Bible study ‘Gospel of John’ – Chapter 21

Bible study

Dear brothers and sisters,

Welcome back to the Bible study on the Gospel of John. I pray that God will also bless us while we are on this journey through the fourth and last of the Gospels. It has already been a great journey so far with doing the Bible studies over the first three Gospels and I ask God to also bless this Bible study on the Gospel of John. That He will guide us and show us all that we need to learn and know!

Thank you also for blessing this blog for this coming year!

In the 21th chapter of the Gospel of John we will discuss the following chapters:

• Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish
• Jesus reinstates Peter

Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish

Afterwards Jesus appeared to His disciples again. It was at the Sea of Galilee, where Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were fishing. They went on the see and stated fishing, but at nightfall they still had not caught any fish. At that moment Jesus stood at the side of the water (but they did not recognize Him). He asked them if they caught any fish and they answered any fish. They said “no”. He told them to throw out the nets on the right side. After they did and took them back in to their surprise the nets were fully filled. At that moment the disciple whom loved Jesus (John) told Peter it was Jesus who was standing there. See how important it is to love God. When we do our eyes will be open to see Him in our life’s working.

When they came back to shore Jesus had breakfast with them and blessed the bread and fish.

Jesus reinstates Peter

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter three times if He loved Him and three times Peter said yes and one time Jesus told Him to feed His lambs and two times to take care of His sheep. This is so beautiful, because where Peter first denied Jesus three times, He know acknowledged Him three times.

From this moment He confirmed to God that He would follow Him and Jesus told Him that He would die doing God’s work. But still He was more than willing to follow God. We should be willing to give our life’s to follow God and do His work. God will glorify you for it. He also stated to Peter that John would stay alive until Jesus returned. Peter and the others thought this meant that John would not die, but Jesus told Him that He did not say this and that He should not concern himself with this. I believe God wants John to be alive (in heaven) because he was the one to be blessed to write down the Book of Revelation.

 

Bible study ‘Gospel of John’ – Chapter 20

Bible study

Dear brothers and sisters,

Welcome back to the Bible study on the Gospel of John. I pray that God will also bless us while we are on this journey through the fourth and last of the Gospels. It has already been a great journey so far with doing the Bible studies over the first three Gospels and I ask God to also bless this Bible study on the Gospel of John. That He will guide us and show us all that we need to learn and know!

Thank you also for blessing this blog for this coming year!

In the 20th chapter of the Gospel of John we will discuss the following chapters:

• The empty tomb
• Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene
• Jesus appears to His disciples
• Jesus appears to Thomas
• The purpose of John’s gospel

The empty tomb

On the first day of the week while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene was already going to the tomb where Jesus was placed. This shows how loyal she was to follow Jesus. Even when He was no longer on this earth in human form, she found it very important to go to His tomb to honor Him.

But when she came she saw that the heavy stone before the tomb was removed and that Jesus body was no longer there. She immediately to Simon Peter and the other disciple to inform them and they also checked and saw that Jesus was no longer there.

The other disciple immediately understood and believed what had happened, but Simon Peter and Mary Magdalene still did not understand. This shows how important it is to fully understand God’s word (The Bible) because God has already foretold us what was going to happen. And by the resurrection of Jesus again a prophecy had come to pass!

Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene

Mary was still at the tomb and was crying because of the disappearance of Jesus’ body. At that moment two angels were seated at the tomb and asked Mary why she was crying. This shows that we should not cry but celebrate what had happened: Jesus died and came back! All happened and happens in accordance with God’s plan. She still did not understand and asked a gardener (although she thought it was a gardener and asked him to tell her where he had placed the body of Jesus. At that moment Jesus made Himself known to her and told her that He had not yet gone to heaven and that she shouldn’t cry but inform the disciples of what had happened. The crucifixion of Jesus was part of God’s plan for us and we should not cry for it, because He did it out of love for us.

Jesus appears to His disciples

In the evening of that same day He went to the house were all the disciples were gathered and said “Peace be with you”! and showed them his hands to show to them He was in fact Jesus. The disciples were filled with joy and God told them that peace was with them and that God had sent Him to sent them out into the world to do His work. Next he breathed on them and let them receive the Holy Spirit, which came on earth to replace Jesus in our life on earth. Therefore follow the Holy Spirit in everything that He guides you in. Also He made it very clear that our sins can only be forgiven, if we forgive the sins of others. So never allow yourself to not forgive others how difficult it may sometimes be.

Jesus appears to Thomas

One of the disciples (called Thomas) was not there and was later informed about the resurrection of Jesus. And although it was prophesied and his fellow disciples even told him, he wouldn’t believe that Jesus was back again. A week later the disciples were back in the same house and the door was closed. And all of a sudden Jesus was there and again He said: Peace be with you. He asked Thomas to take his hand and touch His hands. It was not until now that He truly believed that it was really Jesus. At that moment Jesus told Him and us that the one that believes without seeing is truly blessed. In this world were are taught to first get prove before we believe something to be true, but with God this doesn’t work like that. God asks of us to fully trust Him and believe in Him and His wonders/power without seeing. So no matter what situation you are in, you have to trust God that He will take care of it without you seeing prove of it first.

The purpose of John’s gospel

John finishes his gospel by stating that Jesus did many wonders that are not even mentioned in his gospel. The purpose of this book is to start believing in God without seeing prove first.

Bible study ‘Gospel of John’ – Chapter 19

Bible study

Dear brothers and sisters,

Welcome back to the Bible study on the Gospel of John. I pray that God will also bless us while we are on this journey through the fourth and last of the Gospels. It has already been a great journey so far with doing the Bible studies over the first three Gospels and I ask God to also bless this Bible study on the Gospel of John. That He will guide us and show us all that we need to learn and know!

Thank you also for blessing this blog for this coming year!

In the 19th chapter of the Gospel of John we will discuss the following chapters:

• Jesus sentenced to be crucified
• The crucifixion of Jesus
• The death of Jesus
• The burial of Jesus

Jesus sentenced to be crucified

It always hurts me to read this part of the Bible, because even though Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, he still did not have the courage to set him free. Even worse he pleaded for Jesus that He was innocent, but because the Pharisees were really pushing for Jesus to be crucified, he still gave in. Why? Because his own position was more important. For us it is important to even risk losing our position, if that means that we are helping an innocent person. A very powerful statement from Jesus is when He lets Pilate know that he only got his position and power from what he received from God, not by his own doing. We also need to know that our position and power in this world is only because of God, not because of our own actions. Thank God for every blessing you have received!

The crucifixion of Jesus

After the sentence of Pilate, Jesus was sent to Golgotha to be crucified together with two other men. During this time they took his clothes and divided it, and unknowingly they let a prophesy come through. This shows that nothing happens by coincidence, but fully to God’s plan!

Jesus’ mother had to witness this terrible and horrific view of her own son being crucified. When Jesus saw her, He told her and the apostle John that John was now her son. And from that moment on John took Mary in her home and took care of her like his mother.

The death of Jesus

Knowing that the prophesy would be fulfilled He asked for some drink and received it and afterwards stated: It is finished. And at that moment His life left his earthly body. Because of the Sabbath the next day the Pharisees wanted to make sure He was death before this special Sabbath. On their order started to break the legs of the first prisoner. And when they came to Jesus, they noticed that He was already death. For this reason they did not break his legs, but pierced Him. And again unknowingly they let a prophesy be fulfilled. Even though a person does not believe in God, He will still use them if that is to help Him to fulfill a plan in our life’s.

The burial of Jesus

After His death God made sure that Jesus received a proper burial. He sent Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Joseph gave Him is own tomb to be laid in. And Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes. They wrapped Him in linen together with these spices.

God will always make sure that He takes care of us even after our death!

 

Bible study ‘Gospel of John’ – Chapter 18

Bible study

Dear brothers and sisters,

Welcome back to the Bible study on the Gospel of John. I pray that God will also bless us while we are on this journey through the fourth and last of the Gospels. It has already been a great journey so far with doing the Bible studies over the first three Gospels and I ask God to also bless this Bible study on the Gospel of John. That He will guide us and show us all that we need to learn and know!

Thank you also for blessing this blog for this coming year!

In the 18th chapter of the Gospel of John we will discuss the following chapters:

• Jesus arrested
• Peter’s first denial
• The high priest questions Jesus
• Peter’s second and third denial
• Jesus before Pilatus

Jesus arrested

Jesus (as the Son of God) knows exactly what would happen. Due to this He could first finish His time of prayer. This shows that we need to fully trust on the plan that God has for us, so that we don’t act out of our human reactions, but based on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. After He finished His prayer He went (with His disciples) to the place where He knew that He would be captured. As soon as they arrived, also Judas and employees of the Pharisees came there and they demanded to know who Jesus was. Instead of hiding, He made Himself known twice. Jesus had every chance to escape and to ensure that He would not be captures, but because He knew this had to happen, He let himself be captured. How much we want to escape certain events in our lives, sometimes God wants us to go through and put His trust on Him.

Peter’s first denial

Jesus was being escorted to the high priest and Peter decided to follow Him. Earlier that day he was sure that he would not deny Jesus, but as soon as someone recognized him as a disciple of God he got scared and denied to be just that. It is very easy to say that we will follow God no matter what, but know that it takes full faith and desire to follow God also when this can cause us to be killed. But know that even in those times that God will protect you.

The high priest questions Jesus

When Jesus stood before the high priest and was questioned, He showed so much trust in His father and instead of denying anything, He fully confirmed all they asked. See how this angered them, because they has secretly hoped that He would deny being the Son of God. Never let anyone (no matter the pressure they put on you) make you deny God. God will reward and bless you if you stand in the time of the worst oppression.

Peter’s second and thirds denials

And just as Jesus told him, he denied to be a disciple of Jesus before the rooster crowed. Don’t every think that you know better than God. Always trust on God and ask Him to give you the strength needed not to deny Him. Don’t try to do this on your own strength, because you are weak.

Jesus before Pilate

Because the high priest and Pharisees knew they could not sentence Him to death, they brought Him to the Roman Pilate. He questioned Him and knew somewhere that Jesus was innocent, but he also feared the pressure of the Jews. So, instead of being strong he gave the option to the Jews there to decide to release Him or Jesus Barnabas. And because the wicked Pharisees were their, they incited everyone there to release Barnabas. See how people can make the wrong choice if they do not listen to God, but to men. Never let the words of any man, be more important than God’s word.

Bible study ‘Gospel of John’ – Chapter 17

Bible study

Dear brothers and sisters,

Welcome back to the Bible study on the Gospel of John. I pray that God will also bless us while we are on this journey through the fourth and last of the Gospels. It has already been a great journey so far with doing the Bible studies over the first three Gospels and I ask God to also bless this Bible study on the Gospel of John. That He will guide us and show us all that we need to learn and know!

Thank you also for blessing this blog for this coming year!

In the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John we will discuss the following chapters:

• Jesus prays to be glorified
• Jesus prays for His disciples
• Jesus prays for all believers

Jesus prays to be glorified

The time that Jesus will die on the cross for our sins is coming near. For this reason Jesus prays to God to be glorified. When we follow the plan that God has for our lifes, we have to pray to God to be glorified. We can only be successful in following the plan of God for our life if we are glorified by Him! Jesus asked to be glorified, because He knew what was coming and He did it to honor God.

Jesus prays for His disciples

At the moment that Jesus left earth He knew that His disciples would be left behind on this wicked earth. God will never leave us alone, therefore He prayed for protection and guidance of His disciples. We will never be without Gods protection and guidance, because God made sure that when Jesus left, the Holy Spirit was there to guide and protect us.

God did not pray for the world, but only for us. God prays and protects His children, because He knows how wicked this world is and especially to those that do His work.

Jesus prays for all believers

This chapters makes it very clear that God did not only protects and guides Jesus’s disciples, but also all others that hear and follow His word. Know that God is also there for you to protect and guide you. Therefore follow the Holy Spirit and go through this life according to Gods plan!

Bible study ‘Gospel of John’ – Chapter 16

Bible study

Dear brothers and sisters,

Welcome back to the Bible study on the Gospel of John. I pray that God will also bless us while we are on this journey through the fourth and last of the Gospels. It has already been a great journey so far with doing the Bible studies over the first three Gospels and I ask God to also bless this Bible study on the Gospel of John. That He will guide us and show us all that we need to learn and know!

Thank you also for blessing this blog for this coming year!

In the 16th chapter of the Gospel of John we will discuss the following chapters:

• The work of the Holy Spirit
• The disciples grief will turn to joy

The work of the Holy Spirit

In this chapter Jesus tells all His disciples that He is not going to be on earth Himself and when that time has come (also in our time) that we should not fall away. We have to stay close to Him and be prepared that even people that think that they act on behalf of God will come and kill you. But nothing in this world should drive or scare us away from Him. And when Jesus left, He did not leave us alone, but He sent the Holy Spirit to be an advocate for us and to show that sin in wrong and that God is righteous.

So never fear and follow the Holy Spirit in His guidance for your life!

The disciples grief will turn to joy

Jesus lets us know that we should not grieve because He died on the cross, because this was something that needed to happen. And we will never be alone, because the father is always with us.

All that Jesus did He did so that we are ready to come before the Father and to be able to enter heaven by our faith in Him!

Bible study ‘Gospel of John’ – Chapter 15

Bible study

Dear brothers and sisters,

Welcome back to the Bible study on the Gospel of John. I pray that God will also bless us while we are on this journey through the fourth and last of the Gospels. It has already been a great journey so far with doing the Bible studies over the first three Gospels and I ask God to also bless this Bible study on the Gospel of John. That He will guide us and show us all that we need to learn and know!

Thank you also for blessing this blog for this coming year!

In the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John we will discuss the following chapters:

• The vine and the branches
• The world hates the disciples

The vine and the branches

When we follow God and trust on Him, than He will be active in you life continuously. He will nurture the good branches in you and cut off the bad ones. Why? To make you better, so you can be a blessing to others.

And be aware when things are going better in your life, that you stay connected to the branch (God) to make sure that you continue to flourish. Don’t think for one minute that you have made it on your own strength, because it is always God that blessed you. As soon as you leave the branch than you will see that you will no longer flourish.

God also makes it very clear that we need to keep His commandments and that we need to love others, as we love ourselves. And know that even more important: God loves you!

The world hates the disciples

When you love God and you want to serve Him, know that the world will hate you for it. But don’t see that as a bad thing! As soon as the world loves you, than it means that you have moved towards the world. As soon as you grow closer to God, than you will become more and more a threat to this world. But know that God will always protect you from the world.

Also take every chance to talk about God. We cannot serve God, but not spread His word. Be active in your faith!

Bible study ‘Gospel of John’ – Chapter 14

Bible study

Dear brothers and sisters,

Welcome back to the Bible study on the Gospel of John. I pray that God will also bless us while we are on this journey through the fourth and last of the Gospels. It has already been a great journey so far with doing the Bible studies over the first three Gospels and I ask God to also bless this Bible study on the Gospel of John. That He will guide us and show us all that we need to learn and know!

Thank you also for blessing this blog for this coming year!

In the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John we will discuss the following chapters:

• Jesus comforts His disciples
• Jesus the way to the Father
• Jesus promises the Holy Spirit

Jesus comforts His disciples

This is also a beautiful side of Jesus. He doesn’t sugar coat what is going to happen, but He will make sure that we don’t have to worry. He tells the disciples that He is going to be with God, but that there is also room for all of us. He is only going to prepare everything for us to come later on. And He promises to come back for us. So never fear that God has forgotten you, because here He has promised to come back for you.

Jesus the way to the Father

The disciples still did not know where He was going. Jesus made it clear to them that they already know the way to the Father through Him. When you believe in God, than you also know that Jesus does everything through the power of God. When you believe in and see Jesus, than you also see God. And know that everything that you ask in Jesus name will be done, because He does it with the authority of His Father.

Jesus promises the Holy Spirit

If you love Jesus, than you will keep His commands. This again answers the question if grace has replaced the Law. No, God gave His grace as an extra way to come to Him. Please honor God by holding His commandments. When Jesus left earth, he did not leave us alone. No, He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us and guide us in everything we do.

Jesus also confirms to us that the prince of this world has no hold over Him. Therefore the devil also has no hold over us!

Bible study ‘Gospel of John’ – Chapter 12

Bible study

Dear brothers and sisters,

Welcome back to the Bible study on the Gospel of John. I pray that God will also bless us while we are on this journey through the fourth and last of the Gospels. It has already been a great journey so far with doing the Bible studies over the first three Gospels and I ask God to also bless this Bible study on the Gospel of John. That He will guide us and show us all that we need to learn and know!

Thank you also for blessing this blog for this coming year!

In the 12th chapter of the Gospel of John we will discuss the following chapters:

• Jesus anointed at Bethany
• Jesus comes to Jerusalem as king
• Jesus predicts His death
• Belief and unbelief amongst the Jews

Jesus anointed at Bethany

It is only six days to Passover and Jesus is still in Bethany. A dinner was given in honor of Jesus after He raised Lazarus from the death. When God does an amazing blessing in your life, we need to make sure that we give Him honor for it.

At this dinner, Martha came to Jesus and used a very expensive perfume to anoint Jesus’ feet. And used her hair to wipe his feet clean. This shows the importance of anointing. Please take the time (everyday) to anoint your own family!

When she was doing this it was Judas Iskariot that complained this, because He felt it was a waste of money. This already showed that wickedness had entered his heart (the Bible also mentions that at this point he was already stealing money from Jesus’ ministry. Him selling out on Jesus was therefore not some spur of the moment kind of thing. Jesus set Him straight and explained the Disciples that she did something amazing as Jesus would else be anointed with that perfume at His death.

At this moment the most shocking thing is that while a lot of people got to the house to give honor to God, but also to see Lazarus (who was raised from the death) the Pharisees were not happy. No, they were angry and didn’t want to kill Jesus alone, but also Lazarus, because he was the reason that a lot of people came. See how wicked people, even if they call themselves Christians, will even try to kill not only Jesus, but also anyone that is doing His work. We need to stay close to God and keep on doing His work, even if we have to deal with people that are working against us. Based on this they were planning not only to kill Him, but also Lazarus. This show that as soon we decide to fully follow God, that this does not mean that you are worked against, just because of your faith in God.

Jesus comes to Jerusalem as King

After the dinner Jesus went on his way to Jerusalem, the word quickly spread that He was on His way. Jesus’s miracles and teaching were really affecting people in a good way and people went out to celebrate Him entering Jerusalem. While entering He showed a massive way of being humble by entering Jerusalem on a donkey instead of a horse. Jesus wants to show us that if we are working for His ministry and success comes, that we still stay humble and give God all the glory. When the Pharisees heard of His arrival they became jealous. It is shocking to see how some people cannot see the good anymore and approach everything negative. Pray God that you always stay humble and that you do not envy others for their success, but that you honor God for giving them that blessing.

Jesus predicts His death

Now again Jesus predicts His own death. And His death will death will produce many. By His death on the cross He gave us the chance to enter Heaven by faith. His death made it possible for many to come to God!

He also states that anyone that is willing to lose his (earthly) life will get eternal life. Be prepared to leave you earthly life and give it to God!

For us it is important while in this dark world, to follow God and follow the light. If you do so, then you have nothing to worry because God is guiding you!

Belief and unbelief amongst the Jews

Even after all His teaching and miracles there were still that did not believe that He was the Messiah, most notably the Pharisees. If we allow our hearts to be so blinded and heartened, then we will reject God no matter how much miracles He does in your life. Therefore pray to God to stay close to Him and to believe that his Son is the Messiah and that He died on the cross for our sins!

Bible study ‘Gospel of John’ – Chapter 11

Bible study

Dear brothers and sisters,

Welcome back to the Bible study on the Gospel of John. I pray that God will also bless us while we are on this journey through the fourth and last of the Gospels. It has already been a great journey so far with doing the Bible studies over the first three Gospels and I ask God to also bless this Bible study on the Gospel of John. That He will guide us and show us all that we need to learn and know!

Thank you also for blessing this blog for this coming year!

In the 11th chapter of the Gospel of John we will discuss the following chapters:

• The death of Lazarus
• Jesus comforts the sisters of Lazarus
• Jesus raises Lazarus from the death
• The plot to kill Jesus

The death of Lazarus

John begins this story by explaining how Jesus knew Lazarus, through his sister Martha. When Martha came to Jesus to tell that Lazarus was very sick, Jesus immediately prolonged His stay in Bethany. We should also do everything to arrange time to be there for the ones we love. Never let a loved one go through a horrible situation alone, but make sure that you make time for them. Jesus told that Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death, because God had taken His life in His hand.

His disicples urged Him to leave this place, because of the danger for His life. But God told them (and us) that we need not look at the situation, but trust on God. Jesus told them that Larazus was not death, but just asleep. For God nothing is impossible, even to bring someone back to life! The disciples thought Jesus was talking just of a natural sleep, but Jesus informed them he was death, but that God would bring Him back to life. We need to always walk in light, so that we can trust on God and not on what we see in the world.

Jesus comforts the sisters of Lazarus

When Jesus arrived at the house of Lazarus, He was informed that Lazarus was already death for 4 days. I know that Jesus could have been on time even before the death of Lazurus, but I know that Jesus made sure that Lazarus was death for a few days and several people would have acknowledged his death. Why? Because through this Jesus could show that it was due to God (and only God) that Lazarus would come back to life. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Martha came to Him to tell Him that her brother had already died and that it would not have happened if Jesus was there. Jesus tells her that He would not be dead anymore. And here she showed complete faith, by acknowledging that Jesus would bring her brother to life. Her sister, Mary, also confirmed that Lazarus died and would not have if Jesus was there on time. But Jesus also comforted her and she also believed in full faith that Jesus would perform a miracle. For us it is important to not let any worldly situation cloud our view and faith.

Jesus raises Lazarus from the death

Jesus know went to the tomb where Lazarus laid. He told the sisters to have the stone removed from the tomb. The sisters said that the body would now be decomposing and stink and Jesus made it very clear that He demanded them to believe that Jesus would bring their brother to life. And at that moment Jesus told Lazarus to stand up. And because for God nothing is impossible, Lazarus came to life! We always need to believe that regardless what is going on in our life, God can and will handle it!

The plot to kill Jesus

After Jesus had brought Lazarus back to life, a lot of people know believed in Jesus, however some others went to the Pharisees to tell of this. Instead of the Pharisees now acknowledging that Jesus was in act the Son of God, it made them only more determined to kill Jesus. It is terrible to see how the devil can hold some people so blind that they are not even open to the actions of God.