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The Gospel of John - Thesis

The Gospel of John is a doctrinal writing that addresses a Christian community facing persecution and doubts about Jesus. John delves into the mystery of the incarnation and divinity of Jesus through symbols such as light, water, and bread. He presents Jesus as the Word, the Life, and other images so that believers can progressively discover His identity through faith or remain in darkness by rejecting Him.

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22 views5 pages

The Gospel of John - Thesis

The Gospel of John is a doctrinal writing that addresses a Christian community facing persecution and doubts about Jesus. John delves into the mystery of the incarnation and divinity of Jesus through symbols such as light, water, and bread. He presents Jesus as the Word, the Life, and other images so that believers can progressively discover His identity through faith or remain in darkness by rejecting Him.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

Gospel of the mature Christian


By: P Antonio Rivero LC | Source: Catholic.net

I. INTRODUCTION

The Gospel of John is different from the rest of the Gospels. Its vision
of Jesus, his mysterious language, the focus of the work: everything makes of
it is a singular Gospel. It has been said of it that it is a Gospel
spiritual, and certainly it is. But at the same time it is the Gospel
what else insists on the Incarnation of Jesus and on the most detailed aspects
humans of their life. Divinity and incarnation thus appear as two
faces of the same mystery.

II. DOCTRINAL OBJECTIVE: To delve into the Gospel of Saint


John.

III. EXPERIENTIAL OBJECTIVE: To assimilate the message that this Gospel


offers us.

IV. THESIS: The Gospel of John is a response to the situation that


lives in their community and contains a deep reflection about the
mystery of Jesus. Those who encounter Him and accept Him, go
progressively discovering the depth of this mystery, through
faith. And those who reject it, due to lack of faith, end up in darkness
and the blindness of their sin. All signs and miracles are directed
to discover a facet of the unfathomable richness of Jesus. And the
speeches that follow miracles have a theological character, it is
they say, reflect on Jesus and his mission. John is depicted with a
eagle, because the eagle is the bird that reaches the highest altitude, just like
that the gospel of John that rose to the secrets of the
Divinity.
V. EXPLANATION OF THE THESIS:

1. Author, date and recipients

The author is John, the beloved disciple of Jesus. His mother Salome is
of the group of women who followed Jesus to serve him and is
present at the Calvary. John is always listed after
Peter is one of Jesus' three close friends.

John wrote the substance of his Gospel in the late first century, when
the other apostles and evangelists had already died. And then it was
completed and written by his disciples.

The Christians to whom John is addressing lived in a difficult situation and


complex

Internally, there were groups that did not accept the superiority of
Jesus about John the Baptist; others did not accept the divinity of Jesus.

b) Externally, there was rejection and persecution. Their persecutors


they are the Jews that appear on each page of your gospel and that
they expelled Christians from the synagogue of that community. For
those Christians lived in fear; some were afraid of
to appear as disciples; others had abandoned the community. And
the main temptation of those who remained was to distance themselves from
world and shut themselves in the cenacle, seclude themselves in the circle in which
they were protected.

For that reason, this community has rallied around the 'disciple'
loved one, Juan.

2. Literary characteristics

It is a gospel very different from the other three. It has sources


his own, that's why he writes "his" Gospel based on his memories and with
a different purpose. He selected some miracles and delved into
its symbolic meaning, based on what it wanted to teach the
Christian community.

He is rich in speeches and has a deep, reflective way of speaking.


abstract, at times. Juan seems like a theologian. That is why his language
It is for adults in faith. It speaks with the new concepts that are
they managed in Hellenistic culture: light-darkness, life, love,
logos...and adapts them to the Christian conception of faith. Part of
concrete realities: water, bread, birth, life, the
light...but then it transforms them and transports us to other realities
superior, through the symbol.

Juan often employs dialogue: Nicodemus-Jesus, Samaritan woman-Jesus;


Jews-Jesus, blind from birth-Jesus, etc. to expose his
teaching in a more lively and participatory way.

Another element of John is the following: it exposes the sign or miracle and,
later, he gives the speech about the sign.

3. Division and thematic content

The Gospel is presented divided into two large sections,


preceded by a prologue and followed by an epilogue:

a) Prologue and testimonies (1, 1-51): anticipates the major themes of


gospel: the Word, the Life, the Light, the Truth, the world, the
darkness...and alongside him, the first testimonies, which present to
John as the last great prophet who points to Jesus as the Messiah.

b) The book of signs (2-12): seven miracles-signs are narrated. The


What is important is not the miracles themselves, but revealing Jesus as Wine.
new, as New Man, as Light, as living Water, as
Resurrection, etc.

c) The Book of Passion and Easter (13-20). It has two sections: the
farewell speeches (13-17) and passion and glory (18-21).

d) Epilogue (21, 1-25): it includes various appearances of Jesus, in the


that the beloved disciple occupies an important place, along with Peter.

4. Theological and Spiritual Content

End of the Gospel of John: John wants to prove that Jesus is God
true. Hence, his specialty is theological speeches.

Keys:

The Gospel of John is a response to the situation that its


community. To the controversy about the divinity and humanity of Jesus, the
the evangelist responds by delving into the mystery of his incarnation
and death. And in the face of the temptation to flee from the world, he urges the
disciples to strengthen their faith in Jesus, and, united with him, go out to
world to bear witness to the truth.
Before Jesus, one must make a decision: either accept Jesus or reject Him.
Those who encounter Jesus and accept him begin to discover
progressively the depth of this mystery: they recognize it as
Lord, Prophet, Messiah, and Savior of the world, and, above all, as
Son of God. And those who do not accept him remain in their darkness, in the
blindness of his heart.

The more a Christian makes his decision for Jesus, for His Life, His
Truth, your Justice... will find much more opposition from some who
they will make his life impossible, even to take his life away.

Content:

It is called the spiritual Gospel of the mature Christian: long


meditative speeches; development of themes (bread of life, water,
spirit and truth...). These discourses are not so much the words of Jesus,
About Jesus' speeches. Presents Jesus as Word, Life,
Light, Bread of Life, Way, Truth, Life, Resurrection...

b) It is the Gospel of signs: these signs are intended to


wake up the faith. It wants to demonstrate that these signs or sacraments are
the prolongation of those salvific gestures of Jesus. These are the
signs:

The water: baptism.


The breads: the Eucharist.
The water and the blood from the side: baptism and eucharist.
The blindness: the man who has not encountered Christ-Light.
The hostility of the enemies of Jesus: the man who does not
wants accept a Jesus.

c) It is the Gospel of life and love: all the morality of


Jesus converges on the commandment of fraternal love.

It is the Gospel of the hour of Jesus: it is the hour of triumph


final, of his glorification through his free giving and
voluntary to the cross. It is the hour desired by Jesus, as an act
supreme of love. The cross becomes the glorious throne
from where Jesus founds the Church. And Mary is constituted
Mother of that Church just emerged from the side of Christ.
intimacy established between his mother and the beloved disciple
they symbolize the relationships that must exist between the Church and its
children.

e) It is the Gospel of the Father: all the life of Jesus is


presented by Juan as a coming from the Father, remaining faithful to
the mission that the Father has entrusted to him, and return to the Father to be
glorified y to sit a On Right hand.

The theme of Jesus-Life is truly the center of


Gospel of John; all other themes are related to
I am the light...the living water...the bread of life.

CONCLUSION: The Gospel of John is, in fact, a writing


doctrinal in the form of Gospel. Its first intention is not
to narrate, but to teach. The main interest of this work is to
theological character; in it, miracles are signs; the
speeches, more than the speeches of Jesus, are speeches about
Jesus. Such speeches do not address the problems of
time of Jesus (the law, the Sabbath, pure foods or
impure, etc...) but about the mission of Jesus in the world: to be
the Messiah, the sent one from the Father, Light of the world, Living Water, Bread
celestial.

Lord, if You are the Word, speak to us. If


You are the Light, enlighten us. If You are the Life,
vivify us. If You are the Truth, teach us. If You
You are the Way, lead us to the Father. If You are the
Resurrection, resurrect us. If You are the living Bread,
feed us. If You are the living Water, satisfy us. If You
You are the Shepherd, lead us to your pastures of salvation. If You
you are the New Man, make us new men
we. If You are the New Wine, intoxicate us.
Amen.

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