John 15:4-5

March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬-‭5‬).

The disciples need important guidance to move forward, and Jesus is intentionally providing it.

The setting is so important. Remember, in a few hours, Jesus will be forcefully separated from the disciples, and then hours later, they will see him publicly crucified. Their world is about to be shattered in ways they can’t imagine, and they will have to make some important decisions about following Jesus.

In a few hours, Jesus’s command to abide/remain in him will be difficult to understand. How can they abide in one who is going away? How can we abide in one whom we have never seen? Jesus’s next statement escalates the value of abiding: “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (5)

According to Jesus, the disciples will not be able to bear fruit without abiding in Jesus. This is so counterintuitive. The natural mind will suggest that we don’t need Jesus to bear good fruit. A few years ago, a Harvard Divinity School graduate published Good Without God. In this apologetic for humanism, he argued that humans do not need a belief in God to do good. Notice that Jesus’s statement is much narrower. Jesus isn’t arguing for generic deism; he is talking about exclusively abiding in him. Apart from him, the disciples will not be able to produce fruit.

Jesus challenged the innate belief that in ourselves we are good enough. But on whose scale? How do we measure “good enough”? Whatever natural abilities the disciples had – and, like us, they must have had some – Jesus said they were not enough to produce the fruit Jesus is referencing.

This lesson may need to percolate in our souls before we can embrace it.

Father, please help me realize that I can not produce fruit on my own. Help me to get over my self-appreciation and abide in Jesus. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, discipleship, Gospels, Jesus Said, John, Life in Christ, New Testament

John 14:26

March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John‬ ‭14‬:‭26).

I don’t think we could overstate the importance of this verse for the disciples going forward. Their world is about to be rocked in ways they can not imagine. Their daily access to Jesus is going to change in a few hours, and while Jesus understands this, the disciples can’t.

One beautiful thing about this verse is that Jesus is assuring them that they are not being left alone. But in addition to God’s presence, they will also have God’s guidance. First, the Holy Spirit will teach them all things. I don’t think this necessarily means that the Holy Spirit will teach them algebra, for example. Rather, the Holy Spirit will help them learn all the things they learn.

Second, the Holy Spirit will remind them of the things that Jesus had said to them. John 2:22 is an example of what Jesus meant: “When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” (John‬ ‭2‬:‭22‬, emphasis added)

How does any of this apply to me? Because the Holy Spirit came to dwell in believers, not just the disciples, I have the same blessing of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence.   I believe that everything I learn is by the help of the Spirit. This is why I pray for my kids every day before they go to school. This is why I asked God to open His word to me this morning before I read John 14.

In the way that the Holy Spirit would bring to the disciples’ remembrance the things that Jesus said to them, I am hopeful he will do the same for me. This can be throughout the day when various things come my way or when talking to others, particularly about spiritual topics.

Finally, these words to the disciples, and by extension to me, should help me have courage throughout each day, knowing that the Holy Spirit is with me. “You got this!” is a popular mantra that teachers use to encourage their students, particularly younger children, in stressful situations. Based on what Jesus said, I would adjust that to “We got this!”

Father, help me have greater confidence in you because of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Please help me learn new things and bring to my remembrance all that you have said to me. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Gospels, Holy Spirit, Jesus Said, John, New Testament

John 13:19

March 25, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place, you may believe that I am he” (John‬ ‭13‬:‭19‬).

Jesus appears to be establishing reminders that will be pivotal for the disciples in the future. Sometimes we call this prophecy, which is foretelling future events. The event foretold here – Judas’s betrayal of Judas – will begin to take place in the next moments, but will become clear in a few hours.

I think Jesus’ foretelling the future is important for a few reasons. First, it demonstrates his clear knowledge of the future. While foretelling the future alone does not prove his deity, it is surely part of the whole argument for his deity.

Second, foretelling the future demonstrates that Jesus wasn’t unaware of or tricked into this betrayal or his impending death. He willingly walked to Calvary for me!

Third, foretelling Judas’s betrayal demonstrates Jesus’s kindness toward Judas. While he knew what Judas was doing, he still gave Judas an honored seat at the meal. I suspect that had I been in that position, I would have put Judas far away from me.

Fourth, foretelling the future for the disciples is a measure of grace because his words will help them believe afterward. He did the same regarding his death and resurrection in Mark 8, 9, and 10.

Jesus will use this phrase twice more in John:

“And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.” (‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭29‬)

“But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.” (John‬ ‭16‬:‭4‬)

This pattern demonstrates Jesus’ commitment to his disciples and us! Why us? Because these words are preserved for us, along with many more, and are helpful for us to believe.

Thank you, Father, for the love and grace of Christ demonstrated in foretelling the future. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Gospels, Grace, Jesus Said, John, New Testament, Prophecy

John 12:23-24

March 24, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.’” (John‬ ‭12‬:‭23‬-‭24‬)

Two things stand out to me in these two verses. First, Jesus revealed that he is fully aware of his impending death. This should be a helpful observation for those who think Jesus was caught by surprise or tricked. Jesus was fully aware, though the disciples were not.

Second, Jesus used an agricultural illustration to explain his own sacrifice, but also the sacrifices that his disciples would make.

The grain of wheat is not worthless when used in food. Of course, one grain alone will not make much difference, but its value isn’t zero. The real exponential value of a grain of wheat is realized when it is planted. That one grain can reproduce itself directly into 90-450+ grains. In the next generation, those grains can multiply themselves similarly. The numbers become staggering pretty quickly. The point, though, isn’t to guess exactly how many grains that one grain can become, but rather to understand that the death of that grain is where its greatest potential lies.

In an illustrative way, Jesus isn’t saying his life – the time spent walking with the disciples – has zero value. He is trying to help the disciples see that his death is where the infinite value is found. Of course, John already told us in verse 16 that the guys didn’t get it until after Jesus was glorified. Time, explanation, and creative illustrations didn’t fully prepare the disciples for what was about to happen.

Father, help me to read your word well, then to receive it well. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Jesus Said, Life in Christ, New Testament, Word Pictures

John 11:37

March 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?’” (John‬ ‭11‬:‭37‬)

I love John 11 because it challenges the way we think about how Jesus (God) should behave. For example, the story of Lazarus’ resurrection opens with Jesus being informed that Lazarus is very sick. The natural assumption is that he would hurry to Lazarus, which is exactly what Martha thought (10:21). However, Jesus waited two days after hearing the news before heading toward Bethany.

Our verse follows the same type of thinking that suggests if God could do something, he surely would do that thing. But just as we saw that Jesus could have left for Bethany sooner, but didn’t, we also see that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying, but he didn’t. So often, skeptics will reason that if God is all-powerful, he would do X. Therefore, because God didn’t do X, he is not all-powerful. However, the story of Lazarus ‘ resurrection undermines this type of reasoning.

Verse 4, helps us understand why Jesus/God doesn’t necessarily behave in the way we might reason that He should: “But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’” (11‬:‭4‬, emphasis added) Notice the bolded part. Jesus allowed Lazarus to die so that the Son of God might be glorified through it.

This is similar to the story of the blind man in John 9. Very few of us, including me, would want to be born blind or have our brother die. However, after seeing these two stories in John, we could not reason that a good God would not allow either to happen, even if He chose not to heal our blindness or resurrect our brother in our timeframe.

When things that we would not choose happen, we must be patient and seek God’s glory in that circumstance. In fact, the way we endure that hardship may be where we and others see God’s glory.

Father, help me never demand that you behave in any certain way. Please help me seek to glorify you when I face circumstances that I would not have chosen. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Jesus Said, John, New Testament, Suffering
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