Category: Lent Bible Study

Right after the Triumphal Entry, there were some Greeks who were there to worship and approached the disciple Philip. They told him they wanted to meet Jesus. There were some people who were attracted to Judaism because of its monotheism as well as its morality, but they did not like its nationalism or the idea of circumcision. They worshiped in the synagogues, but didn’t “become” Jews. The name Philip is Greek, which is possibly why he was approached.

Philip found Andrew and they told Jesus. Jesus told them that the hour of the son of man had come. That meant that the beginning of all of the events that would soon lead to the cross had begun. He went on to say that a kernel of wheat must die to produce many seeds. In the plant world, this is a common phenomenon. The kernel must perish for a new plant to grow.

Jesus tells them that people who are consumed with their own success and their own lives will lose them. Love for God must be at the top of our lives.

Then we get a glimpse of Jesus’ humanity. He says his heart is troubled. He knows what is soon coming and I’m sure it was agony. He wonders briefly about praying for God to save him, but he immediately dismisses the thought and never prays the prayer. He says now, is why he is here and ends with, “Father, glorify your name!”

God immediately answers him in a loud, thundering voice. When Jesus felt internal weakness, he sought God, just like we should. I find that very comforting.

Jesus tells the crowd that the voice is for their benefit, not his own. Jesus tells them that now is the time for judgement on the world. Satan will be driven out and Jesus will draw all men to himself. The cross would be Satan’s ultimate defeat because the greatest good that ever came to this world was through it.

Even though, the Jews had seen all of these miraculous signs, they still would not believe. They did have a choice, but they rejected it. There was prophesy about this, found in the Book of Isaiah.

The passage goes on to say that many did believe, even some of the leaders, but they were afraid of the Pharisees and what they would do to them if they acknowledged their belief.

Then Jesus cried out. These words were given special emphasis. He says that when a man believes in him, he believes in the one who sent him, (God) and when he sees him, he sees the one who sent him, (God). I love the next verse. “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

And that is the truth of following Jesus. It’s a dark world, but if we walk with him, there is always light. We are never alone in the dark.

He then says that he didn’t come to judge the world; he came to save it, but there will be judgement because he has only spoken what God has commanded him to say.

This is the end of John’s record of Jesus’ public ministry. What do you think about today’s passage? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrives in Bethany at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. They were giving a dinner in his honor. Martha was cooking and serving and Mary was at Jesus’ feet. Mary always knew exactly where she was supposed to be. She takes a bottle of perfume and washes Jesus’ feet with it and then dries them with her hair.

There’s quite a few things going on here. First of all, the perfume was very expensive, so this act was very costly. Secondly, a respectable woman would have never unbound her hair in public, but here she was drying Jesus’ feet with it. Lastly, her act represents humility. Foot washing was an act reserved for servants.

Mary is a representation of what we all should strive for. She gives her money to Jesus, (the perfume), her pride to Jesus, (the foot washing) and dries his feet with her hair, (which wasn’t supposed to be down in the first place), showing she doesn’t care what society thinks. Her relationship with Jesus is what matters the most. Her act of humility is recorded in all four Gospels.

Judas is outraged by Mary’s extravagance. He says the money could be used to feed the poor. This is the only passage where Judas is called a thief. There must have been some level of trust at some point or he wouldn’t have been able to be  in charge of the money. Jesus calls him out and tells him Mary is doing what is right as he again, predicts his own death.

Meanwhile, a crowd has arrived and is looking for Jesus. They want to see this miracle-worker and they also want to see Lazarus who has been raised from the dead. They want proof of the miraculous and a living, breathing Lazarus is proof. The chief priests decide Lazarus needs to die too. They were already after one innocent man; now they are after two. Their sin grows.

Next, we have the famous Triumphal Entry. All four Gospels have a record of it. As Jesus approaches Jerusalem, there are huge throngs of humanity who have come on a pilgrimage for the Passover. They see him riding in on a young donkey and they waved palm branches and chanted. They call him their king.

It had been prophesied in Zechariah, that the Messiah would ride in on a donkey’s colt. The disciples had no idea what was going on until after the crucifixion and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Imagine this scene. There are people everywhere, from all over the region. They have heard all of the rumors about Jesus and who he was. He comes into town on a donkey and they just know that prophecy has been fulfilled. They are witnessing the arrival of the long-awaited king. They wave palm branches as a symbol of victory. The noise is almost deafening as they cheer and chant.

But, we know the rest of the story. We know how mob mentality works. We know that although Jesus was sent as their king, he was not the king they were looking for and so they refused to accept him and eventually decided to kill him.

What do you think about today’s reading? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Today’s reading starts by telling us that many of the Jews who had been visiting with Mary and followed her out to Lazarus’ tomb and seen the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection, put their faith in Jesus. Well, I guess so, I would think it would be pretty difficult to continue to doubt at this point.

But, some went to the Pharisees to tell them what had happened. It doesn’t say why. Maybe they went as spies. Is it possible that they went to share the miracle and possibly defend Jesus’ divinity? I can’t fathom how anyone could walk away from this miracle and be unchanged.

At any rate, the Pharisees get together with the Sanhedrin. These were the men who were really in charge. The Pharisees were always looking for problems and believed themselves to be righteous, but they had no power to really do anything. The Sanhedrin, however, did.

The Pharisees told the Sanhedrin that they knew Jesus was performing miracles and if he kept on, all of the people would believe in him. The Romans would become alarmed and come and take over and maybe destroy the temple as well as the nation. They had a point. The Romans didn’t like to feel threatened. Remember how Herod ordered every baby boy killed when he heard that the Jewish Messiah had been born?

Then the High Priest spoke up and told them it was better for one man to die than for an entire nation to perish. He was interested in the politics. Even though Jesus was eventually killed, his death did not save the nation of Israel. It was destroyed in 70 A.D.

But then he prophesied. This part is kind of interesting, because this man was God’s High Priest. The prophesy came from God. He said, that Jesus would die for the Jewish Nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. He had no idea what he was truly prophesying about. He thought he was talking about the political, physical State of  Israel, the Jewish Nation.

God had something completely different in mind. He was talking about the Jewish people along with all other people united as one. This was a concept that would have been impossible for these men to grasp. It would have never crossed their minds that God was interested in redeeming ALL of humanity. They believed they were the lucky few.

But, we have talked about this before. The sheer enormity and completeness of God’s plan is next to impossible for us to even consider, much less understand. These guys were no different and they didn’t understand the gift of grace either.

From this point on, they plotted to kill Jesus. Jesus knew this and no longer preached publicly. He retreated with his disciples. His time had not yet come.

That’s where today’s reading ends. What do you think about this passage? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Our last reading had Jesus out teaching people where John the Baptist had done his ministry. He got a message that his friend Lazarus was sick. His sisters sent word that, “The one you love is sick.” This phrase means that Jesus considered this man a close friend. I love this deeply human side of Jesus. He has his disciples who were his friends and some of them were very close with him.

But, there’s also this trio of two sisters and a brother who Jesus called friends. He simply liked to be with them and enjoyed their company. Isn’t that an awesome thought? Our Savior simply enjoys our company. Luke’s Gospel, gives us the story of the two sisters having Jesus over for dinner. Mary sat at his feet while Martha scurried around and did all of the work. Martha asked Jesus to intervene and he told her that Mary was doing the right thing, spending time with him instead of worrying about worldly chores. I don’t know about you, but those are words I should pay more attention to.

So, Mary and Martha have sent word that Lazarus was very ill. Jesus decides to wait two more days before responding. Of course, Jesus knows Lazarus is going to die, but as always, he has a plan. He tells the disciples they are heading back to Judea. The disciples aren’t happy about this and remind him the Jews in Judea tried to stone him when they were there last.

Then he drops the bomb on them and tells them that Lazarus has died.(Notice, he calls him a friend.) He tells them he’s happy he wasn’t there to prevent the death, because he wants them to believe. Then Thomas, who we love to remember as the doubter after the resurrection, shows a devoted, fearless side. He says he’s willing to die too.

When they got close and Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she ran out to meet him. I think the conversation that followed is one of the most beautiful in the Bible. She addresses him as Lord and then says that she knows that Lazarus wouldn’t have died if he would have been there, but here’s the HUGE faith statement: “But I know even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus asks her if she believes in him; she doesn’t miss a beat as she looks Jesus in the eye as she says, “I believe you are the Son of God who has come into the world.” Then Martha sends word to Mary that the Teacher is asking for her. The fact that she called him teacher is very significant because rabbis refused to teach women. Jesus spent a great deal of time teaching them. I’ll say it again, here, Christianity is unique.

Mary dashes out the door to find Jesus. (with a crowd following behind her) We would all be better off if we ran towards Jesus when he calls us. She falls at his feet, weeping. Mary always seems to get this right. She regularly placed herself at the feet of Jesus, another fabulous example for us all.

Then, Jesus wept. This action speaks so loudly for our compassionate Savior. He loved Lazarus. He loved Martha and Mary. He loved all people and he knew how devastating losing someone we love is. He knew that death is not the end and he knew that we will all be reunited again someday, but he also knew at that moment, the pain all of Lazarus’ family was experiencing. What a merciful God we serve!

He goes to the tomb and tells them to take away the stone. Ever efficient Martha, reminds him that there will be a smell at this point. He’s been dead four days. Aren’t we all guilty of letting our human understanding cloud our belief and faith in the Divine?

Jesus prays and then he calls Lazarus and out walks an alive and well Lazarus in his grave-clothes. Jesus tells them to take off the grave-clothes and let him go. That’s where we end it.

What did you think about today’s reading? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Today’s reading picks up right after the healing of the blind man, yesterday. He uses a sheep and shepherd metaphor. The concept of a shepherd in the Old Testament was a royal caretaker of God’s people. God is called the Shepherd of Israel in several places, including Psalms, Isaiah and Ezekiel. God gave great responsibility to the shepherds or leaders of Israel.

Jesus says the sheep will follow him be cause they know his voice. The shepherds at the time did not drive the sheep from behind; they walked ahead and the sheep followed them.

The people are thoroughly confused, so Jesus explains his message. He tells them that he is the gate and those who came before him were robbers and thieves. He is not talking about Old Testament prophets here. He’s talking about the Pharisees and the chief priests. He says that he is the gate and those who enter through him will be saved.

He says he is the good shepherd and he will lay down his life for his sheep. Shepherds at the time would risk injury for their sheep, but they weren’t willing to die for them. Jesus says here that he is willing. This is all a foreshadowing of the cross. The disciples couldn’t have known it then, but I wonder if they revisited the conversation after the crucifixion.

Then he says he has other sheep that are not of this pen. He’s talking about people who aren’t Jewish. He says they too, will listen to his voice. This is a glimpse of the Gentile conversion that will happen later.

He says he can lay down his life and take it up again. No one can take it from him if he’s not willing. He has the authority given to him by God  to do this.

The Jews were again divided. Some said he was demon-possessed, but then others said he couldn’t heal the blind if he was possessed. Then the Jews ask him to tell them plainly if he is the Christ or not.

Jesus says he has told them, but they do not believe. His miracles performed in his Father’s name, speak for him. He tells them they don’t listen to him because they are not his sheep. He will give his sheep who follow him, eternal life and no one will be able to take them from him. Then he says the words the Jews can’t stand to hear: “I and the Father are one.”

They pick up stones at this point. They accuse him of blasphemy. They try to seize him, but again he slips away. Jesus could not be killed before the appointed time.

This time he goes to the place where John the Baptist was baptizing people in the early days. It would have been in the woods, far away from the temple and the Pharisees. He stays out there for some time. While he was there, many people came to him and many believed. The farther he was away from the “religious” people, the easier it was for common people to understand and accept his message.

What do you think about today’s reading? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Today, we get to see Jesus in action. As Jesus walks along, he comes across a man who was born blind. His disciples ask him if was it his sins or his parents’ sins that caused him to be blind. Jesus has a lightning fast response here. Neither. It was no one’s fault. This man was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him.

Let’s ponder that a moment. How often do we allow our own sicknesses and hardship be used to glorify God? How often to we think outside our own darkness to consider that our suffering may be used in some way to glorify God? This is a difficult concept for me and for most people, I suspect, but it’s worth thinking about.

Giving sight to blind people was part of Messianic prophesy found in the Book of Isaiah. Jesus was also fulfilling prophesy here. He spits in the mud and puts it on the blind man’s eyes and tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man does exactly as Jesus tells him. (Remember how important that is when walking with Jesus?) He comes out of the pool with sight. He is healed. (Just like we are when we listen to Jesus)

The man’s friends are skeptical at first. They can’t believe he’s the same guy, but he is. They take him to the Pharisees to show them because it was on the Sabbath. And herein lies the rub. We love to think of Jesus as this peace-loving guy who walked around spreading love and making peace signs. While Jesus did love everyone, he was an instigator when he saw injustice.

Jesus could have healed this man any day of the week, but nope, he chose the Sabbath. There’s no way this was coincidental. Jesus wanted to show the people and the Pharisees that they were wrong. Mercy and caring don’t take the day off. God is at work loving us everyday and so was Jesus, here.

This act divides the Pharisees which may have been what Jesus wanted. Faith is individual. If he could make them think as individuals instead of in the wrong-headed group, then they might be able to see the truth.

The Pharisees call in the man’s parents to make them testify that he was their son and was healed. They balk and take the easy way out. They admit he is their son, but will make him tell how he was healed. They were afraid of the establishment. Before we judge them too harshly, how often do we keep quiet when we should take a stand for Jesus? I think most of us have been guilty of that. I know I have. Fear of ridicule or judgement from people in charge, can be powerful.

The man tells them how Jesus healed him and he believes Jesus is a prophet. They call him in a second time for questioning and in exasperation he says, “I don’t know whether he is a sinner, but I know this, I was blind and now I see!” Let’s think about this guy for a minute. He’s been in total darkness his entire life. Jesus gives him sight. The Pharisees keep questioning him about the who and why. He doesn’t care about that. He can see! The Pharisees promptly kick him out of the temple.

What happens next is at the core of who Jesus is. He hears that the man was kicked out of the temple. Jesus seeks him out. Jesus seeks us out in the same way, when we are alone and scorned. Jesus asks him if he believes. The man says yes and worships him. His life is forever changed.

Then, Jesus goes in for the zinger. He tells the Pharisees that if they were blind they wouldn’t be guilty, but they are guilty because they think they can see. Ouch! How often do we “think” we are right when we may not be? Here’s where we end it for today.

What do you think about today’s reading? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Yesterday, the last verse was, “Many put their faith in him.” Apparently, although many people had made a formal profession of faith in Jesus, the rest of this chapter shows that they were not true believers. They start off by arguing the point that they have never been slaves to anyone which is quite ironic because Rome governs their every move. They are definitely not free.

Jesus tells them that everyone who sins is a slave to sin meaning that the sinner is incapable of breaking free from sin on their own. He says the Son can set them free, but openly acknowledges that these people want to kill him. He tells them he has been in the presence of the Father.

They are so convinced of their own preconceptions of the truth, that they don’t really hear what Jesus is saying to them. How do we do today, with our preconceptions about our faith or about church? What about our preconceptions about religion in general? It’s easy to hang a sign of judgement on all churches or all denominations because of limited exposure we may have had to one or a few along the way. Preconceptions can have really negative consequences when it comes to dealing with God. It’s usually best to go into His presence with a clear mind and open heart to whatever He has to give us.

These Jews did not take that route. Their minds and hearts were closed and Jesus calls them out. He tells them they are children of the devil because they are oriented towards Satan and away from God. These are fighting words. The Jews were furious. Let’s be honest here, most people would be. No one likes to be called out when they are doing something wrong, but we have to remember that they honestly believed they were doing what was right.

But, that’s a price we pay if we want to walk closely with Jesus. He loves us madly and unconditionally, but he will call us out when we are in the wrong. Our hearts are convicted when we go in the wrong direction. While that’s not comfortable; it’s a necessary part of our faith journey.

They then accuse him of being demon-possessed and being a Samaritan. (Remember what the Jews thought about the Samaritans?) The debate at this point, has disintegrated into name calling on the part of the Jews. Jesus talks about seeing Abraham and they call him a liar because he’s not old enough to have seen Abraham.

Then Jesus utters the words that break the proverbial camel’s back. “before Abraham was born, I am!” This statement echos God’s great affirmation . He expresses his eternity of being and being one with God. These are his last words in this speech that began with “I am the light of the world.”

The Jews have heard enough and pick up stones. They plan on stoning him. But, Jesus slipps away from the temple grounds. Clearly, God had his hand on him. How else could he just slip away from this angry crowd?

What do you think about today’s reading and how quickly this crowd turned against Jesus? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

After yesterday’s showdown, Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives, but at dawn, he appears at the temple courts and is teaching the crowds. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have hatched a plan. They interrupt his teaching and bring him a woman caught in the act of adultery. They tell him the law of Moses commands them to stone her. They want to know what Jesus has to say about that.

First of all, let’s remember that Jewish Law came from God, so it would have been fair. If there was a woman committing adultery, there was a man with her. Where was he? He would be judged the same way. Secondly, Jewish Law required corroborating witnesses. Where were they? Where was the evidence? Also, execution was required only if she was a virgin and then both parties were to be executed. Was she a virgin? Where was the man involved? Finally, the Romans didn’t allow the Jews to carry out death sentences. They were attempting to put Jesus in conflict with Rome.

Jesus was aware of all of this, stops teaching and begins writing in the dust. I would love to know what he was writing; we can only guess. They keep on badgering him and he’s silent. I picture the crowd just holding their breath. What will he say?

His words are some of his most famous and brilliant ever uttered, “If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Ouch! Silence follows. One-by-one, the accusers, starting with the oldest, walk away. No one is left, but the woman.

Here’s where we often get it wrong. He tells her that he doesn’t condemn her, BUT, he says, “Go now and leave your life of sin.” He doesn’t say that she should continue to participate in adultery. He doesn’t say she should do whatever she wants and he will never judge her actions. He says, “Go now and leave your life of sin.” “Go now;” not go later or when she decides the time is right.

We are always forgiven when we repent, but when we repent, we are not supposed to continue to commit the sin we have asked forgiveness for.

This is the second time we see Jesus talking with a woman. This is a beautiful picture of grace. This is why Christianity is unique. All of humanity is valued, not just a certain sex or a certain race, all of humanity. I wonder where the woman went after she left Jesus. Was her life changed forever? I would think it would be.

Then, Jesus speaks again to the people and says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” I love that verse. It makes me want to say, “amen.”

The Pharisees aren’t impressed and they press on, with the arguing and debating about who Jesus really is and where he’s really from. He never seems to lose his cool as he continues to answer their never ending accusatory questions and again I marvel at his patience.

But, I suspect that verse thirty is the heart of it. “Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.” Jesus was a fisher of men. He wanted then, and wants today, hearts and souls. I think he put up with all of the maddening accusations and questions because he hoped that hearts would be forever changed and faith would take root as he stood there answering them and faith was at the heart of his mission.

What did you think about today’s reading? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

About six months later, it’s time for another feast, the Feast of the Tabernacles. Jesus’ brothers tell him he should leave Galilee and go to Judea so everyone can see all of the miracles that he performs. They tell him to get out and show the world his stuff. No one who wants to become famous acts in secret.

First of all, Jesus had brothers. Joseph and Mary had children after Jesus was born. We have no idea how many, but in this conversation, they don’t believe he’s the Messiah. They think he wants to be famous. Here again, we see humans focusing on worldly issues. Jesus was not of this world. His focus was not worldly, but heavenly.

He tells them that they should go, but he will not go because his time has not yet come. He goes on to say that the world hates him because he testifies that what it does is evil. The world here, means people opposed to God or the human system opposed to God’s purposes. Notice here, that Jesus doesn’t say that people are evil; he says what they do, their actions, are evil.

I think this is a super important point about how Jesus views humanity. People are not evil; their actions are. He’s not judging people; he’s judging their actions. He then encourages his brothers to attend the feast.

Everyone at the feast is looking for Jesus and whispering about him.

When the temple was completely full, Jesus shows up and begins teaching. The Jewish leaders are amazed at his knowledge because he never studied under a rabbi. He tells them that God is his rabbi. They again debate about him healing the man at the pool on the Sabbath. He points out that they allow circumcision on the Sabbath because that coincides with Jewish law. Why is healing someone any different? Why would an act of mercy ever be considered wrong?

At this point, some of the people in the crowd wonder if Jesus is really the Christ because the religious leaders are unable to counter his teachings. Some of the Jews believed that the Old Testament gave the origin of the Messiah and some did not. They knew where Jesus was from, so this was a problem for some.

Still, many in the crowd believe, which had to have been the reason Jesus continued to teach in the temple and argue with religious leaders. He knew he wouldn’t reach them all or maybe even most of them, but he wanted to reach some of them. Every soul counts. Jesus’ actions show that clearly. Believe it.

The Jews in charge kept trying to seize him, but couldn’t get their hands on him, because it wasn’t his time yet. They send the temple guards to seize Jesus, but they are in awe of his teaching and basically refuse to follow orders. Then the Pharisees say that the crowd is ignorant of Jewish scripture. That’s the only reason they would believe Jesus is who he says he is.

Then Nicodemus steps forward. Remember him? He was meeting with Jesus earlier. He defends Jesus. The Pharisees accuse him of being ignorant too, because no prophets come from Galilee. They were wrong on two counts. First of all, Jonah came from Galilee and secondly, God could send a prophet from wherever He chooses.

Once more, the religious leaders attempt to put God in a neat little box with a bow and God simply doesn’t work that way. That’s where we end today. What did you think about today’s reading? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂