Category

John 11= Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life! Bible Background: This is the 7th and climactic ‘sign’ Jesus does in the Gospel of John. It’s also his biggest “I Am” statement: I am the resurrection and the life! Mary & Martha appear also in... Read More →

John 4:46–5:18 Healing Stories in John Bible Background: “Signs” is John’s word for ‘miracles’. They are not an end in themselves. They point to the power/presence of God in Jesus. They help people “believe”, which is always a verb... Read More →

John 3 = For God So Loved the World! Bible Background: This most favorite Bible verse comes after a conversation Jesus has with a good Jewish leader named Nicodemus. They talk about being “born again or anew”. It all sounds a little mysterious! Then Jesus keeps... Read More →

John 4 = Jesus and the Woman at the Well Bible Background: In John’s Gospel, Jesus has just had a short, odd conversation with Nicodemus-an insider, leading to the claim of John 3:16. Now, he has a unique conversation with an ‘outsider’ of outsiders: A... Read More →

The Wedding at Cana = John 2 Bible Background: John refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs”, that point to who he is, and that point to what more is to come! This is the “first” of many “signs”, and it’s a delightful one! Remember... Read More →

John 1=The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us! Bible Background: John’s gospel is unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s writings. John is less about what Jesus did and more about who He was/is and what He means. The Gospel of John was likely the last of the 4 gospels to... Read More →

Ezekiel 37-Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones! Bible Background: Ezekiel was a priest/prophet who was taken to Babylon with the first group of exiles from Jerusalem, about 597 B.C.E. His writings are strange, vivid, and complex. (We identify the genre as “apocalyptic”... Read More →

Jeremiah 29=Letter to the Exiles Bible Background: The warnings and calls for the people of Judah to turn back to God went mostly unheeded, and two deportations occurred: one in 597 BCE (mostly carrying off to Babylon the ‘higher ups’, like the skilled craftsmen and... Read More →

The Prophet Amos=Justice? Or Judgement? Bible Background: The book of Amos fits in with the 12 ‘minor’ prophets (‘minor’ meaning, their writings are brief! Not that their message is minimal!) He’s also one of three 8th century B.C.E. prophets (with... Read More →

1 Kings 19=Elijah and Yahweh Bible Background: The prophet Elijah plays a significant role in the time of the Kings, and it is not an easy role: declaring the word of the LORD to people in power-who don’t want to hear it; challenging the worship of false gods; having to... Read More →