John 7:31-53 Have you ever wanted something to happen but it did not? Or maybe you tried to do something, but only much later did it actually occur? In John 7, we are reminded that God’s timing is often very different from ours. Jesus had made his way into Jerusalem during the Feast, despite it being the hub of hostility against him. He faithfully preached concerning his identity as the Messiah an...

John 7:1-30 When do you feel like you most clearly hear from God? What do you do to understand what is God’s will versus your own desires? Are you willing to surrender your wants in order to accomplish what God is asking of you? Jesus conducted ministry in northern Israel (Galilee) when his brothers told him to go to Judea to perform miracles for the people to see. Rather than simply listening to ...

John 6:43-71 “Many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” This is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. Jesus proclaimed himself to be the bread of life, and, in doing so, he needed to be consumed. This “hard teaching” caused many to walk away. Jesus continued in John 6 with his lengthy dialogue regarding himself as the bread of life. He proclaimed himself as the only one who ...

John 6:22-42 What does it take for you to feel satisfied? How much money do you have to have in your bank account, how much sleep do you need, and how much quality time do you need with friends and family to feel content? As Jesus talks with the crowds, he wants them to understand the only source of satisfaction─—it is nothing this world can offer, it is only him. After having been fed by Jesus, t...

John 6:1-21 Jesus is greater than we can comprehend. He is savior, king, creator, sustainer, miracle worker, and so much more. The crowds followed Jesus because "they saw the signs he had performed." They thought of him as a miracle worker who could solve their problems. Then when they were fed by him, they saw him as someone like Moses, who could feed the nation. This added revelation made them w...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Luke 22:54-23:12 Jesus continually called his disciples to the difficult life of following him. Jesus called them to take up their cross, lose their life, be a servant, and live surrendered. How committed are you to obedience and devotion, even if it leads to suffering and difficulty? Luke 22-23 gives us both a negative and positive example of what this looks like. In Peter, we see what it looks l...

Luke 22:35-53 Where do you draw encouragement and perseverance from? When life gets hard, where do you turn for comfort and wisdom? For Jesus it was to turn to the Father, which instructs us where we should turn as well. Jesus is a day from the cross and hours away from his betrayal and arrest, and we find him praying. The only portion of his prayer which is recorded ends with, “Yet not my will, b...

Luke 22:14-34 What are some of your most powerful memories? What are the things you remember from your childhood, from your first job, and from last year? Remembering is a powerful tool to remind us of truth and of things that are important. Jesus tells the disciples, "Do this in remembrance of me." as a way to remember his sacrifice and body. Jesus' call to partake of communion is to involve our ...