Culture & Context: The Gospel of John
- Donna Wright
- Jan 12
- 5 min read
Welcome to Culture and Context, a blog that will flesh out the context of the PATH journal and other content that we study here at True North.
Congratulations on beginning your PATH journey! The purpose of these Culture and Context blogs is to provide cultural and contextual background for your study. You can find the full explanation at
Year 1 begins with the gospel of John. Wait- we don’t start with Genesis? Don’t worry...Genesis is the next book. John is an excellent starting place because it is an evangelistic book- John wrote this book to persuade people to come to a saving belief in Jesus. I have personally done in-depth Bible studies of John several times and have seen and learned something new every time.
Early church fathers accepted the disciple John as the author of this gospel. Theophilus of Antioch was the first to quote it by name around AD 180. Church fathers Iranaeus, Clemen and Tertullian all believed John to be the author. There are scholars who are not as certain, because John does not name himself as author. John 21:24 is the only clue to the identity of the author.
John does not identify himself by name as the author of this gospel, but is known as the “disciple that Jesus loved.” John 21:20 & 24:
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” - Verse 20
"This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true." - Verse 24
Other verses in John that refer to “the disciple that Jesus loved” are: Jn 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20. A full discussion of the evidence that John is this disciple would take up this entire blog post; for a full explanation see the entry John, The Apostle in the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.
John and his brother James were in the first group of disciples called by Jesus at the Sea of Galilee, along with the brothers Simon (Peter) and Andrew:
"While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." - Matt. 4:18-22
John was part of Jesus’ inner circle along with James and Peter; the three of them were with Jesus at the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-2; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28-29) and in the Garden of Gethsemane to support Jesus while He prayed about his impending crucifixion (Matt. 26:37; Mark 14:33). Jesus so loved and trusted John that while He was on the cross, He asked John to look after his mother, Mary:
"...but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home." - John 19:25-27
Jesus gave John and his brother James the nickname of Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder,” (Mark 3:17). Bible scholars have several theories as to why; the brothers may have had volatile personalities (Luke 9:54), or may have had loud voices because as fishermen, they were accustomed to working outside.
In addition to this gospel, John is the author of the book of Revelation, written towards the end of his life while he was exiled on the island of Patmos, a rocky and inhospitable island off the coast of present-day Turkey.
The Gospel of John is different from the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, which are known as the synoptic gospels. They are “synoptic” because they can be analyzed and cross-referenced together in a synopsis of the story of Jesus. Many of the gospel stories in Matthew, Mark and Luke can be read in parallel; there are even specialty Bibles that place the words of the gospels in parallel columns (these are called Gospel Harmonies and can be seen online or purchased as books).
John is written less as a synopsis of Jesus’ life and more to persuade the reader that Jesus is the Messiah who brings eternal life to those who believe. The Logos Bible Study Introductions notes that “the Synoptics focus on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and His last week in Jerusalem, but John highlights Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem during several visits of the space of three years.”
The temple fell in Jerusalem in AD 70. This event is not mentioned anywhere in John’s gospel, leading scholars to believe that it was written prior to AD 70.
The gospel of John is usually divided into a Prologue (John 1-20) and an Epilogue (John 21). The Prologue is further divided into three sections. John 1-11 discuss the signs and miracles of Jesus. John 12 is a turning point, where the gospel turns from Jesus’ acts to the beginning of His journey to the cross. John 13-20 covers Jesus’ teachings to the disciples and then the accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The Epilogue of John 21 follows Jesus’ appearance to His disciples after his resurrection.
Why should we read the gospel of John? What does it have for us in the 21 st century?
John is often recommended reading for new believers because it contains the very foundations of their new faith. These foundations are also good for long-time believers, because they ground us in the faith we are living out. Leon Morris (1914-2006), an Australian New Testament Theologian, compares “John’s Gospel to a pool in which a child may wad and an elephant can swim,” because its simplicity appeals to the new believer or the seeker, while its theological richness satisfies longer-term believers and scholars.
Works-cited and Resources
Bible Study Introductions. (2024). Introduction and Background of John. Logos.
Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Boanerges. In Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale House Publishers..
Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). John, the Apostle. In Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale House Publishers.
Goodacre, M. (2016). Gospels, Synoptic. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.
Keown, M. J. (2018). The Structure of John. In Discovering the New Testament: An Introduction to Its Background, Theology, and Themes: The Gospels & Acts: Vol. I. Lexham Press.
Morris, L. (1971). The Gospel According to John. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Page 7
