Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/15) John 9:1-12

Jul15

Read and believe in Jesus

“Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?” John 9:8

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – The religious leaders accused Jesus of “having a demon,” or worse (to them) of being “a Samaritan” after Jesus revealed His view of them – their father was the devil, a murderer and a liar. This was not a name-calling contest; Jesus was explaining why they would not (could not) see Him for who He was, sent from God, their Messiah, and that He was bringing truth to them. After their bragging that they had the great patriarch, Abraham, as their “father,” Jesus shocked and horrified them by saying that “Before Abraham WAS … I AM.” Not only was He claiming His eternality, but also stating that He was God. They tried to kill Jesus then and there, but because “His hour had not come,” and His death was NOT to come by stoning, He slipped right out of their presence, unseen.

(NOTE: I’m trying a larger font. My glaucoma eyes struggle to see the small fonts. Comment if you don’t (or do) like it.)

.

Part One (of three): Jesus heals the Man Born Blind

John 9:1-5

Not long after the events in chapter 8, we find Jesus and the disciples returning to the Temple area, where, on most days, the poor, crippled, and congenitally sick lay, hoping for alms from the people who entered to worship God.

Jesus “saw” a blind man there, “who had been blind from birth.” How was it possible to know that just by looking at a person? Were the eye sockets “empty?” Were the lids so shriveled as to show there had been no use for a long, long time? Jesus would know everything, of course, but it seemed the disciples saw it too.

“Rabbi,’ they asked Jesus, “who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Now I’ve always wondered how a baby in the womb could sin to a degree that he would be born blind. Yes, there is the truth that from conception we ALL have the sin-nature passed down to us from Adam. But then, why are we not ALL born blind? The parents are a different thing. There are some diseases brought on by sin (such as syphilis) that can affect an unborn infant’s eyes. Also, the Jews had in their tradition other sins of parents that could bring injury to their unborn children.

But Jesus said neither was the case with this man sitting at the gate of the temple, begging for alms. It was “that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Does that mean we sometimes suffer so that God will be glorified? Yes. Think of the book and story of Job. Think of the life of Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son. Think of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

Jesus told His disciples that the time was short. (He would be crucified in less than 6 months.) He had to work “the works of His Father” while it was still day. “As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” And then Jesus proceeded to bring light and vision to the never-seeing blind man.

.

John 9:6-7

Jesus used some of His own saliva mixed with the clay on the ground to make a bit of damp mud. Then, having alerted him (we assume), He pressed this mud on the eyelids of the man “born blind.” “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam,” Jesus instructed.

(This pool was where just days before a ceremonial jug of water had been drawn and carried up to the Temple, with the people remembering and praising God for supplying water for them in the wilderness. That same time when Jesus had cried out, “If any man thirst, let him come to ME.”)

The pool is about 1/3-1/2 miles down the “Pilgrim’s Way” and would have taken him (with help) about 20 minutes to reach.

Whether the man had help finding the pool or not, he obeyed Jesus’ command. And when he’d finished washing the mud from his eyelids, he could see (for the first time ever). What must that have been like? Beautiful? Scary? Amazing? Did he praise God?

.

John 9:8-12

It seems he might have wanted to thank Jesus, for he made his way back up to the temple mount. Many people saw and heard him on the way.

“Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” they wondered.

“It IS he!” said some.

Others said, “No, but it is LIKE him.”

“I AM the man!” the ex-blind man said.

“Then how were your eyes opened?” they asked.

He explained, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. So I did, and I received my sight.”

“Where is He (Jesus)?” they demanded.

“I don’t know,” he said.

.

Part Two, next time.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/14) John 8:48-59

Jul14

Read and believe in Jesus

“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8:58

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus told those who “believed in Him” to abide (stay in, seek always) His word, which was the absolute TRUTH. And if they did, they would be set free from bondage/slavery to sin. When the authorities refused to believe they had sin, Jesus told them they were believing the lie of their “father,” the devil, who is the originator of lies and a murderer as well. As today, those who refuse to believe they are sinners and in need of a Savior are believing Satan’s oldest lie and will die in their sin..

.

John 8:48-50.

The religious leaders (chief priests and teachers of the Law) did not like Jesus saying that they were “not of God.” Weren’t they chosen for that role? Hadn’t they studied the Words of God (the Law) in minute detail?

“You are a Samaritan” (the worst people they could think of) “and have a demon!” They told Jesus with disdain.

Jesus counteracted, “I don’t have a demon, but I honor my Father. YOU dishonor me.” Jesus is not seeking His own glory, but someone is. He tells them that His Father in heaven DOES seek to glorify the Son. And HE is the true judge. (A warning for sure, but they do not heed it.)

.

John 8:51-56.

Then Jesus returns to what He was saying earlier about those true believers who “abide in” His Word. “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps (loves, honors, obeys) my Word, he will never see death.”

But the authorities only guffaw. “NOW we KNOW that You have a demon! Abraham died as did the prophets, yet You say, ‘If anyone keeps my Word, he will never taste death?'” (more laughter) “Are YOU greater than our father Abraham, WHO DIED? And the prophets, who DIED. Who do YOU make yourself out to be?“

(What a loaded question. And they were about to get a loaded answer. They would totally NOT understand.)

Jesus first repeats the truth that God is His Father. He KNOWS God (and they do not). And He KEEPS His Father’s word. (There is not one tiny incident, action, purpose, or word of His Father’s will that Jesus does not fulfill.)

And then the lead-up to “the kicker.” “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”

.

John 8:57-59


(Astonishment and disbelieving laughter) “You are not yet fifty years old, and have YOU SEEN ABRAHAM?”

In a calm voice that they could not turn away from, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, BEFORE Abraham WAS, I AM.”

Not only was Jesus saying that He existed before Abraham lived, which was true. He was also claiming to BE God. “I AM” in Hebrew (Jehovah or Yahweh) is God’s covenant name to Israel. It means that God (and Jesus) have always existed.

Can you believe the bombshell this was for those uber-pious Jews? This nondescript man from Galilee, standing before them, was claiming to BE God Almighty; He had even dared to speak that name (which orthodox Jews changed in their writings to LORD).

They had questioned Jesus about stoning the woman caught in adultery, but NOW there was no question. As one, the men picked up stones to throw at Jesus, to kill Him, believing Him to be the worst of the worst blasphemer.

But Jesus (who was indeed God) cloaked Himself and left the temple unseen.

Yep, you read that right.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/13) John 8:31-47

Jul13

Read and believe in Jesus

“If you abide in My WORD, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the TRUTH, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – At the end of the Festival of Tabernacles, at the lighting of the lamps, Jesus cried out, “I AM the light of the world. Whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the Light of Life.” Since this Festival “remembered” the time God led and cared for Israel in the wilderness, this statement of Jesus would instantly remind the celebrants in Jerusalem of God (represented by the pillar of fire at night and the cloud by day), leading them so they did NOT walk in darkness. Of course, the Jewish authorities complained that it was a lie, for Jesus was testifying about Himself. Jesus told them TWO testified to this fact, Himself and His Father in heaven. The closing verse of this section stated that MANY believed in Him.

.

John 8:31-33.

Now Jesus addresses the ones who had believed in Him. What was next, after belief? It’s the same today.

“…Abide in My word…” Stay (continually live) in God’s Word, the Bible – read, study, meditate on, memorize, preach it to yourself, and trust in it.

“…and you will KNOW the truth.” If you do the above, Jesus promises you will know the truth. You will not be tempted to believe the lie of the devil.

You will KNOW you are a sinner and cannot save yourself. You will KNOW that God is holy, holy, holy, and can not allow sin in His presence. But you will also KNOW that God loved you so much that He provided a way for you to be saved from your sin, a way for you to live forever in His presence. He sent His own priceless, sinless Son (in the flesh) to die in your place (to take the punishment for your sin on Himself, and DIE for it.) You will also KNOW that if you trust in what God did for you, He will now see you as righteous (clothed in the righteousness of Christ) and acceptable in “the Beloved (Son).”

…And the truth will set you FREE.   Free from what?  Free from the POWER OF SIN.  Before Christ, we were “dead” in our trespasses and SIN, unable to save ourselves in any way. We all followed the prince of the power of the air,  carrying out the evil deeds of our flesh, by nature children of wrath! We were SLAVES to this, powerless to escape!

But the TRUTH of the Gospel is that “God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, EVEN when we were dead in our trespasses …. made us alive together with Christ! (By grace you have been saved, and THAT not of yourself, it is the GIFT of God [that He gave, that by believing we might have eternal life.[ ) – This truth, when we combine it with God-given faith, sets us free from enclavement to Satan and our own sinful flesh. (Ephesians 2)

(WHAT GLORIOUS GOOD NEWS!)

.

John 8:34-35

And the Jews all rejoiced in it. NOT!!

“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it,” they asked Jesus, “that You say, ‘You will become free?'”

“Everyone who commits sin is a SLAVE to sin. If the Son (Me) sets you free (from sin), you will be FREE INDEED.” “And yes, I know you are offspring of Abraham, yet…. you seek to kill me because My WORD finds no place in you.”

Because they have so hardened their hearts, the truth of Jesus’ words of grace and salvation and freedom from sin … find no sticking place in them. They are cold and hardened, and His love and offer of freedom bounce right off their hearts.

.

John 8:38-47.

Jesus boldly tells them that THEY have and obey a different “father” than He does.

“Abraham is our father,” they claim.

“If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works that Abraham did.” (which was believing God, having faith in God’s words.) “No, you are doing the works your father did (the devil).”

Incensed, they answered back, “WE were not born of sexual immorality. (Speaking of Jesus’ mother, Mary, being pregnant with Him before she was married.)

‘WE have ONE Father – even God,” they boastfully shout.

Um, no. (And Jesus gives a clear description of our arch-enemy, and these opposing leaders’ father.)

“If God were your father, you would love Me, for I came from God. I came of my own accord, but He sent me.

“YOU are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a MURDERER from the beginning and has nothing to do with the TRUTH, because there is NO TRUTH in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a LIAR, and the Father of LIES.

“Whoever is of GOD hears the WORDS of God. The reason why you do NOT hear them is that you are NOT OF GOD.” (Plain and simple.)

.

The Jews will do some blaspheming in the next reading, and then Jesus will speak a powerful “I AM” revelation of truth. We already know they will be incensed and moved to murder by “their father,” a murderer from the beginning.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/10) John 8:21-30

Jul10

Read and believe in Jesus

“I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as My Father taught Me.” John 8:28

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus continued teaching in the temple area as the week-long Festival of Tabernacles went on. But He was interrupted when some religious leaders brought a woman caught in adultery (as a test) and pushed her in front of Jesus. They asked if He thought they should do what the Law said and stone her. Jesus did not answer their multiple-choice test, but instead put it back on THEM. The one without sin should begin the stoning. None of them were sinless, so they snuck away without a comment. Jesus then judged the woman and found her a sinner. But He had come to SAVE sinners. He set her free with the admonishment to “sin no more.” —- Then at the evening lamp-lighting ceremony, Jesus declared loudly that HE was the light of the world and whoever would follow after Him would not walk in darkness but have life.”

.

John 8:20.

The “hour” or “time” that Jesus often spoke about is the reason He came down from Heaven as a perfect Man. His death and resurrection are the means of salvation for sinful mankind that He and the Father planned before the beginning of time. A sinless man standing in the place of sinful humanity, then being sacrificed in their stead – well, it was the ONLY way to redeem sinful man and make them fit to live for eternity with the absolutely holy God. Jesus knew the plan, and ever since His ministry began when he was baptized by John, His mind was fixed on that “hour” of extreme suffering and forsakenness on behalf of those in His creation who believed.

All Jesus did was with that “Hour” in mind – that it was coming at an exact point in time that the prophet Daniel had foretold. He did nothing to delay its arrival, and He also did nothing to cause his death to come too soon. There was an appointed time, and Jesus would be there.

.

John 8:21-25

Jesus now speaks about that hour of His death, resurrection, and ascension (all as one event), but in veiled terms. Those whose hearts were opened would receive it. But everyone else would be confused, disbelieving, and hostile.

So, Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. WHERE I am going, you cannot come.”

The hostile Jews were affronted by Jesus’ vagueness. “Will He kill Himself, since He says, ‘Where I am going you cannot come?'” They probably looked at one another as if this was a big joke, perhaps even elbowed their fellows. “HEY, if He kills Himself, we won’t have to! Haha.”

Jesus brought them back to seriousness. “YOU are from below; I am from above. YOU are of this world; I am not of this world.”

Yes, they knew exactly what Jesus was talking about, but they WOULD NOT believe Him.

“And you WILL die in your sins unless you believe that I AM.” Unless they believed He was one with the God of the Old Testament, there was no hope for them.

“WHO ARE YOU?” they asked.

“Just what I’ve been telling you from the beginning.” (In other words, haven’t you been listening?)

These religious leaders, priests, and teachers of the Law were completely missing the “One” about whom the Scriptures had pointed for thousands of years. And they didn’t understand He was talking about the LORD God, His Father, the Creator of Heaven and Earth who had sent Him here with a work of salvation/redemption to finish.

“I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught Me. He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

“WHEN you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He.”

As Jesus was saying these things, MANY BELIEVED IN HIM.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/9) John 8:1-20

Jul9

Read and believe in Jesus

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of Life.” John 8:12

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – The religious leaders in Jerusalem are “foiled again” when the officers they sent to arrest Jesus came back empty-handed. They had been “wowed” by the words that Jesus spoke and couldn’t bring themselves to manhandle Him. The authorities were furious, especially when Nicodemus, one of them, seemed to support Jesus. I can imagine them pulling out their hair in frustration. But … today, they present another scheme to trap Jesus between His teaching/actions and the Law of Moses. Okay, their Sabbath rules ma-a-ay be in the gray zone, but who could question ADULTERY?

.

John 7:53-8:2

Some people went home after the water-drawing festivities. Jesus went simply to the Mount of Olives. He could have spent the night with (or without) n the other side of the Mount. Regardless, in the morning He returned to the temple early, sat down, and began teaching the crowds again.

Then an astonishing incident occurred. I always pictured this in a solitary place with only Jesus, the woman, and the group of self-assured scribes and Pharisees. However, it could have happened right in the middle of that crowd that Jesus was teaching. When the Jews pushed the woman forward and announced her sin, the crowd probably pulled back, allowing a clear space around the scene, and quieting down to see what might happen in this drama.

(NOTE: This story is in a sort of parentheses in the middle of the Festival of Tabernacles. Some manuscripts do not include it. Others put it in a different place. However, it’s good to consider the text’s meaning and leave it there. It also shows the frustration of the Jewish leaders at their inability to arrest Jesus.)

.

John 8:3-11

A group of fancy-dressed religious leaders brought a struggling woman (possibly not fully clothed) into the courtyard and shoved her toward Jesus..

“Teacher! This woman has been caught IN THE ACT of adultery. Now … in the LAW, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. (Smirk, smirk.) So, what do YOU say?

They thought they’d trapped Jesus. If He said, “Stone her,” the crowd would have gone into a frenzy. If He gave her leniency, these pompous men would accuse Him of being a law-breaker.

(What “I” want to know is where was THE MAN. If she had been “caught in the act,” it would mean another person was involved. Did the authorities “set it up?” Did they let the man (possibly one of their own) escape? It’s all “fishy” to me. Deuteronomy 22:24 says to bring them BOTH outside the city for stoning. Leviticus 20:10 says, “both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.” So……)

Jesus said nothing.

He stooped and “wrote” something with His finger on the ground. What, I wonder? A word? A name? A Scripture passage? A squiggle?

“What do you say?” Her accusers asked again. And again.

Then Jesus stood and looked them full in the face (but saw their hearts). “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Then He stooped again, and wrote on the ground. What DID He write? Their names? Their sins? Words of compassion that only the woman could see?

When Jesus rose back up, all the accusing men were gone. They had slipped away (ashamed? fearful?) the oldest among them first.

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?

“No one, Lord.”

“Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on sin no more.”

Jesus knew the Samaritan woman had been married five times and was now living in adultery, and yet He revealed to her that He was the Christ. Jesus healed the cripple at the pool of Bethesda, and told him also to “sin no more.” What mercy and grace. At this point, Jesus had not come into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to give His life to save those who would turn to Him in faith. Surely the Samaritan woman ‘cleaned up her act.’ Did the ex-cripple and this woman turn from their sin for good?

Jesus offers US the same grace and forgiveness, based on His accomplished death and resurrection. Come to Him. Cling to Him. Love Him and serve Him.

.

John 8:12

At the end of the Festival of Tabernacles, another “tradition” took place: the lighting ceremony. As with the water drawing tradition, Jesus used this as another metaphor to reveal a truth about Himself. Four large lamps were lit in the court of the women. While the Levitical orchestra played, and smaller torches were lit and held aloft, there was dancing and the singing of praises.

And Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” This saying – used often in the Old Testament- highlights Jesus’s role as the Messiah and Son of God. The coming Lord would be a “light for His people and for the whole world.” (Isaiah 50:19-22, Psalm 21:1, Psalm 119:105)

His reference to “following Him” (fully and completely) and not “walking in darkness” alludes to the pillar of fire in the wilderness that led the Israelites at night and protected them. (Exodus 13:21)

What a startling announcement!

.

John 8:13-20.

Again the Jews argued with Jesus concerning testifying about Himself, which does NOT verify truth. But Jesus says, “In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”

“Where IS your Father?” they asked in scorn.

“You know neither my Father nor me. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” Jesus was saying that even though they were priests and teachers of the Law, they did not KNOW God. If they did, they would welcome Him as God’s Messiah.

John comments that, even though Jesus was teaching openly, NO ONE ARRESTED HIM. Why? Because “His hour” had not yet come.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/8) John 7:45-52

Jul8

Read and believe in Jesus

“No one ever spoke like this Man.” John 7:46.

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus uses the tradition of drawing and blessing the water as an opportunity to draw the people towards Him and eternal life. Jesus calls out for the spiritually “thirsty” to come to Him (much like He said to the Samaritan woman in chapter 4) and to spiritually “drink” rivers of “living water” in their souls, quenching their spiritual longings. Many called Him the Prophet or the Christ after this. Others reminded them that the Messiah came from Bethlehem, not Galilee. As with today, there are mixed understandings about Jesus.

.

John 7:32 with 45-52.

Before Jesus’s invitation to come to Him at the water ceremony, while Jesus was still teaching in the temple courtyard, the Sadducees and Pharisees had sent officers (the temple guards) to arrest Him. (vs 32). However, after the appeal to thirsty people to come to Him for refreshment, the guards couldn’t act. Some obviously were moved by Jesus’ words. Perhaps a few even felt drawn to his simple, sincere appeal.

Back at temple headquarters, they reported, “No one ever spoke like this man.”

The religious leaders were furious. “Have any of (us) the authorities or Pharisees believed in Him!!?? This crowd – that does not know the law (like we do) – is accursed!”

That’s when Nicodemus (a Pharisee himself), who had gone to Jesus at night, way back at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry (John 3), said, “Does our law judge a man without first giving Him a hearing and learning what He does?”

This was perhaps the beginning of Nicodemus’s turning to Jesus. HE had given Jesus “a hearing” and “had learned” a bit about what He did. He didn’t fully understand the “new birth” by the Spirit that Jesus spoke of, but it had struck a chord in his soul. Later this man would turn completely – if silently – to the Lord, and help Joseph bury Jesus’ body after the crucifixion.

But now, his fellows in the Sanhedrin riled on him, insinuating that he was unlearned, even stupid, like the Galileans. “Are YOU from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

Ah, the ignorance of the ultra-learned.

.

(LORD, keep me from pride and pre-judgment.)

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/7) John 7:25-44

Jul7

Read and believe in Jesus

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” John

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus arrived secretly in Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles, but was soon openly teaching in the temple area. People were amazed by His teaching, wondering how He could know so much and be so wise without formal schooling. Jesus told them his authority came from above, from God who sent Him. And it was HIM whom He sought to glorify. Then Jesus told the people that the Jews were looking to kill Him because He broke the Sabbath Law. However, Jesus compared their “breaking the law” by circumcising a baby on the 8th day even if it fell on a Sabbath, to His healing the whole body of a man. It stumped the lot of them, that’s for sure.

.

John 7:25-31

The people of Jerusalem can’t make up their minds. Now they are agreeing that Jesus IS the man the Jewish leaders are seeking to kill. They ask each other, “Can it be that the authorities really KNOW that this is the Christ?”

Others dispute, “But we know where this man comes from (Galilee), and when the Christ appears, NO ONE will know where He comes from.” (Seems like they need to take some classes in Prophecy 101.)

Jesus knows what they are disputing about, and responds. “You know me, and you know where I come from?” (Not really!!) Then Jesus speaks about His Father, God, who is in heaven, from whom Jesus Himself came. “I have not come of my own accord. He who sent Me is true and Him you do NOT know. I know Him, for I come from Him, and He sent Me.”

WE understand what Jesus was talking about, but I’m sure the average person in Jerusalem at that time was scratching their head. They hoped their teachers would clarify it all, but those in authority were jealous of Jesus, and instead of pointing to Him as the Christ, they were seeking to get rid of Him.

And yet… many people believed in Jesus. Was it true faith? Jesus alone knew hearts, but He had promised that to any who came to Him in true faith, He would give eternal life, and “raise them up” (resurrect them) on the last day.

.

John 7:32-36,

Meanwhile, in their “ivory towers,” the chief priests (Sadducees) and the Pharisees heard what the crowd was “muttering” about Jesus, that He “could” be the Christ. They sent temple officers to arrest Jesus.

But Jesus continued to talk with the people. He even told them about His upcoming death and resurrection, although in a very “veiled” way.

“I will be with you a little longer, then I am going to Him who sent me. You will seek Me, and you will not find Me. Where I am, you cannot come.“

Of course they had no idea that Jesus was speaking of His death. They couldn’t fathom that He would be returning to Heaven to live in glory with His Father. Instead they threw out ridiculous possibilities.

“Where does this Man intend to go that we will not find Him?“

“Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?”

“What does He mean by saying, ‘You will seek me, and you will not find Me’ and ‘Where I am you cannot come ‘?”

(Jesus later tells his disciples the same thing, in the privacy of the Upper Room. (John 14:5) and they are almost just as confused. They WILL understand later, however.

.

John 7:37-44.

(NOTE: On the last day of the celebration, a priest traditionally carried a golden container filled with water from the Pool of Siloam in a procession back to the temple. As the procession reached the Water Gate on the south side of the inner temple court, three trumpet blasts marked the joy of the occasion, and the people recited Isaiah 12:3 – “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” At the temple, the priests would march around the altar while the choir sang Psalms 113-118, psalms of praise. The water was then offered as a sacrifice, in thanksgiving for the blessing of adequate rainfall for their crops. Jesus used this event as an OBJECT LESSON.)

At the temple, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” (This was a prophecy about the Holy Spirit, whom those who believed in Jesus were to receive.)

When the people heard these words, some said, “This REALLY is the Prophet. Others said, ‘This is the Christ!”

But others said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” (These people were a little more on track, but didn’t know Jesus’ early history.)

And so – like today – there was a division among the people about Jesus. SOME wanted to arrest Him! But NO ONE acted to lay hands on Him.

.

To be continued…..

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/6) John 7:14-24

Jul6

Read and believe in Jesus

“The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him is true, and in Him there is no falsehood.” John &:18

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus’ unbelieving brothers tried to convince Jesus to go to the big Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem and “show off” his miracles. “Show yourself to the world!” they urged Him. But Jesus, knowing that the perfect timing of God for when He should “show Himself” in Jerusalem had not yet come, declined His brothers’ suggestions. They went to the Festival, leaving Jesus in Galilee. Later, Jesus attended, but in private.

.

John 7:14-18.

About the middle of the 7-day Festival, Jesus went to Jerusalem and to the Temple (His Father’s house), and began teaching. He sat down on one of the “porches” in the court area, and taught the Scriptures to those who gathered around. “The Jews marveled, saying, ‘How is it that this man has learning, when He has never studied?'”

(This was not a new phenomenon for Jesus. Even as a boy of twelve, Jesus made an impression. “(His parents) found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.” See Luke 2:46-47.)

This time, Jesus answers them about where His “authority” comes from. “My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.”

Yes, Jesus again tells them He was sent by God and has God’s authority. He reminds them that His teaching always brings GLORY to God, and not Himself. If that is THEIR desire too, they will recognize truly who Jesus is.

(This is a good question for teachers today too. Whose glory are we seeking, our own, or God’s?)

.

John 7:19-24.

Jesus then asks the crowd (and specifically the Jewish leaders) a question. “Why do you seek to kill me?”

(Jesus is obviously referring to the miracle He did that first caused the authorities to persecute Him – the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda – because He did that on the Sabbath. See John 5:16-18)

“You have a demon!” answered the crowd. “Who is seeking to kill you?” (This is so hypocritical. The crowds knew very well that the Jews were seeking to kill Jesus. That’s why they were “hush-hush” about asking where He was earlier in the Festival (7:13).

Jesus then reminds them about the Law of Circumcision – where a baby boy must be circumcised on his eighth day of life – EVEN IF it falls on a Sabbath. “If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses*** may not be broken, are you angry with Me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well?“

Jesus, who knew – yes, INSPIRED the Law of Moses – told them, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

.

*** What is really interesting is that Circumcision originated with Abraham, way before God gave Moses the Law at Sinai. Circumcision even pre-dates the Sabbath law – and certainly came before all the little minor “explanations” of the Sabbath Law that the rabbis invented to “protect” it.

The overall picture here is that these people, even and especially the “Teachers of the Law” who should know better, didn’t REALLY know what they were talking about. (They were probably jealous that Jesus could do these miracles to cure people and garner their awe, and THEYcouldn’t.)

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/3) John 7:1-13

Jul3

Read and believe in Jesus

“While some said, ‘He is a good man,’ others said, ‘No, He is leading the people astray.'” John 7:12

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus taught a very unpopular message in the synagogue at Capernaum, affirming that He was the true “bread of life,” sent by the Father, and that He had the words of eternal life for any who would come and believe in Him. Then Jesus spoke spiritual words about giving his flesh and blood for the people, and them “eating Him.” Misunderstanding the glorious message of salvation, the people were horrified, and many stopped following Him. When Jesus turned to the Twelve, spokesman Peter responded, “Where would we go? You alone have the ‘words of Eternal Life’.

.

John 7:1-2

(NOTE: While the feeding of the 5,000 and the teaching that followed took place near Passover (Spring), chapters 7 and 8 take place during the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, which is in the Fall. The next Spring, at Passover, is when Jesus will be crucified. You really see the hatred of the Jewish leaders towards Jesus grow in these chapters.)

In the six months following the feeding of the 5,000, John tells us that Jesus “went about in Galilee.” As we’ve already learned in Mark and Luke, Jesus spent a lot of time around the Sea teaching, healing the sick, and casting out demons.

But John’s intention is to show Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, and how men reacted to Him (mostly rejection). He says here that it was “too hot” for Jesus to publicly go to Judea/Jerusalem for the Festival “because the Jews were seeking to KILL Him.”

.

John 7:3-10

Even Jesus’ half-brothers (sons of Mary and Joseph born after Jesus) ridiculed Him. They thought He had “visions of grandeur” about Himself and taunted Him to “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world!”

Jesus told His brothers that the time wasn’t right for Him. He meant that His time to die for the people was still 6 months off, and the furious Jews might preempt His death if He attended the Festival openly. Of course the five brothers did NOT understand at all.

(But they would eventually. While “not even his brothers believed in Him” then, at least two of them would later. Jacob (James) and Judah (Jude) would even write books in the New Testament.).

Jesus told the brothers that He was not going to Jerusalem as they wanted Him to (with pomp and flash). But He intended to go later “incognito.” (“not publicly, but in private.”)

.

The Festival of Booths was a joyous time at harvest. It was the time when the people remembered how God had taken care of them as they had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. The makeshift “booths” they built from branches and palm fronds, which they lived in for the week, were meant to remind them of the temporary dwellings in the desert.

The Festival was also known for water-drawing and lamp-lighting, which Jesus would use to point people to Himself as Messiah when He eventually attended.

.

John 7:11-13.

Meanwhile in Jerusalem, “The Jewish leaders were looking for Jesus at the feast, saying, ‘Where is He?'”

And there was much muttering about Him among the people. While some said, ‘He is a good man,’ others said, ‘No, He is leading the people astray.”

“Yet, for fear of the Jewish leaders, no one spoke openly of Him.“

.

(It’s not until the middle of the Festival that Jesus shows up.)

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/2) John 6:41-71

Jul2

Read and believe in Jesus

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…” John

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus tells the crowd seeking a miracle sign from Him before they “believe” in Him … that He is the true “bread from heaven,” who gives life to the world. “I AM the bread of life,” Jesus said. “Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst,” But it all seems to go over their heads (or rather their stomachs). (This was the first of seven “I AM” statements that John presents about Jesus in his gospel.)

John 6:41-51.

At some point, this conversation/teaching moved into the synagogue at Capernaum. Jesus continued as teacher, but these Jews, who moments before were wanting to make Jesus their king so He could give them free bread every day, now grumble about His claims to be “spiritual bread” sent down from heaven. “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He say now that He has come down from heaven?”

Jesus clarifies one thing. It’s not their wisdom and understanding that will draw them to faith in Him. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” Jesus then paraphrases Isaiah 54:13 and tells them that they must be “taught the truth by God” and, with that learning, they can be drawn by God. By themselves (and ourselves), they could never come to and believe in Jesus on their own. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever BELIEVES (the word that God has given about Jesus) has eternal life.

“I AM the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. THIS is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and NOT die. I am the LIVING bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of THIS bread, he will LIVE FOREVER.”

And then that statement that began their distancing from Him. “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is … my flesh.”

(Of course we know the rest of the story. Jesus DID give His life, His “flesh,” for the world, so that “whosoever believed in Him might not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) His life for theirs.

.

John 6:52-59.

But the selfish, glory-seeking Jews in the audience took the wrong meaning. “How can this man give us his FLESH to eat?” (Among other obvious reasons, this would have been super UN-kosher.)

Jesus doesn’t coddle them. He trusts His Father to give understanding and belief to those He wants to draw toward faith. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man … and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” (Imagine their faces, aghast and cringing, as He continues.) “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood HAS eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood ABIDES in me, and I in him.”

The crowd, as one, has leaned or retreated back from Jesus, imagining the gruesome “physical” picture He was painting. (Yes, there were a few who were getting the Spiritual” meaning, as we’ll see in a minute.)

Jesus concludes his Sabbath sermon with this summary. “THIS is the bread that came down from heaven, NOT like the ‘bread’ the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

To us, this is a message of hope, but to these Jews, understanding evaded them, and they did not receive His teaching.

.

John 6:60-65.

Many of the crowds of Jesus’ followers now had second thoughts. This was not the great and grand Messiah who would lead Israel to victory against the Romans. This man spoke almost like a crazy man. His teaching was “hard,” and they took offense. MANY turned back and no longer followed Him.

“Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?

And then this truth for all who are ever drawn to Jesus and saved: “It is the SPIRIT who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and LIFE.”

And again, “This is why I told you that NO ONE can come to Me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

John 6:66-71.

Jesus looked deeply at His twelve chosen disciples and said, “Do YOU want to go away as well?”

“LORD, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to KNOW that You are the Holy One of God,” said Simon Peter.

And yes, there was even one of the twelve who did not KNOW Jesus as the “Bread of LIFE.”