Participants 62
Discussion Questions
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Describe, in your own words, ways in which John’s gospel is different from the Synoptic Gospels. Why are these differences important? How would our view of the Christ’s life and work be different without the gospel of John?
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13 Replies
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Although John’s record of Jesus feeding the five thousand and walking on water parallels the Synoptic Gospels, the rest of his material is unique. He does not include parables, but he chooses to narrate certain miracles as “signs”, and everytime follows up with some discourse or sermon to explain the significance of the sign.
John gives very clear clues of Jesus’ ministry as lasting about three years, because he takes pains to record every time Jesus went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. The other Gospels, in organizing some material according to themes, do not portray this time frame so clearly.
While Matthew and Luke present very early in their books the human genealogy of Jesus, John starts his gospel with his divine genealogy, so to speak. He declares that the Word existed right from the beginning with God. Although all the gospels did present Jesus as Son of God, John did this most clearly and drew the implication that Jesus was in fact God, most frequently – such as in Jesus “I am” statements and his controversies with the Jewish leaders.
Of all the Gospels, John spends the largest proportion on the Passion Week, filling in many discourses of this week that the other writers omitted – such as Jesus washing the disciples’ feet and praying for them, abiding in the Vine, and the promise of the Paraclete.
These differences are important because they fill in omitted material, which would have been lost for good when all the Apostles have passed away, if this had not been penned. The heavier emphasis on Jesus’ identity and deity also helped to ward off the Gnostic cult that was to come in John’s last days. The material even helped to clear up the Arian-Athanasian controversy over the Trinity as late as the fourth century. Finally, John’s inclusion of his Master’s heart-felt discourses during the Passion Week helps us see some of the foremost issues on our Lord’s heart. It gives us keys – such as abiding in Christ and relying on the Paraclete – to surviving the tumultuous centuries as we wait for his coming again.
#John
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John’s gospel takes time to fully develop Jesus time in ministry, and show Jesus’s own self-awareness and declarations of his own divinity. Without Johns gospel it would seem as though Christ time of ministry was far shorter than it actually was. John also is able to bring in various pieces of Jesus’s ministry that is left out of other Gospels. John showed how Jesus continued to preach and show that he was the Son of God despite the fact that he knew it would ultimately lead to his own death. We can look to John to learn more of who Jesus truly is, and to gain bravery in our own beliefs and ability to speak the truth to others.
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John did not repeat information that was already told in the Synoptic Gospels, however, John more so focuses attention on the details pf Christ’s life that were not told by Matthew, Mark and Luke. He specifically more so gives readers a more in depth description of who Jesus Christ is, His travels (up to when He was in Jerusalem), controversies He had with certain leaders, and tells us of Jesus Christ identity more descriptively. Giving us deeper revelation, more insight with scripture references of who Jesus says He is.
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The differences are significant in that John seemingly highlights, for him, more relevant and important facts, that matter to our deeper understanding.
I believe this Gospel, of John, more than compliments the Synoptic Gospels. A complete picture of Jesus’ life is portrayed. -
John does not repeat similar events as represented in the Synoptic Gospels but focuses on sermons and “I Ams”. He did not want to show that the time involved was short but to elaborate on added events to show that Jesus showed his power for 3 years while on earth. We would read the other gospels and believe that the time Jesus spent going about His father’s business to be less, however Jesus had a 3 year ministry.
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What does Jesus say about wealth in the parables of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) and the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)? How can you apply this teaching to your life?
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11 Replies
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Those that store up riches for himself are not wealthy in the eyes of God. You must focus on God and his word while here on earth and less on selfish desires.
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He points out the folly of the rich man who was not rich towards God. In being self-reliant, greedy and over-ambitious to expand his wealth, he forgot that his life was brief and he had to account to God when he dies. Jesus also told the story of a rich man and a poor man Lazarus to warn that our fortunes on earth may be reversed in heaven. The implication is that the rich man could have done good and shown mercy because he had the means in this life, but he chose to indulge himself only. The common point in these stories is that this life on earth is brief and uncertain, but it is vital in determining the fate of our life after death. The part of man is to fear God and do good (reminiscent of the ending of the book of Ecclesiastes). These stories are also a warning against greed and an exhortation towards compassion. It is often the greedy who cannot open his heart to the needy, even though he himself may be rich enough to give.
#Luke
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The two most important commandments are you shall love God and have no other gods and in today’s world money is considered a god and therefore you should not be placing the value of money over God. The second most important commandment it to love your neighbor. These two commandments tell me that I am to put God first in my life and He will show me the way and by doing so I am to be willingly able to give to others and God will provide for me. I know that in today’s world you have to have a budget and provide for everyday life but by putting God first and praying that He show you the way then you do not have to be so concerned on the how am I going to pay this or that but God will work everything out in His time.
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That in the end, your treasures that you worked so hard to save up, will be someone else’s and you will be dead. So, don’t put your focus on wealth, in fact be on guard against greed for wealth.
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Richness does not give us true happiness. While we need earthly riches to sustain ourselves while on earth, it is how we also use these riches for the glory of God that matters.