𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧: 𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚, 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥, 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐲

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧

𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧: 𝐀 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐦

Scholars have increasingly recognized that the Gospel of John is not a departure from Judaism but rather a text deeply rooted in Jewish thought, traditions, and expectations. Far from being a work that breaks away from its Jewish context, John is immersed in the Torah, the Prophets, and the rich spiritual and theological landscape of Second Temple Judaism.

Leading scholars, such as Adele Reinhartz, Daniel Boyarin, and Craig Keener, argue that John’s Gospel is filled with Jewish themes and midrashic techniques. Boyarin contends that John presents a highly Jewish vision of the Messiah, one aligned with Jewish expectations of a divine yet human-like Redeemer. Keener highlights that John’s language, symbolism, and structure all reflect Jewish ways of thinking and communicating theological truths. Reinhartz notes that even the polemics in John are intra-Jewish—a debate happening within Judaism rather than against it.

The use of temple imagery, Passover themes, and concepts like the Logos (Word) reflect deep engagement with Jewish tradition. John’s high Christology—the portrayal of Yeshua as divine—aligns with Jewish apocalyptic expectations, including those found in Daniel 7, the Book of Enoch, and Wisdom literature. The themes of light and darkness (John 1:4-5) echo the Dead Sea Scrolls’ language of the righteous and the wicked. The repeated references to Moses, Abraham, and Torah-centered debates (John 5:46; John 8:39) demonstrate that John assumes a Jewish audience familiar with these foundational figures.

For these reasons, John must be read as a deeply Jewish text—one that speaks in the language of the Torah and fulfills its expectations in Yeshua. Understanding this Jewish framework allows for a richer appreciation of John’s message, making clear that Yeshua’s words and actions are the natural continuation and fulfillment of the covenant given at Sinai.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡’𝐬 𝐄𝐜𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚’𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

A rabbi once said, “If you want to understand the Messiah, start with the Torah.” The Gospel of John does not introduce Yeshua as a new idea. It presents Him as the fulfillment of everything that came before. Every word He speaks, every action He takes, and every miracle He performs finds its roots in the Torah. John’s Gospel is both history and prophecy brought to life.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏)

Genesis begins with, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). John’s Gospel echoes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The Torah tells how God spoke creation into being. John reveals that Yeshua is that divine speech in human form.

Moses stood in the cleft of the rock and saw only the back of God’s presence (Exodus 33:18-23). Yeshua walked among men as the full expression of God’s glory. “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” (John 1:18, NIV).

𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 (𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟐)

At Sinai, God gave Israel a covenant, and the people responded, “We will do and we will hear” (Exodus 24:7). This was a marriage between God and His people. Wine was a sign of joy, covenant, and blessing (Isaiah 25:6). When Yeshua transformed water into wine at a wedding (John 2:1-11), He revealed Himself as the One who would renew that covenant.

The Torah commands the purification of the Temple (Leviticus 16:16). When Yeshua drove out the money changers (John 2:13-17), He was not rejecting the Temple. He was restoring it to its intended purpose. “Zeal for Your house will consume Me” (Psalm 69:9).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 (𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟔)

The Israelites wandered the desert and ate manna, bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4). Yeshua fed the people in the wilderness and then declared, “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35). The Torah teaches that man does not live by bread alone but by every word from God (Deuteronomy 8:3). Yeshua was not just offering food. He was fulfilling this truth.

At Passover, the lamb had to be eaten for deliverance (Exodus 12:8). When Yeshua said, “Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53), He was not introducing something foreign. He was revealing that He was the true Passover Lamb.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐤𝐤𝐚𝐡 (𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏𝟎)

The Torah calls God the Shepherd of Israel (Genesis 49:24, Psalm 23:1). The prophets rebuked Israel’s leaders for failing as shepherds (Ezekiel 34:2-6). Yeshua stood among His people and declared, “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11). He was the shepherd Israel had been waiting for.

John places this moment during Hanukkah (John 10:22-23). The Feast of Dedication remembered the Maccabees cleansing the Temple (1 Maccabees 4:36-59). Yeshua, standing in the very Temple courts, declared that He was the One who would fully restore Israel.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚

John’s Gospel does not stand apart from the Torah. It completes it. Every chapter, every story, and every miracle connects to the foundations of Israel’s faith. Yeshua does not erase the Torah. He embodies it.

The Torah teaches that God's word is eternal (Deuteronomy 29:29). Yeshua, as the living Torah, reveals that God's promises are everlasting. Just as Moses spoke of a prophet like himself who would come (Deuteronomy 18:15), John shows Yeshua as the one who fulfills that role. The Torah commands Israel to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Yeshua calls His followers to abide in Him and love as He loved (John 15:9-10).

He is the Word that created the world. He is the Bread that sustains it. He is the Shepherd who leads His people. He is the Lamb that redeems them. The Torah looked forward to Him. The prophets foretold Him. The Gospel of John reveals Him.

He is the One Israel has been waiting for, and through Him, the Torah reaches its fullness.