Simmons - John: eternal love

John: Eternal Love, The Passion Translation

Translated from the original Greek and Aramaic texts by Dr. Brian Simmons

Published by BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

www.broadstreetpublishing.com

2014 The Passion Translation

ISBN-13: 9781424549580 (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781424549641 (e-book)

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H ow God longs for us to know him! We discover him as we read and study his living Word. But the Word is not just dead letters; its the Living Expression of God, Jesus Christ. The Word came with skin on as the Perfect Manthe living manifestation of Gods glory!

The Gospel of John is all about this beautiful Christ. John tells us why he wrote this amazing book:

Jesus went on to do many more miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not even included in this book. But all that is written here is given to you so that you will fully believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of God, and through faith in him you will experience eternal life by the power of his name!John 20:3031

The word believe is found 100 times in John. It is the gospel of believing! We believe that Jesus Christ is the Living Expression of God and the Light of the World. He is the Savior, the King, the true Anointed One, the Living Bread, and the Loving Shepherd. It is the gospel of John that reveals these truths to us.

The New Testament, at its beginning, presents four biographies to portray the four main aspects of this all-glorious Christ. The gospel of Matthew testifies that he is the King, the Christ of God according to the prophecies of the Old Testament, the One who brings the kingdom of the heavens to earth. The gospel of Mark presents him as the Love-Slave of God, the perfect servant who labors faithfully for God. Marks account is the most simple, for a servant doesnt need a detailed record. The gospel of Luke presents a full picture of Christ as the True Man and the compassionate Savior of all who come to him. And the gospel of John unveils him as the Son of God, the very God himself, to be life to Gods people.

Miracles are everywhere in the gospel of John! Water became wine. Blind eyes were blessed with sight. Even the dead rose to walk again when Jesus lived among men. Every miracle was a sign that makes us wonder about who this man truly is. The book of John brings us a heavenly perspective filled with such wonderful revelation in every verse. Nothing in the Bible can be compared to the writings of John. He was a prophet, a seer, a lover, an evangelist, an author, an apostle, and a son of thunder.

The other three gospels give us the history of Christ, but John writes to unveil the mystery of Christ. Jesus is seen as the Lamb of God, the Good Shepherd, the Kind Forgiver, the Tender Healer, the Compassionate Intercessor, and the Great I Am. Who can resist this man when he tugs on your heart to come to him? To read Johns gospel is to encounter Jesus. Make this your goal as you read.

Many believe that John penned this gospel about 8590 AD, however, the Dead Sea Scrolls hint at an earlier date as early as 5055 AD, since some of the verses found in the Dead Sea Scrolls are nearly identical to verses found in Johns gospel. The earlier date, though contested by some, seems to be more likely. Why would John wait to write and share the good news of Jesus? It seems obvious that John wrote his gospel prior to 66 AD when the Roman war with Jews began, for he mentions the Temple as still standing and the pool, which has (not had) five porticos. All of this was destroyed during the Roman war of 6770 AD.

John was called to follow Jesus while he was mending a net, which seems to point to the focus of his ministry. Johns message mends the hearts of men and brings healing to the Body of Christ through the revelation he brings us.

There is an interesting possibility that both James and John (sons of Zebedee) were actually cousins of Jesus. By comparing Matthew 27:56 to Mark 15:40, we learn that Zebedees wife was Salome. And Salome was believed to be the younger sister of Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, which would make her sons, James and John, cousins of Jesus.

There are three things that are important to remember about John. First, he was a man who was a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. He had seen the miracles of Jesus firsthand and heard the anointed words he taught. He walked with Jesus and followed him wholeheartedly, becoming one of Christs apostolic servants.

Secondly, John describes himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. This was not a term to indicate that Jesus loved John more than the others, but rather, John saw himself as one that Jesus loved. You could also say this about yourself, I am the disciple whom Jesus loves! Every single believer can echo Johns description of himself, as those words must become the true definition of our identity.

Love unlocks mysteries. As we love Jesus, our hearts are unlocked to see more of his beauty and glory. When we stop defining ourselves by our failures, but rather as the one whom Jesus loves, then our hearts begin to open to the breathtaking discovery of the wonder of Jesus Christ.

And thirdly, its important to keep in mind that John did not include everything that Jesus did and taught. In fact, if you put all the data of the Gospels together and condense it, we only have information covering merely a few months of Jesus life and ministry! We are only given snapshots, portions of what he taught, and a few of the miracles he performed. From his birth to the age of twelve, we know virtually nothing about his life; and from the age of twelve until he began his public ministry at thirty, we again have almost no information given to us about him in the Gospels. John summarizes his incomplete account in the last verse of his gospel:

Jesus did an untold number of other things than what Ive included here. And if every one of his deeds were written down and described one by one, I suppose that the world itself wouldnt have enough room for the books that would have to be written.John 21:25

John gives us the fourth gospel, which corresponds to the fourth of the living creatures mentioned in the book of Revelationthe flying eagle. This brings before our hearts, Christ, as the One who came from heaven and reveals heavens reality to those who love him. In Daniel 3:25, it was the fourth man walking in the fire who was in the form of the Son of God. This fourth man revealed in the fourth gospel is the One who on the fourth day put the sun into the sky (Genesis 1:7).