Reading Plan for Oct. 11 - 17

October 11, 2026 | John 3:11-21
Reflection:
In chapter 1 of John, we hear “He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe." Notice how these words and themes come back again in today’s passage...and their opposites (like darkness, denial, and disbelief). Throughout the Gospel of John we hear about the importance of belief. Remember that the Greek word pistis can be translated in Greek as faith, trust, or belief. For some reason, in English versions of the Gospel of John we hear this Greek word translated as “belief.” The famous verse in our passage today could easily be translated, “For God so loved the world that whoever has faith, trusts and believes in him may not perish…” We need all three words to help us get the complete sense of what is operative in human response to God’s incarnation among us human beings: faith, trust, and belief. What does God’s light reveal to you about your own life? What would you lovingly change about yourself as you move from darkness to light through faithful response to God?

October 12, 2026 | John 3:22-30
Reflection:
The opening of our passage today will make it sound like Jesus was baptizing people. Chapter 4 will say that Jesus guided his disciples to baptize, but he did not himself do it. The other three gospels never mention Jesus baptizing. The main purpose of our passage today is to show that there was tension between the disciples of John and those of Jesus. These disciples see themselves as rival camps. John the baptizer redirects his own disciples and reiterates that he is not the Messiah; he is a precursor to God’s anointed one. John uses a unique metaphor here, saying that he is like a best man at a wedding; he stands by the groom to support him during the ceremony, but the focus is not on him. The baptizer relinquishes his role in preparing people so that they are ready for “the way of the Lord.” Later in the early days of the church, there were still some who only had the baptism of John. The disciples pray for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. What does learning about John’s ministry mean to your faith?

October 13, 2026 | John 3:31-36
Reflection:
Today’s passage feels like a theological add on (or summary) to what has preceded in this chapter. Take note of the themes that arise: Jesus is “the one” who comes before all things. He testifies to the truth. The person who would put trust in such a one, must accept this testimony. Whoever trusts, has faith, and believes in this testimony concerning the Son will have “eternal life.” Notice how these themes return again and again throughout this book. What does “eternal life” mean to you?

October 14, 2026 | John 4:1-10
Reflection:
As we come to chapter 4, notice some remarkable things. First, the entire chapter is dedicated to one story. Second, this story is completely about an exchange between Jesus and an unnamed Samaritan woman. And third, we have a lot of dialogue going back and forth in this chapter. Other gospel writers are much pithier in terms of dialogue. This gospel writer must have thought this encounter significant enough to dedicate so much space to it. Jesus should never have gone through Samaria. Most Jewish people went around it when travelling between Galilee and Judea, because the people there were “hybrid Jews” - the ancestors of the people of the northern kingdom of Israel who had been taken into captivity, and who’d come back “different” in the eyes of the Jews from the south. They were suspect. And Jesus, as a man, should not have been interacting with a woman in public with no one else around. There’s a lot that’s curious in this passage. Why do you think the gospel writer included it?

October 15, 2026 | John 4:11-26
Reflection:
Yesterday ended with a cryptic mention of “living water.” Notice how Jesus, in John’s Gospel, often points beyond the earthly to a spiritual reality. This happens throughout this passage. We hear of a spiritual, living water; we hear of worshipping not in a place but in “spirit and truth,” and we hear of a Messiah (Anointed One) who will reveal all things that have been kept hidden. Jesus appears to know things in this passage that ordinary human wisdom could not have told him, and this is the only place that Jesus reveals openly that he is the Messiah who is promised. Why do you think that Jesus revealed this truth to a woman, in a place he shouldn’t have been and to a woman he shouldn’t have, according to custom, been talking to? These Samaritans weren’t going to be mixing with other Jews (or Judeans - people from the southern area of Judah). Did Jesus feel it was okay to say it to this woman, because it wasn’t time for the Judeans to know? What we hear in this passage is meant for Christian generations who come to faith later in time, so that they will know what is so distinctive about Jesus and the life of faith. What is most meaning to you: being sustained by living water, worshiping God in spirit and truth, or knowing that we are in the company of the Messiah?

October 16, 2026 | John 4:27-30
Reflection:
These few verses serve to further the intrigue and drama of this chapter. The disciples show up, and we’re told that they are near scandalized that Jesus is talking to a woman by himself. The woman takes this transitional moment to go to her village and enthusiastically try to get people to come and meet Jesus. Her testimony must have really been something, because the people leave their town and come flocking to Jesus. What first drew you to Jesus?

October 17, 2026 | John 4:31-42
Reflection:
Our story carries on one more day. Notice how cryptically Jesus speaks to his disciples. Have you ever wondered if they were in a constant state of confusion over the things their beloved teacher said? When they try to offer him food, he says that he has heavenly food. When they try to get a direct answer from him, he speaks poetically and in riddles. Even though the disciples are accused of having “little faith,” they could be commended for sticking with Jesus, despite the sense of mystery that surrounds him. Notice how these Samaritans find Jesus so compelling that they ask him to stay with them. He obliges and stays two days. What must those conversations have been like? If you had two days with Jesus, what would you most want to talk about with him? Consider the weight of this passage. This story takes up a whole chapter. What have you noticed about this chapter that you hadn’t considered important before?