Contemplative Bible Reading

John 10:10 (New Living Translation) 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. Jesus is speaking here. This is part of the tale of the good shepherd and the sheep. The purpose of the thieves is to steal sheep, kill them, […]

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John 6:63 (New Living Translation) 63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. Jesus said the above words. The topic is eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. Hey, wait a minute. I mean, I try to be good and […]

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John 6:29 (New Living Translation) 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” This is Jesus speaking. Jesus tells everyone that there is only one work God wants from mankind. Pay attention to this one, folks. Believe in the one God has sent. […]

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John 4:10 (New Living Translation) 10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” This is one of those sentences in scripture that puzzles me. In one case, “if you only knew the gift […]

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John 1:51 (New Living Translation) 51 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.” Jesus is talking to Nathanael. Jesus describes Himself as the stairway […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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