His Best Friend's Gospel (Page 2)

Hope can be a powerful thing. In John 11, Jesus receives news that his friend, Lazarus is sick, and yet, instead of rushing seems to delay, so long, in fact, that Lazarus dies. Did Jesus go out of his way to deliberately destroy the hope they had, or could it be that his purpose was to allow them to understand hope in a much deeper way? When all hope seems lost, where do…

In John 10:1-18 Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, and the door. It’s easy to overlook the significance of these words, and the deep meaning of what it means about him, and us! Domestic sheep have been called the most ill equipped animals for survival without a shepherd to lead and guide them, care for them, and protect them. We unpack this picture and think about…

This morning’s reflection focuses on John 7:37-39 and the importance of “Systematic Theology” and “Practical Theology” in Christian life. It highlights how Jesus combines various scriptures to reveal deeper truths, urging believers to understand and love the scripture deeply to do likewise.

What does Jesus mean when he calls himself the Bread of Life? We continue our journey in John’s gospel looking at John 6:25-51 and the way Jesus unpacks his previous miracle, when he fed the 5000. We explore the subtle shifts in understanding that he seeks to impart to the Jews — and us — that will make sense of these words.

We continue our journey through John’s Gospel, exploring the second sign Jesus performs in Galilee, demonstrating his divinity, and messianic identity. We think about why Jesus criticises the people of Galilee for not believing without a sign, and explore the nature or faith — placing trust in Jesus and taking him at his word, even when we don’t see it.

We move on to our next section of John’s gospel, looking at John 4, and Jesus’ decision to stop at Jacob’s Well in Samaria, and the woman he meets there. We explore this incredible, unusual interraction, and look at what we can learn as His people, about what it means to us, and to others, to have a message that will leave us “never thirsty again”.

We continue our journey through the Gospel of John, looking at probably the most well known scripture in all of scripture — John 3:16, and the verses that surround it. We look at this well known verse — which has been shared and searched probably more than any other — and ask is there something more than meets the eye here. We assume it speaks of the…

We continue studying the Gospel of John thinking about Jesus first encounter with the Pharisee Nicodemus. We look at the familiar, yet perhaps confusing, phrase “Born Again” and ask the question, what, precisely, did Jesus mean by that? If Jesus tells us that no-one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again, then it is essential we get our understanding of this…

We dive into the Gospel of John, looking at John 2:1-11, the wedding at Cana were we encounter Jesus’ first miracle — turning water into wine.We think about the oft-overlooked elements of this passage — why Jesus speaks to Mary the way he does, why he says his “time has not yet come” and yet still performs the miracle, and why his firs miracle seems so frivilous… why…

We continue our journey through John looking at one of Jesus most fascinating encounters in all of scriptire — Jesus cleansing the temple in John 2.We look at why Jesus felt compelled to act so publicly, and decisively, why the temple represents more than just a building, and how this one act prophetically points us to the ultimate sacrifice, that will drive out that…