John Starts at the Beginning
After 23 weeks in the Gospel of Matthew, we are taking a brief diversion into the book of John. Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which include many of the same stories, the content of John’s gospel is largely distinct. It focuses not just on the actions of Jesus, but on His divine nature and significance. Understanding Jesus through the gospels is essential for fostering a meaningful, transformative relationship with God.
Because of our ever-shrinking attention spans, including within the church, modern preaching has the tendency to reduce complex spiritual truths into bite-sized, easily digestible messages. But making things so easily digestible doesn’t always help us build the strong spiritual teeth we need for our own study and prayer. John’s Gospel presents Jesus as the embodiment of God’s wisdom and love, challenging existing followers and those exploring faith to pursue a transformative relationship with Jesus.