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John's gospel is unique. What makes it unique is the author, John, and the perspective he brings to the person and character of Jesus. John was Jesus's closest friend. You might say his best friend! Peter, James, and John were part of an inner circle that Jesus included exclusively. Only these three were allowed into the room when Jesus raised the synagogue official's daughter from the dead. Only these three were invited onto the mountain to witness his transfiguration experience. It was John that leaned on Jesus's breast at the Last Supper and was told who the betrayer was. And in Jesus's moment of deepest distress in the garden before his death, only these three were invited deep into the garden to pray with Jesus. But more than all that, John was the first disciple to be chosen and the only one at the very end. Only John was at the foot of the cross comforting Jesus's mother while the rest hid in fear. And it was because of John's unique relationship with Jesus that Jesus committed the care of his mother to him. John writes long after the other gospel letters had been distributed among the churches. John describes seven miracles, five unique to his gospel. John includes seven "e;I am"e; statements and is the only writer that uses the phrase "e;Truly, truly..."e; to underscore the extreme importance of these statements. John writes not as a follower, and not just as an eyewitness but as Jesus's best friend. And John writes for one single, specific purpose: "e;That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name"e; (John 20:31). To miss this is to miss the very reason for your existence on this planet!

We begin the second part of this four-part series on the Gospel of John called Meet Messiah. In Part 1, "Behold the Man," we saw the introduction of the Messiah to both the human family and the nation of Israel. In Part 2, "Faith or Frustration," we will join His disciples as they walk in the footstep of the Master from chapter 5 through chapter 12.Here, opposition to Jesus and His ministry begins in earnest. Up through chapter 4 of John''s gospel, the leadership of Israel was curious about whom this new rabbi really was. The ministry of John the Baptist had captured the attention of the nation with his proclamation that the kingdom of God was at hand and that folks needed to repent of their sins in preparation of the coming Messiah.At first, the Jews just dismissed Jesus as another new rabbi on the block. But His popularity had grown rapidly, outstripping even that of the Baptizer. The signs that He was doing had caught the attention of the masses as well as the Jews. When He cleansed the temple and chased out all the vendors, which was a primary source of income for the priests, He became a regular topic of conversation in the Great Sanhedrin.We will begin to see that the curiosity of the Jews turned to frustration, their frustrations turned to anger, and their anger turned to hatred, until finally a plot was devised to have Him killed. That was the only way they would ever stop Him and save their positions of power and control over the people.Strap in for the ride. It''s going to get really, really bumpy. Who ever said being a Christian and being bold in your faith would ever be easy? The truth is it could get you killed, and history has demonstrated that many have died for their faith. Let''s follow along with the One they have all been willing to die for.