John 5:5-7 (Asking the Impossible)

One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water…

John 5:1-4 (Waiting)

Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches waiting for a certain movement of the water, for an angel of the Lord came from time to time and stirred…

John 4:51-54 (One Word)

While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. He asked them when the boy had begun to get better, and they replied, “Yesterday afternoon at one o’clock his fever suddenly disappeared!” Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus…

John 4:46-50 (Believe)

As he traveled through Galilee, he came to Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was…

John 4:43-45 (Galilee)

At the end of the two days, Jesus went on to Galilee. He himself had said that a prophet is not honored in his own hometown. Yet the Galileans welcomed him, for they had been in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration and had seen everything he did there. (John 4:43-45) Read: Judges 11:29 – 15:20 Relate: Galilee is not a town.…

John 4:42 (For Themselves)

Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42) Read: Judges 9:22 – 11:28 Relate: My dad was a Blue Jays fan. I grew up liking the Oakland…

John 4:39-41 (Story Driven)

Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. (John 4:39-41) Read: Judges 7:1…

John 4:35-36 (Ready)

You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! (John 4:35-36) Read: Judges 1:1 –…

John 4:31-34 (What Is Your Cause?)

Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.” But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other. Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. (John…

John 4:28 (Greater Need)

The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, (John 4:28) Read: Joshua 18:1 – 19:48 Relate: My cousin posted a picture of a modern version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs today that earned a chuckle and probably got me thinking along these lines. I’ve seen this pyramid since…