Total Time: ~3–3.5 hours
Focus: Exploring the testimony of the apostle John to understand the profound, divine identity of Jesus Christ as the eternal Word made flesh, and to see that eternal life is a gift received simply by believing in Him.
🧱 Session 1 — The Word, the Witness, and the New Birth (60–75 mins)
Theme: John opens his account by declaring Jesus’s eternal, divine nature, confirmed by witnesses, and explains that relationship with Him requires a spiritual rebirth orchestrated by God Himself.
📖 Reading
- John Chapter 1 — The majestic prologue introducing Jesus as the eternal Word (Logos), the testimony of John the Baptist, and the calling of the first disciples.
- John Chapter 3 — The secret, nighttime conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, a religious leader, about the necessity of being “born again.”
📖 Key Passages
- John 1:1, 14: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… 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 1:29: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
- John 3:3: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
- John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
🔍 Word Study Suggestions
| KJV Word | Original Language | Original Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word | Greek (NT) | Λόγος (Logos) | A term rich with meaning for both Jews (God’s creative word) and Greeks (the divine reason or principle governing the cosmos). John uses it to declare Jesus as the ultimate self-expression of God, the very mind of God made knowable. |
| Believeth | Greek (NT) | πιστεύω (pisteuō) | To trust in, to have faith in, to rely upon. In John’s Gospel, this is the definitive human response to Jesus that leads to life. |
| Born again / from above | Greek (NT) | γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν (gennēthē anōthen) | The Greek can mean both “again” and “from above.” Jesus explains that entry into the Kingdom is not through human effort or religious pedigree, but through a supernatural work of God’s Spirit. |
🗣️ Discussion Questions
- John 1 says the Word “was God” and then “was made flesh.” Why is this dual identity so crucial to the entire Christian faith?
- Nicodemus was a master of the Law, yet he was spiritually blind. What does his conversation with Jesus teach us about the limits of religious knowledge and performance?
- Jesus presents being “born again” not as a suggestion, but as a necessity. Why can’t a person simply “improve” their way into the Kingdom?
🧱 Session 2 — The “I AM” and the Division (60–75 mins)
Theme: Jesus repeatedly makes radical claims about His divine identity using the sacred name of God (“I AM”), forcing everyone who hears to either believe in Him or reject Him as a blasphemer.
📖 Reading
- Selections from John Chapters 6, 8, & 10 — Examining three of Jesus’s famous “I AM” statements and the controversy they created.
📖 Key Passages
- John 6:35: “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
- John 8:12: “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
- John 8:58: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
- John 10:11, 14: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
📚 Historical & Cultural Context
- “I AM” (Greek: egō eimi): When Jesus uses this phrase, especially in John 8:58, He is making a direct claim to be the God of the Old Testament, who revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush as “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). This was understood by his audience as an explicit claim to be God, which is why they immediately took up stones to kill Him for blasphemy.
🗣️ Discussion Questions
- In each “I AM” statement, Jesus claims to be the ultimate fulfillment of a basic human need (hunger, navigating darkness, safety). What do these claims reveal about His purpose?
- Why did Jesus’s claims create such a sharp division among the people? Why couldn’t they just see Him as a “good teacher”?
- What does it mean for us today to believe that Jesus is the “Bread of Life” or the “Good Shepherd”? How does that belief change how we live?
🧱 Session 3 — The Resurrection and the Life (60 mins)
Theme: Jesus demonstrates His authority over death by raising Lazarus, and then, after His own brutal death, validates all His claims by His own resurrection, proving He is the source of all life.
📖 Reading
- John Chapter 11 — The death and raising of Lazarus.
- John Chapters 19 & 20 — The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
📖 Key Passages
- John 11:25–26: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
- John 19:30: “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
- John 20:27-29: “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
- 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.”
🧠 Reflection & Application
- Before raising Lazarus, Jesus says, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” He doesn’t say He gives resurrection, but that He is resurrection. What is the significance of this distinction?
- On the cross, Jesus’s final words are “It is finished.” What was finished in that moment? How does this relate to the idea of a works-based faith versus a grace-based faith?
- John explicitly states his reason for writing the whole book in 20:31. Based on this verse, what is the one and only requirement for receiving eternal life?
✝️ Final Encouragement: The Question of Belief
The Gospel of John does not present a complex system of rules or a path of self-improvement. It presents a Person. From beginning to end, it confronts the reader with a single, foundational question: “Believest thou this?” It stakes everything on the identity of Jesus Christ as the great “I AM,” the eternal God come in the flesh to be our bread, our light, our shepherd, and our very life. The entire book is a carefully constructed legal and relational testimony, signed by witnesses and sealed by an empty tomb, inviting us to stop performing and simply believe, and in believing, to have life.