John 15: fruit

I am the vine, you are the branches . . .

Where does fruit grow?  It grows on the branches.  The branch though can not produce fruit by itself.  The branch produces fruit because of the life (sap) that comes up through the tree and into the branches.  We can not produce love or other fruit of the spirit by ourselves.  The Holy spirit has deposited these things in our hearts and we must nurture those things so they can mature.

Ideas came from a letter to LHOP from Doug Stone in 2008.

Comparison of the Woman at the Well and Nicodemas

In John 3 we have the story of Jesus interaction with Nicodemas and is John 4 the story of the woman at the well. It is interesting to compare the differences and similarities in these two stories.
Eugene Peterson goes into detail about this in his book Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places.


Their Differences
Nic was a man and the woman at the well a woman, Nic from the city while the WATW was from the country, Nic came at night and the woman at the well was found during the day, Nic was an insider and WATW an outsider, Nic a professional and the WATW a lay person, Nic was a person of respect and the WATW a disreputable woman, Nic was orthodox and the WATW was a heretic, Nic took initiative with Jesus going to Him while the WATW took none , Nic was named and the WATW remains anonymous.

What they had in Common
They both encountered Jesus, they both had "spirit" conversations with Jesus. Jesus is the primary figure in both scenes. Nic and the WATW provide the occasion but Jesus directs the content.

Other interesting portions of this story
Nic risks his reputation to go and see Jesus, Jesus risks his reputation to speak to a Samaritan woman.

So it doesn't matter who starts the conversation, they key is it ends with Jesus.

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson, p.18,19

3:1

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."

Nicodemus, a Jewish Rabbi.  Nervous about his reputation, he came to talk with Jesus under cover of darkness.  He would have lost credibility with his rabbi colleagues if it  became  known that he was consulting this disreputable itinerant teacher,  this loose prophetic cannon out of nowhere, the no-place Nazareth in Galilee, so he came to Jesus by night.  He came, it seems, without an agenda, simply to get acquainted, opening the conversation by complimenting Jesus; "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for not one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God" (3:2)  Peterson

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson, p.14

15:4

"A key word in this verse is the word remain (abide) which appears no fewer than eleven times in the passage. It seems to suggest an effortless resting in the Lord, confident in the promised union between the vine and the true branches. Furthermore John uses the word remain forty times in his Gospel and 27 more times in his epistles. In the context of this passage, it seems to emphasize an ongoing faith and loving obedience to the Father and the Son that results in fruit.

This is a new covenant thinking. The disciples and all believers since them must give up the idea that true Christianity emphasizes memberships and associations rather than life in Christ though the Spirit. "

John by Kenneth O. Gangel p 283

15:2

Boice escapes the difficulty of interpretation by translating cuts off (airo) as "lifts up", certainly one of its meanings. He argues, "This translation makes better sense of the passage in every way, and in addition it is much better theology. First , the emphasis of this opening section of the parable is, quite rightly, upon the care of the vine by the Father. It would be strange, granting this emphasis, if the first thing mentioned is the carrying away of unproductive branches. But it is not at all strange ot emphasize that the vine dresser first lift the branches up so that they may be better exposed to the sin and so the fruit will develop properly"

John by Kenneth O. Gangel quoting Boice: Boice, IV, p.228

15:2

Jesus noted, "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away"

Elmer Town gives various interpretations and then his own conclusion.

"Theologians debate the identity of the unfruitful branch that is apparently cast away.

First some say it represents the true believer apostatizing. Armenians make reference to this passage to claim that Christians who do not abide in Christ are taken from Him, and their salvation is lost.

Second, those who believer in eternal security interpret the unfruitful branch as one who merely professes Christianity, but who was never truly united to Christ.

Third, others interpret this passage with a primary emphasis on fruit bearing, not salvation.

Fourth, the probable solution in seen in the word airei (takes away). This word is the root for resurrection (to take up). The focus here is fruit bearing; the vinedressser does not cut away a vine because it has no fruit but gently lifts it up to the sun so it has an opportunity to bear fruit. The first step of Christ in not judgment but encouragement."

The Gospel of John,Believe and Live, Elmer Towns p 150-151

John 15: central idea

Elmer Towns gives his idea on the central idea of John 15: "The foundation of the Christian life is the believer's union and communion with Christ, which is the central truth of the metaphor of the vine and the branches. One cannot read the New Testament without realizing the tremendous importance early Christians placed on the fact that they were in Christ and Christ was in them.... Spiritual life and fruitfulness have their source in Him and are manifestations of the reality of that union."

The Gospel of John,Believe and Live, Elmer Towns p 149-150

Gospel of John Timeline

John 1 - Introduction
Day one
. Bethany on the other side of the Jordan (1:28)
. John the Baptist at Jordan River

Day two
. John the Baptist: Jesus is the Lamb of God (1:29-34)

Day three
. the frist disciples: Andrew and Simon Peter (1:35-42)

Day four
. Additional disciples: Phiip, Nathanael (1:43-51)

John 2 - from Nazareth to Galilee
on the third day of the wedding in Cana 2:1)

a few days:
. in Capernaum w mother, brother and disciples (2:12)

then back to Nazareth
. to Jerusalem for the first Passover (2:13)
- at the temple (2:14)
John 3 - - dialogue w Nicodemus (3:1)

to Judean countryside
. Jesus baptizing (3:22)

to Aenon near Salim (3:23)

John 4 - leaves Judea towards Galilee (4:3)

7:38

rivers of living water

Genesis 2:10, John 4:14, Rev 22:1,2

The rivers shall flow from him (the man that believes). So it is God's nature to pour out.

The rivers are a natural correlation to a supernatural one. The rivers represent the Holy Spirit. It is Gods nature to pour out his Holy Spirit upon people and then for them to pour it out to others.

A principle: Give and it shall be given unto you. Translation from this verse: allow the Holy Spirit to pour out of you in giving and then the Holy Spirit will be poured back into to you to give. So you could say outflow is the secret of inflow. If you go a step further you could say belief is the initiator of inflow. Belief in what Jesus says leads our to giving out according to the commandments or the word, then in turn leads to more inflow.

You can see the fruit of this pouring out in the life it gives. This water is living water. It is a life giving substance. It is the life of God, of Christ be poured forth. The Holy Spirits pouring out on a body of believers or through an individual believer is seen in the vitality of that body or believers. the proof of this truth is not in a rational. It is not something arguable. Vitality is not something you convince somebody of. It is seen in the life that is there. So the effect of truth is life. These two go hand in hand. You can not have one without the other.

These thoughts were generated by reading of :
Rivers of Living Water: The Works of T. Austin Sparks

John 15:1

...and my father is the husbandman.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of you mind that you might know that good and perfect will of God.

God is the head gardener of the vine. The gardener decides where the vine is to be planted, which direction to grow the vine in, for when and how much to prune the vine, how and how much it is to be watered and nurtured.

Jesus was dependent upon Gods choices for all these things. The vine is our example. Everything in the natural has a supernatural correlation. So as Jesus was totally dependent on God for where he was planted, when he was pruned, how he was fenced in, how and when he was watered, when he was to be challenged by outside forces, so we are dependent on these things.

As we pursue Gods will by renewing our minds on Gods word, we recognize that our planting is not our choosing. It is the choice of the master Gardener, God himself.

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Favorite Resources in John so far

These are sources that I glean the most from in my own study of the Gospel of John

Commentaries
•C. K. Barrett’s, The Gospel According to John *
•G. R. Beasley-Murray, John, *
•F.F. Bruce, The Gospel of John *
•Kostenberger, Andreas J. John (BECT) *
•Morris, Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John *

Other Related Books with insight into the Gospel of John
•Andrew Murray, The True Vine *
•T Austin Sparks, Discipleship in the School of Christ *
•T Austin Sparks, The School of Christ *
•Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, Volume II (The writings of John) *
•Bruce Wilkinson, Secrets of the Vine *

The Private Miracle

I would entitle the changing of the water to wine the private miracle.

Kostenberger says it like this: the entire event served as a foil for Jesus revelation that his "time had not yet come" (2:4; cf. later 7:30, 8:20; and the arrival of the "hour in 12:23, 27, 13:1; 17:1) Nevertheless, Jesus finds a way not to "blow his cover": he performs a miracle "behind the scenes," without stealing the spotlight that properly belonged to the bride and groom, selflessly meeting the need of the hour.

Encountering John, Kostenberger p 73

2:4

Woman or gunai has no harshness or disrespect in the vocative form

C. K. Barrett, p159

gunai has caused needless perplexity. While it is an unusual mode of address to one's mother, it also may be affectionate.

Beasley-Murray, p 34

Jesus response shows depths of feeling and earnestness in him. It was the customary style of address for the time.

Lipscomb p 36

Mary probably failed to realize adequately that since her Son had left home (some months before) something had happened which must make a difference to their former relationship. He had been anointed with the Holy Spirit and had received power to undertake the special work which his Father had given him to do. Now that, after the long 'silent years' at Nazareth, he had entered on his public ministry, everything (including family ties) must be subordinated to this... When the NEB makes him say 'Your concern, mother, is not mine', it misses the point, which is that 'mother' is precisely what he did not call her. If she sought his help now, she must not seek it on the bais of their mother-and-son relationship.

F.F. Bruce p 69

John 2

C.K. Barrett gives this short overview of the changing of the water into wine in Cana of Galilee.

A wedding feast, attended by Jesus, his mother, and his disciples, is the scene of the first miracle. Jesus, though he will not be hurried or dictated to, even by his mother, supplies handsomely a lack of wine by transforming the contents of six water pots. After the miracle, which is represented as taking place privately and as known only to a few servants and to the disciples, Jesus goes down to Capernaum to await the appropriate moment for beginning his public work.

The Gospel according to St John, C.K. Barrett p 156-157

Barrett points out a couple of interesting facts about this scene. He says Jesus public ministry opens at 2:13 and that 2: 1-11 is a private miracle. This insight helps me understand why Jesus would say my hour has not yet come yet go ahead and perform a miracle. It seems Jesus understood that his public ministry, his hour, was about to begin. He was waiting on the fathers timing. Turning water into wine in a private setting was not the beginning of the hour. No doubt it was a powerful sign to the new group of disciples about just who this man Jesus really was.2

John 15: Setting

Bruce Wilkinson brings out the setting of John 15 in his book Stories From the Vineyard.

He tells of how this was part of the dying conversation of Jesus. It was part of his final words before he was to leave. This was the heart of Jesus final message to His disciples.

He tells it like this: If you've been a Christian for a while, you've probably heard a lot about the upper room -- the scene of the dramatic evening meal Jesus had with His disciples. You can easily imagine, then, the men around the table reclining on pillows, their faces turned toward the Master. You can hear the muted conversation. You can smell the aroma of freshly baked bread and of roasted lamb and onions.
It is the night before Passover, the Jewish day to remember the nation's escape from slavery in Egypt. Hundreds of thousands have come to Jerusalem to celebrate, and this year more than ever the city is buzzing with rumors about Messiah. More than one prophet has predicted that on just such a day, Messiah will arrive to deliver Israel from all of her oppressors forever.
But these men reclining around the table know something the crowds outside don't. Messiah is already here. He is with them here in the room.
The disciples have spent three year with Him, and one by one they've come to the same conclusion: Jesus of Nazareth is Messiah -- the One worth risking everything to follow. In fact, the disciples are so certain about who the events of Passover week will unfold that they have spent a good part of the journey from Galilee arguing about who will get which position of honor in the new kingdom.
Dinner begins.
Peter, pass the lamb
Hey James, let's get to the temple early. I don't want to miss ten thousands of angels teaching those Roman legions a lesson.
Psst, Matthew! I'd say our money woes are about to be history.
The disciples expect that these lamplit hours among friends in the upper room will carry on into the evening, poignant but peaceful, full of toasts to the good years to come. But things begin to unravel.

The next thing that happens is the washing of the disciples feet. Why would tomorrow's king behave like tonight's houseboy? It gets worse. Jesus tells them that one of them will betray him. Then the clincher Jesus tells him that before sunup, he will deny his Lord three times. An awful realization begins to dawn: Their whole mission is doomed.
He goes on "a little while longer and the world will see me no more,"

The disciples begin to realize that there will be no public triumph. Their continence drops. Hope has been replaced with anxiety and dread. there is emotional devastation.

At the end of this scene Jesus says "Arise let us go from here." this leads us into a portion of Jesus final words in John 15.

Secrets of the True Vine, Bruce Wilkinson pp. 10-13

More on Pruning

In pruning a vine, two principles are usually observed.

1. All dead wood must be ruthlessly removed. Dead wood is a container of insects and disease. These can cause the vine to rot, to decay and to be more unproductive.

2. the live wood must be cut back drastically. Live wood has to be trimmed back in order to prevent such heavy growth that the life of the vine goes into the wood rather than into bearing fruit.

In the springtime the vineyard is comprised of barren and bleeding stumps, but in the fall they are filled with luscious purple grapes.

In a believers life the cutting back of live wood can seem almost cruel, yet those who have been willing to suffer most often are the ones who bear much fruit.

John the Gospel of Belief, Merrill C. Tenney pp 227,228

The Right Stuff

Five points of resemblance between the vine and believers.

1. The Right Stock - Jesus said I am the true vine - The first essential in planting a vineyard is having the right stock. A nurseryman who sells stock guarantees the plant he sells is true to type. Jesus is the true stock, the one true vine, He is the one and only original from which all others must come from.

2. The Right Expert - My father is the husbandman - Great vineyards are taken care of by experts. An expert who knows when to prune as well as how much to prune and when to fertilize as well as how much to fertilize. He knows how to produce a maximum crop. This spiritual vineyard is taken care of by God himself the foremost expert on training and developing the maturity of man.

3. The Right Culture - Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit - to keep the culture pure pruning must take place.

4. The Right Contact - Abide in me, and I in you -

5. The Right Fruitage - the same beareth much fruit - the expert keeps the right stock with the right culture connected to the right contact bearing the right fruit.

The Gospel of Belief, Merrill C. Tenney p 227

Gods Names and Attributes in John

My (Jesus) Father - used by Jesus in 15:1
the vinedresser - 15:1
the one who sent Jesus - 7:33, 8:18, 8:29, 8:42
the Father bears witness of Jesus - 8:18
the Father taught Jesus - 8:28
The Father is with Jesus - 8:29
The Father honors Jesus - 8:54
The Father knows Jesus - 10:16

Aseity of God in John

I am reading through the Gospel of John and Christian Theology edited by Richard Bauckham and Carl Mosser. This week I am reading the article by D. Jeffrey Bingham called Christianizing Divine Aseity: Irenaus Reads John.

The article points to Irenaus conviction of the Aseity of God and the reason for his focus was to combat Gnostic teachings of the time. Aseity or adversus haereses reveals Irenaeus's deep conviction of God's self-sufficiency.

"The Creator, he believes, stands in need of nothing and no one. The Father, with his Son (Word) and Spirit, needs no instruments to create. Through the agency and means of his Son and Spirit, the Father willingly and intentionally creates, governs and provides; creation and providence are mediated neither by angles nor any other creatures. As the Origionator of life, God does not need what he originates, for he is uncreated, without beginning or end, and separate from the creature. He does not need our possessions, our communion, our fruits, our offerings, our gifts, our oblations, our allengiance, our love, our obedience, our sacrifices, our service, our good works. Even the incarnation satiffies no need in God; God has no need.

The creature, however, stands in great need. Humans, for example, need many instruments to produce their intentions. But far more fundamentally, they need the Creator and to be related properly to him. They need revelation from the Father's Word and Spirit. They need for their own glorification, to be in communion with God, to be befriended by him, in fellowship with him. They need to offer something to God, to give gifts, to serve for their own benefit, fruitfulness, and glory, to provide oblations from the creations for their own education in gratitude and holy service which brings forth God's blessing. They need to obey for their own profit, to do good works so that God might recompense them with good things; to embrace righteousness and contrition that they might be justified, to bathe in the laver of regeneration that they might be cleansed."1

Irenaeus see this principle in John 1:3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. Or in John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you.. . Or 19:11 Jesus answered. "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."

One of the Gnostic myths of the times was that their were angelic creators.

I see why Irenaeus would establish this principle especially in light of the common teachings of the time and the popularity of some Gnostic teachings. It brings up some questions for me. How can a relationship work with one person having no need ? Can God want our love yet not need our love ? Why would that be true ? Does God just want our worship or is their any need in Him for his creation to worship the Creator. Is there any need in God for His created to become whole and fulfill what He created them to be ? These are some questions for me to chew on.


1 the Gospel of John and Christian Theology edited by Richard Bauckham and Carl Mosser p.55

15:16

You did not choose me, but I chose you and set you aside that you should go forth and yield fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that the Father should give you whatever you ask in my name.

God understood what He was working with when He chose you and me.

God has a proven track record of using ordinary people to do extraordinary exploits.

He used a man who had committed murder to later lead his people into the promised land (Moses).
He used a convict who later became the 2nd most powerful man in a nation to bless others (Joseph)

He uses people who had made grave errors. He uses people who have human weakness.

God is not looking for perfect people. He is looking for people who will admit their need and turn their heart toward Him and follow Him.

Many times human talent can be a hindrance to God using us. We rely on it instead of relying on God.

God desires to use all of us.

14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Amazing words coming from a man who knew He was about to go back to the father and that the prince of the world (devil) was coming for Him. The man Christ Jesus was soon to be executed and he speaks to His disciples. Jesus is giving them the encouragement He has received from the Father "Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid."

15:1

I am the true vine

Over and over in the Old Testament Israel is pictured as the vine or the Vineyard of God.
the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel (Isaiah 5:1-7)
Yet I planted you a choice vine (Jeremiah 2:21)
Ezekiel 15 likens Israel to the vine as does Ezekiel 19:10.
Israel is a luxuriant vine (Hosea 10:1)
Thou didst bring a vine out of Egypt (Psalm 80:8)

The vine had become a symbol of the nation of Israel. It was the emblem on the coins of the Maccabees. The vine was part and parcel of Jewish imagery, and the very symbol of Israel.

Yet Jesus proclaims that he is the true or real vine. It is as if he is saying "you think that because you belong to the nation of Israel you are a branch of the true vine of God, but the fact that you are a Jew can not save you. the only thing that can save you is to have an intimate living fellowship with me, for I am the vine of God and you must be branches joined to me.

the Gospel of John volume 2, William Barclay p 172-173

Seven Witnesses

The Gospel of John has seven human witnesses that declare He is the son of God.

1. John the Baptist: This is the Son of God (1:34)
2. Nathanael: You are the Son of God (1:49)
3. Peter: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (6:69)
4. Martha: You are the Christ, the Son of God (11:27)
5. Thomas: He is my Lord and my God (20:28)
6. John: Jesus is he Christ, the Son of God (20:31)
7. Jesus himself: I am the Son of God (10:36)

Seven Signs or Miracles

There are seven specific signs in John that give witness to Jesus being the son of God.

1. Turning water into wine (2:1-11)
2. Healing the nobleman's son (4:46-54)
3. Healing of the paralytic at Bethesda (5:1-47)
4. Feeding of the 5000 (6:1-14)
5. Walking on the water (6:15-21)
6. Healing the blind man (9:1-41)
7. Raising of Lazarus (11:1-57)

Seven I AM's

John is filled with a witness or testimony of who he is that calls for belief or faith which results in life if faith is put in him. The seven I AM's are Jesus own testimony of His deity. Jesus said:

I AM the bread of life (6:35)
I AM the light of the world (8:12)
Before Abraham was, I AM (8:58)
I AM the good Shepherd (10:11)
I AM the resurrection, and the life (11:25)
I AM the way, the turth, and the life (14:6)
I AM the true vine (15:1)

15:2

Andrew Murray has a book on the true vine that I have found insightful on the first part of John 15. He writes a passage that gives insight on just what is being cut off in the pruning process. Here is a portion.

Consider for a moment what this pruning or cleansing is. It is not the removal of weeds or thorns, or anything from without that may hinder the growth. No; it is the cutting off of the long shoots of the previous year, the removal of something that comes from within, that has been produced by the life of the vine itself. It is the removal of something that is a proof of the vigor of its life; the more vigorous the growth has been , the greater the need for the pruning. It is the honest, healthy wood of the vine that has to be cut away. And why? Because it would consume too much of the sap to fill all the long shoots of last year's growth: the sap must be saved up and used for fruit alone. The branches, sometimes eight and ten feet long, are cut down close to the stem, and nothing is left but just one or two inches of wood, enough to bear the grapes. it is when everything that is not needful for fruit-bearing has been relentlessly cut down, and just as little of the branches as possible has been left, that full, rich fruit may be expected.

What a solemn, precious lesson! It is not to sin only that the cleansing of the Husbandman here refers. It is to our own religious activity, as it is developed in the very act o bearing fruit. I is this that must be cut down an cleansed away. We have, in working for God, to use our natural gifts of wisdom, or eloquence, or influence, or zeal. And yet they are ever in danger of being unduly developed, and then trusted in. And so, after each season of work, God has to bring us to the end of ourselves, to the consciousness of the helplessness and the danger of all that is of man, to feel that we are nothing. All that is to be left of us is just enough to receive the power of the life-giving say of the Holy Spirit. What is of man must be reduced to the lowest measure. All that is inconsistent with the most entire devotion to Christ's service must be removed. The more perfect the cleansing and cutting away of all that is of self, the less of surface over which the Holy Spirit is to be spread, so much the more intense can be the concentration of our whole being, to be entirely at the disposal of the Spirit. This is the true circumcision of the heart, ... This is the true crucifixion with Christ, bearing about the dying of the Lord Jesus in the body.

Blessed cleansing, God's own cleansing! How we may rejoice in the assurance that we shall bring forth more fruit.

The True Vine, Andrew Murray p. 28,29

15 intro

Boice gives an idea what may have occasioned Jesus parable of the vine and its branches. Since the proceeding chapter ends with "Come now, let us leave," it would seem that the Lord and his disciples left the upper room at this point and began that quiet walk across the city of Jerusalem down into the Kidron Valley that brought them to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. If that is the case, they may have passed the great golden vine that decorated the door to the Holy Place of the temple or they may have passed the vines that grew close to the great walls of the city.

The Gospel of John vol.4 p. 1159, James Boice

15:2

He removes every branch in me that does not produce fruit, and he prunes every branch that does produce fruit, to make it produce more fruit.

There are plays on words in the Greek that cannot easily be reproduced in English'; 'he removes' is airei and 'he prunes' is kathairei. Moreover, kathairei can also mean ' he cleanses' and is linked with 'clean' in verse 3: 'you are kathairei. Here is an echo of John 13:10, 'you are clean (kathoaroi), but not all'. Judas was the exception then; in terms of the present parable, he is an unfruitful branch that has to be removed.

The Gospel of John, F.F. Bruce p.308

15:2

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful.


We should not regard this as a proof that true believers may fall away. it is part of the viticultural picture, and the point could not be made without it. The emphasis here is on bearing fruit.

In a vineyard fruitfulness is not just desirable; it is imperative; that is the whole point of the vineyard; it is what the vineyard is for. Pruning is resorted to to ensure that this takes place. Left to itself a vine will produce a good deal of unproductive growth. For maximum fruitfulness extensive pruning in essential.

This is a suggestive figure for the Christian life. The fruit of Christian service is never the result of allowing the natural energies and inclinations to run riot. "Trims clean" more literally "cleans" where we might have expected "prunes," shows that we have now moved into the spiritual sphere. the interest is in what happens with people rather than with vines. The action of the father is such as to cleanse his people so that they will live fruitful lives.

The Gospel According to John, Leon Morris p. 594-595

Place of Writing

Although there is no definitive answer to where John wrote his gospel. Early church tradition points to Ephesus.

The early church father Irenaeus says "Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his resence at Ephesus in Asia." Irenaeus had personal contact with Polycarp, who knew John personally.

Others have suggested that the Gospel was written in Alexandria or somewhere in Egypt because an early manuscript has been found in Egypt. And others suggest a general region of Antioch.

The Gospel According to John, Leon Morris p. 54

Purpose of Writing

John tells us in so many words why he wrote: "these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (20:31). There seems to be no reason for ignoring this express statement. John says plainly that he is out to show Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. ... Not only does John tell us this in set terms, but close examination shows that this is, inf fact, what he has don. Again and again he brings before us evidence that Jesus is indeed the Christ. ...Moreover, John constantly lets us see the challenge posed by the message of Jesus. People divide in the presence of this message. Either they commit themselves to Christ in faith and so enter life of they refuse to commit themselves to Christ in faith and so enter life or they refuse to commit themselves and in so doing remain in darkness and a condition of lostness.

The Gospel According to John, Leon Morris p. 34

Date of writing

Conservatives and radicals alike generally hold that the Fourth Gospel is of comparatively late date. It is commonly held that it was written in the last decade of the first century, though some authors prefer a date in the early second century.

The Gospel According to John, Leon Morris p.25

A Gospel for All

Leon Morris begins his commentary with the comparison of John's gospel to a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant can swim. It is both simple and profound. It is for the veriest beginner in the faith and for the mature Christian.

The Gospel According to John, Leon Morris p. 3

21:30,31

John 21:30,31 Now there are many other signs, not written in this book, which Jesus did in the presence of his disciples; but these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, you may have life in his name.

We see John's purpose in these verses. That we may believe that Jesus is the Christ and that believing we may have life in his name. Through out John we see witnesses and testimonies to who Jesus Christ is. We have the seven signs, the seven I Am's, Jesus testifying of himself, disciples and others testifying that He is son of God. All these things are written that we would believe in Jesus.

There is another component of this. When we believe we have life in his name. So there is a witness so that we would believe and life would be imparted to us.

The Witnesses in John

The theme of witness pervades the whole of John's gospel. There is :

The witness of John the Baptist (1:6-8)
The witness of the Father (5:32, 37; 8:18)
The witness of the Son (8:14, 18)
The witness of the Spirit (John 15:26)
The witness of the works of Christ (5:36, 10:25)
The witness of the scriptures (5:39)
The witness of the disciples (15:27) including the witness of the disciple that Jesus loved (19:35, 21:24)
The purpose of the witness was that all should believe (20:31)

1:6

1:6-8 There came a man , sent from God, whose name was John. He came for the purpose of witness, to bear witness concerning the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but (came) to bear witness concerning the light.

Verse 6 begins the many witnesses in the gospel of John to the true light (Jesus).

1:51

1:51 Indeed and in truth I tell you', he went on to say to him, 'you will all see heaven opened and the angles of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.'

The open heaven is a concept found in Genesis. In Genesis 28 Jacob had a vision of a ladder that came down from heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it and when he awoke he called that place Bethel (the House of God) .

2:3 sight

2:3 When wine had run short, Jesus' mother said to him 'They have no wine'.

You see this throughout the gospel of John. Man gets to zero and then the Lord gave life. T. Austin Sparks calls it the zero point. They had no capacity. It is the place we need to come to. We need to recognize that in ourselves we have no capacity. We can not make the old man better. We have to be born again. We need the life of the Lord to become a new creation.

They had run out of wine and had no where to go to get wine.

1:1 a

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

It is not by accident that the Gospel begins with the same phrase as the book of Genesis. Gen 1:1 introduces the story of the old creation while John introduces the story of the new creation.

According to Bruce the English term Word is an inadequate rendering of the Greek logos, but it would be hard to find anything in English that better represented logos.

Moffat translation says 'The logos existed in the very beginning'.

Phillips renders the clause 'At the beginning God expressed himself' and then follows 'That personal expression, that word, was with God. . .'

Bruce says we can better understand logos by the phrase 'word in action'. The true background of logos comes from the Hebrew revelation of 'the word of God' which in the O.T. denotes God in action especially in creation, revelation and deliverance. Over and over in the creation narrative we read 'God said . . . and it was so'. Ps 33:6 states 'By the word of the Lord the heavens were made'.

The Gospel of John, F.F. Bruce

Prologue (John 1:1-18)

The narrative as a whole spells out the message of the prologue: that in the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth the glory of God was uniquely and perfectly disclosed.

Key words of the gospel that appear in the prologue are: life, light, witness, and glory.

Source: The Gospel of John, F.F. Bruce

1:4

1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

This life is the light of human beings (ton anthropon). This life gives natural illumination to reason and spiritual illumination to the human heart. It is this supernatural illumination (light) that dispels the darkness of sin and unbelief.

Sources: The Gospel of John, F.F. Bruce

1:5

1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

In the first creation, darkness was upon the face of the deep (Gen. 1:2) until God called light into being, so with the new creation there is spiritual darkness on the face of the human heart until the the light of men which is the life in Jesus shines upon it.

Apart from the light in Christ the world is encompassed by darkness. The Greek word katelaben is translated overcome in the RSV. According to Bruce mastered would be another good translation for katelaben. We know that light and darkness are opposites, but they are not opposites of equal power. Light is always stronger than darkness and darkness can not overcome light or master it. One small candle can illuminate a dark room and not be dimmed by the darkness there.

We often here darkness and light taught in an equal type of dualism. The Bible dispels this by showing us that the true light Jesus has come into the world and darkness is being overtaken.

Sources: The Gospel of John, F.F. Bruce

Some Johannine Literature

I found this link for references to writings about the Gospel of John.
link

Here are some important works on the Gospel of John

Important Works on the Fourth Gospel

Background
•John Ashton, Understanding the Fourth Gospel.
•Richard Bauckham, ed., The Gospels for All Christians: Rethinking the Gospel Audiences
•James Charlesworth, John and the Dead Sea Scrolls
•R. Alan Culpepper and C. Clifton Black.eds., Exploring the Gospel of John
•C. H. Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth *
•James Dunn’s article, “Let John be John: A Gospel for its Time”,
•R. Kysar’s The Fourth Evangelist and His Gospel.
•Stephen Motyer, Your Father the Devil? A New Approach to John and the Jews
•John Painter’, John: Witness and Theologian
•John W. Pryor, John: Evangelist of the Covenant People.
•Stephen Smalley’s book, John: Evangelist and Interpreter,
•D. Moody Smith, The Theology of the Gospel of John,

Commentaries
•C. K. Barrett’s, The Gospel According to John *
•G. R. Beasley-Murray, John, *
•Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John (Two volumes)
•F.F. Bruce, The Gospel of John *
•D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John
•Frank Cox, According to John *
•Culpepper’s, Anatomy of the Fourth Gospel.
•C. H. Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth *
•Jonathan D. Huntzinger, John
•Craig, S. Keener , John (Two volumes)
•Craig A. Evans, Word and Glory. On The Exegetical and Theological Background of John’s Prologue.
•Kostenberger, Andreas J. John (BECT) *
•Barnabas Lindars, The Gospel of John,
•David Lipscomb, A commentary on The Gospel of John, *
•Francis J. Moloney, Belief in the Word (Two volumes- John 1-4 & Signs and Shadows: 5-12).
•Morris, Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John *
•H. Odeberg’s The Fourth Gospel
•Mark W. G. Stibbe, John’s Gospel
•C. H. Talbert’s, Reading John
•Merrill C. Tenney, John The Gospel of Belief *
•Elmer Towns, The Gospel of John Believe and Live *
•Ben Witherington’s John’s Wisdom.

History and Historicity
•Craig Blomberg, The Reliability of the Gospel of John
•C. H. Dodd’s book, Historical Tradition in the Fourth Gospel
•John A. T. Robinson, The Priority of John.
•The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: Narrative, History, and Theology in the Gospel of John (Baker Academic, 2007)

Authorship
•Thomas L. Brodie, The Quest for the Origin of John’s Gospel: A Source-Oriented Approach.
•D.A. Carson, Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris, An Introduction to the New Testament
•James Charlesworth, The Beloved Disciple: Whose Witness Validates the Gospel of John? Sources
•Denaux, ed., John and the Synoptics,
•R. T. Fortna, The Gospel of Signs: A Reconstruction of the Narrative Source Underlying the Fourth Gospel,
•Martin Hengel’s, The Johannine Question,
•Barnabas Lindars, Behind the Fourth Gospel,
•D. Moody Smith, John Among the Gospels: The Relationship in Twentieth-Century Research.
•D. Moody Smith, The Composition and Order of the Fourth Gospel & Johannine Christianity: Essays on its Setting, Sources, and Theology
•Urban C. von Wahlde, The Fourth Gospel and its Predecessor and Earliest Version of John’s Gospel: Recovering the Gospel of Signs.

The Johannine Community
•Raymond Brown, The Community of the Beloved Disciple
•Oscar Cullmann, The Johannine Circle
•Bill Domeris, “Christology and Community"
•J. Louis Martyn’s History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel
•David Rensberger, Johannine Faith and Liberating Community
•Fernando F. Segovia, “The Significance of Social Location in Reading John’s Story”
•Urban C. von Wahlde, “Community in Conflict: The History and Social Context of the Johannine Community”

Theology
•The Gospel of John and Christian Theology Richard Bauckham (editor), Carl Mosser (editor) *
•Peder Borgen, “God’s Agent in the Fourth Gospel”
•Delbert Burkett, The Son of the Man in the Gospel of John.
•Maurice Casey, From Jewish Prophet to Gentile God.
•James Dunn, Christology in the Making
•J. Harris, Jesus as ‘God’
•Lars Hartman, “Johannine Jesus-Belief and Monotheism”,
•E. Harvey, “Christ as Agent”
•William Loader, The Christology of the Fourth Gospel: Structure and Issues,
•Wayne Meeks, “Equal to God”
•Wayne A. Meeks, “The Man from Heaven in Johannine Sectarianism”.
•Maarten Menken, “The Christology of the Fourth Gospel: A Survey of Recent Research”
•Francis J. Moloney, The Johannine Son of Man
•Jerome Neyrey, An Ideology of Revolt: John’s Christology in Social-Science Perspective.
•Robert Rhea, The Johannine Son of Man
•Marianne M. Thompson, The Humanity of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel

Other Related Books with insight into the Gospel of John
•Andrew Murray, The True Vine *
•T Austin Sparks, Discipleship in the School of Christ *
•T Austin Sparks, The School of Christ *
•Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, Volume II (The writings of John) *
•Bruce Wilkinson, Secrets of the Vine *


I found many these on the "Christ my righteousness" blog written by Celucien L. Joseph and have added or subtracted some of my own.

A Space to post Bible study thoughts

I created the study of John's gospel to have a place to store thoughts on this book of the Bible. John has been one of my favorite books of the Bible and in 2008 I am reading through the gospel of John many times.