The Gospel of John

God
When you look at your watch, you know that an intelligent person designed it. It didn't just come into existence by itself. What about your wrist - isn't it more complicated than your watch? Didn't an intelligent person design your wrist too? We call the One who designed these things God, our Creator, the One who spoke the word and created the universe.

God has spoken to us in terms we can understand. The Bible is the record of his revelation - what he wants us to know about himself. God also became flesh and blood in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is 100 percent human and 100 percent God. Want to know what God is like? Study the life of Jesus Christ in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Jesus
Jesus was born approximately 5 B.C. in the town of Bethlehem, Israel, to a virgin named Mary, who was descended from King David. Raised in Nazareth by Mary and her husband, Joseph, Jesus lived the ordinary life of a carpenter's son. Those who knew him didn't yet know that he was also God's Son. At age 30, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and tempted by the devil into the desert. He then began healing, teaching and performing miracles throughout Judea. He called people to believe in him as the only way to God.

Christ
Christ, meaning "anointed one," is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. The Jews were waiting anxiously for the Messiah, the person guaranteed by God to be their leader and ruler. Every Jewish person living at the time of Jesus knew exactly what he or she was waiting for. "Is he the one?" was the question everyone was debating about Jesus. Some said yes; some said no; and some said Jesus was a liar.

Father
God the Father perfectly cares fur us, giving us all we need -- though we may not agree with him regarding what those needs are. He promises us that we don't have to worry about having enough food or clothes because he knows what we need before we ask. God has also given us every spiritual blessing - something of much more value to our lives than any kind of physical possession.

As children of God, we can expect to be disciplined if we err. And we shouldn't be discouraged when this happens because discipline shows that God loves us. Just as good parents teach their children not to do things that will hurt them, so our Father in heaven teaches us what is best for us.

Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and the Son - yet is completely God.

Before Jesus came to the earth, the Holy Spirit guided and directed select people at specific times for specific purposes. To prophets, he revealed future events and warnings of judgment. To kings, he gave wisdom to rule. But when Jesus was near the end of his life on earth, preparing his disciples for his impending death and resurrection, he promised that the Holy Spirit would, form that time on, be with his followers all the time.

Peter
When Jesus gave a fisherman named Simon Peter the opportunity to become a "fisher of men," this man left everything to follow Jesus. It was the beginning of a lifelong mission.

Simon Peter was an amazing man of God. One minute we admire him, and the next minute we cringe because he's stuck his foot in his mouth again. One minute our hearts cry out to be like him, and the next minute we're relieved that we're not like him. Peter seemed to operate in extremes, yet God wa preparing him for something very special.

Simon
Five significant men in Jesus' life shared the name Simon, but they were as different from each other as they could be. (1) Simon the fisherman was a disciple of Jesus. God change his name to Peter (see Peter) because of the part he would playing the the church. (2) Jesus' other disciple named Simon was called Simon the Zealot. He was a man of intense political and religious convictions. (3) One of Jesus' half brothers, a son of Mary and Joseph, was also named Simon. (4) A leper named Simon opened his home to Jesus, perhaps after being cured by him. He was shocked at the woman who came to anoint Jesus with her tears, and he received a lesson on the connection between forgiveness and love. (5) Another Simon, originally from Cyrene, was in Jerusalem one day. Soldiers ordered him to carry the cross for the exhausted and bleeding Jesus. All these men knew Jesus - each in a profound way. Their names may not have all been changed, but after meeting Jesus, their hearts were never the same again.

Captivity
Is captivity always a punishment? More than once God allowed nations that didn't believe in or follow him to carry Israel and Judah - his chosen people - away from their land and into slavery. He allowed it because his people chose not to follow him. But God always brought back a remnant; he always kept his promises to them.

Crowns
Fabulously decorated and unbearably heavy, crowns have historically distinguished the ruling class from the lowly peons. In the past, crowns were much-coveted symbols of authority, power and riches. True ruling authority, however, belongs to Jesus Christ. While he was on earth, people rejected Jesus; they mocked his claims of kingship by forcing him to wear a crown of thorns, and then they killed him. But the Lord wasn't deterred by this rejection. Not only did he rise from the dead, he also will one day return to earth and take his proper position as ruler. And he'll be wearing a golden crown.

Crucify
Romans executed slaves and foreigners by terrifying means of crucifixion. Crucify comes from the Latin word for cross, crux, a device of torture. A cross was made up of a post with a slot carved out for a crossbar. Crucifixion, as practiced by the Romans, involved nailing or tying the prisoner's arms to the crossbar, which the executioners then attached to the post. They forced the dangling prisoner to turn his legs to the side, knees bent up, so they could drive a spike through both ankles into the post. The weight of the prisoner's otherwise unsupported body made breathing almost impossible and his chest sagged down on his diaphragm. To inhale, he had to push up and off the spike, putting terrible pressure on his shattered ankles, or he could pull himself up by his nailed wrists. Death was gruesome, slow and inevitable. Jesus was executed on a cross; dying on behalf of all the people.

Death
Death has many faces in our culture, most of them ugly. There's a reason for that: Death was not part of God's plan. When God created us, he intended for us to live forever in perfect harmony with him. But when Adam and Eve sinned, death became a fact of life because the consequence of sin is death. Sin and death separate us from God because God's holiness cannot permit even the smallest imperfection to enter his presence. Those who don't know God are alienated from his love, guidance and spiritual protection all their lives. Physical death seals the sentence of permanent separation from him.

But Christians never have to experience death as the world does. Christ came to take upon himself the penalty for our sins and to remove the barrier between God and us by dying in our place. If we believe and trust our lives to him, we can experience a relationship with God here on earth. The Bible says that when Christ comes into our lives, our sinful self dies., and we immediately receive a new life. We receive a new identity as a child of God. And because Christ overcame death by coming back to life, we too can live with him after death. For followers of Christ, death is no longer a defeating end, but the victorious beginning of life in the physical presence of God.

Disciples
Does disciple sound uncomfortably like "discipline"? It is. A disciple is a person who adheres to the teaching of another - not just believing a certain philosophy, but also applying it to his or her life.

In the Bible, the word "disciple" can apply to followers of John the Baptist, students of the Pharisees or the broader circle of people who believed Jesus' teachings. But it most often refers to the twelve disciples whom Jesus asked to follow him. They lived with him night and day and learned from his teaching and lifestyle. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus' followers were not perfect, but they knew enough to recognize that leaving everything they had in order to follow Jesus was worth the price.

Fulfill
Does it surprise you that the Bible almost never uses the word "fulfillment" in reference to a human's satisfaction in life? The Bible doesn't promise a fulfilling life. In the Bible, the word "fulfill" refers overwhelmingly to God's following through on his promises and intentions. God will always keep his promises. The plans he makes will come about. Our faithful God in control of all that happens in the universe, and his plans will overcome any obstacle.

Head
Just as we refer to the CEO or president as being the "head" of a company. God calls Jesus Christ the "head" of the church. The church is not one particular congregation or denomination, but all people - past, present and future - who trust Jesus Christ as Savior. By calling Christ the "head," God is saying that Jesus is the supreme leader and authority over all.

Jews
A yellow star stitched on a jacket declares a person's Jewish identity in Germany during World War II. It was not the fist time that being a Jew carried a death sentence, nor was it the first time that the Jews emerged victorious from a plot for their worldwide extermination.

Jews are the physical descendants of Abraham through his grandson Jacob, the father of the Israelites. The label "Jew" came into use after the Babylonian captivity. The stories of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther highlight God's protection of the people in the midst of great danger and opposition.

Passover
The night before the Israelites left Egypt, God instructed them to choose perfect lambs, slaughter them and use their blood to mark the doorframe of every hebrew dwelling. When the angel of Lord came to strike down all the firstborn males, he "passed over" the bloodstained doorframes, sparing the Israelite households.

Today, the Jewish people still celebrate Passover. Their delivery out of Egypt is a major focus of their faith and history. It is a reminder of God's concern for and intervention in, their lives.

Jesus celebrated Passover with his disciples the night before crucifixion. He said that from that time on breaking bread and drinking wine was to be done in memory of his broken body and shed blood.

Pilate
Proverbs 29:25 warns that "the fear of man will prove to be a snare" (see Fear) - caring too much about what other people think will trip you up or trap you. Perhaps the most notorious example of fearing others is a man named Pontius Pilate.

Pilate was the Roman governor of the district of Judas during the time of Jesus' ministry. When the Jewish leaders arrested Jesus, they had to appeal to Pilate in order to have Jesus put to death. Pilate examined the charges against Jesus and declared him to be innocent; but the Jews rejected Pilate's decision.

Priest
Although ministers of pagan religions are mentioned in the Bible, the word priest is most often used of those who attend to activities and things that are devoted to the true God. Today, some Christians refer to their church officials as priests, while others refer to their leaders as pastors.

The two most important Biblical teachings on the subject of priesthood relate to all Christians. First, there is now only one high priest: jesus Christ. Under the Old Covenant, the priest with the highest God-given authority could enter the holiest part of the temple in order to make sacrifices on behalf of all the Israelites. When Jesus sacrificed himself for humanity's sins, he became our eternal high priest. Jesus is the only go-between for us with God. Second, all believers in Jesus Christ are priests who bring their worship to the very throne room of the holy one.

Rebel
Generally, rebellions occur because of dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. This is also true with our relationship with God. We consistently believe that we know more than God knows and foolishly try to dictate the way we live our lives.

Rebellion is direct and defiant opposition to authority. In god we recognize moral authority, but rebellion and sin desensitize people's hearts toward the correctness of God's ways, leading to further sin. When people are tangled up in rebellion, they disregard the laws and guidelines. God has instituted for their protection - a dangerous situation because apart from God, evil only increases. We need to inspect and rid our hearts of any signs of rebellion before rebellion robs us of our physical, emotional and spiritual health and brings the judgment of God.

Right
International laws stand to protect the dignity, basic freedoms and governmental immunities due each person because of his or her humanity. Sadly, despite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, people still face persecution. Christians, though we live in this flawed world, are ultimately under God's rule and protection. Our rights as God's children guarantee freedom from sin's bondage and immunity to spiritual death.

Rome
Rome conquered the Holy Land (see Philistia) in 63 B.C. The secular Roman leaders of the area influenced the course of Biblical events on a number of occasions. A Roman census required Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ was born, (fulfilling prophecy). The Jews expected Jesus to liberate them from Roman rule. It was the Romans who carried out Jesus' trial and crucifixion.

Son
"If you really want to understand someone," said President George W. Bush, " you look at his family and where he was raised." Using this reasoning, what can we learn about Jesus Christ, the Son of God? The Bible says that Jesus is "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15). This means that the Son is fully God; all of God the Father's qualities are manifested in him: love, justice, righteousness, holiness. God the Son was also fully human; while he was on the earth, he shared our experiences: temptation, hunger, fatigues, pain and death.

Servants
"Serve people? You've got to be kidding!" We tend to associate servitude with oppressed people slaving for a cruel master. In the Bible, servants had a different job description, one more akin to our current-day employer-employee relationship. The servant's job was to loyally carry out his or her master's orders and act in the master's interest at all times. In return, the master was responsible for feeding and clothing the servants and looking after their needs.

Time
Time governs our lives. Our day planners help us manage it. We eat by it. We sleep by it. We're upset if people don't respect it. God, however is not constrained by time. He created time, and - though it's hard for us to grasp - he exists outside of time. Because he contains time, he knows the future and is able to reveal it in prophecy.

God has a clear understanding of time. In the Bible, he warned that all people should live for him because the time is coming when he will return to the earth. While some believe they can delay serving God, we are commanded to serve God now. We are to take advantage of the moments God gives us to share the gospel.

Tradition
"Tra-di-tion!" The image of Tevye, the Russian Jew, striding about his hometown in Fiddler on the Roof and singing the glories of tradition summons up ideas of noble heritage and and cultural history. Many of us come from families rich with meaningful traditions. God himself prescribed numerous traditions in the Old Testament for the Israelites to observe throughout the year. But the Bible warns against elevating traditions above the truths (see Truth) that they were given to reinforce.

Truth
What is truth? God is truth. Everything he says we can believe. There is no deception, no hypocrisy, no half-truth in God, Our finite minds can't fully comprehend God or understand all his mysteries, but he is everything he says he is: the all-powerful, just, loving Creator of everything that exists. How do we know right from wrong? God alone, because he is truth, provides an accurate standard for ethics and morality. Whatever he does and commands us to do is right. Anything God hates and forbids us to do is wrong.

Unclean
Pig sties, outhouses, your roommate's closet - these things might come to mind when you think of unclean. In the Old Testament the list was much longer. The things that made people unclean included association with death, touching certain things (see Touch), eating certain animals, infectious diseases of many kinds, and of all things, mildew! God's detailed instructions on how the Israelites should keep themselves physically pure underscored his holiness and incompatibility with anything impure. Bug Jesus made it clear in the New Testament that these rules had merely illustrated a concept that would be more clearly delineated at a later time.

Witness
Followers of Jesus Christ are often accused of being gullible. Certainly we would be foolish to believe, without evidence, a 4000-year-old book about a man who died almost 2000 years ago. We need witnesses! Historians and scholars, called textual critics, have studied and written much about the reliability of the Bible. Within the Bible we can find many testimonies of those whose lives were changed by the things they witnessed. With so much evidence (plus that of modern-day believers), we would be foolish to brush off Christianity as "just another religion."

World
World does not refer to the landmass represented by the globe of earth; it refers to people, perspectives and practices. When we say that God loves the whole world, we mean that God loves all people. However, God hates the perspectives and practices that belong to the "prince of this world" (John 12:31), who is Satan. That's why Christians are told not to love this world. The important thing to remember is that the people God loves and the perspectives and practices he hates are under his control.

Peter’s Second and Third Denials

25. As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “Surely you are not another of his disciples?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.”

26. One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him. “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” 27. Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Jesus Before Pilate

28. Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29. So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

30. “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

31. Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone” the Jews objected. 32. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.

33. Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

34. “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

35. “Do you think I am a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

36. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

37. “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

38. “What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

40. They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified

1. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3. And went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, O king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face.

4. Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5. When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

6. As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

7. The Jews insisted, “we have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

8. When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid.

Topic: Knowing God's Will
John 18:37

The voice of truth

Youngsook sank into a deep depression. The young Korean had immersed herself in the study of transcendental meditation, but she could not find the truth she sought. Then she pursued a government career, but the climb up the ladder of success and the money she made didn't satisfy her longings. at the brink of suicide, she remembered that a Christian friend had said she'd only find truth and life by opening her heart to Jesus. That very day Youngsook began to seek him and found that he is indeed the way and the truth and the life (see John 14:6).

God wants to communicate truth to us, and he does so through his Son Jesus. If we want to know the truth about ourselves, God and the world around us, we must begin by listening to Jesus. Having heard him, there really is no other option but to obey.

Have you tried to find truth and fulfillment in anything else? Invite Jesus Christ to show you the way of truth.

DIG DEEPER:
John 1:13; 8:31-32; 14:6-19

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THE STARTING POINT STUDY BIBILE New International Version
The Luis Palau Evangelistic Association / www.luispalau.org