Today’s passage: John 14:1–14 Focus verse: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) Jesus has but a few hours left on earth. He wants to make the most of every moment. The teacher gives last-minute instructions to his disciples, trying to encourage them, which they’ll need in the […]
Today’s passage: John 13:18–38 Focus verse: “A new command I give you: Love one another.” (John 13:34) Though love is a common theme throughout Scripture, Jesus places an even greater emphasis on it. So does John. John often writes about love. Except for Psalms, John’s biography of Jesus mentions love more than any other book […]
Today’s passage: John 13:1–17 Focus verse: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:15) John shares the story of when Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. This perplexing account confuses many people and often leaves us wondering how to react. Before we explore this, let’s pull […]
Today’s passage: John 12:37–50 Focus verse: Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue. (John 12:42) After John writes that many people believe in Jesus because he raised […]
Today’s passage: John 12:1–36 Focus verse: So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. (John 12:10–11) Let’s recap. Lazarus gets sick. Lazarus dies. Jesus raises him from the dead in front of a host […]
Today’s passage: John 11:45–57 Focus verse: “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (John 11:50) When Jesus’s friend Lazarus dies, Jesus goes to his grave and, with a dramatic flair, raises him from the dead. When the people witness […]
Today’s passage: John 11:1–44 Focus verse: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” (John 11:25) Here we have a story of Jesus and three siblings. They are Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Jesus has great affection for them and sometimes hangs out at their […]
Today’s passage: John 10:22–42 Focus verse: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28) Jews, whom I suspect are Pharisees, ask Jesus if he is the expected Messiah, the Christ they’ve been awaiting. They want a direct yes or no answer. “I […]
Today’s passage: John 9:35–10:21 Focus verse: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) I suspect you’re familiar with the phrase the Good Shepherd. Yet the term only occurs three times in the Bible, all in today’s passage in the book of John. Jesus, as the […]
Today’s passage: John 9:13–34 Focus verse: “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” (John 9:16) The Pharisees come up often in the four biographies of Jesus, over eighty times altogether. From our present day, we look back two millennia, dismayed at the hypocrisy and closed-mindedness of the Pharisees. While […]