The Gospel of John
Outline
Please see my introductory reflection on “What I Learned” about why the Gospel of John is so dearly loved and recommended. See also “What I Learned” while reading John, where I shared convictions and insights that didn’t necessarily make it into the daily prayers.
John 1 (Day 127 & Day 128): description and baptism of Jesus, first followers
description of Jesus and explanation of John the Baptist (I can’t summarize the first 18 verses and must include them in their entirety. This was the first long segment of Scripture that I ever memorized. I recommend that worthwhile effort.)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, “He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.”’ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John1:1-18).
the Pharisees send the priests and the Levites from Jerusalem to Bethany beyond the Jordan to ask John who he is and why he is baptizing, and he explains he is the prophesied forerunner to Christ (Isaiah 40:3)
God confirms to John that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world by describing Him as the One on which he saw the Spirit descending and remaining
two of John’s disciples, Andrew and Simon Peter (who Jesus names Cephas) hear John declare Jesus as the Lamb of God and they follow Jesus; when Jesus purposes to go to Galilee the next day, he finds Philip and Philip finds Nathanael [we don’t hear much more of Nathanael, because he does not get named as one of the twelve, until the end of John 21, when Jesus appears to some of His disciples on the beach]
John 2 (Day 129): miracle at Cana
on the third day [first is Jesus’ baptism where God confirms to John that Jesus is the Son of God when He witnesses the Spirit descend on Him and second is when disciples begin to follow Him], Jesus manifests the first of His signs by changing water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee and His disciples believe in Him
Jesus then goes to Capernaum, and then to Jerusalem for Passover, and drives out those selling in the temple; He pronounces the temple of His body will be destroyed and raised up on the third day; many believed in Him in Jerusalem because of the signs He demonstrated
John 3 (Day 130 & Day 131): conversation with Nicodemus in Jerusalem
Jesus has a conversation by night with the Pharisee Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, and explains to him that he must be born again by water and Spirit to see the kingdom of God
Jesus and his disciples are baptizing in Judea and John’s disciples report this to him; he says he is joyful about the Bridegroom’s presence and that He must increase and John decrease
John 4 (Day 132 & Day 133): woman at the well, second miracle in Galilee
Jesus passes from Judea to Galilee via Samaria and meets the woman at Jacob’s well, revealing to her that He is the Messiah; many Samaritans then believe in Jesus because of her testimony and His word
when Jesus enters Cana in Galilee again, He manifests His second sign by healing a royal official’s son; the father appeals to Him in Cana while his son is in Capernaum; Jesus tells him to go and that his son is healed, and the man goes home to find His son was healed at the time Jesus told him he was
John 5 (Day 134 & Day 135): healing at Bethesda, fourfold testimony of Jesus, the Son of God
Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for a feast and heals a man by the pool at Bethesda on the Sabbath, later revealing Himself to him in the temple and telling him to sin no more; the Jews seek to kill Jesus because he is doing these things on the Sabbath and “calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God”
Jesus explains John the Baptist, His Father, His works, and the Scriptures all testify about Him
John 6 (Day 136 & Day 137 & Day 138): feeding 5000, walking on the water
Jesus feeds 5000 in Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee
Jesus walks on the water as He crosses back to Capernaum
the crowd follows Him, and He tells them not to work for the food which perishes but the food which endures to eternal life; He then explains that he is the bread of life and the work of God is believing Him who He has sent
John 7 (Day 139 & Day 140): difficult statement, teaching at Feast of Booths in Jerusalem
Jesus explains that those who eat His flesh and drink His blood have eternal life; this is such a difficult statement that many of His disciples stop following Him, but He explains, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life”; the twelve disciples remain, saying, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God”
Jesus’ brothers challenge Him to go up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths; He goes up secretly and begins speaking in the temple; He accuses those who want to kill him for healing on the Sabbath, pointing out that the Sabbath is appropriately broken for the rite of circumcision; He admonishes to judge with a righteous judgment
the Pharisees send officers to seize Jesus, but they return without doing so, saying “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks”; Nicodemus accuses them of judging Him without hearing from Him
John 8 (Day 141 & Day 142 & Day 143): woman caught in adultery
the scribes and Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery to Jesus; He does not condemn her but tells her to go and sin no more
Jesus teaches He is the Light of the world; He explains why some do not recognize Him; He reveals Himself as, “I am”
John 9 (Day 144 & Day 145): healing of the man born blind
Jesus sees a man blind from birth and His disciples ask Him who sinned that he would be born blind; Jesus says he is blind so that the works of God might be displayed in Him, not because anyone sinned
He makes clay out of dust and His spit, applies it to the man’s eyes, and tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam; when the man does so, he is healed of his blindness
the Pharisees question him and his parents, not believing Jesus could be of God because He had not kept the Sabbath, but healed on that day instead; the healed man asserts that if Jesus were not from God He could not have healed him, so the Pharisees rebuke him and put him out
Jesus finds him and reveals to him that He is the Son of Man, so the man worships Him
John 10 (Day 146 & Day 147): the Good Shepherd
Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd
the Jews try to stone Jesus for blasphemy, for saying He and the Father are one, but He eludes their grasp
John 11 (Day 148 & Day 149 & Day 150): the raising of Lazarus
Jesus gets word that his friend Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, is sick, so he waits until he dies and has been in the tomb four days to go to his home in Bethany; Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead
many come to believe in Jesus, but “some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done”
the chief priests and Pharisees convene a council and plan to kill Jesus
John 12 (Day 151 & Day 152): triumphal entry
Jesus goes to Bethany, to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and Mary anoints Jesus with a pound of very costly perfume; Judas complains, saying it could provide money to be given to the poor; Judas actually wanted the money, since he was a thief who stole from the money box he was responsible for
crowds come to see both Jesus and Lazarus, so “the chief priests [plan] to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus”
Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly, riding on a donkey, fulfilling prophecy
some Greeks going up to worship at the Passover feast come to some of Jesus’ disciples, wanting to see Jesus; Jesus explains the importance of believing in Him while He is on earth
Jesus requests of God that His name be glorified and God the Father speaks from heaven, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again”
John 13 (Day 153 & Day 154): washing of His disciple’s feet, revelation of betrayal and denial
Jesus washes His disciples’ feet
Jesus explains that Judas will betray Him and Peter will deny Him
John 14 (Day 155) & John 15 (Day 156) & John 16 (Day 157 & Day 158): teaching His disciples
Jesus reassures His disciples that He is the way, the truth, and the life; He admonishes them to follow His commandments; He promises to send the Helper, the Holy Spirit; Jesus explains that bearing fruit requires abiding in Him; He explains that the world will hate His followers, as they hated Him because He exposed their sin; Jesus explains that it is better that He goes to the Father because He will send the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth and who will glorify Jesus
Jesus explains He is going to the Father in such a way that His disciples know He is from God and knows all things
John 17 (Day 159): Jesus’ prayer to His Father
Jesus prays for His disciples, and us
John 18 (Day 160 & Day 161): arrest
Judas brings the Roman cohort and the officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees to arrest Jesus in the garden, where He is with His disciples
Jesus is taken to the home of Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest; Peter stands in the courtyard by a charcoal fire while Jesus is questioned
Jesus is questioned about His teaching, but answers that His teaching was public
Jesus is sent to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest
Peter denies Jesus three times before the rooster crows, as Jesus told him he would
Jesus is led from Caiaphas to Pilate in the Praetorium early in the morning; the Jews will not enter because they do not want to be defiled, so they can eat the Passover, so Pilate talks with Jesus inside and the crowd outside
Pilate finds no guilt in Jesus, so offers to release him, explaining release of a prisoner is custom on Passover, but the crowd asks for the robber Barabbas to be released instead
John 19 (Day 162 & Day 163): crucifixion
Pilate has Jesus scourged, but then still tries to release Him; when Pilate hears Jesus made Himself out to be the Son of God, he asks Him where He is from, but Jesus gives no answer; when Pilate reminds Jesus of his authority over him, Jesus tells him he would have no authority unless it had been given to him from above
the crowd finally convinces Pilate to hand Jesus over for crucifixion with the threat, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar”; when Pilate asks the crowd, “Shall I crucify your King”, the chief priests answer, “We have no king but Caesar”
Pilate has an inscription put on Jesus’ cross, saying, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS”, written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek
the soldiers who crucify Jesus cast lots for His clothing, fulfilling Scripture
Jesus, from the cross, tells John to take His mother into his household
Jesus is thirsty so they give him sour wine; after He receives it, He says, “It is finished!” and bows His head and gives up His spirit
the soldiers break the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus, but they pierce Jesus, not breaking any of his bones, to verify He is dead, also significant for the fulfillment of Scripture, and blood and water come out of his side
Joseph of Arimithea gets permission from Pilate to take Jesus’ body; he and Nicodemus prepare it with a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight, and they lay Jesus’ body in a new tomb
John 20 (Day 164): resurrection
after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb in the dark of morning on the first day of the week and sees the stone to the tomb rolled away; she tells Simon Peter and John, who come to the tomb and find it empty; Mary stands outside the tomb weeping, looks in, and sees two angels; she then turns and sees Jesus; “Jesus said to her, ‘Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.”’”
Jesus stands in the midst of the disciples, while they are in hiding, on the evening of that first day; Jesus says to them, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained”
Thomas refuses to believe, until Jesus appears again eight days later; Jesus says to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed”
“Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name”
John 21 (Day 165): appearance on the beach
Jesus appears to Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathaneal, James and John on a beach on the Sea of Galilee after they have been fishing; He makes them breakfast over a charcoal fire; He admonishes Peter to tend His sheep; He predicts Peter’s death by martyrdom
John concludes, “This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.”