John’s gospel can be seen, in many ways, as the ultimate evangelist text, with the intention as stated clearly by John, to make the reader believe that Jesus is the Christ, Son of God, and that in believing in Him you may have life in his name. From John’s perspective there are many occasions where he creates a “narrative” which provides a teaching point to the reader and he portrays a fascinating theme of light versus dark. This is most apparent, more so than any other, in John’s “narrative” in the “story” of Nicodemus.
Before one can delve into the natural progression of Nicodemus as a believer in Jesus Christ, Son of God, one must realize John’s intention in including Nicodemus in his gospel. He I not once seen in any other part of the bible which makes it unique and intriguing that he is more of an inclusion in John’s rather than an exclusion throughout the rest of the bible. Nicodemus’ character, when viewed from the narrator’s perspective, can be seen as a symbol of faith, as well as something any other wary believer can relate to when considering trusting and following in the Lord. John, the ultimate evangelist, seems to get his point across and is very convincing in doing so.
Nicodemus shows up three separate times throughout John’s Gospel. The first of these is in John chapter 3, the second time in chapter 7, and the third and final time in chapter 19. In each, John has a clear theme of light versus dark which is hinted at several times throughout. The main progression of Nicodemus, which is noticeable each time he appears, is his ability to come out of the darkness and into Jesus’ “light.” By interpreting this text through narrative criticism, one can see the story told through a U-shaped plot, where he star...
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...ossible for one who has grown old to be born anew and the traditional ways of thinking can be transformed.
Works Cited
Gibbons, Debbie. "Nicodemus: Character Development, Irony and Repetition in the Fourth Gospel."
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Renner, Rick. "Two Friends Bury Jesus." LightSource.com. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Resseguie, James L. Narrative Criticism of the New Testament: An Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2005. Print.
Witherington, Ben. John's Wisdom: A Commentary on the Fourth Gospel. Louisville, KY: Westminster
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...ht and the damnation of the Children of Darkness. Much like the eschatological traits found in John, this message is one of hope and perseverance. Where John emphasizes the role of hope for the near future in which salvation was within reach, the War Scroll focuses on perseverance in the hope for the dawning of the battle between the Sons of Light and Sons of Darkness culminating in the abolition of evil and dualism. These thematic parallels are of significant value to the understanding of the influence of the community at Qumran on the author of the Fourth Gospel; so impressive are these parallels that they can not simply be attributed to the concept of a common Jewish milieu of late Second Temple Judaism. In eschatological terms, the corresponding ideals of the two communities are suggestive of a Johannine author who was influenced by the society at Qumran.
Malick, David. "An Introduction to the Gospel of John." (1996): n. pag. Online. Internet. 5 July 2000. Available http://www.bible.org/docs/nt/books/joh/joh-intr.htm
John focuses on the profound meaning of the life of Jesus, whom he saw as the
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
In the writing of this gospel, the reader has an opportunity to come to know the prominent Nicodemus. The history of this man is given in the first verse of chapter three. John gives more detail about this spiritual encounter with a non-spiritual
Stanton, Graham. Gospel Truth?: New Light on Jesus and the Gospels. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1995. Paperback.
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
Silva, Moisés. Philippians. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005.
The book consists of three parts. The first part has five chapters of which focuses on explaining what the key questions are and why we find them difficult to answer. The second part has nine chapters explaining in detail what N.T. Wright considers Jesus’ public career and the approach he had in first century Palestine. The third part of the book, the last chapter, challenges readers to wrestle with the questions of Jesus’ life and ministry.
New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997. Osborne, Grant R. Revelation. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002.
Before making some discussions on the gospel we believed to be written by the disciple who loved by Jesus (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7) it is good to see the purpose of this gospel. The purpose of the gospel of John seems summarized in two verses “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, who are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31, NIV).
Click on the name of one of the authors (below) to see what makes their account of the gospel special.
Carson, D, & Moo, D. (2005) An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
In the days of Christ’s life on this earth, believers did not have access to the Bible in its entirety as we know and are familiar with today. Believers in this ancient time period only had access to the Old Testament. However, through their access to the Old Testament, believers were provided a foundation for New Testament times. This foundation provided New Testament believers with the Lord’s established principles of right and wrong they were expected to follow. In addition, the Old Testament is overflowing with accounts of people whose lives exemplified the future life of Christ on this earth. These pictures allowed the Israelite nation to begin to have an understanding of why Christ needed to come as their Messiah and the work He needed to do on earth. Finally, there are common themes that are interwoven throughout the entire Old Testament. Three of these themes: transgression, redemption, and consummation point to the purpose of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. These themes portray God’s work both in the lives of Old Testament believers, but they also foreshadow God’s desire and plan for believers in New Testament times and beyond.
New Testament. Vol. 2. Edited by Gerhard Kittel. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1964.