Wednesday | Week 9
Why Do Sheep Need a Good Shepherd?
A good shepherd takes care of his sheep. A good shepherd is responsible for the safety and welfare of his flock. A good shepherd is a protector.
Reading John 10, the word good immediately touched upon my heart and how it was attached to the word shepherd. My late husband would often say to me, “You always see the good in people first.” Therefore, I meditated on the word good because it touched my heart, and on the word shepherd because the Lord is our shepherd. So, what is good? Good has a few desirable words attached to it including “that which is morally right; righteousness.” Why? Because Jesus, the good shepherd, walked the earth as a righteous man.
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Wednesday | Week 8
In John 8 and 9, light and seeing are central. Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). He talks about truth in terms of light: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). In chapter 9, Jesus gives a man light—the ability to see. To know Jesus is to experience light shining in darkness.
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Wednesday | Week 7
John 8 begins with “…but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.” You have to read the end of chapter 7 to learn why the “but” is there. Jesus had been teaching in the temple courts and had once again claimed to be the Messiah. This sent the chief priests and Pharisees into a tizzy, and they discussed among themselves what to do about him.
And then they all went home—everyone, that is, but Jesus. He went to the Mount of Olives.
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Wednesday | Week 6
What stands out to me in this story is how the people’s assumptions and pre-conceived ideas about the Messiah completely blind them to the truth that was right in front of them. The very thing they were waiting for was right there, and they didn’t even see it. So many of them were convinced they knew exactly how the Messiah would arrive, or where He would come from – I’m sure, a mixture of their understanding of scripture and assumption. The problem, in this instance, was they held their own traditions and version of the story so closely, they couldn’t receive the TRUTH when it was with them.
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Wednesday | Week 5
John shares seven I am statements of Jesus in his Gospel. The first of these seven statements is shared in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life.” John begins chapter 6 by sharing the story of Jesus feeding 5,000. Now several verses later in this chapter, Jesus is being asked to give a sign to help the people see and believe. They allude to the daily manna, the bread from heaven, their ancestors received in the wilderness.
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