NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 18
page 1794
Key Places in John
ITUREA
LEBANON
A
CI
TRACONITIS
NI
E
O
SYRIA
PH
N
Mediterranean
Sea
• John’s story begins by describing John the Baptist’s
ministry near Bethany, east of the Jordan (1:19-51).
Here we also read of how Jesus began his ministry,
talking to some of the men who would later become
his 12 disciples. Jesus’ ministry in Galilee began with
a visit to a wedding in Cana (2:1-11). Then he went
to Capernaum, which became his new home (2:12).
He journeyed to Jerusalem for the special festivals
(2:13) and there met with Nicodemus, a religious
leader (3:1-21). When Jesus left Judea, he traveled
through Samaria and ministered to the Samaritans
(4:1-42). Then he did miracles in Galilee (4:43-54)
and in Judea and Jerusalem (5:1-47). He fed over
5,000 people near Bethsaida beside the Sea of
Galilee (Sea of Tiberias) (6:1-15), walked on the
water to his frightened disciples (6:16-21), preached
through Galilee (7:1), returned to Jerusalem (7:2-53),
preached beyond the Jordan in Perea (10:40), raised
Lazarus from the dead in Bethany (11:1-57), and finally
entered Jerusalem for the last time to celebrate
the Passover with his disciples and give them key
teachings about what was to come and how they
should act. His last hours before his crucifixion were
spent in the city (13:1-38), in a grove of olive trees
(the garden of Gethsemane) (18:1-11), and finally
in various buildings in Jerusalem during his trial
(18:12-40). He would be crucified, but he would
rise again as he had promised.
GALILEE
Capernaum Bethsaida
Sea of
Cana
Galilee
Tiberias
Nazareth
SAMARIA
Salim
Aenon
Mount Gerizim
Arimathea
DECAPOLIS
Jordan River
ISRAEL
(Ten Cities)
Sychar
Ephraim
PE
RE
A
Mount of Olives Bethany (beyond Jordan)
Jerusalem
Bethphage
Bethlehem
Bethany
JUDEA
JORDAN
Dead
Sea
IDUMEA
0
0
20 mi
20 km
Thebroken
broken
lines
indicate
modern
boundaries.
The
lines
indicate
modern
boundaries.
A. BIRTH AND PREPARATION OF JESUS, THE SON OF GOD (1:1–2:12)
In this Gospel, John provides clear evidence that Jesus is the Son of God and that by believing him we may have
eternal life in him. John also provides unique material about Jesus’ birth. He did not come into being when he
was born; he is eternal.
God Became a Human (2 )
In the beginning was the Word, a and the Word was with God, b and the Word was
God. c 2 He was with God in the beginning. d 3 Through him all t hings were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made. e 4 In him was life, f and that life
was the light g of all mankind. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has
not overcome a it. h
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. i 7 He came as a witness to
testify j concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. k 8He himself was
not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true l ight l that g
ives light to everyone m was coming into the world. 10He was in
the world, and t hough the w
orld was made t hrough him, n the w
orld did not recognize
him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all
who did receive him, to t hose who believed o in his name, p he gave the r ight to become
1
a
5 Or understood
1:1-18 What Jesus taught and what he did are tied inseparably to his
identity. John shows Jesus as fully human and fully God. Although Jesus
took upon himself full humanity and lived as a man, he never ceased to
be the eternal God who has always existed, the creator and sustainer of
all things, and the source of eternal life. This is the truth about Jesus and
the foundation of all truth. If we cannot or do not believe this basic truth,
we will not have enough faith to trust our eternal destiny to him. That is
1:1
aRev 19:13
bJn 17:5; 1Jn 1:2
cPhp 2:6
1:2
dGe
1:1
1:3
e1Co 8:6; Col 1:16
1:4
fJn 5:26; 11:25
gJn 8:12
1:5
hJn
3:19
1:6
iMt 3:1
1:7
jver
kver
15,19,32
12
1:9
l1Jn 2:8
mIsa 49:6
1:10
nHeb 1:2
1:12
over 7
p1Jn 3:23
why John wrote this G
ospel—to build faith and confidence in Jesus Christ
so that we may believe that he truly was and is the Son of God (20:30-31).
1:1-18 What does John mean by “the Word”? The Word was a concept
used by theologians and philosophers, both Jews and Greeks, in many
different ways. In Hebrew Scripture, the Word was an agent of creation
(Psalm 33:6), the source of God’s message to his people through the
prophets (Hosea 4:1), and God’s law, his standard of holiness (Psalm