Thank you for joining us in this “22 Days of Prayer and Bible Study” to start out 2022. We will be reading the gospel of John, which has 21 chapters (so that gives us a catch-up day if we need it!). In this challenge, we ask that you read a chapter of John each day. Then, read the devotion for the day.
Each devotion includes some discussion questions for you and/or your family, as well as a prayer to pray for the day. I so appreciate all of our pastors who have written these devotions.
Having said that, let me speak a little about the gospel of John.
Since I trusted Christ at age 15, the gospel of John has been a favorite book of the Bible for me (in fact, it may be favorite!). There are a couple of reasons for this. First, I have always appreciated the Apostle John. He, along with his brother James, and Simon Peter, formed Jesus’ inner circle. He and James were fishermen, sons of Zebedee, known as the “sons of Thunder.” They had great hopes of being the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. But Jesus’ death and resurrection so drastically changed him that he didn’t even mention his own name in the entire gospel. Instead, he referred to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.”
Another reason I love the gospel of John is its simple, yet profound, theme: proving Jesus is the Son of God, and that all who believe in Him will have eternal life. In every chapter, Jesus’ deity is revealed and His identity is understood by the titles He is given. (If you get a chance, check out all 21 chapters to see this.)
John 20:30-31 states, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
So, John mentioned the signs He did in order that people might believe. Throughout his gospel, John records 7 (the number of completeness or perfection) “signs” or miracles that prove that Jesus is the Son of God:
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Changing water into wine at the wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-11);
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Healing the royal official’s son (Jn 4:46-54);
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Healing the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (Jn 5:1-15);
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Feeding the 5,000 (Jn 6:5-14);
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Walking on water (Jn 6:16-21);
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Healing the man born blind (Jn 9:1-7); and
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Raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1-45).
John also records the 7 “I am” statements of Jesus. These statements are Jesus’ declaration of who He is. These 7 statements are:
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“I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51)
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“I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)
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“I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7,9)
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“I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25)
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“I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11, 14)
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“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
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“I am the true vine.” (John 15:1, 5)
By recording 7 signs performed by Jesus and 7 statements pronounced by Jesus, John is declaring, in no uncertain terms, that Jesus is the Son of God.
As you read the gospel of John, may you be captivated, afresh and anew, by who Jesus is. And may your faith in Him be strengthened as you are reminded that He is the Great I AM!
Pastor Monty