John 5:24-47 If you only had time to communicate the most important thing about life to someone, what is the central truth you would want to teach them? In John’s gospel he records more conversations of Jesus than the other Gospel writers. From these we can deduce some of the essential things John felt we needed to understand about Jesus, and by extension, the most important things we need to teac...  Read More

John 5:1-23 In what do you put your hope? As you look into the future what allows you to have a confident expectation that your future will be bright? The paralyzed man put his hope in the waters of the Pool of Bethesda. He believed if he could enter the water when it began to stir, he would be healed. We do not know how long he had been by the pool, but we do know he had been in his condition for...  Read More

John 4:43-54 When “a certain royal official” became desperate because of his sick son, he turned to Jesus. He traveled about 17 miles, leaving his son behind in order to find Jesus. Imagine how desperate you have to be to leave your dying son behind. This man must have believed that healing was possible, and that Jesus was the one who could bring it about. He came to Jesus and asked him to come ba...  Read More

John 4:4-42 In John 4 we encounter Jesus’ second dialogue and it is very different than the previous one. Jesus’ first lengthy conversation was with Nicodemus, a prestigious, religious Jewish male. In stark contrast this conversation is with an unnamed Samaritan female. It would be hard to find two people who were more different than these two people; yet Jesus engaged them both with the love and ...  Read More

John 3:22-4:3 Are you content with where God has you? Are you confident in his love and secure in his calling even when things do not go your way? It is fascinating to think about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He was unknown, while his relative John was the well-known, famous preacher. Yet as Jesus began teaching and performing miracles, he began to get more attention, while John the Baptist’s...  Read More

John 3:1-21 Nicodemus is one of the most interesting figures in the Gospel of John. He was a prominent individual and a member of the Jewish ruling council. He was intrigued by the person of Jesus and interested enough to set up a meeting with him, but he was conflicted to the point that he wanted to do it under the cover of darkness. He knew Jesus was a teacher from God who performed miracles but...  Read More

John 2:1-25 John points out that Jesus is not only great because of who he is (the “Word” and the Messiah), but also because of what he does. In John 2 we are directed to witness Jesus’ first miracle. This act of Jesus becomes a reminder of his power over everything in this world. We are told that Jesus performed the transformation of water into wine "on the third day." It is interesting that John...  Read More

John 1:29-51 John continues to help us think through the identity of Jesus. He wants us to be able to answer correctly who Jesus is and the difference he should make in our lives. John the Baptist first proclaimed the greatness of Jesus. He immediately declared that Jesus is greater than him. John’s message was worth following, but Jesus is worth following even more. John then proclaims that he is...  Read More

John 1:1-28 Who is Jesus? This is the most important question everyone must answer. The way one answers this question determines their eternal destiny. John jumps right in helping people understand who Jesus is and thus, how to answer this question. John begins his gospel earlier than Matthew and Luke. He does not start with Jesus' birth, or even with Adam and Eve, he starts back before anything h...  Read More

Luke 24:13-53 The key central claim of Christianity is that Jesus rose from the dead. He did not just rise in people’s hearts or as some vague imagery of evil being defeated, he bodily arose. There was an empty tomb, empty in that no physical body was there. Jesus rose in space and time. Why would we believe this astounding claim? One of the key reasons we believe this to be true is because of the...  Read More

Luke 23:44-24:12 What did Jesus’ death accomplish? If you were trying to tell someone why Jesus had to die, what would you say? One of the things which Jesus’ death accomplished was that the curtain of the temple was torn in two, a fact mentioned by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. There is no material explanation for this, it did not suddenly happen to rip apart. This was supernatural. In the Old Testame...  Read More

Luke 23:13-43 What would living a perfect life look like? In Jesus, we see exactly what this means. He did not just teach us how to live; he exemplified it in all he did. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray by telling them to, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." This lesson was then perfectly embodied by Jesus while he was suffering on the cross. Mere hours from his de...  Read More