As “a new commandment,” the apostle ordered his Gospel after the rubric of the Ten Words.
In very basic terms, John’s Gospel has two parts: 1) The light has come into the world, and 2) the darkness has not overcome it. But this Gospel also works through the fivefold biblical covenant pattern. It does so as five dyads or matching pairs, which means it has the same basic structure as the Ten Commandments. Each of the five covenantal “tiers” has a head and a body. The final result is two fivefold pillars, one priestly and one kingly, like the trees in the Garden of Eden, or the bronze pillars of Solomon’s Temple.
Overview
 JACHIN Priesthood Submission to heaven |  |  BOAZ Kingdom Dominion on earth |
|---|---|---|
| I – The Son of God (no false gods) John 1:1-51 |  TRANSCENDENCE | II – The True Jew (no false oaths to God) John 2:1-4:54 |
| III – The first feast (honour the Sabbath) John 5:1-6:71 |  HIERARCHY | IV – The last feast (honour your parents) John 7:1-8:59 |
| V – The blind heads (no murder) John 9:1-10:42 |  ETHICS | VI – The raised bodies (no adultery) John 11:1-12:36a |
| VII – Suffering servants (no theft) John 12:36b-15:17 |  OATH/SANCTIONS | VIII – Glorious sons (no perjury) John 15:18-17:26 |
| V – The true heir (no coveting house) John 18:1-19:42 |  SUCCESSION | VI – The household of faith (no coveting contents) John 20:1-21:25 |
Analysis
