The “Jesus Focus” in the Gospel of John by Dr. Michael J. Williams

Reading The Bible Through The Jesus Lens in the Gospel of John

“From Biblical Book to Biblical Hook”

Chart adapted from *Dr. Michael Williams Book

*After my conversion in the U. S. Navy (in a submarine beneath the North Atlantic!), I entered Columbia Bible College, where I received a B.A. (1985). This was followed by an M.A. in Religion at Westminster Theological Seminary (1987) and a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania (1999). In 2000, I was ordained in the Christian Reformed Church, and since 1995 have been teaching at Calvin Theological Seminary. I have also taught courses at Westminster Theological Seminary, the University of Pennsylvania, and brief stints in Limuru, Kenya; Donetsk, Ukraine; and Warsaw, Poland. In addition to articles on Old Testament topics in various reference works and academic journals, and contributing to and editing “Mishneh Todah: Studies in Deuteronomy and Its Cultural Environment in Honor of Jeffrey H. Tigay” (2009); I have authored “Deception in Genesis: A Comprehensive Analysis of a Unique Biblical Phenomenon” (2001); “The Prophet and His Message: Reading Old Testament Prophecy Today” (2003); and, most recently, “How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens: A Guide to Christ-Focused Reading of Scripture” (2012). My amazing wife, Dawn, and I enjoy hiking and all things outdoors.

Title for John

John: Theme

John 1:1

“Union with God”

Jesus, the Word, is God.

Christ-Focus in John

Implications from John

Hooks from John

Jesus and the Father are one.

 “I and the Father are one.”

 – John 10:30

We have union with the Father through Jesus Christ.

 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

 The glory that you have given me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one,

 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

 – John 17:20-23

How close do you feel to God?

 What enhances your relationship with God?

 What interferes with it?

 How closely do people associate you with God?

 What is one attribute or activity in your life that makes your union with God most visible to others?

 How does your union with God affect your behavior?

 Is your union with God reflected in your union with other believers?

 Is your union with God producing any fruit?