One of the most powerful invitations in the Gospel of John is the simple phrase, ‘Come and see’ (John 1:39). Spoken first by Jesus and then repeated by His early followers, it encapsulates the essence of discipleship: an invitation to encounter Christ personally and to join Him in His mission. This finds a rich parallel… Continue reading

John 21:1–35  Focus verse: ‘When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”’ (John 21:15)  Old Testament lens: ‘I will also make you a light for the Gentiles… Continue reading

John 20:1–31  Focus verse: ‘They have taken my Lord away’ (John 20:13)  Old Testament lens: ‘The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away’ (Job 1:21)  Mary is the first to discover the empty tomb, the first to encounter the risen Jesus, and the first to be commissioned to share the news. She becomes the… Continue reading

John 19:16b–42  Focus verse: ‘These things happened so that Scripture would be fulfilled’ (John 19:36)  Old Testament lens: ‘They divide my garments among them’ (Psalm 22:18); ‘I am thirsty’ (Psalm 69:21); ‘he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.’ (Psalm 34:20)  John’s portrayal of Jesus’ crucifixion is of a divine fulfilment… Continue reading

John 19:1–16a  Focus verse: ‘We have no king but Caesar’ (John 19:15)  Old Testament lens: ‘The rulers gather against the Lord, against his anointed one’ (Psalm 2:2)  At the end of the film The Return of the King, Aragon, the newly-crowned king of Gondor, approaches the hobbits, and they bow in his presence. Aragorn lovingly… Continue reading

John 18:1–40  Focus verse: ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ (John 18:33)  Old Testament lens: ‘The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies, a footstool for your feet’ (Psalm 110:1)  Unlike today’s democratic governments, kings and rulers in Jesus’ time gained power through inheritance or violence.… Continue reading

John 17:1–26  Focus verse: ‘I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me’ (John 17:12)  Old Testament lens: ‘I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them and be their shepherd’ (Ezekiel 34:23)  This moment in the Gospel is like a pause in a dramatic… Continue reading

John 16:1–33 Focus verse: ‘When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment’ (John 16:8) Old Testament lens: ‘ for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.’ (Psalm 96:13) In Charles Dickens’ novel,Bleak House, there is a legal case, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which drags on for years… Continue reading

John 15:1–27  Focus verse: ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.’ (John 15:1,2)  Old Testament lens: ‘You brought a vine out of Egypt,… Continue reading

John 14:1–31  Focus verse: ‘Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”’ (John 14:6,7)  Old Testament lens: ‘Then have… Continue reading