Category Archives: The Gospel of John
3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 7
Chapter 7: The Festival, The Living Water This is part 7 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This chapter is Jesus’ appearance at the festival of Booths. At this festival, the Jewish tradition had developed so that a water libation was […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 6
Chapter 6: Feeding the 5000, Bread from Heaven, Words of Life This is part 6 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. Chapter 6 begins with Jesus using bread to feed 5000 people, and then the question of “bread” becomes a spiritual […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 5
Chapter 5: Sabbath, and the Son of God This is part 5 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 5, Jesus has a stand-off with the Jewish authorities, ostensibly about the Sabbath, but it becomes a conversation about his claim […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 4
Chapter 4: The Samaritan Woman, the Harvest, and the Return to Galilee This is part 4 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter Jesus meets two special people who come to faith, both of whom are foreigners. The […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 3
Chapter 3: Nicodemus, and darkness This is part 3 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 3 we have an encounter with Nicodemus, which is quite famous. We also find the most famous verse in the Bible – John […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 2
Chapter 2: Signs This is part 2 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This chapter focuses on two stories in which “signs” are a key theme. These signs are visible ones, and the chapter helps us to understand Jesus’ teaching about […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 1
Chapter 1: Prologue, and John the Baptist introduces Jesus This is part 1 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel quite deliberately adopts some literary features of the Book of Genesis. The first few verses are more than a hint. But […]
Read MoreJesus’ strange sayings about God: Not so strange after all
Jesus is sent by God, and is God, and is equal to God, yet prays to God…? I was in discussion recently, and this topic arose. Some of the Christian rhetoric around the “Trinity” doctrine and other Christology can be hard to follow, and I get that. In fact there have been some fairly substantial […]
Read MoreAsking the right questions about what “Son of God” means
What does it mean when Jesus says he is “Son of God”? Jesus claimed to be God’s son. He claimed to be both equal and subservient to God. This mystifies theologians today, because they find it hard to reconcile these two things. It isn’t supposed to be that hard. Let us ask not how Jesus […]
Read MoreJohn 1:29 – What does “Lamb of God” actually mean?
What does it mean: “the Lamb of God”? Property#1 / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND John (the Baptist), in the Gospel according to John (the Evangelist), uses the expression “the Lamb of God” to introduce Jesus (John 1:29). Scholars debate the origin and intended meaning of this phrase.
Read MoreA journey through Handel’s “Messiah” – George Frederic Handel (1695-1759)
Messiah, G. F. Handel Welcome to my happy place: Handel’s “Messiah”. There is lots I could say about this. I could talk about the art, the theology, the subtle interpretive cues that make this a sort of “Gospel according to Handel”… But I won’t. I’ll just stand aside and put this here for you to […]
I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. – Jn 16:12
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. – Jn 16:13 What is Truth? An exasperated Pilate poses the question, “What is truth?” (Jn 18:38). He did so because Jesus said, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (Jn 18:37). So what is this “truth”? And why […]
You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (Jn 8:32)
If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (Jn 8:36) I have a friend who has been set free by the truth. This is from her story. The story has helped me to understand more and more about human beings, and the ways in which they are wired-up. At every turn it […]
Gospel of John
The Gospel of John: Many people’s favourite book, but scholars neglected it for centuries!
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- If it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you – Matt 12:28
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On Earth as it is in Heaven
To What shall I Compare the Kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is coming to the street subculture of Ipswich. How can I describe it? How can I document it? Just thinking about it brings Jesus’ refrain to mind, “to what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?”, and his declaration to Nicodemus, “very […]
- July 10, 2013
- / Category Commentary, Exodus 19, Isaiah 42, John 3, Leaven, Light of the World, Mark 9, Marketplace Evangelism, Matthew 10, Matthew 13, Matthew 16, Matthew 5, Mission to the Marginalised, Salt of the Earth
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
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