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The references to “Doubting Thomas” cast this story in a particular light. (While there was a period during which the story was referred to as “Inquisitive Thomas,” this has gone by the wayside.) It is (...)

“Good Friday” was not “good” that afternoon in Jerusalem.  The series of events that ensue—within these two lectionary chapters (John 18-19)—bring closure to Jesus’ earthly mission. Judas’ betrayal—for which the fourth Gospel prepares readers (John (...)

Passion Sunday is a unique moment in the worship life of the church. It is a day on which we hear not one, but two gospel texts. I will be offering reflections on the second (...)

Building on last week’s text, we are now working one passage at a time through John to reach Resurrection Sunday. There is a coherence to the story as it progresses. Today is Jesus before Pilate, (...)

John’s Gospel has been leading to chapter 13 and beyond. John 12:50 is the end of Jesus’ public ministry. As the scenes turn, there are now three narrative aims: 1) Jesus’ farewell and preparation of (...)

(Author’s note: I discussed the latter part of this pericope in an earlier essay for Working Preacher. I encourage you to consult those comments. For this essay, I will focus on the earlier portion of (...)

John 10:1–18 may be one of those texts that is best read with two frameworks in mind: 1) Jesus’s context and audience and 2) our context and audience. So far in John, we have seen (...)

This passage is tightly connected to and shares parallels with the one immediately preceding (7:10-36): “the charge that the multitudes are being led astray (7:12, 47); Moses or his law (7:19-23, 51); judging righteously (7:24, (...)

When clergy invite me to speak at their church, I ask them what they are wanting for their people. I’ve been struck lately by how many say some version of this: “My people are doing (...)

This story is the first of the only three healing stories that occur in John. The other two are the healing at the pool of Bethesda (5:1-18) and the healing of the man born blind (...)