TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 3:1-36
Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light. - John 3:19
TODAY IN THE WORD
The Dutch artist Rembrandt is known for his use of chiaroscuro. This style of painting involves stark contrasts between light and dark in which darker subjects are illuminated by a brilliant source of light within the painting. One famous Rembrandt painting of the Nativity depicts a dark crowd of onlookers whose faces are aglow from a radiant manger holding the Christ child.

Today's passage is a study in contrasts The images of dark and light, ignorance and belief are juxtaposed. In the first scene we have Nicodemus, a religious leader, coming to Jesus “at night” (v. 2). This darkness motif unfolds in an exchange that reveals Nicodemus' ignorance. He begins with a vague statement about Jesus and His impressive works, but Jesus exposes Nicodemus' short-sightedness: what is most important, Christ says, is entrance into the kingdom of God through rebirth (v. 3). Again, Nicodemus misunderstands and Jesus offers further explanation: this rebirth is not a human one, but from God's Spirit (vv. 5-8). Yet again, Nicodemus displays confusion, and Jesus launches into His fullest explanation of “heavenly things” (vv. 12-21).

Nicodemus remained content on the earthly, human level, but Jesus drew him higher. What matters is the spiritual new birth and belief in God's Son (vv. 14-18). Only then, by embracing the truth of Christ, will one be led out of darkness into the light (vv. 19-21). Nicodemus came in darkness with a true but incomplete picture of Jesus. Christ pointed him to a fuller, brighter image: Jesus as the Light of the world that brings eternal life.

John the Baptist displayed full understanding. Rather than question Christ (vv. 22-30), the Baptist proclaimed Christ's true identity. Like Nicodemus, John recognized Jesus as one who comes from God (vv. 2, 31, 34), yet his confession goes further: the promised Messiah who comes from heaven, full of the Spirit, the Son of God who brings eternal life to those who believe on Him (vv. 28-36).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Two pictures: one dark, one light; one of ignorance, one of belief. Which picture describes you when you look at Jesus? Perhaps you are like Nicodemus, saying true but incomplete things about Jesus. You say He is a great man but nothing more. Pause to repent of an inadequate view of Jesus, and embrace Him today as the Son of God who brings eternal life. If you have already done this, pray that the words of 1 John 1:5-7 be true for you: to walk today in the light of Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 4:1-42
Then Jesus declared: “I who speak to you am he.” - John 4:26
TODAY IN THE WORD
Musician Bill Mallonee summarizes well the oft-failed attempts at intimacy in our broken world: “Tell me your deep dark secret / and I will tell you mine / Is that your deep dark secret? / oh well, never mind.” Intimacy: we all seek it, but don't always know where or how to find it.

Today's passage reveals the transforming effects of true intimacy with Christ. While traveling, Jesus pauses at a well. There He has what turns out to be a most surprising conversation. It was abominable for a Jew to associate with Samaritans (v. 9); yet Jesus did. It was highly unusual for a Jewish male to speak to a woman in public (v. 27); yet Jesus did.

And there is a third surprise. Scripture tells us that Jesus met this woman at the “sixth hour,” that is, noon (v. 6). Why would a woman travel miles, alone, to a well during the heat of the day? From what we learn of the woman and her marriage troubles, it is likely that she was ostracized from her community for her immoral lifestyle. Good Jews did not converse with notorious sinners and outcasts; yet Jesus did. He initiates conversation (v. 7) and moves the dialogue from well water to living water, from temporal things to eternal.

The climax comes in verse 26. After this woman has expressed an interest in the things of God and an anticipation for the coming Messiah, Jesus reveals the most intimate fact of all: “I who speak to you am he.” Do not miss the force of these words. Of all the people to whom Jesus could have revealed His identity so clearly, He chose not a religious leader or His own disciples, but a notoriously sinning Samaritan woman.

Even if His disciples did not get it (vv. 27-37), the woman did. Transformed by her encounter with Jesus, she leaves her jar and runs to town, compelled to tell others about a man who could look at her deep, dark secrets and embrace her anyway (vv. 29, 39).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Like the Samaritan woman, we all wish to be truly known and loved. But do you feel like your dark and oft-repeated sins put you out of God's reach? Today's passage shows that Christ came for people just like us, the outcast, broken sinner. Take time this Good Friday to allow Christ's living water to transform you, making this prayer by Christina Rosetti your own: “O Lord, I cannot plead my love of Thee: I plead Thy love of me; —The shallow conduit hails the unfathomed Sea.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Talking with Jesus

Imagine for a moment that you could sit down, over dinner or a cup of coffee, and talk with anyone in the world, anyone from history. Who would it be? What if that other person was the Son of God? Imagine the opportunity to have a private conversation with Jesus, asking any question that puzzled you, bringing up anything weighing on your heart.

The Gospel of John includes many such conversations. One that has always intrigued me is the late-night conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin—the ruling religious leaders of his time. He was well-studied in the law. His visit has all the trappings of mystery. John's Gospel mentions that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, alone in the darkness.

Nicodemus was wrestling with a tough question: “How can a man be born when he is old?” (John 3:4). Jesus answered the religious leader's questions, but not in ways Nicodemus expected. Far beyond the kind of answer Nicodemus anticipated, Jesus demonstrated that He knew exactly who Nicodemus was: “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?” (v. 10).

Throughout the book of John and the other Gospels, Jesus engaged a variety of individuals. He talked to the disciples, tax collectors, Samaritan women, invalids, royal officials, Pharisees, even children. He preached to crowds, yet also took time to care for individuals in need. John 3:16, one of the most beloved and well-memorized verses in the Bible, appears at the end of Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus. The verse describes God's gift of Jesus—a gift that is personal in nature: “For God so loved the world . . . that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (v. 16). While the gift of redemption is extended to many, the verse emphasizes the need for an individual response.

Because of God's love for us, Jesus willingly surrendered His divine prerogatives in order to become human (see Phil. 2:5-10). Through the miracle of the Incarnation, Jesus had the capacity to know people. Jesus is fully God, He is fully man. John notes at the end of chapter 2, “He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man” (vv. 24, 25).

Jesus told Nicodemus that He came to save men, not to condemn them. Verse 17 states, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” While the religious leaders worried about enforcing the law and judging the actions of Christ and His followers, Jesus proclaimed the message of forgiveness and redemption.

Through the gift of His Son, God offers a personal relationship to each of us today. He acknowledges our needs. He offers forgiveness for our failures. He offers salvation and life through the indescribable gift of Jesus. Like Nicodemus, we can come to Him with our questions and confusion and find Him ready to hear us and meet our deepest needs.

[Soldier4Christ]

Keeping Faith:

Jesus the Logos

One distinctive of John's Gospel is the description of Jesus Christ as the Word, or Logos, of God (John 1:1). In Greek philosophy, the term logos was used to identify the mind of God, also considered to be the principle that ordered the universe. John takes this Greek term and uses it in the tradition of Jewish literature, like the book of Proverbs, which personified wisdom. For example, Proverbs 8:22-31 says that wisdom has existed from eternity. Likewise, Jesus, the Logos, was “with God” in the beginning.

John's use of the Greek term Logos to refer to Christ also emphasizes His role as the one who reveals the Father. Elsewhere in John's Gospel Jesus tells His disciples, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Jesus is a “word” from the Father. He is the ultimate expression of what God is like. John makes an important distinction when he notes that this Jesus was both “with God” and “was God.” Jesus reveals the Father, but He is not the Father. He is the Logos who “became flesh.” Jesus reveals God the Father, and He Himself is also God. John portrays Jesus as the divine Son, the second member of the Trinity, who already existed in the beginning and became flesh at the Incarnation.

Consequently, John's theology of the Logos is incarnational. Jesus did not merely reveal the Father as a theological construct. Instead, He “put a face” on God. Jesus shows us what God is like in human terms. Because He is God in the flesh, Jesus is able to serve as the bridge between God and man. John's Gospel records one of the clearest statements of Jesus' role as mediator. In John 14:6 Jesus declares, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

By characterizing Jesus as the Word of God, John underscores the centrality of Christ in the redemptive plan. When it comes to knowing God, Jesus is both explainer and explained. He is the revealer and the essence of what is revealed. We cannot understand who God is without looking to Jesus. We cannot know God personally apart from trusting in Jesus. In Jesus alone we find a vocabulary for understanding and expressing the nature and purpose of God (cf. Rev. 1:8, 21:6).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 4:43-5:15
Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” - John 4:50
TODAY IN THE WORD
Plant-killers. We all know one. They forget to water plants, fail to put them in the light, neglect them for days on end. Even healthy plants don't last long with the botanical “talents” of these black thumbs. So compared to plant- killers, the “green thumb” gardener has a unique gift. Somehow they have just the knack for bringing life and vitality to dead and dying plants.

In a small way, those expert gardeners reflect Christ's life- giving, life-changing power revealed in today's passage. In the first scene, a royal official from Capernaum traveled twenty miles to seek his son's healing by Jesus. Although Jesus' initial reaction seems cool (4:48), the official persisted in his request. Jesus simply replied that the “son will live” (4:50). Faced with a choice either to believe or to seek additional “signs and wonders” (cf. 4:48), the official trusted Christ and began his journey home. On the way, he discovered that his son was healed at “the exact time” Jesus had spoken (4:53). Without even seeing or touching the child, Christ the Eternal Word merely speaks a word and it is done. From the response of the official and his household we see too that Christ's life- giving power is also life-changing.

A second healing takes place at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (5:2). Surrounded by the downtrodden and disabled, Jesus approached a seemingly hopeless man with the possibility of a new life (5:5-8). Another choice: believe in Christ's life-giving power or laugh at the impossibility of the offer. Like the official, this man believed. He picked up his mat and walked away a healed man (5:9). Again, without touching the invalid, Christ merely speaks the word and restores a broken man with a life-giving, life-changing power.

Previously, Jesus had spoken of the Son who brings eternal life (John 3:16). Now, Jesus produces new life, not in theory, but in actuality. It should come as no surprise that He brings it to the hopeless and the hurting. The Giver of Life had come for such as these.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Like so much of Jesus' ministry to the hopeless and hurting, His healings demonstrate not only His ability to mend our brokenness now, but they point to our future restoration when there will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Rev. 21:4). Make the choice now to commit yourself daily to Christ's life-giving power, even in those seemingly hopeless moments. Then spend some time praying for those you know who desperately need the life-giving power of Christ both in this life and in the life to come.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 5:16-47
My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working. - John 5:17
TODAY IN THE WORD
According to the Jewish wisdom of Jesus' day, although God's work of creating ceased on the seventh day (cf. Gen. 2:2-3), His providential, care- taking work did not. Rabbis taught that two ongoing works of God were giving life and judging, and He performed them even on the Sabbath day. Because there was only one true God (cf. Ex. 15:11) the work of life-giving and final judgment were prerogatives belonging to God alone.

This helps explain the Jewish reaction to Jesus' words in today's passage. When Jewish leaders accused Jesus of healing (and, therefore, working) on the Sabbath (v. 16), Jesus responded that like God who works on the Sabbath, He works too (v. 17). Jesus asserted His right to perform a divine activity, establishing an identity between Himself and the Father. The Jewish leaders understood the implicit claim, charged Him with blasphemy, and tried to kill Him (v. 18).

Jesus' response is significant. He did not correct an accidental misunderstanding, or back away from His profound claims, but emphatically reasserted the point. In this passage, Jesus claims an equality with the Father in activity (vv. 17-19), in honor (vv. 22-23), in authority (vv. 22, 27, 30), and in perspective (vv. 36-37). Most important, the two main assertions Jesus makes about Himself are His ability to grant life to the dead (vv. 21, 25-26, 28), and His right to judgment (vv. 22, 27, 30)—the very two works the Old Testament had attributed to God alone (cf. 2 Kings 5:7; Ezek. 37:13; Deut. 1:17; 32:36).

Thus, today's passage provides us with one of the most exalted statements of Jesus and His relationship to the Father. All that belong to the God of the Old Testament—Sabbath work, honor, power to give life, authority to judge—belong equally to Jesus. His claims are unlike any other, for they are nothing less than claims of deity shared with the Father. Without this important understanding, says Jesus, even the most diligent study of Scripture will produce only lifeless results (vv. 39-40).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Like a soaring eagle, today's passage takes elevates us to contemplate the full divinity of Jesus, the Son. But what difference does it make? According to Jesus, it makes all the difference in the world: those who understand and believe in the equality of Father and Son have eternal life, and the love of God dwells in their hearts (v. 24, 39-44). On this Easter Sunday, reassess any inadequate understanding you may have of Jesus' deity, praising Him for the resurrection life He brings, and repenting over disbelief if needed.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 6:1-24
Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat. - Psalm 78:25
TODAY IN THE WORD
Treasure hunters arrived at a secluded lighthouse looking for clues to find treasure. After searching in vain, one member climbed to the top of the lighthouse for a better view. Once there, the answer was clear: small white stones were arranged on the ground revealing the code to unlock the treasure chest. Only by gaining that elevated vantage point could the riddle be solved.

Today's passage is best understood from an elevated vantage point. On one level, our passage describes Jesus performing two nature miracles: He produces a feast out of a few loaves and fish (vv. 5-13), and defies the laws of nature by walking on water (vv. 16-21). These are remarkable events, and they reveal something of Jesus' divine power. But when looking at the bigger picture, today's passage displays something much more revealing.

The key comes from two seemingly insignificant verses. John 6:4 tells us that the Passover feast was near. John 6:20 gives Jesus' response to the startled disciples: “It is I.” In the Greek, however, Jesus' response is simply “I AM”—a recurring phrase on the lips of Jesus throughout the Gospel of John.

Together, these verses evoke for us another scene in which there is a Passover and an “I AM” declaration—God revealing Himself in the burning bush and the Israelite Passover and Exodus from Egypt (cf. Exodus 3, 12). As you may recall, after the Exodus, God displayed His power over creation by parting the Red Sea and providing bread and meat in the wilderness (Exodus 14--16).

Returning to today's passage, we find nothing less than Jesus re-enacting these divine events in reverse. In Exodus God declared that He is “I AM,” controlled the waters, and supplied bread and meat. Here, Jesus supplies bread and meat (vv. 1-13), displays control of the waters (v. 19), and declares “I AM” (v. 20). Yesterday we read Jesus' claims of equality with the God of the Old Testament; today He demonstrates that equality in action.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The crowd's response to Jesus' miracle was to crown Him a political ruler (vv. 14-15), but our passage demonstrates that Jesus is more than an earthly king. He is the King of kings, the God of all creation. Meditate on today's portrait of Jesus by reading a favorite nature psalm, such as Psalm 104, or one recounting the Exodus event such as Psalm 78. Remember that what the author says in the psalm about God, we today can declare about Jesus, the Lord of creation.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 6:25-59
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. - John 6:54
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his book, Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton summarizes the value of tradition: “Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead.” By Chesterton's standards many modern readers of today's passage have been most undemocratic. From the early church on, this text has been understood as a discourse about the Christian tradition of Holy Communion, but this is not always included in contemporary commentaries.

On one level, Jesus has taken the earlier feeding miracle (John 6:1-15) and extended that bread imagery to Himself. The crowds seek perishable food; Christ points them to food that feeds the soul (vv. 26-35). Christ Himself is the eternal life-giving bread which comes from heaven. Those who look to Him and believe on Him are fed with that spiritual bread (vv. 35-40). So far, eating this bread is a metaphor for belief in Christ (vv. 44-47).

But in John 6:48-59, things take a turn. Jesus issues the perplexing command to eat His “flesh” and drink His “blood” for eternal life (vv. 53-56). What does this mean? Ancient Christian thinkers (such as John Chrysostom, Augustine, and Calvin) recognized that the language here is exactly that of the Last Supper: “This is my body, this is my blood. . . . Take, eat . . . drink” (cf. Matt. 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-20). The Gospel of John lacks a Last Supper account, but the same ideas are found in the present discourse. Christians partaking of the Lord's Supper fulfill the command of Jesus, since the image of bread reflects Christ's sacrificial death for the world (v. 51). The elements of bread and wine in the Lord's Supper center on that accomplishment (cf. 1 Cor 11:26).

Theologians and denominations do not always agree on the meaning of this Christian meal, but they do agree that Christ's command in this passage echoes and urges upon us the Christian practice of the Lord's Supper. In partaking, we recognize our complete dependence on His broken body and spilled blood for our eternal life.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
This coming Sunday, or the next time you take the Lord's Supper at your church, reflect on today's passage. Consider that the elements of the meal act as signs, pointing us to Christ and His atoning work on the cross for you. As so often is the case, God uses the physical elements of our world to remind us of spiritual realities that feed our soul. Come to Him in that moment, humbly accepting His sacrificial work on your behalf, and feed on Him by faith that you might live in Him (vv. 56-58).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 6:60-71
You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. - John 6:68-69
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his poem, “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost describes decision-making in life and the consequences of our choices. He writes: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.”

Today's passage likewise presents us with a diverging path and a choice. Jesus has just finished His long Bread of Life discourse (John 6:25-59). Many in the audience found His words difficult to accept and were faced with a choice: receive His words or reject them.

Jesus, perceiving their grumbling, responded not by softening His words, but simply by reminding them of what He had already said. In verse 38 Jesus claimed to descend from the Father; now in verse 62 He suggested that He would soon ascend to the Father. Previously Jesus had stressed the role of the Father in drawing people to Christ (6:37, 40, 44), and now He reminded them of this reality (v. 65). Finally, He had offered eternal life through His name (6:40, 47, 51), and He now reasserted that His words “are spirit and they are life” (v. 63). In other words, if you want life, you must accept the life-giving words of the One sent from the Father.

This means that there is a choice. Jesus' words are clear. How would people respond? Many chose to reject Jesus and His words (vv. 64, 66); one would ultimately choose to betray Him to death (vv. 70-71). Yet not everyone chose the path of rejecting Jesus. A few chose another course. Peter, speaking for the other disciples, declared: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (vv. 68-69).

Although Christ's words may be difficult, and following His path may lead to the suffering of the cross, Peter and the disciples recognized that the only other option is death and estrangment from God. The y chose the less traveled road that makes all the difference in this world and eternity.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's passage reminds us that choosing Christ is often an unpopular decision. Many in the world find Christ difficult to accept, yet Scripture promises that only in Christ is there true life. Have you made that decision to follow Christ, trusting in His life-giving words? If not, make today that day. Receive Jesus as God's Holy One. If you have, pray for those you know who desperately need “the words of eternal life” (v. 68), asking the Father to enable them to come to Jesus in faith (v. 65).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 7:1-52
Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment. - John 7:24
TODAY IN THE WORD
A classic image is used in psychology classes to demonstrate the power of perspective. Viewed one way, the lines and shapes on a page form the image of an old, deformed woman. Yet those same lines and shapes, seen from a different perspective, reveal an elegant lady in an evening dress. Depending on how your eye takes in the image, you see either beauty or ugliness.

Like this image, today's passage presents contrasting perspectives of Jesus. On the one hand, some do not see Jesus as He truly is; they perceive Him as merely human. His brothers, misunderstanding Jesus' mission, thought that He should make Himself known before His time (vv. 3-8). The crowds at Jerusalem questioned His education and accused Him of demon-possession (vv. 12-24). Later, they failed to understand Jesus' predictions about the resurrection (v. 33-36). The religious authorities used Jesus' upbringing to cast doubt on His identity as Messiah (vv. 25-30), sent the temple guards to arrest Jesus (v. 32), and remained in a state of hardness towards Him (vv. 47-52). Others, though not outright rejecting Jesus, failed to understand His full identity: they called Him a “good man” (v. 12) and “prophet” (v. 40).

Jesus' own words give us a truer perspective. Rather than addressing specific statements from the crowd, He reoriented their entire perspective by pointing to his relationship to the Father. Jesus is not an earthly figure seeking His own glory, but an obedient Son who acts, speaks, and teaches according to the will of God the Father (vv. 16-19). Jesus' home and identity lie not in earthly regions and relations, but in His relationship to the One who sent Him (vv. 28-29) and to whom He will return (vv. 33-34).

A proper perspective of Jesus, then, must understand His intimate relationship to the Father. Jesus is much more than a good man or miracle worker; He is the very Son of God. May our eyes be opened to this true image of Jesus, the one sent from God.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's passage calls us to reorient our perspective of Jesus and “make a right judgment” (v. 24) about Him. Even if we don't outright reject Jesus, it's easy to embrace the world's view that He was just a good man, perhaps “prophetic” in His insight into humanity, but nothing more. Pray today that God would give you eyes of faith to see Jesus for who He truly is: God's Son. In return, God promises you His own Spirit, which will be like “streams of living water” (v. 38) flowing within you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 7:53-8:11
Go now and leave your life of sin. - John 8:11
TODAY IN THE WORD
Imagine that you are in the middle of a worship service when church leaders barge through the doors, dragging a woman into the building. They push her toward the front of the sanctuary, explaining that she had been caught in the act of a grave sin. They demand immediate action from the pastor. Imagine the shock, the humiliation, the bewilderment.

Today's passage confronts us with this startling scene. Jewish religious leaders presented to Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery (vv. 2-3). They asked Him what should be done, noting that the law of Moses prescribed death for such sinners. They were not motivated by a desire for righteousness, however, but rather sought to trap Jesus on the horns of a dilemma. If He agreed to the stoning, He would be exercising authority not permitted by the Roman government. If He refused to punish her, He would be violating God's law and encouraging adultery.

Jesus' response not only solves the dilemma but demonstrates two important lessons. First, Jesus turns our attention away from the sin of others and turns it to our own. After repeated prompting, Jesus responded: “If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone” (v. 7). He does not deny the sin of the woman, but He turns our gaze away from others to examine our own heart. Whatever Jesus wrote on the ground (vv. 6, 8 ), it likely related to His words in verse 7 about the sins of those standing around Him. The point, though, was clear: all are guilty of sin.

Second, Jesus shows us His attitude toward sinners. After the crowd dispersed, only two remained: the woman and the only one truly qualified to condemn her. Jesus did not condemn her, but added: “Go now and leave your life of sin” (v. 11). Don't miss the balance here. Jesus neither denies her sin nor leaves her without forgiveness. His response is both firm and merciful; forgiving here but also challenging her toward something better. He calls sin what it is, yet urges healing and transformation.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's passage reminds us to take account of our own sin, but to recognize the great mercy and forgiveness available in Christ. We must not deny our sin, nor despair of overcoming it. Spend time today in prayer examining your own heart and life, confessing your sins before the Lord and seeking His forgiveness. Then ask God for His grace that you may turn from those sins and live in response to His forgiveness and grace, that you may follow Jesus' words: “Go now and leave your life of sin” (v. 11).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 8:12-59
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” - John 8:58
TODAY IN THE WORD
In a recent experiment, a group of children were asked to identify a series of portraits. Most children struggled to identify pictures of George Washington, George W. Bush, and even Jesus. But one portrait consistently received a smile of familiarity. When asked who the figure was, nearly all children proclaimed with excitement: “Ronald McDonald!”

Today's passage deals with a variety of themes: the testimony and judgment of Jesus (vv. 12-30), being a child of Abraham or the devil (vv. 31-47), and the fatherhood of God (vv. 48-59). But like the children's experiment, the central feature of today's passage involves a question of identification. Jesus was asked, “Who are you?” He answered rather cryptically: “Just what I have been claiming all along” (v. 25). Some may find this a frustrating answer, but a closer look reveals that Jesus was clearly identifying Himself.

Throughout the passage, Christ's true identity is repeatedly emphasized. He is the “light of the world” (v. 12), an Old Testament designation for God Himself (Ps. 27:1; Micah 7:8 ). He claims (divine) authority to bear witness to Himself (vv. 14-18). He announces an intimate connection to God the Father (vv. 27-29, 49-55).

Most important, on three occasions He applies the divine name “I AM” to Himself (cf. Ex. 3:14). In Greek, verse 24 simply reads: “If you do not believe that I AM, you will indeed die in your sins.” Verse 28 repeats this theme: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know I AM”. This full identification of Jesus reaches its climax at the end: “I tell you the truth . . . before Abraham was born, I AM” (v. 58). He does not use the grammatically correct phrase “I was,” but the theologically revealing phrase “I AM.”

The crowd didn't miss the import of these words: they want to stone Him. They were angered by the implication of Jesus' words, in part because they understood how Jesus identified Himself: He claims to be the great I AM of Israel's history.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If the central point of today's passage is proper identification of Jesus, the central test for us is our response. Jesus tells us that our response has significant consequences. If we reject Him, our lot is continued slavery to sin and ultimate death in those sins (vv. 21, 24). However, if we embrace Him and His word, we are promised freedom and relationship with God as His children (vv. 31-36). Pause today to ask God for a proper identification of Jesus and a proper response to this God-made-flesh.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 9:1-41
For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind. - John 9:39
TODAY IN THE WORD
In one of the most well-known, well-loved hymns, John Newton speaks of God's saving grace that brings sight to the blind. Speaking from personal experience, he wrote: “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound / that saved a wretch like me / I once was lost, but now am found / was blind, but now I see.”

Today's passage, like Newton's hymn, speaks about blindness and sight that goes beyond the physical ability to see. The gospel's simple healing story becomes a beautiful expression of spiritual blindness and sight. The miracle itself is reported (and re-told) with great brevity: a man blind from birth receives his sight from Jesus (vv. 1-12). John's attention to what follows indicates the more important message.

As the interrogation of the blind man proceeded, there is a dual progression in opposite directions. The Pharisees became increasingly hardened in their “blindness,” while the healed man's “sight” grows into a deepening understanding of Jesus. The Pharisees began with mixed opinions about Jesus, but they did accept the miracle as fact. Later, they began to doubt the healing, and called in the parents for questioning (vv. 18-23). By verse 24, their judgment was clear: “We know this man is a sinner.” Their blindness reaches its height at the end when they insult Jesus' parentage and expel the blind man from the synagogue (vv. 29, 34).

In contrast, the blind man moves from a vague understanding of “a man called Jesus” (v. 11) to a “prophet” and a healer (vv. 17, 25), to the realization that Jesus is a “godly man” who is “from God” (vv. 31-33). He ends the story not only with eyes that can see physically, but with full spiritual sight as well: “Then the man said, ”˜Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him” (v. 38). Jesus, the “light of the world” (v. 5) does what true light does best: He brings full sight to the blind. John begins with a blind man who gains his sight, and ends with those who thought they could see hardening in their spiritual blindness.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's passage shows us that the more we know Jesus—who He is and what He has done in our lives—the more wonderful He becomes. Our spiritual sight increases not by dwelling in unbelief or by questioning God's work in the lives of others, but by spending time with the “light of the world.” Take time this week to reflect on God's amazing grace to you in Jesus, praying that the eyes of your heart would be opened more and more, proclaiming with the blind man: “Lord, I believe.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 10:1-42
I am the good shepherd . . . and I lay down my life for the sheep. - John 10:14-15
TODAY IN THE WORD
Christian artwork found in ancient catacombs regularly has depictions of a shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders. A symbol of Christ, it was a powerful reminder of Christ's care for His flock, the church. That recurring image in early Christian art finds its source in today's passage about Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

Our passage continues Jesus' claims of deity, but also adds a strong note of judgment. Jesus' claim to be the Good Shepherd evokes the same claims made about God in the Old Testament (cf. Ezekiel 34 and Jeremiah 23). One day, said the prophets, God Himself would come and gather His people, to shepherd them and to judge their wicked leaders. Jesus claims that same task and title. He is “the good shepherd” (vv. 11, 14-15) who condemns the Jewish leaders as “hired hands” and “thieves and robbers” who “care nothing for the sheep” (vv. 8, 12-13).

His condemnation of the Pharisees and claims of equality with the Father become explicit when Jesus declares: “You are not my sheep” (v. 26), and then: “I and the Father are one” (v. 30). Understanding both Jesus' judgment and His divine claims, the Pharisees prepared to stone Him.

Jesus, however, responded by offering an argument based on Psalm 82: “I said you are gods” (v. 34; Ps. 82:6). His logic was as follows: if Scripture speaks of human judges as “gods,” how much more fitting that One who is greater than all be called God's Son (vv. 35-39)?

In Psalm 82, human judges, having received the word of God, are given the title “gods.” Jesus, however, the Word of God Himself, is called the “Son of God.” Where human judges were humanly appointed (see Exodus 18 and Deuteronomy 1), Jesus was divinely appointed (v. 36). Then in the greatest irony, where human judges were chosen to administer justice on behalf of God (cf. Deut. 1:15-18), they now prepare to kill Jesus, the shepherd and true judge. This foreshadowed the shepherd's self-sacrificing act of laying down His life for His sheep (v. 15).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Just as the suffering, persecuted church used artistic reminders of their great protective shepherd, so, too, we should use today's passage to remind us of the depths of suffering and sacrifice Christ underwent for us, His sheep. If you struggle with doubt about your relationship with God, His love and care for you, be reminded of your self-sacrificing shepherd. Today He declares to those who follow Him: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (v. 28). Rest in that promise.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 11:1-44
This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’'’s glory so that God’'’s Son may be glorified through it. - John 11:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
Turn on the evening news and you will be inundated with stories of murders, traffic accidents, weather catastrophes, spreading disease. It is easy to become discouraged, or to begin to question God's goodness. Why would God allow such suffering?

Today's passage may not provide full answers, but it does highlight something of the mysterious purpose of God's ways. Upon hearing that Lazarus was sick, Jesus waited two full days before traveling to Bethany. By the time He arrived, Lazarus had died, and both Martha and Mary complained that His delay cost them their brother's life (vv. 21, 32). Indeed, His inaction is perplexing, but Jesus repeatedly points to a higher purpose: to instill belief and to display the glory of God (vv. 4, 14-15, 40-42).

This passage also shows Jesus' humanity. The previous chapters have focused on the exalted truth of Jesus' deity, but John's Gospel presents the full reality of Jesus' nature. So that we don't lose sight of His humanity as well, John 11 displays a fully human Jesus. Twice He is “deeply moved” (vv. 33, 38), and verse 35 reports that “Jesus wept.” The fully human Jesus sees our fallen world—sorrow, sickness, and death—and does not turn away. He embraces the world's brokenness and joins us in grieving. When the “Word became flesh” (John 1:14), He not only took on humanness but experienced our pains and sorrows. We do not face death alone.

Finally, we are given a glimpse of the world to come: the resurrection life. There is death in our broken world, and Jesus shares our grief in that brokenness. But ultimately, Jesus breaks the power of death. The raising of Lazarus is not just a picture of Jesus' compassion in the face of death, but a picture of His power over death (vv. 38-44). He is “the resurrection and the life” (v. 25) and our passage gives us a foretaste of His life-raising power. Jesus presents a picture of the end, when “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” through Jesus our Lord (Rev. 21:4).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We are all faced with the reality of a broken world. It is evident around us and in our own lives. Today's passage tells us something about a proper response. First, mourning and weeping are appropriate, for Jesus himself models this (vv. 33, 35, 38). Second, even in the midst of suffering, we must always remember our final victory in Christ. In the face of real death Jesus declares: “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (v. 26). Grieve over our fallen world today, but also find hope in Jesus.