Category: John

The Cosmic Overture

Old Testament: Nehemiah 5 & 6

Poetry: Psalm 21

*New Testament: John 1

Today I want to focus on what is often called the “prologue” or “preamble” of John, or John 1:1-18.

Read any modern translation of this passage, and it will sound like the Word (Logos) is a person. If it is read this way, then it seems to be communicating that this person was with God from the very beginning, and was actually God. This person created everything and was active in the world and with his people. Finally, in verse 14, this person became flesh and was among us as Jesus. It certainly sounds like this passage is saying God became flesh.

If that is the way you understand this passage, you are definitely not alone. Most Christians for a very long time have read it this way, and would probably say that Jesus is as much God as the Father (co-equal) and has always existed with him (co-eternal). The understanding is that they share a divine essence but are distinct persons. If you throw the Holy Spirit into the mix and hash out a few more considerations (possibly over centuries of bloody dispute), you have a Trinity doctrine.

If you’re reading this, then it’s likely you come from a Biblical Unitarian perspective, meaning you believe that God is one person (the Father), not three. But these words exist on the internet, so virtually anyone on earth or in space can read them. There is a chance you have a Trinitarian understanding of God. If that’s you, please know I am not here to criticize your beliefs. The times and places for that are few and seldom fruitful.

Let’s do an interpretation experiment. By making a very small shift in perspective, the passage reads quite differently. What if we thought of the Word not as a person, but as a personification? Or, in this context, a literary device that imbues a non-person with qualities or abilities of a person. You know, like when opportunity knocks, fear grips, or sin crouches.

If we think of the Word as a thing that is being personified, what is the thing? We could spend lifetimes diving into this question, but for the purposes of our experiment, let’s approximate it to the wisdom of God. 

Is this too far of a leap? I’ll leave that up to you, but I want to mention that there is scriptural precedent for personifying God’s wisdom. Proverbs is a hotbed for this kind of language (see 1:20-33, 8:22-31, 9:1-6). Also, the adventurous and curious (nerds!) can find many examples of personification of God’s wisdom in the deuterocanonical writing called Wisdom of Solomon. It is likely not in your Bible, but if you have Catholic friends, it might be in theirs.

So, what does the passage look like if, when we encounter “Word” in the text, we think of the wisdom of God? It might be understood something like this:

God’s wisdom was right there with God from the beginning. The wisdom of God is God, since you wouldn’t think of his wisdom as something separate from him, but as a quality or extension of him. God created everything through his wisdom. God’s wisdom is life and light to his people. John the baptizer came to testify to this wisdom and prepare the way for it to come in a new and powerful way. God’s wisdom was in the world, and not everyone recognized or accepted it, yet those who did became children of God. And now God’s wisdom has been “made flesh” in Jesus.

If we look at the passage from this angle, we are less likely to come away with the conclusion that God somehow became human, and more likely see Jesus as the human who uniquely embodies divine wisdom. Jesus is the culmination of the entire Hebrew wisdom tradition, the target of the arrow passing through the Pentateuch, the Prophets and the Writings. He is close to the Father’s heart, making Him (Jesus’ Father and his God) known to us, and representing him more closely than anyone ever could. Some would call this Wisdom Christology.

When I encountered this interpretation, it clicked for me, and I found it helpful for making sense of the passage. I offer it not as the one true interpretation that you should also adopt, but as one of many possible interpretive options. I’m very glad if it is as helpful to you as it was to me, but if not, thanks for considering it.

-Jay Laurent

Reflection Questions:

1. John’s gospel begins very differently than the other gospels. What do you think was John’s motive behind beginning his gospel with the Word?

2. God reveals his wisdom in many ways, but most notably through Jesus. What are some other ways?

3. From later in the chapter in verse 45, what do you think Philip means when he says they’ve found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about?

4. What are some issues/problems created by having a human God?

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Feed My Sheep

Theme Week – Peter: John 21

Old Testament: Ezra 9 & 10

Poetry: Psalm 17

Peter has experienced so much with Jesus that it is difficult to wrap our minds around everything. Miracles, explanations of the Kingdom, who God is, how to live, even being resurrected to life are some of the actions and ideas that God accomplished and conveyed through His Son. Peter took it all in. Peter was undergoing a transformation through his relationship with Jesus.

Peter knew and stated that Jesus was the Messiah (the Christ), the Son of the Living God. (Matthew 16:16) This idea was revealed to him by God, but Peter stumbled when Jesus was on trial. He was terrified and rightly so. He saw the cruelty, the brutality released on Jesus so he denied him three times.

On the shore that morning, Jesus wants Peter to understand that he forgives him. After a miraculous catch of fish and eating a fish and bread breakfast, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him more than these?  “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” This time Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

Jesus is direct with Peter. He will express his love for Jesus by feeding, by taking care of his sheep. Of course, Jesus had taught them that his followers were his sheep. At that time, we were the ones that had not yet entered the sheep pen by the gate. But Praise God that Peter showed his love for Christ. He truly Followed Jesus. He became brave speaking to the crowds about believing and being baptized into Jesus. We are encouraged and challenged by what Peter said and did. He did feed the followers of Jesus then and we are still receiving that food and care today through the scriptures. Along with Peter, we have the chance to feed and care for the followers of Christ. We will faithfully follow the plan that God sets for our lives. We will follow Jesus Christ.

-Rebecca Dauksas

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you love Jesus (even if you have failed him before)?
  2. What job do you think Jesus has for you to do for him? How will you do it?
  3. Will you follow Jesus? How?
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The Purpose of Jesus

THEME WEEK – PETER – John 18

Old Testament: Ezra 6-8

Poetry: Psalm 16

This morning we read John chapter 18 – an emotional chapter that covers the arrest and trial of our Messiah, the King of the Jews. 

While the events we read about in this chapter and the next are completely unjust and cruel, they had to happen. Jesus knew what he was born for; he knew for what purpose he was sent to the world by God. He had already revealed his future several times in the gospels leading up to the crucifixion. Not only did Jesus predict his own death, but his life, ministry, and death was also prophesied in the Old Testament, beginning approximately 2000 years before his birth. This was God’s plan from the very beginning, and it was never supposed to be easy. 

God set his perfect plan in place long before Jesus was on earth, and when his time came he knew by whom he was sent and for what purpose, and he was determined to fulfill it, faith unwavering through every trial until death. He had many opportunities to walk away, and we know a part of him wished he could (Matthew 26:39), but our good and perfect Savior put his trust fully in God, and obeyed until the very end. This was no easy task. Though he remained without sin, Jesus of Nazareth was a human, just like us. He encountered countless trials that most anyone else would crumble under the weight of, and ultimately faced a gruesome death that most would run away from. 

We needed the sacrifice of a perfect human man to be saved. Through Christ we are redeemed. Without his tragic death, a sacrifice made both by God and by his Son, our fallen world would be doomed to live apart from God in sin and brokenness forever. But because we have a genius God who came up with the most perfect plan on our side, and because one man had unbreakable faith and steadfast love for the God he served and the world he was sent to save, we have the promise of a beautiful future – a kingdom not of this world (John 18:36). 

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

John 18:37

-Isabella Osborn

Reflection Questions

  1. Have there been times in your life that you were scared to do what you knew God was calling you to do? 
  2. What can we learn and apply to our own lives from the ultimate display of love and faithfulness in Jesus’ sacrifice?
  3. What are some reasons you think the Jews were so adamant that the savior sent to them by their God should be put to death? What do you think you would have done in that situation? What are some ways we can guard our hearts from the lies of this world that lead us away from God’s will for us?  
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Knowing the Only True God and Knowing the One He Sent

Theme week – 1 God, 1 Messiah: John 17

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 7 & 8

Psalms Reading: Psalm 80

In John 17 Jesus prayed a lengthy prayer (his longest in the Bible), for the disciples who were with him, and for those who would trust in him down through the years. This took place just before the group left for the garden where Jesus was arrested, leading to his death. Knowing what was coming Jesus had tried to comfort his friends. He told them: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33; NASB). That was the attitude he had when he prayed – he had overcome the world. He was about to die, but not because he was defeated. What was coming would be painful, but ultimately it would bring glory to God and to His son. And what would take place would also benefit Jesus’ friends.

     Over the centuries many people have examined these events with the wrong expectations, trying to piece together a story where Jesus is putting on a play or demonstrating his power, not one where he is incredibly brave and kind and suffers because that is what is needed. The goal was to bring people eternal life, and as Jesus said in verse 3 that eternal life came through knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom God sent. Or, to break that out, they were to know the Lord – meaning something like “I am that I am”, or in effect, “the self-existent one”. They were also to know Christ, that is from the Greek for Messiah, both words relaying the idea “anointed one”, which says Jesus was “one granted authority”. God gave Jesus the power and the words and love which allowed the plan to work. It is clear from the language in the prayer that the power and the words and the love are meant to go to those who trust in both God and Jesus.

     Some of what Jesus said has been selectively picked apart and treated as evidence for Jesus leading a life that was ‘beyond human’ in a way that would deny God’s intentions. For example, Jesus declares that he wants the Father to glorify him, together with God, with glory that he had with Him before the world was (v. 5). Some take that to mean Jesus existed in some form before the world, to possess that glory then. But God is capable of giving glory to the son He intends to have, even before that son is born. This is the God who “sees the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). John 17:24 also sounds more like this description of the situation, and there are other examples, such as the parable in Matthew 25 which refers to inheriting “the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (v. 34). And it is not as though the glory Jesus has is something beyond what humans may possess, for Jesus gives that glory to those who love him (v. 22). He does so with the intention for believers to be one in the same way that he and the Father are one (v. 22, this is another phrase that people have sometimes thought of as somehow ‘beyond human’ but really it involves unity of purpose and mutual care, not a distinction about physical nature or what-have-you). 

     We should recall that we are among the disciples Jesus was praying for. We are given great blessings and great purpose by a great man. Jesus faced everything and succeeded, and he did so for you and for me, as well as for John or Peter or James. He may not have known each of us then, but he was conscious of the choice he was making for us. And he knows us now, deeply, and he cares about our needs. And like his Father, Jesus does not desire anything bad for us.

Lord, thank you that you did not leave us without a savior, and thank you that you make it so clear what is necessary for us. Thank you for creating a family of believers for us to be part of. Please help each of us to be healthily a part of it. Please allow us to find people in the body whom we can be close together with in the unity we were meant to have. Lord, let us not be too ashamed to admit if we don’t think we have what we need in our connections to each other. Jesus said that it is in our unity that we will be a witness to the world, so help us be the witness you desire even if it requires some pain and openness along the way. In his name, Amen.  

-Daniel Smead

Questions:

  1. Does it seem like John 17:3, with the rest of the chapter, may be repeating the theme of the two great commandments, that you must love the Lord your God with your whole heart but then you are also to love your neighbors with whom you are meant to be united?
  2. John’s Gospel picks up a lot of what Jesus had to say about “the world”, describing the negative routines of this life and its ways under that title. Jesus said that he wasn’t of “the world” and that those who followed him were not of “the world” either, with the result that “the world” hated them. Have you ever been able to feel like “the world” hates you for the “right” reasons of your faith? Have you ever found yourself feeling so comfortable with “the world” that you wondered if you were not living properly with God?
  3. Jesus prayed for the future of the believers, asking God to grant them unity. What actions would you want to take for the unity of the church for the next generation?
  4. Keeping in mind that eternal life comes from knowing God and Jesus (John 17:3)- from your Bible reading thus far this year, what do you think God wants us to know about Him, and what does God want us to know about Jesus the son He sent? And how important is it?
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You Follow Me!

John 21

April 18

After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. He answered yes three times. Then Jesus told Peter how he would die—apparently by crucifixion. Peter wondered about how it would go with John. So he asked Jesus, “What about this man?” Jesus brushed off the question and said, “What is that to you? You follow me!” Here’s the whole exchange.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at the table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:18-22)

Jesus words “None of your business, follow me” are sweet to my ears. They are liberating from the depressing bondage of fatal comparing. Of looking at someone else’s life and feeling inadequate.

I was encouraged by Jesus’ word to me (and you): “What is that to you? You follow me!” Peter had just heard a very hard word. You will die…painfully. His first thought was comparison. What about John? If I have to suffer, will he have to suffer? If my ministry ends like that, will his end like that? If I don’t get to live a long life, will he get to?

That’s the way we sinners are wired. Compare. Compare. Compare. We crave to know how we stack up in comparison to others.

That word landed on me with great joy. Jesus will not judge me according to my superiority or inferiority over anybody. No sibling. No friend. No ministry. These are not the standard. Jesus has a work for me to do (and a different one for you). It is not what he has given anyone else to do. There is a grace to do it. Will I trust him for that grace and do what he has given me to do? That is the question.

I hope you find encouragement and freedom today when you hear Jesus say to all your comparisons: “What is that to you? You follow me!”

Learning to walk in freedom with you.

-Andy Cisneros

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. In what areas do you most often fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others? When you compare yourself to others, do you more often see yourself on the shorter end of the stick or above others? What is the danger in either direction?
  2. How can we remember and put in action Jesus words: “What is that to you? You follow me!”
  3. What adjectives would you use to describe Jesus in this chapter? What are his priorities? Page through the previous chapters of John asking the same questions? How can you seek to be Christ-like this week? What work does Jesus have for you to do?
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Do You See?

John 20

April 17

Do You See? Have you recognized Jesus’ resurrection? Is it a foreign idea to you?

Here’s the issue: In verse 8 it says, “Then the other disciple [John], who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed” (John 20:8). What did he see? What did he believe? Jesus wasn’t there—just some cloths that he left behind.

Compare this to Mary in verse 18: She has met Jesus in the garden and spoken to him. She returns to the disciples and says, “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18). We don’t have Mary’s direct evidence. We are more like John in the tomb—there is evidence, and either we see through it or we don’t. The issue is: Do you see? The issue is: Do I care? Do I find that idea helpful? Do I feel that it helps me flourish as a human being? And if it seems like it doesn’t, then I will just view it the way I view UFOs and possible life in some distant galaxy—I just don’t need to bother with it.

Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’ followers, goes to His tomb only to find that He’s not there! Jesus appears to Mary and several others, fulfilling all that He had said about rising from the dead.

Either you see Christ risen and that changes you or Christ’s death is some obscure event that happened in the past.

The reality is Jesus is alive! He is risen! He can change us like he promised. We have no hope of changing ourselves. The only way we can put away sinful habits is through a relationship with Jesus made possible by His death and resurrection.

On the cross, Jesus clothed Himself in our sin. When Peter and John looked into the empty tomb, they saw Jesus was not there and He had left His burial clothes. John 20 shows us that Jesus left our sinful nature in the grave when He rose from the dead.

“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

We do not have to be controlled by our desire to sin. Not only do we not have to be clothed in sin, the resurrection means we get to be clothed in something better. In Colossians 3:12, Paul says, “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Following Jesus allows us to put away our old lives and begin new ones.

If you think this does not matter to you, remember, those who are in Christ—that is, who believe on him, and belong to him, and receive forgiveness and reconciliation from him—will be raised with him. And Paul says in Philippians 3:21 that Jesus “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” This is not a UFO, or irrelevant life on another galaxy. This is what will happen when God judges the world by a man, Jesus Christ.

Do you see?

-Andy Cisneros

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Do you see that Jesus is alive? What evidence leads you to believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is living today?
  2. What does it mean to you that you don’t have to be clothed in sin any more? Are you still? What does one do to make the transition from living the old life to the new? If you aren’t sure, who can you talk to about it?
  3. Who do you know who needs to see? What can you show them about Jesus – today?
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The Unlikely Pair

John 19

April 16

Each year, we talk extensively about Jesus’ death on Friday and resurrection on Sunday. The in-between often gets skipped in our remembrance, those long hours of grieving—and for Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus—burying Jesus’ body.  

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. 

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were both secret disciples. They feared making their public allegiance to the controversial Jesus. Both were members of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish council—the same institution that crucified Jesus. They used their status as religious elite to approach Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body to bury properly. 

They used to follow Jesus in hushed voices and under the veil of night. Now, they are boldly professing their faith in the same circle they once feared persecution. 

Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen.  At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:38-42)

Although Joseph and Nicodemus were an unlikely pair to care for Jesus’ body, they were chosen by God for two apparent reasons. 

First, belief in the resurrection hinged on the testimony of those who witnessed Jesus’ lifeless body. Joseph and Nicodemus weren’t one of Jesus’ ragamuffin friends whose testimony would likely be questioned. No, they were respected and trusted as members of the religious elite. In this way, Joseph and Nicodemus were two of the first agents of Christian apologetics. 

Second, ordinarily, crucified criminals like Jesus would have been buried anonymously in a field. Joseph, however, brings the body to his own designated tomb. This fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus would be buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9)

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:9)

Ultimately, God positions people for His purposes. Joseph and Nicodemus were perfectly positioned for this holy task, which begs the question: what has God positioned you to do? 

Child of God, you are chosen and well-equipped. 

-Mackenzie McClain

Discussion Questions: 

  1. What has God positioned you to do? Can you recall any circumstances in your life that God used for His purposes?
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Hello My Name is Barabbas

John 18

April 15

About 43% of the Bible is told as a narrative—like a story. From our favorite Old Testament heroes to Jesus’ parables, scripture is full of stories. Of course, how we read a narrative is different from how we read one of Paul’s letters or David’s songs.

To take away practical life application from the Bible stories I read, I ask myself two questions: 

  1. How can I see myself reflected in the characters portrayed? By using scripture as a mirror, I see facets of myself reflected—my personality, my tendencies, my sin, my thoughts, my feelings, and my potential.
  2. What can I learn about God’s character? The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to humankind. Since God does not change (Malachi 3:6), the God of Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Daniel, and Jesus that we read about is our God, too. 

Let’s practice this process with the story of Barabbas. 

According to Jewish tradition, during the time of Passover, one prisoner was pardoned from their impending execution. Although Pilate was a Roman, to gain favor with his Jewish constituents, he decided to let one prisoner free. Having not found a reason to charge Jesus, he offers Jesus or Barabbas, an actual criminal, to the crowd. (see also Matthew 27:17)

Pilate went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release the ‘king of the Jews’?”

They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising (John 18:38-40).

When we hold up the mirror to scripture, we see ourselves in Barabbas. We’ve committed horrible sin, we deserve to die, yet Jesus died in our stead.

Barabbas deserved to hang on the cross, but Jesus took his place. 

You deserved to hang on the cross, but Jesus took your place. 

In this story, Just as we learn about who we are, we also learn about who God is. He is rich in mercy and forgiveness. He fulfills his promises. He longs for our salvation. He sacrifices the one he holds most dear for us. 

-Mackenzie McClain

Discussion Questions: 

  1. Take a closer look at some of the other characters portrayed in this chapter: Judas, Peter, and Pilate. How do you see yourself reflected in their stories?
  2. Examine the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection as a whole. What does God reveal about his character? 
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Bring God Glory

John 17

April 14

Jesus spent most of his life hidden. From his first 30 years of life, only three events are recorded in the Gospels: he was born, strangers brought him presents, and he got lost on a road trip. Even during his few years of public ministry, he ordered his disciples to keep his identity a secret. After healing lepers and giving sight to the blind, he instructed those who witnessed such miracles not to tell anyone. 

It’s clear that Jesus wasn’t about glory—not his own glory, anyways. He kept his head down and sought to fulfill his appointed mission. He recruited twelve loyal friends, challenged tradition, performed miracles, preached the Kingdom, and submitted himself to death on the cross. 

In the final moments before his arrest, he prays—for himself, for his disciples, and for us. One of his first remarks is this: 

“I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” (John 17:4). 

What a beautiful reminder for us of how we should live each day. Have you carried out the work God has for you today? Have you given God the glory? In the final moments of my life, I hope I can say that I’ve brought God glory on earth by finishing the work He gave me to do. I hope the same for you, too. 

Jesus eventually got his glory. In fact, that same night he prayed for his glory to finally be revealed. Now, he’s seated in his throne at the right hand of God. 

God intends for us to follow the same path as Jesus: to live quietly and to be rewarded greatly. In the meantime, let’s keep our heads down, working, and our hands lifted up, praising God. Let’s soldier on, continuing the cause of Christ. 

Not to us, LORD, not to us

but to your name be the glory,

Because of your love and faithfulness 

(Psalm 115:1). 

-Mackenzie McClain

Discussion Questions: 

  1. What is the work God has given you to do? 
  2. We live in a culture that emphasizes building your own name, fame, and following. How is that message contradictory to how God wants us to live?  
  3. What does it mean to give God glory?
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Object Permanence

John 16

April 13

Object permanence is a milestone babies hit when they begin to understand that an object still exists when they can’t see or hear it. When their mother leaves the room, she still exists; when their favorite toy is hidden under a blanket, it still exists, too. 

Object permanence is a skill Jesus reinforced in his disciples on their final night together, before his arrest and subsequent death. 

Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me” (John 16:16).

The disciples mourned Jesus’ death, and they rejoiced at his resurrection just three days later. Even though they could not see Jesus, he wasn’t gone forever. Just like a baby’s favorite toy hidden under a blanket, Jesus was merely out of sight for a little while. 

You and I have never seen Jesus, yet the disciples’ hope is our hope, too. We can’t see Jesus now, but we will someday—when he brings his Father’s Kingdom down to Earth. We have faith that even though we cannot see him, he is real and he is working. After all, faith is the certainty of the things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). 

Although we’ve never seen Jesus, we can see the impact of his life all over our own lives—the freedom of forgiveness, peace in unfathomable situations, victory over temptation and sin. 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). 

We have the same hope as the disciples. We can’t see Jesus now, but we will soon. 

Jesus is coming soon. 

We will see Jesus face to face. 

-Mackenzie McClain

Discussion Questions: 

  1. Even though you’ve never seen Jesus, have you seen evidence of his existence in your life? How so? 
  2. How would you live your life differently if you were constantly reminded of Jesus’ coming return? 
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