We make two mistakes when we read the Bible. The first is to make into a mystical, magical book that floated down from heaven. The Bible doesn’t claim to be that and when we try are make it as such we force it into a box it doesn’t fit in. The second is to think … [Read more…]
John is intentional about each story he tells. Consider the size of John’s gospel and then think about all the things Jesus did in three years. John had plenty of stories to pull from. So when we read his gospel we need to realize that John carefully chose each one of these stories to make … [Read more…]
Not only was John Jesus’ best friend he was also an eyewitness to his three years of earthly ministry. Think about that. John is writing the story of what he saw, what he learned, and the impact Jesus had on him. This is a personal story for him. It’s also a story about what Jesus … [Read more…]
John writes his gospel because he believes Jesus is the only way to the Father. He writes it because he wants people to know who Jesus is. That’s John’s desire. So as we study these signs it’s important that we remember John wants to show us Jesus. Each sign brings with it a truth about … [Read more…]
John was one of Jesus’ best friends. And it’s interesting to note that his gospel is unique among the four gospels. Mathew, Mark, and Luke are known as the synoptic gospels because they are closely related. With subtle differences between them to bring out different aspects of who Jesus is. But John’s gospel is a … [Read more…]
John refers to himself as the beloved disciple six times in his gospel. It was his way of saying that he was close with Jesus. Jesus had many followers and you could think of them as Facebook friends. They liked to like his status updates but also felt no sense of loyalty when things got … [Read more…]
John writes his gospel with one goal in mind: reveal who Jesus is. Likewise we should study John’s gospel to see who Jesus is. One of the ways that John reveals Jesus to us is by structuring his gospel around seven miracles or signs. Each one of these signs reveals truth about who Jesus is. … [Read more…]