(REFLECTIONS ON John 11:45-57) The chief priests and the Pharisees were waiting for the Messiah, the one that would restore Israel. However, the chief priests and the Pharisees had their own expectations for the Messiah, and wanted the Messiah to be someone that fit within their expectations and structures. They expected someone who would uphold the […]
(REFLECTIONS ON John 11:1-44) Up to this point, in the Gospel of John, we have seen Jesus talk about being born again, not by the flesh, but of water and the Spirit, which shows that in Jesus there is no boundary between the physical world and the spiritual world. We have seen Jesus crossing cultural boundaries, […]
(REFLECTIONS ON John 10:22-42) 24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” The Jews, likely referring to the Jewish leaders that are questioning Jesus about His works, want to know from Jesus Himself, if He is […]
(REFLECTIONS ON John 10:1-21) In today’s Scripture we read that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. In fact, it is Jesus Himself that twice says, “I am the good shepherd.” The first time Jesus said this is in reference to Himself laying down His life for His sheep. The second time, is in reference to the relationship […]
(REFLECTIONS ON John 9:24-41) In the Gospel of John, Jesus challenges our understanding of life and death, this world and that world, blindness and sight, physical and spiritual, etc., all in order to help us to understand the kingdom of God and the will of God. As we continue in John 9, we see in the […]
(REFLECTIONS ON John 9:1-23) In today’s Scripture, we see Jesus and His disciples encounter a man blind from birth. The disciples asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Although we aren’t told how the disciples knew that this man was born blind, and even though the disciples were […]
(REFLECTIONS ON John 8:48-59) Previously, the Jewish leaders claimed that Abraham was their father, and that they only have one Father, God. However, in not believing Jesus’ words and accepting Jesus as coming from the Father, it showed that although they claimed God as their Father, that in fact they did not know God. If they […]
(REFLECTIONS ON John 8:31-47) In today’s Scripture, Jesus talks about being free, but His definition of freedom is different than the Jews definition of freedom. This is a pattern that exists throughout the Gospel of John, that Jesus is often defining things differently than those that hear Him speak. Even as today’s Scripture begins stating that […]
(REFLECTIONS ON John 8:12-30) 12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” The light of the world? Doesn’t the world already have light? There is light from the sun. There is light […]
(REFLECTIONS ON John 8:1-11) Jesus came to the temple, where all the people were coming to Him, and He sat down and began to teach them. Although what followed were the scribes and the Pharisees trying to teach Jesus a lesson by testing Him so that they might have grounds for accusing Him, however as Jesus […]