WORD: OC's 60-Day New Testament PlanSample

The Many Emotions of Jesus The Gospel of John begins in a different way from the other Gospels. It does not detail Christ’s birth, but instead we learn about Jesus being one with God and how He was with God since the beginning. Jesus became man and came to earth in order for us to know His grace and truth. What an amazing gift and sacrifice He made. Early in the section, we are also introduced to the first followers of Jesus. Andrew hears about Jesus being nearby. He goes to find his brother Simon Peter and says, “We have found the Messiah.” That must have been an exciting moment. They had heard about Jesus from John the Baptist, and now He was there in the flesh. We are also introduced to Philip and Nathanael. We see a little of Nathanael’s true colors as he talks about Jesus and his birthplace saying, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Upon meeting Jesus, Nathanael soon realizes He is truly the Messiah. In chapter two, Jesus performs his first miracle, water to wine. I personally find this miracle very interesting. During Jesus’ time, wine was a crucial component of wedding ceremonies. It would have been horrible to run out of wine. Jesus, his mother and followers were all invited to the wedding. Mary became concerned when the family ran out of wine. Although Jesus had not performed any miracles, she knew what her son was capable of doing. She knew He was the Son of God. When she asked him, He declared that it was not time for him to begin his work. But Jesus turned the water to wine anyway. It must have been amazing to witness this first of many miracles. During these chapters, we read about different emotions of Jesus. We see his anger in the temple, his compassion and power when healing the official’s son and the lame man by the pool, and the seriousness when talking with the Jewish leaders. We see Jesus’ sensitivity as He talks with the Samaritan woman by the well. As you read these chapters, visualize the situations. Think about the emotions and facial expressions people might have had. How did they respond to meeting and talking with Jesus? It must have been a wonderful experience to witness Jesus in this way. Written by Amy Janzen Staff Member, Oklahoma Christian University