But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” vs. 31
John 20:26-31
We don’t really know who John was. Although there has been a ton of speculation about his identity he remains shrouded in mystery. But what we do know is his reason for writing the book that bears his name–he wanted his readers to know that Jesus is the Messiah or Christ. He was aware of other biographies of Jesus, maybe even some that aren’t included in our scriptures, and he was likely familiar with some of Paul’s letters. But he didn’t want to write just another account of Jesus’ life. He believed that in Jesus the Christ had been made flesh, so out of all the things he’d heard about Jesus he chose a series of signs and built them into a narrative that he hoped would convince others of the same thing. And what a gift he left for the church! He was successful far beyond what he could have possibly imagined. Many believe that his gospel is the best evangelism tool the church has ever had, and that through his words millions of people have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and have thereby received life in his name. What the other gospels hint at, he makes crystal clear. By the end of his gospel even doubters are being turned into believers–Jesus really is our Lord and our God!
Thought for the Day: Why is John’s gospel so popular?
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