Impact The Student Leadership Bible

IMPACTTHE STUDENT LEADERSHIP BIBLE

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IMPACTTHE STUDENT LEADERSHIP BIBLE

Dr. Jay StrackExecutive Editor

Brent Crowe, M.Div., M.A.Associate Editor

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Impact: The Student Leadership Bible© 2008 by Jay Strack

The Holy Bible, New King James Version®

© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photo-copy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews orarticles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville,Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson.Thomas Nelson is a registeredtrademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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The text of the New King James Version (NKJV) may be quoted or reprinted with-out prior written permission with the following qualifications:

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(2) all NKJV quotations must conform accurately to the NKJV text.

Any use of the NKJV text must include a proper acknowledgment as follows: Scrip-ture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson,Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved.

However, when quotations from the NKJV text are used in church bulletins, orders ofservice, Sunday school lessons, church newsletters, and similar works in the course ofreligious instruction or services at a place or worship or other religious assembly, thefollowing notice may be used at the end of each quotation: NKJV.

For quotation requests not covered by the above guidelines, write to Thomas NelsonPublishers,ATTN: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville,Tennessee 37214-1000.

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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Introduction to Impact......................................................................................................viGC2: Love God—Love Others—Make Disciples ...........................................................viiiPreface to the New King James Version ...........................................................................xiContributors..................................................................................................................xix

THE OLD TESTAMENTBook Abbreviation PageGenesis..........................Gen. ...................1Exodus..........................Ex.....................72Leviticus........................Lev..................126Numbers.......................Num...............158Deuteronomy................Deut. ..............202Joshua ...........................Josh.................244Judges ...........................Judg. ...............271Ruth.............................Ruth...............2991 Samuel .......................1 Sam. ............3052 Samuel .......................2 Sam. ............3451 Kings .........................1 Kin. .............3762 Kings .........................2 Kin. .............4091 Chronicles..................1 Chr..............4412 Chronicles..................2 Chr..............470Ezra ..............................Ezra ................487Nehemiah .....................Neh. ...............519Esther............................Esth. ...............537Job ................................Job..................546Psalms ...........................Ps. ..................582Proverbs ........................Prov. ...............692Ecclesiastes ....................Eccl. ...............729Song of Solomon ..........Song ...............741Isaiah.............................Is. ...................748Jeremiah........................Jer. ..................824Lamentations.................Lam. ...............894Ezekiel ..........................Ezek. ..............903Daniel ...........................Dan. ...............958Hosea............................Hos.................978Joel ...............................Joel .................990Amos ............................Amos ..............997Obadiah ........................Obad. ...........1007Jonah.............................Jon. ...............1010Micah ...........................Mic. ..............1014Nahum .........................Nah. .............1022

Habakkuk .....................Hab...............1026Zephaniah.....................Zeph.............1032Haggai ..........................Hag...............1038Zechariah......................Zech. ............1041Malachi .........................Mal. ..............1053

THE NEW TESTAMENTBook Abbreviation PageMatthew .......................Matt..............1061Mark.............................Mark.............1128Luke .............................Luke .............1161John ..............................John..............1217Acts...............................Acts ..............1276Romans ........................Rom.............13271 Corinthians ................1 Cor. ...........13592 Corinthians ................2 Cor. ...........1379Galatians .......................Gal................1395Ephesians ......................Eph...............1406Philippians ....................Phil. ..............1423Colossians .....................Col. ..............14351 Thessalonians..............1 Thess..........14432 Thessalonians..............2 Thess..........14491 Timothy .....................1 Tim............14522 Timothy .....................2 Tim............1458Titus .............................Titus .............1470Philemon ......................Philem. .........1473Hebrews........................Heb. .............1476James.............................James ............14931 Peter ..........................1 Pet. ............15062 Peter ..........................2 Pet. ............15181 John ...........................1 John...........15232 John ...........................2 John...........15333 John ...........................3 John...........1535Jude ..............................Jude ..............1538Revelation ....................Rev...............1541

Expanded Through the Grid Articles...........................................................................1565What You Want to Know, but Don’t Know Who to Ask ..............................................157524/7 Counselor:Topical Index ....................................................................................1600

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IMPACT O F T H E B O O K

IDEA You cannot accept Jesus as Savior if you do not alsoaccept Him as Lord over your life. Jesus is God. (See especially John 20:28–31).

MESSAGE Jesus’ call to salvation included a call to make Him Lord. Just asHe submitted to the will of His Father, we, too, are to submit toChrist. Only then can we truly know how to lead others. Almosthalf the book is devoted to the Passion (the last week of Jesus’life). How do you respond under pressure or finish well? Lookto Jesus who, in His most difficult and trying times, had the clar-ity, love, and vision to invest in His followers.

PEOPLE Chief Priests, Jesus, John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, Phar-isees, Pilate, Samaritan Woman, Twelve Disciples

AUTHOR John “the beloved disciple” and son of Zebedee wrote from hishome in Ephesus. His brother James was also one of Jesus’ dis-ciples. They were fishermen in Galilee before the Lord calledthem. His purpose was to convince people to believe in Christand experience eternal life.

CULTURE John lived a long life in Ephesus, the largest city in the Romanprovince of Asia. John included incidents missing from the otherGospels such as Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead, the seven“I am” statements, and Jesus’ meeting with the SamaritanWoman, which shattered racial and religious bigotry. John fo-cuses on the deity of Jesus, yet He willingly humbled Himself tobe a servant, highlighted by washing the disciples’ feet, and lay-ing down His life to pay the penalty for human sinfulness. John’sGospel was written much later than the other three Gospels.Christianity was now spreading all over the world.

TIMELINE AD 80–90

1:1–5, 11–14, 29; 3:3, 16; 6:51; 8:12; 10:27–30; 11:25, 26; 13:34, 35;14:1–6; 15:13; 20:30, 31

KEY SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES

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THE ETERNAL WORD

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Wordwas with God, and the Word was God. 2He was

in the beginning with God. 3All things were madethrough Him, and without Him nothing wasmade that was made. 4In Him was life, and the lifewas the light of men. 5And the light shines in thedarkness, and the darkness did not comprehenda it.

JOHN’S WITNESS: THE TRUE LIGHT

6There was a man sent from God, whosename was John. 7This man came for a witness, tobear witness of the Light, that all through himmight believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sentto bear witness of that Light. 9That was the trueLight which gives light to every man coming intothe world.a

10He was in the world, and the world wasmade through Him, and the world did not knowHim. 11He came to His own,a and His ownb didnot receive Him. 12But as many as received Him,to them He gave the right to become children ofGod, to those who believe in His name: 13whowere born, not of blood, nor of the will of theflesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

THE WORD BECOMES FLESH

14And the Word became flesh and dweltamong us, and we beheld His glory, the glory asof the only begotten of the Father, full of graceand truth.

15John bore witness of Him and cried out,saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who

comes after me is preferred before me, for He wasbefore me.’ ”

16Anda of His fullness we have all received,and grace for grace. 17For the law was giventhrough Moses, but grace and truth came throughJesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time.The only begotten Son,a who is in the bosom ofthe Father, He has declared Him.

A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS

19Now this is the testimony of John, whenthe Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalemto ask him,“Who are you?”

20He confessed, and did not deny, but con-fessed,“I am not the Christ.”

21And they asked him, “What then? Are youElijah?”

He said,“I am not.”“Are you the Prophet?”And he answered,“No.”22Then they said to him, “Who are you, that

we may give an answer to those who sent us?What do you say about yourself?”

23He said:“I am

‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:“Make straight the way of the LORD,” ’ a

as the prophet Isaiah said.”24Now those who were sent were from the

Pharisees. 25And they asked him, saying, “Why

JOHN 1:1 1218

1:5 aOr overcome 1:9 aOr That was the true Light which, cominginto the world, gives light to every man. 1:11 aThat is, His ownthings or domain bThat is, His own people 1:16 aNU-Text readsFor. 1:18 aNU-Text reads only begotten God. 1:23 aIsaiah 40:3

Belief Five: Jesus Christ (John 1:1–18)

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who is perfect in all His ways. Jesus is at thesame time fully God and fully man, providing the bridge between an all-holy and righ-teous God and sinful humanity. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, and He ultimatelysuffered and died on a cross in order to atone for our sins. Christ died, was buried, androse from the dead, and He will come again at the end of time (Is. 9:6, 7; Mic. 5:2; John1:1–18; 8:58; 14:1–9; Acts 1:1–11; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 2:6–11; Col. 1:13–23; 2:9, 10; Heb.1:1–3; 4:15). See Through the Grid article on page 1569.

Thinking Christianly: Ten FoundationalBeliefs of a Christian WorldviewTHROUGH THE GRID


then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, norElijah, nor the Prophet?”

26John answered them, saying,“I baptize withwater, but there stands One among you whomyou do not know. 27It is He who, coming afterme, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap Iam not worthy to loose.”

28These things were done in Bethabaraa be-yond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

THE LAMB OF GOD

29The next day John saw Jesus coming towardhim, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God whotakes away the sin of the world! 30This is He ofwhom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is pre-ferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31I didnot know Him; but that He should be revealed toIsrael, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

32And John bore witness, saying, “I saw theSpirit descending from heaven like a dove, andHe remained upon Him. 33I did not know Him,but He who sent me to baptize with water said tome, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending,and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizeswith the Holy Spirit.’ 34And I have seen and testi-fied that this is the Son of God.”

THE FIRST DISCIPLES

35Again, the next day, John stood with two ofhis disciples. 36And looking at Jesus as He walked,he said,“Behold the Lamb of God!”

37The two disciples heard him speak, and theyfollowed Jesus. 38Then Jesus turned, and seeingthem following, said to them, “What do youseek?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say,when translated, Teacher), “where are You stay-ing?”

39He said to them, “Come and see.” They

came and saw where He was staying, and re-mained with Him that day (now it was about thetenth hour).

40One of the two who heard John speak, andfollowed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.41He first found his own brother Simon, and saidto him, “We have found the Messiah” (which istranslated, the Christ). 42And he brought him toJesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said,“You are Simon the son of Jonah.a You shall becalled Cephas” (which is translated,A Stone).

PHILIP AND NATHANAEL

43The following day Jesus wanted to go toGalilee, and He found Philip and said to him,“Follow Me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida,the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip foundNathanael and said to him,“We have found Himof whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets,wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46And Nathanael said to him, “Can anythinggood come out of Nazareth?”

Philip said to him,“Come and see.”47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him,

and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, inwhom is no deceit!”

48Nathanael said to Him,“How do You knowme?”

Jesus answered and said to him,“Before Philipcalled you, when you were under the fig tree, Isaw you.”

49Nathanael answered and said to Him,“Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are theKing of Israel!”

50Jesus answered and said to him, “Because Isaid to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do youbelieve? You will see greater things than these.”

JOHN 1:501219

1:28 aNU-Text and M-Text read Bethany. 1:42 aNU-Text reads John.

The Bible refers to the world in two distinct ways. The first meaning of “the world” in-cludes the cosmos of all created matter. This is the nature that exists all around us. Theother meaning of “the world” is the cosmos of the created, personal realm, which in-cludes dealings with the social world of people, cultures, and societies.

Making Sense of Your World: The Bible and the World (John 1:10)THROUGH THE GRID


51And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say toyou, hereaftera you shall see heaven open, and theangels of God ascending and descending uponthe Son of Man.”

WATER TURNED TO WINE

2On the third day there was a wedding in Canaof Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

2Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited tothe wedding. 3And when they ran out of wine, themother of Jesus said to Him,“They have no wine.”

4Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does yourconcern have to do with Me? My hour has notyet come.”

5His mother said to the servants, “WhateverHe says to you, do it.”

6Now there were set there six waterpots ofstone, according to the manner of purification ofthe Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallonsapiece. 7Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpotswith water.”And they filled them up to the brim.8And He said to them,“Draw some out now, andtake it to the master of the feast.” And they tookit. 9When the master of the feast had tasted the

water that was made wine, and did not knowwhere it came from (but the servants who haddrawn the water knew), the master of the feastcalled the bridegroom. 10And he said to him,“Every man at the beginning sets out the goodwine, and when the guests have well drunk, thenthe inferior.You have kept the good wine untilnow!”

11This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana ofGalilee, and manifested His glory; and His disci-ples believed in Him.

12After this He went down to Capernaum,He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples;and they did not stay there many days.

JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE

13Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand,and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14And He foundin the temple those who sold oxen and sheepand doves, and the money changers doing busi-ness. 15When He had made a whip of cords, Hedrove them all out of the temple, with the sheepand the oxen, and poured out the changers’

JOHN 1:51 1220

1:51 aNU-Text omits hereafter.

ANDREW: Keep First Things FirstJOHN 1:35–41

In life, many people are defined by the last thing they did, but even more are known forthe first thing they did. Leaders can spend a lifetime overcoming a bad beginning. Booksare written of lives destroyed by doing the wrong “first things.” Leaders not only start bydoing the right “first things,” but continue to do so.

Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother. He was known as a follower of John the Baptist.When John the Baptist pointed out Jesus’ true identity, Andrew immediately became afollower. A day spent with Jesus resulted in a life transformed with the knowledge thatthe Messiah had come (John 1:35–41). Andrew was a leader who got it right.

His first action as a new believer was to find his own brother, Simon Peter, and tell him,“We have found the Messiah” ( John 1:41). When the problem of feeding 5,000 peoplecame up, he was the first to bring a solution of faith: “There is a lad here who has fivebarley loaves and two small fish” (John 6:9).

When foreigners came who wanted to meet Jesus, Andrew set up the meeting (John12:12). Leaders like Andrew focus on the introduction of Jesus to a lost world as a “firstthing” in their lives.

theINSIDE INFLUENCERS


money and overturned the tables. 16And He saidto those who sold doves,“Take these things away!Do not make My Father’s house a house of mer-chandise!” 17Then His disciples remembered thatit was written, “Zeal for Your house has eatena

Me up.” b

18So the Jews answered and said to Him,“What sign do You show to us, since You do thesethings?”

19Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroythis temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-sixyears to build this temple, and will You raise it upin three days?”

21But He was speaking of the temple of Hisbody. 22Therefore, when He had risen from thedead, His disciples remembered that He had saidthis to them;a and they believed the Scripture andthe word which Jesus had said.

THE DISCERNER OF HEARTS

23Now when He was in Jerusalem at thePassover, during the feast, many believed in Hisname when they saw the signs which He did.24But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, be-cause He knew all men, 25and had no need thatanyone should testify of man, for He knew whatwas in man.

THE NEW BIRTH

3There was a man of the Pharisees namedNicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2This man

came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi,we know that You are a teacher come from God;for no one can do these signs that You do unlessGod is with him.”

3Jesus answered and said to him, “Most as-suredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, hecannot see the kingdom of God.”

4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a manbe born when he is old? Can he enter a secondtime into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5Jesus answered,“Most assuredly, I say to you,unless one is born of water and the Spirit, hecannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That whichis born of the flesh is flesh, and that which isborn of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not marvel that Isaid to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The windblows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of

it, but cannot tell where it comes from andwhere it goes. So is everyone who is born of theSpirit.”

9Nicodemus answered and said to Him,“How can these things be?”

10Jesus answered and said to him, “Are youthe teacher of Israel, and do not know thesethings? 11Most assuredly, I say to you, We speakwhat We know and testify what We have seen,and you do not receive Our witness. 12If I havetold you earthly things and you do not believe,how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?13No one has ascended to heaven but He whocame down from heaven, that is, the Son of Manwho is in heaven.a 14And as Moses lifted up theserpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son ofMan be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in Himshould not perish buta have eternal life. 16For Godso loved the world that He gave His only begot-ten Son, that whoever believes in Him should notperish but have everlasting life. 17For God did notsend His Son into the world to condemn theworld, but that the world through Him might besaved.

18“He who believes in Him is not con-demned; but he who does not believe is con-demned already, because he has not believed inthe name of the only begotten Son of God. 19Andthis is the condemnation, that the light has comeinto the world, and men loved darkness ratherthan light, because their deeds were evil. 20Foreveryone practicing evil hates the light and doesnot come to the light, lest his deeds should be ex-posed. 21But he who does the truth comes to thelight, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that theyhave been done in God.”

JOHN THE BAPTIST EXALTS CHRIST

22After these things Jesus and His disciplescame into the land of Judea, and there He re-mained with them and baptized. 23Now John alsowas baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because therewas much water there. And they came and werebaptized. 24For John had not yet been thrown intoprison.

25Then there arose a dispute between some of

JOHN 3:251221

2:17 aNU-Text and M-Text read will eat. bPsalm 69:9 2:22 aNU-Textand M-Text omit to them. 3:13 aNU-Text omits who is in heaven.3:15 aNU-Text omits not perish but.


L E A D E R S H I P I S S U E S

GC2: Encountering Jesus: The Startling Love of Jesus

JOHN 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, thatwhoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Possibly the most familiar of all Bible verses is about a God who loves.How startling it is when we begin to imagine the wonder of such love,the miracle of the gift named Jesus!

All across the pages of Scripture we’re touched by the uniqueness of theGod-Man, Jesus. Christ’s words were startling and His miracles amazing,but everything He said and did was meant to call attention to how Heloved.Take a moment now to reflect on how Jesus loved people and howHe startled them with His love.

Jesus startled lepers by healing their bodies and bringing dignity to their lives, sometimes even touching them in order to heal them (Luke 5:12, 13; 17:11–19).

Christ startled a Samaritan woman when He broke all cultural conven-tions by asking her for a drink of water. In the midst of her shame and re-jection, the Savior entrusted her with a conversation about eternal things(John 4:4–26).

Jesus startled the woman caught in adultery when He knelt down besideher, joining her at the point of her hurt and providing protection for herlife. He dispersed her accusers with His words and then offered restorationto her as He lovingly said,“Woman, where are those accusers of yours?Has no one condemned you? . . . Neither do I condemn you; go and sinno more” (John 8:10, 11).

Pause now and ask Jesus to startle you with His love.

JOHN 1222


John’s disciples and the Jews about purification.26And they came to John and said to him,“Rabbi,He who was with you beyond the Jordan, towhom you have testified—behold, He is baptiz-ing, and all are coming to Him!”

27John answered and said,“A man can receivenothing unless it has been given to him fromheaven. 28You yourselves bear me witness, that Isaid, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sentbefore Him.’ 29He who has the bride is thebridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom,who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly be-cause of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore thisjoy of mine is fulfilled. 30He must increase, but Imust decrease. 31He who comes from above isabove all; he who is of the earth is earthly andspeaks of the earth. He who comes from heavenis above all. 32And what He has seen and heard,that He testifies; and no one receives His testi-mony. 33He who has received His testimony hascertified that God is true. 34For He whom Godhas sent speaks the words of God, for God doesnot give the Spirit by measure. 35The Fatherloves the Son, and has given all things into Hishand. 36He who believes in the Son has everlast-ing life; and he who does not believe the Sonshall not see life, but the wrath of God abides onhim.”

A SAMARITAN WOMAN MEETS HER MESSIAH

4Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Phar-isees had heard that Jesus made and baptized

more disciples than John 2(though Jesus Himselfdid not baptize, but His disciples), 3He left Judeaand departed again to Galilee. 4But He needed togo through Samaria.

5So He came to a city of Samaria which iscalled Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacobgave to his son Joseph. 6Now Jacob’s well wasthere. Jesus therefore, being wearied from Hisjourney, sat thus by the well. It was about thesixth hour.

7A woman of Samaria came to draw water.Jesus said to her,“Give Me a drink.” 8For His dis-ciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9Then the woman of Samaria said to Him,“How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink fromme, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no deal-ings with Samaritans.

10Jesus answered and said to her, “If youknew the gift of God, and who it is who says toyou, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have askedHim, and He would have given you living wa-ter.”

11The woman said to Him, “Sir, You havenothing to draw with, and the well is deep.Wherethen do You get that living water? 12Are Yougreater than our father Jacob, who gave us thewell, and drank from it himself, as well as his sonsand his livestock?”

13Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoeverdrinks of this water will thirst again, 14but who-ever drinks of the water that I shall give him willnever thirst. But the water that I shall give himwill become in him a fountain of water springingup into everlasting life.”

15The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me thiswater, that I may not thirst, nor come here todraw.”

16Jesus said to her,“Go, call your husband, andcome here.”

17The woman answered and said, “I have nohusband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I haveno husband,’ 18for you have had five husbands, andthe one whom you now have is not your hus-band; in that you spoke truly.”

19The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceivethat You are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshipedon this mountain, and you Jews say that inJerusalem is the place where one ought to wor-ship.”

21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, thehour is coming when you will neither on thismountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.22You worship what you do not know; weknow what we worship, for salvation is of theJews. 23But the hour is coming, and now is,when the true worshipers will worship the Fa-ther in spirit and truth; for the Father is seekingsuch to worship Him. 24God is Spirit, and thosewho worship Him must worship in spirit andtruth.”

25The woman said to Him, “I know thatMessiah is coming” (who is called Christ).“WhenHe comes, He will tell us all things.”

26Jesus said to her, “I who speak to youam He.”

JOHN 4:261223


THE WHITENED HARVEST

27And at this point His disciples came, andthey marveled that He talked with a woman; yetno one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why areYou talking with her?”

28The woman then left her waterpot, wenther way into the city, and said to the men,29“Come, see a Man who told me all things that Iever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30Then theywent out of the city and came to Him.

31In the meantime His disciples urged Him,saying,“Rabbi, eat.”

32But He said to them,“I have food to eat ofwhich you do not know.”

33Therefore the disciples said to one another,“Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”

34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do thewill of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.35Do you not say, ‘There are still four months andthen comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, liftup your eyes and look at the fields, for they are al-ready white for harvest! 36And he who reaps re-ceives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, thatboth he who sows and he who reaps may rejoicetogether. 37For in this the saying is true:‘One sowsand another reaps.’ 38I sent you to reap that forwhich you have not labored; others have labored,and you have entered into their labors.”

THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

39And many of the Samaritans of that city be-lieved in Him because of the word of the womanwho testified,“He told me all that I ever did.” 40Sowhen the Samaritans had come to Him, theyurged Him to stay with them; and He stayedthere two days. 41And many more believed be-cause of His own word.

42Then they said to the woman, “Now webelieve, not because of what you said, for we our-selves have heard Him and we know that this isindeed the Christ,a the Savior of the world.”

WELCOME AT GALILEE

43Now after the two days He departed fromthere and went to Galilee. 44For Jesus Himself tes-tified that a prophet has no honor in his owncountry. 45So when He came to Galilee, theGalileans received Him, having seen all the things

He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also hadgone to the feast.

A NOBLEMAN’S SON HEALED

46So Jesus came again to Cana of Galileewhere He had made the water wine. And therewas a certain nobleman whose son was sick atCapernaum. 47When he heard that Jesus hadcome out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Himand implored Him to come down and heal hisson, for he was at the point of death. 48Then Jesussaid to him,“Unless you people see signs and won-ders, you will by no means believe.”

49The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, comedown before my child dies!”

50Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your sonlives.” So the man believed the word that Jesusspoke to him, and he went his way. 51And as hewas now going down, his servants met him andtold him, saying,“Your son lives!”

52Then he inquired of them the hour whenhe got better. And they said to him,“Yesterday atthe seventh hour the fever left him.” 53So the fa-ther knew that it was at the same hour in whichJesus said to him,“Your son lives.”And he himselfbelieved, and his whole household.

54This again is the second sign Jesus did whenHe had come out of Judea into Galilee.

A MAN HEALED AT THE POOL OF BETHESDA

5After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Je-sus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now there is in

Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which iscalled in Hebrew, Bethesda,a having five porches.3In these lay a great multitude of sick people,blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving ofthe water. 4For an angel went down at a certaintime into the pool and stirred up the water; thenwhoever stepped in first, after the stirring of thewater, was made well of whatever disease he had.a5Now a certain man was there who had an infir-mity thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lyingthere, and knew that he already had been in thatcondition a long time, He said to him, “Do youwant to be made well?”

7The sick man answered Him,“Sir, I have no

JOHN 4:27 1224

4:42 aNU-Text omits the Christ. 5:2 aNU-Text reads Bethzatha.5:4 aNU-Text omits waiting for the moving of the water at the end ofverse 3, and all of verse 4.



Come and See What Jesus Did

JOHN 4:29

No one can tell the story of what Christ has done in your life quite likeyou.The power of a personal testimony is unmatched in evangelism. Peo-ple may scoff at Scripture and debate doctrine, but no one can deny thelife-changing power of Jesus in a person’s life.

The Samaritan woman was dramatically changed, and her first thoughtwas to tell everyone to come see Jesus! We are to be just that to our worldtoday. Jesus does not need a lawyer to defend Him in today’s society, justfaithful witnesses of His life-changing power in our personal lives.

A testimony has three very distinct aspects: your life before Christ, howyou came to meet Christ, and what Christ is now doing in your life. Godcan use each of these aspects to draw someone to Himself.

When sharing your personal testimony, study these key ideas to keep youon track: Keep unfamiliar language to a minimum, most people will notunderstand many terms used in church today.When you use words like“sin,”“lost,” or other church phrases, take time to define them to your listener; do not assume they understand these key phrases.

Keep your conversation focused on Jesus.Although it is your life story, itwas what Christ did that changed your life.

Above all else, practice your testimony to make it fluent and practical.Atestimony is designed to be an opening conversation to share how Christcan change the listener’s life.

A testimony should always close with an opportunity for response.Thiscan be done with a question like,“Has anything like this ever happenedto you?” If the answer is yes, ask the person to elaborate for your encour-agement. If the answer is no, there are several great ways to introduce thisperson to Christ. For more help on being an effective personal evangelist,go to www.sharingthefaith.com.

JOHN1225



GC2: Humble Dependence

JOHN 5:19

Imagine that you are one of the twelve disciples.You have left everythingto follow Jesus, entrusting your life and future to this carpenter fromNazareth.Your hopes are riding on an unclear vision of His plans for a“kingdom.” It is becoming increasingly clear that the Jewish leaders arenot big fans of His—in fact, they are trying to kill Him, and maybe youtoo!

Now imagine your reaction as you hear Jesus say:“the Son can do noth-ing of Himself ” (John 5:19).Are you surprised by this declaration ofhumble dependence? Surely this One whom you are following has somekind of plan, right? Doesn’t He enjoy some sense of security about thefuture? Are you a bit shocked when you hear Him say, in essence,“I justwait around for the Father to show Me what to do”?

Jesus’ words, startling though they may be, provide the blueprint for ourlives.We are called to express humility through complete dependenceupon God. Faithful, maturing disciples who walk intimately with theSpirit are able to declare, as Christ did,“I can of Myself do nothing”(John 5:30).

JOHN 1226


man to put me into the pool when the water isstirred up; but while I am coming, another stepsdown before me.”

8Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bedand walk.” 9And immediately the man was madewell, took up his bed, and walked.

And that day was the Sabbath. 10The Jewstherefore said to him who was cured,“It is the Sab-bath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”

11He answered them,“He who made me wellsaid to me,‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ”

12Then they asked him, “Who is the Manwho said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”13But the one who was healed did not know whoit was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude beingin that place. 14Afterward Jesus found him in thetemple, and said to him, “See, you have beenmade well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing comeupon you.”

15The man departed and told the Jews that itwas Jesus who had made him well.

HONOR THE FATHER AND THE SON

16For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus,and sought to kill Him,a because He had donethese things on the Sabbath. 17But Jesus answeredthem, “My Father has been working until now,and I have been working.”

18Therefore the Jews sought all the more tokill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath,but also said that God was His Father, makingHimself equal with God. 19Then Jesus answeredand said to them,“Most assuredly, I say to you, theSon can do nothing of Himself, but what He seesthe Father do; for whatever He does, the Son alsodoes in like manner. 20For the Father loves theSon, and shows Him all things that He Himselfdoes; and He will show Him greater works thanthese, that you may marvel. 21For as the Fatherraises the dead and gives life to them, even so theSon gives life to whom He will. 22For the Fatherjudges no one, but has committed all judgment tothe Son, 23that all should honor the Son just asthey honor the Father. He who does not honorthe Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

LIFE AND JUDGMENT ARE THROUGH THE SON

24“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hearsMy word and believes in Him who sent Me has

everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment,but has passed from death into life. 25Most as-suredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and nowis, when the dead will hear the voice of the Sonof God; and those who hear will live. 26For as theFather has life in Himself, so He has granted theSon to have life in Himself, 27and has given Himauthority to execute judgment also, because He isthe Son of Man. 28Do not marvel at this; for thehour is coming in which all who are in the graveswill hear His voice 29and come forth—those whohave done good, to the resurrection of life, andthose who have done evil, to the resurrection ofcondemnation. 30I can of Myself do nothing.As Ihear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, be-cause I do not seek My own will but the will ofthe Father who sent Me.

THE FOURFOLD WITNESS

31“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness isnot true. 32There is another who bears witness ofMe, and I know that the witness which He wit-nesses of Me is true. 33You have sent to John, andhe has borne witness to the truth. 34Yet I do notreceive testimony from man, but I say these thingsthat you may be saved. 35He was the burning andshining lamp, and you were willing for a time torejoice in his light. 36But I have a greater witnessthan John’s; for the works which the Father hasgiven Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.37And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testi-fied of Me.You have neither heard His voice atany time, nor seen His form. 38But you do nothave His word abiding in you, because whom Hesent, Him you do not believe. 39You search theScriptures, for in them you think you have eternallife; and these are they which testify of Me. 40Butyou are not willing to come to Me that you mayhave life.

41“I do not receive honor from men. 42But Iknow you, that you do not have the love of Godin you. 43I have come in My Father’s name, andyou do not receive Me; if another comes in hisown name, him you will receive. 44How can youbelieve, who receive honor from one another, anddo not seek the honor that comes from the onlyGod? 45Do not think that I shall accuse you to

JOHN 5:451227

5:16 aNU-Text omits and sought to kill Him.



GC2: Sharing Christ: Others-Centered Love

JOHN 5:20 The Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himselfdoes.

God’s love is characteristically focused on others. Even the Father “focuses” on loving the Son, and the Son “focuses” on loving the Father.“I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love”(John 15:10).To have received this love at your new birth is to have par-taken of the divine nature through the renewing work of the Holy Spirit.

This divine “others-centered” nature is birthed in us as we yield to theHoly Spirit in order that we might love as Jesus loved. Consider some ofthe ways in which Jesus loved those around Him:

• He loved Zacchaeus by accepting him, looking beyond his faults tohis needs (Luke 19:1–10).

• He loved the little children with affection, touch, and affirmingwords (Matt. 19:13–15).

• He loved Mary in her pain with tear-filled eyes of comfort (John 11:35).

• He loved Peter in his failure with promises of prayer and restoration(Luke 22:31, 32).

Just before He went to the cross, Christ gave a new command: that welove one another as He loves us (John 13:34, 35).

Prayerfully reflect on the people in your life as you ask for the Father’spromise concerning others-centered love. Pause to consider which ofthem might benefit from God’s acceptance or affection, care or comfort,prayer or promised restoration.

JOHN 1228


the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses,in whom you trust. 46For if you believed Moses,you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.47But if you do not believe his writings, how willyou believe My words?”

FEEDING THE FIVE THOUSAND

6After these things Jesus went over the Sea ofGalilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2Then a

great multitude followed Him, because they sawHis signs which He performed on those who werediseased. 3And Jesus went up on the mountain, andthere He sat with His disciples.

4Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, wasnear. 5Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing agreat multitude coming toward Him, He said toPhilip,“Where shall we buy bread, that these mayeat?” 6But this He said to test him, for He Himselfknew what He would do.

7Philip answered Him,“Two hundred denariiworth of bread is not sufficient for them, thatevery one of them may have a little.”

8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’sbrother, said to Him, 9“There is a lad here whohas five barley loaves and two small fish, but whatare they among so many?”

10Then Jesus said, “Make the people sitdown.” Now there was much grass in the place.So the men sat down, in number about five thou-sand. 11And Jesus took the loaves, and when Hehad given thanks He distributed them to the disci-ples, and the disciplesa to those sitting down; andlikewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12Sowhen they were filled, He said to His disciples,“Gather up the fragments that remain, so thatnothing is lost.” 13Therefore they gathered themup, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments ofthe five barley loaves which were left over bythose who had eaten. 14Then those men, whenthey had seen the sign that Jesus did, said,“This istruly the Prophet who is to come into theworld.”

JESUS WALKS ON THE SEA

15Therefore when Jesus perceived that theywere about to come and take Him by force tomake Him king, He departed again to the moun-tain by Himself alone.

16Now when evening came, His disciples

went down to the sea, 17got into the boat, andwent over the sea toward Capernaum.And it wasalready dark, and Jesus had not come to them.18Then the sea arose because a great wind wasblowing. 19So when they had rowed about threeor four miles,a they saw Jesus walking on the seaand drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.20But He said to them,“It is I; do not be afraid.”21Then they willingly received Him into the boat,and immediately the boat was at the land wherethey were going.

THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN

22On the following day, when the peoplewho were standing on the other side of the seasaw that there was no other boat there, exceptthat one which His disciples had entered,a andthat Jesus had not entered the boat with His disci-ples, but His disciples had gone away alone—23however, other boats came from Tiberias, nearthe place where they ate bread after the Lord hadgiven thanks— 24when the people therefore sawthat Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, theyalso got into boats and came to Capernaum, seek-ing Jesus. 25And when they found Him on theother side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi,when did You come here?”

26Jesus answered them and said, “Most as-suredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not becauseyou saw the signs, but because you ate of theloaves and were filled. 27Do not labor for the foodwhich perishes, but for the food which endures toeverlasting life, which the Son of Man will giveyou, because God the Father has set His seal onHim.”

28Then they said to Him,“What shall we do,that we may work the works of God?”

29Jesus answered and said to them,“This is thework of God, that you believe in Him whom Hesent.”

30Therefore they said to Him,“What sign willYou perform then, that we may see it and believeYou? What work will You do? 31Our fathers atethe manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gavethem bread from heaven to eat.’ ” a

JOHN 6:311229

6:11 aNU-Text omits to the disciples, and the disciples. 6:19 aLiter-ally twenty-five or thirty stadia 6:22 aNU-Text omits that and whichHis disciples had entered. 6:31 aExodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15;Psalm 78:24



The Heavy Lifting of Leadership

JOHN 6

When Jesus began His ministry, the crowds around Him were huge.Thousands followed Him, looking for the Messiah, for healing, and for aplace to belong. John 6 reveals the kind of messiah that the peoplewanted.They wanted a superhero kind of guy who could do wonders andfill their bellies at the same time. In fact, the chapter begins by saying,“Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs” (v. 2).The story continues with more crowds beginning to follow Jesus—a gen-eration seeking to fill their bellies and be entertained. Jesus saw throughtheir motives:“You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but becauseyou ate of the loaves and were filled” (v. 26).They were looking for thesensation of entertainment, and Jesus decided to confront their motives.

The people wanted to speak of a popular and powerful messiah, but Hespoke of Himself as the Messiah who came to save the people from theirsin. He took it a step further when He taught:“He who eats My flesh anddrinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (v. 56).The people didn’tlike this kind of talk. Feeding the crowds was exciting, and watching thelame being healed was mind blowing, but this talk of eating flesh anddrinking blood—what was that? Even His disciples said,“This is a hardsaying” (v. 60).

What happens next is one of the most tragic verses in the entire Bible:“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Himno more” (v. 66). Not only did the crowd give up on His “hard saying,”but some of Jesus’ disciples left as well.

Leaders are devoted followers who hang in there for the “heavy lifting.”They are not quitters who look for an easy message; they are careful toexamine their motives often. Many are willing to call themselves Chris-tians when the talk is of love and the crowd is social, but there are fewerwho stay devoted when the “hard sayings”—such as criticism and per-sonal sacrifice—come along.

JOHN 1230


32Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, Isay to you, Moses did not give you the breadfrom heaven, but My Father gives you the truebread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is Hewho comes down from heaven and gives life tothe world.”

34Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us thisbread always.”

35And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread oflife. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, andhe who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36But Isaid to you that you have seen Me and yet do notbelieve. 37All that the Father gives Me will cometo Me, and the one who comes to Me I will byno means cast out. 38For I have come down fromheaven, not to do My own will, but the will ofHim who sent Me. 39This is the will of the Fatherwho sent Me, that of all He has given Me Ishould lose nothing, but should raise it up at thelast day. 40And this is the will of Him who sentMe, that everyone who sees the Son and believesin Him may have everlasting life; and I will raisehim up at the last day.”

REJECTED BY HIS OWN

41The Jews then complained about Him, be-cause He said,“I am the bread which came downfrom heaven.” 42And they said, “Is not this Jesus,the son of Joseph, whose father and mother weknow? How is it then that He says, ‘I have comedown from heaven’?”

43Jesus therefore answered and said to them,“Do not murmur among yourselves. 44No one

can come to Me unless the Father who sent Medraws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.45It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall allbe taught by God.’ a Therefore everyone who hasheard and learnedb from the Father comes to Me.46Not that anyone has seen the Father, except Hewho is from God; He has seen the Father. 47Mostassuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Mea haseverlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fa-thers ate the manna in the wilderness, and aredead. 50This is the bread which comes down fromheaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51I amthe living bread which came down from heaven.If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which Ishall give for the life of the world.”

52The Jews therefore quarreled among them-selves, saying,“How can this Man give us His fleshto eat?”

53Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, Isay to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son ofMan and drink His blood, you have no life inyou. 54Whoever eats My flesh and drinks Myblood has eternal life, and I will raise him up atthe last day. 55For My flesh is food indeed,a andMy blood is drink indeed. 56He who eats Myflesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I inhim. 57As the living Father sent Me, and I live be-cause of the Father, so he who feeds on Me willlive because of Me. 58This is the bread whichcame down from heaven—not as your fathers ate

JOHN 6:581231

6:45 aIsaiah 54:13 bM-Text reads hears and has learned. 6:47 aNU-Text omits in Me. 6:55 aNU-Text reads true food and true drink.

Of course, one can study apologetics until one knows all the theories and proofs for theexistence of God backward and forward, but the best proof of the validity of Christian-ity lies in the witness of one’s own personal life. Whether one likes it or not, one is con-stantly being judged by outsiders and non-Christians, who are all yearning to seewhat’s so different and special about the Christian faith. We provide a powerful witnessto others when we obediently live our lives under the leadership of God and find inno-vative ways to love our neighbors and care for nature.

Where Have All the Dreamers Gone?Observations from a BiblicalWorldview: The Witness of PersonalLives (John 5:32, 33)

THROUGH THE GRID


the manna, and are dead. He who eats this breadwill live forever.”

59These things He said in the synagogue asHe taught in Capernaum.

MANY DISCIPLES TURN AWAY

60Therefore many of His disciples, when theyheard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who canunderstand it?”

61When Jesus knew in Himself that His disci-ples complained about this, He said to them,“Does this offend you? 62What then if you shouldsee the Son of Man ascend where He was before?63It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profitsnothing.The words that I speak to you are spirit,and they are life. 64But there are some of you whodo not believe.” For Jesus knew from the begin-ning who they were who did not believe, andwho would betray Him. 65And He said, “There-fore I have said to you that no one can come toMe unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

66From that time many of His disciples wentback and walked with Him no more. 67Then Jesussaid to the twelve, “Do you also want to goaway?”

68But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, towhom shall we go? You have the words of eternallife. 69Also we have come to believe and knowthat You are the Christ, the Son of the livingGod.”a

70Jesus answered them, “Did I not chooseyou, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” 71Hespoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for itwas he who would betray Him, being one ofthe twelve.

JESUS’ BROTHERS DISBELIEVE

7After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; forHe did not want to walk in Judea, because the

Jewsa sought to kill Him. 2Now the Jews’ Feast ofTabernacles was at hand. 3His brothers thereforesaid to Him,“Depart from here and go into Judea,that Your disciples also may see the works that Youare doing. 4For no one does anything in secretwhile he himself seeks to be known openly. If Youdo these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5Foreven His brothers did not believe in Him.

6Then Jesus said to them, “My time has notyet come, but your time is always ready. 7Theworld cannot hate you, but it hates Me because Itestify of it that its works are evil. 8You go up tothis feast. I am not yeta going up to this feast, forMy time has not yet fully come.” 9When He hadsaid these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

THE HEAVENLY SCHOLAR

10But when His brothers had gone up, thenHe also went up to the feast, not openly, but as itwere in secret. 11Then the Jews sought Him at thefeast, and said, “Where is He?” 12And there wasmuch complaining among the people concerningHim. Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No,on the contrary, He deceives the people.” 13How-ever, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of theJews.

14Now about the middle of the feast Jesuswent up into the temple and taught. 15And theJews marveled, saying,“How does this Man knowletters, having never studied?”

JOHN 6:59 1232

6:69 aNU-Text reads You are the Holy One of God. 7:1 aThat is, theruling authorities 7:8 aNU-Text omits yet.

In Scripture, Jesus Himself makes several claims about who He is. He claimed to bethe God of Exodus 3:14—the I AM. He again claimed to be God in John 14:9. And Heclaims that He and God the Father “are one” (John 10:30). In John’s Gospel, Jesusmakes seven statements that begin with “I am.” He states that He is the “Bread of Life”(6:35, 41, 48, 51); the “Light of the World” (8:12); the “Door of the Sheep” (10:7, 9); the“Good Shepherd” (10:11, 14); the “Resurrection and the Life” (11:25); the “Way, theTruth, and the Life” (14:6); and the “True Vine” (15:1, 5).

Thinking Christianly: The Self-Claims of Jesus (John 6:35)THROUGH THE GRID


16Jesusa answered them and said,“My doctrineis not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17If anyonewills to do His will, he shall know concerning thedoctrine, whether it is from God or whether Ispeak on My own authority. 18He who speaksfrom himself seeks his own glory; but He whoseeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true,and no unrighteousness is in Him. 19Did notMoses give you the law, yet none of you keepsthe law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”

20The people answered and said, “You have ademon.Who is seeking to kill You?”

21Jesus answered and said to them,“I did onework, and you all marvel. 22Moses therefore gaveyou circumcision (not that it is from Moses, butfrom the fathers), and you circumcise a man onthe Sabbath. 23If a man receives circumcision onthe Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should notbe broken, are you angry with Me because Imade a man completely well on the Sabbath?24Do not judge according to appearance, butjudge with righteous judgment.”

COULD THIS BE THE CHRIST?25Now some of them from Jerusalem said,“Is

this not He whom they seek to kill? 26But look!He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.Do the rulers know indeed that this is trulya theChrist? 27However, we know where this Man isfrom; but when the Christ comes, no one knowswhere He is from.”

28Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in thetemple, saying, “You both know Me, and youknow where I am from; and I have not come ofMyself, but He who sent Me is true, whom youdo not know. 29Buta I know Him, for I am fromHim, and He sent Me.”

30Therefore they sought to take Him; but noone laid a hand on Him, because His hour hadnot yet come. 31And many of the people believedin Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, willHe do more signs than these which this Man hasdone?”

JESUS AND THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS

32The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuringthese things concerning Him, and the Phariseesand the chief priests sent officers to take Him.33Then Jesus said to them,a “I shall be with you a

little while longer, and then I go to Him who sentMe. 34You will seek Me and not find Me, andwhere I am you cannot come.”

35Then the Jews said among themselves,“Where does He intend to go that we shall notfind Him? Does He intend to go to the Disper-sion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?36What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seekMe and not find Me, and where I am you cannotcome’?”

THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

37On the last day, that great day of the feast,Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyonethirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38He whobelieves in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of hisheart will flow rivers of living water.” 39But thisHe spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those be-lievinga in Him would receive; for the Holyb

Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yetglorified.

WHO IS HE?40Therefore manya from the crowd, when

they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is theProphet.” 41Others said,“This is the Christ.”

But some said, “Will the Christ come out ofGalilee? 42Has not the Scripture said that theChrist comes from the seed of David and fromthe town of Bethlehem, where David was?” 43Sothere was a division among the people because ofHim. 44Now some of them wanted to take Him,but no one laid hands on Him.

REJECTED BY THE AUTHORITIES

45Then the officers came to the chief priestsand Pharisees, who said to them,“Why have younot brought Him?”

46The officers answered,“No man ever spokelike this Man!”

47Then the Pharisees answered them, “Areyou also deceived? 48Have any of the rulers or thePharisees believed in Him? 49But this crowd thatdoes not know the law is accursed.”

50Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus bynight,a being one of them) said to them, 51“Does

JOHN 7:511233

7:16 aNU-Text and M-Text read So Jesus. 7:26 aNU-Text omits truly.7:29 aNU-Text and M-Text omit But. 7:33 aNU-Text and M-Text omitto them. 7:39 aNU-Text reads who believed. bNU-Text omits Holy.7:40 aNU-Text reads some. 7:50 aNU-Text reads before.


our law judge a man before it hears him andknows what he is doing?”

52They answered and said to him, “Are youalso from Galilee? Search and look, for noprophet has arisena out of Galilee.”

AN ADULTERESS FACES THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

53And everyone went to his own house.a

8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.2Now earlya in the morning He came again

into the temple, and all the people came to Him;and He sat down and taught them. 3Then thescribes and Pharisees brought to Him a womancaught in adultery. And when they had set her inthe midst, 4they said to Him,“Teacher, this womanwas caughta in adultery, in the very act. 5NowMoses, in the law,commandeda us that such shouldbe stoned.b But what do You say?”c 6This they said,testing Him, that they might have something ofwhich to accuse Him.But Jesus stooped down andwrote on the ground with His finger, as thoughHe did not hear.a

7So when they continued asking Him, Heraised Himself upa and said to them, “He who iswithout sin among you, let him throw a stone ather first.” 8And again He stooped down andwrote on the ground. 9Then those who heard it,being convicted by their conscience,a went outone by one, beginning with the oldest even to thelast. And Jesus was left alone, and the womanstanding in the midst. 10When Jesus had raisedHimself up and saw no one but the woman, Hesaid to her,a “Woman, where are those accusers ofyours?b Has no one condemned you?”

11She said,“No one, Lord.”And Jesus said to her,“Neither do I condemn

you; go anda sin no more.”12Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I

am the light of the world. He who follows Meshall not walk in darkness, but have the light oflife.”

JESUS DEFENDS HIS SELF-WITNESS

13The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “Youbear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”

14Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if Ibear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for Iknow where I came from and where I am going;but you do not know where I come from and

where I am going. 15You judge according to theflesh; I judge no one. 16And yet if I do judge, Myjudgment is true; for I am not alone, but I amwith the Father who sent Me. 17It is also writtenin your law that the testimony of two men is true.18I am One who bears witness of Myself, and theFather who sent Me bears witness of Me.”

19Then they said to Him,“Where is Your Fa-ther?”

Jesus answered, “You know neither Me norMy Father. If you had known Me, you wouldhave known My Father also.”

20These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, asHe taught in the temple; and no one laid handson Him, for His hour had not yet come.

JESUS PREDICTS HIS DEPARTURE

21Then Jesus said to them again, “I am goingaway, and you will seek Me, and will die in yoursin.Where I go you cannot come.”

22So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, be-cause He says,‘Where I go you cannot come’?”

23And He said to them, “You are from be-neath; I am from above.You are of this world; Iam not of this world. 24Therefore I said to youthat you will die in your sins; for if you do notbelieve that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

25Then they said to Him,“Who are You?”And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have

been saying to you from the beginning. 26I havemany things to say and to judge concerning you,but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to theworld those things which I heard from Him.”

27They did not understand that He spoke tothem of the Father.

28Then Jesus said to them,“When you lift upthe Son of Man, then you will know that I amHe, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as MyFather taught Me, I speak these things. 29And Hewho sent Me is with Me.The Father has not left

JOHN 7:52 1234

7:52 aNU-Text reads is to rise. 7:53 aThe words And everyonethrough sin no more (8:11) are bracketed by NU-Text as not origi-nal. They are present in over 900 manuscripts. 8:2 aM-Text readsvery early. 8:4 aM-Text reads we found this woman. 8:5 aM-Textreads in our law Moses commanded. bNU-Text and M-Text read tostone such. cM-Text adds about her. 8:6 aNU-Text and M-Text omitas though He did not hear. 8:7 aM-Text reads He looked up.8:9 aNU-Text and M-Text omit being convicted by their conscience.8:10 aNU-Text omits and saw no one but the woman; M-Text readsHe saw her and said. bNU-Text and M-Text omit of yours.8:11 aNU-Text and M-Text add from now on.



GC2: The Light of God’s Son

JOHN 8:12

Jesus boldly proclaimed that He is “the light of the world.”As we en-counter Him and experience His love, we experience one source of God’stransforming light (Ps. 36:9; John 12:35).

God the Father is longing for us to pursue Jesus, because He delights inrevealing more of Himself to us.Whether through worship, prayer, medi-tation, and study, or through the mundane happenings of everyday life,Jesus is wanting to be known by you!

Throughout Scripture, we find Christ revealing Himself to others, some-times when they least expect it.The disciples on the Emmaus Road, forexample, thought that they were having a normal conversation with a fel-low traveler (albeit a fellow traveler who seemed to be extraordinarilyknowledgeable about Old Testament prophecy). However, throughout Jesus’ discourse about the scriptural significance of the Messiah, He wasgradually revealing Himself—His wisdom, His nature, His loving concern,and finally, His identity (Luke 24:13–32).

• I have recently encountered God’s Son, Jesus, by ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(For example: I have recently encountered God’s Son, Jesus, by picturingHim praying for me, especially during a time when I was feeling very lonely.)

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Me alone, for I always do those things that pleaseHim.” 30As He spoke these words, many believedin Him.

THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE

31Then Jesus said to those Jews who believedHim,“If you abide in My word, you are My dis-ciples indeed. 32And you shall know the truth, andthe truth shall make you free.”

33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’sdescendants, and have never been in bondage toanyone. How can You say, ‘You will be madefree’?”

34Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I sayto you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.35And a slave does not abide in the house forever,but a son abides forever. 36Therefore if the Sonmakes you free, you shall be free indeed.

ABRAHAM’S SEED AND SATAN’S37“I know that you are Abraham’s descen-

dants, but you seek to kill Me, because My wordhas no place in you. 38I speak what I have seenwith My Father, and you do what you have seenwitha your father.”

39They answered and said to Him, “Abrahamis our father.”

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’schildren, you would do the works of Abraham.40But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who hastold you the truth which I heard from God.Abra-

ham did not do this. 41You do the deeds of yourfather.”

Then they said to Him, “We were not bornof fornication; we have one Father—God.”

42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Fa-ther, you would love Me, for I proceeded forthand came from God; nor have I come of Myself,but He sent Me. 43Why do you not understandMy speech? Because you are not able to listen toMy word. 44You are of your father the devil, andthe desires of your father you want to do. He wasa murderer from the beginning, and does notstand in the truth, because there is no truth inhim. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from hisown resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.45But because I tell the truth, you do not believeMe. 46Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if Itell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47Hewho is of God hears God’s words; therefore youdo not hear, because you are not of God.”

BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS, I AM48Then the Jews answered and said to Him,

“Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritanand have a demon?”

49Jesus answered,“I do not have a demon; butI honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50AndI do not seek My own glory; there is One whoseeks and judges. 51Most assuredly, I say to you, ifanyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

JOHN 8:30 1236

8:38 aNU-Text reads heard from.

JOHN 8:31, 32 If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall knowthe truth, and the truth shall make you free.

God’s truth lasts forever, and the power of God’s truth is liberating, as it hasthe ability to set us free from the bonds of sin and death. When we learn totrust God’s Word completely, we begin to rely on God for direction and guid-ance, and we avoid the pitfalls of sin. The world exists in opposition to God’struth as a means of enslavement; but God’s truth sets us free from the world,and we are also liberated from the sin and guilt that once bound us.Through God’s truth, we can be set free from self-centeredness, frombondage to fear, and from a life of mediocrity and insignificance. God’s truthfrees us to live a life of holiness in communion with God.

THROUGH THE GRID Discover God: God’s Truth Sets Us Free



GC2: Convictions: Unique Truth

JOHN 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Truth cannot be subjectively created; truth is and comes from the objec-tive, absolute Person of Christ Himself.As John wrote:“For the law wasgiven through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”(John 1:17).

Truth cannot be relative and change from person to person or from com-munity to community, because Jesus is the incarnation of God,“withwhom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).As theScripture says:“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”(Heb. 13:8).

All truth cannot be equal because Jesus didn’t claim to be “a” truth, onethat is equal to all others. His claim was exclusive; He claimed to be theone and only truth, the only way to God.“I am the way, the truth, andthe life,” He said.“No one comes to the Father except through Me”(John 14:6).Those are not the words of someone who is “one amongmany,” someone who is “equal” to all others; those are the words of Onewho has no equal.

ISAIAH 45:5, 6 I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the ris-ing of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, andthere is no other.

Living out our conviction to, at all cost, be pleasing to Jesus means we livea unique and Spirit-led life even as Christ is unique.

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52Then the Jews said to Him,“Now we knowthat You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and theprophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My wordhe shall never taste death.’ 53Are You greater thanour father Abraham, who is dead? And theprophets are dead.Who do You make Yourself outto be?”

54Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, Myhonor is nothing. It is My Father who honorsMe, of whom you say that He is youra God. 55Yetyou have not known Him, but I know Him.Andif I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar likeyou; but I do know Him and keep His word.56Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day,and he saw it and was glad.”

57Then the Jews said to Him,“You are not yetfifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

58Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say toyou, before Abraham was, I AM.”

59Then they took up stones to throw at Him;but Jesus hid Himself and went out of thetemple,a going through the midst of them, and sopassed by.

A MAN BORN BLIND RECEIVES SIGHT

9Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who wasblind from birth. 2And His disciples asked Him,

saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his par-ents, that he was born blind?”

3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor hisparents sinned, but that the works of God shouldbe revealed in him. 4Ia must work the works ofHim who sent Me while it is day; the night iscoming when no one can work. 5As long as I amin the world, I am the light of the world.”

6When He had said these things, He spat onthe ground and made clay with the saliva; and Heanointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.7And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool ofSiloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he wentand washed, and came back seeing.

8Therefore the neighbors and those who pre-viously had seen that he was blinda said, “Is notthis he who sat and begged?”

9Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He islike him.”a

He said,“I am he.”10Therefore they said to him, “How were

your eyes opened?”

11He answered and said, “A Man called Jesusmade clay and anointed my eyes and said to me,‘Go to the pool ofa Siloam and wash.’ So I wentand washed, and I received sight.”

12Then they said to him,“Where is He?”He said,“I do not know.”

THE PHARISEES EXCOMMUNICATE THE HEALED MAN

13They brought him who formerly was blindto the Pharisees. 14Now it was a Sabbath when Je-sus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15Then thePharisees also asked him again how he had re-ceived his sight. He said to them,“He put clay onmy eyes, and I washed, and I see.”

16Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “ThisMan is not from God, because He does not keepthe Sabbath.”

Others said,“How can a man who is a sinnerdo such signs?” And there was a division amongthem.

17They said to the blind man again,“What doyou say about Him because He opened youreyes?”

He said,“He is a prophet.”18But the Jews did not believe concerning

him, that he had been blind and received hissight, until they called the parents of him whohad received his sight. 19And they asked them,saying, “Is this your son, who you say was bornblind? How then does he now see?”

20His parents answered them and said, “Weknow that this is our son, and that he was bornblind; 21but by what means he now sees we donot know, or who opened his eyes we do notknow. He is of age; ask him. He will speak forhimself.” 22His parents said these things becausethey feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed al-ready that if anyone confessed that He was Christ,he would be put out of the synagogue. 23There-fore his parents said,“He is of age; ask him.”

24So they again called the man who wasblind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! Weknow that this Man is a sinner.”

25He answered and said, “Whether He is asinner or not I do not know. One thing I know:that though I was blind, now I see.”

JOHN 8:52 1238

8:54 aNU-Text and M-Text read our. 8:59 aNU-Text omits the rest ofthis verse. 9:4 aNU-Text reads We. 9:8 aNU-Text reads a beggar.9:9 aNU-Text reads “No, but he is like him.” 9:11 aNU-Text omitsthe pool of.



GC2: Becoming a Good Samaritan: Who Sinned?

JOHN 9:2

The entire ninth chapter of John holds many great insights for the follow-ers of Jesus.As Jesus and His disciples are going to Jerusalem, beside theroad, they come upon a man blind from birth.The Bible records that Jesusheals the man, subsequently prompting a lot of trouble.The man is calledbefore the religious leaders. His family is brought in to explain what hashappened to him. Finally, because he continues to testify that Jesus was re-sponsible for his receiving sight, they throw him out of the synagogue.When Jesus hears about it, He goes out and finds the man and revealsmore of Himself to him (John 9:35–39).

Of specific importance to our becoming people who love as Jesus loved isthe issue of grace. Surely, He has looked beyond our faults to see ourneeds (Rom. 5:8; Luke 19:7–10)—but can we do likewise?

One tragic part of the story is that even as Christ’s heart is moved withcompassion and grace, when the disciples looked at the same man besidethe road, they asked who sinned.Was it the man or his parents? Do yousee the contrast between the heart of Jesus—moved to minister toneeds—and the heart of the disciples wanting to know,“Who sinned?”

Following Jesus and loving as He loves means becoming a person ofgrace. It means seeing and ministering to needs, such as support, encour-agement, and acceptance, rather than seeing and reacting only to behav-iors.The power for sustaining a ministry to people in need must comefrom God, and the power to give grace comes from having partaken ofGod’s grace.“For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Eph. 2:8).“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we werestill sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). One of the things that willempower your ministry to hurting people is reflection upon the abundantgrace you have received from God, prompting gratitude in your heart.Never get over the wonder that you have been loved, and you’ll be con-strained to love others (2 Cor. 5:21).

JOHN1239


26Then they said to him again,“What did Hedo to you? How did He open your eyes?”

27He answered them, “I told you already, andyou did not listen. Why do you want to hear itagain? Do you also want to become His disci-ples?”

28Then they reviled him and said, “You areHis disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29Weknow that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow,we do not know where He is from.”

30The man answered and said to them,“Why,this is a marvelous thing, that you do not knowwhere He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!31Now we know that God does not hear sinners;but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does Hiswill, He hears him. 32Since the world began it hasbeen unheard of that anyone opened the eyes ofone who was born blind. 33If this Man were notfrom God, He could do nothing.”

34They answered and said to him, “You werecompletely born in sins, and are you teachingus?”And they cast him out.

TRUE VISION AND TRUE BLINDNESS

35Jesus heard that they had cast him out; andwhen He had found him, He said to him, “Doyou believe in the Son of God?”a

36He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord,that I may believe in Him?”

37And Jesus said to him,“You have both seenHim and it is He who is talking with you.”

38Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And heworshiped Him.

39And Jesus said, “For judgment I have comeinto this world, that those who do not see maysee, and that those who see may be made blind.”

40Then some of the Pharisees who were withHim heard these words, and said to Him,“Are weblind also?”

41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, youwould have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’Therefore your sin remains.

JESUS THE TRUE SHEPHERD

10“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who doesnot enter the sheepfold by the door, but

climbs up some other way, the same is a thief anda robber. 2But he who enters by the door is theshepherd of the sheep. 3To him the doorkeeper

opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he callshis own sheep by name and leads them out. 4Andwhen he brings out his own sheep, he goes beforethem; and the sheep follow him, for they knowhis voice. 5Yet they will by no means follow astranger, but will flee from him, for they do notknow the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this illus-tration, but they did not understand the thingswhich He spoke to them.

JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD

7Then Jesus said to them again, “Most as-suredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.8All who ever came before Mea are thieves androbbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9I amthe door. If anyone enters by Me, he will besaved, and will go in and out and find pasture.10The thief does not come except to steal, and tokill, and to destroy. I have come that they mayhave life, and that they may have it more abun-dantly.

11“I am the good shepherd. The good shep-herd gives His life for the sheep. 12But a hireling,he who is not the shepherd, one who does notown the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leavesthe sheep and flees; and the wolf catches thesheep and scatters them. 13The hireling flees be-cause he is a hireling and does not care about thesheep. 14I am the good shepherd; and I know Mysheep, and am known by My own. 15As the Fatherknows Me, even so I know the Father; and I laydown My life for the sheep. 16And other sheep Ihave which are not of this fold; them also I mustbring, and they will hear My voice; and there willbe one flock and one shepherd.

17“Therefore My Father loves Me, because Ilay down My life that I may take it again. 18Noone takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.I have power to lay it down, and I have power totake it again.This command I have received fromMy Father.”

19Therefore there was a division again amongthe Jews because of these sayings. 20And many ofthem said, “He has a demon and is mad.Why doyou listen to Him?”

21Others said, “These are not the words ofone who has a demon. Can a demon open theeyes of the blind?”

JOHN 9:26 1240

9:35 aNU-Text reads Son of Man. 10:8 aM-Text omits before Me.



Finding True Happiness

JOHN 10:10

Our culture advertises the slogan that happiness can be found when wecontrol our own freedom and have things the way we want them to be.As a result, many people live their lives individualistically, without regardto what others have to say about them or what they are doing. Many evenformulate their own systems of morality and ethics, and they attempt tofind happiness in having the freedom to do whatever they want to do.However, true happiness cannot be found ultimately by following the dic-tates of our own desires; rather, such behavior can lead to an amorallifestyle marked by hurt and grief.

True happiness comes when we are at peace with the One who createdus. God has set forth rules for humanity.Those rules reveal importanttruths about God’s character and how we are to live in this world. How-ever, happiness does not come by merely adhering to a “to-do” list of di-vine prescriptions. Rather, true happiness comes when we find a fulfillingand genuine relationship of love with our Creator.This happiness and ourlove for God, gives us the desire to obey God’s commandments and tohonor Him with our lives by living obediently.

Successfully finding happiness is rooted in the action of loving God withall our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Only then can we find a personalfulfillment that meets our deepest needs and calms our fears and worries.When we obey God, God gives us the power to serve Him by obeyingHis other commandments with a joyful and expectant heart.The result isthat we develop a fervent desire to serve God with our entire beings,which in turn fuels our desire to follow the Commandments set forth byGod. However, it is impossible for us to keep the Ten Commandmentsperfectly, as we are flawed and fallen human beings.

Thankfully, the mercy, grace, and forgiveness God offers to us enables usto continue striving for obedience.When we obey God fully, and whenwe love God fully, we find true happiness.

JOHN1241


THE SHEPHERD KNOWS HIS SHEEP

22Now it was the Feast of Dedication inJerusalem, and it was winter. 23And Jesus walkedin the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24Then theJews surrounded Him and said to Him, “Howlong do You keep us in doubt? If You are theChrist, tell us plainly.”

25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and youdo not believe. The works that I do in My Fa-ther’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26But youdo not believe, because you are not of My sheep,as I said to you.a 27My sheep hear My voice, and Iknow them, and they follow Me. 28And I givethem eternal life, and they shall never perish; nei-ther shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.29My Father, who has given them to Me, is greaterthan all; and no one is able to snatch them out ofMy Father’s hand. 30I and My Father are one.”

RENEWED EFFORTS TO STONE JESUS

31Then the Jews took up stones again to stoneHim. 32Jesus answered them,“Many good works Ihave shown you from My Father. For which ofthose works do you stone Me?”

33The Jews answered Him, saying, “For agood work we do not stone You, but for blas-phemy, and because You, being a Man, makeYourself God.”

34Jesus answered them, “Is it not written inyour law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’ ?a 35If He calledthem gods, to whom the word of God came (andthe Scripture cannot be broken), 36do you say ofHim whom the Father sanctified and sent into theworld, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I amthe Son of God’? 37If I do not do the works of MyFather, do not believe Me; 38but if I do, thoughyou do not believe Me, believe the works, that youmay know and believea that the Father is in Me,and I in Him.” 39Therefore they sought again toseize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

THE BELIEVERS BEYOND JORDAN

40And He went away again beyond the Jordanto the place where John was baptizing at first, andthere He stayed. 41Then many came to Him andsaid, “John performed no sign, but all the thingsthat John spoke about this Man were true.” 42Andmany believed in Him there.

THE DEATH OF LAZARUS

11Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus ofBethany, the town of Mary and her sister

Martha. 2It was that Mary who anointed the Lordwith fragrant oil and wiped His feet with herhair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3Thereforethe sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, hewhom You love is sick.”

4When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sick-ness is not unto death, but for the glory of God,that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister andLazarus. 6So, when He heard that he was sick, Hestayed two more days in the place where He was.7Then after this He said to the disciples,“Let us goto Judea again.”

8The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately theJews sought to stone You, and are You going thereagain?”

9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hoursin the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does notstumble, because he sees the light of this world.10But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, be-cause the light is not in him.” 11These things Hesaid, and after that He said to them, “Our friendLazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

12Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleepshe will get well.” 13However, Jesus spoke of hisdeath, but they thought that He was speakingabout taking rest in sleep.

14Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus isdead. 15And I am glad for your sakes that I wasnot there, that you may believe. Nevertheless letus go to him.”

16Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, saidto his fellow disciples,“Let us also go, that we maydie with Him.”

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

17So when Jesus came, He found that he hadalready been in the tomb four days. 18NowBethany was near Jerusalem, about two milesa

away. 19And many of the Jews had joined thewomen around Martha and Mary, to comfortthem concerning their brother.

20Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus

JOHN 10:22 1242

10:26 aNU-Text omits as I said to you. 10:34 aPsalm 82:610:38 aNU-Text reads understand. 11:18 aLiterally fifteen stadia



GC2: Jesus and His Friends

JOHN 11:5

It’s important to remember that Jesus fulfilled all that His Father intendedfor Him as a single person. Scripture records that as He entered His teenyears, He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God andmen” (Luke 2:52). Notice His mental and physical growth, as well as Hisspiritual. Important also, is that Jesus developed “favor” with others. Hewas a good student, worker, son, brother, and a good friend!

During His public ministry, the Gospels record several trips to a small vil-lage outside Jerusalem called Bethany (Luke 10:38–42; John 12:1–11).There is no apparent religious or political significance to the village, but itwas important to Jesus because His three friends lived there! Mary,Martha, and Lazarus appear to be Jesus’“singles group.”The Bible recordsHis love for them and refers to “our friend Lazarus” (John 11:11).

As good friends, Jesus is welcomed into their home, meals are taken to-gether, times of significant conversation take place, tears are shed together,and others notice the love between the four friends.

Pause to list some of those in your life with whom you have:

• enjoyed hospitality,• had meals,• shared significant conversation,• shed tears,• cared for so deeply that others noticed your closeness.

Now thank God for good friendships in your life!

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was coming, went and met Him, but Mary wassitting in the house. 21Now Martha said to Jesus,“Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldnot have died. 22But even now I know that what-ever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will riseagain.”

24Martha said to Him, “I know that he willrise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection andthe life. He who believes in Me, though he maydie, he shall live. 26And whoever lives and believesin Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

27She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe thatYou are the Christ, the Son of God, who is tocome into the world.”

JESUS AND DEATH, THE LAST ENEMY

28And when she had said these things, shewent her way and secretly called Mary her sister,saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling foryou.” 29As soon as she heard that, she arosequickly and came to Him. 30Now Jesus had notyet come into the town, but wasa in the placewhere Martha met Him. 31Then the Jews whowere with her in the house, and comforting her,when they saw that Mary rose up quickly andwent out, followed her, saying, “She is going tothe tomb to weep there.”a

32Then, when Mary came where Jesus was,and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying toHim, “Lord, if You had been here, my brotherwould not have died.”

33Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, andthe Jews who came with her weeping, Hegroaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34And Hesaid,“Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him,“Lord, come and see.”35Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, “See how

He loved him!”37And some of them said, “Could not this

Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also havekept this man from dying?”

LAZARUS RAISED FROM THE DEAD

38Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, cameto the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay againstit. 39Jesus said,“Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said

to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, forhe has been dead four days.”

40Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you thatif you would believe you would see the glory ofGod?” 41Then they took away the stone from theplace where the dead man was lying.a And Jesuslifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank Youthat You have heard Me. 42And I know that Youalways hear Me, but because of the people whoare standing by I said this, that they may believethat You sent Me.” 43Now when He had saidthese things, He cried with a loud voice,“Lazarus,come forth!” 44And he who had died came outbound hand and foot with graveclothes, and hisface was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them,“Loose him, and let him go.”

THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS

45Then many of the Jews who had come toMary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed inHim. 46But some of them went away to the Phar-isees and told them the things Jesus did. 47Then thechief priests and the Pharisees gathered a counciland said, “What shall we do? For this Man worksmany signs. 48If we let Him alone like this, every-one will believe in Him, and the Romans willcome and take away both our place and nation.”

49And one of them, Caiaphas, being highpriest that year, said to them,“You know nothingat all, 50nor do you consider that it is expedientfor usa that one man should die for the people,and not that the whole nation should perish.”51Now this he did not say on his own authority;but being high priest that year he prophesied thatJesus would die for the nation, 52and not for thatnation only, but also that He would gather to-gether in one the children of God who were scat-tered abroad.

53Then, from that day on, they plotted to putHim to death. 54Therefore Jesus no longer walkedopenly among the Jews, but went from there intothe country near the wilderness, to a city calledEphraim, and there remained with His disciples.

55And the Passover of the Jews was near, andmany went from the country up to Jerusalem

JOHN 11:21 1244

11:30 aNU-Text adds still. 11:31 aNU-Text reads supposing thatshe was going to the tomb to weep there. 11:41 aNU-Text omitsfrom the place where the dead man was lying. 11:50 aNU-Textreads you.



GC2: Weep with Those Who Weep!

JOHN 11:35

We are impressed by two miracles in this chapter: the raising of Lazarusfrom the dead and the miracle of a God who cries! Imagine “weep withthose who weep” (Rom. 12:15) and think that there is “blessing” availablewhen we mourn.The blessing is called comfort (Matt. 5:4).

Jesus was moved deeply within His spirit as He wept with His friendMary. Comfort flowed through the prompting and power of the Com-forter. For us comfort may be as simple as sharing “I’m really sorry thathappened.” Very often the Holy Spirit’s first work is to take captive andresist our common, unhelpful, or unproductive responses. Consider thatJesus could have but didn’t give these unhelpful responses:

• Advice/instruction“Let me tell you how to solve the problem.”“Maybe next time that happens you should . . . ”

• Logic/reasoning“Let me analyze the situation and tell you why it happened.”“I think that happened because . . . ”

• Pep talk“You’re a winner! You’ll make it through these tough times!”“I’m sure tomorrow will be a better day.”

• Minimize the incident“Sure it hurt, but there’s still a lot going on that’s good.”“Aren’t you being overly sensitive?”

• Spiritualizing“Well, you know that God will work all this out for your good.”“Joseph’s brothers meant evil for him, but God meant it for good.”“It’s good to know that we are more than conquerors through

Christ!”

Each response seems to work best after we give comfort!

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before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56Thenthey sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves asthey stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?” 57Now boththe chief priests and the Pharisees had given acommand, that if anyone knew where He was, heshould report it, that they might seize Him.

THE ANOINTING AT BETHANY

12Then, six days before the Passover, Jesuscame to Bethany, where Lazarus was who

had been dead,a whom He had raised from thedead. 2There they made Him a supper; andMartha served, but Lazarus was one of those whosat at the table with Him. 3Then Mary took apound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed thefeet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.Andthe house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Si-mon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5“Whywas this fragrant oil not sold for three hundreddenariia and given to the poor?” 6This he said, notthat he cared for the poor, but because he was athief, and had the money box; and he used to takewhat was put in it.

7But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has keptathis for the day of My burial. 8For the poor youhave with you always, but Me you do not have al-ways.”

THE PLOT TO KILL LAZARUS

9Now a great many of the Jews knew that Hewas there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only,but that they might also see Lazarus, whom Hehad raised from the dead. 10But the chief priestsplotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11because onaccount of him many of the Jews went away andbelieved in Jesus.

THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

12The next day a great multitude that hadcome to the feast, when they heard that Jesus wascoming to Jerusalem, 13took branches of palmtrees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna!‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the

LORD!’ a

The King of Israel!”

14Then Jesus, when He had found a youngdonkey, sat on it; as it is written:

15“Fear not, daughter of Zion;Behold, your King is coming,Sitting on a donkey’s colt.” a

16His disciples did not understand these thingsat first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they re-membered that these things were written aboutHim and that they had done these things to Him.

17Therefore the people, who were with Himwhen He called Lazarus out of his tomb andraised him from the dead, bore witness. 18For thisreason the people also met Him, because theyheard that He had done this sign. 19The Phariseestherefore said among themselves, “You see thatyou are accomplishing nothing. Look, the worldhas gone after Him!”

THE FRUITFUL GRAIN OF WHEAT

20Now there were certain Greeks amongthose who came up to worship at the feast.21Then they came to Philip, who was from Beth-saida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, wewish to see Jesus.”

22Philip came and told Andrew, and in turnAndrew and Philip told Jesus.

23But Jesus answered them, saying,“The hourhas come that the Son of Man should be glori-fied. 24Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grainof wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remainsalone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25Hewho loves his life will lose it, and he who hateshis life in this world will keep it for eternal life.26If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; andwhere I am, there My servant will be also. If any-one serves Me, him My Father will honor.

JESUS PREDICTS HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS

27“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall Isay? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for thispurpose I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify Yourname.”

Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “Ihave both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

JOHN 11:56 1246

12:1 aNU-Text omits who had been dead. 12:5 aAbout one year’swages for a worker 12:7 aNU-Text reads that she may keep.12:13 aPsalm 118:26 12:15 aZechariah 9:9



GC2: Walking in the Light

JOHN 12:35

Each of us has known of family or friends who started out following Je-sus, only to be overtaken by the darkness of sin, self or Satan. How do weunderstand such return to worldliness, coldheartedness, and rebellion? In asimple way, Christ shares this illustration: the darkness is always chasing us,and all we have to do for it to overtake us is to stop walking in God’slight!

Then, how are we to understand God’s light, and how are we to walk init? His “light” is made known to us through our conscience and His cre-ation, for sure; but most commonly, He is revealed through His Son, HisScripture, and His Saints (followers of Jesus).To walk in His light involvesfrequent and recurring encounters with Jesus, Scripture, and other believers.

The Holy Spirit within us is also essential to walking in God’s light. It isthe Holy Spirit that reveals Jesus to us (John 14:26), brings illumination toScripture (1 John 2:27), and empowers our fellowship together as Christ’sfollowers (1 Cor. 12:12, 13). How is your walk? Let’s be about exercisingourselves!

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29Therefore the people who stood by andheard it said that it had thundered. Others said,“An angel has spoken to Him.”

30Jesus answered and said,“This voice did notcome because of Me, but for your sake. 31Now isthe judgment of this world; now the ruler of thisworld will be cast out. 32And I, if I am lifted upfrom the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”33This He said, signifying by what death Hewould die.

34The people answered Him,“We have heardfrom the law that the Christ remains forever; andhow can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be liftedup’? Who is this Son of Man?”

35Then Jesus said to them, “A little whilelonger the light is with you.Walk while you havethe light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walksin darkness does not know where he is going.36While you have the light, believe in the light,that you may become sons of light.”These thingsJesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden fromthem.

WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?37But although He had done so many signs

before them, they did not believe in Him, 38thatthe word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled,which he spoke:

“Lord, who has believed our report?And to whom has the arm of the LORD been

revealed?” a

39Therefore they could not believe, becauseIsaiah said again:

40“He has blinded their eyes and hardened theirhearts,

Lest they should see with their eyes,Lest they should understand with their hearts

and turn,So that I should heal them.” a

41These things Isaiah said whena he saw Hisglory and spoke of Him.

WALK IN THE LIGHT

42Nevertheless even among the rulers manybelieved in Him, but because of the Pharisees

they did not confess Him, lest they should be putout of the synagogue; 43for they loved the praiseof men more than the praise of God.

44Then Jesus cried out and said,“He who be-lieves in Me, believes not in Me but in Him whosent Me. 45And he who sees Me sees Him whosent Me. 46I have come as a light into the world,that whoever believes in Me should not abide indarkness. 47And if anyone hears My words anddoes not believe,a I do not judge him; for I didnot come to judge the world but to save theworld. 48He who rejects Me, and does not receiveMy words, has that which judges him—the wordthat I have spoken will judge him in the last day.49For I have not spoken on My own authority; butthe Father who sent Me gave Me a command,what I should say and what I should speak. 50AndI know that His command is everlasting life.Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father hastold Me, so I speak.”

JESUS WASHES THE DISCIPLES’ FEET

13Now before the Feast of the Passover,when Jesus knew that His hour had come

that He should depart from this world to the Fa-ther, having loved His own who were in theworld, He loved them to the end.

2And supper being ended,a the devil havingalready put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Si-mon’s son, to betray Him, 3Jesus, knowing that theFather had given all things into His hands, andthat He had come from God and was going toGod, 4rose from supper and laid aside His gar-ments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5Afterthat, He poured water into a basin and began towash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with thetowel with which He was girded. 6Then He cameto Simon Peter.And Peter said to Him,“Lord, areYou washing my feet?”

7Jesus answered and said to him, “What I amdoing you do not understand now, but you willknow after this.”

8Peter said to Him,“You shall never wash myfeet!”

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you,you have no part with Me.”

JOHN 12:29 1248

12:38 aIsaiah 53:1 12:40 aIsaiah 6:10 12:41 aNU-Text reads be-cause. 12:47 aNU-Text reads keep them. 13:2 aNU-Text readsAnd during supper.



Dirty Towels, Clean Hearts

JOHN 13:3–17

In a world where terrorism and crime are routine news stories and dis-tractions abound, it seems unlikely that anyone would notice a message ofsimple peace and unconditional love.The dilemma of the leader is how toreach a noisy culture with a quiet message; and the answer is found, onceagain, in the example of Christ.

In the most difficult time of His life, Jesus, the Son of God, met with Hisdisciples to humbly serve as He poured water into a basin, grabbed atowel, and began washing the feet of His disciples (John 13:3–17).As Heso often did, He preached a sermon on love without actually talking.Theywere astounded.These disciples would fight for the chance to reign withHim but not for the towel to serve with Him. He demonstrated leader-ship in a way they would not forget.

How then shall we lead in such a defining way? By considering theChrist of the cross: the Savior who watched His disciples run as the ac-cusers mocked, beat, and spat upon Him; the One who allowed spikes topierce His wrists and feet; He who watched the people cheer and the sol-diers roll dice for His clothes as He died.And yet, knowing this wouldhappen, only hours earlier, He selflessly communicated one of His finalmessages by grabbing a towel.

The cross is clearly about commitment. It began with the towel; and thenevery agonizing step, every blow of a soldier’s hand, every mocking word,and the hammered spikes He endured until His death, were proof of thatcommitment.

As waves of business methodically pound the shores of our personal lives,we must now, more than ever, focus on the cross and what our Lord didjust hours before His sacrificial death. Leaders, grab a towel, pour somewater, and serve, regardless of the road ahead. If the King has done it,surely we must follow.When our Lord returns, may we have dirty towelsin our hands; but surely these will be the measure of the impact of theleadership legacy we lived.

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9Simon Peter said to Him,“Lord, not my feetonly, but also my hands and my head!”

10Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needsonly to wash his feet, but is completely clean; andyou are clean, but not all of you.” 11For He knewwho would betray Him; therefore He said, “Youare not all clean.”

12So when He had washed their feet, takenHis garments, and sat down again, He said tothem, “Do you know what I have done to you?13You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well,for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, havewashed your feet, you also ought to wash one an-other’s feet. 15For I have given you an example,that you should do as I have done to you. 16Mostassuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater thanhis master; nor is he who is sent greater than hewho sent him. 17If you know these things, blessedare you if you do them.

JESUS IDENTIFIES HIS BETRAYER

18“I do not speak concerning all of you. Iknow whom I have chosen; but that the Scripturemay be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Mea haslifted up his heel against Me.’ b 19Now I tell youbefore it comes, that when it does come to pass,you may believe that I am He. 20Most assuredly, Isay to you, he who receives whomever I send re-ceives Me; and he who receives Me receives Himwho sent Me.”

21When Jesus had said these things, He wastroubled in spirit, and testified and said,“Most as-suredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”22Then the disciples looked at one another, per-plexed about whom He spoke.

23Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom oneof His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24Simon Petertherefore motioned to him to ask who it was ofwhom He spoke.

25Then, leaning backa on Jesus’ breast, he saidto Him,“Lord, who is it?”

26Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shallgive a piece of bread when I have dipped it.”Andhaving dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscar-iot, the son of Simon. 27Now after the piece ofbread, Satan entered him.Then Jesus said to him,“What you do, do quickly.” 28But no one at thetable knew for what reason He said this to him.29For some thought, because Judas had the money

box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those thingswe need for the feast,” or that he should givesomething to the poor.

30Having received the piece of bread, he thenwent out immediately.And it was night.

THE NEW COMMANDMENT

31So, when he had gone out, Jesus said,“Nowthe Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorifiedin Him. 32If God is glorified in Him, God willalso glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him im-mediately. 33Little children, I shall be with you alittle while longer.You will seek Me; and as I saidto the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannotcome,’ so now I say to you. 34A new command-ment I give to you, that you love one another; as Ihave loved you, that you also love one another.35By this all will know that you are My disciples,if you have love for one another.”

JESUS PREDICTS PETER’S DENIAL

36Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where areYou going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going youcannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Meafterward.”

37Peter said to Him,“Lord, why can I not fol-low You now? I will lay down my life for Yoursake.”

38Jesus answered him, “Will you lay downyour life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you,the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Methree times.

THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE

14“Let not your heart be troubled; you be-lieve in God, believe also in Me. 2In My

Father’s house are many mansions;a if it were notso, I would have told you. I go to prepare a placefor you.b 3And if I go and prepare a place for you,I will come again and receive you to Myself; thatwhere I am, there you may be also. 4And where Igo you know, and the way you know.”

5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not

JOHN 13:9 1250

13:18 aNU-Text reads My bread. bPsalm 41:9 13:25 aNU-Text andM-Text add thus. 14:2 aLiterally dwellings bNU-Text adds a wordwhich would cause the text to read either if it were not so, would Ihave told you that I go to prepare a place for you? or if it were notso I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.



GC2: Basic Training: Loving Yourself as Christ’s Beloved

JOHN 13:34 As I have loved you, that you also love one another.

With these words, Jesus is both reminding the disciples of His pastdemonstrations of love and concern for them, as well as foreshadowingHis forthcoming display of perfect love at Calvary.Through His sacrifice,and through His continual caring involvement in our lives, Jesus has lovedus as well.The more we recognize and receive His love, the more we areable to embrace our true identity as His beloved.

Consider what Scripture reveals about God’s love for us:

• God demonstrated His love for us by sending Jesus to die for uswhile we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8).

• Nothing can separate us from God’s love (Rom. 8:38, 39).• He has poured out His love upon us through the Holy Spirit

(Rom. 5:5).• The love of Christ for us is infinitely great and surpasses knowledge

(Eph. 3:18, 19).• Because of His great love for us, God made us alive with Christ

(Eph. 2:4, 5).

We are not simply people who believe Scripture’s great doctrines aboutChrist, nor are we merely people who practice good behavior. Hopefully,we do believe right doctrine and practice right behavior, but we must becareful not to think that our identity lies in either of these things.

Our true identity is that we are ones who have been loved by Jesus.Weare His beloved.

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GC2: Spiritual Formation: Encounter Jesus in His Sorrow

JOHN 14:9 Jesus said to him,“Have I been with you so long, and yet you havenot known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can yousay, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Imagine the sadness that must have been in the Savior’s heart as He ut-tered these words. Picture the scene in the Upper Room. Jesus’ faithfulfollowers surround Him. Christ has already experienced the painful dis-traction of the disciples’ argument about who was to be the greatest in thekingdom. He has vulnerably shared how His body is about to be brokenand His blood is about to be shed, only to be met with the dispute of Hisclosest friends (Luke 22:17–26).

Then, as a testimony of humble servanthood, Christ takes a basin of waterand a towel and begins to wash the feet of each disciple. He washes thefeet of Peter, James, John, and even Judas (John 13:5–15). He washes thefeet of His betrayer, extending love and grace to him one final time. Dur-ing the Passover meal, Christ turns to Judas and says,“What you do, doquickly” (John 13:27). Judas then departs to complete the terms of hisagreement to betray Christ.

As you revisit this familiar story, pause and reflect upon the heart of theSavior.What might Jesus have been feeling as He experienced the dreadof crucifixion and the insensitivity of His disciples’ response and theanticipation of His imminent betrayal and the departure of His closestfriends? What feelings might have been in Christ’s heart in the UpperRoom? Now imagine that this One who is “a Man of sorrows and ac-quainted with grief ” experiences additional pain as He utters His nextwords (Is. 53:3).Allow the Holy Spirit to gently lead you to respond tothe heart of Jesus as you hear Him say,“Have I been with you so long,and yet you have not known Me?”

Now allow your compassion to prompt your deepened longing to knowHim:“Lord Jesus, I want to better know You. I want to know You forwho You really are.”

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know where You are going, and how can weknow the way?”

6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth,and the life. No one comes to the Father exceptthrough Me.

THE FATHER REVEALED

7“If you had known Me, you would haveknown My Father also; and from now on youknow Him and have seen Him.”

8Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Fa-ther, and it is sufficient for us.”

9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you solong, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? Hewho has seen Me has seen the Father; so how canyou say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Do you not be-lieve that I am in the Father, and the Father inMe? The words that I speak to you I do not speakon My own authority; but the Father who dwellsin Me does the works. 11Believe Me that I am inthe Father and the Father in Me, or else believeMe for the sake of the works themselves.

THE ANSWERED PRAYER

12“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who be-lieves in Me, the works that I do he will do also;and greater works than these he will do, because Igo to My Father. 13And whatever you ask in Myname, that I will do, that the Father may be glori-fied in the Son. 14If you aska anything in Myname, I will do it.

JESUS PROMISES ANOTHER HELPER

15“If you love Me, keepa My commandments.16And I will pray the Father, and He will give youanother Helper, that He may abide with you for-ever— 17the Spirit of truth, whom the world can-not receive, because it neither sees Him norknows Him; but you know Him, for He dwellswith you and will be in you. 18I will not leave youorphans; I will come to you.

INDWELLING OF THE FATHER AND THE SON

19“A little while longer and the world will seeMe no more, but you will see Me. Because I live,you will live also. 20At that day you will know thatI am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.21He who has My commandments and keepsthem, it is he who loves Me. And he who lovesMe will be loved by My Father, and I will lovehim and manifest Myself to him.”

22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him,“Lord, howis it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and notto the world?”

23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyoneloves Me, he will keep My word; and My Fatherwill love him, and We will come to him andmake Our home with him. 24He who does notlove Me does not keep My words; and the wordwhich you hear is not Mine but the Father’s whosent Me.

JOHN 14:241253

14:14 aNU-Text adds Me. 14:15 aNU-Text reads you will keep.

• Universalism claims that all people will eventually be saved. God is too loving tosend anyone to hell.

• Pluralism claims that all the world religions are basically the same, with their par-ticular understanding being true for them. All people will be saved through theirown faith.

• Inclusivism holds that Christ’s work of salvation on the cross is essential and ap-plicable to all—even to those who have never trusted Christ personally.

• Exclusivism holds that Christianity is the only way to salvation. All other world-views are ultimately inadequate, though they may hold partial truths. Only Chris-tianity is sufficient for salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5).

Thinking Christianly: Four Views of Salvation (John 14:6)THROUGH THE GRID



GC2: Convictions: Defining Convictions

JOHN 14:11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

When Jesus invited His disciples to “believe Me for the sake of the worksthemselves” (John 14:11), He referred not only to the evidences that makebelieving a rational, reasonable exercise but also to the context of the invi-tation. He invites us to believe in a person. Believing in Christ and HisWord will have a profound and relational meaning in each of our lives.

People can have convictions in misguided and wrong beliefs—as the ter-rorist attacks of September 11 prove.We must move beyond subjective be-lieving to a conviction in what is objectively true.And those beliefs mustbe shown to be not only true but also relevant—that is, relationally mean-ingful to life.

Having convictions, then, can be defined as “being so thoroughly convincedthat Christ and His Word are both objectively true and relationally meaningfulthat you act on your beliefs regardless of the consequences.”

The expression “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do) likely had its origin inthis idea that to live with God-honoring convictions is to live and love asJesus would.What’s He been doing through you lately?

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THE GIFT OF HIS PEACE

25“These things I have spoken to you whilebeing present with you. 26But the Helper, theHoly Spirit, whom the Father will send in Myname, He will teach you all things, and bring toyour remembrance all things that I said to you.27Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;not as the world gives do I give to you. Let notyour heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.28You have heard Me say to you,‘I am going awayand coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, youwould rejoice because I said,a ‘I am going to theFather,’ for My Father is greater than I.

29“And now I have told you before it comes,that when it does come to pass, you may believe.30I will no longer talk much with you, for theruler of this world is coming, and he has nothingin Me. 31But that the world may know that I lovethe Father, and as the Father gave Me command-ment, so I do.Arise, let us go from here.

THE TRUE VINE

15“I am the true vine, and My Father is thevinedresser. 2Every branch in Me that does

not bear fruit He takes away;a and every branchthat bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear morefruit. 3You are already clean because of the wordwhich I have spoken to you. 4Abide in Me, and Iin you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unlessyou abide in Me.

5“I am the vine, you are the branches. Hewho abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;for without Me you can do nothing. 6If anyonedoes not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branchand is withered; and they gather them and throwthem into the fire, and they are burned. 7If youabide in Me, and My words abide in you, youwilla ask what you desire, and it shall be done foryou. 8By this My Father is glorified, that you bearmuch fruit; so you will be My disciples.

LOVE AND JOY PERFECTED

9“As the Father loved Me, I also have lovedyou; abide in My love. 10If you keep My com-mandments, you will abide in My love, just as Ihave kept My Father’s commandments and abidein His love.

11“These things I have spoken to you, thatMy joy may remain in you, and that your joymay be full. 12This is My commandment, thatyou love one another as I have loved you.13Greater love has no one than this, than to laydown one’s life for his friends. 14You are Myfriends if you do whatever I command you.15No longer do I call you servants, for a servantdoes not know what his master is doing; but Ihave called you friends, for all things that I heardfrom My Father I have made known to you.16You did not choose Me, but I chose you andappointed you that you should go and bear fruit,and that your fruit should remain, that whateveryou ask the Father in My name He may giveyou. 17These things I command you, that youlove one another.

THE WORLD’S HATRED

18“If the world hates you, you know that ithated Me before it hated you. 19If you were of theworld, the world would love its own.Yet becauseyou are not of the world, but I chose you out ofthe world, therefore the world hates you. 20Re-member the word that I said to you, ‘A servant isnot greater than his master.’ If they persecutedMe, they will also persecute you. If they kept Myword, they will keep yours also. 21But all thesethings they will do to you for My name’s sake,because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22IfI had not come and spoken to them, they wouldhave no sin, but now they have no excuse fortheir sin. 23He who hates Me hates My Fatheralso. 24If I had not done among them the workswhich no one else did, they would have no sin;but now they have seen and also hated both Meand My Father. 25But this happened that the wordmight be fulfilled which is written in their law,‘They hated Me without a cause.’ a

THE COMING REJECTION

26“But when the Helper comes, whom I shallsend to you from the Father, the Spirit of truthwho proceeds from the Father, He will testify ofMe. 27And you also will bear witness, because youhave been with Me from the beginning.

JOHN 15:271255

14:28 aNU-Text omits I said. 15:2 aOr lifts up 15:7 aNU-Textomits you will. 15:25 aPsalm 69:4



GC2: Basic Training: Loving Jesus

JOHN 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Some of us view God as an inspecting god.As you read the verse above,you may have imagined a tone of expectation and demand.The wordsmight carry a questioning tone, conveying the sense that there is a test tobe passed or a measurement to be taken.You may have even imaginedyour inspecting god shaking his finger at you as he speaks these words.His stern tone and gestures warn of his constant inspection.

Some of us may view God as disappointed in us.As you read the verseabove, you may have heard a voice that seemed full of dissatisfaction.Thiskind of god might look down at you with arms crossed, shaking his headas he says,“If you really loved me, then you would be able to keep mycommandments. In fact, I have known all along that you did not reallylove me, and what you just did proves it!”

Some of us may see God as a distant god.As you read the verse above, thevoice you heard may have seemed cold or disinterested.A distant godwould speak the verse with halfhearted enthusiasm or great indifference.This kind of god might seem preoccupied with other things or othermore important people.You might picture him looking up absent-mindedly and saying,“Oh, if you love me, then you will probably keepmy commandments.Thanks for stopping by.”

Consider the wonder that this verse may be a promise in a long line ofpromises! (See John 14:2, 3, 12, 13, and 14.) Could it be when you wokeup this morning God was looking down longing for you to love Him,knowing that as you do, you’ll then keep His commandments? The realJesus is not inspecting, disappointed, or distant. He’s excited to share inyour love!

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16“These things I have spoken to you, thatyou should not be made to stumble. 2They

will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the timeis coming that whoever kills you will think thathe offers God service. 3And these things they willdo to youa because they have not known the Fa-ther nor Me. 4But these things I have told you,that when thea time comes, you may rememberthat I told you of them.

“And these things I did not say to you at thebeginning, because I was with you.

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

5“But now I go away to Him who sent Me,and none of you asks Me,‘Where are You going?’6But because I have said these things to you, sor-row has filled your heart. 7Nevertheless I tell youthe truth. It is to your advantage that I go away;for if I do not go away, the Helper will not cometo you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.8And when He has come, He will convict theworld of sin, and of righteousness, and of judg-ment: 9of sin, because they do not believe in Me;10of righteousness, because I go to My Father andyou see Me no more; 11of judgment, because theruler of this world is judged.

12“I still have many things to say to you, butyou cannot bear them now. 13However, when He,the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide youinto all truth; for He will not speak on His ownauthority, but whatever He hears He will speak;and He will tell you things to come. 14He willglorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine anddeclare it to you. 15All things that the Father hasare Mine. Therefore I said that He will take ofMine and declare it to you.a

SORROW WILL TURN TO JOY

16“A little while, and you will not see Me; andagain a little while, and you will see Me, because Igo to the Father.”

17Then some of His disciples said amongthemselves,“What is this that He says to us,‘A lit-tle while, and you will not see Me; and again a lit-tle while, and you will see Me’; and,‘because I goto the Father’?” 18They said therefore, “What isthis that He says,‘A little while’? We do not knowwhat He is saying.”

19Now Jesus knew that they desired to askHim, and He said to them, “Are you inquiringamong yourselves about what I said, ‘A littlewhile, and you will not see Me; and again a littlewhile, and you will see Me’? 20Most assuredly, Isay to you that you will weep and lament, but theworld will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, butyour sorrow will be turned into joy. 21A woman,when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hourhas come; but as soon as she has given birth to thechild, she no longer remembers the anguish, forjoy that a human being has been born into theworld. 22Therefore you now have sorrow; but Iwill see you again and your heart will rejoice, andyour joy no one will take from you.

23“And in that day you will ask Me nothing.Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask theFather in My name He will give you. 24Until nowyou have asked nothing in My name. Ask, andyou will receive, that your joy may be full.

JESUS CHRIST HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD

25“These things I have spoken to you in figu-rative language; but the time is coming when Iwill no longer speak to you in figurative language,but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26Inthat day you will ask in My name, and I do notsay to you that I shall pray the Father for you;27for the Father Himself loves you, because youhave loved Me, and have believed that I cameforth from God. 28I came forth from the Fatherand have come into the world. Again, I leave theworld and go to the Father.”

29His disciples said to Him,“See, now You arespeaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!30Now we are sure that You know all things, andhave no need that anyone should question You. Bythis we believe that You came forth from God.”

31Jesus answered them,“Do you now believe?32Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come,that you will be scattered, each to his own, andwill leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, be-cause the Father is with Me. 33These things I havespoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. Inthe world you willa have tribulation; but be ofgood cheer, I have overcome the world.”

JOHN 16:331257

16:3 aNU-Text and M-Text omit to you. 16:4 aNU-Text reads their.16:15 aNU-Text and M-Text read He takes of Mine and will declare itto you. 16:33 aNU-Text and M-Text omit will.



The Holy Spirit in Focus

JOHN 14:26

If we are committed to knowing and experiencing God, we must seeclearly all that the Bible teaches about the Holy Spirit. Most people seethe doctrine of the Spirit as essentially about power, but we must beginwith the Person of the Spirit to truly know and experience God.

The Holy Spirit is a Person with a distinct personality, referred to as mas-culine and never as a genderless “it” (John 14:16, 17, 26). He speaks (Acts 13:2); testifies (John 15:26); intercedes (Rom. 8:26); commands orforbids (Acts 16:6, 7); guides (John 16:13); reacts as a person, and the HolySpirit has emotion. He may be resisted (Acts 7:51), grieved (Eph. 4:30),lied to and tested (Acts 5:3–9), and blasphemed by man (Mark 3:29, 30).The Christian religion alone has the Holy Spirit.The personal name ofthe Holy Spirit is unknown; the title “Holy Spirit” is a designation orwhat He is.This silence in the Scripture is very significant; He withholdsHis own name that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may be exalted.

He is coequal to God, coeternal, and coexistent. Both the Old and NewTestament identify Him as God. He is called God explicitly (Acts 5:3, 4;1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 3:17). He possesses the divine attributes of being omnipotent (Luke 1:35), omniscient (1 Cor. 2:10), omnipresent (Ps. 139:7–10), and everlasting (Heb. 9:14).The Holy Spirit was a part ofcreation (Gen. 1:1, 2) and performs the works of God: regeneration (John 3:3, 5–8), resurrection (Rom. 8:11), and transformation (Rom. 8:10).

Once clearly focused on the personhood of the Holy Spirit, we can expe-rience His power.The ministry of the Holy Spirit in us as believers allowsus to represent the Lord Jesus on this earth. It is by His power that we be-come witnesses and give true testimony to the resurrection of the LordJesus (Acts 1:8; 4:33). Paul prayed that the Romans “may abound in hopeby the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). Only the Holy Spirit isdesignated as our Helper (John 14:26) who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13).

JOHN 1258


JESUS PRAYS FOR HIMSELF

17Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyesto heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has

come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also mayglorify You, 2as You have given Him authorityover all flesh, that He shoulda give eternal life toas many as You have given Him. 3And this is eter-nal life, that they may know You, the only trueGod, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4Ihave glorified You on the earth. I have finishedthe work which You have given Me to do. 5Andnow, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself,with the glory which I had with You before theworld was.

JESUS PRAYS FOR HIS DISCIPLES

6“I have manifested Your name to the menwhom You have given Me out of the world.Theywere Yours,You gave them to Me, and they havekept Your word. 7Now they have known that allthings which You have given Me are from You.8For I have given to them the words which Youhave given Me; and they have received them, andhave known surely that I came forth from You;and they have believed that You sent Me.

9“I pray for them. I do not pray for the worldbut for those whom You have given Me, for theyare Yours. 10And all Mine are Yours, and Yours areMine, and I am glorified in them. 11Now I am nolonger in the world, but these are in the world,and I come to You. Holy Father, keep throughYour name those whom You have given Me,a thatthey may be one as We are. 12While I was withthem in the world,a I kept them in Your name.Those whom You gave Me I have kept;b andnone of them is lost except the son of perdition,that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13But now Icome to You, and these things I speak in theworld, that they may have My joy fulfilled inthemselves. 14I have given them Your word; andthe world has hated them because they are not ofthe world, just as I am not of the world. 15I do notpray that You should take them out of the world,but that You should keep them from the evil one.16They are not of the world, just as I am not ofthe world. 17Sanctify them by Your truth. Yourword is truth. 18As You sent Me into the world, Ialso have sent them into the world. 19And for

their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may besanctified by the truth.

JESUS PRAYS FOR ALL BELIEVERS

20“I do not pray for these alone, but also forthose who willa believe in Me through theirword; 21that they all may be one, as You, Father, arein Me, and I in You; that they also may be one inUs, that the world may believe that You sent Me.22And the glory which You gave Me I have giventhem, that they may be one just as We are one: 23Iin them, and You in Me; that they may be madeperfect in one, and that the world may know thatYou have sent Me, and have loved them as Youhave loved Me.

24“Father, I desire that they also whom Yougave Me may be with Me where I am, that theymay behold My glory which You have given Me;for You loved Me before the foundation of theworld. 25O righteous Father! The world has notknown You, but I have known You; and these haveknown that You sent Me. 26And I have declared tothem Your name, and will declare it, that the lovewith which You loved Me may be in them, and Iin them.”

BETRAYAL AND ARREST IN GETHSEMANE

18When Jesus had spoken these words, Hewent out with His disciples over the Brook

Kidron, where there was a garden, which He andHis disciples entered. 2And Judas, who betrayedHim, also knew the place; for Jesus often metthere with His disciples. 3Then Judas, having re-ceived a detachment of troops, and officers fromthe chief priests and Pharisees, came there withlanterns, torches, and weapons. 4Jesus therefore,knowing all things that would come upon Him,went forward and said to them, “Whom are youseeking?”

5They answered Him,“Jesus of Nazareth.”Jesus said to them,“I am He.”And Judas, who

betrayed Him, also stood with them. 6Now whenHe said to them,“I am He,” they drew back andfell to the ground.

JOHN 18:61259

17:2 aM-Text reads shall. 17:11 aNU-Text and M-Text read keepthem through Your name which You have given Me. 17:12 aNU-Text omits in the world. bNU-Text reads in Your name which Yougave Me. And I guarded them; (or it;). 17:20 aNU-Text and M-Textomit will.



GC2: Encountering Jesus: Running with Compassion

LUKE 15:20 And he arose and came to his father.

This familiar story of the “prodigal son” is really about the loving father.And on another level it’s really about you; you’re the prodigal, and it’sChrist who comes to seek and to save you! (Luke 19:10)

Meditate on the Scripture as you imagine that Christ is waiting for you toreturn home.When He sees you in the distance, He is moved with com-passion in spite of your selfishness, pride, condemnation, and sin—and Heruns toward you. He leaps quickly, anxiously off the front porch becauseHe cannot wait to see you. He embraces you, kisses you, and whispers inyour ear. He does not offer lectures or criticism.There is no rebuke orscorn. His voice is filled with compassion as He embraces you.There’s aring, a robe, and the announcement of a party.The real God welcomes youwith outstretched arms, ready to embrace you and excited to love you!

Let God fill your heart with gratitude for the grace that you have re-ceived, just like the prodigal in this story.Ask Him to bring you back of-ten to a time of fresh reflection upon the grace of the embracing Christ.Pray that He would fill you with wonder and gratitude for His care thatwould compel you to love those around you.

Spend the next few moments praying with a friend or small group.Youmight offer a prayer of gratitude and then one of calling.Your prayersmight sound like these:

• of gratitude—“Fill my heart, Holy Spirit, with the wonder of an em-bracing, celebrating Christ; may my joy and gratitude for being soloved empower my love of others.”

• of calling—“I sense Your calling, heavenly Father, to love othersaround me with this same caring initiative. Make my heart especiallysensitive to passing on Your love to my _________________.” (Forexample: friend, family member, fellow student, or coworker)

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7Then He asked them again,“Whom are youseeking?”

And they said,“Jesus of Nazareth.”8Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am

He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go theirway,” 9that the saying might be fulfilled which Hespoke, “Of those whom You gave Me I have lostnone.”

10Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew itand struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off hisright ear.The servant’s name was Malchus.

11So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword intothe sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which MyFather has given Me?”

BEFORE THE HIGH PRIEST

12Then the detachment of troops and the cap-tain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus andbound Him. 13And they led Him away to Annasfirst, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphaswho was high priest that year. 14Now it was Ca-iaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedientthat one man should die for the people.

PETER DENIES JESUS

15And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so didanothera disciple. Now that disciple was known tothe high priest, and went with Jesus into thecourtyard of the high priest. 16But Peter stood atthe door outside. Then the other disciple, whowas known to the high priest, went out and spoketo her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.17Then the servant girl who kept the door said toPeter,“You are not also one of this Man’s disciples,are you?”

He said,“I am not.”18Now the servants and officers who had

made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold,and they warmed themselves. And Peter stoodwith them and warmed himself.

JESUS QUESTIONED BY THE HIGH PRIEST

19The high priest then asked Jesus about Hisdisciples and His doctrine.

20Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the

JOHN 18:201261

18:15 aM-Text reads the other.

LEADERSHIP

REALITIES

FEEL YOUR MUSCLE, NOT YOUR PULSE John 18:10, 11

It was a highly charged, emotional moment. The soldiers came to drag Jesus away—toshame, humiliate, and kill Him. Peter reacted with anger and cut off the high priest’s servant’sear, but Jesus stood by ready to respond. While Peter saw danger and betrayal, Jesus under-stood that God was calling Him to obedience and courage.

When you feel your muscle, you feel the result of days, months, and years of exercise, nutri-tion, and sleep. You have gotten out of it what you have put into it. Your pulse, on the otherhand, can race and sleep, go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds, or drop so low that youcan’t raise your head up, all based on the emotion and circumstances of the moment.

Like Peter, we often allow emotion and drama in the heat of the moment to make decisionsfor us. Decisions should not be based on whether we feel good or bad, but on God’s will forour lives. What cup is He calling you to drink?

pothvrion—cup—metaphor: one’s lot or experience, whether joyous or adverse, and divine appointments, whether favorable or unfavorable, are likened to a cup

that God presents one to drink: so of prosperity and adversity

Stay true to God’s Word, even when tempted by emotion to do otherwise. Remember thatemotion is not the lead dog in choices, but God’s Word is sure for all the ages.

Impact_43_John 12/5/07 3:12 PM Page 1261


Accountability Is Not an Option

JOHN 15:15

Neither Paul nor Timothy traveled alone in the Book of Acts.These twohad a part in changing the world, just as leaders desire to do, and theychose accountability. If these men, used of God and powerful in anoint-ing, needed partners in the gospel, how can we even begin to think wecan do it alone? Jesus also showed the power of accountability when Hebegan His earthly ministry by first choosing a team to whom He wouldbe accountable.This was the kind of open accountability Jesus had withHis disciples:“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does notknow what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all thingsthat I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

From these examples leaders learn that an accountability friendship is nota casual suggestion; it is an absolute imperative and a trusted, intimatefriendship.The accountability partner cancels out the opportunity tocover up emotional problems, sin, or temptation, and to pretend all is OKwhen it’s not; they give permission to get in one another’s faces to ask thehard questions:“What about your quiet time? How are you handlingtemptation?”These remind you that life is about influence, purpose, andsignificance.They remind you of God’s call to lead and what you have todo to stay faithful. In order for other influencers to pray sincerely for you,they need to know your deepest fears and your highest dreams.You cansing in church next to someone for a year, share stories and tears, butnever help each other live with victory and strength.

Your accountability partners should be people with whom you are com-mitted to sharing deepest part of yourself. Pray about a person of thesame gender who could be that for you, and ask God to arrange this rela-tionship. Consider making your parents part of your accountability teamand in so doing show commitment to their authority.This honors andpleases God and gives you the opportunity to live a consistent life with-out secrets or regrets.

JOHN 1262


world. I always taught in synagogues and in thetemple, where the Jews always meet,a and in se-cret I have said nothing. 21Why do you ask Me?Ask those who have heard Me what I said tothem. Indeed they know what I said.”

22And when He had said these things, one ofthe officers who stood by struck Jesus with thepalm of his hand, saying,“Do You answer the highpriest like that?”

23Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil,bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do youstrike Me?”

24Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphasthe high priest.

PETER DENIES TWICE MORE

25Now Simon Peter stood and warmed him-self.Therefore they said to him,“You are not alsoone of His disciples, are you?”

He denied it and said,“I am not!”26One of the servants of the high priest, a rel-

ative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did Inot see you in the garden with Him?” 27Peterthen denied again; and immediately a roostercrowed.

IN PILATE’S COURT

28Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to thePraetorium, and it was early morning. But theythemselves did not go into the Praetorium, lestthey should be defiled, but that they might eat thePassover. 29Pilate then went out to them and said,“What accusation do you bring against thisMan?”

30They answered and said to him,“If He werenot an evildoer, we would not have deliveredHim up to you.”

31Then Pilate said to them, “You take Himand judge Him according to your law.”

Therefore the Jews said to him,“It is not law-ful for us to put anyone to death,” 32that the say-ing of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke,signifying by what death He would die.

33Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again,called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the Kingof the Jews?”

34Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking foryourself about this, or did others tell you this con-cerning Me?”

35Pilate answered,“Am I a Jew? Your own na-tion and the chief priests have delivered You tome.What have You done?”

36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of thisworld. If My kingdom were of this world, Myservants would fight, so that I should not be de-livered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is notfrom here.”

37Pilate therefore said to Him,“Are You a kingthen?”

Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am aking. For this cause I was born, and for this causeI have come into the world, that I should bearwitness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truthhears My voice.”

38Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” Andwhen he had said this, he went out again to theJews, and said to them,“I find no fault in Him atall.

TAKING THE PLACE OF BARABBAS

39“But you have a custom that I should releasesomeone to you at the Passover. Do you thereforewant me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

40Then they all cried again, saying, “Not thisMan, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

THE SOLDIERS MOCK JESUS

19So then Pilate took Jesus and scourgedHim. 2And the soldiers twisted a crown of

thorns and put it on His head, and they put onHim a purple robe. 3Then they said,a “Hail, Kingof the Jews!” And they struck Him with theirhands.

4Pilate then went out again, and said to them,“Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that youmay know that I find no fault in Him.”

PILATE’S DECISION

5Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown ofthorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said tothem,“Behold the Man!”

6Therefore, when the chief priests and officerssaw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him,crucify Him! ”

Pilate said to them, “You take Him and cru-cify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

JOHN 19:61263

18:20 aNU-Text reads where all the Jews meet. 19:3 aNU-Textreads And they came up to Him and said.



GC2: He Calls Me Friend

JOHN 15:15

It will no doubt seem strange, but friendship with God is foundational toour being a good friend to others! The startling possibility that you and I(the created) can relate closely, even intimately, with the Creator is hard to grasp; but it’s true.The Bible says Moses spoke with God as with afriend, and Abraham is referred to as “a friend of God” (Ex. 33:11; James2:23). In the New Testament, as we encounter the God-Man Jesus, thispossibility of friendship seems closer, more possible.

The apostle James reminds us that our “friendship with the world” willhinder our friendship with the Lord (James 4:4). God, in fact, is a “jeal-ous” friend—knowing that our friendship with the world will bring pain,while our intimacy with Him brings blessings.

True friendship, which is learned in our relationship with the Lord, bringsblessings:

• Friends deeply know one another—He knows you, and you make apriority of knowing Him (Jer. 1:5; Phil. 3:8).

• Friends initiate care for one another—He meets needs, speaks withyou, and stays committed to you (Pss. 37:25; 85:8; 139:3; Phil. 4:19).You listen to what He says, try not to grieve Him, and celebrate Hisgoodness toward you (1 Sam. 3:9; Ps. 100:2; Eph. 4:30).

• Friends vulnerably trust one another—In the Scripture, Christ sharesHis joys, hurts, and hopes (John 15:11, 18; 17:5).You share with Himyour joys, hurts, and hopes (Jer. 33:3; Rom. 8:26).

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7The Jews answered him,“We have a law, andaccording to oura law He ought to die, becauseHe made Himself the Son of God.”

8Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, hewas the more afraid, 9and went again into thePraetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are Youfrom?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

10Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You notspeaking to me? Do You not know that I havepower to crucify You, and power to release You?”

11Jesus answered, “You could have no powerat all against Me unless it had been given youfrom above.Therefore the one who delivered Meto you has the greater sin.”

12From then on Pilate sought to release Him,but the Jews cried out, saying,“If you let this Mango, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makeshimself a king speaks against Caesar.”

13When Pilate therefore heard that saying, hebrought Jesus out and sat down in the judgmentseat in a place that is called The Pavement, but inHebrew, Gabbatha. 14Now it was the PreparationDay of the Passover, and about the sixth hour.And he said to the Jews,“Behold your King!”

15But they cried out, “Away with Him, awaywith Him! Crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify yourKing?”

The chief priests answered,“We have no kingbut Caesar!”

16Then he delivered Him to them to be cru-cified.Then they took Jesus and led Him away.a

THE KING ON A CROSS

17And He, bearing His cross, went out to aplace called the Place of a Skull, which is called inHebrew, Golgotha, 18where they crucified Him,and two others with Him, one on either side, andJesus in the center. 19Now Pilate wrote a title andput it on the cross.And the writing was:

JESUS OF NAZARETH,THE KING OF THE JEWS.

20Then many of the Jews read this title, forthe place where Jesus was crucified was near thecity; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, andLatin.

21Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said

JOHN 19:211265

19:7 aNU-Text reads the law. 19:16 aNU-Text omits and led Himaway.

PILATE—Denial Is Not the Same As InnocencePilate was appointed governor of Judea by Emperor Tiberius from AD 26 until AD 36. Hewill be forever remembered as an ineffective leader who failed to assume responsibilitywhen he said, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person” (Matt. 27:24), even as hehad the power to release Jesus. On that Thursday evening after Jesus and his disciplesate the Passover meal, known as the Last Supper, they made their way up the Mount ofOlives to a place of solitude called the Garden of Gethsemane. It was there that heprayed until the early morning hours and was betrayed with a kiss.

The council of the Sanhedrin wanted Jesus dead, but they weren’t authorized to deliverthe death sentence, so they went to Pilate. He succumbed to mob psychology to try toretain his power, but ultimately lost it anyway. Pilate made several mistakes: he assumedthe crowd would be rational and free Jesus, instead of a criminal. He also ignored hiswife’s warnings, his own conscience, and the evidence. He was in denial of the Truthwhen it was staring him right in the face.

Under Caligula, Pilate was exiled where legend claims that he spent years washing hishands in a water basin while proclaiming his innocence, until he committed suicide inabout AD 38.




GC2: Hurt Is Inevitable

JOHN 16:33

It’s not a matter of if we’re going to be hurt, but rather when, and whatare we going to do about it? Hurt can come from many sources: circum-stances (illness, accidents); family members (parents, siblings, grandparents);friends; teachers; coaches; enemies. It seems ironic, but sometimes thoseclosest to us can hurt us more frequently and more deeply than others can.This is because we are around them more often, and our hopes for thoseclose to us are heightened. Hurt also takes many forms. Synonyms for hurtor trouble in this world might include phrases such as:

I was disappointed that my classmate didn’t finish his part of our project.I was embarrassed when I tripped and fell in front of my classmates.I was offended at the racist remark that was made.I felt betrayed when my friend spoke against me.I was frustrated when my car wouldn’t start.I felt abandoned when my dad left the rest of us.I felt sad on the first anniversary of my mother’s death.

Incredibly, we have a great High Priest who can sympathize with our pain(Heb. 4:15), while being reminded of His own:

• Rejected in His family and His hometown—Mark 3:20, 21; 6:2–4• Called demon-possessed by the Pharisees—John 10:20• Insulted by His disciples—Matthew 26:6–9• Disappointed by Philip—John 14:6–9• Offended in the Upper Room at the Last Supper—Luke 22:24• Unsupported in the Garden of Gethsemane—Mark 14:32–40• Embarrassed on the cross—John 19:23• Mocked, cursed, or blasphemed—Luke 23:36, 39

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to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’but,‘He said,“I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ”

22Pilate answered, “What I have written, Ihave written.”

23Then the soldiers, when they had crucifiedJesus, took His garments and made four parts, toeach soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now thetunic was without seam, woven from the top inone piece. 24They said therefore among them-selves,“Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whoseit shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilledwhich says:

“They divided My garments among them,And for My clothing they cast lots.” a

Therefore the soldiers did these things.

BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER

25Now there stood by the cross of Jesus Hismother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife ofClopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesustherefore saw His mother, and the disciple whomHe loved standing by, He said to His mother,

“Woman, behold your son!” 27Then He said tothe disciple, “Behold your mother!” And fromthat hour that disciple took her to his own home.

IT IS FINISHED

28After this, Jesus, knowinga that all thingswere now accomplished, that the Scripture mightbe fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29Now a vessel full ofsour wine was sitting there; and they filled asponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and putit to His mouth. 30So when Jesus had received thesour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowingHis head, He gave up His spirit.

JESUS’ SIDE IS PIERCED

31Therefore, because it was the PreparationDay, that the bodies should not remain on thecross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a highday), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might bebroken, and that they might be taken away. 32Thenthe soldiers came and broke the legs of the firstand of the other who was crucified with Him.33But when they came to Jesus and saw that He

JOHN 19:331267

19:24 aPsalm 22:18 19:28 aM-Text reads seeing.

MARY—Courage to Keep BelievingJOHN 19:23

She watched as her son hung between life and death on the cross, and the prophecy ofSimeon in the temple became a reality: “a sword will pierce through your own soul” (Luke2:35). The emotions flooded her heart: the fear of the future; the loneliness of Bethle-hem; the joy of birth; the pain of watching Him leave home; the joy of His miracles; thepain of the angry crowd and the beatings; the peace of trusting God; and then the painof watching Him die. And now, could Mary even dare to believe He would rise again?She wasn’t at the grave; perhaps it was more than she could bear. But the angel said,“Do not be afraid,” and her son, Jesus, taught, “Let not your heart be troubled; you be-lieve in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1).

Believing was all this mother could do now. The rest was out of her hands. She knew thisday would come because Jesus spoke of His death often. He would have to bear thesins of the world, and she could do nothing to help with that. “It’s not fair!” probablycrossed her mind more than once. What we see about Mary is not that she was chosento carry the baby Jesus, but that she was chosen to love Him, support Him, and motherHim. The courage it took to be by His side through the good and bad was something thatonly a woman of deep, passionate faith could have.




GC2: Unity: Christ’s Prayer for Unity

JOHN 17:20, 21 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe inMe through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and Iin You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sentMe.

Imagine this most sacred time in the Upper Room in Jerusalem.ThePassover meal is finished.The Servant Christ has washed the feet of eachdisciple, and the betrayer has departed to complete his betrayal of theMessiah. Christ will soon be arrested, crucified, and buried; and three dayslater He will rise from the dead.

It’s during these final moments together that Christ and His now elevendisciples must complete preparations for His death and for their leadershipof the early church. Christ will provide instruction, encouragement, andhope in this “Upper Room Discourse,” culminating in His longestrecorded prayer (John 13—17.) It is during this John 17 prayer that wealso see the personal relevance to our lives.Verse 20 records that thisprayer is not just for these eleven disciples but also “for those who willbelieve in Me through their word.” Imagine all the multitudes downthrough the ages who have put their trust in Christ because of the testi-mony of these eleven!

Are you not one of His disciples? If not, pause quietly even now to inviteHim into your life:“Lord Jesus, thanks for loving me, praying for me, anddesiring a relationship with me. I need You to forgive me and change meas You come into my life to make me part of Your family.Thank You fordoing so even now; by faith I receive You as my Savior and Lord.”

Now to each of us who belong to Christ, He has declared a critical in-gredient in our lives as we follow Him: that we would live in oneness—without division, strife, jealousy, or pride—being diligent to mutually carefor, yield to, and love one another (1 Cor. 12:24–27; Eph. 5:21; Gal. 5:13).And it will have divine results:“that the world may believe!” (John 17:21).

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was already dead, they did not break His legs.34But one of the soldiers pierced His side with aspear, and immediately blood and water cameout. 35And he who has seen has testified, and histestimony is true; and he knows that he is tellingthe truth, so that you may believe. 36For thesethings were done that the Scripture should be ful-filled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” a

37And again another Scripture says, “They shalllook on Him whom they pierced.” a

JESUS BURIED IN JOSEPH’S TOMB

38After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a dis-ciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews,asked Pilate that he might take away the body ofJesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he cameand took the body of Jesus. 39And Nicodemus,who at first came to Jesus by night, also came,

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19:36 aExodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20 19:37 aZech-ariah 12:10

JOHN 19:38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fearof the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave himpermission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.

Nicodemus probably would not have been voted “most likely to believe”based on his earlier encounter with Jesus (John 3:1–21). This Pharisee mayhave felt fearful, insecure, concerned about his future, or embarrassed ashe waited until dark to approach the Savior (v. 2). Within the safety of dark-ness, Nicodemus’s questions exposed the uncertainties and misunder-standings of his heart. Christ patiently addressed the leader’s questions, re-vealing His desire to bring change to this man’s heart and life.

Something about this encounter with Christ piqued the curiosity of Nicode-mus. We do not hear about his immediate conversion, but we do read ofNicodemus after Christ’s death. We cannot be sure how often Nicodemuslistened to the Master as He spoke to the crowds. We do not know how of-ten he may have witnessed the miracles of Christ or sensed the Messiah’scompassion. We do know, however, that these encounters likely occurred,because Nicodemus’s life was transformed.

The same man, who had been afraid to go to Jesus during the light of day,was involved in asking permission to bury Jesus’ body. Nicodemus andJoseph of Arimathea took the body away, prepared it for burial, and laid Je-sus in the tomb (John 19:38–42). The one who had approached Christ in se-crecy was now apparently willing to be identified with Him.

Pause now and consider any uncertainties or questions in your own heart.Have you, like Nicodemus, been afraid to boldly identify yourself withChrist? Have you been fearful, embarrassed, reluctant, skeptical, or inse-cure? Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you with the same power that trans-formed the life of Nicodemus. Ask Him to make the changes inside of youthat prompted the bold steps of this religious leader. May the Spirit lead youto serve the Savior in courageous ways!

THROUGH THE GRID Sharing Christ: From Skepticism to Service



GC2: Convictions: Truth Is a Person

JOHN 18:38 Pilate said to Him,“What is truth?”And when he had said this, hewent out again to the Jews, and said to them,“I find no fault in Him at all.”

Imagine for a moment that you are in that hall with Pilate and his pris-oner. Imagine the words of the governor’s question echoing off the mar-bled walls of that great hall. Imagine the expression of Pilate’s face as heposes the question, scornful at first, then turning serious when the answerdoes not quickly come.

Seconds tick by. Still the prisoner and the governor study each other.Imagine the governor’s thoughts: Who is this Man? Why does He gaze at meso? And the prisoner’s thoughts: Have I not just told you? I came to bringtruth to the world. Pilate, you are looking at the answer to your own question: Iam the truth (John 14:6).

Pilate was not just discussing the truth in his Jerusalem palace the day hemet Jesus; he was literally looking at it.Truth was standing before him,clothed in human flesh! Jesus Christ is the very embodiment and essenceof absolute moral and spiritual truth itself.“And the Word became fleshand dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only be-gotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Moral and spiritual truth isn’t so much a concept as it is a person. It isn’tso much something we believe as it is someone we relate to. Moral andspiritual truth has flesh.And, thus, truth is not just conceptual; it is intrin-sically relational.Truth is a person!

To develop God-honoring convictions is to relate intimately to Jesus, theOne who is truth.

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bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about ahundred pounds. 40Then they took the body ofJesus, and bound it in strips of linen with thespices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41Nowin the place where He was crucified there was agarden, and in the garden a new tomb in whichno one had yet been laid. 42So there they laid Je-sus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for thetomb was nearby.

THE EMPTY TOMB

20Now the first day of the week Mary Mag-dalene went to the tomb early, while it was

still dark, and saw that the stone had been takenaway from the tomb. 2Then she ran and came toSimon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Je-sus loved, and said to them, “They have takenaway the Lord out of the tomb, and we do notknow where they have laid Him.”

3Peter therefore went out, and the other disci-ple, and were going to the tomb. 4So they bothran together, and the other disciple outran Peterand came to the tomb first. 5And he, stoopingdown and looking in, saw the linen cloths lyingthere; yet he did not go in. 6Then Simon Petercame, following him, and went into the tomb; andhe saw the linen cloths lying there, 7and the hand-kerchief that had been around His head, not lyingwith the linen cloths, but folded together in aplace by itself. 8Then the other disciple, whocame to the tomb first, went in also; and he sawand believed. 9For as yet they did not know theScripture, that He must rise again from the dead.10Then the disciples went away again to theirown homes.

MARY MAGDALENE SEES THE RISEN LORD

11But Mary stood outside by the tomb weep-ing, and as she wept she stooped down and lookedinto the tomb. 12And she saw two angels in whitesitting, one at the head and the other at the feet,where the body of Jesus had lain. 13Then they saidto her,“Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them, “Because they have takenaway my Lord, and I do not know where theyhave laid Him.”

14Now when she had said this, she turnedaround and saw Jesus standing there, and did notknow that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her,

“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are youseeking?”

She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saidto Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tellme where You have laid Him, and I will take Himaway.”

16Jesus said to her,“Mary!”She turned and said to Him,a “Rabboni!”

(which is to say,Teacher).17Jesus said to her,“Do not cling to Me, for I

have not yet ascended to My Father; but go toMy brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending toMy Father and your Father, and to My God andyour God.’ ”

18Mary Magdalene came and told the disci-ples that she had seen the Lord,a and that He hadspoken these things to her.

THE APOSTLES COMMISSIONED

19Then, the same day at evening, being thefirst day of the week, when the doors were shutwhere the disciples were assembled,a for fear ofthe Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, andsaid to them, “Peace be with you.” 20When Hehad said this, He showed them His hands and Hisside.Then the disciples were glad when they sawthe Lord.

21So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you!As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22Andwhen He had said this, He breathed on them, andsaid to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If youforgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; ifyou retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

SEEING AND BELIEVING

24Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of thetwelve, was not with them when Jesus came.25The other disciples therefore said to him, “Wehave seen the Lord.”

So he said to them,“Unless I see in His handsthe print of the nails, and put my finger into theprint of the nails, and put my hand into His side, Iwill not believe.”

26And after eight days His disciples were againinside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, thedoors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said,“Peace to you!” 27Then He said to Thomas,

JOHN 20:271271

20:16 aNU-Text adds in Hebrew. 20:18 aNU-Text reads disciples, “Ihave seen the Lord,” . . . 20:19 aNU-Text omits assembled.



Restoration of Leadership Is Good News

JOHN 21:4–6, 9–12

Like most leaders, once Peter had time to think about what he had done,he was sad and began to suffer the consequences of his choice—spiritualemptiness and discouragement. Unfortunately, when he stopped followingJesus, he led others to do the same. He went from fisherman to “fisher ofmen” and back again.There is a happy ending to this poor choice, how-ever. Jesus forgave Peter and restored him to intimacy through a personalencounter.The disciples may have been angry, refused to talk to Peter, andsome probably gossiped about him; but that is not the case with Jesus.

Jesus came and found Peter.The God we love and serve, the One whodesires so intensely to be with us, comes to us even when we have sinned.Jesus wanted to be restored to Peter, just as Peter wanted to be restored toHim. Jesus showed His power by providing a huge catch of fish, but Heshowed personal love by serving Him a personally cooked breakfast. Hecould have spoken the breakfast into existence; but the Scripture specifi-cally says He cooked it, once again demonstrating His personal involve-ment in our lives.

Peter’s life was reclaimed for godly influence by the unconditional love ofGod. He takes our sinful choices, uses them for His glory, writes a storyfor others to learn from, and leaves them for future generations to re-member. God used the denial in Peter’s life, to completely transform andembolden him in a way that he might have never known before.Thatdoesn’t make his mistake OK, but it does show the power of Christ to re-deem a wrong choice.We can know that Peter’s repentance was real andnot a show because his behavior changed, and once again, he became afisher of men. He finished his ministry with persecution and crucifixion;he became a martyr for Christ—a sharp contrast to the earlier betrayal.

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JOHN1273

There are several specific pieces of evidence that attest to the historical and bodily res-urrection of Jesus from the dead:

• Naturalistic theories fail to explain away the event and have been disproved or re-jected.

• The arguments from subjective and personal experiences by Christians around theglobe throughout history also attest to the pragmatic power of the living Christ.

• Christianity would not be such a strong religion if it were not true—Jesus’ resurrec-tion gave birth to Christianity; and from its earliest days, the church held the Res-urrection as central.

• The Jews who believed in Christ changed the Sabbath day from Saturday to Sun-day (the day Christ was resurrected).

• The first witnesses of the risen Jesus were women, though the witness of womenwas generally invalidated by their social status in that time.

• There was a radical change to the disciples, who held new power, new courage,and were faithful to Christ and His message until death.

• The moral character of the eyewitnesses suggests that they would not have liedabout witnessing such an appearance.

• Of course, the tomb is empty, and there is no body of Jesus to be found anywhere.Jesus had numerous and various post-Resurrection appearances. Also, it is un-likely that a group of people would all share the same hallucination.

• The multitude of fulfilled Old Testament prophecies points to the reality of Christ’sresurrection (Gen. 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:12; Ps. 22; Is. 7:14; 52:13—53:12; Mic. 5:2).

• The Jewish leaders could not disprove the message.

• Two skeptics were converted: James and Paul.

• Then, there are the accepted character and claims of Jesus, in which He claimedto be God; and He claimed that He would rise (John 5:58; 10:30; 14:9).

• The articles of clothing left in the tomb also testify to the risen nature of Jesus (John20:5).

• The Resurrection was something that was very unexpected, and it would be a far-fetched claim to make if not true.

• And finally, eyewitness documents record the facts of the Resurrection.

These evidences provide a solid foundational ground for establishing the reality of thehistorical event of Jesus’ death and consequent resurrection from the dead. The Chris-tian hope hinges on the Resurrection, in which God defeats death and makes redemp-tion available to all.

Thinking Christianly: SpecificEvidences for the Resurrection of Jesus (John 20)

THROUGH THE GRID


“Reach your finger here, and look at My hands;and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28And Thomas answered and said to Him,“My Lord and my God!”

29Jesus said to him, “Thomas,a because youhave seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are thosewho have not seen and yet have believed.”

THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE

30And truly Jesus did many other signs in thepresence of His disciples, which are not written inthis book; 31but these are written that you maybelieve that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,and that believing you may have life in His name.

BREAKFAST BY THE SEA

21After these things Jesus showed Himselfagain to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias,

and in this way He showed Himself: 2Simon Peter,Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana inGalilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others ofHis disciples were together. 3Simon Peter said tothem,“I am going fishing.”

They said to him, “We are going with youalso.” They went out and immediatelya got intothe boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4Butwhen the morning had now come, Jesus stood onthe shore; yet the disciples did not know that itwas Jesus. 5Then Jesus said to them, “Children,have you any food?”

They answered Him,“No.”6And He said to them, “Cast the net on the

right side of the boat, and you will find some.” Sothey cast, and now they were not able to draw itin because of the multitude of fish.

7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus lovedsaid to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when SimonPeter heard that it was the Lord, he put on hisouter garment (for he had removed it), andplunged into the sea. 8But the other disciplescame in the little boat (for they were not far fromland, but about two hundred cubits), dragging thenet with fish. 9Then, as soon as they had come toland, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid onit, and bread. 10Jesus said to them,“Bring some ofthe fish which you have just caught.”

11Simon Peter went up and dragged the netto land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-

three; and although there were so many, the netwas not broken. 12Jesus said to them, “Come andeat breakfast.”Yet none of the disciples dared askHim, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was theLord. 13Jesus then came and took the bread andgave it to them, and likewise the fish.

14This is now the third time Jesus showedHimself to His disciples after He was raised fromthe dead.

JESUS RESTORES PETER

15So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus saidto Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah,a do youlove Me more than these?”

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord;You know that Ilove You.”

He said to him,“Feed My lambs.”16He said to him again a second time, “Si-

mon, son of Jonah,a do you love Me?”He said to Him, “Yes, Lord;You know that I

love You.”He said to him,“Tend My sheep.”17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son

of Jonah,a do you love Me?” Peter was grievedbecause He said to him the third time, “Do youlove Me?”

And he said to Him, “Lord, You know allthings;You know that I love You.”

Jesus said to him,“Feed My sheep. 18Most as-suredly, I say to you, when you were younger, yougirded yourself and walked where you wished;but when you are old, you will stretch out yourhands, and another will gird you and carry youwhere you do not wish.” 19This He spoke, signify-ing by what death he would glorify God. Andwhen He had spoken this, He said to him, “Fol-low Me.”

THE BELOVED DISCIPLE AND HIS BOOK

20Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciplewhom Jesus loved following, who also had leanedon His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, whois the one who betrays You?” 21Peter, seeing him,said to Jesus,“But Lord, what about this man?”

22Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remaintill I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

JOHN 20:28 1274

20:29 aNU-Text and M-Text omit Thomas. 21:3 aNU-Text omits im-mediately. 21:15 aNU-Text reads John. 21:16 aNU-Text readsJohn. 21:17 aNU-Text reads John.


23Then this saying went out among thebrethren that this disciple would not die.Yet Jesusdid not say to him that he would not die, but,“If Iwill that he remain till I come, what is that toyou?”

24This is the disciple who testifies of these

things, and wrote these things; and we know thathis testimony is true.

25And there are also many other things thatJesus did, which if they were written one by one,I suppose that even the world itself could notcontain the books that would be written.Amen.

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Documents

Impact The Student Leadership Bible