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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (8/31): John 20:11-18.

Aug31

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“I have seen the Lord!” John 20:18

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REVIEW – Mary Magdalene and a few other women went to Jesus’ grave early Sunday morning with burial spices, not realizing that Joseph and Nicodemus had already prepared Jesus’ body. Mary was ahead of the group, eager to arrive, and perhaps more emotional. She saw the stone rolled away from the tomb and assumed the worst.

Leaving the other women (who would see angels and hear the good news), Mary ran to where Peter and John were, carrying the message, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid Him.”

Shocked at her words, both Peter and John ran to see if it was true. Both entered the tomb and saw the niche or shelf where Jesus had lain; only HE was not there. The grave clothes and head napkin lay collapsed as if Jesus had vanished through them. John “believed” that He’d been resurrected, but didn’t understand that the resurrection was part of the salvation plan.

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John 20:11-13.

While Peter and John returned home, Mary slowly, and weeping all the way, walked back to the garden where Jesus’ open tomb was.

By this time, the other women had taken the message the angels gave them (“Jesus has risen! Tell the disciples, and Peter, that He’s going ahead of them to Galilee and they will see Him there.“)

Mary stood outside the tomb for a moment, weeping, and then stooped down to look inside. Then she saw the two angels the other women had seen. “Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked her.

Blindly she answered, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him!”

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John 20:14-16.

Before the angels could speak to her, Mary straightened up and turned away from the grave, weeping even more profusely, perhaps with her face hidden in her scarf.

“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” said a figure before her.

Mary glanced up, supposing him to be a gardener, and cried out, “Sir! If you have carried Him away, please tell me where you have taken Him, and I will take Him away!”

And then that one word…. “Mary.”

(IMO, Jesus said her name with a light chuckle and a big smile, full of love and tenderness for this distraught but faithful disciple.)

However you imagine Jesus speaking to her, Mary immediately recognizes His voice when He says her name.

“Rabboni!” she cried out, which means “my Master!” in Aramaic.

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John 20:17-18.

Jesus then, almost immediately, says to Mary, “Do not cling to me…”

Perhaps she has fallen at his feet, holding them, her tears wetting them. Perhaps she would even dry them with her hair, as she had done one time, when Jesus was dining with a rich Pharisee.

At that incident, Jesus told the pious man, “The one who has been forgiven much, loves much.” (Mark 16:9 says that Jesus had cast out seven demons from Mary, so she must have “loved Him much.”)

But Jesus prevents her from clinging to him, hoping to keep Him on earth forever, as He has been until His death. Jesus tells her that His ascension back to Heaven to His Father is coming soon. He has only 40 days, and then He will go to the Father and send back the Holy Spirit to be with and in them.

Jesus also wants her to deliver a message to His disciples. “Go and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”

And Mary obeys her Master.

Canceling the panicked message she gave them before (“They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have laid Him!”), she now says confidently and joyfully, “I have seen the Lord.”

Mary was a messenger for Jesus, a sent one, or ‘apostle’ if you will. She was ‘an apostle to the apostles’, with that glorious message: HE LIVES.

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Alfred H. Ackley, 1887-1960

Verse 1
I serve a risen Savior,
He’s in the world today;
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy,
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him
He’s always near.

Verse 2
In all the world around me,
I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary
I never will despair;
I know that He is leading
Through all the stormy blast,
The day of His appearing
Will come at last!

Verse 3
Rejoice, rejoice, oh Christian,
Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to
Jesus Christ the King!
The hope of all who seek Him,
The help of all who find,
None other is so loving,
So good and kind!

Chorus
He lives, He lives,
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart!
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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (8/12) John 16:1-15

Aug12

Read and believe in Jesus

“I tell you the truth; it is to your advantage that I go away,” John 16:7a

The Gospel according to John

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REVIEW – Jesus turned from the comforting picture of His disciples being grafted into Him like branches on a vine, drawing their life and vigor from Him, and producing fruit for the vinedresser, the Father. In an abrupt change, Jesus turns to the “wild boars” of the world who will try to root up and destroy the vineyard… and the disciples, because of Him.

They are to expect hatred and persecution from the world for their witness. The world hates God and hates His Son whom He sent. How much more will they hate the Son’s ambassadors!

But they will have a “Helper” whom the Father will send. This powerful, indwelling “Spirit of Truth” will help the disciples in their witnessing, despite threats of death.

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John 16:1-5.

(1) “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.”

These are the warnings Jesus gave in the previous chapter. They will be hated and persecuted for Jesus’ sake and for their witness about Him. “Falling away” doesn’t mean losing their salvation and heavenly reward, but more of being trapped into silence in their witness; not knowing what to say about the attacks. Jesus is forewarning them, so they will have “weapons” to fight that fear and doubt.

Further, Jesus is telling them that the disciples can also expect to be “put out of” their synagogues (excommunicated) because of their testimony.

And here, Jesus adds a terrifying thought: that some “will even kill you and think they are doing service to God.”

Wow!

But, you know, if you have studied the book of Acts and the letters of Paul, he himself was one of those who would mercilessly persecute and kill believers, thinking he was doing God a service, since he believed Jesus was a blasphemer and they were corrupting the worship of the One Creator God.

(2) “But I have said these things to you, that when ‘their hour’ comes, you may remember that I told them to you.”

What is Jesus talking about here when He says “their hour”?

If you compare Luke 22:53, you’ll see that there is a time for all things. In that verse, Jesus told His accusers that He had been in the Temple daily, teaching, but they had never come after Him then to arrest Him. But now, in a dark and lonely Garden, with no public witnesses, they had come. It was “their” hour.

The disciples would also experience a time when the authorities acted according to their own reason and timing. Be on guard.

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John 16:5b-11.

(3) “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going away to Him who sent me.”

While Jesus was on earth and with the disciples, He could protect them from the hassles and harassment that He got from the religious leaders.

In fact, in the Garden, when He was being arrested, Jesus showed one final way that He was protecting them. He asked the guards whom they were seeking. When they said, “Jesus,” then He told them to let His disciples go. (Read John 18:7-9)

With Jesus back in Heaven with the Father, who would “protect” His little lambs? In 14:18, He promises them ‘I won’t leave you as orphans.” Now He’s telling them AGAIN how that is possible.

“It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.”

Jesus promises to ask His Father to send the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to come and not only be “with” His disciples, but to be “in” them.

And this mighty Spirit of Truth will CONVICT the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment. (In other words, He will “HELP” the disciples (and Jesus’ witnesses down through the ages) in their witness, testimony, and ministry for Christ.

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John 16:12-15.

The clock is ticking towards Jesus’ “hour,” and Jesus has more to tell them, and He still wants to pray. But He, as well as believers today, can rest confidently that the Holy Spirit will be His and our helper in all things.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.

“He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Jesus so wants to instill confidence and trust in the disciples for the Holy Spirit. They have been so close to Jesus for the last three years, and now, they hear He is leaving them. But Jesus tells them that the Helper, the Spirit of Truth, is part of God too.

“All that the Father has is mine (Jesus); therefore I said that He (the Spirit) will take what is mine (Jesus) and declare it to you.”

“No worries, my dear disciples. Just wait and see! And remember what I’m telling you!”

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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (8/5) John 13:31-38

Aug5

Read and Believe in Jesus

“When he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.'” John 13:31

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus had just revealed that one of His small group would betray Him. None suspected Judas. In fact, Peter asks John to ask Jesus who it was. Jesus indicated Judas when He handed him the dipped piece of bread, but it was as if a veil was over their eyes. Otherwise, wouldn’t they have mobbed Judas and stopped him? Judas took the offered bread, and at Jesus’ “What you are going to do, do quickly,” he slipped out into the night, the devil filling his heart with darkness.

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John 13:31-33.

A moment or two after the door closed, Jesus looked up at his beloved men and said, “NOW is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.”

Yes, Jesus could have dwelt on the things that were going to happen to him soon as a result of Judas’ mission. But He turned to look PAST that, to the way that both He and His Father would be glorified at His finished work on the cross (that They had planned before the world was created), after it was accomplished.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who, for the JOY that was set before Him, ENDURED the cross, DESPISING the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Then Jesus looks around at the Twelve, His men, and calls them, “little children.” Tenderly He tells them that he is going “somewhere” they cannot come.

He means His death on the cross.

Yes, almost all of them will one day face martyrdom, some on a Roman cross, but THIS death, Jesus’s death, is for the redemption of all those who will ever believe in Him. THIS death is the “wages” earned by sinful man that God pronounced in Genesis 3. It will be substitutionary, for a sinless Jesus will die in the place of every sinner who repents and believes in Him.

NO, His disciples cannot go with Jesus.

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John 13:34-35

Then Jesus gives them a NEW commandment, that He (and they) will repeat in their teaching and writings. It is:

“Love one another:

just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples,

if you have love for one another.” (repeated three times!)

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What makes this a “NEW” commandment? Isn’t it already part of the two greatest commands: LOVE God and LOVE your neighbor as yourself?

Yes and no. It has the tone of the second commandment, for sure. But notice that Jesus replaces “as yourself” with “as I have loved you.”

Yes, we are to love others (our neighbors) as we love ourselves, treating others well, caring for them, sparing nothing on their welfare… but Jesus’s “as I have loved you” speaks of DYING for others. Not just giving our time, money, experience, kindness … but sacrificing our LIVES, our physical lives for others. Wow.

Yes, this will definitely reveal that those who love in this way ARE the true disciples of Jesus.

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John 13:36-38.

Then Peter – (don’t you just love him) – jumps up and asks, “Lord, WHERE are you going?”

And Jesus answers him as before, “Somewhere you can’t follow me … though you WILL follow some day.”

“Lord, why can I not follow you NOW?” And then, thinking of that new love, he says, “I will lay down my life for you!”

Jesus answers, “WILL you lay down your life for me, Peter? Truly, truly, I tell you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.”

Whoa.

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 (7/13) 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.

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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!)

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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.

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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.)

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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 (7/9) 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?

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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.)

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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.

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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!

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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 (7/7) 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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To be continued…..

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

Jul2

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“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.

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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.

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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.”

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/26) John 5:16-30

Jun26

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“Truly, truly, I say to you, “whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life.” John 5:24

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – While in Jerusalem, Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. The man said he was waiting for the angel who stirred the water of the pool to heal him. But when Jesus asked if he WANTED to be healed, the man hedged. Nevertheless, Jesus spoke and healed him, telling the man to pick up his mat and get out of there. Later the religious leaders chided the man for “working” on the Sabbath. Then, after Jesus met and cautioned the healed man to “sin no more,” he went to those leaders and identified Jesus as his healer… and the One who told him to carry his mat. This infuriated the uber-legalistic Jews.

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John 5:16-17.

The religious leaders now had a foothold on which to stand and accuse Jesus. They said He broke the 4th commandment by doing miracles on the Sabbath. They soon would have another reason to not only accuse and persecute Him, but to execute Him.

Jesus said to them, “My Father is working continuously (even on the Sabbath), and I (also) am working.” It was very clear to these Jews that Jesus was calling God His Father, and indeed saying He was equal with God. (a blasphemy worthy of death)

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John 5:18-24.

So Jesus gave his own personal statement of His diety. He is equal with God…..

  • in His person. (calling God His Father) vss. 17-18
  • in His works (what the Father does, the Son does) vss.19-20
  • in His power and sovereignty (as the Father raises the dead, so the Son gives life) vs 21
  • in His judgment (the Father has GIVEN all judgment to the Son) vs. 22
  • in His honor (all honor the Son just as they honor the Father) vs. 23

I can imagine the religious leaders standing stunned and silent at so open a declaration by Jesus to be EQUAL WITH GOD.

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John 5:25-30.

Then, Jesus proclaims yet another time “the way to eternal life,” “Truly truly (double emphasis), I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” Did they even HEAR this??

And again, a shocker. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”

And, “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. AND, He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”

Then Jesus tells them that He can do nothing on His own, but only at the will of God who sent Him. What does He mean?

(This all was the will of the Godhead, the triune God, who were in complete accord since before time and creation, when this moment in time, this plan of salvation through the substitutionary death of Jesus, was all planned and agreed upon. And now, Jesus does exactly that will, even after His prayer in Gethsemene. Then: Not my will, but thine. And now, I can do nothing on my own.)

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More in the next reading of this difficult section.