Wednesday | Week 15
This is the passage upon which the case for Christian movement rests. Either Jesus was resurrected from the dead, or we are forced to believe something far less. Either the greatest miracle ever actually occurred, or we are a deluded people—hoping for eternity but without any proof that it exists. The account from John 20 is amazing at so many levels. First, two women, Mary and Mary Magdalene, were the first to witness the empty tomb and to be in the presence of the living Christ. That John speaks to this is no small thing. Women had no legal standing to be believed in a court of law or any other place for that matter. Yet these two women weren’t just ahead of their time, they were ahead of the male disciples!
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Monday | Week 15
We move from Jesus’ death and burial in chapter 19 to the amazing events of chapter 20. Jesus is not in the tomb! He has risen! That profound statement is the foundation of our Christian faith. However, as we read in John’s account, it takes time for this to fully sink into Jesus’ downcast followers. Mary Magdalene is the first to believe, having had an encounter at the empty tomb with two angels, then with the Lord Jesus himself.
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Monday | Week 14
Tragedy. One after another. These two chapters of John’s Gospel begin with the arrest of Jesus and end with the burial of His body in a tomb. In between, we have Judas’ betrayal, Peter’s denial, and the crowd demanding Barabbas be released rather than Jesus. We read of Jesus carrying His own cross to the place He would be crucified, between two criminals. This short period of time is often known as The Passion.
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Monday | Week 13
This chapter is a transition—a shift in Jesus’ ministry. John 17 marks the end of three years of Jesus’ earthly mission, and the beginning of His ultimate purpose: to sacrifice Himself. Jesus’ prayer, divided into three main groups, reveals this transition. First, Jesus prays for Himself, then His disciples, and then for future believers.
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Monday | Week 12
In this passage, Jesus lets the disciples know that He will only be with them for a short time longer. And He tells them “Where I’m going you cannot come” (John 13:33). Peter says, “Hold on Lord, I want to come. I will lay my life down for you.” Jesus responds, “Really Peter? I tell you before the rooster crows three times you will disown Me three times” (paraphrase John 13:37-38). Jesus, knowing the disciples are getting anxious about the future, comforts them. He lets them know that He is the way to the Father and if you know Him you will know the Father.
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