John 11

This is last miracle John recorded providing needed truth so that sinners would believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Christ, the Son of God (20:20-31). John has said that Jesus is the water of life (4:14), the bread of life (6:35), the light of life (8:12), and here that Jesus as the life gives life (11:25-26).

Sickness and death are the effects and judgment of sin everyone experiences because everyone has sinned (cf. Rom 3:23; 6:23). While Lazarus—a true believer in the Lord—was going to die, God would be glorified through it (vv. 1-6). When Jesus determined to go to Judea the disciples were alarmed because of what might happen to him (vv. 7-10), but Jesus would go to raise Lazarus from the dead so that they would believe in him (vv. 11-16).

Upon arriving, Jesus encouraged Lazarus’ sisters Martha and Mary that whoever believes in him would not experience eternal death (vv. 25-26). Jesus’ life-giving authority over death and the grave is graphically portrayed here by his commands, “take away the stone” (v. 39) and “Lazarus, come forth!” (v. 43). Lazarus—the man dead and buried for four days—was literally raised from the dead by Jesus! Only God can raise the dead, and this miracle shows Jesus to be God.

Despite this indisputable miracle Jews who were eyewitnesses determined not only to kill Jesus but Lazarus (vv. 45-57; 12:9-11)!

Truths to Nail Down and Meditate On

1. Sickness and death bring a whirlpool of emotions so Christians must rely on Jesus, the unchanging Savior and God. He not only is unaffected by sin and death, he defeated them!
2. Jesus as the God-man experienced and expressed genuine sorrow because of his deep love for Lazarus. It is not sinful to sorrow; deep feeling is not something to be ashamed of. True sympathy is Christ-like. Being cold, stoic, and unmoved in the sight of sorrow is no sign of grace.
3. Jesus is affected by your infirmities and troubles. Christian, in troubled times pour your heart out to him; he knows what you go through and truly cares.
4. The peace of your soul and life after death depends on definite faith in Jesus Christ. This must be settled in your mind, grasped tightly in your heart, and relied on entirely with your will. You must believe, welcome, and submissively trust in no one and nothing less than Jesus the eternal God.
5. Christian, when you lie down in the grave you can do so in the full assurance that you will rise again. You can thus face death with soul comfort, free from any worry or fear.

John 10

After Jesus healed the man born blind (chap. 9) the religious leaders removed the healed man from their synagogue because he believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God (9:34). After Jesus told the religious leaders they were blinded to spiritual truth (9:39-41) he then told them the truths in chapter ten. Jesus contrasted himself with who they werein their “ministry,” making it very clear they were not true shepherds.

Jesus shepherds the sheep while false teachers steal them (vv. 1-6). Jesus saves the sheep while false teachers kill them (vv. 7-10). While false teachers only serve as “shepherds” for money (vv. 11-13) Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” died for the sheep, intimately knows them (vv. 14-15), and gathers them (vv. 16-18). Though some listening were open to what Jesus said, the false religious leaders responded by calling Jesus a demon-possessed crazy man (vv. 19-21).

Three months later at a feast there was another conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders (vv. 22-39). Jesus told them that they rejected him because of their sin (vv. 25-26) while believers follow Jesus because he and the Father save them (vv. 27-30). The Jews then wanted to kill Jesus, because by calling God his Father he made himself equal with God (vv. 31-33). Jesus relied on Scripture’s authority (vv. 34-36) and pointed them to his person and works (vv. 37-38), maintaining that he indeed was God in the flesh.

Truths to Nail Down and Meditate On

1. Beware of those who say they care about you but only care about your money!
2. When Jesus saves sinners and brings them into his care no one can threaten or remove them. Some like to say that no one can take them out of God’s hands but they can take themselves out. This fails to recognize the figure of speech Jesus uses: “hand” represents God’s power, and God is all-powerful. For someone to say they can thwart or undo God’s power is to say they’re more powerful than God!
3. There is no greater authority than the Word of God. Jesus relied on Scripture, you must too!

John 9

This event occurred on a Sabbath (v. 14) while Jesus was still in Jerusalem, probably shortly after the Feast of Tabernacles (7:2, 10), less than six months before his crucifixion. The apostle John describes an indisputable miracle Jesus did, healing a man who was born blind. Remember that John recorded select miracles proving that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God, the Christ and King of Israel promised in the OT (20:30-31). This miracle—giving sight to the blind—was right in line with the promised Christ’s work (cf. Isa 35:5; 42:7).

John contrasts the Pharisees’ spiritual blindness with the healed blind man’s spiritual sight in verses 10-41. Note how the healed blind man’s understanding of who Jesus was grew: first he understood Jesus as simply “a man” (v. 11), then “a prophet” (v. 17), then one “from God,” (v. 33), and finally as the Son of God (vv. 35-38). In contrast were the Pharisees, who firmly believed Jesus was not from God (v. 16), not the Christ (v. 22), a sinner (v. 24), and not from heaven (v. 30).

Truths to Nail Down and Meditate On

1. Jesus’ power to heal was because he was God in the flesh, not because mud and water somehow had healing properties. The man born blind did not attribute his healing to the mud and water but to Jesus (v. 30, “He has opened my eyes”). His sight was immediately, not gradually restored. Jesus is God, the promised Christ!
2. As your understanding grows about who Jesus so will your faith. The more you learn about Jesus, the greater your faith will be.
3. Jesus came to save sinners, giving spiritual sight to the spiritually blind (vv. 39-41). Eternal life must be received by faith, so if one does not believe, then he remains lost in sin and judged by Christ.

John 8

The Law of Moses condemned both parties in adultery (Lev 20:10), but the Pharisees condemned only the woman, attempting to trick Jesus so they could denounce him (vv. 1-6). Jesus, unlike these sinful men, exercised true judgment (vv. 7-11).

In verses 12-59 the apostle John relates a back-and-forth between Jesus and Jews at the treasury (v. 20, where people gave their tithes) about who he was. Each time (1) the Jews denied what Jesus said and then (2) Jesus maintained what he said, supported it, and pointed out the reason for and result of the Jews’ unbelief. As you go through the four main sections here, note truths about Jesus and aspects of unbelief—you will learn a lot!

(1) Jesus is the true witness from the Father, but unbelieving Jews deny Jesus and thus the Father, 12-19
(2) Through Jesus would be crucified he would live again and go to the Father in heaven where he came from, but the Jews were of the world and would die in their sins, 21-30
(3) Jesus is the truth who came from God and frees believing sinners, but the Jews depended on their Jewishness as Satan’s slaves of sin, 31-47
(4) Jesus is the eternal God, greater than Abraham, but unbelieving Jews denied that and thus dishonored him, 48-59

Truths to Nail Down and Meditate On

1. Jesus is equal with God and thus by nature can only and always do what God does (vv. 28-29, 38).
2. Jesus necessarily had to speak the truth that he is God, the Savior and Lord. He could not deny this (v. 66) for that would be to deny himself (2 Tim 2:23).
3. True faith is not merely a head knowledge, mental agreement; it is abiding, submissive, unreserved trust in Jesus (v. 31). Only that kind of faith is saving faith (v. 32), and Jesus gives life and freedom from sin to those who truly believe in him (vv. 12, 32, 52).
4. Sinners cannot help but sin for they are the slaves of sin (v. 34), readily doing the will of their father the devil (v. 44), unable and unwilling to trust in Christ (vv. 43, 45, 47)