Some refer to the book of John as the gospel of love because he mentions the word love thirty-nine times, more than Matthew, Mark, and Luke combined and more than any other book in the New Testament. In all the Bible, only the lengthy 150-chapter book of Psalms uses love more often. In John’s much […]
The apostle John (not to be confused with John the Baptist) is one of Jesus’s twelve disciples and part of Jesus’s inner circle, along with his older brother James and his friend Peter. But there’s more. In his biography of Jesus, John refers to himself as the disciple Jesus loved. Imagine that. Consider that Jesus […]
Today’s passage: John 21:12–25 Focus verse: Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” (John 21:17) As Jesus wraps up his stint on earth, he spends time with the disciples he trained for three years. They must carry on without him, albeit under Holy Spirit direction. He wants to […]
Today’s passage: John 21:1–11 Focus verse: They were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. (John 21:6) The book of Luke has a story of Jesus. It’s early in his ministry. In this account, he tells a couple of fishermen to go out to deep water and cast their […]
Today’s passage: John 20:19–31 Focus verse: Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) The Bible writes that faith is having confidence in the things we hope for and assurance in what we don’t see (Hebrews 11:1). Today this definition of faith applies to us. We cannot see Jesus, so we must […]
Today’s passage: John 20:1–18 Focus verse: Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18) Although Mary Magdalene shows up in each of Jesus’s four biographies, we know little about her. What we learn from Scripture is that Jesus casts seven demons out of her. Though people debate […]
Today’s passage: John 19:28–42 Focus verse: Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. (John 19:38) In reading the biographies of Jesus, it’s easy to assume that all the religious leaders oppose him and reject his message. They do this even though Jesus is the fulfillment the Old Testament […]
Today’s passage: John 19:1–27 Focus verse: “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” (John 19:11) The Jewish religious leaders want to kill Jesus. They view him as a threat to the little authority their Roman occupiers have given them to rule their people. Retaining power matters […]
Today’s passage: John 18:28–40 Focus verse: “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36) Jesus talks often about his kingdom. John, along with Mark and Luke, uses the phrase kingdom of God, while Matthew prefers the kingdom of heaven. The two phrases mean the same thing. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll use kingdom […]
Today’s passage: John 18:1–27 Focus verse: Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. (John 18:27) Peter has pledged he would die to protect his teacher (John 13:37). I’m sure he meant what he said—at the time. When we’re at our best, I suspect we might say the same thing. […]