Who Is Jesus? in the Gospel of John.

Papyrus P52 (Rylands Library Papyrus P52), containing John 18.31-33 and 37-38. John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester. Public Domain image courtesy of the University of Manchester.

Who Is Jesus? in the Gospel of John grows out of my ongoing work, The Messiah in the Margins, a project that traces how the Hebrew Scriptures whisper, anticipate, and ultimately converge in the revelation of the Messiah. John’s Gospel serves as both a theological witness and a classical apologetic , a reasoned defense of faith that invites belief through narrative, signs, and testimony. John writes with deliberate persuasive intent, weaving eyewitness structure and Old Testament allusion to show that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

  1. John 20.30-31, Introduction: Why John?
    • Who is Jesus? The one written about so we may believe and have life.
    • John explicitly states his purpose: revealing Jesus’ identity so readers may believe and receive true life. This echoes the knowledge of God’s glory filling the earth (Habakkuk 2.14) and the heavens declaring His glory (Psalm 19.1-4). John presents Jesus as God’s ultimate revelation; believing in Him fulfills Scripture’s call to faith and opens the way to divine life.
    • Intertexts: Isaiah 40.3-5; Habakkuk 2.14; Psalm 19.1-4
      Parallels: Mark 1.1; Luke 1.1-4
  2. John 1.1-18, The Eternal Word
    • Who is Jesus? God’s Word made flesh, the true Light, the revealer of God.
    • “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God” directly echoes Genesis 1.1-3. As God’s Word brought forth light in creation, Jesus as the incarnate Word is the true Light shining in darkness. Like Moses seeing God’s glory (Exodus 33.18-23), the Word reveals the Father’s glory among us.
    • Intertexts: Genesis 1.1-3; Exodus 33.18-23; Psalm 36.9
      Parallels: Mark 1.9-11; Matthew 3.13-17
  3. John 1.19-2.12, The Lamb of God and the Son of Man
  4. John 2.13-25, The True Temple
  5. John 3.1-36, The Savior Who Brings New Birth
  6. 6. John 4.1-54, The Living Water and the Healer
  7. John 5.1-47, The Son Who Works with the Father
  8. John 6.1-71, The Bread of Life
  9. John 7.1-52, The Source of Living Water
  10. John 8.1-59, The Light of the World
    • Who is Jesus? The liberator from sin, the one who declares, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”
    • “I am the Light of the world” fulfills the Servant’s calling as light to nations (Isaiah 42.6-7) and the rising sun of righteousness (Malachi 4.2). Jesus’ claim “Before Abraham was, I AM” invokes the divine name revealed to Moses (Exodus 3.14), asserting His eternal deity.
    • Intertexts: Exodus 3.14; Isaiah 42.6-7; Malachi 4.2
      Parallels: Mark 9.2-8; Matthew 17.1-8
  11. John 9.1-41, The Light Who Opens Eyes
  12. John 10.1-42, The Good Shepherd
  13. John 11.1-57, The Resurrection and the Life
  14. John 12.1-50, The Lifted-Up Son
  15. John 13.1-38, The Servant Lord
  16. John 14.1-31, The Way, the Truth, and the Life
  17. John 15.1-27, The True Vine
  18. John 16.1-33, The Overcomer
  19. John 17.1-26, The Interceding Son
  20. John 18.1-27, The Sovereign in Suffering (Part 1)
  21. John 18.28-19.42, The Crucified King (Part 2)
  22. John 20.1-31, The Risen Lord
  23. John 21.1-25, The Restorer and Sender

Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus is revealed as the divine Son who fulfills all Old Testament hopes and shadows. He is the Word become flesh, the true Temple, the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life. Every “I AM” statement connects Him to Yahweh’s self-revelation. John writes so we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in His name.

The Gospel of John is both an invitation and a defense, offering testimony that unites history, theology, and Scripture’s deeper resonance. Each scene and sign functions as a witness drawn from the margins of Israel’s story, now fulfilled in the Messiah who is both Word and Flesh, Lamb and Shepherd, Light and Life. To read John intertextually is to see how the Scriptures converge in one voice that proclaims Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and to recognize the Gospel itself as a reasoned call to faith.

Maranatha,
~PW 🌮🛶

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