Contemplative Bible Reading

John 5:13 (New Living Translation) 13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. This is part of the (hi)story of Jesus healing a lame man in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate at the pool of Bethesda. This caused a controversy because it was the Sabbath or day of rest. As instructed […]

[Read more →]

John 3:3-4 (New Living Translation) 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” These statements are from the famous conversation between […]

[Read more →]

John 1:6-7 (New Living Translation) 6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. There are many different things to discuss about this sentence. One aspect is, how do we recognize this person has been sent by God? Do these persons […]

[Read more →]

John 11:25 (New Living Translation) Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Jesus is speaking to Martha. This is part of the (hi)story of the death of Lazarus and when Jesus raised him after being dead four days. While consoling Martha and before raising Lazarus, Jesus says the above almost as an […]

[Read more →]

John 3:1-2 (New Living Translation) 1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us…” Let’s take these sentences apart: Nicodemus is an educated Jewish […]

[Read more →]

John 2:1-2 (New Living Translation) 1 The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. One week ago I attended a wedding. One of my nieces married. It was fun. There was much […]

[Read more →]

John 7:25-26 (New Living Translation) 25 Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26 But here he is, speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Festival of Shelters. At first, Jesus was […]

[Read more →]

John 4:39 (New Living Translation) 39 Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” Once there was a woman from the village of Sychar. This woman went to a well to draw water in the middle of the day. She didn’t associate much […]

[Read more →]

John 4:13-14 (New Living Translation) 13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” Jesus is speaking to a woman sitting next to a well. […]

[Read more →]

John 5:8,11 (New Living Translation) 8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”…11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” This was the man who was at the pool at Bethesda. He had been lame for 38 years. Jesus healed the man […]

[Read more →]