by David E. Pratte - Bible Study Lessons

1 Commentary on the gospel of John Bible Study Notes and Comments by David E. Pratte Available in print at Study Notes on John Page #2 Commentary on the gospel of John: Bible Study Notes and Comments Copyright David E. Pratte , 2010, 2013 Minor revisions 2015 All rights reserved ISBN-13: 978-1492190547 ISBN-10: 1492190543 Note carefully: No teaching in any of our materials is intended or should ever be construed to justify or to in any way incite or encourage personal vengeance or physical violence against any person. Front Page Photo Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.

2 But He said to them, It is I; do not be afraid. John 6:19,20 (NKJV) Photo credit: israeltourism/Itamar Grinber distributed under Creative Commons license, via Wikimedia Commons Other Acknowledgements Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are generally from the New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1982, 1988 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are from Holy Bible , New American Standard La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible , English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

3 Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (MLV) are from Modern Literal Version of The New Testament, Copyright 1999 by G. Allen Walker. Scripture quotations marked (RSV) are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible , copyright 1952 by the Division of Christian Education, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the New International Version of the Holy Bible , copyright 1978 by Zondervan Bible publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Page #3 Study Notes on John Other Books by the Author Topical Bible Studies Growing a Godly Marriage & Raising Godly Children Why Believe in God, Jesus, and the Bible ?

4 (evidences) The God of the Bible ( Study of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) Grace, Faith, and Obedience: The gospel or Calvinism? Kingdom of Christ: Future Millennium or Present Spiritual Reign? Do Not Sin Against the Child: Abortion, Unborn Life, & the Bible True Words of God: Bible Inspiration and Preservation Commentaries on Bible Books Genesis Joshua and Ruth Judges 1 Samuel Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther Job Proverbs gospel of Mark gospel of John Acts Romans Ephesians Philippians and Colossians Hebrews 1 & 2 Peter Bible Question Class Books Genesis Joshua and Ruth Judges 1 Samuel Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther Job Proverbs Ecclesiastes Isaiah gospel of matthew gospel of Mark gospel of Luke gospel of John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians and Galatians Ephesians and Philippians Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon Hebrews General Epistles (James Jude)

5 Revelation Workbooks with Study Notes Jesus Is Lord: Workbook on the Fundamentals of the gospel of Christ Following Jesus: Workbook on Discipleship God s Eternal Purpose in Christ: Workbook on the Theme of the Bible Visit our website at to see a current list of books in print. Study Notes on John Page #4 Other Resources from the Author Printed books, booklets, and tracts available at Free Bible Study articles online at Free Bible courses online at Free class books at Free commentaries on Bible books at Contact the author at Page #5 Study Notes on John Table of Contents Introduction .. 8 John 1 .. 13 John 2 .. 45 John 59 John 4 .. 76 John 5.

6 95 John 6 .. 117 John 7 .. 142 John 8 .. 161 John 9 .. 181 John 10 .. 194 John 11 .. 212 John 12 .. 225 John 13 .. 241 John 14 .. 255 John 15 .. 269 John 16 .. 283 John 17 .. 294 John 18 .. 307 John 19 .. 323 John 20 .. 337 John 21 ..351 (Due to printer reformatting, the above numbers may be off a few pages.) Study Notes on John Page #6 Notes to the Reader To save space and for other reasons, I have chosen not to include the Bible text in these notes (please use your Bible to follow along). When I do quote a Scripture, I generally quote the New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated. Often especially when I do not use quotations marks I am not quoting any translation but simply paraphrasing the passage in my own words.

7 Also, when I ask the reader to refer to a map, please consult the maps at the back of your Bible or in a Bible dictionary. You can find Study questions to accompany these notes at To join our mailing list to be informed of new books or special sales, contact the author at A special word of thanks to Lynn Schaufel for her hard work in proof reading the text of this commentary. Page #7 Study Notes on John Introductory Thoughts about Commentaries Only the Scriptures provide an infallible, authoritatively inspired revelation of God s will for man (2 Timothy 3:16,17). It follows that this commentary, like all commentaries, was written by an uninspired, fallible human.

8 It is the author s effort to share his insights about God s word for the purpose of instructing and edifying others in the knowledge and wisdom found in Scripture. It is simply another form of teaching, like public preaching, Bible class teaching, etc., except in written form (like tracts, Bible class literature, etc.). Nehemiah 8:8; Ephesians 4:15,16; Romans 15:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:12-14; 5:12-14; 10:23-25; Romans 10:17; Mark 16:15,16; Acts 8:4; 2 Timothy 2:2,24-26; 4:2-4; 1 Peter 3:15. It follows that the student must read any commentary with discernment, realizing that any fallible teacher may err, whether he is teaching orally or in writing.

9 So, the student must compare all spiritual teaching to the truth of God s word (Acts 17:11). It may be wise to read several commentaries to consider alternative views on difficult points. But it is especially important to consider the reasons or evidence each author gives for his views, then compare them to the Bible . For these reasons, the author urges the reader to always consider my comments in light of Scripture. Accept what I say only if you find that it harmonizes with God s word. And please do not cite my writings as authority, as though people should accept anything I say as authoritative. Always let the Bible be your authority. He who glories, let him glory in the Lord 1 Corinthians 1:31 Study Notes on John Page #8 Abbreviations Used in These Notes ASV American Standard Version b/c/v - book, chapter, and verse ESV English Standard Version f - the following verse ff - the following verses KJV King James Version NASB New American Standard Bible NEB New English Bible NIV New International Version NKJV New King James Version RSV Revised Standard Version v verse vv - verses Page #9 Study Notes on John Introduction to the gospel of John Author The book was written by the apostle John, who was the brother of James and the son of Zebedee.

10 John is nowhere named in the book; but instead of arguing against his authorship, this argues for it. In 21:20 and elsewhere, the author refers to himself as simply the disciple whom Jesus loved. But he nowhere names himself in the book. And though the apostle John is prominently mentioned in the other gospel accounts of Jesus life, he is nowhere named in this record. Therefore, John would fit the disciple who wrote the book. Further, this disciple can be identified as an apostle by studying the events at which he was present and comparing them to who was present at those events as recorded in the other accounts. Likewise, the disciple occupied the position that would fit John s position according to other accounts.