Month: July 2024

(Speaking to the Jewish leaders)

“If I were to testify on My own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. But someone else is also testifying about Me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true. In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about Me is true. Of course, I have no need of human witnesses, but I say these things so you might be saved. John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message. But I have a greater witness than John- My teachings and My miracles. Then Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that He sent Me. And the Father who sent Me has testified about Me himself. You have never heard His voice or seen Him face-to-face, and you do not have His message in your hearts, because you do not believe Me-the One He sent to you.”

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to Me! Yet you refuse to come to Me to receive this life.”

“Your approval means nothing to Me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. For I have come to you in My Father’s name, and You have rejected Me. Yet if others com in their own name, you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the One who along is God.”

Yet is isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes. If you really believed in Moses, you would believe in Me, because he wrote about Me. Put since you don’t believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?” (vv. 31-47, NLT)

So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and som am I.” So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill Him. For He not only broke the Sabbath, He called God His Father, thereby making Himself equal with God.

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees His Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing. In fact, The father will show Him how to de even greater works that healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. For just as the Father gives life to those He raises from the dead, so the Son give life to anyone He wants.

In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, He has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent Him.:

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to My message and believe in God who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”

“And I assure you, that the tine is coming, indeed, it is here now, when the dead will hear My voice-the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. The Father has life in Himself, and He has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. And He has given Him authority to judge everyone because He is the Son of Man. Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise up again. Those who have done good will rise will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. I can do nothing on My own, I judge as God tells Me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the One who sent Me, not my own will.” (vv. 16-30, NLT)

“Eventually, He (Jesus) came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman cam to dray water. He was alone at the time because His disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refused to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, ” You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Wy are you asking me for a drink?”

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water. ”

“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket, she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think that you are greater than our ancestor, Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. If becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I will never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

“Go and get your husband, ” Jesus told her.

“I don’t have a husband,” the woman said.

Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband – for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

“Sir”, the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is her at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”

Jesus replied, “Believe Me, dear woman, the time is coming when It will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the One you worship, while we Jews know all about Him, so salvation comes through the Jews. But the tie is coming-indeed, it is here now- when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him in that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming -the one called Christ. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”

The Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!” (vv. 4-26, NLT)

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewis religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he cam to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent You to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with You.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do You mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back to his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit give birth to spiritual life. So don’ be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it its going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

Jesus replied, “Yo are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe Me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possible believe Me when I tell you about heavenly things?. No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has dome down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.”

“For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the wold not to judge the wold, but to save the world through Him.”

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions are evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right and come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” (vv. 1-21, NLT)

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His lift brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

God send a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. There one who was the one who is the true light, who give light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He came into the very world He created, but the wold didn’t recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed in Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John testified about Him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for He existed long before me.'”

From this abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given to Moses, but God’s unfailing love came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is Himself God, is near the the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. (vv. 1-18, NLT)

then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized Him as He was breaking the bread. Just as they were telling about it, Jesus Himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with You,” He said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!

“Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are hour hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really Me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you can see that I do.” As He spoke, He showed them His hands and feet.

Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. They He asked them, “Do you have anything to eat?” They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched.

Then He said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about Me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And He said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise form the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all the nations, beginning with Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ You are witnesses of all these things.”

“And now, I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” (vv. 35-49, NLT)

Then the entire council too Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. They began to state their case: “This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming He is the Messiah, a king.”

So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowed and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”

Then they became insistent. “But He is causing riots by His teachings wherever He goes – all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!”

“Oh, He is a Galilean?” Pilate asked. When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.

Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had ben hoping for a long time to see Him in person and performa a miracle. He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. The Herod and his shoulders began mocking an ridiculing Jesus.Finally, the put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. (Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day.)

Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, and announced his verdict. “You have brought this mane to me, accusing Him of leading a revolt. I have examined Him thoroughly on this point in our presence and find Him innocent. Herod came to the same conclusions and brought Him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for a death penalty. So I will have Him flogged, and then I will release Him.” (vv. 1-17, NLT)

For a third time, he demanded, “Why?” What crime has He committed? I have found no reason to sentence Him to death. So I will have Him flogged, and then I will release Him.”

But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded. As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them do do as hey wished.” (vv. 22-25, NLT)

“But here at this table, sitting amount us as a friend, is the man who will betray Me. For it has been determined that the Son of Man must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays Him.” The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever to such a thing.

Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are call ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits as the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.”

“You have stayed with Me in my time of trial. And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (vv. 21-30, NLT)

Some of His disciples began talking about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, “The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of each other!”

“Teacher, ” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?”

He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ Don’t believe them. And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.” Then He added, “Nations will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plaques in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.” (vv. 5-11, NLT)

“And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that that the time of its destructions has arrived. Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city. For those will be the days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scripture will be fulfilled. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against this people. They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to al the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end.”

“And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in heaven will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” (vv. 20-28, NLT)

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let the day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” (vv. 34-36, NLT)