CST100 CA
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Dec 6, 2023
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CST100 Critical Assignment
An Introduction to John
By Samantha Dizon
Submitted to Dr. Joe Slunaker
Due by Day 3 of Week 8 -
No Exceptions
1
Introductory Issues
The first four books of the New Testament are called the Gospels, these books or stories tell
the story of the life of Jesus. The Gospels are supposedly written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John, this paper focuses on the Gospel of John which is known to be an eyewitness account of
the Gospel. Many church leaders like Theophilus of Antioch identify John as the author of this
gospel (Michaels, 2010, p. 32). This assumption can be solidified by reading John 21:24, the
author is described as a disciple of Jesus (John 21:24).
John’s gospel can be set apart from the other three because of its clear differences compared
to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The first three gospels are called synoptic gospels meaning that
they are clearly connected (events and order) when looked at together. John does not include the
same events or order in the other gospels mentioned which makes his gospel intriguing to
theologians (Bruner, 2012, p. 14).
The Gospel of John was presumably written between 90 and 100 CE (Michaels, 2010, p. 46).
Since this Gospel came years after the other three synoptic Gospels, it is the last Gospel to be
written. In John’s Gospel, he wrote about Jesus’ life and ministry on earth like his birth,
teachings, and redemption. All these events were happening in the first century during the rule of
Pontius Pilate. When John wrote this gospel, a new generation was rising in the church and he
had written the gospel to help this new generation understand (Michaels, 2010, p. 50). At the
time of this gospel, the church was experiencing heavy persecution from Emperor Domitian.
While John was writing this gospel, he would have been harassed by others and he may also be
banned from the synagogue.
The primary purpose of this gospel is to spread the word about who Jesus is. It is stated in the
verse, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and
2
that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). This gospel is meant to secure
God’s people in their faith and love for Him (Mullenburg, 1932, p. 43). In addition to his writing,
he discussed Jesus’ miracles, teachings, and word-of-mouth testimony from those Jesus had
healed. He also used Scripture to further help the new generation of the church to understand
who Jesus is.
Literary Structure
I.
Introduction (1:1-51)
A.
Prologue (1:1-18)
B.
John the Baptist (1:19-34)
C.
Gaining of disciples (1:35-51)
II.
Jesus’ ministry (2:1-12:50)
A.
Turning water to wine (2:1-11)
B.
Cleansing the temple (2:12-22)
C.
Discussion with Nicodemus (2:23-3:21)
D.
John the Baptist (second appearance) (3:22-36)
E.
Discussion with a Samaritan woman (4:1-42)
F.
Healing the official’s son (4:43-54)
G.
Pool of Bethzatha healing (Jerusalem) (5:1-47)
H.
Feeding of 5,000 (6:1-71)
I.
Feast of Tabernacles (7:1-52 – 7:53-8:11 added later)
J.
Jesus the Light of the World (8:12-59)
K.
Healing the blind man (9:1-41)
L.
Jesus the Good Shepherd (10:1-42)
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