Walk Thru The Bible John 1-21 Monday - John 1 In the Beginning John 2 Water Into Wine John 3 Nicodemus Comes to Jesus Gets Saved John 4 The Samaritan Woman Gets Saved Tuesday - John 5 Lamb Man Gets Healed and Saved John 6 Bread of Life John 7 Who is Jesus? John 8 The Son Can Set You Free Wednesday - John 9 Blind Man Gets Healed and Saved John 10 The Good Shepherd John 11 Lazarus Raised From the Dead John 12 Woman Anoints Jesus Feet Thursday - John 13 Jesus Washes Disciples Feet John 14 Promise of Heaven and Holy Spirit John 15 Vine and Branches John 16 The Work of the Holy Spirit Friday - John 17 Jesus's Priestly Prayer John 18 Jesus Betrayed and Arrested John 19 Jesus Crucified John 20 Jesus' Resurrection Saturday - John 21 Jesus Forgives Peter Sunday is make-up day. If you missed any reading or if you read only a few chapters per day make up for lost time by reading for an hour on the Lord's Day. Children's Bible Reading It is not easy for a child to read through the Bible nor to sit and listen to long passages being read. We recommend that if you have children in your home that you read daily one story from Ken Taylor's "The Book." Ken Taylor is the translator of the Living Bible. He did that while commuting by train to and from work so that his children would understand the Scriptures. The children are behind us. They will be reading 2 Samuel while we go to the New Testament to see Jesus and his passion, death and resurrection. Monday - 88. King Saul Dies in Battle (1 Samuel 28) Tuesday - 89. David Becomes the King (2 Samuel 1-5) Wednesday - 90. The Ark Comes Back (2 Samuel 6-7) Thursday - 91. One Sin Leads to Another (2 Samuel 11-12) Friday - 92. David's Rebellious Son (2 Samuel 14-15) Saturday - 93. Absalom Fights with David (2 Samuel 16-17) Sunday - 94. Absalom Hangs by His Hair (2 Samuel 18-19) Commentary: John continues the story of Redemption. John is the youngest of the apostles, known as the beloved. He writes with a particular purpose in mind and that is to bring men to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He declares the purpose of writing this Gospel in John 20:31. Throughout the book the unseen challenge to the reader is to consider...WHO IS JESUS? WHO DID HE SAY THAT HE WAS? Either Jesus is God incarnate, Savior of the world, and only Sacrifice for sin, the only Way, Truth, and Life, or he was a Liar of a Lunatic. There can be no other choice. Remember the story of Renato (pronounced Hey-not-too) that Mike Davis from Brazil told us. He was a spiritist. It was in reading the Gospel of John that he came to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. All his preconceived ideas, his prejudice, and spiritist doctrines could not stand before the reality of who Jesus said he was. God has given us the Holy Spirit's own Gospel tract for soul winning. Get men to read the Gospel of John and they will either be saved or firmly reject Jesus' claims. He either is Lord, or a Liar, or Lunatic. No man could say the things about himself that Jesus said and be sane, unless they were true. This is Easter week. What a wonderful time to reflect on the life of Jesus, who he is, and what he did for us on the cross. "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:31) The Gospel of John The Gospel of John is the fourth witness to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. John's gospel stands out among the others in that he does not seem to rely on any of the previously written sources. Then why should he? He was the beloved disciple, one of Jesus' inner circle, and an eyewitness to all that Jesus did. His name is not mentioned in this gospel which is strange seeing his prominent place among the twelve. Perhaps his conspicuous absence itself indicates he is the author. No one else would ignore such a prominent figure. John however, does reference himself as "the disciple whom he loved" (John 19:26) He reveals himself only briefly at the end of the gospel when Jesus commands Peter to "feed my sheep" then says of the disciple whom Jesus loved, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" The apostle then removes the veil identifying himself by saying, "This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. (John 21:24) John's gospel is distinctly different from the other gospels in several ways. That is why it is NOT called a Synoptic Gospel. It is not seen as mirroring the others. It does however contribute to the chronology of the life of Jesus in significant ways. John tells the stories the others may not have known or neglected to tell. Jerome relates his understanding of the motives that led John to write this gospel record. 1) John, the evangelist, wrote a gospel at the request of the bishops of Asia, against Cerinthus, and other heretics and especially against the then growing dogmas of the Ebonites, who asserted that Christ did not exist before Mary. On this account he was compelled to maintain His divine nativity." 2) Yet another reason for this work was that when he had read Matthew, Mark, and Luke he approved indeed the substance of the history and declared that the things they said were true, but that that they had given the history of only one year, the one that is, which follows the imprisonment of John... he relates the events of Jesus ministry in the earlier Judean ministry before John was shut up in prison." (McBirnie p117) John's gospel then is another eyewitness account of the life of Christ from the perspective of the inner circle. John presents the gospel as it would appeal to the Greek thinkers, as a philosophy and theology behind the historical events. John states his purpose for himself, "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31) Truly it is the evangelistic gospel. Myriads of truth seekers have come to Christ simply by reading this gospel. One can easily see throughout the book his intense interest in answering or rather leading the reader to answer the question, "Who is Jesus?" You cannot read the gospel of John and walk away thinking that Jesus was just a great man, or a prophet. C.S. Lewis put it this way: "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. he would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse." Josh McDowell put it succinctly as a trilemma (as opposed to a dilemma) - Jesus Christ must be either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord." (McDowell, Evidence. p103)