John
The book of John begins with the introduction of Jesus as the Word, who is God and created all things, and who came into the world but was not recognized by it. Jesus gathers his disciples, including Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, and performs his first miracle at a wedding in Cana. He then travels to Jerusalem, where he drives out the moneychangers and merchants from the temple, and begins teaching about the kingdom of God. Jesus meets with various individuals, including Nicodemus, a Samaritan woman, and a man born blind, and performs miracles, including healing a man who had been sick for 38 years and raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus teaches about his divinity and his role as the good Shepherd, and he is met with both admiration and hostility from the Jews. As Jesus' time on earth comes to an end, he washes the feet of his disciples, predicts his betrayal, and gives them a new commandment to love one another. Jesus is then arrested, tried, and crucified, but on the third day, he is resurrected and appears to his disciples, giving them the Holy Spirit and granting them the power to forgive sins. After his resurrection, Jesus appears to his disciples several times, including at the Sea of Tiberias, where he instructs Peter to feed his lambs and sheep and foretells his death.
Chapter 1
The Word, who is God, existed in the beginning and created all things, and in Him was life and light. The true Light, Jesus, came into the world but was not recognized by it. John the Baptist testified about Jesus, saying he was not the Light but came to bear witness to the Light. Jesus gave those who believed in Him the power to become children of God, and He became flesh and dwelled among men, full of grace and truth. John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and Jesus began gathering His disciples, including Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael.
Chapter 2
Jesus attended a wedding in Cana with his disciples, where he turned water into wine after his mother asked for his help. This was the first sign of his divine power, and it led his disciples to believe in him. Jesus then went to Jerusalem for the Passover, where he drove out the moneychangers and merchants from the temple, citing zeal for his Father's house. When the Jews asked for a sign to justify his actions, Jesus replied that he would raise the temple in three days, referring to his own resurrection.
Chapter 3
Jesus told Nicodemus that one must be reborn by water and the Holy Spirit to enter the kingdom of God, and that the Spirit inspires where he wills. Nicodemus was confused, and Jesus rebuked him for not understanding these things as a teacher in Israel. Jesus explained that he speaks about what he knows and has seen, and that he has come to save the world, not to judge it. God gave his only-begotten Son so that all who believe in him may have eternal life. Jesus also stated that those who believe in him are not judged, but those who do not believe are already judged.
Chapter 4
Jesus traveled through Samaria and stopped at Jacob's well, where he met a Samaritan woman and asked her for a drink. The woman was surprised that Jesus, a Jew, would ask her for water, and Jesus told her that he could give her "living water" that would quench her thirst forever. The woman asked Jesus for this water, and Jesus revealed to her that he knew about her past, including her five previous husbands. The woman realized that Jesus was a prophet and told the people of her town about him, and many believed in Jesus because of her testimony. Jesus then traveled to Galilee, where he healed the son of a ruler who had asked for his help, and the ruler and his household believed in Jesus.
Chapter 5
Jesus healed a man who had been sick for 38 years at the Pool of Bethesda, telling him to take up his stretcher and walk, which the man did. However, this act was done on the Sabbath, which led the Jews to persecute Jesus. Jesus defended his actions, stating that he was working as his Father worked, and that he was equal to God. He also explained that he had the authority to give life and to judge, and that those who heard his word and believed in him would have eternal life. Jesus then criticized the Jews for seeking glory from one another rather than from God, and for not believing in him despite the testimony of the scriptures and of Moses, who had written about him.
Chapter 6
Jesus fed a multitude of 5,000 people with five barley loaves and two fish, and they recognized him as the Prophet. However, when they tried to make him king, Jesus fled to a mountain. Later, he walked on the sea to join his disciples in a boat, and they arrived at their destination immediately. The crowd followed Jesus to Capernaum, where he told them not to work for perishable food but for eternal life, and that he is the bread of life who gives life to the world. Jesus explained that he is the living bread that descended from heaven, and that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood will have eternal life. Many of his disciples found this teaching difficult and stopped following him, but Peter and the other apostles remained, believing that Jesus has the words of eternal life.
Chapter 7
Jesus' brothers encouraged him to go to the Feast of Tabernacles in Judea, but he initially refused, saying his time had not yet come. Jesus later went to the feast in secret and began teaching in the temple, where he was met with both admiration and hostility. He defended his actions and teachings, pointing out the hypocrisy of the Jews who sought to kill him despite their own failure to keep the law. Jesus also spoke about the Spirit that would soon be given to those who believed in him, and some in the crowd believed he was the Prophet or the Christ, while others were skeptical due to his Galilean origins.
Chapter 8
Jesus teaches at the temple, and the scribes and Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery, asking him to judge her according to the law. Jesus responds by saying that whoever is without sin should cast the first stone, and the accusers leave one by one. Jesus then tells the woman to go and sin no more. He also claims to be the light of the world and that he is from above, not of this world. The Jews question his identity and authority, and Jesus responds by saying that he is the Son of God and that he speaks the truth. The Jews become hostile and try to stone him, but he escapes.
Chapter 9
Jesus healed a man born blind by making clay from his spittle and instructing the man to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man's sight was restored, and he testified to the Pharisees about Jesus' miracle, but they refused to believe, instead accusing Jesus of being a sinner for working on the Sabbath. The man's parents were questioned, but they were afraid to speak out due to fear of being expelled from the synagogue. The man was eventually cast out by the Pharisees, but Jesus found him and revealed himself as the Son of God, and the man worshipped him.
Chapter 10
Jesus teaches that he is the door to salvation and the good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, while false leaders are thieves and robbers. He explains that his sheep know his voice and follow him, and that he has the power to lay down his life and take it up again. The Jews are divided over Jesus' words, with some believing he is demon-possessed or insane, while others recognize the truth of his teachings. Jesus asserts his divinity, saying he and the Father are one, which leads the Jews to attempt to stone him for blasphemy.
Chapter 11
Jesus was informed that his friend Lazarus was ill, but he delayed going to him, saying the sickness was for the glory of God. When Jesus finally arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days, and Jesus was met by Lazarus' sisters, Martha and Mary, who both expressed their faith in Jesus' power to raise the dead. Jesus then went to the tomb, wept, and called out to Lazarus, who was raised from the dead, bound in graveclothes. Many Jews who witnessed the miracle believed in Jesus, but the Pharisees and high priests plotted to kill him, fearing the Romans would take away their power if Jesus' popularity continued to grow.
Chapter 12
Jesus attended a dinner in Bethania where Mary anointed his feet with expensive ointment, prompting Judas to object, but Jesus defended her actions, saying the ointment was for his burial. A large crowd gathered to see Jesus and Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead, and the Pharisees plotted to kill Lazarus. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling a prophecy, and a crowd welcomed him with palm branches. Some Gentiles asked to see Jesus, and he told his disciples that the time had come for him to be glorified through his death. Jesus said that those who serve him will be honored by his Father, and he prayed for God to glorify his name, prompting a voice from heaven to respond. Jesus explained that his death would draw all people to himself and that he was the light of the world, but many did not believe in him due to their own blindness and hardness of heart.
Chapter 13
Jesus knew his time on earth was coming to an end and he loved his disciples until the end. During the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, including Peter, to demonstrate humility and set an example for them to follow. Jesus then revealed that one of the disciples would betray him, and after giving a piece of bread to Judas, Satan entered into him and Judas left to carry out the betrayal. After Judas' departure, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment to love one another as he had loved them, and he predicted that Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crowed.
Chapter 14
Jesus comforts his disciples, telling them not to be troubled, and promises to prepare a place for them in his Father's house. He claims to be the only way to the Father and that those who see him also see the Father. Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to teach and guide them after he is gone. He also promises that those who love him will be loved by the Father and that he will manifest himself to them. Jesus gives his disciples peace and tells them not to be troubled, and he explains that he is going to the Father because the Father is greater than he.
Chapter 15
Jesus describes himself as the true vine and his Father as the vinedresser, stating that those who abide in him will bear much fruit, while those who do not will be cast away. He commands his disciples to love one another as he has loved them, and notes that the world will hate them because it hated him first. Jesus also promises to send the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, to testify about him, and that his disciples will also offer testimony because they have been with him from the beginning.
Chapter 16
Jesus warns his disciples that they will be persecuted and put out of the synagogues, but he has told them this so they will remember his words when it happens. He explains that it is necessary for him to go away so the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, can come to them and teach them the whole truth. The Spirit will glorify Jesus and announce the things that are to come. Jesus also tells his disciples that they will mourn and weep when he is gone, but their sorrow will be turned into joy when they see him again. He encourages them to ask the Father for anything in his name, and the Father will give it to them. Jesus says he has overcome the world, and he has spoken these things to his disciples so they may have peace in him.
Chapter 17
Jesus prays to the Father, asking to be glorified so that he may glorify the Father, and that those the Father has given to him may be given eternal life through knowing the Father and Jesus. Jesus asks the Father to preserve and sanctify those he has been given, and to keep them from evil, so that they may be one with the Father and Jesus. Jesus also prays for those who will believe in him through the word of his disciples, that they may be one with the Father and Jesus, and that the world may know that the Father sent Jesus and loves them.
Chapter 18
Jesus and his disciples went to a garden where Judas, who had received a cohort from the high priests and Pharisees, found them. Jesus identified himself and the cohort arrested him, during which Peter cut off the ear of the high priest's servant. Jesus was taken to Annas, then Caiaphas, where he was questioned about his disciples and doctrine, and Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. Jesus was then sent to Pilate, who questioned him about being the king of the Jews, and Jesus explained that his kingdom was not of this world. Pilate found no case against Jesus but offered to release him at the Passover, however, the crowd chose to release Barabbas instead.
Chapter 19
Pilate had Jesus scourged and crowned with thorns, then presented him to the crowd, but they demanded his crucifixion. Pilate, finding no fault in Jesus, tried to release him, but the Jews insisted he was guilty of claiming to be the Son of God. Jesus was then led away, carrying his cross, and crucified between two others. A title was placed above his cross, reading "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews." After his death, his body was taken down and buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who prepared his body according to Jewish custom.
Chapter 20
Mary Magdalene discovered Jesus' tomb was empty and informed Peter and the other disciple, who found the linen cloths but no body. Mary then saw two angels and Jesus, but didn't recognize him until he called her name. Jesus instructed her to tell the disciples he was ascending to the Father. Later, Jesus appeared to the disciples, showing them his hands and side, and gave them the Holy Spirit, granting them the power to forgive sins. However, Thomas, who wasn't present, refused to believe until he saw Jesus' wounds for himself, which he did eight days later, and then confessed Jesus as his Lord and God.
Chapter 21
Jesus appeared to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, where they had gone fishing but caught nothing. Jesus instructed them to cast their net to the right side of the ship, and they caught a multitude of fish. After they landed, Jesus prepared a meal for them and asked Peter three times if he loved him, instructing him to feed his lambs and sheep each time. Jesus then foretold Peter's death and told him to follow him, and also told Peter not to concern himself with the fate of the disciple Jesus loved.
Share this book