... were ex-communicated from their synagogues for believing in Jesus as the Messiah, as told in 9.22, where it is said that 'anyone who confessed to Jesus to be the messiah would be put out of the synagogue'. This theory is known as the sociological approach and is not only supported by J. Martyn but also R. Brown as he wrote in his book, 'The Community of the Beloved Disciple' in 1979. Another possible reason is for sacramental purposes, and Cullman, believes it was written to rectify the under-emphasis on the sacraments of the Eucharist and Baptism in the early church. Cullman explained that whenever bread or wine is mention in the gospel then the author is talking about the Eucharist and whenever water is mentioned, he is talking about baptism, and therefore because they are mentioned quite often, then the gospel must be sacramental. Following on from the sacramental purpose, there ...

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