Enmeshment, Anxiety and Discipleship
There were several instances where the disciples show signs of enmeshment with each other and with others. These are times when their value gets wrapped up in the value of others. We see this in their arguments over who is the greatest in Luke 22. We see this in John 21 when Peter’s death is […]
Jesus’ Most Important Question For You to Move Ahead With Your Life
is found in John 5. Jesus is at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem where he sees a man who had been an invalid 38 years. As you examine Jesus’ question to the man, I want you to replace that man with you. Picture yourself there. Picture the infirmity as whatever it is that keeps […]
Finding the Thread – Listening in John 9-11
In John 9 Jesus heals a man who was born blind…on the Sabbath (9:14). This got the attention of the local authorities who began to question the healed man. After verbally assaulting him the man defends Jesus saying, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does […]
Three Characteristics of the Love of God and What That Means for Us
Soaking wet, walking across the beach…Peter makes his way toward Jesus. The other disciples are right behind him…as always, Peter found a way to get there first. Maybe it was his youth. Maybe it was his passion. Maybe it was his love for Jesus that he still clung to in spite of his own failures […]
Is This The Most Faith-Full Moment in Jesus’ Ministry?
When you say John 4 your first thought probably goes the woman at the well. There is another story in that chapter that I find one of the most moving and faith-full moments in the Gospels. I don’t know that I need to get into the business of comparing people’s faith. That just doesn’t seem […]
Fascinating Story Order in the Gospels
Sometimes the Gospels have stories that are ordered in such a way that it just blows my mind. Because these connections span multiple stories it can be easy to miss because we often study one unit of the text at a time rather than looking at the whole or at least big chunks to see […]
Logos Review: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel of John (Vol 1 & 2)
This is one of those resources I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. I was prepping to teach a Wednesday night series on the Gospel of John and I just had to have Keener on my team. I have grown to appreciate Craig Keener’s work on Bible backgrounds as well as his book Paul, […]
Open Tombs, Fight or Flight and Making Sense of Mary in John 20
When you are young you do foolish things…things you look back on and wonder “What was I thinking?” or think about all the bad things that could have resulted from your decisions. We had a youth group that went through a season of seeking out scarey experiences. There were nights we would leave Wednesday night […]
Seating charts, the Last Supper and Judas
The world the New Testament was born into was a world where seating charts were everything. There wasn’t a higher form of fellowship than table fellowship at that time and where you sat at the meal was directly related to the honor or shame the host wished to recognize. There was a pecking order. The […]
Mind Blown – the Interconnected Narratives of the Gospel of John
As I am studying through and teaching the Gospel of John I am in awe of just how interconnected this book is. I don’t even know where to start but I will take a stab at it. Jesus comes on the scene as the lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of […]