A ?Gospel? is a declaration of victory! The book of John is a historical and biographical account of the creator of the universe who came down to earth. As we learn about Jesus we can understand who God is. God is infinite, self-existent, and personal. The Word is with God, was God, created all things, and is the sustaining power of all life. Then this Word takes on a human body and lives among humanity, John confirms that he was an eye-witness to this event. Jesus came in a way that was unexpected and the world was polarized by it. All of humanity is invited to receive forgiveness from Jesus and be adopted as God's children.

John the Baptist had the role of preparing the way for Jesus. At the time of Jesus' ministry on earth, it had been 400 years since there was a prophet in Israel and an expectation was growing among the Jewish people for the next prophet to come onto the scene. John the Baptist preached that the kingdom of God was at hand; as a result the people of Israel were coming out to him to be baptized (at the time this was unusual). John the Baptist showed people: that they were sinful, that they needed forgiveness, and then he handed them to Jesus to receive his mercy.\r\n

In studying Jesus' first miracle--providing wine at a wedding--we can see the Jesus is not the God that people may expect. People tend to expect that God hates fun, He wants to stop people from having fun, He uses shame to control, and He loves weird rituals. Through this miracle we see the opposite of this dark view of God. Even Christians are in danger of viewing God in a distrusting way, expecting bad things from Him rather than accepting the good gifts He freely gives us and we need to understand how good He is to represent Him accurately to the world.

Jesus goes up to Jerusalem to the Temple at Passover. He found sellers of oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers doing business there. Seeing that they were misrepresenting God, Jesus made a whip, turned over the tables and drove them all out. The Jewish leaders arrive and Jesus says, "destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up". They were confused not knowing he was referring to the Temple of his body. Later, his disciples remembered that Jesus said this to them and they believed the words he said.

Jesus meets Nicodemus. Nicodemus tells Jesus that he must be from God because of all the amazing and miraculous things he can do. Jesus tells Nicodemus that no one can be with God unless he or she is born again. Nicodemus comes to understand through this interaction that believing in Jesus' miracles and that He comes from God isn't enough, one must be born again.

On his way back to Galilee, Jesus travels through Samaria where he meets a Samaritan woman at the well. When Jesus asks her for a drink of water, they have a conversation that forever changes her life. As she learns about who he is and the spiritual life he has to offer, she goes back to town to share it with others. Because of her testimony, many believed in Jesus.

There were many expectations that people had for who Jesus should be. Jesus preached that the solution to a broken relationship with God is not a behavior change but a transformed heart: this polarized the crowds listening to his teachings. When we are desperate, we turn to prayer as a last resort. We can try to bargain with God to get what we want. The Pharisees were indignant that Jesus was not meeting their expectations. Jesus taught that spiritual matters are far more important than the physical: they will last into eternity. \r\n

Jesus spoke most harshly against the Pharisees in his day. Christians have a history of being poor representatives of who God is, they can at times be more like the Pharisees than like Jesus. This holds lost people back from investigating and responding to the Gospel. The Pharisees were infuriated with Jesus for breaking their man-made rules. They were convinced that God would be pleased that they were so strict, so that when God was in front of them they missed it! Jesus gives a comprehensive argument for why he is who he claims to be. We also need to realize that we have a problem and that we do not have the solution in ourselves; it is only God who is great. Loving other people should be supreme over our desire for people to have good views of us.\r\n

The spiritual reality is most important. Humans want physical safety, comfort, and autonomy. God wants for us to have eternal security, meaning, and community. Some of those who had witnessed Jesus' miracles wrongly assumed that he was performing these signs for entertainment and to meet their desires. Jesus wanted them to see that there is something they need that is far more powerful than the physical: a relationship with God Himself. True followers of Christ should not have conditions on their obedience and commitment to Jesus but are called to trust him fully. God will provide what we need to obey, as we step out to serve Him.

Jesus' teachings have not left any comfortable middle ground for those listening; his claims are so explicit that they are polarizing. The Festival of Booths was designed to represent the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the coming of the Messiah. Jesus gets up to preach at this festival and claims he is the fulfillment of the prophecy about the Christ. As a result, the religious leaders rejected him, the disciples came to him, and Nicodemus sought to understand the truth.

In order to trap Jesus, a group of Pharisees puts an adulterous woman in front of him, creating a conflict between Mosaic law and Roman law. Jesus adeptly responds in a way that exposed the Pharisees' motives, showed compassion to the woman, and held to God's truth about her situation. In doing so, Jesus showed that we can come to God as we are, receive forgiveness from him for our sins, and enjoy closeness with Him.

In this passage, Jesus puts forth that he is the "light of the world"--the central point of truth--calling people to follow him. By making this claim Jesus is either truly someone before whom all people should bow, or he is a profoundly false figure. We should all investigate this claim and respond to it, not on the basis of our feelings or preconceptions but on the basis of evidence and objectivity.\r\n

Jesus' disciples ask him why a blind man is blind, reflecting popular opinions of the time as to the reason. Part of Jesus' response is to heal the man, demonstrating God's power and compassion, and fulfilling a Messianic prophecy. Jesus stands willing to address our spiritual blindness in a similar way.

Jesus uses the metaphor of the shepherd to explain his role in the world. He is the Good Shepherd. He leads His flock and protects his sheep. We are God's sheep.

Mary pours out her costly perfume on Jesus' feet, anointing him. As different people react to her action, we see lessons on giving up what is ours in gratitude for all Jesus has given us.

Soon before his crucifixion Jesus enters Jerusalem, greeted by people who anticipate he is the Messiah who would conquer their oppressors. Instead, his entry marks the start of his trip to the cross to suffer for the sins of man, and conquer the oppression of sin for those who seek him.

What was one of Jesus' last acts before going to the cross? He washed his disciples' feet at the Passover meal. This act of humility towards even the one who would betray him shows unconditional love. Jesus was able to do this because of the gifts God had given him, his knowledge of where he came from and his knowledge of where he was going to.

Jesus tells his disciples that he would be leaving them soon and that the Holy Spirit will come in his place. He explains why it is better for them--and for today's Christians--to have the Holy Spirit with them than for him to remain.

The final part of the Upper Room discourse is discussed focusing on Jesus' prayer. His prayer is centered on three things: 1.) Jesus and the Father; 2.) the Disciples; and 3.) all future generations of believers. Here we see the call for believers to be both culturally relevant and distinct from the world system.

The cross of Christ demonstrates God's unconditional commitment to our ultimate good. We also see that we are loved, valued, broken, and we have a choice to make.

The resurrection is crucial to our faith in Jesus Christ. If Jesus wasn't resurrected, the New Testament authors lied and Jesus' death has no meaning. However if Jesus did raise from the dead, we can be assured that: the supernatural is real, there is an afterlife, Jesus' teachings are from God, and Jesus' death did pay for our sins. A review of the historical evidence including eyewitness accounts and extra-Biblical historical sources is included. Alternate explanations are explored and dismissed.

The last chapter in the book of John shows an interesting interaction between the resurrected Jesus and the apostle Peter. Jesus knew about Peter's shortcomings and he didn't stay silent about them. He showed Peter his potential, warned him of his weaknesses, and prayed for Peter's success. While Peter failed by denying Christ three time, failure can reveal our true heart - whether we are serving for our selves and our own glory or serving out of gratitude.