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The Gospel according to John
Christology &
Discipleship
Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.
Loyola Institute for Spirituality, Orange, CA
http://catholic-resources.org
Major Gospel Themes
 Trinitarian

Theology:
Who is God?
 Christology:

Who is Jesus?
 Discipleship:

How do we live?
 Pneumatology:

Role of Holy Spirit?
 Eschatology:

What's in the future?
Christology in the Four Gospels

Mark:



Son of God (powerful)
Son of Man (crucified)
Matthew:


King (Son of David)
Teacher (like Moses)
 Luke:



Lord (of ALL nations)
Savior (esp. the needy)
John:


Logos/Word (revealer)
Only-begotten Son (sent from the Father)
Christology & Discipleship: Mark
 Powerful

Trust; have faith; be not afraid
 Crucified

Son of God
Son of Man
“Take up your cross and follow me”
Christology & Discipleship: Matt
 King,

like David
Be loyal subjects; obey his commands
 Teacher,

like Moses
Be good students; learn; put into action
Christology & Discipleship: Luke
 Lord

of ALL nations
Welcome strangers/enemies; no us/them
 Savior

of ALL, esp. the needy
Help the poor, sick, old, weak, children…
Portrait of Jesus, acc. to John?
What painting
might best
capture how
John’s Gospel
portrays Jesus?
John’ s Christology
 Titles
attributed to Jesus
Titles already in the Synoptics
 Titles new/unique to John

 How
Jesus is portrayed
His Words / Teachings
 His Works / Signs
 His Passion & Resurrection

Christological Titles in John
 Titles
for Jesus also in the Synoptics:
Christ (19x) / Messiah (2x)
 Son of David
 King of the Jews; King of Israel
 Son of God
 Son of Man
 Prophet, Savior, Lord, Teacher, etc.

 Titles

in the Synoptics, not in John
Emmanuel –
[only in Matthew]
Christological Titles in John
 Titles
for Jesus unique to John:
Logos/Word
 Only-begotten Son
 Lamb of God
 Revealer/Worker
 Sent from the Father
 Paraclete
 Equal to God
 I AM

The Divine Word / Logos
 Greek
Logos
Word, phrase, sentence, speech
 Reason, communication, thinking/logic

 OT:
God’s attributes personified
Face of God
 Hand of God
 Voice of God
 Wisdom of God
 Law/Torah of God
 Word/Speech of God

The Divine Word / Logos
 Ref.
to Jesus only in John’s Prologue:
 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. (1:1)
 And the Word became flesh and lived among us,
and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a
father's only[-begotten] son (monogenes hios),
full of grace and truth. (1:14)
 No one has ever seen God. It is God the onlybegotten Son (monogenes hios), who is close to the
Father's heart, who has made him known. (1:18)
The Only-Begotten Son of God
 Greek:

monogenes hios
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only
[-begotten] Son, so that everyone who believes in him
may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not
send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might
be saved through him. Those
who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned
already, because they have not believed in the name of
the only [-begotten] Son of God." (John 3:16-18)
 "God sent his only [-begotten] Son into the world so
that we might live through him." (1 John 4:9)

Luke 7:12 (Nain); 8:42 (Jairus); 9:38 (Anon.); Heb 11:17 (Isaac)
Other Christological Titles in John
 The Lamb of God
 John 1:29, 36 (cf. 1 Cor 5:7; Acts 8:32; 1 Pet 1:19)
 The

One Sent from the Father
John 4:34; 5:36-38; 7:28-29; 17:3-25
 “Equal

to God”
John 5:18
 “Paraclete”

 “I
Implied in John 14:16
Am”
(fifty-four times; see HO)
Passages with Multiple Titles

1:1-18 (Prologue)



logos; God; life; light, true light;
the Father's only-begotten Son
1:19-36 (John the Baptizer)
 the one whom you don’t know; the one coming after me;
 the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world;
 the one who ranks ahead of me because he was before me;
 the one on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain;
 the one who baptizes with Holy Spirit;
 the Son of God;
 the Lamb of God.
Passages with Multiple Titles (cont.)

1:38-41 (first two disciples)


1:45 (Philip)


Rabbi (teacher); Messiah (Christ)
one about whom Moses and Prophets wrote,
Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth”
1:49 (Nathanael)

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the
King of Israel!”
Passages with Multiple Titles (cont.)

4:7-30 (Samaritan woman)


9:11-30 (man born blind)


“Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah,
the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
20:28 (Thomas)


Jesus; prophet; from God; [Son of Man]; Lord
11:27 (Martha)


a Jew; Sir/Master; prophet; Messiah
“My Lord and my God.”
20:31 (Evangelist)

“... so that you may [come to] believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God...”
Christology & Discipleship: John
 Word/Logos;

Only-Begotten Son
Revealer; Sent-One; Equal to God; I Am
 Discipleship
= Enter Relationship
See and/or hear Jesus’ words & actions
 Come to believe/trust in him
 Become children of God
 Receive eternal life
 Remain/live/abide/dwell in Him
 Have His/God’s Spirit dwelling within
 Love one another as Jesus has loved us
 Bear good fruit, that will last

Expectations for Disciples in John

“Do what I command you!”




Only commandment in this Gospel:
“Love one another as I have loved you”
Repeated in 13:34-35; 15:12, 17
Also in 1 John 3:11,14,23; 4:7,11-12,20-21
Expectations:
Main requirement: BELIEVE
 Remain / dwell / live / abide
 Love one another
 Bear fruit

Disciples within John’s Gospel

No “apostles” in John



Not individually named; ref. in 6:67-71; 20:24
The “Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (BD)”


Andrew & ??; Simon; Philip & Nathanael
Jesus often dialogues with them (Q & A)
“The Twelve”


Instead, “disciples, brothers/sisters, friends”
First five disciples (1:19-51; and later refs.)


(in 13:16 = messenger)
From Last Supper to Resurrection (also earlier?)
Other named & anonymous disciples

(See handout – add Nicodemus & Joseph of Arimathea)
Named & Anonymous Disciples
 Jesus’ mother (2:1-12; 6:42; 19:25-27)
 Judas Iscariot (6:70-71; 12:4-8; 13:2, 21-30; 18:2-5)
 Man
Born Blind (9:1-41, esp. v. 28)
 Martha, Mary, Lazarus of Bethany (11:1-45; 12:1-8)
 Thomas Didymus/Twin (11:16; 14:5; 20:24-28; 21:2)
 Another Judas (14:22)
 Mary of Magdala (19:25; 20:1-2; 20:11-18)
 “his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas” (19:25)
 Joseph of Arimathea (19:38-42)
 Sons of Zebedee (21:2)
Women in the Fourth Gospel

Mother of Jesus at Cana Wedding
Samaritan Woman at the Well
Martha & Mary intercede with Jesus
for their brother Lazarus
12:1-8
Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus
19:25b-27 Mother of Jesus & other Women
at Foot of Cross (incl. “Mary of Clopas”)
20:1-2
Mary Magdalene discovers Tomb Empty
20:11-18 Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

[8:1-11]






2:1-12
4:1-42
11:1-45
Adulterous Woman [not originally in John]
Q: Which inspires you most as a model of faith?