06 September 2026

Unique Characteristics of John's Gospel, Part 3 (TMF:2960)

Friday, September 11, 2026

Peace to Live By: Unique Characteristics of John's Gospel, Part 3 (TMF:2960) - Daniel Litton
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A second point of note, and this contrasts interestingly with what was just discussed, are some head-scratching absences. As far as the miracles of Jesus are concerned, in this Gospel we are not going to see any casting out of demons. That’s not present for whatever the reason. We also aren’t going to hear any Parables, which are prevalent in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Finally, we aren’t going to be presented with any of the lengthy end times monologues. So, for those who love this third area, you aren’t going to find it in John. And finally, the third thing. It should also be noted that John, as a writer, is expecting his audience to be already familiar with the other three Gospels. This is yet another reason to show this Gospel was written last. We can understand this by noting John 3:24, for example, where the Apostle assumes that his listeners are going to know that John the Baptist was put in prison. Another example would be John 11:1, where he is assumes his audience already knows of Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters.

Unique Characteristics of John's Gospel, Part 2 (TMF:2959)

Thursday, September 10, 2026

Peace to Live By: Unique Characteristics of John's Gospel, Part 2 (TMF:2958) - Daniel Litton
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The fact that John saw this with his own eyes, in some manner, could fulfill what we already referred to as pertains to John being alive until Jesus’ second coming. If he’s not still on earth today, he was around, in a sense for it due to the fact he saw the vision of the Revelation. Quickly, and before we hit the water, let's ruminate on three more things. The most interesting, and one fact that is applicable to us, is that John will record famous passages about Jesus' discussion in regard to the Holy Spirit—the Third Person of the Trinity. Indeed, some of the most famous passages regarding him come to us in the form of John's Gospel. Particularly, we note chapters 14 to 16. It is in chapter 14 that we first learn, for instance, that the Holy Spirit is our helper as believers. A second point of note, and this contrasts interestingly with what was just discussed, are some head-scratching absences.

Unique Characteristics of John's Gospel, Part 1 (TMF:2958)

Wednesday, September 09, 2026

Peace to Live By: Unique Characteristics of John's Gospel, Part 1 (TMF:2957) - Daniel Litton
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In contemplating all of this, and as we are about to dive headfirst into the text, there are some particularly unique features we can note about this account, versus the other somewhat similar accounts. To begin, we note John’s Gospel does not open with a genealogy that traces Jesus’ linage, like Matthew and Luke do. While Matthew traces Jesus’ linage back to Abraham, and Luke to Adam, John, we could say, traces his linage all the back in eternity, since he establishes Jesus as God. Traveling the other way, into the future, John will end his Gospel by focusing on Jesus’ promise to believers that he will truly return one day. Let us not forget John's most famous other writing—that special preview of Christ's return, the fact that Jesus will return, and this account also presents a whole host of other things along with that. This is the text of The Revelation of John. The unique vision of Christ's return.

Why It is Believed John Wrote the Gospel (TMF:2957)

Tuesday, September 08, 2026

Peace to Live By: Why It is Believed John Wrote the Gospel (TMF:2957) - Daniel Litton
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The fact that John is not named is evidence that he wrote the book. Besides, numerous early church fathers credited John with being the author. So, there really isn’t any creditable or reasonable evidence to show he is not the author. We know that the author was Jewish, as he was looking for the Messiah to come. He is particularly familiar with Jewish geography, and where locations are at in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. The author is also very familiar with Jewish customs (see 2:1-10, 11:55, & 18:28 for instance). He is familiar with the various Jewish feasts, like the famous Passover. Regardless, John refers to himself in the third person as the author in John 21:24, after mentioning himself in verse 21 as the one whom Jesus loved, of which verse 24 says, “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true” (ESV).

A Brief Biography of the Apostle John, Part 5 (TMF:2956)

Monday, September 07, 2026

Peace to Live By: A Brief Biography of the Apostle John, Part 5 (TMF:2956) - Daniel Litton
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It would be this second Mary, who is named “his mother’s sister” of which we are referring to. Anyway, it is interesting to think about. Perhaps different from Jesus, in a way, was that John was known to be a little bit heated at times. In thinking about John, we probably don’t think of him being like this, but rather we likely see him as a meek and mild man, likely pretty chill and calm, and full of love. But, we understand that Jesus names James and John as “Sons of Thunder” (see Mark 3:17). And, consider this next verse. Luke 9:54: “And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Our minds had probably deleted John from that episode. Now, when we read the Gospel of John, we can note that John himself is not mentioned by name. Actually, we will note rather that he refers to himself as ‘The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved.’