Light out of Darkness – The Gospel of John is Not About John

The Gospel of John is not about John

Each of the four gospels is geared toward a specific audience.

1. Matthew – Christ as King
2. Mark – Christ as Servant
3. Luke – Christ as Man

Written between 85 and 95 AD, John’s book is the most theological of the bunch, written to teach us that Jesus is God. The focus of the book is not on the author. He’s an eyewitness and the beloved disciple.The book’s main goal is to tell you about Jesus. Jesus’ authority and His person are more important than historical chronology or the author’s authority. The book is a complex theological work from the very beginning.

John the Baptist bore witness to the Messiah

He was to be a witness to Jesus (Malachi 3:1). He was to come first and to prepare the way. He was the voice calling in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:4)–literally in the wilderness eating locusts and honey. He was baptizing people in the Jordan, challenging them to get right because the Day of the Lord was at hand. His distinctiveness made others want to find out about Him.

Do we have the goal to make Jesus so on display that the details about us don’t matter?

The impact that Jesus had on this disciple led to him make his name almost anonymous in the text. In our service to Christ, do we do things so that we will get noticed? Do we believe that the service gives us status?

In our daily lives, do we live in a way that draws attention to God or to ourselves?

God wants us to be a holy or set apart people. Many of the ceremonial laws in the Old Testament kept His people apart from those that were not His people. God wants His people to be recognized as His.

Is it easy for others to see that we are Christians, or does our behavior, attire and actions just attract attention to ourselves?