Daily Read

John 18:28-38 (NIV)

I remember when I was a young boy, the 4th of July would come around, and the air was full of two distinct smells: barbecue in the afternoon and the smell of fireworks in the evening. Take away all the other senses and I bet I could have told you what day it was.

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1. What word of phrase stood out to you in the passage? Consider why that might be.

2. Pilate and the Jewish leaders were trying to keep their hands clean while condemning the only man with truly clean hands. Are there ever moments in your life when you have ever felt motivated to keep your hands clean rather than doing what’s right?

3. Jesus tells Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world. Too often we’ve taken this to mean that His kingdom is somewhere else, and not associated with this world. Rather, we must learn to hear Jesus say that though His Kingdom is not from here, it is indeed a kingdom that is uniquely and powerfully FOR here. In what ways do you long for Jesus’ Kingdom to come more fully in our world?

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John 18:15-27 (NIV)

In today’s passage, we see two scenes running alongside each other and interwoven--Jesus’ interrogation before the high priest and Peter’s denial. Two pictures full of contrasts. A warm fire illuminates the face of Peter while he attempts to hide in the shadows. . . to not be noticed. And Jesus, on the other side of the door, a cold slap in the face while he states plainly that all he has done has been in the open. No secrets, no hiding.

Peter’s denial is familiar to all of us, but thankfully this is the first of two significant stories where Peter is asked questions around a fire.

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1. What word or phrase stood out to you in the passage?

2. In our increasingly turbulent culture, following Jesus seriously can often put you at odds with people on various sides of the issues. Admitting that you are one of Jesus’ disciples (as this passage puts it) can be a daunting task. Whatever the issue and who you’re talking to  , the risks of being misunderstood, or stereo-typed are varied and numerous. Have you ever been afraid to identify with Jesus. What caused you to be afraid?

3. Peter was one of Jesus’ closest and most loyal disciples, and even he didn’t really understand the kind of Kingdom Jesus was inaugurating. In what ways has your understanding of God’s Kingdom been challenged as you’ve engaged the Book of John so far? In what ways do you want to grow your understanding of His Kingdom?

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John 18:1-14 (NIV)

Through the gospel of John, Jesus has been making these “I AM” statements. “I am the bread of life,” “I am the light of the world,” I am the resurrection and the life,” “I am the way the truth and the life.” This phrase, I am, is a reference to the story that the people of Israel are celebrating the very night that Jesus was arrested, the passover.

In Exodus 3, Moses was called by God in the wilderness to go to pharaoh and say “let my people go” he asked God the question “who should I say sent me?” and God said, “tell them I AM sent you.” In that same passage God referred to Israel as his son. Sisters and brothers, today’s passage is a stunning inversion of the first passover. The God who sent Moses to set Israel (God’s son) free… is now sending his son, Jesus, to be taken into captivity, to set the world free.

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1. What word of phrase stood out to you in this passage? Ask the LORD why.

2. Peter draws his sword and cuts off a man’s ear in defense of Jesus, and Jesus corrects Peter and tells him to put the sword away. Have you ever reacted in situations where Jesus was dishonored or attacked, only to wish  you had responded differently?

3. The I AM who set Israel free is being taken into custody by Israel, in order to set them and the rest of the world free. What kind of God does such a thing? How do you react to the character of such a God?

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John 17:13-26 (NIV)

So far in this section of John’s gospel, Jesus has gone from teaching his disciples to praying to the Father. The prayer that John records in today's passage tells us a lot about the nature of God’s purpose in sending Jesus. Remember when Jesus told Nicodemous that God so loved the world that he gave his only son?

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1. Which of Jesus' requests stood out to you as you listened to this passage?

2. What would it look like practically for us to not be taken out of the world but to be protected from  the evil one? What about you, today, what would it look like? What might need to change? What might need to stay the same?

3. Jesus prays that we would be one just as he and the Father are one. These days it can feel like we are more divided than we ever have been? Take a moment and allow the Spirit to bring to mind a relationship that needs to move towards unity.

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John 17:1-12 (NIV)

Have you ever had the experience of overhearing someone while they are praying? Or maybe finding an old journal and seeing someone’s innermost thoughts, prayers written out. In our culture it’s increasingly rare, even in the closest relationships, to let someone know about our thought life or prayer life. In today’s passage we are given the incredible opportunity to sit down with Jesus’ disciples and just listen to the prayers  of Jesus--to a conversation he’s having with his Father.

As you listen, maybe close your eyes if you can. Imagine you’re in the room. What might you be feeling? Thinking?

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1. What word or phrase stood out to you in the passage?

2. What did you think about Jesus’ definition of the phrase eternal life? Did you feel dissonance? Confusion? Comfort? Surprise? Why do you think that is?

3. How might the LORD be inviting you into communion with Him today? Are you willing to share with him your innermost thoughts?

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John 16:25-33 (NIV)

Think of your favorite living public figure, celebrity, writer, musician, or leader. You know, the one who has millions of twitter followers, who is a household name. You got’em? Now imagine you get their phone number and you shoot them a text, and before you have a chance to put down your phone it begins to ring and it’s them on the line. You answer and they say hello like an old friend who has been waiting for an update on the weekend, and as you talk to them you can hear the joy in their voice.

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1. What word or phrase stood out to you in the passage? Why do you think that is?

2. What about this passage encouraged you? What about it was new for you?

3. What is your response to this passage? How is the LORD leading you right now? What could this passage speak to your life today?

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John 16:16-24 (NIV)

When my wife and I found out that we were pregnant with our first child, we anticipated a lot of things. But the sheer volume of advice and stories of other’s experience was not one of them. I can remember fathers telling me what it would be like when I first laid eyes on my newborn, what it would be like to hold her, and how everything would change. And they probably saw, as it usually went, my mind wandering off, scarcely able to imagine what to expect.

In today’s passage, the disciples cannot fathom the next 24 hours, much less the next three days. By their next Sabbath, they will have seen Jesus crucified, placed in a tomb, resurrected, and appearing to them to teach and eat fish. It’s like what all the dads said who’d tried to prepare me: “You’ll see.”  Jesus says the same today, in the midst of our grief and pain, and endless ambiguity.

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1. What word or image stood out to you in the passage?

2. What about this passage encouraged you? What about it surprised you?

3. In what way is the LORD inviting you to respond to this passage today? How might things need to be different?

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John 16:1-15 (NIV)

Today we tend to hear the word “judge” and think of something bad, like “don’t judge people,” or “I don’t want to be judged!” But throughout their history, the Jewish people asked, even pleaded with God to judge them, because their understanding of judgement meant getting their case before someone who could do something about it. They were asking to be heard, to be considered, to be helped.

In today’s passage, Jesus talks about the Spirit like a lawyer--proving the world wrong in all the ways it thinks it’s in the right. Not believing in Jesus after having seen him. . . guilt. Imagining that they have justice (or, righteousness) on their side when Jesus has already been exalted with the Father. . . nope. Wrong. And finally, when the world thinks judgement is on their side, the condemnation falls not on Jesus, but on death itself.

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1. What word or image stood out to you in the passage?

2. What about this passage encouraged you? What about it challenged you?

3. How is the LORD inviting you to respond to this passage today? What might need to change? What might need to stay the same?

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John 15:18-27 (NIV)

In our context, particularly in the West, many Christians don’t really know what it’s like to be persecuted. Our churches are often places of comfort--places we go to get a weekly dose of “feel good.” But the early followers of Jesus (and, in fact too many Christians around the world today) knew what it was like to be hated by those around them, by those who had seen and heard Jesus but wanted to maintain their own power and privilege instead.

Today’s passage is a call for seriousness. Jesus’ words to the disciples are meant to say, in a sense, “Get ready.”

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1. What word or image stood out to you in the passage?

2. What about this passage encouraged you? What about it challenged you?

3. How is the LORD inviting you to respond to this passage today? What might need to change? What might need to stay the same?

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John 15:1-17 (NIV)

In the early days of Israel’s covenant with Yahweh, the image of a vine and a vineyard was used to describe Israel. God had brought a vine out of Egypt and planted it in the promised land. Israel’s psalmists used the image in their poetry and Israel’s prophets used this image as a way of calling out the sin and corruption of God’s people.

In today’s passage Jesus calls himself the “true vine.” He’s saying that he is the true Israel, the one in whom God’s covenant rests, and through whom God is extending his redemption as a blessing to all the nations. It’s in Jesus, this true vine that they must remain, if they are to belong to Yahweh.

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1. What word or image stood out to you in the passage?

2. What about this passage encouraged you? What about it challenged you?

3. How is the LORD inviting you to respond to this passage today? How can you stay connected to the vine? How can you actively respond to Jesus call to love?

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