The Gospel According to St. John Symbol of John: The Eagle

Prayer: Jesus, Light of the World, Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, you bring us hope, life, and guidance. We praise the Father for his gift of you and the Spirit for making you present with us today. We praise you for all that you are and do, for the example of living you provide us, and for the challenges you set before us. Be with us always. Amen

Scripture Reading: John 21:15-19 (p. 1213-1214) Write a brief summary of today’s reading. What do you think were Jesus’ intentions by asking Peter three times if he loved him? Jesus seeks to transform us and redeem us. What would be your response today if Jesus ask you; “Do you love me?”

Overview of the Gospel of St. John Written by “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” According to tradition St. John was the last apostle to die. This Gospel emphasizes the divine nature of Jesus Christ. The Gospel makes an astounding statement of faith – God became flesh (The Incarnation) The other three Gospels portray the human nature of Jesus; In John we see Jesus’ divine nature

Overview of the Gospel of St. John Author is actually known but authorship of some of the manuscript based on tradition. Date: 90 AD – 110 AD (As much as 70 years after Jesus’ death Location: Ephesus (Asia Minor) Written for: Christians of all backgrounds Image of Jesus: God Incarnate, Life Giving Divine Savior Genealogy: Traced back to God: He was in the beginning With God. Never a time the Son of God did not exist. Theological Theme: Jesus is fully God

Location of Ephesus & Theater Ruins (Modern Day Turkey)

The Four Gospels Worksheet. Break into small groups 2 or 3 in a group These groups will produce the: “Gospel Poster.” Distribute Worksheet Using your notes from the last several class periods organized the information and add to worksheet.

Open Book But First! Turn-In Your Journals. Focus Questions on the Four Gospels Handout

Quiz Review: Why are the Gospels the heart of all Scriptures? The Gospels are our principal source of knowledge regarding the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. 2. What were the personal relationships between the Evangelists and Christ? Sts. Matthew and John were disciples of Christ, and eyes witnesses to the events they narrated. St. mark and Luke were disciples of the Apostles. 3. Who was St. Matthew? He was an Apostle, also called Levi, and originally a tax collector

Quiz Review 4. What were the original audience and primary aim of St. Matthew’s Gospel? St. Matthew wrote for Jewish Christians living in Palestine to show Christ is the Messiah. 5. What are some distinctive characteristics of St. Matthew’s gospel? Two are the genealogy of Christ, which echoes Genesis, and his extensive use of direct quotes from Christ? 6. What seems to be St. Mark’s audience? Mark probably wrote to Gentile Christians in Rome.

Quiz Review 7. What was the relationship between Saints peter and mark? They had something of a father-son relationship. St peter was the source of much of St. Mark’s Gospel. 8. What seems to be St. Mark’s main interest? He seems to emphasize what Christ did more than what he said. 9. Why is there reason to believe there were a number of accounts of Christ’s life circulating among Christians by the time St. Like set out to write his Gospel? He wrote that he wanted to give an “orderly account” of Christ’s life. This implies there were other, partial accounts that did not provide a complete history of Christ life.

Quiz Review 10. From whom did St Luke learn of the Annunciation, the Birth of Christy, the visit of the shepherds, and the finding of the Christ child in the temple? He probably learned these from the Blessed Virgin Mary herself. 11. How does the prologue of St. John’s Gospel parallel Genesis? Beginning even with the same words, “In the beginning …”, St. John’s gospel emphasizes the dignity of Christ and the new creation he accomplished.

Quiz Review 12. What is the relationship St. John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels? St. John’s Gospel presupposes (accepts) the other Gospel’s existence and was written to complete them. St. John’s gospel uses different, more theological language, and it includes events not contained in the other Gospels. Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So named because they contain many of the same stories. Synoptic = seeing all together (Greek)

I Am the Bread of Life