the letter (“Diotrephes”) is causing trouble.
Date / Location of Composition
John likely wrote his Gospel around A.D. 90, near the end of his life. He wrote it in order to instruct others about Jesus’ divinity through the miracles and teachings he gave to people during his ministry on earth.
1 John was probably written after then, since it covers many of the same themes as the Gospel--but in far less detail, which could indicate that the recipients were already familiar with the content of John’s Gospel.
2 John was written to a more specific audience than 1 John, but was probably around the same time, since it seems to be dealing with a very similar problem as 1 John--both letters encourage their readers toward faith in Christ, and push back against false ideas that Jesus didn’t really come to earth as the God-Man.
3 John may have been written before or after 1 & 2 John, since it doesn’t seem to address the same issues. It is more focused on a member internal to the church being exclusionary.
Structure / Themes
Unlike the other Gospel accounts, John is not organized roughly chronologically or as a catalogue of different stories about a similar topic. The whole purpose of the Gospel according to John is to show its readers that Jesus is the Anointed One (Christ/Messiah) and Son of God (20:30-31). As such, most of this Gospel is focused on lengthy teachings Jesus gives about his own identity, and “signs and wonders” he performs. The former he summarizes with statements following the pattern, “I am the ______ …” (see 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1); the latter always confirm that his teaching is from God. In addition to the vocabulary below, John frequently contrasts light/darkness, life/death, truth/falsehood, things or people “from above”/”from below,” and love/hatred.
The letter 1 John is hard to structure because so many of its themes are reiterated and clarified throughout the whole book, instead of arguing one point then stopping and moving to the next. It’s fairly short, so it may be helpful to read through the whole thing once as you start this plan and mark similarities you notice between different parts. The letters 2 & 3 John are written to very specific people facing very specific problems, but carry similar ideas and terminology as John’s other writings.
Important Definitions:
Life/birth - refers to (the start of) the state of one who is animate physically or spiritually. Jesus (and John) say someone “has been born” or “has life / eternal life” to illustrate being in a right relationship with God.
Witness/testimony - to give a good/reliable report of a person or event; often in the context of spiritual truth, such as Jesus’ divinity (John 1:7-8, 5:32, 36, 39).
Faith/belief/to believe - persuasion or conviction of, or trust in, truth. This can extend to mean trust in Jesus for salvation from sin, specifically.
Light - can signify something illuminated (Matt. 5:17); something which exposes things in the dark (John 3:19); glory (Is. 49:6); and/or be a metaphor for God himself (Ps. 27:1; John 8:12; Rev. 22:5).
Authority - power or right to act; control; mastery. Jesus is described as having authority over demons (Luke 10:19), people (John 17:2), and even death (John 10:18). He gives those who believe in him “the [authority] to become children of God” (1:12).
Law (commonly associated with Moses) - can be a general term, but is often more specifically referencing the first five books of the Old Testament and the Jewish religious system based on those.
Grace (commonly associated with Christ) - an undeserved gift; benefit; favor. As opposed to “law,” it refers to God taking initiative to give us salvation, rather than people working to be accepted by God.
“The world” - refers usually to humanity in their sinfulness, apart from Christ. Often it’s used as a generalization and does not necessarily refer to every single individual member of humanity.
How to Read NT Letters
Questions to ask for understanding:
What specifically does this say about Jesus / God?
What specifically does this say about human nature?
What warnings are there?
What sins should we avoid?
What commands or examples are there to follow?
Things to look for while reading NT Letters:
Repeated words or phrases (Ex: the words “love” or “light”)
Applying a shared truth (Ex: Old Testament reference)
Comparing and Contrasting Ideas
Vivid Imagery
Patterns or Mirroring
Interruptions in Pattern
Themes (Ex: light vs. darkness, truth vs. falsehood)
Bible Project Resources:
Reading NT Letters - Literary Context
Reading NT Letters - Historical Context
Reading NT Letters PDF - Study Notes
Further Introductory Reading: