What did Jesus mean when He announced, "I am the Good Shepherd"? This may seem like an illustration that he came up with on the spot, but the Old Testament is full of talk of shepherds, and Jesus' use of the term is part of this conversation. In this lesson we consider five good shepherds
Jesus has healed a young blind man who stands up to and is rejected by the Pharisees. To put this in perspective, Jesus tells a parable about a sheepfold, a shepherd, thieves and robbers, and explains that He is "the door of the sheep." This confuses his hearers, but Jesus' teaching is profound and reveals
In John 9 Jesus performs an extraordinary miracle, giving sight (in an unusual way) to a young man born blind. Through this one event, Jesus answers the question of who sinned (the man or his parents), fulfills prophecy, reveals his divinity and identity as the Son of God, and comforts the afflicted. This lesson encourages
At the end of John 8 Jesus makes several remarkable statements for which the Jews take up stones to kill him. In addition to calling the Jews liars, Jesus says "if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death," that "Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad" and
Hidden in plain view, in the famous story of the Exodus from Egypt, we find a detailed map of the Christian journey of faith. The connection is suggested in one of the psalms, but revealed by insights from three books in the New Testament and by early Christians. This is an unforgettable, faith-building lesson that sheds
The Jews are wrestling with the question of whether Jesus is the Christ. On the one hand, he is performing miracles and teaching powerfully. On the other hand, the prophets had written that the Christ would come from Bethlehem (in Judea, in the south); however it appeared to them that Jesus was from Galilee (in the
[Our apologies! We forgot to hit the record button today. Attached are the notes from our study. May they serve as a starting point for your study on the Temple of God!] In the book of 2 Samuel, God tells David that from David's seed will come a king who would build a house for God's
Jesus is challenged to show a sign like Moses did, to provide bread from heaven (recalling the manna story from Exodus). Jesus counters by teaching that He is the true bread who came from heaven, who gives life to the world. In this lesson we look at the significance of this important teaching, and also
After healing a man on the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies want to kill Him for violating the Law of Moses. Instead of speaking to defend himself, Jesus points to five witnesses who will testify on His behalf, beginning with John the Baptist. His last witness is Moses, of whom Jesus declares "he wrote about Me." In
John the Baptist identifies Jesus as "the Lamb of God." Why a lamb, and not some other animal? Does this simply mean that Jesus was meek and harmless, or is there more to it? How would John's hearers have understood this expression? In this lesson we look at what this would have meant to John’s