Three Minute Bible

Read John 1: 12-13

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

These two verses encapsulate the essential elements of the gospel narrative: If a person receives Jesus and believes in his name, he has the right to become a child of God, born not of man’s will but of God’s.

Q: How do these two verses compare to your favorite summary of the Gospel message?

Read John 1:12

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—”

To say that some people “received” Jesus is to say that everyone else either was unaware of Jesus or that they rejected him. Since verse 9 shows us that Jesus offers light to everyone, then it seems fair to conclude that people either receive Jesus or they reject him. There is no third option.

Q: Where do you see yourself in relationship to Jesus? Have you chosen to receive him? What does that mean to you?

Read John 1:11

To understand this passage it helps to remember who Jesus and John were. Both were Jews, children of Abraham. It was to Abraham that God promised descendants and the land of Canaan.

Q: When John writes that Jesus had come “to that which was his own,” what kind of reception should the Israelites have given Jesus and why?

Read John 1:10

When God finally does come to earth as the promised Messiah, many of the people if not most are so caught up in their own lives that they do not recognize Jesus for who he is. It seems to some as if Jesus, Creator of the universe, is incognito. But was he, or was the problem with those who refused to accept who he was?

Q: Is Jesus the light of your life, or do you find yourself focused on other things?

Read John 1:9

In John 1:4 we learned that the life that was in Jesus was the light of all mankind. Now we read that Jesus offers life (light) to everyone.

Q: Do you think that Jesus is capable of offering life to everyone? Explain why or why not.

Read John 1: 6-8

In two short sentences, John gives us a lot of information about John the Baptist: Who sent him, what his mission was, and why he was sent.  The third sentence explains who John is not: He is not Jesus.

Q: In your own words, briefly describe John’s mission and why he was sent.

Read John 1:1-5

John describes Jesus as, “the Word,” “God,” the maker of all things, the source of life, and “light.” Each of these word choices describes a facet of who Jesus is, much like turning a cut diamond under a strong light reveals the character of the diamond.

Q: What is it about light that makes the word such an appropriate description of who Jesus is?

Read John 1:4-5

John writes that “In [Jesus] was life…” The Bible often references two kinds of life: physical life and death, and spiritual life and death. John says that the life Jesus brings is “the light of all mankind.”

Q: Describe the difference between the spiritual life Jesus brings and the physical life we are born into.

Read John 1:1-3

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.“

John makes clear that Jesus (the Word) was present at creation and in fact was an essential part of the creation process.

Q: What would it mean if Jesus were not part of the Creation process?

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Read John 1: 1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.“

John starts out his Gospel account with an amazing reference that reaches back to the very beginning of time, “In the beginning…” The only other Biblical writer to use that phrase was Moses. (Genesis 1:1) Moses based his account of Creation on his personal conversations with God. (Exodus 33:11)

Q: What does John’s account of the beginning have in common with Moses’ account?

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