John 1:1-5 / Centering Jesus

The Gospel of John

The word “Gospel” means “good news” and was originally used to announce the rise of a new king. Each Gospel tells the story of Jesus, but from different angles, shaped by different communities facing different challenges.

The Gospel of John was written in the aftermath of a world-shattering event—the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 CE. Before this, Judaism was diverse, with multiple sects like the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Zealots. But after the Temple’s fall, the Pharisees became the dominant voice, redefining Jewish identity. In this shift, Jewish followers of Jesus found themselves pushed out of the synagogues.

John’s Gospel emerges from this displaced community—a group wrestling with what it means to follow Jesus when the structures they once relied on had collapsed. They weren’t just recording history; they were re-centering their faith on Jesus. In many ways, they were doing what every generation must do—reshaping faith to meet the challenges of their time.

John’s Three Major Themes

1. A New Kind of Gathering (Ecclesiology)

The Gospel of John resists hierarchy. Unlike other religious structures of the time—where authority flowed from rabbis and priests—John’s community believed that every believer had direct access to God through the Spirit. This was a radical idea. It meant faith wasn’t about obeying religious rules but about following Jesus.

2. Power and Authority

John’s Gospel makes a bold claim: Jesus, not Rome, is in charge. The Roman Empire, with its wealth and military dominance, appeared invincible. But John presents a Jesus who, with just His name, can make soldiers fall to the ground (John 18:6). He’s not a victim of power—He defines it. This was a direct challenge to those in the early church who admired the empire’s strength more than Jesus’ way of humility and love.

3. A High Christology

John starts his Gospel not with Jesus’ birth, but with the words:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

Right from the start, John makes his argument to the religious leaders of his day: Jesus isn’t just a teacher or prophet—He is divine, present at creation itself. This message is necessary because some in John’s time were trying to diminish Jesus’ authority, putting His voice on the same level as other religious texts. John refuses this. Jesus is the lens through which all other teachings must be understood.

Bounded vs. Centered Faith

John’s Gospel invites us into a faith that isn’t about drawing boundaries between “us” and “them.” Instead, it calls us to movement—toward Jesus.

Many of us were raised in a version of Christianity that functioned as a Bounded Set—a system where you were either “in” or “out” based on specific beliefs and behaviors. This approach naturally leads to gatekeeping and exclusion.

But John presents a Centered Set faith. In this model, what matters is not whether someone meets a checklist of doctrines, but whether they are moving toward Jesus. Someone who appears “far” from traditional faith might still be taking steps toward Christ, while someone who seems “close” might actually be drifting away.

Paul Hiebert’s illustration, c1970’s

Jesus’ invitation was always about movement:

• “Come and see” (John 1:39) – An invitation, not a test.

• The Woman at the Well (John 4) – A Samaritan woman, an outsider, moves toward Jesus as she encounters His truth.

• “Lord, to whom shall we go?” (John 6:68) – Peter’s faith isn’t about certainty; it’s about continually choosing Jesus.

Rethinking Our Faith Today

Like John’s community, many of us are re-evaluating the faith structures we inherited. The Christianity that shaped previous generations may no longer speak to today’s challenges. Some expressions of faith have become rigid, more concerned with power and exclusion than with Jesus.

The question isn’t, “Are you in or out?” but, “Are you moving toward Jesus?” This shift frees us from judgmental categorization and calls us into a community of transformation. We gather, not because we are alike, but because we are drawn toward the same center.

John’s Gospel is an invitation—not to a rigid system, but to a faith always moving toward Jesus. How is He calling you forward today?

House Church Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever felt like your faith no longer fit the structures you were raised in?

2. Have you ever been ostracized from your spiritual community? If so, where did you find hope during that time?

3. Bounded vs. Centered Set: Have you experienced Christianity as a system of exclusion? What would it look like to embrace a faith that is about movement toward Jesus instead?

4. Ask yourself today, where are you moving towards Jesus, and where are you moving away from Jesus?
What can the Body of Christ do to help you turn things towards him again?