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John 18

This chapter of John’s gospel follows Jesus’ prayer for both you and I as believers in Him. Following this prayer in chapter 17, Jesus and His disciples got up and crossed over the Brook Kidron where there was a garden called Gethsemane. This garden was at the foot of the Mount of Olives where Jesus ascended to heaven and where He will return someday. This scene is where Judas’ betrayal of Jesus started to materialize.

Judas, along with a detachment of troops from the pharisees and high priests came to seize Jesus and to take him to be judged before Annas, Caiaphas (the high priest), and then Pilate (Roman governor). The religious leaders found Jesus as an “evildoer” (v. 30 NKJV), but they could not put Jesus to death according to their law (v. 31). Then they took Jesus before the roman governor Pontius Pilate, persistently seeking for Jesus to be killed. The first thing Pilate asks is, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (v. 33). Jesus answers Pilate’s question in verse 37 boldly claiming His kingship and His purpose for coming to the world: to “bear witness to the truth”.

Quite possibly one of the sadder quotations found in the Bible comes after this. Pilate asks, “What is truth?” and then left before he got the answer from the Messiah himself.

God has preserved His scriptures for thousands of years so that you and I may know the truth and this is it:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” (John 3: 16-21)

God took on flesh to dwell among us, to live a perfect life, to die on a cross, and to rise again conquering both sin and death. You are not too far gone. Read Paul’s words to Timothy,

“… Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. ‘However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.” (1 Timothy 1: 15-16)

God is patient, He does not condemn. He does not throw shame and guilt. You haven’t strayed too far for God to forgive you. You don’t earn your salvation; you receive it as a gift. Don’t move on with your day before understanding and knowing the truth. Don’t leave without understanding it. Don’t be Pilate.

Today’s Reading : John 16

Over the last couple of weeks we have had some great experiences. The seventh and eighth grader basketball ball teams have advanced to the next level of competition from conference to regional to sectionals.  For the seventh grade sectionals, the parents rented a bus for the students to attend the competition. The student section was amazing. They gave a beat to the whole arena. The atmosphere was exciting. Everybody was in it for the team. We had such a great time. The seventh graders won that game and the crowd just erupted.  There were so much joy and excitement. 

As we were preparing to leave, a grandmother looked up at the stands and saw that there was a lot of rubbish from our section. She made a comment “this is kind of embarrassing because we are visiting another person‘s house and we are leaving a mess“. At that point, I rallied the students and we were able to clean up the student section in two minutes. We actually made it look better than it had before we came.

One of the great lessons that I received as a child was : Leave it better than you found it. This can be used at any point in your life and in any situation. The mark that you make on anything needs to be better than you left it. If you’ve been invited somewhere, clean up before you leave. If you are in a position or employment attempt to leave the organization better than you found it.  In your life when you meet people try to give them a little extra from your interaction.

In John 16, Jesus is giving us a picture of when he will leave. He is spelling it out to the disciples how he will leave them. The experience that Christ gave to the twelve, and the disciples, and the world is … leaving it better than before he came.  Before Christ came, we did not understand how Heaven and Earth could be combined. We did not understand how the pieces of love and hope brings heaven to earth. 

Christ also gave us the reconnection with God the spirit,  otherwise known as the Holy Spirit. Because Christ enters the world in a sacrifice this creates a new opening for the Holy Spirit to be with us. Before Christ’s sacrifice, the Holy Spirit was not available to everyone. So by Christ coming and being with us, he made us better than we were before. Because Christ has come with us and the Holy Spirit is able to abide with us, we are able to be better than we were before. 

How can we share God‘s love and the experience of the Holy Spirit with others? How can we make an impact on others to be better than they were before? How can we be better from experiencing others as well? Allow God to use you and open your mind of how others make you better this week. 

Be blessed 

In John 15, Jesus tells us to go and produce fruit.  I can do that.  In fact, I’ve been preparing my whole life.

• I will work harder
• I will sell more
• I will get more followers
• I will grow bigger and be known

Then, I can be as Jesus described and “produce much,” and will make him proud.  Not really.  Those goals produce American fruit.  Jesus defines fruit differently.  Galatians 5 tells us that his fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

• I will serve more
• I will give generously
• I will mind my own affairs
• I will forgive fully – myself and others

Now, there is only one way to maintain a life with those priorities.  “Remain in me,” Jesus says.  “Seek me, come to me “Apart from me, you can do nothing.  But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” John 15:7.

What would you do when you come to the realization that your time in this world is coming to an end?  You probably grab your loved ones and spend as much time left with them as you could.  You hug them, love them, smile and cry with them and long to never let those moments go.  Jesus grabbed a bowl, put water in it and started washing the feet of those around him.  After he was finished doing this he said to his disciples, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:14-15

Does Jesus just mean to love thy neighbor and to treat those as you wish to be treated, or does it go deeper than that?  He is telling the disciples that HE is the example, the one and only example, and that through him, they should live their lives in the same manner with the same contrition and demeanor.  I know, just like the disciples knew, His sandals are impossible to fill….but we all have to do our best each and every day.

Later that night, after everyone has filled their stomachs and gotten their feet washed by the Son of God…..Jesus says in John 13:21, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.”  Then picture this, the disciple Peter, as if he is sitting in class and whispers over to his classmate, “Pssshh…..ask him who it is.” Then in verse 26, Jesus says, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.”  He then handed it to Judas, and Satan entered into him.

What was Judas feeling right before he was handed the bread?  What were the other disciples thinking?  I imagine some of them questioning themselves, rationalizing in their minds that they were never thinking of turning on Jesus, so if not me, then who??  Then I picture this image of a ghost-like Satan floating from the back of the room and entering Judas’ body, with a mischievous grin on his face that says ‘I got this one’.

As if that wasn’t enough drama for the night, there was a little more for one disciple in particular.  In John 13:33 Jesus says, “My children, I will be with you only a little longer.  You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.”  Peter asked Jesus where he was going and in John 13:37-38, “Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now?  I will lay down my life for you.”  Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me?  I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”

Peter denying Jesus has to be one of the most recognized stories from the Bible ever told.  If you remember from earlier it was Peter who was asking a fellow disciple who Jesus was talking about betraying him.  There wasn’t a thought in Peter’s mind that he would EVER deny Jesus.  That had to have crushed Peter to tears.  What was the mood of the room after that?  Was everyone waiting for a 3^rd shoe to drop?

In John, chapter 13, these are the three things that happen. In my readings of the Bible I often catch myself imagining how I would feel or what I would do in these situations.  Surely Jesus would never tell me I would deny him 3 times or I would ever betray him….Right?! I have no idea, none of us can be certain.  What we need to make certain is that we are doing the best we can to live our lives in the ways Christ did.  Jesus says, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” I pray that when we are given those opportunities to share and show our faith in God by the way we carry ourselves through everyday life, the Lord is pleased.

In John 12, we witness one of the greatest acts of adoration in the Bible. 

While among his companions after the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus sits on the receiving end of a simple yet captivating act of worship. Mary of Bethany, using a pound of expensive ointment anoints the feet of Jesus with her hair. One of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, sits in objection to her actions, claiming that the ointment should have been sold instead and that the money should be given to the poor. But Jesus interjects, saying “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” 

When I first encountered this passage, I remember thinking this to be an unorthodox form of worship. Doesn’t this seem like a bit much? After all, Judas claims that the perfume could be sold for three hundred denarii. How could an object like this be used so carelessly? This question is where the faith of Mary shines through and selfish Judas is put to shame. 

Mary knew something that few others did. She saw what Jesus had done, raising her beloved brother from the dead. She knew that Jesus was indeed who he claimed to be! She must have been overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude for Jesus. She wanted to show him how worthy he was of her praise. By using such an expensive ointment she shows us how much she treasures Jesus in her heart. To her, Jesus is worthy of the highest worship she can afford. It didn’t matter how much the ointment was worth, Jesus was worth more. What a wonderful act of love and adoration we get to witness. All Mary can see, and all she cares to see is the glory of Jesus right in front of her. 

What a shame it would be for an act of such pure worship to be challenged. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Judas opts for. Judas seems to be missing this love that Mary has for Jesus, he instead seeks personal gain over Jesus. John makes this evident, “He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.” It’s no wonder the act of Mary couldn’t reach the heart of Judas, he was too busy looking out for himself. 

After reading this, turning the spotlight on my own life was difficult. Likely because I have known myself sometimes as Judas is in this passage. I have been selfish, ignorant, and unwilling to see the wonderful Jesus sitting right in front of me, all because I have been too busy worrying about myself. But how freeing is it to instead be like Mary, to fall at Jesus’ feet, and to worship him with all of our heart! To value him higher than everything that we have to offer, to know that we could stack the whole world together and it still wouldn’t be worthy compared to him. He is truly priceless!

Jesus is worthy of all the love and praise that we can muster up (and more). Mary encourages us to practice the wreckless love that she embodies, and also to give Jesus our all. May the Lord give us the strength to love and worship as Mary did!

The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11 offers a profound parallel to life today, highlighting human resistance to truth and change, even in the face of undeniable evidence. Despite witnessing a miraculous act that affirmed Jesus’ divine authority, the religious leaders still chose to reject Him and plotted His death.  They lacked the COURAGE to change their beliefs and see the living God before their eyes. Their response reflects a broader human tendency: the refusal to embrace inconvenient truths that challenge personal power, beliefs, or agendas.

In today’s world, we often see similar patterns. Scientific breakthroughs, social movements, or transformative ideas frequently meet opposition—not because they lack merit, but because they threaten established norms, authority, or personal interests. Just as the Jewish leaders feared losing their influence and the stability of their political environment, people today sometimes resist change to maintain control or avoid discomfort, even when that change could bring life and hope to others.

The leaders’ actions also reflect the dangers of pride and fear. Rather than celebrating the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection and exploring its implications, they saw it as a threat. This mindset persists in modern life when individuals or institutions focus more on preserving their status than on recognizing and responding to truth.

However, the story also offers a powerful lesson in courage and faith. Jesus, knowing the cost, performed the miracle out of love and obedience to God’s purpose. It reminds us that standing for truth and bringing life to others often comes with challenges, but the impact can be transformative.

Ultimately, John 11 invites us to consider how we respond to truth today. Do we, like the Jewish leaders, resist out of fear and self-preservation, or do we, like those who believed after seeing Lazarus’ resurrection, embrace it with faith, courage, and hope?

It takes courage to step away from the “herd” and follow our own beliefs.  I am thankful every day for the prophets, evangelists, and apologists that stood for their beliefs and prophesied their faith rather than cave to the pressure of popular opinion.  In our daily walk, I pray that each of have the courage to do the same.