The author of this book is the apostle John. John is ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved {John 13 verse 23, 21 verse 7} John walks as closely with Jesus as anyone, seeing firsthand how Jesus relates to God and what Jesus teaches about the way things are in His Kingdom, and John is so close to Jesus, he is able to share some of Jesus’ most intimate conversations with The father.

John presents Jesus as the Word, the Messiah and the Incarnate Son of God, who has come to reveal the Father and bring eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Before the fall, (Adam and Eve’s betrayal in Eden), God and His friends were close.
God walked with them in the Garden, and they talked friend to friend.
Due to the infection of sin brought on by the fall, Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden and God’s Presence. Things were no longer as they were meant to be.

However, God was determined to restore what had been lost.

John’s teachings are to lead believers into a life of divine friendship with Our Lord and Our Friend.
The key word in this Gospel is ‘believe’. It is so important that it can be discovered  98 times in the Gospel of John. Like a parent repeating the same set of instructions to their teenager to lodge it in their minds, so too is God trying to draw your attention to just how important belief is.

John’s aim in this gospel was to confirm and reveal the deity of our Lord Jesus in every chapter he wrote,  so we can see Jesus’s deity for ourselves.
In every Chapter we see Jesus Deity:
As examples we can read: 1 verse 49; 2 verse 11:3 verse 16; 4 verse 26; 5 verse 25; 6 verse 35: 7 verse 37: 8 verse 58: 9 verse 37:

Seven miracles to prove His Deity
Turning water in wine.
Healing the nobleman’s son
Healing the man at Bethesda
Feeding the 5000
Walking on the water.
Healing the blind man.
Raising of Lazarus.

Seven I AM’s in which He reveals His God nature.
“I Am the bread of life”
“I Am the light of the world’
“Before Abraham was born, I AM’
“I Am the good shepherd”.
“I Am the resurrection and the life.”
“I Am the way the Truth and the Life”.
“I am the true vine”.

John tells the story of how Jesus is falsely accused, wrongly convicted and criminally crucified. But three days later, He rises from the dead. And when His disciples are hiding in fear behind a locked door in an upper room, Jesus appears among them. He breathes on them and says, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’.
Adam and Eve walked with God; now we walk with Our Lord and Our Friend in us. It has always been God’s heart to bring us back to Himself, and He did so that we can have such closeness.

It is only by having a relationship with Christ Jesus that we will experience the richness of God.
We become a Child of God by receiving Jesus.
Jesus can forgive even our most dreadful sins.
Though we fail at times, Jesus extends His forgiveness to us.

Jesus’ last words in His Gospel are  ‘you must follow me’.
This is for all of us, may we all follow Our Lord and Our Friend in loving obedience till He comes again.
Nothing more surer

God Bless
OFJ