There is a portrait of Jesus in the Gospel of John that captures not only his physical appearance, but also the essence of Jesus. The picture is more complex than the traditional Bible picture of him with long hair and a full beard seated in a manger.
The gospel of John is the only gospel discussed in this article and has been divided into 3 sections. The 1st section contains the portrait of Jesus which could be drawn from the discourses, dialogues and speeches of Jesus. The 2nd section presents two great acts of Jesus, namely, Calming the storm and Feeding of the five thousand. The 3rd section aims at exploring Jesus’ role and impact on the lives of individual audience he sought to influence.
This article will attempt to portray Jesus from the gospel of John. I will analyze the images that John chooses to show of Jesus, and how these were specifically chosen by him to present specific messages about Jesus in his gospel; these messages also coincide with the theological message of John’s gospel.
The Gospel of John is the only gospel to include a portrait of Jesus. In this gospel, Jesus is portrayed as a teacher who speaks about the kingdom of God and teaches people how to live according to God’s will.
In addition, John also includes many stories about Jesus’ life on earth, including his miracles and his death and resurrection. The gospel does not include many details about Jesus’ birth or childhood, but it does describe him as an adult who lived in Judea around the time when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea (AD 26-36).
In the gospel of John, Jesus is presented as a teacher, miracle worker, and religious leader. He is also depicted as the Son of God and the Messiah.
The gospel of John contains at least four portraits of Jesus: prophet, healer, Messiah and Son of God. These portraits are sometimes presented together in one scene (e.g., Jesus’ ministry), but they can also be found separately throughout the gospel.
In this study, we will explore each portrait individually and then examine how these portraits are combined to form a complete portrait of Jesus.
Portrait of jesus in the gospel of john
Big picture
John’s Gospel is different in many ways from the other three gospels. For example, John is more theological and focuses on Jesus as divine and as a Messiah. John also shows a great deal of literary skill, especially in his use of metaphor to describe the nature of God’s interaction with us through Jesus Christ.
However, all four gospel writers agree on certain basic points:
- Jesus was unique among men in that he was both human (learned from earthly teachers) and divine (supernatural).
- He came into this world at a specific time and place, brought about by his Father’s plan for our salvation.
- His death was necessary for our sins against God; yet it made possible life for all who believe in him by their faith alone.
The god of revelation
- John’s gospel is a revelation of Jesus.
- Jesus is the Son of God.
- Jesus is the Son of man.
- Jesus is the Lamb of God (i.e., an innocent sacrifice).
- Jesus is the Bread of Life (i.e., spiritual nourishment).
- Jesus is the Light of the World (i.e., salvation and enlightenment).
The incarnation of the word
You will have noticed, perhaps, that the word “incarnation” is not found in this gospel. It is an unfortunate fact that most English translations of Scripture leave out this important concept. In all fairness to them, however, it is hard to translate the term into English because it has no equivalent expression in our language. This word means “to become flesh.”
In John 1:14 we read: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory).” The Greek word for “was made” is ginomai; it means “to become or come into being; to arise by birth as opposed to creation ex nihilo (out of nothing); generally used for natural generation but also applied metonymically of moral origin or growth… especially used for becoming incarnate…”[2]
This verse tells us that Jesus Christ took on human flesh and appeared before us as a man who looked like one of us but who was infinitely different from any other man in history because he possessed divine attributes such as omniscience (knowing everything), omnipotence(all-powerful), omnipresence (everywhere at once), etc., which are beyond our comprehension.[3]
Jesus is the son of god.
In John, Jesus is the son of God and the son of man.
He is both human and divine.
He performs miracles to show that he is a godly man, but never claims to be God himself.
Jesus, son of man.
We should note that John is the only gospel writer who calls Jesus “the son of man.” He does so seven times throughout his gospel (e.g., 3:13-14; 8:28; 12:23). This title serves to distinguish Jesus from other people and places him in a special category.
John uses it to assert that Jesus is not merely human, but also divine. He is God’s only begotten son (1:14), who was sent at the very beginning of creation as an agent of God’s creative activity (1:3; 14:9-10). The phrase “son of man” also reflects Jewish tradition in which mortals were called “sons of man” because they were created from dust like Adam had been made before them.[4] In this sense, the title “Son of Man” implies both humanity and divinity because it identifies Jesus as both a human being and one who has been given royal authority over all things on earth including death itself.[5]
Jesus’ miracles are demonstrations of his divine power and authority over creation.
While the synoptic gospels are more concerned with the details of Jesus’ ministry and miracles, John’s gospel is interested in their meaning. The author does not provide many specific details about them, but rather uses his stories to demonstrate that Jesus is God’s Son and has divine power over creation.
John’s Gospel was written after Matthew, Mark and Luke had already recorded most of Jesus’ deeds; therefore there are many unique stories found only in this gospel.
Jesus, king and shepherd.
You might be surprised to know that Jesus was both a king and a shepherd. He was both because he fulfilled the role of leader over God’s people. He was also called to lead them, just as a shepherd leads sheep.
Jesus led God’s people into the promised land, but first he had to prepare them for battle.
Jesus and temple worship.
There are a number of passages that can be used to support the idea that Jesus was not against all temple worship. In fact, he often taught at the temple in Jerusalem and many times encouraged people to go there (e.g., John 2:13). But these passages also show that he was not supportive of what was going on there at the time and how it was being used by those in power. He would tell people they needed to stop doing something or move away from what they were doing because it wasn’t right (John 2:16; Matthew 21:12).
Jesus’ anger with those who commercialized God’s house is seen clearly in Matthew 23:13-19 where he says things like “you [the leaders] shut up heaven so no rain comes down” (v15) and “you [the leaders] are hypocrites” (v19). He also tells them “your house will be left desolate.” These are strong words directed at those who had allowed their own greed, desire for power, prideful attitudes, etc., take priority over their leadership responsibilities toward God’s people–and these responsibilities included caring for His temple!
Jesus, the leader of israel’s eschatological harvest.
Jesus is the one who will bring in the harvest, gather Israel, and judge them. He is also the one who will bring life through his sacrifice of himself on the cross.
The gospel is a powerful book that shows how john sees jesus.
The Gospel of John is a powerful book that shows how John sees Jesus. It is a unique and important book in the Bible. It is one of the most important books for understanding who Jesus is and what He came to do.
In this lesson, we will learn about seven truths from this gospel:
- Jesus’ identity as God’s Son and our Savior (John 1:1-18)
- His purpose in coming to earth (John 3:16-21)
- His relationship with God (John 5:19-23)
