John 20 records Thomas’ first encounter with Jesus after His resurrection. The other disciples had already seen Jesus, but Thomas wasn’t there. When they said they had seen Jesus, Thomas scoffed, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my…
January 25 As He hangs on the cross, just before taking His last few breaths, Jesus speaks those three epic words, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Notice that He doesn’t say, “I am finished.” He says, “It is finished.” But what was finished? His life? His ministry? Everything necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled…
January 24 John has much to say to us about authority and truth in this eighteenth chapter, and how we as humans can handle or mishandle it. Judas has now betrayed Jesus, selling his friendship for a mere thirty pieces of silver—the cost of a common slave. Think about the message in that… everything Judas…
January 23 John 17 is a fascinating chapter as it is completely dedicated to one thing: Jesus praying for His disciples. On April 16, we will read in Luke’s Gospel that one of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. So, what is often called “The Lord’s Prayer” is actually the Disciples’ Prayer, and John…
January 22 Once more, Jesus tells His disciples that He will leave soon, but in His absence His Father will send the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will expand on what Jesus has already told them. (John 16:7–15) There were many things Jesus taught His disciples, who often had no clue what He was telling them….
In yesterday’s devotional, we saw the need for believers—as branches—to bear fruit. Most importantly, we discovered that the branches’ responsibility is to stay attached to the Vine and allow His life to flow through them. (John 15:4–5) The branches don’t have to struggle to produce fruit. In fact, the branches bear fruit that the true…
January 19 John 15 is the famous passage where Jesus told us that He is the true Vine, and we are the branches. It is a wonderful passage which teaches, as we remain on the vine, God will produce His fruit through us. Jesus—as the true Vine—produces fruit through the branches. The responsibility of a…
January 18 Several times in today’s chapter Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit. In fact, He not only talks about the Holy Spirit but the Father as well, sharing some of the Bible’s clearest and most detailed insights about them. John 14 then is a very important passage, and one reason is that it is…
January 17 John’s first twelve chapters cover three years of ministry. In a unique twist, chapters 13-18 cover just one night. It’s as if John throws things into slow motion to catch all the details of this fateful night—the night that would be Jesus’ last with His disciples before His violent mocking, scourging, and death…
January 16 There are several Marys mentioned in the Gospels, and sometimes it’s easy to get confused distinguishing between them. The Mary in today’s Bible reading is Mary of Bethany—the sister of Martha and Lazarus (the friend Jesus raised from the dead in John 11). This Mary is not to be confused with Mary Magdalene;…