Daily Encouragement

Day 235 - John 8

info@kenboa.org (Ken Boa)

While all of the gospels are thematic portraits, John is by far the most theological and selective. It also has the most unique material: 42% of Matthew, 7% of Mark, and 59% of Luke is unique to these gospels, but 92% of John is unique to John. In his narratives, John symbolically develops the theme of how those who were exposed to Jesus’ words and works responded by either accepting or rejecting Him. Those who receive Him have eternal life (1:12; 3:16; 5:24; 10:27-29), while those who reject His offer remain under the condemnation of God (3:36; 5:25-29; 8:24). Jesus’ controversy with His opponents in John 8 illustrates this rejection and ends with their attempt to stone Him when He associated himself with the divine I AM of the Old Testament (8:58; cf. 4:25-26; 8:24, 28; 13:19; 18:5-6, 8).

READING of JOHN 8

Prayer:

Lord, because I have entrusted myself to Jesus, You have set me free from my slavery to sin and made me Your child forever.

Meditation passage for today: verses 12, 24, 28, 34-36, 58

Day 234 - John 6

info@kenboa.org (Ken Boa)

The seven “I am” statements in John’s gospel combine to provide a profound portrait of the Lord Jesus: “I am the bread of life” (6:35); “I am the Light of the world” (8:12; 9:5); “I am the door of the sheep” (10:7, 9); “I am the good shepherd” (10:11, 14); “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25); “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6); and “I am the true vine” (15:1-5).

Jesus listed five witnesses in 5:30-40 that bear witness to His authority and deity, and one of these witnesses is “the works which the Father has given me to accomplish.” The feeding of the multitude, recorded in all four gospels, is a clear witness to the Person and power of Jesus, but His discourse on the bread of life caused many to leave Him when He related this bread to His flesh.

READING of JOHN 6

Prayer:

Lord, I anchor my hope in Your promise that those who come to You will not hunger, and those who believe in You will never thirst; everyone who beholds Your Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and He will raise them up on the last day.

Meditation passage for today: verses 27-29, 35-40, 51, 68-69

Day 233 - John 4

info@kenboa.org (Ken Boa)

Our Lord always adapted Himself perfectly and graciously to the people He encountered. In John 3 He challenged Nicodemus to revisit the knowledge he should have had as a “teacher of Israel.” But in John 4 He gradually reveals His true nature to an obscure woman at a well in Samaria. Even in speaking to her, Jesus overcomes three barriers: first, the racial barrier (Jews had no dealings with Samaritans), second, the gender barrier (Jewish rabbis would not address women as Jesus did), and third, the social barrier (this woman had a poor reputation among her own people). Jesus knew everything she had done, and yet He gently and lovingly offered her the living water of eternal life.

READING of JOHN 4

Prayer:

Lord, I give thanks that You know me through and through, and still You love me and desire intimacy with me. Give me the grace of holy desire so that I will respond eagerly to Your gracious and loving initiatives.

Meditation passage for today: verses 10, 13-14, 23-24

Day 232 - John 3

info@kenboa.org (Ken Boa)

Chapters 2-12 present seven attesting signs that point to the Person and life-giving power of Jesus: (1) turning the water into wine (2:1-11); (2) healing the royal official’s son (4:46-54); (3) healing the invalid (5:1-15); (4) feeding the multitude (6:1-14); (5) walking on water (6:16-21); (6) giving sight to the man born blind (9:1-41); and (7) the raising of Lazarus (11:1-45). In most cases, John follows these signs with a presentation of the reactions of belief and disbelief.

The story of Jesus’ interview with Nicodemus points to the human need to be born of the Spirit in order to enjoy life with God. In John’s testimony to Jesus, he saw himself as the friend of the bridegroom and affirmed that “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This is the essence of the spiritual life.

READING of JOHN 3

Prayer:

Lord, Your gift of eternal life to all who believe in Your Son is the highest expression of Your unbounded love for us. I ask that in my life, Jesus would increase and I would decrease.

Meditation passage for today: verses 3, 5-8, 14-21, 30, 35-36

Day 231 - John 1

info@kenboa.org (Ken Boa)

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known collectively as the synoptic (“seeing together”) gospels, because they share a common viewpoint and similar material. John, on the other hand, is a supplemental gospel, providing a wealth of stories and teachings of Jesus that are not found in the synoptics. The synoptic gospels, for example, focus on Christ’s Galilean ministry, while John develops His Judean ministry.

The prologue (1:1-18) is one of the richest theological texts in Scripture, and it reveals the eternality and divinity of the Word as well as the incarnation of the Word. This prologue is followed by an account of the witness of John the Baptist concerning Jesus and the story of Jesus’ first disciples (1:19-51).

READING of JOHN 1

Prayer:

Lord, I thank You for the mystery of the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. I am grateful that while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

Meditation passage for today: verses 1-5, 10-18, 51