John 12:1-19

While Jesus was having dinner with Lazarus and his sisters in Bethany, Mary anointed Jesus' feet with some expensive perfume. Although Judas protested that it would have been better to sell the perfume to feed the poor, Jesus found her actions to be good. The next day, as Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people greeted Him with palm branches and shouts of "Hosanna!"

Some people recognize Jesus for who He is and others do not. Even when others do not understand or approve of our worship and devotion to Jesus, He sees and is honored by our faithfulness to Him. Worship Him with all your heart and don't worry about what others think. The only thing that matters is that our actions are pleasing to God.

John 11:47-57

The chief priests and Pharisees decided that Jesus must die for the good of the nation. They were worried that too many people would start believing in Him and they would lose their power. They weren't interested in the truth, just serving their own interests.

When we become too wrapped up in what we want or what we believe is best and ignore what God has told us is right, we wind up pushing Him out of the picture to get our own way. We can't please ourselves and God at the same time until we recognize His Lordship and submit ourselves to Him.

John 11:17-46

Jesus arrived at Lazarus' house four days after he had died. After going to the tomb where Lazarus had been laid, Jesus revived him by calling him forth. Before Jesus called Lazarus forth, He thanked God out loud for hearing Him. This was for the people who were witnesses to the miracle so they would know He was sent by God.

The same God who showed His power over death by bringing Lazarus back from the dead has the power to rescue you from death. No matter how long you have been dead in your sins, God can make you into a new person because of His grace and forgiveness. Believe in Him, trust in Him, and your new life can begin. This is the message He has for all of us. If you have already put your trust in God, don't keep it to yourself - pass the message on to someone else.

John 11:1-16

Word was sent to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. Jesus declared that the end result of this sickness would not be death, but that God would be glorified in it. Jesus stayed where He was for two days before setting off for Lazarus' house. His disciples brought up the fact that they were trying to kill Him in Judea, but Jesus told them Lazarus was dead and He was going there to raise him up so that they might believe.

God will sometimes allow us to go through hard times so that we can see His work in our lives. In the moments where God provides a way through a difficult situation we could not otherwise see, His glory is evident. We learn to depend on Him more and more, growing closer to Him with each experience. Remember, even in the roughest times, God is with you offering His protection, help, and guidance.

John 10:22-42

Some of the Jews wanted Jesus to just some out and say if He was the Christ. In response, Jesus stated that He'd already told them and they hadn't believed. His works were all they needed to testify to His identity. After Jesus said that God was His Father and They were one, the Jews picked up rocks to stone Him for blasphemy. Jesus reasoned with them based on scripture and the works that He had done, but they weren't swayed so Jesus slipped away.

For anyone to claim to be God or the Messiah, that would be blasphemy - unless He really were! Jesus is the only one in the history of the world who can make that claim. He alone fulfilled the prophecies and showed the power of the Messiah. Knowing what He has done, we can put our hope and trust in Him and know that we worship the one true risen Savior who can save us from our sin.

John 10:1-21

Using an illustration about sheep and the shepherd who looks after them, Jesus showed that He came to care for us. If we are His, we will know His voice and follow Him wherever He leads. We will not follow the voice of a false teacher who only wants to steal us away from God and destroy us. Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to lay down His life for us. No one but the Good Shepherd is willing to die for us.

We need to be looked after and cared for. Just like sheep without a shepherd, we would be lost to the world if not for Jesus. Thank Him for caring for you and loving you enough to die for you. Learn His voice, listen for it, and follow wherever it leads. The Good Shepherd will never lead you astray or leave you.

John 9:35-41

Jesus went to find the man who He had healed of his blindness and was thrown out of the temple for not denouncing Him. The man professed his belief in Jesus and Jesus said that He had come to make things clear to the world and that those who were blind would see and those who thought they could see would be proven to be blind.

Jesus cares for those who are persecuted in His name. He seeks them out and comforts them, raising them up and helping them to get back on their feet. Only by admitting that we are lost without Him can we receive the sight that He offers. If we insist on depending on ourselves, we will continue living in darkness.

John 9:1-34

Jesus healed a man who had been born blind. His disciples had asked Him if the man was blind because of his own sin or his parents' sin, but Jesus told them it was neither. This man had been born blind so that God could display His power by working in his life. After the man was healed, the people who had known him to be blind wanted to know what happened and who healed him. He told them what Jesus did, but that he didn't know where He was.

When the Pharisees heard what happened, they questioned the man. Not satisfied, they called his parents who only told them that this was their son who had been blind from birth, but could now see. Since the man was healed on the Sabbath, the Pharisees believed Jesus must be a sinner. Once more, they questioned the once-blind man and tried to get him to denounce Jesus. He wouldn't, so they threw him out of the temple.

This man stood for what he knew was true. Even after being pressured to change his story, he stood for truth. Whatever the consequences, we must always stand for truth. God rewards us when we are bold in the face of persecution and do not compromise our position. When you feel like giving in, focus on Jesus who will give you strength to persevere.

John 8:31-59

Jesus made it clear that you belong to God or you belong to the devil. Jesus came to set us free from bondage to the devil by showing us the truth. If we follow Him, we will know the truth and be truly free in God.

Most people don't want to think that they belong to the devil, but Jesus made it clear that there are only two options. All of us are born into sin and under the domain of the devil. We can choose to stay there and spend eternity with him or we can follow Jesus and spend eternity with Him.

John 8:21-30

Jesus told the people He was going away and they would look for Him, but they could not go with Him, but instead would die in their sin. He said that the things He was saying were from His Father and not His own initiative.

We need to be sure that the words we speak are the ones given to us by God and not just what we have come up with on our own. God's words are eternal and true; man's words are deceitful. When we allow God's words to fill us and come through us, we know that we are truly His and can go where He goes.

John 8:1-20

The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught committing adultery to see what He would do. What He did amazed them all. He told the men who had brought the woman that whoever among them was without sin should cast the first stone. One by one, all the men left and when Jesus was alone with the woman, He told her He did not condemn her and she should go and sin no more.

Grace is a wonderful thing! God offers it to us freely and without end (and who among us doesn't need it daily?). Jesus showed the kind of grace God gives to us when we come to Him stained with sin and He does not condemn us. We can come to Him without fear of retribution for healing and forgiveness and the strength to resist temptation in the future. Also note that Jesus didn't let the men who brought the woman to Him off the hook. He reminded them that none of them were perfect and each of them had sin in their lives as well (perhaps stoning offenses?). We need to remember this when we are feeling a bit too quick to judge others and ask God to punish them. Take an honest look into your own life and see if you would want the same treatment.


Jesus told the people that He is the Light of the world and that whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness. The Pharisees complained that He had no one to corroborate His claims, but Jesus told them His Father testified about Him. When asked where His Father was, Jesus told them they did not know His Father since they did not know Him.

Once again, Jesus equates knowledge of Him to knowledge of the Father and vice versa. There is no separation between God and Jesus. You cannot believe in one and not the other. True knowledge of Jesus brings the light of truth into our lives and provides a filter to rightly interpret the world around us. Without Jesus in our lives, we are truly in the dark and nothing around us makes sense because we can only see a limited part of the picture (if anything at all).

John 7:32-53

After teaching in the temple during the Feast of Booths, the Pharisees tried to have Him arrested. The officers sent to arrest Him heard Him speaking and decided against arresting Him. Some of the crowd were saying He was a prophet, others said He was the Christ. Some who knew He was from Galilee refuted the idea that He could be the Christ because Christ was supposed to come from Bethlehem (David's city).

What we think about who Jesus is doesn't have any effect on the truth. The people at the Feast were going on limited information; they didn't have the whole story. Many today are making decisions about who Jesus is without knowing the whole story. That is an arrogant and foolish way to reach a conclusion. Meet the real Jesus, learn about who He is and what He's done, then make a decision about who you say He is based an a position of knowledge and reason.

John 7:1-31

Jesus had been staying in Galilee and avoiding Judea because He knew the Jewish leaders were plotting to kill Him and it wasn't His time yet. When it was time for the Feast of Booths, Jesus' brothers were trying to convince Him to go. They didn't believe in Him, but they were telling Him He should go where everyone could see the works He was doing. Jesus sent them off without Him, but then secretly went to Jerusalem after they were gone. In Jerusalem, Jesus was teaching in the temple, amazing the people with His knowledge. He admitted that it was not His own teaching, but God's.

Even Jesus' own family didn't believe in Him. His brothers were mocking Him, challenging Him to prove Himself. Many Christians endure similar taunts or criticisms from family members who do not believe. It is important to not respond in kind, but to give a loving answer in return. As Jesus told the people in Jerusalem, our beliefs do not come from ourselves, but from God. When people attack us or make fun of us for what we believe, they are attacking God. Pray for the people who give you a hard time. Give the situation to God and let Him take care of it.

John 6:41-71

When Jesus claimed to be bread from heaven, those who knew His family started to doubt His statements. How is it that all of a sudden Joseph's boy is claiming to be sent from heaven? Jesus explained to them that if they knew God, they would be drawn by Him to Jesus.

In order to accept Jesus, we must first be right with God. It is impossible to have an understanding of who Jesus is without knowing God because they are one and the same. The Jews of the day should have learned about God and the Messiah through the scriptures, but their lack of understanding was shown by their disbelief in Him.


Jesus told the people listening that in order to gain eternal life they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Some were taken aback because they took this literally, much like Nicodemus literally interpreting Jesus' statement about being born again in John 3.

The symbolism of eating His flesh and drinking His blood was used again at the Last Supper and fully realized at Calvary. Our salvation is only possible because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. To accept His gift of salvation, we must accept the sacrifice He made and live our lives in a way that recognizes and honors what He has done for us.

John 6:22-40

The people who had been fed by Jesus the day before came to Him again. Jesus told them not to come seeking earthly food, but the spiritual food He could offer them which was eternally satisfying. They asked Him for a sign to prove to them He was who He claimed to be (as if feeding the multitude wasn't enough). After all, they said, our ancestors ate the manna - bread from heaven. Jesus responded that He is the true bread from heaven and that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.

If we come to God only to meet our physical needs, our hearts are not in the right place. God wants to meet our physical needs, but He wants to do so much more than that. He wants us to love Him and become like Him so that we might be joined in His will and live with Him forever. No one likes to be used by someone else just for what might benefit them and not caring about a relationship. Why should God be accept that kind of treatment?

John 6:1-21

Jesus fed over 5000 people with just two fish and five loaves of bread. Afterward, He withdrew to be by Himself because the people wanted to make Him into a king. His disciples went back across the sea in a boat. Before they reached the other shore, Jesus came to them walking on the water.

Jesus was not seeking fame and fortune. He could have put out a tip jar after feeding the five thousand. He could have stayed around for the thanks and let them reward Him in any way they thought of. This was not His mission though. He went away to be by Himself to get away from the things He knew were wrong and that He wanted nothing to do with. Spending time alone away from the distractions of life to focus on God is essential to the Christian walk. It is in these quiet times that we draw closest to Him.

John 5:24-47

Jesus spoke of the resurrection of the dead and how everyone will be judged by Him. He also stated that His judgment is justified because He is aligned with the will of His Father. Jesus said that the Father testifies to the truth about Him and that if anyone doesn't believe in Him it is because they don't believe God.

All of scripture points to Jesus as the Messiah. His identity has been spelled out for any who care to see. God has provided all the proof necessary to show who Jesus truly is and we will each be judged by what we do with this proof.

John 5:1-24

Jesus healed a man by the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath. When confronted about working on the Sabbath, Jesus told them He was doing His Father's work and spoke of the connection between Him and His Father. Because Jesus was putting Himself on a level equal to God by what He was saying, it made His enemies want to kill Him that much more.

If we say we accept God, we must accept Jesus as well. They are the same, and therefore inseparable. Jesus was sent so that we would have an image of God that we could relate to. In His life, we see the love that God has for each of us and how He wants us to love one another.

John 4:31-54

Jesus' disciples were pushing Him to eat something. He told them He had food - doing the will of the Father. He said the harvest was ready and He was sending them out to get it.

Like the living water Jesus offered to the Samaritan woman, the food that Jesus was talking about was more satisfying than anything we could get on our own. The harvest He spoke of was the people who were ready to hear the gospel message. Spreading God's word to these people is the will of the Father; doing so fills us in a way that nothing else can.


The Samaritan woman who Jesus talked to at the well had spread the word about Jesus and many were coming to Him and believing in Him. At first, they came because of the woman's testimony, but they remained because they saw Jesus firsthand and saw that everything she had said about Him was true.

While it is important that we, as believers, spread the word about God and give our testimony to others, each person must be brought into a place where they meet Jesus personally. No amount of words can fully convey the joy of knowing Him and seeing Him work in each life individually.


When Jesus came back to Cana, he was approached by a man whose son was very ill and near death. He asked Jesus to come with him and heal his child, but Jesus told him to go home and his son would live. He went off and was met by some of his servants who told him his son had gotten better.

Jesus showed that His power was infinite. He did not need to physically touch someone or even be near them to heal them. Remember this the next time you feel far away from Jesus. No matter where you are, He has the power to touch your life and heal you. All you have to do is call out and ask.

John 4:1-30

Jesus met a Samaritan woman by a well. He told her that He could give her living water so that she would never thirst again. At first, she was a little hesitant because He was a Jew and she was a Samaritan, but when Jesus told her details of her life, she believed Him to be a prophet. She then went to tell the people in her town about meeting Jesus and brought them to meet Him.

Jesus fills the greatest need in our life - the need for salvation. People search their entire lives for what they believe will make them complete, but Jesus is the only answer that truly satisfies. Fame, fortune, and fun are only temporary. They may satisfy for a time, but they always fade away. Jesus will never leave your side.

John 3:22-36

Jesus began His ministry and was baptizing people. John the Baptist's disciples came to him to let him know what was happening. John reaffirmed that Jesus was the whole reason for his ministry and that as Jesus' ministry became larger, his own would become smaller.

John understood that it wasn't about him. His whole purpose was to point the way to Jesus and now that Jesus' ministry had begun, the focus should be on Him. When we are witnessing to others, we always need to keep in mind that the purpose should be to point others to Jesus. If it weren't for Jesus, we would have nothing to tell and would still be lost ourselves. It's all about perspective.

John 3:1-21

Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to talk to Jesus and learn more about Him. Jesus told Nicodemus that no one could enter the kingdom of God unless they were born again. Nicodemus didn't understand that this rebirth was a spiritual one and became confused. Jesus explained to him that like the wind, we do not fully understand how it works, nor do we have to in order to understand the effect. Jesus Himself understood these things because He came from God - He had firsthand knowledge of everything He was speaking of. He also spoke of the need for His death and how it was for the salvation of the world. God loved each of us so much that He was willing to allow His Son to become the sacrifice for our sins. Everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life, and those who don't will be condemned.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

-John 3:16

We may never understand how salvation works, but if we believe on Jesus, we can have eternal life with Him. God wants us all to know Him and love Him and for us to spend eternity with Him, but we have to make a choice: do we want to be in the light or stay in the darkness? If we choose light, we are born into a new way of life. The person we once were - bound by the flesh - is gone and we become a new creation in Christ.

John 2

Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding in Cana by turning water into wine. This was His first public miracle and caused His disciples to believe in Him more. What has God done in your life? Each time we see God's hand at work, our faith is strengthened. Because of this, we should look for the evidence of God in everything we do. When we look, we will see Him, and when we see Him, our faith will be increased.


While in Jerusalem for the Passover, Jesus cleared the people selling animals and the money changers out of the temple. He could not stand to see His Father's house, a place of worship, being used for such self-serving activities. The church should be preserved as a holy place set apart from the world. We must be respectful in our attitude when we go and remember that the purpose of the church is to gather together as believers to honor and glorify God in worship and praise. The church is not a place to a place for self-promotion or ego boosting.

John 1:29-51

John recognized Jesus as the Messiah and publicly proclaimed that this had been revealed to Him by God. Others upon hearing this began to follow Jesus. They brought others to Him as well, telling them they had found the Messiah.

When we find Jesus, the natural reaction is to tell everyone about Him. Jesus is not a secret to be kept. He wants everyone to know about Him and wants us to be the ones to tell them. Tell a family member, tell a friend, tell a stranger on the street, but don't keep Him as a secret.

John 1:1-28

John begins with the same three words that began Genesis: "In the beginning". John starts off by showing Jesus at the beginning of creation, part of the Godhead. Everything that was created was created through Him. Jesus is the Light that dispels the darkness and brings salvation to those who believe in Him. Jesus was not just some man. He is the God of the universe who took on the body of mortal man to fulfill the need for a sacrifice for our sins. When we look at it this way, how can we not be amazed by the gift of grace and salvation we have been given?


John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus' ministry. He was telling everyone who would hear that the Messiah was almost here. When asked if he was the Messiah or Elijah or a prophet, he humbly answered he was none of those things, but merely a messenger for the coming Messiah. Like him, we need to find our role in God's kingdom, then humbly accept it and do what we have been commanded to do.

Luke 24:36-53

Jesus appeared to His disciples and some others who were with them after His resurrection. He told them that everything that had been prophesied about Him would be fulfilled and that they were witnesses to His resurrection. They would be empowered by God to go and bear witness to others about what they had seen.

We are all witnesses to the power of God. We can go and tell others what God has done in our lives. This is how the earliest Christians spread the gospel message. They didn't have the New Testament scriptures to refer to - just their own personal experiences. The best part is that you already know your story - no need for memorization!

Luke 24:1-35

On the third day after His crucifixion, some women came to finish anointing Jesus' body with spices and perfumes. The tomb was empty and there were angels who told them Jesus wasn't there and He had risen as He said He would. Later, Jesus appeared to two of His followers as they were traveling and spoke with them. They did not recognize Him at first, but when they did, He vanished.

Jesus showed He had power over death and the grave. If He had not risen on the third day as He said, His death would have been meaningless. Because He lives, we know His promise that we will be resurrected to live with Him forever will be kept.

Luke 23:39-56

One of the criminals being crucified with Jesus mocked Him just like everyone else, but the second chided him for doing so and asked Jesus to remember Him when He entered His kingdom. Jesus told him he would be in Paradise with Him that day. The second criminal realized his position as a sinner, rightly condemned to die and Jesus' innocence and Lordship. It is never too late to learn these truths. Even if you think the things you have done in your life make you unforgivable, Jesus paid the price to make you clean.


When Jesus finally died, the soldier in charge of the execution and the crowd of people realized He was innocent because of the phenomena that accompanied His final breath. His body was then taken by Joseph of Arimathea to be buried in his own tomb. The Bible makes no mention of what happened to the people who witnessed Christ's last moments, but we can be sure that if they only stopped at realizing Jesus' innocence and not fully realizing His Lordship, they were still as lost as ever. Simply knowing or acknowledging who Jesus is doesn't make anyone saved. Only by truly accepting Him and allowing Him to enter your life and change you from the inside out can you be saved.

Luke 23:26-38

Jesus was taken to be crucified and hung on a cross between two criminals. Even while this was happening, He prayed to God to forgive the people involved. On the cross, He was mocked by the people who had gathered as well as the soldiers and told if He was the King of the Jews, He should save himself. This is the ultimate example of loving ones enemies. Even while He was being crucified, Jesus prayed for His oppressors. People hurt others because they have been hurt themselves. The way to make a difference in someone's life is to break the cycle of hurt and show them love. This is what Jesus did and this is what we need to do if we want to make a difference in this world for Him.

Luke 23:1-25

Jesus was taken to Pilate and accused of telling people not to pay taxes and claiming to be a king. Pilate couldn't find any reason to convict Jesus of anything, so he sent Him to Herod. Herod, likewise, found Jesus not guilty and sent Him back to Pilate. Pilate tried to convince the crowd to let Jesus go, but they cried out for His death. Finally, Pilate caved in and ordered Jesus to be crucified.

Jesus led a sinless life, but was tried as though He were a criminal. Even though He was found not guilty by His judges, mob rule won out and He was sentenced to death. Today, there are voices being raised against Jesus and His people. We have a choice to join them, ignore them, or confront them. Pray for the courage to stand for Jesus. The easy thing to do when things get rough is to give in to the crowd and compromise your values - what you know is true and right. It's hard to go against the grain and stick out in this world, but the ones who do will be rewarded in heaven.

Luke 22:54-71

Jesus was arrested and led away to the chief priest's house. Peter followed behind at a distance and when he got there, people began to notice him and ask if he had been with Jesus. Three people asked him and three times he said he didn't know Jesus, just as Jesus had said he would. Denying Jesus isn't just saying you don't know Him. We also deny Him when we live like He's not in our lives. Everything we do should be guided by our faith in Jesus.


Jesus was beaten and mocked, then was questioned about whether He was the Christ. He initially refused to answer on the grounds that they wouldn't believe Him anyway. Eventually, when asked if He was the Son of God, He admitted He was. This was what they were waiting for - in their minds, He had just admitted to blasphemy. Jesus made a bold claim: that He was God. The religious leaders of the day didn't want to believe this was true, so they did what they needed to do to get Him out of the way. Faced with this same claim, who do you say He is? C. S. Lewis wrote of Jesus, "Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse." You can choose to deny Him or you can choose to love Him, but everyone must choose and the choice you make has eternal ramifications.