John 20:30 – 21:25 Early in the morning
So you may have life! – John 20:30-31, 21:24-25
As John draws his gospel to a close he has in view the purpose of his writing and the equipping of the apostles for their continued mission. John has made a careful selection of the material he used with the purpose of leading people to faith in Jesus. This has meant he has not always kept to a chronological order but instead drawn together intertwining themes for Jesus life and teachings. His style of writing is amazingly modern in that he systematically presents evidence regarding Jesus identity and mission. He presents us with source material, first-hand accounts, and a theology of remarkable depth. One of his great skills is in knowing what to leave out from a wealth of potential material. Nobody was closer to Jesus throughout his ministry than John. His gospel is an intimate account. It differs from Luke’s in the sense that Luke drew from other people’s first hand knowledge and fitted it together to make an account that related to Gentiles and especially the downtrodden, because he was a close member of Paul’s team who was the “apostle to the Gentiles.”
John’s objective in writing is that through his writing the Holy Spirit would take the words and cause the reader to grow into faith in Jesus as, ‘the Messiah, (saviour king) the Son of God.’ John20:31 The reason for that is that such faith is the means of gaining fullness of life. ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ John 10:10
How important do we think it is to present those who have yet to believe in Jesus with the source material and evidence that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God?
How could we use John’s gospel to introduce others to Jesus?