Introduction to the Gospel of John

The book of the month for March 2013: The Gospel of John! We're just starting a new rooted cycle.  Why start with John? Why not start reading the Bible at the beginning, like Genesis?

Well, you might want to try that sometime, but the purpose of the Rooted series is not just to read the Bible, but to let the Bible teach us how we can become more mature as followers of Jesus.  Since our purpose is to grow in Jesus, it seems that it is a good idea to start with Jesus! Once what John says about who Jesus is and why he came, the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible) will make a lot more sense to us.

So why John? If we want to learn about Jesus, why not start with Matthew, or Mark or Luke, since those books also tell the story of Jesus' life? 


Have you ever wondered why there are four stories of Jesus' life in the Bible? I would suggest to you that each of the four gospel writers had a slightly different purpose in telling their accounts of the life of Jesus. 

• Matthew seems to write his account of Jesus for his Jewish friends and countrymen. If you have a really strong background in the Jewish Scriptures what Christians call the Old Testament), you might want to start with Matthew.  Most people I meet in Canada however, do not have a strong background in the Scriptures, so maybe a different place is better.
• Mark and Luke both write their accounts of Jesus for Christians. Mark is interested in what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus and Luke is very interested in Jesus' mission and how Jesus' mission paved the way for the mission of the church.
• John, on the other hand, wrote his gospel for people seeking to get to know more about Jesus. In John 20:30-31, John wrote, "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in his name." That what John was praying for as he wrote his book: that we might come to believe in Jesus and gain eternal life.

John seems to be a great book to introduce people to Jesus, and therefore it is a good place for us to start as well.  As you read through the book of John this month, please use the resources on the right to explore more. 

It is my prayer as well that you come to a greater appreciation of Jesus this month.

Dan.