Friday, March 27, 2020

30 New Days - Day 11

The 11th  day of a 30 day devotional Bible Study by the Rev. Tracy A. Siegman, Senior Pastor FCC, Covington, KY.  Shared with her gracious permission.

If you read the suggested passage each day, by the end of 30 days you will have read the entire New Testament.

Day 11
30-day reading plan: John 1 – 7

Daily Verse: John 1: 18
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

All the signs in the Gospel of John are meant to reveal that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. As people begin to follow Jesus, He reveals Himself through signs. There is the first sign of turning water into wine; then, there is the sign of His healing of the official's son. John calls these signs that reveal He is the Son of God.

Historically, some believed that Jesus was a spirit that looked like a man, a belief based on the Johannine claim that Jesus pre-existed His birth. The Gospel of John doesn’t give a story of Jesus’ birth; instead, the beginning is very esoteric. It is important to John that his readers understand that Jesus is at once a man and God. Jesus was flesh and blood man and that tenet of the Christian doctrine is important to the faith.

So, we should look at the evidence in the Gospel of John that reveals Jesus’ humanity. John doesn’t include a birth narrative like Matthew and Luke, but does tell us that Jesus had a mother and brothers. Jesus gives a final breath on the cross when He dies. There is evidence throughout the Gospel of John that is meant to reveal to us that Jesus is at once the Son of Man and the Son of God.

In order to save humanity, God came down to live as one of us in all our sufferings, suffering ultimately in a horrific death with betrayal and humiliation. We are tempted to think sometimes that God doesn’t understand our human suffering; because of the life Jesus lived, God knows.

Question for reflection:
What Scripture passage comforts you in your suffering revealing God’s understanding and presence?

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