The Book of John (Page 4)
As we read through John, look for evidence that Jesus is the Divine Savior. John’s Gospel is very helpful for strengthening your faith against religions and cults who deny the Trinity or the deity of Christ. In evangelism, tell others to read the Gospel of John first. The Gospel of John was written to foster saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Christ-like Love (John 13:31-35)
Jesus’ death is going to bring glory to God Jesus is now going to be betrayed, arrested, and crucified. He is very clear that this will bring glory to God. God’s love, justice, righteousness, mercy, and grace will be on full display as Jesus dies on the cross. Jesus’ death is the highest expression of God’s love for His people. Indeed, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13.)…
Foreknowledge: Proof of Divinity (John 13: 18-30)
Jesus did not choose all the disciples Jesus is clear that not all of the disciples are clean and not all of them have been chosen. The Scriptures taught that one of them would betray Jesus. Jesus knows that it is Judas who will betray Him. He clearly indicates this later in the passage. The disciples did not know Judas would betray Jesus There was absolutely no indication that Judas would betray Jesus. The disciples were so perplexed that they…
How to be Happy (John 13:1-17)
Judas has already made arrangements to betray Jesus. Jesus knows that tonight He will be betrayed by Judas, abandoned by the rest of the disciples, and denied by Peter. He knows that He will be illegally tried, brutally beaten, and tortured to death on the cross while bearing our sins. This would make most of us depressed, cynical, bitter, angry, and detached. However, this is not how Jesus responds. Jesus loves the disciples John reminds us that Jesus is doing…
Faith in the Divine Savior (John 12:44-50)
In this passage, Jesus gives us a summary of His teachings. Jesus is God Many people believe that they are right with God because they believe in God. However, Jesus is very clear that it is only through Him that people can come to God. He is God. To reject Jesus is to reject God. To receive Jesus is to receive God. Jesus saves from sin Jesus did not come to save people from hell and take them to heaven…
The Truth Behind Our Excuses (John 12:42-43)
There were many Jewish leaders who believed on Jesus, but they did not say this openly because they would lose their positions, be kicked out of the Synagogue, and ostracized by the Jewish community. They had “good” reasons Spurgeon once listed the “good” reasons Moses should have stayed an Egyptian as opposed to identifying himself with the people of God. The same thing applies here. There are many “good” reasons these people had to stay secret Christians. Think of all…
Are You Blind? (John 12:37-41)
Any honest reader of John’s Gospel would be asking the question, “Why don’t these people believe in Jesus after seeing all these miracles?” John answers this question. Their unbelief is a fulfillment of prophecy The people did not understand that the Messiah would die to deliver His people. In Isaiah 53, Isaiah prophesied that that is exactly what the Messiah would do; however, he begins that prophecy by stating that no one would believe his report. Through the inspiration of…
Walk in the Light (John 12:32-36)
Jesus proclaims that as the Son of Man, He is going to be crucified. The people are confused and ask Him two questions. One, doesn’t the Bible say that the Messiah will reign forever? Two, what do you mean by Son of Man? Jesus does not answer their questions As a student of the Bible, I personally find these questions to be very compelling. I personally would like to hear Jesus go through the Old Testament and give a detailed…
Only the Gospel (John 12:28-33)
After Jesus has asked God to glorify His name, God speaks audibly from heaven. What follows this miraculous incident is very instructive for us today. They are still blind Even though God spoke audibly from heaven, they still did not see the truth. Some even decided that God’s voice must have been thunder. Others decided that an angel was speaking to Jesus even though Jesus is clear that God was speaking to them. We so often place our hopes in…
Dying to Self (John 12:20-29)
While He is in Jerusalem some Greeks come to see Jesus. Jesus teaches them and His disciples the true meaning of His life and how to find meaning in our own lives. Seeds as an illustration Jesus speaks of planting a seed in the ground. In doing so, the seed will cease to exist or die. However, this seed will produce a plant that will grow to produce fruit. If the seed refuses to die it will always be fruitless;…
The Wrong Type of King (John 12:12-19)
Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey; the crowds recognize this as a fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy. This man who had the power to raise the dead was their King! They joyfully bring Him into Jerusalem with shouts of praise. However, these same people five days later would demand the crucifixion of their King and declare that they had no king but Caesar. How could so many people change their minds so quickly? The King the Jews wanted The Jews…
Worshiping Jesus (John 12:1-11)
As Jesus is eating dinner with Lazarus and His disciples, Mary anoints His feet with very expensive perfume and wipes His feet with her hair. From this discourse we find out a lot about the people present. Martha was serving Just like the story in Luke 10:38-42 Martha was very busy taking care of everyone. She was selflessly making sure that everyone was fed and taken care. However, she once again neglected the most important thing, Jesus Christ. We can…
Spiritual Blindness (John 11:49-57)
As the Jewish leaders are fretting over what to do about Jesus Caiaphas stands and tells them that Jesus must die. He tells them that Jesus must die for the nation and that His death will unite the people of God who are scattered all over the earth. Beware of the man who knows everything Caiaphas begins his speech by deriding the other Jews as knowing nothing; he is now going to enlighten them with his wisdom. We must beware…