Dr. Shirley's Web CoursesBooks of the New TestamentSt. John's GospelThe following notes are intended to supplement, not replace, the readings from the Bible and the text book. The Gospel according to St. John was written after the other Gospels, and seems to assume that the reader is familiar with the material contained in them. John does not record the Lord's Prayer or any of Jesus' parables. His record of the Last Supper does not mention Jesus blessing and giving the Bread and Wine to His disciples, but gives us much more of what Jesus said and prayed after the meal (John 13:2). Although John recounts several of the miracles of Jesus, he uses them mainly as "Signs" to show Jesus' power and identity as Christ. The text-book refers to 7 "Signs", because it does not include the Resurrection and Jesus' post-Resurrection appearances. However, John seems to count these also as "Signs" - see John 20:30-31.
Another characteristic of John's Gospel is his recording of Jesus' statements which begin with an emphatic "I AM". English can only show this emphasis by the tone of voice or the stress on the words; both Greek and Hebrew can show the emphasis by using a pronoun. A stressed "I AM" was normally avoided by Jews, as it was part of the sacred Name of God - "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14)
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