The fourth Gospel has been said that it is a gospel to the world but however, in 1924 Israel Abrahams said, "To us Jews, the Fourth Gospel is the most Jewish of the four! The fourth Gospel was not the most Jewish; in fact, “no other New Testament writing has been accused more often of an anti-Judaic thrust than the Gospel of John” (Leibig, 1983). The term “the Jews” was used more in a negative context than in any of the other gospels. The Gospel of Matthew intention was to show Jesus as the fulfillment of the law and how he fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. Therefore the Gospel of Matthew would be the most Jewish of the four Gospels.
John shows Jesus’ pre-existent state with God, His deity and essence, as well as His incarnation. John’s gospel can be summed up in this verse, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). The Gospel of John focuses on Christ’s deity and it is “a message of grace for the heart and life of man” (Thomas, 1968).
When people first become saved their knowledge of the bible can be limited and for a new believer to start reading the bible it can be confusing. One of the reasons new converts are instructed to start reading the book of John is “seems to be the simplest of all book in the Bible to understand” (Towns, 2002). It could be confusing to start reading in the Old Testament if the new convert does not understand that New Testament truths. The Gospel of John “paints a comprehensive picture of the Lord Jesus Christ – majestic in His humanity yet simply presented in His Deity” (Towns, 2002).
Each Gospel seems to have a different purpose for why it was written. John’s Gospel “communicates perhaps the most profound truths about Jesus Christ found anywhere in Scripture” (Towns, 2002). This is a great place to start new believers since Jesus is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. There is no better way to start a new believer than to build their faith in Jesus. To sum up, The Gospel of John’s “purpose is devotional, spiritual, practical: it is that the record here given may lead to a definite relationship between the reader and the One whose life and work are here depicted” (Thomas, 1968).
Leibig, J. (1983, Spr). John and the Jews : theological antisemitism in the Fourth Gospel. Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 20(2), 209-234. Retrieved March 28, 2009, from ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials database.
Thomas, W. (1968, July). Purpose of the Fourth Gospel. Bibliotheca sacra, 125(499), 254-262. Retrieved March 28, 2009, from ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials database.
Towns, E. L. (2002). The Gospel of John: Believe and live. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers
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2 comments:
Just a little note: There is no evidence, other than hear-say, that proves Dr. Abrahams ever made the statement that John's gospel was the most jewish. Just a little note for those who love TRUTH. Thank you.
There is indeed proof of this comment. Israel Abrahams made the claim in 1924. It is well documented.
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