Ark of the Covenant - Bible History Online
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John 8

1 - but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 - Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down, and taught them.
3 - The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle,
4 - they told him, "Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act.
5 - Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?"Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22
6 - They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of.But Jesus stooped down, and wrote on the ground with his finger.
7 - But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them,"He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her."
8 - Again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
9 - They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle.
10 - Jesus, standing up, saw her and said,"Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?"
11 - She said, "No one, Lord."Jesus said,"Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more."John 7:53-John 8-11.
12 - Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying,"I am the light of the world.Isaiah 60:1He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life."
13 - The Pharisees therefore said to him, "You testify about yourself. Your testimony is not valid."
14 - Jesus answered them,"Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you don't know where I came from, or where I am going.
15 - You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one.
16 - Even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent me.
17 - It's also written in your law that the testimony of two people is valid.Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15
18 - I am one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me."
19 - They said therefore to him, "Where is your Father?"Jesus answered,"You know neither me, nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also."
20 - Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, as he taught in the temple. Yet no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
21 - Jesus said therefore again to them,"I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins. Where I go, you can't come."
22 - The Jews therefore said, "Will he kill himself, because he says,'Where I am going, you can't come'?"
23 - He said to them,"You are from beneath. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world.
24 - I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I amhe, you will die in your sins."
25 - They said therefore to him, "Who are you?"Jesus said to them,"Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
26 - I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you. However he who sent me is true; and the things which I heard from him, these I say to the world."
27 - They didn't understand that he spoke to them about the Father.
28 - Jesus therefore said to them,"When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I say these things.
29 - He who sent me is with me. The Father hasn't left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him."
30 - As he spoke these things, many believed in him.
31 - Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him,"If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples.
32 - You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."Psalm 119:45
33 - They answered him, "We are Abraham's offspring, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say,'You will be made free'?"
34 - Jesus answered them,"Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin.
35 - A bondservant doesn't live in the house forever. A son remains forever.
36 - If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
37 - I know that you are Abraham's offspring, yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.
38 - I say the things which I have seen with my Father; and you also do the things which you have seen with your father."
39 - They answered him, "Our father is Abraham."Jesus said to them,"If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.
40 - But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham didn't do this.
41 - You do the works of your father."They said to him, "We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God."
42 - Therefore Jesus said to them,"If God were your father, you would love me, for I came out and have come from God. For I haven't come of myself, but he sent me.
43 - Why don't you understand my speech? Because you can't hear my word.
44 - You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn't stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and its father.
45 - But because I tell the truth, you don't believe me.
46 - Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
47 - He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you don't hear, because you are not of God."
48 - Then the Jews answered him, "Don't we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?"
49 - Jesus answered,"I don't have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
50 - But I don't seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges.
51 - Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death."
52 - Then the Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and you say,'If a man keeps my word, he will never taste of death.'
53 - Are you greater than our father, Abraham, who died? The prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?"
54 - Jesus answered,"If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is our God.
55 - You have not known him, but I know him. If I said, 'I don't know him,' I would be like you, a liar. But I know him, and keep his word.
56 - Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it, and was glad."
57 - The Jews therefore said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"
58 - Jesus said to them,"Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM."
59 - Therefore they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden, and went out of the temple, having gone through the middle of them, and so passed by.
John Images and Notes

The Book of John

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 20:31 - But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

St. John the Evangelist by Guido Reni
Painting of St. John the Evangelist by Reni - 1620

Introduction to The Gospel of John

The Word Gospel. The fourth book of the New Testament is the Gospel of John. John is the fourth of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of The Book of John

Brief Summary. Jesus was Jehovah God, the eternal Word made flesh. He came to His home, Israel, and He was rejected. He came to this world, and the world rejected Him, but anyone who  would believe and receive Him would have life through His name, and be given authority to call themselves a "son of god."

Purpose. John makes one thing clear in John 20:30, 31 - "these ( things) are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ; and that believing ye may have life in his name." John sought to lead men to eternal life by first convincing them of His deity, the miracles were actually recorded as "signs" to confirm His deity, that He was Jehovah God, the incarnate Word made flesh. John called Jesus the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, the way the truth and the life, the true vine, all clearly pointing to the deity of Jesus. In fact John points to everything in His life and teachings as a sign that Jesus of Nazareth was truly the Eternal Word of God who "became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth" (John 1: 14).

John Compared to the Other Gospel Accounts. The "Synoptic Gospels" - Matthew, Mark and Luke all have their unique perspective of the life of Jesus Christ, as well as John's approach. John is always emphasizing the deity of Jesus as well as His divine miracles. John also gives us a bit more information about Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem, where Matthew, Mark and Luke focus more on His Galilean ministry. There is also a difference regarding the chronology of the last week (Passion Week) of Christ's life. It is important to note that the Gospel accounts do not necessarily place their focus on chronology and orderly biography of the ministry of Jesus with names, places, and dates, but rather a full perspective of their unique portrayal of Jesus Christ.

Authorship. The author of the Gospel of John is identified in John 21:20 as "The disciple whom Jesus loved" who leaned on Jesus' breast. It is clear that John was that disciple and he did not wish to use his own name directly as the author, possibly for reasons of humility. Early church historical writings from early second century AD recognize the Gospel of John as a sacred book. Theophilus of Antioch (170 AD) was the first to write the name John as the author. Shortly after this Irenaeus identified John as the disciple who had leaned on Jesus' breast. This is especially important because Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, who had known the man John personally. Clement of Alexandria mentions John as having composed a "spiritual gospel."

Critics of John as the Author. There is a statement that was made by Papias that there were actually two men named John in Ephesus at the same time, and John the Apostle was referred to as "John the Elder". Many opponents of the apostle John's authorship give credit to the other John as the writer of the fourth Gospel. Although the answer cannot be positively determined by history, tradition and internal evidence definitely point to John the apostle as the author.

Date. It is worthy to consider the words of the most famous archaeologist of all time that according to archaeological evidence there is "no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80." Most scholars conclude that the book of John was written around 85 or 90 AD probably before the exile to Patmos. It is also important to consider John 5:2 when it mentions "Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep [market] a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches." This verse would indicate that this existed at the current time that the Gospel of John was written. This would place the written work before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. There is also no evidence as to whether John wrote the Gospel before or after his return to Ephesus from the Island of Patmos.

The Man John. John's book attributes the work to "the disciple whom Jesus loved." This say a lot about the man John, and the fact that Jesus left his mother Mary in John's care, having spoken the words from the cross, is very significant. Another indicator of John's character is found in the book of 1 John, he continually talks about love, loving one another, and that God is love, etc. It is also safe to say that John was a Jew, this can be clearly seen by his accuracy about Jewish customs, Jewish way of thinking, and by his quotations from the Hebrew Old Testament. He knew the topography of the land of Israel from a Jewish perspective quite well. It is easy to see in his writings that he was a close disciple of Jesus, an eyewitness of the events surrounding Jesus' ministry. One can determine by process of elimination, that the author is not just any John but John the apostle, the son of Zebedee, who is prominently mentioned in the Gospel accounts.

John and Church History.  Church tradition records that John came to Ephesus after Paul's work was finished there. Later, during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, he was banished to the Island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation. Shortly thereafter he was released and returned to the city of Ephesus.

Archaeology. The Rylands Papyrus Fragment was discovered in 1920 in Egypt containing a few verses from John 18 dating back to about 120-135 AD.

Outline of the Book of John

The Word of God - Chapter 1:1-51
His Public Ministry - Chapters 2:1-12:50
His Private Ministry - Chapters 13:1-17:26
His Death and Resurrection - Chapters 18:1-20:31
John's Conclusion - Chapter 21:1-25

Jesus written in Hebrew
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

John Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire