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Lesson OneLuke–John: The Gospel According to Luke and John5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoJesus and John: Two Miracle Births5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeWho IS This Man?: The Beginning of Jesus' Ministry5 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 96
Discussion Questions
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After learning about the gospel of John, why do you think he chose to focus the first half of his book on seven miracles or signs from Jesus? How did this help John accomplish his purpose that was discussed in the lesson?
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15 Replies
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I believe John chose to focus the first half of his book on the miracles and signs from Jesus because they’re different from the other gospels, maybe not wanting to be repetitive. Also, I believe he wanted to get right to the point of Jesus being God as well as being a human because at the time he was writing–Gnosticism was the popular belief.
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John specifically states that he wants his readers to “that you may know that Jesus is the Christ”. John wants to be very specific that we know in Jesus’s sovereignty and authority. Focusing on the 7 miracles specifically points us the readers to that very end. If we know and believe in these miracles then we can not deny the divine purpose that Jesus had on this earth. He was fully God and fully man as he was on this earth living among us but also performing miracles.
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John’s purpose in writing was to lead his readers to place their faith in Jesus Christ for eternal life (John 20:31). To achieve this, John had to explain who Jesus was, through his seven signs. Although Jesus did countless miracles, these seven signs were chosen to be paired up with some narratives, sermons or discourses, that will lead one to discover who Jesus is and to believe in his name. For example, Jesus turning water into wine tells us that he is able to offer a better kind of water to the Samaritan woman (John 4:13). Again, Jesus healing at the pool on a Sabbath tells us that his authority is above the Sabbath law, because the Father had even given him authority to judge the world (John 5:22,27). Moreover, Jesus feeding the five thousand tells us that he is the bread of life who satisfies the human soul (John 6:35). Moses gave manna, but Jesus has replaced him as the Prophet whom Moses prophesied about. And Jesus raising Lazarus from death to life tells us that he is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). We can therefore believe in his name for eternal life (John 20:31).
#John
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By laying a foundation of the seven miracles, signs, John was laying the foundation for readers to recognize Jesus’ significance as GOD. He was the Word made flesh. In Him was life. He dwelt among us. We beheld His glory. John began in Chapter two recording the first miracle of Jesus, turning the water into wine. Chapter four, Jesus being the one that provides salvation of sin. Chapter six Jesus is seen walking on top, ABOVE, the turbulent waves, having no fear of them, and never loosing His step. Jesus CAME IN POWER! His coming to earth was not only to seek and to save that which was lost, but to re-establish HIS POWER over all of the earth!
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John focused on the seven miracles in order to persuade his audience that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, who could give them eternal life if they would believe Him.
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Dr. Blomberg says, “Luke clearly seems to have been a Gentile.” What significance do you see in this? How might this have affected how Luke’s gospel was written and how it was received at the time it was written?
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24 Replies
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It’s comforting in a way knowing that Luke was a Gentile. He loved and followed Jesus’s teachings just like I do today. However, Luke’s writings bring out a Gentile Christian’s point of view in loving and following Christ—especially living his life out as a Gentile back in the day. I believe more Gentiles would read his writings and convert to Christianity.
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It helps in terms of Luke being able to communicate with them and to share with fellow disciples about traditions and soon.
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It must have been God’s providence to appoint gospel writers of different backgrounds to write to different kinds of readers, so that the gospel would be widely understood and accepted. If Luke wrote as a Gentile believer, the Gentiles would be more inclined to read his gospel. He would be mindful to use references that a Gentile would understand, such as a lost sheep, a lost coin, a rich fool, etc. Where he had to mention something Jewish as background, he was mindful to explain it to the Gentile reader.
If Luke truly wrote around A.D. 61-62 when Paul had reached Rome, the gospel must have spread to different socio-economic sectors by this time – from an initially poor and Jewish group perhaps to a mixed ethnic composition, and including soldiers and officials in Caesar’s palace. Hence he was able to research and write under the sponsorship of a well-to-do Theophilus. His factual account would have cleared baseless suspicions among the Gentile Roman empire that the Christians were a subterranean sect, that their founder was an executed rebel, and that their evangelist Paul was a criminal.
#Luke
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It’s extremely significant that Luke was speaking from the heart of a Gentile. As brought out in the study, learning the theme of Luke’s writings, his emphasis on Jesus’ humanity. A Savior that understood pain and suffering. A Savior who came to redeem and restore. Only a Gentile would bring emphasis on the beauty of his perfect humanity. The correlation between Luke and Hebrews is fascinating. Take a look at Hebrew 10:19, 20; “Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus, by a NEW and LIVING way which He inaugurated for us, through the veil, that is, through His flesh… wow! Jesus’ flesh was torn, as was the veil… both the displaying the GLORY OF GOD. Both, allowing us to enter into a closer relationship with our Creator.
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This is very significant because it would help us understand the tone and theme of the gospel of Luke. He was speaking to the Gentile community and appealing to their needs at the time. He also would have used his experiences to help those Gentile Christians become stronger in their faith. He showed Jesus as understanding and knowing the human experience because he lived among them.