Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “To follow Christ is to obey Christ.” The apostles had the privilege of literally “coming after” Jesus. For them, following Jesus meant geography, physicality, and proximity. But after Jesus’ resurrection their following of him became more like ours. Obedience outstripped physical presence. The lesson text today picks up where we left off […]
Most of us exaggerate now and then, using expressions that would be outrageous if taken literally. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!” “I have told you a million times not to do that.” Hyperbole isn’t meant to falsify or misrepresent the facts, but to intensify them. We exaggerate our points in order to […]
Use one or both of these questions to introduce the lesson: 1. Think of the last telephone call you have received from a charity seeking donations. How did you respond? What is your thought process when deciding whether to give financial support to a cause and how much to give? 2. What is a zealot? […]
Jesus not only had risen from the dead; he had also appeared alive many times to validate his resurrection. Dr. Lynn Gardner lists at least 10 resurrection appearances by Jesus in the New Testament (Christianity Stands True). These appearances were to individuals and groups, to men and women, to leaders and non-leaders. The word appeared […]
It would seem natural if the Gospel of John ended with chapter 20. Couldn’t John simply have concluded his book by observing that the miraculous signs Jesus performed “are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John […]
