Recap and Intro Like Nicodemus, the woman did not get the “greater” sign (living water). She did, however, recognize Jesus came from God by the “lesser” signs He gave her: Her lifestyle of multiple marriages and living with men outside of marriage. The disciples now return from the village, who went there to buy food. […]
Unnoticed Connections in Scripture: Lesson 3: Blood
May 3, 2018 by
God’s Prohibition In the Old Covenant, God forbade His people to drink blood. After the flood, God commanded Noah, “You must not eat meat with its life, its blood, in it” (Genesis 9:4). Later, during Israel’s wilderness wanderings, God explained more fully why they were not to drink blood or eat meat with the blood […]
John: Lesson 4: Jesus’ Early Ministry: John the Baptizer and the Samaritan Woman (John 3:22-4:26)
April 29, 2018 by
Recap and Intro We now explore the fourth sequential section, revealing Jesus as the Fulfillment of the Old Covenant. Jesus provided new wine, implying He surpasses the best Judaism can provide (John 2:10). He showed Himself as the Temple’s fulfillment and what took place there (John 2:29-21). He revealed He, who came from heaven, fulfilled […]
Unnoticed Connections in Scripture: Lesson 2: Water
April 29, 2018 by
The Flood Last week, we looked into creation, God first creating from nothing and then using what He made to finish His creating work. The pattern continues with God using what He made for His purposes. Now, however, we find a contrast with His earlier creation. Read parts of Genesis 6-8 as needed Creation […]
John: Lesson 3: Jesus’ Early Ministry: The Temple and Nicodemus (John 2:13-3:21)
April 29, 2018 by
Jesus Cleanses the Temple (John 2:13-25) Excursus: One or Two Temple Cleansings? Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell of Jesus cleansing the Temple: Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, and Luke 19:45-46. John’s account, besides being much longer, differs in several ways: John Other Gospel Accounts Refers to oxen and sheep Not mentioned Jesus uses […]
Unnoticed Connections in Scripture: Lesson 1: Creation
April 29, 2018 by
God’s First and Later Creational Acts Genesis 1:1 begins with bereshit bara, with a word order that doesn’t match the way we think in English: “beginning create.” Bereshit always means the beginning of something, not the first in an absolute sense. To express the first of something in an absolute sense, the Hebrew for this […]
John: Lesson 2: A Week of Witness: John 1:19-2:12
April 29, 2018 by
Day 1: John the Baptizer’s Witness Read John 1:19-23 John quoted Isaiah 40:3, revealing he was “making straight the way of the Lord.” What does John understand his role to be? Read John 1:24-25 Malachi 4:5: “Remember the instruction of Moses my servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all […]
John: Lesson 1, Introduction and Prologue
April 14, 2018 by
Introduction Author Early Christian tradition testifies to the Apostle John as the author of the Gospel of John, who was assisted by Prochurus as the scribe. Irenaeus (180 AD), Clement of Alexandria (200 AD), and other early Christian writers all agree the Apostle John is the author of the 4th Gospel. John, the disciple of […]
Being Fully Human: Lesson 4
February 13, 2018 by
How Creation Shapes Our Understanding of Vocation In Lesson 1, we explored God creating us in His likeness and image. Today, we examine this again, but this time to understand how God’s creation of us shapes our vocations of service. Genesis 1:27-28: So God created mankind in his own image; in his own image God […]
The Parables of Jesus: Lesson 14: Two Parables in a Vineyard Setting
February 13, 2018 by
The Unusual Vineyard Owner: Matthew 19:30-20:16 Immediate Setting In Matthew 19:16, a man approached Jesus: “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus then brought up God’s Law (vs. 18-19), to which the man responded, “I have kept all these.” So, Jesus told him something He knew he couldn’t do, “Go, sell […]
