Tag: Apostle John

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Do You Believe God’s Message?

God’s message

Faith Comes from Hearing God’s Message About Jesus and Believing

In the book of Isaiah, the prophet asks, “Who has believed God’s message?” Isaiah then goes on to prophetically proclaim what Jesus will do. He will suffer and die for us, sheep that have wandered off.

He will take upon himself the punishment for our mistakes (Isaiah 53).

Who will believe this?

In Isaiah’s time, few believe what he says, what God says through him. Though they have reason to place their hope in God and the Savior he promised to send, most of them don’t. They reject Isaiah’s words and the God who sent him.

We see this phrase from the book of Isaiah quoted twice in the New Testament. Both John and Paul refer to this passage.

John Quotes Isaiah

John repeats this verse from Isaiah to remind his readers that the Jews—or at least most Jews—still weren’t believing God’s promise. And they weren’t seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of that promise (John 12:38). Some things never change.

Paul Quotes Isaiah

Later, in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, he gives the people there a brief history lesson. He reminds them that not all the Israelites accepted God’s promise of a future Savior.

The Jews rejected God then, just as some of them continue to reject him. Though God will continue to extend his offering to his people, other nations will find him too (Romans 10:16-21).

Do We Believe Today?

What is our response to God’s good news today? Do we believe God’s message about Jesus who came to save us? Though we fall short of God’s expectations, Jesus can make us right and reconcile us with Papa.

Say “yes” to Jesus today.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Isaiah 52-54 and today’s post is on Isaiah 53:1.]

Read more about the book of Isaiah in For Unto Us: 40 Prophetic Insights About Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles from the Prophet Isaiah available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Four Johns but One Mark

John Mark

Who Is John Mark?

In “Another Man with Two Names” we talked about a guy known as John Mark. Although no one knows why he’s called John Mark, it does distinguish him from other men in the Bible named John.

John

In addition to John Mark, I count four guys in the Bible with the name of John:

John Mark

It seems there is only one guy called Mark. Mark is mentioned eight times in the New Testament (three times as John Mark, twice as Mark, but referring to John Mark, and three times as Mark, likely referencing John Mark.)

Mark

Lastly, John Mark (sometimes called Mark) may have been the author of the book of Mark. Wouldn’t it be confusing if we called his book John-Mark, instead?

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Acts 1-4 and today’s post is on Acts 4:6.]

Read about more biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more about the book of Acts in Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Jesus Will Return Unexpectedly: Are We Ready for His Return?

Jesus Will Return Unexpectedly

The End Will Come Unexpectedly Like a Thief in the Night

John’s epic vision that he records in the book of Revelation includes many perplexing allusions. One is a warning that Jesus will return unexpectedly, like a thief (Revelation 16:15).

Note that this doesn’t say Jesus is a thief, merely that most people won’t be expecting his arrival, as is the case of a robber coming in the middle of the night.

We should give this reference serious consideration because it also occurs elsewhere in the Bible, not just in John’s Revelation where so much of the content is figurative and not literal.

First, Jesus implies this about himself, which Matthew records in his biography of Jesus.

Here Jesus says that if a homeowner knew when his house would be broken into, he would have been on the lookout and taken steps to prevent a robbery (Matthew 24:43).

The lesson is that even though we don’t know when the end will take place, we should be alert and ready.

Next, Paul, in writing to his friends in the church in Thessalonica, reminds them that no one knows when Jesus will come back, not the season or the date.

It’s going to be a surprise, much like a thief breaking in under the cover of darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2).

Jesus Will Return Unexpectedly

Again, we must remember that Jesus isn’t coming as a thief to steal—the enemy does that (John 10:10). The point is that Jesus will return unexpectedly.

In Revelation, John advises us that we should be alert and ready for whenever this surprise return occurs.

And what’s the outcome if we aren’t ready? It isn’t condemnation, and it isn’t being left behind; it’s being embarrassed.

I don’t want to face embarrassment over not being ready when Jesus returns. It may be in my lifetime, or it may not, but that doesn’t mean I’m not on the lookout for the possibility of it occurring.

Are We Ready?

If we follow Jesus, we must be ready for him when he comes again. We don’t know when it will occur, but we do know it will happen.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Revelation 13-16, and today’s post is on Revelation 16:15.]

Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Women in the Bible: The Chosen Lady

chosen lady

John’s Second Letter

In John’s second letter he writes to the chosen lady and her kids. Some people assume John is employing an intimate metaphor to reference the church (the chosen lady) and its members (her children).

But this interpretation falls apart because the New Testament considers the people as the church, not as two separate parts.

Rather, a literal understanding is that the chosen lady is an actual person, one who the Amplified Bible calls Cyria.

John’s note is one of encouragement and instruction to someone he cares for deeply. Because the Bible preserves his letter for us, we can vicariously receive this same reassurance and teaching.

Who Is the Chosen Lady?

The chosen lady is a faithful follower of Jesus, and she, no doubt, desires to pass this on to her kids. She is likely a good mom, one who does her best to raise her children well.

As a result, some of her kids are living good lives. But not all are. Some pick up her legacy; others do not.

She has done what she can to raise her kids right, but ultimately the decision of how they live their lives is up to them. John affirms her actions, but he doesn’t hold her accountable for results outside of her control.

Whether we are parents of biological children or spiritual children, we need to do our best to raise our offspring well. Though we can’t determine which path our kids take, we can point them in the right direction.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 1 John 5 to 3 John, and today’s post is on 2 John 1:1.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Discover practical, insightful, and encouraging truths in Love One Another, a devotional Bible study to foster a deeper appreciation for the two greatest commandments: To love God and to love others.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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The Book of Revelation

John’s Epic Vision

The book of Revelation is a curious one; there is none other like it in the Bible. It is perhaps the most scrutinized and misunderstood section.

While I will not make any attempt to explain it, I will offer some context as a guide:

  • This book is written by John, but it is not his revelation; it is Jesus’ revelation (Revelation 1:1).
  • John confirms the book is a prophecy, and we are blessed merely by reading it, hearing it, and taking it to heart (Revelation 1:3). But he doesn’t say we need to understand it!
  • This book is a letter to the seven churches in Asia. Just as Paul, Peter, and John write letters to various people and different churches, this is another one of John’s letters (Revelation 1:4).
  • The contents of the letter are supernaturally given to John in a vision when he is communing with God in the spiritual realm (Revelation 1:10).
  • The purpose of the book may be found in Revelation 19:10: to worship God and celebrate Jesus.

We can consider Revelation in three sections:

Revelation 1 is the Introduction

In addition to setting the basis for the rest of the book, chapter 1 is awesome in that is hints at what our relationship with God can be like when we connect with him in the spiritual realm.

We should not consider this unique to John, and we should embrace it as available to us—if we are willing to pursue it.

Revelation 2 and 3 Give Specific Messages to the Seven Churches

The letters to the seven churches are written to them.

While we can receive encouragement from their successes and learn from their failures, we need to remember they are the primary audience and we are the secondary one, just like all the other letters in the Bible.

We need to remind ourselves of their context and not make them into more than what they are intended to be.

Revelation 4 through 22 is a Future Prophecy

From the final nineteen chapters of Revelation, the intend is not for us to decode when these events will happen. After all, Jesus says, no one knows the time and date of when the end will occur.

There is no secret plan for us to decode.

Instead I see three key things as I read the words in Revelation: God is awesome and worthy of our worship, Jesus is powerful, and for those whose names are written in the book of life (Revelation 20:15), the ending is a happy one.

If you don’t believe me, read the last two chapters (Revelation 21 and 22) and be in awe—even if we can’t comprehend the details.

Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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John’s Unique Perspective of Jesus

Believe in Jesus

Each of the four biographies of Jesus in the Bible reflect the perspective of its author. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain many similarities, John’s account is the most different.

He offers a unique perspective on the life and teaching of Jesus.

Some refer to the book of John as the gospel of love because he mentions the word twenty times, more than Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

In considering variations of the word, the total is thirty-nine times, more than the other three combined.

In his much shorter letter, called 1 John, love and its variations occur twenty-seven times. John, it seems, is all about love.

However, other keywords are even more prevalent in the book of John. The word know appears sixty-six times in this book, while believe occurs fifty-three times.

It would seem that John’s chief desire is for us to know and believe in Jesus.

That would be a great reason for him to write an account of Jesus’ life.

We can also understand John’s unique perspective by looking at words he uses infrequently. For example, angel only appears three times in John, far less than Matthew’s nineteen times and Luke’s twenty-four times (Mark, five times).

The book of John contains only a few of Jesus’ parables. In fact, the word parable is not found at all in John, compared to sixty-six times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

So John’s purpose in writing his biography of Jesus is so that we would know and believe in Jesus and to then live a life of love.

Angels and parables are not so important to these central themes of knowing, believing, and loving.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
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Did Jesus Have Second Thoughts?

Jesus Have Second Thoughts

Before Jesus is captured and executed, he spends some time praying. At one point in his prayer, Jesus asks God for a reprieve—that he won’t have to die—even though that was the plan all along.

But he’s quick to add an addendum, confirming he’ll do whatever his papa wants.

I wonder if Jesus is thinking about the test God gave Abraham, commanding the patriarch to kill his son Isaac. Just as Abraham is preparing to plunge the knife into his son in total obedience, God says, “Wait.”

Then he provides a different sacrifice, a substitute. Isaac is spared.

I wonder if Jesus pauses, hoping that God will again say, “Wait” and provide a substitute sacrifice or a different solution.

But this time God the Father doesn’t, and Jesus willingly dies as a once-and-for-all way to reunite us with Father God.

When it comes to Jesus dying instead of us and taking our punishment on himself, he doesn’t have second thoughts, but he is open to alternatives.

When John writes about Jesus, he records a different prayer. In this prayer, Jesus admits his anguish about dying, but he knows he can’t ask God to intervene. He acknowledges that dying is why he came to earth.

He will do it—and he does. Jesus dies to make us right with the Father. Though our wrongs separate us from him, Jesus takes our punishment upon himself, thereby making us right with the Father.

[Matthew 26:39-42, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42, Genesis 22:1-19, John 12:23-29]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
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​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.