Today, as we begin a new series called “Life in the Spirit,” we want to understand the context of our larger passage so that we can come into John 14-17 with the right perspective.

• As we will see, this is actually the reason why John wrote.
• Let’s first consider the Gospel of John as a whole.

About John

• Brother of James, together they were the infamous “sons of

” whose mother wanted them to sit to Jesus’ left and right when he was enthroned.
• Together with Peter, James and John seemed to be part of Jesus’ inner circle. They got to experience things, such as the

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, that the other disciples didn’t experience. This could explain some of his unique perspective.
• John was the infamous “disciple whom Jesus

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” as he identifies himself in chapters 19-21.
• It was also rumored that John was the only apostle who did not

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from persecution, but that was not from a lack of trying. He was tortured, dipped in a vat of boiling oil, and more. But he did not die.
• After years of preaching the good news about Jesus, they finally sent him off to the island of Patmos were, it is believed, that he lived out the rest of his days. But while he was there, he decided to write down this account of Jesus’ life that would include things that he had preached that were not included in the other Gospels. During this time, he also wrote down 1, 2, and 3 John and received the vision of the book of Revelation.

About John’s Gospel

• Matthew, Mark and Luke were written many

before John.
• Mark was written the earliest and speaks largely from the perspective of

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.
• Matthew and Luke write to different audiences. Matthew to the

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and Luke to the

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. Therefore, they arrange their accounts in a way that allows them explain different things to these different audiences. Luke includes historical details and the perspective of Mary and others and Matthew includes many references to the OT.
• Because they share many of the same stories just

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differently, the first three Gospels are grouped together in the NT canon and are called the “synoptics.” Syn means “one” or “united/synthesized” and optics means “perspective”.
• John doesn’t write like an apologist, historian, or evangelist, but like an orator and an old

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who wants people to know about the Savior whom he loved.
• John’s Goal >> John 20:31 | but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

About John 13-17

• One of the unique sections in John’s Gospel is the expanded account of what is called “The Upper Room Discourse” in John 13-17.
• John 13:1 | Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
• The Upper Room discourse is all about Jesus’ loving

of His disciples for His departure.