Today’s passage: John 3:22-36

Helpful thoughts:

• As Jesus started “trending,” John the Baptist’s “numbers” were declining.
  • This is exactly what was supposed to happen.  John the Baptist had fulfilled his calling.
• If John the Baptist’s view of success had been garnering and maintaining the attention of masses of people, he would have considered himself a failure.  Because his view of success was being obedient to God by pointing people to Jesus, he could look at people going to Jesus with great joy and satisfaction.
• The disciples of John the Baptist were thinking in an earthly way (As we all have), but Jesus is above all.  His perspective is heavenly (It’s not limited as ours are).  Everything belongs to Him.  Everything He teaches is true.  Through faith in Him alone we are given eternal life.
  • Therefore, every Christian teacher on this earth should agree with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Questions to consider:

1. Why was John the Baptist right to be excited to see people leaving him to follow Jesus?  Why was this a “win” for him?
2. In what ways could this passage be helpful in thinking about numbers in our churches today?  What is the measure of our success in following Jesus and pointing others to Him?
3. How does the characterization of “earthly” and “heavenly” set Christ apart from His creation?  How should these descriptions result in right humility for us and worship of Jesus?

Today’s passage: John 3:16-21

Helpful thoughts:

• The eternal, self-existent, almighty, omniscient, holy, creator God sent Jesus to save us from our sins because He loves us!
• We are born in our sin.  Our natural condition is in condemnation.  People are not inherently good (Romans 3:10-12).  But we can be rescued and no longer condemned (Romans 8:1).
• Everyone who rejects what can be known about God does so because that’s what they want to do (Romans 1:19-21).  The sinner who repents comes to the light, confesses their sin before the Lord, and is saved from it.  This results in a miraculous change (Ephesians 2:8-10, 1 John 1:5-10).

Questions to consider:

1. What motivated God to send Jesus into the world?  What do we learn about the heart of God in today’s passage?
2. Is a person right to be comfortable with their life outside of Christianity?  Are people who practice other religions in just as good of a place as Christians are?  Without faith in Jesus, where does a person stand?
3. Is the gospel supposed to be a “nice” idea that makes us feel good or is it supposed to radically change our lives? If a person says they believe but live no differently than the rest of the world, what is wrong?  Why is it so hard to talk to people openly about this?  How can God’s love for us give us courage to speak the truth in love to others?

Today’s passage: John 3:1-15

Helpful thoughts:

• Nicodemus the Pharisee affirmed Jesus’ teaching and that God was with Jesus.  After this affirmation, Jesus went straight to the heart of the matter.
• There is only one way to see the kingdom of God, to be born again.
  • The only way to become a child of God is to be born of God.
  • I believe being born “of water” represents physical birth and being born “of the Spirit” is the spiritual birth, being born again (or “from above”).  This makes sense in the context of verse 6.  It is always best to interpret Scripture with Scripture.
• At the beginning of the conversation, Nicodemus was ready to affirm/believe that Jesus had been sent by God.  Not long after, Jesus challenges him to believe more, that He is the Son of Man (A name for the Messiah.) and that believing on Him was the way to eternal life.

Questions to consider:

1. Do we choose God or does God choose us (Or…yes!)?  How does verse 8 and Jesus’ overall call to Nicodemus to be born again show that both are necessary (Regardless of the order of events)?
2. When the wind blows, we don’t see the wind but we do see the effects of the wind.  What are the effects of the moving of the Spirit of God in our lives?  (You could check out Galatians 5:16-26 for an example)  What happens when a sinner is saved?  How do they begin to change?
3. What is the picture Jesus is using in verse 14 (Numbers 21:4-9)?  In what way do believers “look and live?”  What is the disease we are rescued from when we “look” to Jesus?  What does it mean then for us to “look” to Jesus?

Today’s passage: John 2:13-25

Helpful thoughts:

• God the Son had a zeal for the temple (Psalm 69:9).  The Jewish religious leaders had allowed the worship of God to become a business operation.  It was to be a place of worship, not selfish gain.
• The leaders questioned Jesus’ authority over them in the temple and demanded a sign.  The only sign he promised was his own resurrection.
  • Even Christ’s resurrection wouldn’t have been enough of a sign (Luke 16:31).
• The words “believed” and “entrust” are from the same Greek word (Verses 23-24).  Jesus (Omnipotently) knew exactly what it was the people were believing in (And what for…).  He knew not to have faith in their fickle and materialistic faith.

Questions to consider:

1. Why wasn’t it wrong for Jesus to cleanse the temple?  Why wasn’t it a sin?  Who is He?
2. Why wasn’t the resurrection, or Jesus’ teaching or other miracles, enough to convince the majority of the Jewish leaders that He was their Lord and Messiah?  Were these leaders truly worshiping the Lord before Jesus came?  What had God “become” for them?
3. Who is God “to you?”  Who does the Bible say He is?  Why is it so important that our thinking and practices align with the truth of God’s Word?

Today’s passage: John 2:1-12

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus had not performed other miracles like this (Verse 11 – “This, the first of his signs”). But, Jesus’ mother (Mary) knew what he was able to do.
• Jesus knew it wasn’t time to reveal what He could do.  He would do this miracle for his mother, but privately.
  • It was not his hour.  Jesus’ “hour” was the time of his crucifixion.  He knew that if word started to spread widely about his supernatural abilities, things would go “off schedule.”
• John tells the reader that the disciples believed in Him after seeing this miracle because the reader is supposed to do the same!

Questions to consider:

1. In what way was Mary’s faith displayed in today’s passage?  If this was the first of Jesus’ signs, what did she have to know and believe about Him?
2. What did Jesus know about Himself?  Does it look like He was discovering who He was or was He well aware of His purpose and the timing?  How does this also show us that He is the Son of God (Besides the miracle)?  What attribute of God does this display?
3. How can this display of Christ’s knowledge and miraculous power bolster our faith?  This miracle might seem like a small thing compared to what we know Jesus is about to do as we continue to read.  But, imagine reading this for the first time, knowing nothing of what’s to come.  What might you be thinking?

Today’s passage: John 1:43-51

Helpful thoughts:

• Two more disciples begin to follow Jesus.  Philip and Nathanael (a.k.a. Bartholomew – Matthew 10:3).
• The Law and the Prophets would have been a way to refer to what we call the Old Testament.
  • Philip believed Jesus was the fulfillment of all the promises made in the Old Testament concerning the coming Savior, Messiah, Son of God, and King!
  • After Nathanael met Jesus, he believed too.
• Nazareth was just a small town at that time.  Not notable for much of anything, a forgettable town.
• Continuing the theme of looking back to the Old Testament, Jesus refers to Himself as a better ladder (Better than Jacob’s ladder – Genesis 28:12, Hebrews 10:19-20).
  • Jesus is the way to God (John 14:6).

Questions to consider:

1. What impressed Nathanael about Jesus?  What attribute of God did Jesus display which so quickly convinced him? (Psalm 139:1-3)
2. There are two images of Jesus portrayed in this passage, the one that amazed Nathanael, and the one that didn’t amaze Nathanael (end of verse 45).  When the unbelieving world sees Jesus, what do they see?  What do those who’ve had their eyes and hearts opened to the truth see?  Who is Jesus? (Colossians 1:15-20)
3. When Jacob saw the ladder in Genesis 28, he named that place, “Bethel” (The house, or the dwelling place, of God).  In what ways has Jesus brought, “Bethel” to His people?  (Leading up to Revelation 21:3!)

Today’s passage: John 1:35-42

Helpful thoughts:

• These two disciples of John heard their teacher again the second day in a row and then did the right logical thing.  They followed John’s teaching by beginning to follow Jesus.
  • The two disciples were Andrew and probably John (The writer of this gospel).  John did not like to mention himself by name in his own gospel account.
• Andrew proved to be a good disciple of John the Baptist.  When he found the Messiah, he started bringing other people to meet Him.
• Immediately upon meeting God the Son, Simon gets a new name.  God gave new names to others in the Old Testament to communicate their calling and purpose.
  • Simon is called Cephas (Aramaic) and Peter (Greek).  Both words mean, “Rock.”

Questions to consider:

1. How might John the Baptist have been tempted to feel after he “lost” two of his disciples that day?  Why was the “loss” not a loss at all but instead a big win?  What is our mission as a church?  For whom are we seeking followers?
2. What is the natural thing for Christians to do when they understand what they have in Jesus Christ?  What will our gratitude, love and changed life result in with our relationships with the lost?  What will they know and be confronted with before too long?
3. How do you think Peter felt after getting renamed right away after meeting Jesus?  How might that have been a little awkward (if it was just some other regular man)?  How might it have been life changing (because it was the Son of God!)?

Today’s passage: John 1:29-34

Helpful thoughts:

• Today we read the climax of John the Baptist’s ministry and life!  He was tasked with preparing the way and pointing people to the coming Messiah.  On that day he declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
• Jesus is the Lamb of God because he would Himself become the “Lamb” slaughtered as a sacrifice for our sins (1 Corinthians 5:7).
• The Spirit of God descended on Jesus and remained.  This was not a temporary work of the Spirit as in the Old Testament prophets and narratives.  The Spirit would remain with Christ (Isaiah 11:1-2).
  • This aspect of John the Baptist’s testimony further confirms fulfilled prophecy about the Christ.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the nature of John the Baptist’s testimony?  In what way is he an eye-witness testimony?  In what way is he speaking like an Old Testament prophet?  Why are both important to the Apostle John’s mission to convince the reader of who Jesus is?
2. What did Jesus accomplish for all who believe in Him when He served as our Passover Lamb?
3. What will be said of the Lamb in days to come (Revelation 5:11-14)?  How can knowing what the Lamb did and what He will do help you to live for Him today?

Today’s passage: John 1:19-28

Helpful thoughts:

• John the Baptist testifies:
  • He is not the Christ.
  • He is not Elijah (Though he does fulfill the prophecy of Elijah, he is not the man Elijah – Matthew 11:14, Luke 1:17, Malachi 4:5-6).
  • He is not the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15.  The Jews did not understand the Prophet Moses had referred to was the Christ (Acts 3:22-24).
  • But he is the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3.
• John’s baptism represented a cleansing after repentance (Turning from sin).  The Jewish people who were receiving this baptism were acknowledging they’d needed to turn from their sin to be ready for the coming of the Lord.
• John the Baptist knew his role.  It didn’t matter as much if people knew who he was.  His life’s mission was to point people to Someone else.

Questions to consider:

1. What does the first portion verse 20 seem to evidence?  What John trying to cover himself or protect himself before the Pharisees?  Did he fear them?  What did he want more, to protect himself or to inform them of the truth?
2. Who was John the Baptist?  What was his role?  What was his goal?
3. Did John the Baptist’s humility result in fear or in courage?  How can knowing who we are in Christ and rejoicing in God’s purpose for our lives help us to boldly proclaim the gospel message?