Big Idea - In order to really understand what someone has written, you need to know their purpose in writing. Normally, people will give you some idea of their purpose at the beginning of the book. But, John gives us his purpose in writing at the end of the book - John 20:30–31 (ESV) — 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. At first glance, it could sound like Jesus is writing to people who don't know anything about Jesus, unbelievers, so that they can be saved. But he is actually writing to Christians, the majority of whom were believing Jews. He is most likely writing after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and many of these Jewish Christians were scattered all over the Roman Empire. They gathered together with other believers in small Churches, but they also felt a deep connection to their Jewish roots, and many still gathered in the local Synagogue. They did not see their faith in Jesus as anti-Jewish or as something that required them to separate themselves from their Jewish roots. They believed Jesus was the Jewish Messiah and the fulfillment of all that was taught in the Old Testament. Therefore, they saw themselves as the true Israelites, walking in the true and complete Judaism. But they were increasingly coming under attack and persecution from Jewish Rabbis and leaders. These leaders rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and they were accusing the Jewish Christians of heresy. The Jewish believers claimed that Jesus was not only the Messiah but also God. But the Jewish Rabbis said that this was in direct violation of the Shema, which was at the very center of the Jewish understanding of God - Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV) — 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." How could the Jewish Christians be faithful to the revelation of God in the Old Testament, and worship two Gods, the God of the Old Testament, and also Jesus as God? So, when John says his purpose is that they would "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God," he is writing to Christians who need to stand firm in the right understanding of who Jesus is, that He is the true Messiah and savior of Israel and all who will believe. He is seeking to strengthen their faith by deepening their understanding of who Jesus really is.
Even though we are not facing the same attacks or may not be wrestling with the same theological problems, the Gospel of John can be of great benefit to us, because the foundation of all our faith is a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, and to know Him fully as the Messiah, Son of God. John wastes no time telling us exactly who Jesus is. In the prologue of his Gospel, he makes one of the most profound and direct statements in all of the Bible, that Jesus is indeed the Messiah of the Old Testament, and the very Son of God who came to earth and took on human flesh. But what exactly does all that mean? Do we really understand what it means for Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God? What exactly was Jesus claiming to be when He said He was the Son of God? We will examine what it means, and then look at why it matters to us.
First, what does it mean - The Christ, the Son of God? 1) He is God and God is One 2) He is God and He is not alone, 3) He made everything, 4) He is life, 5) He is light. Second, why does it matter to me? 1) Our faith is built on a solid and ancient foundation, 2) We were made for relationship with Him, 3) He is our life, and that life is life eternal in Him, 4) There is darkness, which is blind to the truth, and resistant to the Gospel, but the darkness cannot defeat the light, instead the light defeats the darkness.
