I’m starting a new study of the Gospel of John, so I thought I may as well post some of my work here as I go. This is just an outline and some other stuff like that. Nothing earth-shattering — yet! I hope this is helpful to someone out there, though.
Outline of the Gospel of John
I. Jesus’ Introduction to the World 1:1-18
A. The Logos 1:1-4
B. John the Baptist’s Identity 1:5-8
C. The Word made flesh 1:9-18
D. John the Baptist’s Testimony 1:19 - 34
E. Jesus calls His disciples 1:35 - 51
II. Jesus’ Manifestation to the Nation 2:1-12:50
A. Beginning Public Ministry
1. Miracle 1: Water to Wine 2:1-12
2. Jesus cleanses the temple 2:13-25
3. Discourse 1: with Nicodemus 3:1-21
4. John the Baptist exalts Jesus 3:22-36
5. Jesus and the Samaritan Woman 4:1-45
6. Miracle 2: Jesus Heals an Official’s Son 4:46-54
B. Contentious Public Ministry
1. Miracle 3: Healing at the Pool 5:1-47
a. Miracle 5:1-47
b. Discourse 2: Sent from the Father 5:19-47
2. Miracle 4: Jesus Feeds 5000 John 6:1-71
a. Miracle 6:1-15
b. (Miracle 5: Disciples and Jesus cross lake) John 6:16-21
c. Discourse 3: Bread of Life 6:22-71
3. Discourse 4: Living Water (at Feast of Booths) 7:1-53
4. Woman Caught in Adultery 8:1-11
5. Discourse 5: Light of the World 8:1-59
6. Miracle 6: Blind Man Healed 9:1-41
7. Discourse 6a: The Good Shepherd 10:1-21
8. Discourse 6b: I and the Father are one 10:22-42
9. Miracle 7: Lazarus Raised 11:1-57
C. Final Public Ministry 12:1-50
1. Mary Anoints Jesus 12:1-8
2. Murderous plots 12:9-11
3. Triumphal Entry 12:12-19
4. Discourse 7: Lifted Up from the Earth 12:20-50
III. Jesus’ Final Teaching to Disciples 13-17
A. Foot Washing 13:1-20
B. Jesus’ Departure 13:21-38
C. Jesus, the Way 14:1-14
D. Promise of the Holy Spirit 14:15-31
E. Vine and Branches 15:1-17
F. World hates you 15:18-16:3
G. The work of the Holy Spirit 16:4-15
H. Coming changes will turn out joyfully 16:16-33
I. Jesus intercession 17
IV. Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection 18-20
A. arrest 18:1-11
B. trial and denial 18:12-19:16
C. crucifixion 19:17-37
D. burial 19:38-42
E. resurrection 20:1-29
V. Epilog
A. Purpose of book 20:30-31
B. Breakfast with Jesus 21:1-14
C. Peter restored 21:15-23
D. Ending statements 21:24-25
Jesus’ public discourses in the Gospel of John
| Discourse | Audience | Subject | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicodemus | New Birth | 3:1-21 |
| 2 | Jewish Leaders | Jesus sent from Father | 5:19-47 |
| 3 | Hungry Followers | Bread of Life | 6:22-71 |
| 4 | Jewish Nation | Living Water | 7:1-53 |
| 5 | Jewish Leaders | Light of the World | 8:1-59 |
| 6 | Jewish Leaders | The Good Shepherd | 10:1-42 |
| 7 | Jewish Nation | Lifted Up from Earth | 12:20-50 |
I think it is very helpful to have a big picture understanding of a book as you study it, so you can see the relation of the details to the larger picture better. Also, it is nice to ponder the overall flow of a book and the reasons why one section leads to another. There are only 7 miracles mentioned in Jesus’ public ministry in John’s gospel, and we know from the text that he picked a few for specific reasons (John 20:30). So this is a clue that we can ask why these particular miracles were included in the flow of the book. That is the kind of thing I’ll be looking for as we go.