John: The Gospel of Wisdom

"When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth." - John 16:13 "He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows he is telling the truth." - John 19:35 With time and experience comes wisdom. John, the longest-surviving of the apostles, recorded in his Gospel a portrait of Jesus that displays the depth of years of reflection on who Jesus is and what he means to the world. Writing in light of the philosophies of his day, John describes Jesus as the incarnate Word, the divine Logos, the embodiment of all truth and wisdom. In this last volume of the Biblical Imagination Series, Michael Card completes his work on the four Gospels. He shows how John stands alongside the other Gospel writers to fill out the picture of Jesus' divine identity, with stories and sayings of Jesus not recorded by the others. This Jesus reorients our understanding of ourselves and the world around us, offering us nothing less than the way, the truth and the life. Like John before him, Card has written these words so that we may better believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing we have life in his name.



In a career that spans 30 years, Michael Card has recorded over 31 albums, authored or co-authored over 24 books, hosted a radio program, and written for a wide range of magazines. An award-winning musician and performing artist, he has penned such favorites as "El Shaddai," "Immanuel" and many other songs. He has branched his ministry beyond music and written numerous books, including A Sacred Sorrow, A Violent Grace, The Parable of Joy and Sleep Sound in Jesus (a children's book). He has also written the Biblical Imagination Series, with a book and accompanying music CD for each of the four gospels. A graduate of Western Kentucky University with a bachelor's and master's degree in biblical studies, Card also serves as mentor to many younger artists and musicians, teaching courses on the creative process and calling the Christian recording industry into deeper discipleship. Card lives in Tennessee with his wife and four children.

Preface: The Biblical Imagination


Who Is John?


Learning to Listen to John


Major Themes


The Motif of Misunderstanding


The Prophet Like Moses


The Gospel That Whispers
John 1


Dabar: The Misunderstood Word (1:1-5)


The ?Witness/Martyr? (1:6-9)


The Song to the Incarnation (1:10-18)


The Voice in the Wilderness (1:19-28)


The Unknown Lamb (1:29-34)


The Promise of a New Name (1:35-42)


A Ladder to Heaven (1:43-51)
John 2


First Unmiraculous Miracle (2:1-11)


A Violent Bookend (2:12-25)
John 3


The Rebirth of an Old Man (3:1-13)


The Shoshbin (3:22-36)
John 4


Misunderstood Water (4:1-42)


Miracle in Absentia (4:43-54)
John 5


Healing Waters (5:1-15)


The Prophet (5:16-47)
John 6


The Turn Toward Scandal (6:1-15)


The I Am of Who He Is (6:16-24)


The Bread King (6:25-71)
John 7


?Come to Me and Drink? (7:1-44)


Fearsome Fools (7:45-53)
John 8


A Problem Passage (8:1-11)


Four Precious Promises (8:12-59)
John 9


?You?re Seeing Him? (9:1-41)
John 10


The Good Shepherd (10:1-21)


A Safe Place Before the Storm (10:22-42)
John 11


Sleeping Lazarus (11:1-16)


The Silent Tear (11:17-37)


?Let Him Go? (11:38-44)


The Plot (11:45-57)
John 12


Over-the-Top Love (12:1-11)


A Royal Entry (12:12-19)


The Final Sign (12:20-36)


The Context (12:37-50)
John 13


The Full Extent of His Love (13:1-17)


And It Was Night (13:18-30)


Love One Another (13:31-38)
John 14


The Perfect Comfort (14:1-14)


Another Comforter (14:15-31)
John 15


The Walk (15:1-27)
John 16


A Radical Redefinition (16:1-16)


A Movement Away from Misunderstanding (16:17-33)
John 17


Glorify Your Son (17:1-5)


Protect and Sanctify the Eleven (17:6-19)


Let Them Be One (17:20-26)
John 18


The Arrest (18:1-11)


Peter?s First Denials (18:12-18)


Jesus and Annas (18:19-24)


Peter?s Final Denials (18:25-27)


Jesus and Pilate (18:28-40)
John 19


Amicus Caesaris (19:1-16)


Excruciating (19:17-24)


The Women (19:25-27)


?It Is Finished? (19:28-37)


Two Brave Pharisees (19:38-42)
John 20


No Expectations (20:1-10)


Angelic Questions (20:11-18)


A Joy No One Can Take (20:19-23)


?I Will Never Believe!? (20:24-29)


The First Conclusion (20:30-31)
John 21


The Persistence of Doubt (21:1-14)


Pure Encouragement (21:15-23)


The Final Conclusion (21:24-25)


Appendixes


A. Material Unique to John


B. The Motif of Misunderstanding


C. Occurrences of John?s ?Whispering?


D. The Prophet Like Moses


Notes


Resources


About the Author