John's Gospel is the only one who tells us about this prayer. John's five-chapter discussion about the last supper and the journey to the garden where Jesus will be arrested comes to a conclusion with Jesus praying for the disciples who have followed him as well as the disciples who [...]
In John 16:1, Jesus said, “I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling.” A discussion about stumbling assumes the presence of obstacles. Jesus' concluding words of this chapter tie together his concern over obstacles by reminding the disciples that they will suffer in this world but that [...]
Name dropping: defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as “To mention casually the names of famous or important people to create the impression that one is familiar with them in an attempt to impress or influence others.” Have you ever noticed how many people try to associate their behavior with [...]
Chapter fourteen of the Gospel of John begins with a discussion between Jesus and Thomas, the one we know as “doubting Thomas.” Jesus mentioned that he was going away, and he says that the disciples know the way to where he is going. However, Thomas says they don't know Jesus' [...]
Jesus often turned society's way of doing things on its head. A poor woman gives a penny but gives more than the rich who offer bags of money. The poor in spirit enter the kingdom of God but the proud are rejected. Impurity is what comes out of a person's [...]
John chapter twelve illustrates the great divide between those who believed Jesus and those who didn't. This part of John's gospel follows hard on the heels of raising Lazarus to life and culminates in the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Meanwhile the “chief priests had decided to kill Lazarus also, because [...]
(NOTE: for those first-time readers to my blog, the title of the blog [The Lazarus Chronicles] represents my thoughts on the resurrected life. I use Lazarus as a means of thinking about the issues involved in living a resurrected life, and I use these particular articles called “Coffee with Lazarus,” [...]
Although the life of Jesus cannot be reduced merely to a model of good leadership, he exhibits a style of leadership that transcends the power-mongering of society's elite. He had already told his followers that they must not “lord it over” others like many of the rulers described as “those [...]
Though there is a lot of controversy over contemporary notions of equality, the discussions always miss the great equalizer: sin. My discussion begins in John, chapter eight. At first, equality seems to be a non-issue, but as we move through my thoughts, I'll make it clear that equality plays more [...]
The murmurings about Jesus continue in the Gospel of John, chapter 7. Some people believed him, some didn't, some refused even to admit he was believable. In the midst of all this controversy, a few asked a relevant question, “Will the Messiah do more than this man?” Skepticism abounded, anger [...]
