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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (9/4): John 21:15-23.

Sep4

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“What is that to you? YOU follow me.” John 21:23.

REVIEW – Back in Galilee, seven of the disciples decide to go fishing – their OLD occupation – while they wait for Jesus. This effort yields zero fish. Then Jesus appears and basically tells them how to do their job. They obey, and this time the reward is a humongous catch of fish. (Lesson one: without Jesus, we can do nothing. But submit to Him, and our efforts will be fruitful, 30x, 60x, or even 100x.)

Jesus had prepared some bread and grilled fish for breakfast. He could have multiplied His small amount to feed them all, but He asked the disciples to bring some of the fish THEY had caught to the meal. He finished cooking them, broke the bread, and passed around this “familiar” meal. (Lesson two: Jesus can use whatever we willingly give Him to further His Kingdom and bless others.)

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John 31:15-17.

After breakfast, no one left the circle; instead, they turned toward Jesus, perhaps expecting Him to give them more instruction. They all learned something that morning; it’s true, but it was to Peter that Jesus directed His words.

“Simon, son of John (bar Jonah), do you love me MORE THAN THESE?” (Notice that Jesus uses Peter’s “old” name, meaning he was “walking in the flesh, not the spirit.” Peter remembered how he had at one time boasted that, “Though THEY ALL fall away because of you, I WILL NEVER fall away!” Matt.26:33)

“Yes, Lord, You know that I love you.” Did he feel the hot stares of the other disciples on him? Did he glance around at the other disciples for confirmation? All were silent. But they HAD heard.

Jesus didn’t contradict Peter; He instructed him, “Feed My lambs.” Peter’s mission was to care more for OTHERS than for himself.

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Then Jesus continued. “Simon, bar Jonah, do you love ME?”

“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” Peter said, perhaps more quietly. Was he remembering how he’d once, twice… three times denied Jesus? Swearing that he did not even KNOW his Lord? I can imagine Peter squeezing his eyes closed as tears began.

“Tend My sheep,” Jesus instructed, challenging Peter to be a good shepherd over those he would lead, as his Master was.

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And then, for the third time, came that stinging, probing question, “Simon bar Jonah, do you love me?”

Peter, grieved perhaps as much as when he’d heard the rooster crow and remembered Jesus’ dark prediction, may have fallen to his knees at this point. “Lord … You know everything! You KNOW that I love You!”

Peter’s true humility and sorrow for his denials are revealed. Jesus knew it, but now the other disciples had witnessed it. He grew tall again in their estimation, although he was bowed low at Jesus’ feet. The others could now trust him to lead them again.

I imagine Jesus gently smiling as he reached out and pulled Peter to his feet. “Feed my sheep.” And I imagine Peter nodded.

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John had now shown the THIRD thing he wanted to make clear in this “epilogue chapter” – Peter’s reinstatement into leadership. That done, he was ready for that pesky rumor. The FOURTH thing he needed to do was reveal how the rumor started, then refute it.

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John 31:18-23.

After Jesus finished calling out the veracity of Peter’s love, and seeing Peter humble himself for ready service, He led him apart for a different revelation. Best friend John followed quietly along.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, Peter, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”

Jesus said this to show the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. (imprisonment and crucifixion – stretching out his hands)

Perhaps Peter was thinking about Jesus’ words to them in Matthew 16:24-28. Read them now as Peter might have been recalling them….

  • Matthew 16:24 – “Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me.
  • 16:25 – “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
  • 16:26 – “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
  • 16:27 – “For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay each person according to what he has done,
  • AND THEN…..
  • 16:28 – “Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Wait, what? What did Peter just remember???

Walking with Jesus on the beach of Galilee, after breakfast and a difficult but sweet time of restoration, Peter remembered THOSE WORDS?

He looks at John and says to Jesus, “Lord, what about THIS man?”

Oh, no, that not-so-friendly competition raises its head. If Peter is destined to die, crucified, what about John? Will he suffer that death too? Or will he be one of those who…?

Then Jesus speaks the words that someone heard and spread as a rumor. “If it is My will that he remain until I come…what is it to you? YOU follow me.”

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Of course, Jesus was not promising that His beloved disciple would live until He returned. Jesus’ point was for Peter to ‘mind his own business.’ Peter was to accomplish Jesus’ will for HIS life, and not look at others’. Keep your eyes on Jesus, Peter! Follow in His steps.

By telling how it started, John hoped to quell this rumor.

By the way, Peter lived 30 more years and was martyred in Rome by crucifixion, hanging upside down. John lived 60+ more years and suffered torture and exile. God preserved him to write the book of Revelation; then he died a natural death of old age.

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John 21:24-25.

John then attests to the fact that it is HE, JOHN, who has written this. He is a WITNESS of these things. That should settle it. And then, before he lays his quill down for the final time, John’s mind is filled with many, many other things he could write about Jesus. Then he “waxed poetic.”

“Were every one of the things that Jesus did to be written… I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

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“Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.“

The famous last stanza of the classic Christian hymn The Love of God, written by Frederick M. Lehman in 1917.

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Next up, The Gospel of Matthew.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (8/19): John 18:1-14

Aug19

Read and believe in Jesus

“I have told you that I am He, so if you seek Me, let these men go.” John 18:8

REVIEW – Jesus finished His “high-priestly” prayer for His disciples, including all of us who would also believe on His name through their testimony. Jesus’ earnest words for love and unity among them, as it was within the Trinity and including the disciples, were to prove to the world that God had indeed sent Him into the world to save all who would believe. Jesus WAS the promised Messiah, come out of immense love to save them.

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John 18:1-3.

It was then that Jesus led these men out of the upper room, through the darkened streets of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Brook, and up into a garden area where an “olive press” (Gethsemane) was located.

Jesus and the Twelve had probably met there often for private rest or teaching or maybe even overnight. It was here that Nicodemus came one night to talk with Jesus.

Perhaps it was a garden owned by a friend, such as Mark’s parents, who also had lent the upper room to Jesus for the Passover meal.

Regardless, all the disciples knew it.

Including Judas.

It was to this place that the betrayer led a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, carrying lanterns, torches … and weapons.

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John 18:4-9.

Jesus stepped in front of His disciples, who I’m sure stood, shocked, with mouths agape, especially when they saw Judas. What was happening? They wondered.

“Whom do you seek?” Jesus demanded.

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.

“I AM HE,” Jesus said, and at once the whole bunch stepped backward and fell to the ground, including Judas!

After getting up, brushing themselves off, and picking up their lanterns and weapons, Jesus asked them again, “Whom do you seek?”

Did it come hesitantly? “Er.. Jesus of Nazareth.”

“I told you that I am He, so… if you seek ME, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that He had spoken, “Of those whom you gave Me I have lost not one.”

(NOTE: If you like, you can review all the times where Jesus DID promise this. See John 6:39, 40, 44; 10:28; and 17:12)

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John 18:10-11.

Have you noticed that the disciples seem paralyzed and speechless through it all, in shock and fear? Even Peter says nothing.

But he does DO something.

Having a sword, Peter draws it, steps forward, and swings it at the High Priest’s neck.

Malchus, Caiaphas’s servant, steps in front and takes the blow, which severs his right ear. He grabs the side of his head and howls. Peter stands aghast, staring at the bleeding servant.

“Peter,” Jesus says softly. “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

(NOTE: Dr. Luke, in 22:51 of his Gospel, states that Jesus touched Malchus’s ear and healed him.)

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John 18:12-14.

And so, “the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and tied Him up.” They led Him first to the house of Annas, the former High Priest, and father-in-law to Caiaphas, the man currently in that office. (He was the one who said it would be expedient that One Man should die for the people.)

But what of the disciples? Matthew 26:56 and Mark 14:51 both record, “And all the disciples left Him and fled.”

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NOTE: In the next reading, we’ll see that Peter turned back and followed Jesus at a distance and so did John. John had a little leverage at the Court, and arranged for Peter to come into the courtyard to warm himself by the fire. John himself then went into the place where Jesus was being interrogated and recorded for us what happened.

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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (8/6) John 14:1-14

Aug6

Read and believe in Jesus

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.” John 14:1

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus and His disciples are closed off from the world in the upper room for the Passover meal. Judas is gone, and now Jesus turns to His “little children” to begin a very intimate time of personal teaching. He gives them a new, specific commandment for believers in Christ: ‘Love one another AS I have loved you.’ Jesus loved them to the end (death), and that’s what He is asking them to do for each other. This sacrificial love is what will “wow” the world and show them that Jesus IS real.

Peter is dismayed when Jesus tells them He’s going away and they can’t come with Him. Peter vows to die with Jesus, but Jesus is speaking not only of His physical death, but His death on the cross, as their substitute, the sinless “sinner,” lifted up on a cross, upon whom the wrath of God for sin will be poured out…once for all time. (Hebrews 9:26-29, 1 Peter 3:18 – yes, Peter finally gets it!)

And… Jesus gives Peter a “wake-up call” that keeps him silent for the rest of the evening – “YOU will deny me 3X tonight!!”

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John 14:1-7.

Jesus turns to the eleven and says gently,

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you? I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that … where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I’m going.”

Thomas, the loving but melancholy disciple (who had vowed to go into danger in Judea even if it meant he would die), says anxiously, “Lord! We do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? ”

Jesus reminded Thomas that it was not a “road” but a “person” that would lead them to that heavenly mansion and His Father. “I am the WAY, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Did Thomas nod thoughtfully at this?

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John 14:8-11.

Jesus continues, looking around at his men. “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you DO know Him and have SEEN Him.”

It’s Philip’s turn now, and he asks, perhaps scratching his head, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”


Did Jesus sigh and look toward the ceiling? “Have I been with you so long, and you STILL do not know me, Philip?” Jesus asks His confused disciple.

“Whoever has seen ME has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does His works.”

Then perhaps Jesus turns to the rest of the men and says, “Believe ME that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe on account of the works themselves.”

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John 14:12-14

Jesus now challenges them. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works (miracles) that I do, and greater works than these will he do.” (How?) “Because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

“If you ask anything in My Name, I will do it.”

Wow!!

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(Were the disciples as glassy-eyed as I am now, with more to come? This was a lot to take in for the Eleven. I mean, A LOT! )

Thomas and Philip have been speaking up for us, asking those hard questions, but Peter sits with his chin cupped in his hand, staring at his plate, with a very anxious and scared look on his face. He mumbles, ‘Betray Him three times?’

John‘s mind is busy, his eyes and ears wide open, wishing he had a scroll and quill, and thinking how he will remember all this to write down later for his gospel. (He will soon hear Jesus tell of the Holy Spirit’s super help!)

Nathaniel is scouring his brain for Old Testament prophecies that agree with what Jesus is saying, and nodding when some come to his memory. “Yes… and yes…” he murmurs.

James, the other ‘son of thunder,’ is perhaps thinking of that stunning event on Mt. Tabor when Jesus was transfigured before their eyes, and the voice of the Father thundered. Yes… he could see how Jesus and the Father are one together; in glorious light and majesty! “I can’t wait to share in that heavenly glory!” he thought.

Matthew gasps quietly as Jesus talks, seeing how all the things He’s saying relate to His parables of “the kingdom,” and how, when Jesus’ followers will pray and ask Him, and instantly get help… the kingdom of Heaven will surely come quickly!

Simon’s zealot heart pounds in his chest. We will do greater works than the Master?! We can ask whatever we will for “the cause of Christ” and for “His glory,” and the Master will hear and answer? “Glory Hallelujah!” Nothing can stop us!

Andrew‘s thoughts go back to the grassy hillside when the hunger of thousands of people touched Jesus’ compassionate heart. He remembers the little boy with a cloth sack over his shoulder pulling at his sleeve and offering the meager lunch to the Master. Andrew remembers bringing the lad to Jesus, and… that miracle that followed. YES! Andrew believes Jesus is the Messiah both because of His words and also because of His works… His miracles. ‘And WE are to do greater ones?’ OH!

Alphaeus’ son, James, keeps his thoughts to himself, but watches his ‘possible brother’ (compare Mark 2:14 with Acts 1:13), Levi’s (Matthew’s) ink-stained fingers as he lifts his hands in silent praise.

The “other Judas,” the son of James, is also listening silently, but he will speak a question later in the chapter. (14:22).

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/21) John 10:22-42

Jul21

Read and believe in Jesus

“” John

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus clearly stated that HE was the good Shepherd of Israel. He kept His sheep safe, fed them, and in fact, would lay down His life for them. He also compared Himself to the gate or door into the sheepfold – the ONLY door. There is only one way to safety, to God, to salvation, to heaven, and it is Jesus. Jesus knows that the very authorities who are harassing Him are the ones who will demand His death at the hands of the Roman government, but with power He reminds them that HE is the one with the authority, the power to give up His life. AND, He alone has the power and authority to “take it up again,” or be resurrected to life. A division among the leaders about Jesus is beginning to be apparent. But the evil core will press till they kill Him.

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John 10:22-30.

It’s now about a month or so later, in December. The Feast of Dedication, also called the Festival of Lights, or Hanukkah, is being celebrated.

(NOTE: This is not one of the Feasts that God required Israel to celebrate. In fact, it didn’t even start until 164 BC. In 170 BC, Israel fought against the then Syrian leader, Antiochus Epiphanes, who had captured Jerusalem and defiled the Temple. This Hasmonian family successfully freed the temple and the land from Syrian dominance until 63 BC, when Rome, under Pompey, took control.

This bit of guerrilla warfare was called the “Maccabean Revolt.” However, the Temple needed cleansing and their was but ONE day’s worth of sacred oil to anoint all the holy articles. It would take 8 days to make a new supply and they prayed. God allowed that ONE day’s worth of oil to light the Candlestick in the Temple for the EIGHT days. (This is why the eight candles on a Menorah are lit each night on Hanukkah today, in remembrance of that Miracle.)

Anyway, Jesus was in Jerusalem again. Since it was winter and cold, He was on the eastern side of the Temple under the sheltering “porch,” or colonnade, of Solomon (presumably with His disciples).

Some of the religious authorities approached Jesus, gathered in a circle around Him, and demanded, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you ARE the Christ (Messiah), tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered them plainly. “I told you, and you do not believe.” Yes, He had. And several times they picked up stones to kill Him for blasphemy. But they wanted to hear His words again, encircling Him as they did, so He couldn’t escape this time.

Jesus tells them that the “works” (miracles) He does in His Father’s name should be enough proof of Who He is. But they can’t “see” that, because they are not “His sheep.” They can’t “hear” His voice calling them to follow Him either. If they DID see and hear… and believe, Jesus said He would give them eternal life, and they would never perish.

Then Jesus said that “His sheep” are safe. “No one can snatch them out of My hand.” And, “No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand either.” Why? And here is the clincher they were waiting for: “The Father and I are One.”

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John 10:31-39

And the Jews picked up stones to stone Him.

Jesus holds them back with His words. “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?”

“It’s not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for BLASPHEMY, because YOU, being a man, make Yourself GOD,” they answer.

Then Jesus holds them back with what WE think is a very confusing argument. He talks about God calling some unjust judges “gods” (Psalm 82:6), and they know that the scripture can’t be broken; and so what’s the problem with Him calling Himself “the Son of God?”

They are perplexed for a minute, thinking that over.

Jesus continues, “If I am NOT doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; BUT if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that … the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”

Again they sought to arrest him, but Jesus escaped from their hands.

Hey, when it is NOT the time for arresting Him, NOTHING can stop Jesus’ escape.

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John 10:41-42.

Because of the increasing hostility, Jesus left Jerusalem and retreated across the Jordan River to where John had been baptizing. (This is where Jesus’ ministry had begun, with His own baptism, the Holy Spirit descending on Him, and the voice of His Father.) Many followed Him there, people who had heard John’s declarations about Him, and they believed in Him.

Jesus remained there until it was time for that “last” journey to Jerusalem near Passover, which would end in His death (and Resurrection).

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/20) John 10:1-27

Jul20

Read and believe in Jesus

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved…“ John 10:9a

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – In three parts, Jesus has healed a man born blind, watched as the man’s faith grew under persecution by the Jewish leaders, and then blossomed into true discipleship and worship when he met Jesus face to face.

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John 10:1-6

Jesus continues speaking to the same people from chapter 9: religious leaders (false shepherds) who were blind so they could not lead God’s people; the people listening, whom Jesus refers to as the sheep (all Israel); and the few believers in the crowd (My sheep).

(Israel is often compared to sheep in the Old Testament, with the Lord as their shepherd (Psalm 23:1). “He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in his arms (Isaiah 40:11), and promises that one day, “I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” Jeremiah 3:15.)

Jesus tells them, “in a metaphor,” that HE is the Shepherd of the sheep. When He speaks to “His sheep,” they hear him and follow Him. They know His voice and trust Him.

And although the religious leaders knew the O. T. scriptures, revealing that they were NOT the kind of shepherds that pleased the Lord. “They did not understand what Jesus was saying to them.”

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john 10:7-9

Jesus elaborates on the metaphor of sheep and shepherds from a different angle.

“I am the door of the sheep(fold). All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.”

“I am the door. If anyone enters BY ME, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus is saying that belief in HIM is the only way to be saved. (John 14:5 says it even more clearly, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” )

The door, the gate, the way. There is NO OTHER possible means to be saved except by Jesus and faith in His atoning work on the cross.

Jesus continues to state this even more clearly. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

He compares Himself and His way of shepherding to that of the current and past shepherds of Israel. They were as ‘hired hands,’ not really caring for the sheep, only what they could get from the job. In their case, prestige, admiration, money. BUT, when real difficulty came, they were nowhere to be found, protecting themselves from the “wolves” who attacked the sheep. They were … BAD shepherds!

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

There is personal knowledge between the Good Shepherd and His own. He knows them personally, cares for them (read Psalm 23 again), and will sacrifice Himself for them.

“And I have ‘other sheep’ that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and THEY will listen to my voice.”

Jesus is speaking of most of us, Gentiles, non-Jews. Yes, He has opened His “sheepfold” to include us as well, to any who come to Him by faith.

“So there will be ONE FLOCK, one Shepherd.”

Paul reinforces this truth. In Christ “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on ALL who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:12.

And also, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all ONE in Christ Jesus. And, if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:28-29

Wow, what a promise!

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Then, probably looking straight at those religious authorities who will (in a few months) take Jesus to trial and demand His life from the Roman governor, looking at THEM, Jesus says…

“I lay down my life that I may take it up again. NO ONE takes it from me, but I lay it down of my OWN accord. I HAVE AUTHORITY to lay it down, and I have AUTHORITY to take it up again. I received this from My Father.”

WHEW! I wonder if they stepped back a pace or two at the power of Jesus’ words?

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John 10:19-21.

It’s interesting that “there was again division among the Jews because of these words.“

Many said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to Him?

But others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

This is not the first time that there was division among the authorities.

In John 7:40-52, some were “wowed” by Jesus’ words, and Nicodemus even questions their ire against Him. (We know that both Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, members of the Sanhedrin, later believed in Jesus and were responsible for burying His body after the crucifixion.)

John 9:16 tells us that at the testimony of the formerly blind man, “Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner do such signs/’ And there was a division among them”

Acts 6:7 also says that “a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith” under the apostles’ preaching. (That must have stirred up a hornet’s nest!)

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Anyway, it was much like today. Some will believe in Jesus and receive everlasting life and resurrection on the last day… and some will refuse to believe and forfeit eternal life in heaven for agony in hell… for eternity. Oh, be one of the former ones!!

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/1) John 6:25-40

Jul1

Read and believe in Jesus

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” John 6:37.

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus miraculously feeds 5000+ people with only 5 loaves and 2 fish from a boy’s lunch. All are filled, and there was enough leftover for the disciples to have their fill. The people wanted to make Jesus KING, so He would feed them for free every day. But He hides, sends the disciples back across the Sea, and after it’s dark, He walks to them (on the water). Another pair of miracles.

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John 6:25-29.

Jesus and the disciples had arrived back in Capernaum during the night via a miracle of Jesus. The crowds had waited around and, when they found Him gone, had boarded boats (or traipsed around) and arrived much later.

“Rabbi, when did you come here?‘” they asked Jesus in wonder. I think their real question might have been HOW did you come here? Jesus had walked on the water half way, got into the disciples’ boat, which was then miracously at the opposite shore. Wouldn’t that have shocked them!!

Jesus knew the reason for their anxious seeking Him. They still wanted to make Him king after that miraculous sign of multiplying the loaves and fish. But Jesus wanted them to “hunger” for Spiritual things, for Him.

“Don’t labor for the food that perishes, but rather for the food that endures to eternal life … which the Son of Man will give to you.” (What a promise!)

“What must we DO to be doing the works of God?” The people thought they were required to do some works to “earn” eternal life.

(OH, isn’t that what so many people think today. They HAVE to be good, not lie, cheat, steal, kill, and all the other commands, to be “good enough” to deserve eternal life. NOT SO! We can never be good enough. It is a gift of God that Jesus gives by His own sacrifice.)

“THIS is the work of God,” Jesus tells them. “that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

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John 6:30-34.

Believe in Jesus, the Son that God sent into the world to save the sinners whom He loved so much. Believe in that mercy and grace, and receive life everlasting. (John 3:16)

But the people are way off on another planet in their understanding. Jesus’ words of salvation go right over their heads. “Um…then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness (for 40 years!) Moses gave them ‘bread from heaven to eat.”

Had they completely forgotten how Jesus had just miraculously fed a crowd of 20,000 with one boy’s lunch???

(I would have given up on them and just walked away. But Jesus shows His love for His own people.)

“It wasn’t Moses who gave you Manna, but my Father in Heaven. My Father (now) gives you the TRUE bread from Heaven … the “Bread of God” is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jesus is speaking of Himself.

Then, much like the Samaritan woman who sought the water that would quench her thirst forever, these people misunderstood Jesus’ words. “Sir, give us THIS bread always.”

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John 6:35-36.

“I AM the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.“

Jesus could not make that much plainer. HE was the answer to their heart’s hunger and thirst. HE was sent down by the Father to fill them and satisfy them. And yet they do not believe.

(Earlier in John 1:10, the apostle says, “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.” Paul later explains that Israel was blinded or hardened temporarily concerning Jesus, as a mercy for the Gentiles to be included in salvation. Then the nation of Israel would believe. See Romans 11:25-31)

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John 6:37-40.

This section is full of wonderful promises. Read and meditate on them!

“All that the Father gives me WILL come to me…

“And whoever comes to me I will NEVER cast out.”

“I have come from heaven NOT to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

“This is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose NOTHING of all that He has given me.”

“For this is the will of my Father, that EVERYONE who looks on the Son and believes in Him, should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

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Amen! Thank You, Jesus!

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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/30) John 6:1-24

Jun30

Read and believe in Jesus

“When the people saw the SIGN that He had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world.'” John 6:14

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – After stirring up the religious leaders by healing a cripple on the Sabbath, Jesus began teaching the controversial topic that He was equal to God, and in fact WAS God, having all the power and authority as His Father. Jesus again and again referred to the OT Scriptures, in which the religious leaders were wrapped up, but they still couldn’t believe. The common people believed in Jesus because of the signs and miracles He performed, not for His words of grace and truth.

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John 6:1-4.

Jesus is back in Galilee, on the Eastern side of the Sea. A large crowd followed him BECAUSE OF THE SIGNS He was doing on the sick. Seeking some time alone with His disciples, he went up a mountain to a secluded place alone.

“Now, the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.” (almost there). Because the author, John, isn’t too concerned with telling a chronological account of Jesus and instead presents Him only through a series of signs and “I Am” statements that prove Him to be the Messiah without a doubt, we learn that it is Passover time again. If yesterday’s reading took place in Jerusalem, at the Feast of Tabernacles, this event is happening 6 months later. If that healing of the invalid at the pool of Bethesda was at a Passover, then this event is now one year later.

(Try to get in the Apostle John’s mindset, and let the dates become less important until the end of the story.)

Anyway, the time Jesus wanted alone with His disciples was interrupted when He saw a large crowd coming from around the Sea looking for Him. They followed him “because they saw the miracles he was doing on the sick.” Nevertheless, Jesus had compassion on them.

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John 6:5-9.

“Philip, where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” Jesus said this to “test” him, for He already knew what He would do.

“Huh? Are you kidding, Jesus?” Philip might have thought. But he answered aloud, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little!” And you KNOW that Jesus had way less denarii than that! It was almost a year’s wages for a laborer.

Then Andrew steps up. (Remember, he was the one who brought his brother, Peter, to Jesus.) Now he was bringing a little boy to the Master, who had perhaps offered his meager lunch of 5 rolls and two sardines. (Picture THAT, and not big loaves of bread and a couple of trout.) Andrew was cautious, “But what are these for so many?”

I can so imagine Jesus smiling down at the boy, seeing the huge miracle He was about to do because of the”faith” of a little child.

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John 6:10-13.

“Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. It was spring, and the hillside was covered with soft green grass. John notes that there were 5,000 men there. With some women and children, the total number could have been up to 20,000 hungry, seeking people!

Jesus then took the boy’s lunch, looked to Heaven to thank His Father, and distributed it to His disciples, who took it to the thousands of people sitting. Again and again they came back to take more food out. Jesus always handed them more. Their eyes bulged, their thoughts raced, they were speechless. 20,000 people ate from the boy’s 5 rolls and two tiny fish. 20,000!!!

AND THEY ATE AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED! THEY WERE FULL!

“Gather up the leftovers,” Jesus told His disciples, “that nothing may be lost.” LEFTOVERS! From 20K people eating one boy’s lunch?

Yep. And there were 12 “lunchbox” sized baskets filled with the fragments. Perfect for the 12 disciples to eat.

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John 6:14

“When the people saw the sign that He had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

What did they mean by that? And why did their stomachs full of bread and fish spark this thought?

Back in Deuteronomy 18:15-18, God told Moses that He would “raise up a prophet” like him, who would speak the words of God. And that the people should listen to Him, or God would require it of them.

So, why did this miracle feeding spark the thought of that Prophet? Didn’t God say the people should listen to His WORDS, His teaching? This crowd, and others, did NOT listen to Jesus. They were drawn to Him by the miracles.

Now, what miracle did Moses “do” that would remind this crowd of Jesus? Why, it was supplying Manna in the wilderness. “Bread” from heaven, if you will. Hadn’t Jesus just miraculously supplied “bread” from thin air? Whoa…. HE MUST BE THAT PROPHET!

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John 6:15.

Oh, man. How disappointing. Perhaps Jesus had some wonderful teaching planned, now that they were fed and comfortable. Perhaps something like the Sermon on the (other) Mount from Matthew. But no, what did this crowd want?

They were getting up, brushing off crumbs and grass, and …. preparing to come and take Jesus by force and make Him king!

What?

Disappointed, Jesus again withdrew through a thin mountain pass to a secluded place where they would not find Him. (Later, after the crowd had dispersed, Jesus sent his disciples back to Capernaum in a boat, while He prayed alone to His Father.)

(NOTE: The two miracles where Jesus actually “created” something involved the two elements of Communion: wine (from water) and bread (to feed a crowd from a sack lunch). They symbolize His body and blood given to us, which we remember even today when we partake in “The Lord’s Supper.”)

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John 6:16-21.

The disciples started across the Sea. It was dark, and the wind picked up. They struggled to row in the wind and rough sea, and had made it only halfway across when…..

They saw a phenomenon. They thought they were seeing a ghost, for a figure was walking on the sea and coming near to them.

“It is I; do not be afraid,” Jesus called. Boy, were they glad! And they took Him into the boat. Then ANOTHER MIRACLE! The boat was IMMEDIATELY at land on the other side of the sea.

Four miles in one second! Wow!

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John 6:22-24.

Meanwhile, back on the other side of the sea, many of the crowd who had eaten the miracle bread were looking for Jesus. They saw theone boat was gone when the disciples left, but Jesus had not been with them. Soon some other boats arrived, so when the people saw that Jesus was not there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum too. They were still SEEKING JESUS. For healings? Or to make Him their king, a king who could feed them every day, FOR FREE?

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In tomorrow’s reading, Jesus will delude them of that thought. In fact, He will “gross them out” so much that many who considered themselves His followers will turn away, offended.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/25) John 5:1-15

Jun25

Read and believe in Jesus

“Do you want to be healed?” John 5:6b

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus is back in Galilee, after an evangelstically refreshing two days in Samaria. Right away desperate people rush to Jesus to have their needs met, First is an important man with a seriously ill son. Jesus does heal the boy, but is disappointed with His own people for their fixation on signs and miracles and not on His Words of Eternal Life.

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John 5:1-9.

Again Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for a Feast.

(There are three Feasts (out of the seven festivities) that God required (able-bodied) Jewisih men to attend in Jerusalem. Deuteronomy 16:16 names them as 1) the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover, 2) the Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost), and 3).the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths. Two are in the first half of the year, one occurs in the fall. John does not name this one, and as his gospel is not always chronological, we can’t be sure. Many believe it is Passover when this incident happens.)

(Note: the other Holy Days are: the Feast of First Fruits, after passiver, the Feast of Trumpets (in the fall), and the Day of Atonement. There are also two Festivals that were man-initiated that were celebrated: Purim in the spring, to commermorate Queen Esther’s victory, and the Festival of Lights (Hannucha), in December, to celebrate the victory of the Macabees.)

ANYWAY….. Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a “feast of the Jews” when this incident of chapter five took place. And here we begin to really see open opposition to Jesus by the religious leaders increase (romorrow’s reading). And it has to do with the Sabbath.

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John describes a pool by the Sheep Gate. This small gate was in the northern part of the city and Temple mount where sheep could be brought in for sacrifice.

Nearby was the 5-sided pool called Bethesda. There was a story about this pool. As it goes, when the waters ruffled (probably from the underground sping thaf fed it), it was a sign of an angel’s presence, and the first invalid into the pool after it happened, would be healed. Many, many sick individuals lay around this pool for years and years waiting for that miracle.

One such man was approached by Jesus. “Do you want to be healed?” Jesus asked.

This seems peculiar. Why wouldn’t the man WANT to be healed? But Jesus knows all hearts. Perhaps he had gotten so used to lying there for 38 years. He had like-fellows around him that he knew, and perhaps chatted with. He collected a small amount of alms for food. He had no responsibilities. DID he really WANT to be healed and become a part of regular society?

Notice that his answer wasn’t “Yes!”

He said, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I’m going,(crawling?) another gets there befre me.”

Enough with the nonsense. Jesus commands, “Get up. Take up your bed. And walk.” And he did. (No one refuses a command of hte Lord Jesus.) And he was healed.

AND… that day was the SABBATH.

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John 5:10-15.

Now, in the Old Testament, work was forbidden on the Sabbath day. (Exodus 20:8-11). It was assumed tht this mean one’s cistomary job (farming, teaching, selling, plumbing, computer repairing … etc.) Very easy to understand. Of course if emergencies came up (your cow fell in a well) it was okay to deal with it. BUT, through the years, the rabbis sought to “protect the law” by hedging it in with more and more details about what exactly “no work” meant. And by Jesus’ time, it had gotten ridiculous.

“It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to take up your bed (a mat),” said the Jews to the man who had been crippled for 38 years and had just then been miracously healed.

Not willing to assume guilt for breaking the “law,” the healed man said, “The man who healed me, that man told me to take up my bed and walk.” WHERE was the exuberance at beeing healed?? Why wasn’t he “walking and leaping and praising God”?

Granted, the man did not KNOW who Jesus was. It was crowded and Jesus had withdrawn. But where was the gratitude?

Later, Jesus found him in the temple (He could now enter the temple for he was no longer crippled).

“See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you,” Jesus said befre slipping away again. Hmmm. What did THAT mean?

Well, the man then went to the religious leaders and told them that it was Jesus who had healed him.

And tomorrow, we will see what trouble for Jesus that “tattling” caused.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/17) John 2:13-25

Jun17

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” John 2:16b

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus’ family and disciples are invited to a Wedding. At the week (or so) feast that followed, the wine supply was depleted. Jesus’ mother came to Jesus with the problem, then left Him to do as He would. As His first sign-miracle, Jesus turned six huge jars of fresh water into the best wine they had ever tasted. Surely this points to a new life, changed by Jesus, into one that blesses all around them. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and bring them into His Kingdom.

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John 2:13-17.

After the wedding and a brief stop in Capernaum, Jesus (with family and disciples?) did what all devout Jewish men did at that time of the year, as commanded by God. He went “up to Jerusalem” to celebrate Passover. This “feast” commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from slavery in Egypt, when the angel of the LORD “passed over” all who had the lamb’s blood sprinkled on their doorposts, and killed the firstborn of all others.

(This is the first of three Passovers that John mentions in his Gospel.)

At Passover, worshippers came from all over Israel and the Roman Empire. Because it was not feasible to bring all the required animals for the sacrifice over such a distance, merchants saw an opportunity to make a bit of cash by providing them … at exorbitant prices. Also, the annual temple tax was to be paid by every male aged 20 and over. Coins from the countries in the Roman Empire were NOT accepted for this tax, so they needed to be exchanged into the Jewish shekel.

Not only did the animal sellers and moneychangers exploit the situation by charging high fees, but the Sadducees (major rulers of the Temple) also raked off a percentage of their earnings for allowing them to set up tables. And so, this outer court of the temple – a place where Gentiles were supposed to come to worship the LORD – was turned into a loud, chaotic (and filthy) marketplace by greedy merchants.

Jesus was infuriated with righteous indignation and anger. His Father’s holiness and worship were at stake.

He braided together a whip of cords and drove out not only the merchants but also the animals. “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade,” Jesus cried as He swung the whip above His head, and turned over the tables piled high with coins.

Later, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the disciples remembered the Scripture passage from Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”

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John 2:18-22.

It was chaotic, but there was no uproar from the people. Otherwise, the Roman soldiers – on high alert during this Feast – would have been there in an instant. (Eventually, the merchants and travelers continued their bargaining outside the Temple walls.) However, the religious leaders saw their departure as the end of their money-making. They came to Jesus in protest.

“What sign do You show us for doing these things?” They wanted to know who had given Jesus the “authority” to drive out the merchants and animals. They believed that THEY alone had authority over the Temple.

Jesus gave them a sign, alright, but they totally did not understand it. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Jesus’ death and resurrection would show who He was and the authority He had, but even after the event, the religious leaders rejected Him. In fact, this was one of the accusations they used to get a “guilty verdict” at his trial. For who could rebuild the magnificent temple that had taken King Herod 46 years to restore … in THREE DAYS?

Again, Jesus’ disciples would remember His words and understand their meaning. Just as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit would remind and teach them all the things Jesus had said.

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John 2:23-25.

“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs (miracles) that He was doing.“

This sounds good, right? Many believed! The miracles convinced them. (But what did they believe? And how sincere were they?)

“But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man.”

Jesus, as God, knew the hearts of people, and if their faith was sincere or not, and what it was based on. If only miracles convinced them, what would happen when He was arrested and crucified? How genuine was that belief?

“He Himself knew what was in man.”

Jesus was looking for true disciples who were genuinely converted. Mere enthusiasm for His miracles would fade in the face of opposition. True faith, and not “wows” at miracles, is needed for a life to be changed. Jesus was looking for whole-hearted commitment in His disciples.

(“Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'” Matt. 16:24-25. This challenge remains the same for us today.)

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