John: one of the son’s of thunder, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the friend of Jesus who stayed with him at the cross, and the one whom Jesus entrusted to his mother as her son in his place — this John has been, and will continue to be, our guide for the remainder of the year. John has led us to see our Beloved, Jesus, and our relationship with him through questions, invitations, statements and prayers. We now will enter the whole of John’s gospel, engaging it from beginning to end. Over the next 21 weeks we will study together, on Sunday mornings, in groups and alone, as John continues to guide us to our Beloved.
We will read a chapter a week and ask two questions: What does this tell us about the Beloved, and what does this tell us about my own belovedness? Another way of asking might be to say: what does this passage tell me about Jesus and what does it have to say about who I am? Every week we will approach the text as though on an archeological dig or scavenger hunt, searching for evidence and clues about our Beloved and our own selves as we learn from our Beloved’s life.
Our work together will be to notice — not necessarily to know, be right, or have a well-thought-out theology. Noticing is a significant aspect of getting to know someone. And this is our hope, that we would get to know our Beloved together.
As we read and notice, questions, thoughts, and ideas may arise, and this is good! If you’re not in a group, consider reading John with a friend or having someone you can discuss with. We will be formed together as we read.
Here are a few ways to notice as you read. Read the passage one time utilizing one of the questions below as a guide. You may want to read the passage every day and enter it with a different guiding question each time. Then, use your collected insights to answer: what does this tell us about the Beloved and what does this tell us about our own belovedness?
- Write down every verb attached to the name of Jesus. Imagine you had to describe Jesus to a friend by simply speaking to his behavior, not words, what would you notice?
- Take note of any metaphor Jesus uses to describe himself.
- Make a list of Jesus’ questions.
- Make a list of Jesus’ commands or invitations.
- Write down any phrase that Jesus speaks beginning with the word YOU.
- What emotions do you notice in Jesus?
- How do people respond to Jesus?
- Do you notice any patterns or words that catch your attention?
- What stories does Jesus tell?
- What places does Jesus reference?
Whether this is your first time to read a book of the Bible or you are quite familiar with the text, our prayer is that you will enjoy the adventure of getting to know your Beloved and your own belovedness over the next weeks. And, we hope this experience will lead to more noticing in Scripture for years to come.
The Teaching Team