Tuesday | Week 15
At the end of John’s Gospel, we encounter the impossible becoming possible: Jesus, who was killed, has been raised. But he has not simply been brought back to life (compare to Lazarus, John 11); Jesus has been made new. He is the first of the promise that God has made to all creation. In John 20, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus while it was still dark on the first day of the week. Readers of the Bible might pick up on this language about the first day: it echoes Genesis 1. John 20 begins by bringing readers into the first day of the new creation. A new day has dawned; all things have become new.
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Tuesday | Week 14
You know the end of this familiar story (perhaps so familiar, it’s “old news”). But look at the individual events in Jesus’ march toward the end with fresh eyes today. Read it through 2-3 times, praying for God to give you new insight as you watch Jesus in each scene. What do you learn about Jesus: His character and His purpose? Do you see any repeated phrases that reveal DEEP Truth? Keep your eyes on Jesus and what makes you love Him more?
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Tuesday | Week 13
As a healthcare provider, I have spent my entire career in the intensive care unit. The nature of this work is as much about watching people die, as it is about helping them defy the odds of their illness. I have the unique responsibility of telling patients and their loved ones that there is nothing more we have to offer, that it is only a matter of time before they will succumb to their condition.
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Tuesday | Week 12
If you knew you were soon facing death...and if you knew you had one more opportunity to sit down and share a meal with your loved ones...what would you say? What words would you impart? What final thoughts would you share?
The betrayal of Judas has begun. He has departed. The Upper Room now holds Jesus and His eleven disciples. In John 13:31, Jesus begins to share His final words. Try to put yourself in this setting as Jesus begins to speak to you:
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Tuesday | Week 11
Jesus: Washing
The dusty roads that the disciples walked daily with Jesus must have stuck to their bodies, sand in their hair and all over their faces, but most certainly dirty feet. Sandals were the fashion statement of the day, and as Jesus bent down to wash their filthy, smelly feet, it was more than just an act to make them physically clean. He was most likely stripped to a loincloth, like that of a slave, as he used his own clothes to wipe the mud away.
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