JOHN
(Answers)
Updated 02/2024
CHAPTER 1
- The Word is the thought and
mind of God. It is His wisdom and intelligence. It is the light, the life,
the power, and the truth of God by which men live.
- a. Jesus was with God in the
beginning. b. God made all things (Gen. 1:1).
- The word of God is life and
the light of man leading to eternal life.
- The light is the map to
life. By following and obeying the word of God, we follow the road map to
eternal life.
- God’s word is purity.
Darkness cannot bind to it. It cannot defeat the light nor overcome it.
- John was to turn the hearts
of the people back to God and to prepare them for the Messiah who would
become the Light.
- We are born a spiritual
birth through obeying the will of God.
- Jesus was the word of God
who became flesh to give understanding of God and His will - to reveal His
mind to the world.
- a. No man on earth has seen
God. b. Through the works and teachings of Jesus we learned the mind of
God.
- Andrew the brother of Peter
was a disciple of John and became a disciple of Jesus.
- Nathanael called Jesus the
Son of God, the King of Israel.
- Jesus is the link between
heaven and earth. He had the power and favor of God upon Him.
CHAPTER 2
- a. Mary wanted Jesus to
create wine. b. Jesus told his mother "My hour has not yet
come." c. Mary knew Jesus had the power to make more wine.
- Jesus had a zeal for
worshiping God. The people were doing business there for profit instead of
solely worshiping God. They were defiling the use of the temple.
- Jesus was referring to the
temple of His body that would be raised after His death by the power of
God.
CHAPTER 3
- a. Nicodemus must be born
again spiritually. b. We too must be born again spiritually and continue
to be attentive to God's will and Spirit to walk in righteousness.
- We believe in Jesus who was
sent by God to enlighten us in the will of God, to die for our sins, and
to send the Holy Spirit in us to become our light to life.
- Those who choose not to
believe are choosing darkness over light. Not wanting to change, they will
be condemned for not accepting the words of Jesus.
- a. The believers, the
church, are the bride of the Messiah. b. Jesus is the bridegroom. c. John
the Baptist is the friend.
- Jesus received the Spirit of
God without limit. He was full of knowledge, wisdom, and power from
heaven.
CHAPTER 4
- The city of Samaria became a group of foreigners
after the Assyrians captured the city. They were not Jews any longer
(2Ki.17:24).
- The gift of God was the
forgiveness of our sins through Jesus.
- The living water is the Holy
Spirit.
- We drink daily from the Holy
Spirit, which will sustain and mature us in God’s will and in
righteousness.
- We must yield our hearts to
God in spirit and truth. We are His temples now.
- The early prophets, teachers
of the Jews, John the Baptist, and now Jesus have sown the seed of the
Messiah whom the people were looking. The apostles will reap the present
harvest of believers.
- The son was healed at the
same hour that Jesus spoke to the father.
CHAPTER 5
- Jesus healed a man who had
an infirmity of thirty-eight years that made him unable to walk.
- The sin of the man had
caused the infirmity. If repeated, worse would happen to him, either a
worse infirmity or the agony of the hellfire.
- Jesus provides spiritual
life and physical life whether life from the grave at the resurrection or
being made alive from our sins once we believe and accept Him.
- God gave Jesus the authority
to provide life to those who come to Him.
- The people should have known
the Messiah from the scriptures and testimony of the prophets and rejoiced
to see Him, but they did not accept or believe He was the Messiah.
- Moses wrote of the Messiah
and they professed to believe Moses but yet they did not accept Jesus.
Their lack of belief would judge them.
CHAPTER 6
- a. Jesus fed five thousand
men besides women and children. b. Jesus had five loaves of bread and two
small fish. c. Twelve baskets of fragments.
- Jesus walked on water.
- Many of the people sought
Jesus their physical and material needs.
- Jesus had the words to
eternal life and wanted the people to seek the food which has everlasting
life.
- God gave to Jesus all who
would believe on Him.
- Believers will be raised on
the last day (the resurrection of the dead).
- Jesus clarified that He has
seen the Father and was speaking to them the Father's words because no one
(on earth) has seen or can approach God. Jesus was the ambassador of God.
- He who feeds on Jesus will
live. We must believe in Jesus and receive His words feeding on them
daily.
CHAPTER 7
- The brothers of Jesus seemed
to suggest His popularity would increase among people especially at that
time because of the feast going on then.
However, they did not believe in Him and may have suggested this in
cynicism knowing He would have trouble with the Jews in Judea.
- No one spoke freely about
Jesus for they were afraid of the Jews.
- God gave Jesus the words to
speak to the people.
- Just as circumcision was
allowed on a Sabbath so the law of circumcision would not be broken, Jesus
healing a man on the Sabbath was done in righteousness too. The law allowed
works of necessity and mercy even on the Sabbath. The people needed to
look not on appearance but deep into the things Jesus did so they might
see the good and the righteousness in it.
- The Holy Spirit would come
to those who believe in Jesus after He is glorified through His death and
resurrection.
- Nicodemus spoke to defend
Jesus saying the law could not judge anyone until there was a fair trial.
CHAPTER 8
- The scriptures bear witness
of Jesus as foretold by God to the prophets. God also spoke of the Son from
above at His baptism and the miracles Jesus did could only be of God.
- A disciple of Jesus abides in
the words of Jesus by believing He is the Messiah and by continuing and
holding fast to truth and righteousness.
- Continuing in truth and
righteousness will keep you from being a slave to sin.
- The people should have
Abraham’s spirit of faith and belief in the word of God and therefore
believe in Jesus. Instead they had disbelief and a murderous attitude.
- Abraham saw the prophetic
view. God’s promise to him was a multitude of descendants and a seed that
would bless all the people. This prophecy began the day his son Isaac was
born.
- Jesus existed before Abraham.
CHAPTER 9
- The man was born blind to
show the works of God in him through Jesus.
- Jesus was the light to the
world and the works He was to do will end upon His death.
- God hears those who worship
Him and follow His will.
- The people refused to
believe Jesus came from God. It was plain to the healed man that only a
man from God could do such miracles.
- The Pharisees supposed they
could "see" so they knew God. However, if they knew Him they
would know to accept Jesus as the one sent by God. Therefore, they were
blind and in sin
CHAPTER 10
- The sheep that believe in
Jesus and follow Him hear His voice.
- The Gentiles (in one body,
one spirit, and one Lord - Eph. 2; 11-16; 4:4) are the other sheep Jesu will bring with Him.
- Jesus had power from God to
die and then to live.
- The Father and Jesus are
united in purpose concerning the protection and salvation of the believer.
Followers of Jesus are in His hand and He is in the Father's hand. Whoever
accepts Jesus will be accepted and protected by the Father also.
- Those who God trusted with
His word to rule or lead the people in the will of God were called gods
(Ps. 82:1, 6). In the time of Moses, he was God to Aaron and Aaron was
prophet to Pharaoh (Ex. 4:16; 7:1).
CHAPTER 11
- Jesus was the light of God and knew it was not time
for His death yet. He had power to lay it down when He wanted.
- Martha believed Lazarus would live again on the last
day at the resurrection.
- Jesus prayed so the people could hear and know that
the power to raise the dead was from God working through Him.
- The priests and Pharisees feared the reprimand of the
Romans and also the loss of their authority over the people.
- Caiaphas feared many would die by the Romans because
of Jesus. It would be better for one to die than risk the whole nation.
- Caiaphas knew that the Messiah would suffer death for
the world. He thought it beneficial to their positions if they helped this
along.
CHAPTER 12
- a. Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with the costly oil
and wiped them with her hair in preparation of His death. She is the same
woman in Luke 7:37-38, Matthew 26:6, Mark 14:3. Luke does not mention the
city where this occurs but Matthew, Mark, and John identify the city
of Bethany.
b. The oil cost three hundred denari (about
1 year’s wages). c. Judas claimed it was a waste of money because he was a
thief and wanted the oil for the money he could get.
- The Pharisees wanted to kill Lazarus also because on
account of Lazarus raising from the dead by Jesus many of the Jews left
them and went to Jesus believing in Him.
- If you love the world and live for your pleasure you
will not be living for God. This leads to eternal death. If you love God
and seek to please Him more than your pleasures or the world you will have
eternal life.
- The time had come for Jesus' death and resurrection
and Satan's defeat. Death would not hold man in the grave any longer.
- Some believed in Jesus but feared the Pharisees would
put them out of the synagogues. They loved the praise of men more than the
praise of God.
- Jesus spoke the word and did thel
things the Father instructed Him to do. He was the messenger of God.
- The word of God Jesus spoke that we should have
regarded and obeyed will judge us on the last day.
- The word was everlasting life through Jesus. (Believe
in Jesus, live to please God, and receive salvation of your soul.)
CHAPTER 13
- Jesus wiped the disciples feet to show them not only
to be humble, but also to be a servant in the spreading of the gospel.
- The disciples were clean because they have believed
and followed Jesus.
- Judas Iscariot was the betrayer of Jesus.
- Jesus would be glorified by His death and resurrection
and would sit at the right hand of God in heaven.
- If we demonstrate love for one another we show we are
of Christ.
- Peter would deny knowing Jesus three times.
CHAPTER 14
- The disciples should know where Jesus is going for
many times He told them all things concerning His death and resurrection
and heaven. Also, He had just told them He was going to His Father’s house
and would prepare a place for them.
- The works and words of Jesus were of the Father
working in Him. Jesus gave us a manifestation of God.
- If we love Jesus we must keep His commandments and
teachings.
- The Holy Spirit will be given to help us follow the
commandments and to remember the teachings of Jesus.
- The Spirit was in Jesus doing the works and teaching
the disciples the way, the truth, and the life.
- Once the disciples saw Jesus resurrected from the dead
they would understand fully and believe the Father was in Him.
- We are in Jesus by believing, obeying, and continuing
in His commandments united with Him in purpose and will (and therefore
with God also).
- The Spirit will teach us all things and bring into
remembrance all things Jesus said to us.
CHAPTER 15
- a. Jesus is the vine. b. God is the vinedresser. c.
The believers are the branches.
- a. A branch is pruned to help it produce more fruit or
better fruit. b. God corrects us and gives us knowledge so we can remove
the unclean things in our life resulting in a more righteous and fruitful
walk with God.
- We are to show by our lives that we are under the
influence of Christ. We should produce goodness, righteousness, and truth
and draw others into the kingdom
of God.
- If we are not producing fruit we are cast out as a
branch, withered, and thrown into the fire (we will be cut out of the body
of Christ and the kingdom).
- a. To continue in the commandments and teachings of Jesus
we abide in Him. b. Jesus is the vine that feeds the branches. He is the
foundation and cornerstone of our belief. If we are not in Him we will not
produce fruit. Detached from Jesus we will wither and become like a dead
branch.
- If we abide in Jesus we will produce much fruit and
our bearing fruit will glorify God. When we abide in the doctrines of
Jesus we essentially honor and emulate the will of God.
- If we keep the commandments and teachings of Jesus we
will abide in His love.
- We are not of the world and we are no better than our
Master. Jesus was persecuted so will we. The persecutors will not know God
nor love the people of God.
- The people were guilty of other sins but they were
given the gospel of Jesus and now would add the sin of rejecting the Son
of God.
- a. The Spirit will continue to reveal Jesus to us and
to continue His teachings in us. b. We testify of Jesus through our words
and actions. His life and words are manifested through us by our life.
CHAPTER 16
- The sins of man had to be forgiven before the Spirit
and presence of God would dwell among men.
- The advantage of the Holy Spirit is He will be
omnipresent. He will continue the work of Jesus through many people and in
many places at the same time. Jesus was limited to wherever He was at the
time.
- a. The Spirit will show the sin of rejecting Jesus. b.
The Spirit will show us the righteousness and innocence of Jesus because
He will be in heaven. c. The Spirit will show us the judgment of Satan and
the unrighteous. (The Spirit draws us, teaches us in the way of the Lord,
and saves us from the lake of fire.)
- The Spirit proceeds from the Father and does not act
independently but will be prompted to declare the things of God. He will
guide us into all truth and will tell us things to come.
- The essence, wisdom, and power of the Father
concerning salvation are in Jesus and will be declared to the believers by
the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus will be in Heaven. The Holy Spirit will be here
with us and in us. We will ask God directly in the name of Jesus and He
will answer.
- The Father will love us because we love His son and
believe He came from the Father.
CHAPTER 17
- a. The Son would be raised
from the dead and ascend into heaven and restored to His place with the
Father. b. Jesus’ whole life glorified God by His obedience, faith, and
His works He gave honor to God in all He did. (The power of God would be
made true by Jesus' resurrection. The world will hear and know of God's
power and give glory to Him.)
- To know God and Jesus
intimately is the source of eternal life.
- God the Father is the only
God. Keep from idols (1 John 5:20).
- Jesus wanted the honor of
being with the Father in heaven and with the honor He had with Him even
before the earth was made.
- All men and disciples were
God’s and given to Jesus to teach and for them to witness the works of God
through Jesus.
- Jesus kept the disciples in
the knowledge and worship of God and preserved in obedience to Him.
- The word of God we follow
and obey will sanctify and transform us.
- Jesus followed and obeyed
God's word devoted to the ministry of redemption and led the disciples by
example so they could continue sanctification.
- Jesus is in the Father and
we are in Jesus. We are united spiritually in the same plan, purpose, and
desired result – to grow in knowledge and worship of God, to serve Him in
the kingdom, to develop believers, and to save souls.
CHAPTER 18
- Peter cut off the ear of
the servant of the High Priest.
- a. Peter denied that he was
a disciple of Jesus. b. The rooster crowed after the third denial by Peter
as Jesus foretold.
- Barabbas, a robber was
chosen by the people over Jesus.
CHAPTER 19
- Pilate had been given his
power and allowed to crucify Jesus by God.
- a. Pilate made a sign for
the cross of Jesus that said Jesus of Nazareth - The King of the Jews. b.
The Jews wanted a sarcastic title that said “He said I am the
King of The Jews." c. Pilate would not honor their request, but had
grown weary of their requests.
- The mother of Jesus was to
be taken under the care of His disciple John.
- Jesus was crucified on
preparation day of the Passover week, the day before the Sabbath (this was
a Friday).
CHAPTER 20
- Mary Magdalene discovered
the empty tomb of Jesus.
- The empty tomb was
discovered on the first day of the week which was the day after the
Sabbath (Sunday).
- Jesus suffered three days
and three nights just as He said would be His sign (as Jonah in the
whale). (The night before
Preparation Day, the night of Preparation Day and the night of the
Sabbath. The day of Preparation Day, the day of the Sabbath, and the morning
of the day after the Sabbath.)
- a. Peter and John ran to
the tomb of Jesus. b. John out ran Peter. c. John
did not go in at first but Peter went in.
- Mary did not recognize
Jesus at first. Probably due to her distress, she thought He was the
gardener. When Jesus said her name she knew Him then.
- Jesus breathed the Holy
Spirit on the disciples.
- The disciples would have
power to forgive or not to forgive sins.
- Thomas doubted the
resurrection of Jesus.
- As Moses was God to Aaron
(Ex. 4:16) and Pharaoh (Ex. 7:1) because he had the words of God, in the
same way was Jesus God to Thomas and to all because God was in Jesus.
CHAPTER 21
- The disciples went fishing
and went on with life as usual.
- Peter denied Jesus three
times. If Peter loved Him he needed to be about the work of spreading the
gospel and strengthening the faith of those who believe.
- Peter would also be
crucified.