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Berean Charts.
Two Ministries since Acts 28:
pp. 126 - 128
---Illustration---
(BE-XXVII.126).
The Gospel of John differs from the Synoptic Gospels in that it was written after
Acts 28: and in full consciousness of Israel's rejection:
"He came to His own, and His own received Him not; but as many as received Him to
them, . . . . ." (John 1: 11, 12).
If we examine the parable of the marriage of the King's Son, in Matt. 22:, we find
that it deals with three invitations to the marriage. First during the earthly ministry of the
Lord, then again to the same people during the Acts, and a third time after the rejection of
Israel and the burning up of their city in A.D.70. It is in connection with this third
invitation to the wedding that John's Gospel has its place.
At the present time there is a small inner circle who respond to the prison ministry of
the apostle Paul, and a large world-wide company who find their gospel and hope in that
according to John. The one ministry is building up the perfect man, the other is gathering
the guests for the marriage, while during the Acts the company that constitute the Bride
was in formation.
That John's Gospel was not written for Jewish readers is manifest. No Jew needed to
be told that the Passover was a "Feast of the Jews". No Jew was ignorant of the feud that
existed between them and the Samaritans; no Jew needed the interpolation of the
meaning of "Rabboni" in the record of the resurrection.
While the dispensational position of the two companies differs as the Body differs
from the Guests, and there is no idea that John taught anything concerning the mystery;
yet seeing that he wrote after Paul's message had been given to the church, he was
obliged, in the nature of the case, to minister the same aspect of the offices and glory of
Christ that now fills our vision, rather than the Christ of the early Acts. This is clear from
the comparison suggested between Paul's revelation of Christ as the "Image", and John's
revelation of Christ as the "Word". These would run together, whereas Christ as the
"King of the Jews" would not. So also the other items which are set out for comparison.
John is the only other writer to mention the period "Before the foundation of the world",
and he more than the other evangelists stresses the ascension. The other sheep are clearly