The Messiah Is Jesus, with David Ritsema: John 20:31 episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 6, 2026 · 12 MIN

The Messiah Is Jesus, with David Ritsema: John 20:31

from Exegetically Speaking · host Wheaton College

John 20:31 is usually translated as John's purpose statement: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God" (ESV). But could the clause also be understood as, "that you may believe that the Christ, the Son of God, is Jesus"? What difference would this make for how we read John's Gospel as a whole? In this episode, David Ritsema discusses the grammatical question behind this translation and its implications for John's presentation of Jesus as the Messiah. Dr. David Ritsema is Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor of New Testament at B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary, East Texas Baptist University. His book, The Divine Messiah: A Portrait of Jesus in the Johannine Literature, is forthcoming with Wipf & Stock. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4tfjeTr  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4lYiJuC 

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 6, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

The Messiah Is Jesus, with David Ritsema: John 20:31

0:00 12:17

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Exegetically Speaking?

This episode is 12 minutes long.

When was this Exegetically Speaking episode published?

This episode was published on April 6, 2026.

Can I download this Exegetically Speaking episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!