Tag Archive | bible-study

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.

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

Jun25

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“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 (6/23) John 4:27-42

Jun23

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“Come, see a man who told me all I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” John 4:29.

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus managed His path and His time to be exactly where a certain Samaritan woman would be about noon, alone and carrying a large water jar, sweating in the noonday heat. He amazed her by asking for a drink. (Jews didn’t talk to Samaritans, especially a woman.) The conversation that followed intrigued her and whetted her thirst for things spiritual. Jesus talked to her about God the Father, worship that was neither there nor in Jerusalem, but in the Spirit. He offered HER living water, despite knowing that she was a “fallen” woman. Confused, she said that one day the Messiah would come, and He would explain all things. Jesus looked at her and said, “I am He.”

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John 4:27-30.

“I am He,” Jesus said to the woman. And just then His disciples came back from town with some Kosher falafel wraps. They stopped dead, marveling that Jesus was talking to a woman, and a Samaritan at that. But (wisely) none of them asked WHY he was talking to her.

Seeing the men arrive, she left her water jar and ran off into the town, saying to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

And so the people of the town, though they had shunned the woman, were curious at her words and came out to see for themselves. (Something had sure wound up the woman!)

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John 4:31-38

Meanwhile the disciples were unwrapping the falafel pitas and urging him, “Rabbi, eat.” But he refused the food saying that he had a “food” to eat that they knew nothing about.

As they chomped the spicy falafel, they asked quietly among themselves, “Has anyone brought Him something to eat while we were gone?”

But Jesus knew their thoughts. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.” And looking out at the fields of grain around them, he said, “Do not say, ‘There are yet four months till harvent.’ Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and SEE that the fields are white with harvest!” They followed his pointing finger to see the people of the town following the woman out.

And many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.” When they got to Jesus that asked Him to stay with them, and He did, for three days, teaching truth.

MANY MORE believed because of His word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we KNOW that this is indeed the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.”

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(WOW, maybe we should not always avoid the places that are uncomfortable to us. Maybe there is someone who needs to hear about God’s saving grace, and the salvation that Jesus bought with His own life. Maybe we could take a chance and testify!)

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/19) John 3:22-36

Jun19

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“” John

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus spoke and taught Nicodemus one night and explained the wonders of new birth, true belief, and eternal life. He even gave the inquiring Pharisee a picture of how all this could happen – when He was lifted up like Moses’ serpant in the wilderness. Difficult, but Nicodemus pondered it I’m sure. And he was eventually saved. See John 7:50-51 and John 19:38-40 to see the evidence.

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John 3:22–24.

After the Passover Feast, Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went through the Judean countryside to the river. They remainded there, and His disciples were baptizing. John the Baptist was also baptizing, farther south where the water was plentiful, and the people were coming to him in repentance.. (In doing this, John always pointed the people to the Messiah, Jesus.)

At one point, a discussion began between John’s disciples and a Jew.. They brought their question to John. “Rabbi, He who was with you across the Jordan (Jesus), to whom you bore witness, is baptising and all are going to HIM.” In other words, we are losing our baptees.and followers.

But this was not a probllem to the humble “voice” in the wilderness.

He said, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him. The one who has “the bride” is “the bridegroom”. A friend of the bridegroom rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.“

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John 3:30-36

Then John gives a speech that is surely spirit-inspired.

“He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way,” (John). “He who comes from Heaven is above all. (Jesus the Messiah) He bears witness to what He has seen and heard, yet no one receives His testimony.

“Whoever receives His testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent utters the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.”

And as John fades from the forefront, he gives an invitation to faith in Jesus.

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

Wow! What a testimony of truth. What a man of God. Wouldn’t you love to have heard more of his sermons before he held the baptisims? He was a preacher, and you know his words were Spirit-led, for this “invitation” is just like Jesus was preaching to Nicodemus in the previous section.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/18) John 3:1-21

Jun18

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“Truly, truly, I say unto you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus, indignant about how “His Father’s house had been turned into a marketplace, made a whip and drove out the animals, birds, the men selling them, and the moneychangers. (They simply moved their business outside the walls.) However the chief priests were angry at Jesus, for they got a cut of all the money exchanged “for the Temple,” they said (haha). They wanted to know by whose authority Jesus had done this.

Give us a “sign,” they said. Jesus told them the only sign of His authority was His own resurrection from the dead. (He’d cloaked this information in an allegory – “Destroy this temple (His body) and in three days I will raise it up.” They took it wrong, of course, and thought He meant the temple King Herod was restoring. He was crazy!)

After this, “many believed in His name when they saw the miracles He was doing,” but Jesus knew their hearts and did not trust their allegience to be genuine..”

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John 3:1-8.

But there was a man, a Pharisee, a renowned teacher of the law and member of the Jewish “Supreme Court,” the Sanhedrin, who wanted to know more about this country rabbi who spoke so forceibly and performed miracles. But this important man did not want to be seen inquiring. He might have been black-balled, even thrown out of the court. So he came to Jesus by night.

(Perhaps, Jesus was already establishing the garden on the Mount of Olives, as a place for He and His men to relax and sleep. It was quiet and private.)

Nicodemas came up to Jesus in the dim light of a torch and began his shpeal. “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” You can almost here him open his mouth to continue, but Jesus spoke first, getting right to the question that bothered this man the most.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Taken aback, Nicademas blurted out, “How can a man be BORN AGAIN when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? (Good question, Nick.)

Again Jesus emphasized the truth of what He was saying. He wasn’t joking. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is flesh is FLESH. And that which is Spirit is spirit. Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Then Jesus clarifies (and confuses) with, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. SO it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

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John 3:9-15.

Okay, now Nick is really confused. “How can theses things be?” he asks.

Jesus scolds him. Are you a teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but YOU do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe it if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And … as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that … WHOEVER believes in Him may have eternal life.”

Whoa, that was a mini-sermon that Jesus spoke to Nicodemas. 1) Who is the “we” and “our” that Jesus uses first? 2) Is Jesus declaring openly to this Pharisee that He came down from heaven? 3) Why is He comparing Himself to a serpant?? 4) And when anyone looks on Him (lifted up like Moses’ snake) and believes they will have eternal life.What does THAT mean? WOW.

  1. Jesus’ use of “we” and “our” (speaking for the Godhead) in verse 11 counters Nicodemus’s “we” in verse 2, and places the real, devine testimony of God against the flawed understanding of the Pharisees.
  2. And yes, Jesus reveals to Nicodemas that He, like the Son of Man of Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 7:13-14), has descended from heaven and has true knowledge of heavenly things.
  3. Yes, as an “picture” or simile, Jesus was saying that LIKE the bronze image of the serpant that Moses made and lifted on a pole for the people to see (in obedience to God’s instructions) and be healed … HE would be lifted up on a cross.
  4. In Numbers 21:5-9, God sent vipers to the people as a judgment on their sin. In His mercy, He told Moses to make an image of the vipers and put it high on a pole. If the people would look on the image – NOT to worship it, but in obedience and faith in God’s words – He promised them they would not die from the poison, but live. And so, those who will look on Jesus – lifted up on the cross to pay for the sins of man, and believe what God says about Him – they too will live. TAnd this time have eternal life.

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John 3:16-21.

You know this wonderful and well know verse. Say it with me and think of the wonderful sacrifice and promise God makes in it.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus came to earth to die as the judgment on the sins of man because of the great LOVE of God for His human creation. God sent His only beloved Son to be tortured, disgraced and die in the place of all who would believe (place their trust) in Him. BELIEVE that His death covers their sin once and for all… that His death gives them the righteousness they need to one day stand before a super-holy God of the universe, and not desinergrate.

Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, but in order that it might be saved through Him.

And sadly, those who reject Jesus and His work on the cross, have no chance, for they are ALREADY condemned. They love darkness instead of that Light that has come into the world. And why? Because their deeds (thoughts, speech) was evil, and Light shows that up, and they would stand … EXPOSED.

Not so, those of the Light. They eagerly come to the light to show what God has worked in them.

"This is the message we have from Him and proclaim to you, 
that God is light and in Him is no darknesses of all.
If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness,
 we LIE, and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, 
we have fellowship with one another, 
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:5-7

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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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/16) John 2:1-12

Jun16

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“This, the first of His signs, Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him. “ John 2:11

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus’ first disciples believe and begin to follow Him: John and Andrew, Simon (Peter), Philip, and Nathaniel. John and Andrew are directed by John the Baptist to Jesus. Andrew brings his brother Simon, and Jesus gives him a new name. After Jesus invites Philip to follow Him, the disciple finds his friend Nathaniel and simply says, “Come and see.” Nathaniel believes when he hears that Jesus “saw” him earlier, and Jesus promises him more supernatural revelations.

John 2:1-5

Three days after Jesus called Philip and Nathaniel, there was a wedding in the nearby town of Cana. Jesus’ mother was there. (It was possibly a family member’s wedding, and she had some responsibilities.) If that was the case, it was natural that Jesus was also invited to the wedding with His disciples. The newest disciple, Nathaniel, was from Cana. (John 21:2)

The celebration was going along nicely (it could be up to a week!) when Mary noticed they were out of wine. This would be a big embarrassment to the host (the groom & family), and Mary told Jesus about the problem.

Did she expect Him to do something about it? (Run to the nearest BEV MO?) Verse 11 says that this was the FIRST of Jesus’ miracles, so she couldn’t have expected a miracle of Him. Perhaps she was simply used to going to Jesus as her oldest and first-born son with any problems that arose after the death of Joseph.

What follows is hard for us to understand. It seems like Jesus is rude to His mother, telling her that since He had begun His ministry (acclaimed by John the Baptist and calling His first disciples), He could no longer be involved in her household problems. From that time onward, His eye (concern) would be on the cross and His death on it for the sins of man. (His “hour”)

What Mary understood of that, we don’t know. It seems she might have said, “Whatever!” and then turned to the servants with, “You do what He says.” After that, she walked away, leaving everything in His hands.

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John 2:6-11

In this house where the wedding was being held (it must have been grand), there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rite of purification (ritual baths). Each held 20-30 gallons. GALLONS!! Jesus told the servants to fill each of them up with fresh water (from a well or nearby spring). It must have taken some time. When they were full (you could see the inside bottom of the jars through the clear liquid), Jesus told the servants to draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.

Were they scared to do so? Water to the head master? But they were servants; they obeyed. A pitcher was carried to the man at the head table. And sometime between drawing the water out and pouring it into a wine glass … the water had become wine. The freshest and best wine from the highest-quality grapes.

The head of the feast was flabbergasted. He turned to the groom with high praise. The groom must have been wide-eyed in wonder himself. Where had it come from? (Only the servants knew.) Whatever, the wedding feast went on in splendid form.

“This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.“

John emphasized that miracles were not merely displays of power, but had spiritual significance. They were “signs” that pointed to deeper realities through the eyes of faith.

(What do YOU believe this sign of turning water to wine at a wedding feast pointed to in Jesus’ life and ministry?)

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John 2:12.

After the wedding feast, Jesus and His disciples (and His mother and brothers) went down to Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus would soon establish this town as His northern headquarters. For now, they stayed only a few days before heading to Jerusalem for Passover (next reading).

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/12) John 1:19-34

Jun12

(Note: I had to change the “John” icon due to copyright issues. This is my own pic.)

Read and believe in Jesus

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

REVIEW – John’s magnificent introduction to his gospel showed Jesus as Creator, Eternal God, Light and Life, Son of God, the WORD who became flesh and blood, Israel’s Messiah, and the One who brings grace and truth. He would be rejected by many, but received by some, who would become the children of God. John mentions John the Baptist, a fiery yet humble man who came as a witness to Jesus and who prepared the way for Him. And that’s where the story begins today.

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Isaiah 40:3-5 — “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’”

This is the call that John the Baptist heard from the Scriptures he studied.

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John 1:19-28.

John had been doing what God called him to do, up and down the Jordan Valley. The way he was “preparing a way” for the Lord was by turning the people’s hearts away from themselves and their sin and toward God. He would preach and then baptize those who repented. He painted a picture of the One who was coming after him as eternal, holy, worthy of worship. He did this so the Messiah would be revealed to the people.

John was causing a lot of fuss, and the religious leaders in Jerusalem heard about him. They sent priests and Levites to find out who he was. (Remember, John was in the priestly line; his father, Zechariah, was a priest, and his mother, Elizabeth, was also a “daughter of Aaron.”)

The priests asked him, “Who are you?“

John confessed plainly, “I am not the Christ.”

They asked further, “What then? Are you Elijah?” (Referencing Malachi 3:1 and 45-6, which tells of a future herald.)

John answered, “I am not.“

Priests: “Are you the Prophet?” (Referencing Deuteronomy 18:15-18, where God told Moses about the Messiah.)

John: “No.”

Priests: “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

John quotes Isaiah. “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

The Priests, quoting the Pharisees, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

John: “I baptize with water, but among you stands One you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

That must have given the priests enough fodder, for they departed, leaving John to his baptizing.

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John 1:29-34.

The very next day, while John was again preaching and baptizing, he saw Jesus walking toward him. He knew who the man Jesus was – for they were cousins – but he did not KNOW Jesus was the Messiah, the One whom he was “preparing the people” for. So God gave John a sign, and then he KNEW.

“BEHOLD, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

The Jews were familiar with lambs being used for sacrifice. There was the Passover Lamb that called to remembrance their deliverance from the death angel and escape from Egypt. A lamb was offered in the daily sacrifices for Israel. The Jews understood how their sins were laid upon an animal’s head before it died, and so their sin was atoned for.

Here was the One who would atone for the sins of the world … if, in fact, they “received Him, and believed on His name.” John 1:11.

Then John told how he saw the Holy Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and remain on Him. (It was when he baptized Jesus.) It was the sign from God, and he knew that “THIS IS THE SON OF GOD.“

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (6/10) Luke 24:36-52

Jun10

A five-day-per-week study

June 10 – Luke 24:36-52

Read and Believe in Jesus

“It is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:46b-48

The Gospel according to Luke.

REVIEW – Jesus, in His “resurrected body disguise,” joined two disciples as they walked to Emmaus from Jerusalem after Passover week. They were astounded that this man didn’t know all the amazing things that had happened there, and told Him. Jesus then explained how all those things fulfilled the prophesies about the Messiah in the Scriptures. The two were amazed and said that “their hearts burned.” Jesus accepted their invitation to stay at their home, and when He took the bread, broke it, and gave it to them …. they suddenly recognized him as their Master. At that moment Jesus disappeared. The two rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the apostles.

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Luke 24:36-43.

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, the apostles and disciples were hearing and rejoicing at Simon Peter’s account of seeing Jesus himself. The two from Emmaus arrived and told their story. And there was great rejoicing.

As they were talking, encouraging each other, Jesus suddenly appeared among them. “Peace to you,” He immediately said, for they were frightened, thinking He was a ghost!

“Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

(We may laugh at them, but seriously! How would YOU feel if Jesus in resurrected flesh was suddenly behind you while you read this on your phone or tablet? You would be wide-eyed. You would gasp. Your heart might start pounding. I know that’s how “I” would feel.)

Jesus then held out His nail-printed hands and showed his scarred feet. Surely they could see the healed wounds the crown of thorns made on his forehead. Yes, it was Jesus! Yes, He had risen as He said! But oh, how absolutely amazing and astounding it was to actually SEE Him. They looked and touched, wide-eyed and trembling. They saw Jesus but still “disbelieved for joy.”

(You know how that is. Sometimes something is SO amazing, we might say, “Wow! Unbelievable! I can’t believe I saw that!” That’s the attitude they had.)

Smiling at their amazement and joy, Jesus sought further proof to show them, and asked for some food. Surely ghosts don’t EAT! They gave Jesus a piece of boiled fish, and He ate it. Oh, how they watched wide-eyed as He bit, chewed, and swallowed.

(I can even see Him open His mouth and stick out His tongue to show that the fish had actually been swallowed!! Ha-ha)

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Luke 24:44-49.

Then, as He had done with the two on the road to Emmaus, Jesus told them that “Everything written about Me in 1) the Law of Moses, 2) the Prophets, and 3) the Psalms (the whole Old Testament) must be fulfilled.” Then Jesus did a wonderful thing. He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. Often, when He had taught the crowds, He told His disciples that they wouldn’t understand it all “then,” but they would later. NOW was that time.

(Can you imagine how it would be to totally understand and “see” Jesus throughout the Bible? We study and learn some, but to have instant understanding! Wow. Of course, these men (and women) would need that knowledge, as well as the Holy Spirit in them, to begin preaching the Gospel to all the world.)

Then Jesus states clearly the Gospel that is to be preached to all nations. “That Christ (Messiah) should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name.” This message would first be preached in Jerusalem and then spread to the whole world.

Jesus also promised that He would “clothe them with the power” they would need for the task. The Holy Spirit of God would soon come upon them. They were to wait in the city until this happened. (40 days later, on Pentecost)

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Luke 24:50-53,

Their clear task before them; the promise of power soon to be fulfilled; it was time for Jesus to return to Glory, to the Father, to the place of honor from which he had come 33 earth-years earlier. From there, He would send the Holy Spirit. And there He would intercede for them when the Tempter tried to prevail. And from there He would welcome them home when they were martyred for His name’s sake.

Jesus led them out as far as Bethany on the easter slope of the Mount of Olives. He lifted up His hands in a final blessing on them. And as He did, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.”

Like we would, they continued to stare in amazement into heaven at the last tiny spot they had seen Jesus. Then they worshiped Him (in praise and prayer). They returned to the Holy City with great joy, and were in the temple continually blessing God.

Hallelujah!!

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Luke omits some incidents and words that the other Gospels include after the Resurrection and goes straight to the glorious point of Jesus’ ascension.

As we study John next, we will see Jesus in those precious moments with Mary Magdalene in the garden, with “doubting” Thomas, who then proclaimed Him as “My Lord and my God”, with 500 disciples at one time in Galilee, and with the disciples beside the Sea, when Peter humbly said three times that he DOES love Jesus.

Matthew ends with the Great Commission and Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”