he Word Became Flesh 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through hi hings were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the arkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning tha ght, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone oming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was hi wn, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 hildren born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. ave seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, say This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all receive race in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but th ne and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah 19 No his was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[c] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confess eely, “I am not the Messiah.”21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”He said, “I am not.”“Are you the Prophet?”He answered, “No.” 22 Fin hey said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the pr t, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[d] 24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “W hen do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”26 “I baptize with[e] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do no now. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jor here John was baptizing. John Testifies About Jesus 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away t n of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him ut the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from hea s a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit ome down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”[f] John’s Disciples Follow esus 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”37 When the two disc eard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher”), “where are you staying?”39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with h was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The fi hing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked m and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[g]). Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael 43 The next day esus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip foun athanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joeph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he sai m, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still und he fig tree before Philip called you.”49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50 Jesus said, “You believe[h] ecause I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[i] you[j] will see ‘heaven open nd the angels of God ascending and descending on’[k] the Son of Man.” Jesus Changes Water Into Wine 1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in alilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “ ave no more wine.”4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he ou.”6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b] 7 Jesus said to th ervants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” The d so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who rawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the gues ave had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” 11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revea s glory; and his disciples believed in him. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a ays. Jesus Clears the Temple Courts 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found peopl elling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both heep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop urning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”[c] 18 The Jews then respon o him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three ays.”20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was ody. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. 23 N hile he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.[d] 24 But Jesus would not entru mself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person. Jesus Teaches Nicodemus 1No here was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that y re a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no an see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter econd time into their mother’s womb to be born!”5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of wat nd the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 Th ind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[ How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak o hat we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not elieve; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”[g] or God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his S to the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands ondemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people lo arkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds w e exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. ohn Testifies Again About Jesus 22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptiz Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John as put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to Joh nd said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is goin m.” 27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but a
WEEK W WE EEK EEE EEKK N NI NINE INE IIN NEE N
WEEK NINE
As the page turns from John 17 into chapter 18 Jesus and His disciples are on the move. They’ve left the upper room behind and make their way towards the Garden of Gethsemane. John includes a detail about their journey that the synoptics do not.
[1] When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. (John 18:1, ESV) The Kidron Valley lies east between Jerusalem and what was considered “the wilderness” (2 Samuel 15:23). To go beyond the Kidron Valley was to leave the protection of God’s Holy City. In fact, the word Kidron stems from the Hebrew word for “dark”. This valley had a history of evil and darkness. In the Old Testament the brook of Kidron which ran through this valley is where stone idols would be brought to be crushed and thrown away. John’s original audience would know that the natural route would take them through this valley, so why mention this detail? Perhaps as John was writing down the account of what happened that evening he recalled walking through the darkness of this famous valley. He recalled the history, the superstition, and the symbolism. He recalled what it was like to walk through the valley of darkness with Jesus by his side.
This is one of the great promises that Jesus has made to His followers. He will be by our side always, especially in the dark valleys. He even goes so far to guarantee us that if we follow Him there will be valleys of darkness. We are to find comfort not in believing that He will guide us around the dark valleys of life, but He will instead walk with us through them. King David captured this same sentiment in the Psalms.
[4] Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; (Psalm 23:4, ESV) The ultimate valley, death, is treated as a mere shadow in the Scriptures. Shadows do no damage. They have no power. The shadow of a knife cannot cut you. The shadow of a car cannot hit you. Because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection death has no power of you. It’s merely a shadow.
Reflection:
• What valleys of darkness have you walked through? How did you experience Jesus walking with you during that journey?
• David says in the Psalms that because the Lord is with him he will “fear no evil”. What evil do you fear? This may be a hard question to answer, so take time to think and pray through your answer. How can you surrender your fears to the Lord?
• John would later go on to write about how fear is cast out of our lives. READ 1 John 4:18. How do you think John experienced 1 John 4:18? How can you experience it today?
A CLOUD OF
GRIEF DAY TWO
TODAY’S READINGS: JOHN 20
In the early hours of the morning not many were stirring about. Mary Magdalene, heavy with grief, comes to the tomb of her friend. This is perhaps the last place she saw Him...just before they rolled the large stone in front of the tomb entrance. Enormous carved stones were rolled into a channel carved into the bedrock to cover grave entrances. Normally this served simply to seal the tomb, but in this instance it was also to ensure no one stole this body. Stealing the body could open up the claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. What confusion must have washed over Mary as she approached His resting place and found the stone rolled away and the security guards passed out. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all capture this moment in time, with varying detail. One consistent detail is that Mary Magdalene holds the high honor of the first to know the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. In John’s gospel He appears to her in her grief.
[15] Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” [16] Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). (John 20:15–16, ESV) Did you ever notice that here’s something unrecognizable about Jesus in His resurrected form? Confusion falls on the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), the disciples fishing on the sea (John 21:4), and here to Mary Magdalene. Why is He unrecognizable? What do all of these people have in common? Grief. Mary is grieving the loss of her friend. The Emmaus disciples are grieving their disappointment at the outcome of Jesus’ ministry. Peter carries the grief of failing Jesus when He needed him the most.
Grief can cloud our view of God. When we experience loss or pain our vision becomes blurred. The world becomes confusing. Decisions are more difficult to make. Emotions are hard to keep in check. Motivation is a struggle to find. We wonder where God is in these moments. What if He’s been walking with us through our grief the entire time, but we weren’t able to recognize Him? Did you notice Mary’s position in vs. 16? She had her back to Jesus. What if, like Mary, we’re get so anchored in our moments of grief that we fail to turn around and see Him? Perhaps today is the day to turn, and to listen for His voice calling your name.
Reflection:
• Grief can cloud our view of God. Have there been moments of grief in your life where God was hard to find?
How did He make Himself recognizable to you once again? If you’re walking through grief right now, what are some spiritual practices you can put into place to hear Him speaking your name?
• Mary Magdalene is known as the first evangelist because she not only got to hear the good news first, but she immediately shared it with others. Faith is meant to be personal, but it is not meant to be private. In what ways are you tangibly sharing the good news of Jesus with those around you?
NOTES:
“...we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope — at the very same time. This creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth. It means that the more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more able you are to drop your denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions and character of your sin.” ~ Timothy Keller Grasping our sin is paramount to grasping God’s grace. Peter could not have become a “rock” without going through the failure. God had to break him down to build him up. His failure became a catalyst for change in his life. He was not defined by it, but never forgot it. He never forgot it because it reminded him of the grace given to him on those shores. If you have failed in some area of life, remember…that grace is available to all of us. It may take a hard conversation or two with Jesus, but imagine how much healing and growth comes via His grace!
Reflection:
DAY THREE | TODAY’S READINGS: JOHN 21 Yesterday we spoke a bit about grief. Peter’s post resurrection grief is heavy and justifiable. He abandoned the Lord when He needed him most; denying Him three times. The exciting good news of Jesus’ return was mixed with sorrow. This is what makes John 21 so pivotal in Peter’s development. Without John 21 Peter is left in a questionable light. He didn’t live up to the nickname “rock” that Jesus gave to him (John 1:42). If we simply end with John 20 then the Peter we see in the Book of Acts makes little sense. If you look at the life of Peter prior to this chapter he’s impulsive, weak at times, and often confused. After John 21 Peter is a force to be reckoned with. He is confident and bold, even under the threat of death. The same man who trembled in fear when a little girl asked him if he was a follower of Jesus becomes that same man who stands on the Day of Pentecost in front of tens of thousands and delivers the sermon that launched the birth of the Church. What happened? When Jesus shows up He and Peter share a breakfast conversation that changes the course of Peter’s life. Three times Jesus questions Peter’s love for Him. This wasn’t for Jesus’ knowledge. He knows the hearts of men (John 2:24-25). Jesus did this for Peter. Three denials. Three moments to repent and confess his love.
• Failures can be a powerful catalyst for change in our lives. They can cause us to spiral in grief or launch us into growth. What moments of failure have launched you forward in your life?
With each question Jesus is stripping away Peter’s impulsiveness, his pride, his old self, his false expectations of leadership, and his idols. He was digging into Peter's motive for following Jesus. If the motive is anything but love for Him and His Church, then it does not align with Jesus’ desire. You can begin to see Peter the failure become the “rock” that Jesus spoke of all those years ago. Isn’t that a desire that we all have when it comes to moments of weakness and failure? We want nothing more than to have Jesus come to us and speak truth and love into our lives; to move us from the title “failure” to “rock” - from our weakness to who He believes we can become in His grace. But we all know moving from “failure” to “rock” at times takes a difficult conversation or two. John 21 is our glimpse into Peter’s difficult conversation. During the course of breakfast Peter begins to understand the depth of his failure, but also the height of Jesus’ grace. Pastor and author Tim Keller describes it this way.
• Repentance is the key to Peter’s growth. Repentance is often mistaken for an apology. It’s not. It’s a change in direction, a change in behavior. Are there any areas of your life that need repentance today? Is there a tough conversation that needs to happen between you and Jesus that you’ve put off for too long?
NOTES:
BY LOVE
DAY FOUR | TODAY’S READINGS: JOHN 3 No study of John’s gospel would be complete without John 3:16. It is the quintessential verse in the scriptures about the good news.
[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Death by love. That is what we see in the life of Jesus as He willingly is nailed to a cross out of His love for us. But that’s also what we’re called to. Motivated by His love for us we consider our old lives crucified, no longer alive. Now we live (or as John would point out, we have LIFE!) in the Son of God.
Reflection:
• What signs of hope of the Kingdom of God do you see here on earth? • READ Matthew 13:44-45. Based on what Jesus is sharing in these passages what should our response be to being born again into the Kingdom of God?
• READ Matthew 6:9-13. As believers what is our role in bringing heaven to earth? Hint: The surrounding context of this prayer is the Sermon on the Mount. How might living out its principles bring the Kingdom of God to life where you live, work, and play?
(John 3:16, ESV) Have you ever been in love? Love throws all reasoning out the window with abandon. We may not realize it, but when you’re in love the primary thing you do is sacrifice. You pour yourself out for the other. You go above and beyond to give to this person…to be with this person. God’s love for us is beyond our imagination. His desire to be with us, to love us, is shown in the sacrifice of His Son. It’s like the old song goes: “Ain’t no mountain high enough. Ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough…to keep me from getting to you.” In other words, no obstacle is too great to stand in the way of love, especially God’s love for you. Listen how the Apostle Paul talks about God’s love.
[38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38–39, ESV) Death cannot stop Him. Powers cannot stop Him. Nothing in all of creation can stop Him. His love for you is the greatest force in all of the universe. For God so love [insert your name here] that He gave His only Son. When we begin to embrace that His love for us is the starting point of our lives, our identities, and our purpose we experience a change deep in our souls. It’s what Jesus referred to earlier in His conversation with Nicodemus as being “born again” (John 3:3). Being born again isn’t just about a decision to walk an aisle or praying a certain prayer. It is a wholly new life motivated by His love! Again, Paul captures this well.
[20] I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, ESV)
NOTES:
DAY 5 | TODAY’S READINGS: 1 JOHN, 2 JOHN, 3 JOHN John’s motivation for writing his gospel is spelled out clearly in chapter 20. He says,
[30] Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; [31] but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31, ESV) The accounts we’ve been walking through in John’s gospel are not mere stories embellished over time. They are first hand accounts. John was there, an eyewitness. He walked with Jesus. He saw the signs and miracles. He smelled the bread that fed thousands. He saw Him walk on water. He heard celebrations of live’s being healed. He heard the nails being driven. Later he would go on to write a series of letters to the early church. Listen how he spoke of his time with Jesus.
[1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—
Reflection:
• John’s story does not end at the end of his gospel. He continues to walk in the ways of Jesus throughout
the book of Acts and into the history of the early church. Continue to read his work in 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. Try to connect moments in those letters to what you’ve learned in his gospel. Where does love show up? Where does life show up?
• Jesus’ first post-resurrection words to His disciples was “Peace be with you.” Is there an area of your life that peace eludes you? Think back across the gospel of John to the women and men who struggled with peace. The woman at the well (John 4). The couple in Cana (John 2). The man born blind (John 8). What brought them peace? How can you implement that into your life today?
(1 John 1:1, ESV) Heard. Seen. Touched. This was all real. Every moment of it. What John experienced walking with Jesus was so real that it changed his life. Life is one of John’s favorite words to use in his gospel. His goal in writing all of this down was so that you and I could find life as well. But it has to be real. Our relationship with Jesus has to be one that we can touch, hear, and see. This happens when we embed His Word in our hearts, roll up our sleeves and heed Jesus’ words.
[21] Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:21, ESV) Motivated by the peace He gives we are to now go into the world in the same way He went into the world. In the flesh. With compassion for the least of these. Generous with our time, our energy, and our resources. Standing up for what is good and true, but humble enough to kneel for what is holy. Peace be with you.
NOTES:
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NORTH WAY
TWO
DAY TWO
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY