John – A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

Jesus, John and Mary

“Here is your son” (v. 26), Jesus said to His mother. In contrast to Pilate’s abdication of his responsibility to Jesus and justice (“Here is the man” – v. 5, “Here is your king” – v. 14), Christ took control regarding His mother’s care. It’s an interesting situation we don’t know as much about asContinue reading “Jesus, John and Mary”

This is the Lord We Need!

John has a way of relating staggeringly immense truths in a ridiculously succinct manner. “The word was with God, and The Word was God” (1:1)—the diversity and unity of the Godhead in ten words. “In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (1:4)—the spiritual and moral illumination that Jesus’ lifeContinue reading “This is the Lord We Need!”

Taking Jesus at His Word

We’re not sure where the story found in John 7:53-8:11 belongs. This is why in most translations it is set in italics, bracketed, or even put into a footnote. Textual authorities tell us that it’s not in the two earliest manuscripts we have of John which date back to the beginning of the third century.Continue reading “Taking Jesus at His Word”

The Bread of Our Lives?

In John 6, Jesus has a problem. It is nearing the end of the day and there are several thousand people around Him—some of them are a long way from home. He doesn’t want to send them away hungry but there’s not much food available. The disciples do a quick search and all they canContinue reading “The Bread of Our Lives?”

Our Times are in His Hands

The late Pete Seeger took Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and arranged it into a song but before he could get into the studio to record it, a group called The Limelighters did. One of the musicians for that session was a guitarist by the name of Roger McGuinn. McGuinn helped arrange the song for Judy Collins’ album the following year. In 1964, heContinue reading “Our Times are in His Hands”

Seeing Things As They Are

Someone said, “We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.” They said a mouthful, didn’t they? All you have to do is think about selfies. We take them until we finally have one that reflects the way we like to think we look (conveniently forgetting that it took us 67Continue reading “Seeing Things As They Are”

Set Aside

Jesus said in John 10:35 that the Scripture cannot be set aside. What did He mean by these words? It means the Scripture is true. When we examine the biblical witness in the context in which it was written, it is completely authentic, genuine and of absolute veracity. When Christ was confronted by the materialistic Sadducees and theirContinue reading “Set Aside”

Nicodemus and the New Birth (1)

You have to have some sympathy for Nicodemus. From all appearances, he was a person who wanted to do what was right. Although Jesus was not in favor with the leadership of Israel and Nicodemus was part of that group, he sought Jesus out (John 3) even though it meant putting him at odds withContinue reading “Nicodemus and the New Birth (1)”

Nicodemus and the New Birth (2)

Under the law God had given through Moses, Jewish people like Nicodemus entered into a covenant relationship with God by virtue of their physical birth into the nation (there was more to it than that, of course, but that was where it began). With the coming of Christ, covenant relationship no longer came through theContinue reading “Nicodemus and the New Birth (2)”