Contemplative Bible Reading

John 3:18 (New Living Translation) There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. Some translations use the word “condemnation” instead of “judgement.” That is because if God judges me alone, well, I’m […]

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John 3:17 (New Living Translation) God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. This is pretty simple. How did we miss it? “God just doesn’t want me to have any fun. God hates us. God just wants to slap me around.” I’ve heard these […]

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John 1:46 (New Living Translation) “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. People were gathering around a fellow who had appeared from the little hamlet of Nazareth. This Jesus fellow was saying things that amazed them. The things he said weren’t complicated, but were simple, basic, clear, and touched their hearts. Those who had seen […]

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John 14:27 (New Living Translation) I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. Jesus is speaking to His followers about the future. He is about to leave this world. He will leave behind many gifts. One—something many of us have […]

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John 17:15-16 (New Living Translation) 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Jesus is praying to God regarding His followers (“them” and “they” in the verses). Let’s reverse […]

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John 6:2-5 (New English Translation) 2 A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick. 3 So Jesus went on up the mountainside and sat down there with his disciples. 4 (Now the Jewish feast of the Passover was near.) 5 Then Jesus, when he […]

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John 6:29 (New English Translation) Jesus replied, “This is the deed God requires—to believe in the one whom he sent.” Pretty simple. What does God require of me? Of each of us? Believe in the one whom He sent, i.e., believe that this Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Son of God sent to the […]

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John 10:24 (New Living Translation) The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” The people didn’t know—for sure. The people wanted to know—at least they claimed to want to know. Hey Jesus, hit us with a baseball bat (again, […]

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John 2:19-20 (New Living Translation) 19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” Some very important persons were upset with how Jesus was behaving in […]

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John 1:26b (New Living Translation) John told them, “…right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize…” The word “recognize” has at least two meanings that could apply here. One is, “acknowledge the existence, validity, or legality of.” John is saying, “You don’t acknowledge that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, i.e., the […]

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