Jesus Changes People

Jesus is preparing his disciples for his return to heaven. For three years, they have had Jesus beside them. As hard as it is for them to understand, he tells them “it is for your good that I go away.” The reason for this is the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will be their Counselor, Advocate, and Teacher. He will be with the disciples in ways that a physical Jesus could not. The Holy...

We’ve learned more about Jesus in John 12:37-15:17, but if we don’t do something with it, then it hasn’t really been helpful information. Ken and Mike discuss different ways that will help you put into practice what we’ve been learning about and from Jesus. This includes what it means to be a servant leader; how we know if a teaching is from the Holy Spirit; and further insight we can gain from Je...

The secret to spiritual growth – whether it’s personal or congregational – is actually no secret. Spiritual growth happens as we learn to remain and abide in Jesus. Tactics and strategies are no substitute for a life that is grounded in the ways of Jesus. Jesus promises that we will bear “much fruit” if we remain in him; the opposite, however, is just as drastic – “apart from me you can do nothing...

In terms of following Jesus, obedience isn’t optional. “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” For each of us, the real test is whether we will be obedient even when doing so is difficult or runs against our nature. In asking for our obedience, Jesus isn’t asking for something he is unwilling to do himself: “I love the Father and I do exactly what my Father has commanded me” (v. 31). But t...

John 14 begins with a promise that is often used at Christian funerals – Jesus is preparing a place for us. This promise of heaven confuses one disciple, who asks, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” As humans, we are don’t like to lose our way. Nobody likes to be lost or confused. But how do we find our way? Jesus reminds us that he is the way. If we have seen h...

During the same meal, Jesus makes two startling announcements. Judas will betray him and Peter will deny knowing him. In both cases, Jesus has just washed their feet even though he knows what they will do. Although John doesn’t mention it, these pronouncements are made during the time when Jesus was establishing the Lord’s Supper (cf., Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22). When Jesus consecrated the...

Jesus knows that his appointment with the cross is fast approaching. He uses the occasion of his last Passover meal with the disciples to teach them what love looks like – it looks and acts like a servant. During the meal, Jesus assumes the role normally occupied by the lowest servant in the house. He begins washing the disciples’ feet. This act of humility is met with resistance by Peter. Not to...

Fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy, this section begins with a startling statement: “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” Many contemporary readers read this and think, “I would have responded differently.” But would we? Or would we succumb to the same temptations they faced: “But because of the Pharisees they would not confess the...

We’ve learned more about Jesus in John 8:12-12:36, but if we don’t do something with it, then it hasn’t really been helpful information. Ken and Mike discuss different ways that will help you put into practice what we’ve been learning about and from Jesus. This includes what keeps us from holding on to the teachings of Jesus; how to hear the voice of Jesus; and how we can multiply our impact as fo...

Discipleship is the process of becoming more like Jesus. But what does this involve? According to Jesus, it involves several shifts. First, we must love his life more than we love our own. This is at the heart of the great commandment – to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Secondly, we must be willing to go where Jesus goes. “whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, m...

It’s almost time for the Passover festival in Jerusalem and Jesus decides to stay in Bethany with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. The family decides to host a dinner in honor of Jesus. During the meal, Mary takes expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus’ feet. Unlike his disciples who see this as an extravagant waste of money, Jesus receives it as a humble gift. The next day is known historically as the...

Jesus receives word from Mary and Martha that their brother, Lazarus, has become ill. In a verse that doesn’t always get noticed, John simply writes, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (v. 5).  Even so, Jesus doesn’t go to their house immediately. By the time he does arrive, Lazarus has died. Both Mary and Martha say the same thing to Jesus: “If you had been here, my brother would not...

The Pharisees weren’t able to recognize the activity of God because they were more concerned with maintaining their traditions. This encounter with the Pharisees leads Jesus to teach about what it means to have a relationship with God. Using a shepherd and his sheep as an analogy, Jesus uses several key phrases to describe the nature of this relationship. “The sheep listen to his voice.” “He calls...

This story highlights two interrelated ways of thinking that create conflict and harm. The first attitude is our need to assign blame. When Jesus and his disciples encounter a blind man, the disciples immediately ask: “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” In their mind, someone had to be at fault. Jesus responds by saying no one is at fault and heals the man. This leads us...

This section of John deals with the nature of truth and how Jesus is the embodiment of truth. Several times Jesus will say, “I tell you the truth.” John introduced us to Jesus in chapter one as “full of grace and truth” (1:14). According to Jesus, his claims are valid because God himself has testified to them. This causes the Jewish crowd to ask, “Where is your father?” Jesus responds by saying, “...

We’ve learned more about Jesus in John 6:16-8:11, but if we don’t do something with it, then it hasn’t really been helpful information. Ken and Mike discuss different ways that will help you put into practice what we’ve been learning about and from Jesus. This includes how communion and preaching help encounter the words of eternal life; the external implications of a relationship with Jesus; and...

While there is some debate among translations whether this section of Scripture is original or not, it certainly fits with how Jesus treated people. The religious leaders have found a lady who committed adultery. Under Jewish law, the punishment for adultery was death. But it’s obvious from the story that these religious leaders are more interested in tripping up Jesus than they are about honoring...

The religious leaders don’t like having their hypocrisy pointed out and try to seize Jesus. John’s explanation as to why they are unable to do so is theological: his hour had not yet come. In other words, it wasn’t time for Jesus to die. As the festival is drawing to a close, Jesus offers the thirsty a drink. But what is he talking about? It’s obviously not physical thirst, but an internal, spirit...

Jesus is facing the hostility of the religious leaders and the unbelief of his brothers. The Jewish leaders were no longer simply annoyed by Jesus; they were actively looking for a way to kill him. Jesus seems to have understood this. What is unclear is whether his brothers also knew this when they encouraged him to go to Judea – the place where the opposition was the strongest. Later in chapter s...

After the crowd began to leave, Jesus turns to his twelve apostles and asks,  “Do you want to leave, too?” In this question, we get a glimpse into the humanness of Jesus – he really wanted to know if they were going to leave. Peter’s answer is still the right answer today: “You have the words of eternal life.” Only Jesus allows us to boldly access God’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Later in Joh...

Jesus recognizes that the crowd has followed him for the wrong reasons. It’s not because of his teaching, but because he fed them. Jesus seizes upon this as an opportunity to teach about the cost of discipleship. By the end of the encounter, most of the crowd will have left. What Jesus does is redefine what it means to be religious. Rather than being a set of rules to follow, the work of God is to...

The disciples were initially afraid when they witnessed Jesus’ demonstration of his power over nature. Once he identified himself, they were willing to take him into the boat. This story serves as a reminder that Jesus has ultimate power and authority over everything, and not just “spiritual” things such as salvation, redemption, etc. We live in the universe he created and that he still sustains....

We’ve learned more about Jesus in John 4:1-6:15, but if we don’t do something with it, then it hasn’t really been helpful information. Ken and Mike discuss different ways that will help you put into practice what we’ve been learning about and from Jesus. This includes how to handle social and cultural boundaries; our motivation for obedience; and how we allow God to work through us. The discussion...

As more people heard about his miracles, larger crowds began following  Jesus. In this particular story, there are at least 5,000 people present. Jesus decides to test the faith of Philip by asking Philip how they could feed so many people. Philip responds with finances – it would cost too much to feed that many people. At some point during this conversation, Andrew went off and found a boy with f...

While John the Baptist testified to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus has an even weightier testimony – it was God working through him. The miracles Jesus performed were an indication of his connection to God. Scripture itself testifies to Jesus. If fact, he told his Jewish audience that the Scriptures they studied actually pointed to him. Jesus isn’t discouraging diligent Bible study. But he is re...