What’s the discipleship journey?

Our Discipleship Journey is designed to help you see that God is near and that he wants to have a meaningful relationship with you. Whether you have been walking with God for years or you just met him today, the tools below will help you get to know how deep, how wide, and how vast his love really is.

Our Discipleship Journey is made up of 3 main tools:

Fall 2025

The Book of John

Week 1 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 1:1-18

Day 2: John 1:19–34

Day 3: John 1:35–51

Day 4: John 2:1–25

Going Deeper

Day 1: Genesis 1:1–5

Day 2: Isaiah 40:1–11

Day 3: Psalm 2:7–12

Day 4: Malachi 3:1–5

Week 1 Journal Entry

John’s gospel opens the same way as Genesis, signaling that this book isn’t like the others. Where Matthew, Mark, and Luke also tell the story of Jesus, John’s words are different. He doesn’t begin with Jesus’ birth story or the rebirth through baptism story. Instead, from the very first sentence, we see the connection of Jesus to God at the beginning of the universe, a bigger plan of divine mystery. 

Just as God said, “Let there be light” in Genesis 1:3 NIV, John 1:9 NIV says, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” Just as we receive God as the creator in Genesis, John invites us to receive Jesus as his son. This act of faith sets the tone for the rest of the book, as John’s gospel will continually invite us to receive Jesus, the one who brings light, life, grace, truth, and hope for all the world.

Before we even read the story of Jesus’ life–before we read about anything he has done–we are invited to believe in him through faith. John uses a phrase often throughout his book, “come and see,” showing that even the disciples chose to start following Jesus and stick by him before they believed! According to John 2:11, Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathaneal all began to pursue this life alongside Jesus before they believed in him. While the timeline of events may differ between the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, it’s important to remember why the author would write it this way. Their questions and curiosity were acceptable to Jesus then, and ours still are today.

Week 1 Discussion Questions

1. Beach Church is a place where people can belong before they believe. What does John’s gospel tell us about this idea, and how does that change the way you might consider supporting people who don’t yet believe?

2. Discuss the similarities between John 1:1-5 and Genesis 1:1-5. Why might John be echoing this passage to establish Jesus’ identity as God’s son?

3. John 1:16-17 NIV says, “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” What is the grace already given? What is the grace in place of it? What does the law of Moses have to do with it?

Week 2 Discipleship Journey

Week 2 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 3:1–13

Day 2: John 3:14–21

Day 3: John 3:22–36

Day 4: Review John 1–3

Going Deeper

Day 1: Ezekiel 36:25–27

Day 2: Numbers 21:4–9

Day 3: Colossians 1:15–20

Day 4: Psalm 119

Week 2 Journal Entry

Jesus uses the word “condemn” or “condemned” three times in verses 17 and 18.  Condemn is a powerful word that typically carries negative connotation, particularly when talking about God.  But here Jesus uses its power to explain to the religious leader Nicodemus, and us, the Good News of the deliverance from condemnation that Jesus alone offers to anyone who will receive Him.

Notice that nowhere does Jesus ever say that God condemns us.  Instead, Jesus explains that anyone who does not believe in Him stands condemned already because that person has not believed in the name of Jesus, God’s only Son.  But the person who believes in the name of Jesus is not condemned.  In this context, condemnation never has to be permanent.  In Jesus, God has given us the way to escape its clutches.  The only way. Far from being exclusive, it is inclusive; Jesus said “whoever believes in Him” is delivered from death (verse 16). No exceptions!

God is not against us.  What He is seriously against is sin, and that is because He is seriously for us.  He loves us, and He is fiercely opposed to the things that destroy the people He loves.

Week 2 Discussion Questions

1. In verse 16, probably the most well-known verse in the New Testament, Jesus clearly says that God loves the world.  But elsewhere in Scripture, we are taught not to love the world (1 John 2:15-16) or conform to its ways (Romans 12:2).  How do we reconcile these passages?    

2. Given his position on the ruling council (verse 1), Nicodemus was well-learned and well-versed in the Scriptures, yet he is curious about Jesus and comes to Him in the night. Jesus proceeds to turn his way of thinking upside down. Imagine you are Nicodemus and hearing what Jesus says in this chapter. What is he feeling and thinking about what Jesus tells him

3. Contrast Nicodemus with John the Baptist, who responds not with jealousy or competitiveness but with humility, recognizing his role and who Jesus is (verses 22-36). How is John the Baptist able to put personal pride and accomplishments aside?

Week 3 Discipleship Journey

Week 3 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 4:1–26

Day 2: John 4:27–42

Day 3: John 4:43–54

Day 4: Review John 4

Going Deeper

Day 1: Isaiah 55:1–3

Day 2: Psalm 96

Day 3: 2 Kings 5:1–14

Day 4: Isaiah 12:1–6

Week 3 Journal Entry

“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”… Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words, many more became believers” John 4: 29, 39-41 (NIV).

The woman at the well had met the Messiah, Christ. She knew it from the effect his words had made on her heart. She would be forever changed, and she could not wait to share this news with others. She didn’t stay at the well and collect the water she had come for. She left her water jug at the well and hurried back to town to tell anyone who would listen about the treasure she had found. She did not make grandiose speeches or long-winded pleadings. Eleven words set into motion the salvation of many.

The woman at the well had become a disciple of Jesus. She had gone to town to plant seeds of Jesus’ truth and to invite all to “Come, see”. Because of her invitation, many came to Jesus, heard his good news, and were saved. “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together” John 4:35-36 (NIV). The message about a plentiful harvest was true in Jesus’ day and remains true today. We can be like the woman in this story and join in the harvest. We can sow seeds wherever God calls us and reap what others have sown before. “Give ear and come to me, hear me, that your soul may live” Isaiah 55:3. “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” Isaiah 12:3.

Week 3 Discussion Questions

1. In John 4:21-25, Jesus speaks to the woman at the well about worshiping the Father in spirit and truth. How would you compare the woman’s idea of worship with Jesus’ “worship in spirit and in truth”?

2. What has Jesus done in your life? What is your testimony? Can you write your testimony in only eleven words? Be prepared to share your eleven-word testimony with your group.

3. In John 4: 50, Jesus says, “You may go. Your son will live” and the son of the royal official is healed. The official did not ask questions, nor did he request proof of the healing before returning home.  The royal official took Jesus at his word and believed his son had been healed. Discuss in your group the importance that faith has in the power to heal.

Week 4 Discipleship Journey

Week 4 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 5:1–15

Day 2: John 5:16–30

Day 3: John 5:31–47

Day 4: John 6:1–21

Going Deeper

Day 1: Exodus 15:22–27

Day 2: Deuteronomy 18:15–19

Day 3: Zechariah 12:10

Day 4: 1 Kings 17:1–7

Week 4 Journal Entry

Jesus is God, and this is demonstrated in the miracles He performed. His authority over sickness when he healed the man at Bethesda, the ultimate provider when He fed the five thousand men (not including women and children), and ultimate power by overriding the laws of physics when He walked on water. 

Jesus states that he can do nothing without the Father and that he does what he sees the Father do. He says whatever the Father does, he also does (John Chapter 5:19 NIV). This illustrates the relationship between the Father and Son, how both possess power and authority over time, space, and matter.

Something else to notice is the testimonies of John and Moses pointing to Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus speaks to the Pharisees who are persecuting him and mentions that the very works he is doing testify that the Father has sent him (John 5:36 NIV). Jesus mentions that the very Scriptures the Pharisees diligently study testify about him, and yet, they do not believe and therefore have no life. 

It is important to note here that studying the Scriptures does not grant us eternal life. This is mentioned in John 5:39 NIV. Placing your trust in Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of the world leads to eternal life. Reading and knowing scripture is an important part of our faith, but it must transform who we are. 

Week 4 Discussion Questions

1. “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.” (John 6:11). Jesus gave thanks and performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000. Can you look back and think of a time when Jesus proved to be the ultimate provider in your life? How did this impact your faith? 

2. Jesus demonstrates the importance of gratitude by giving thanks before distributing the loaves of bread and pieces of fish. What role does gratitude play in your daily life? Does your prayer primarily focus on giving thanks? If so, how much of your prayer time focuses on gratitude?

3. The Pharisees did not believe the testimonies of Jesus. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you willing to believe what I say!” (John 5:45-47). Who are your hopes set on? Are your hopes set in Jesus, or do you catch yourself placing your hope in someone else? Or in something else?

Week 5 Discipleship Journey

Week 5 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 6:22–40

Day 2: John 6:41–71

Day 3: John 7:1–24

Day 4: John 7:25–52

Going Deeper

Day 1: Deuteronomy 8:3

Day 2: Proverbs 1:23

Day 3: Leviticus 23:33–44

Day 4: Ecclesiastes 3:1

Week 5 Journal Entry

Just the day before, Jesus satisfied the crowd of five thousand through a miracle with five loaves and two fish (John 6:1-14). The next day, seeking Jesus, the crowd took boats across the sea. Jesus tells them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." John‬ ‭6‬:‭26‬-‭29‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jesus then uses provocative, metaphorical language to help the listener understand who he is and how they might obtain eternal life through him. Jesus says, "I am the bread of life" and "whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51-58). What is Jesus' point in these statements? The way we labor for the food that leads to eternal life is by believing in Jesus (John 6:27-29). The way we satisfy our spiritual hunger and quench our spiritual thirst is by believing in Jesus (John 6:33-36). The way to obtain the resurrection from the dead is to believe in Jesus(John 6:40). The way to receive eternal life is to believe in Jesus (John 6:47). 

We see here the essential role of faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and the profound, life-giving relationship believers have with him through this faith.

Week 5 Discussion Questions

1. What are you placing your satisfaction in: a temporary pleasure or relationship, your career, or even your family? 

2. What's holding you back from a complete surrender in believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior of every area of your life? 

3. What does it mean for you to do the work of God (John 6:26-29)?

Week 6 Discipleship Journey

Week 6 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 8:1–20

Day 2: John 8:21–47

Day 3: John 8:48–59

Day 4: John 9:1–23

Going Deeper

Day 1: Deuteronomy 17:6–7

Day 2: Isaiah 42:6–7

Day 3: Exodus 3:13–15

Day 4: Isaiah 35:5–6

Week 6 Journal Entry

John 8 opens with a powerful and symbolic moment of the Gospel, one that reflects God's heart for His people. To give context to the passage, Jesus is preaching in the Temple in Judea during the Festival of Tabernacles. The Pharisees threw a woman who was caught in adultery into the middle of the crowd to be seen by everyone, and they tried to trap Jesus with the law of Moses, since the law said to stone anyone caught in adultery. 

This is a beautiful picture of the Gospel, a sinful woman accused by the Pharisees and thrown before Jesus. In this account, represent the law that can only expose sin, yet not save us from it. The woman, broken and ashamed, stands in this picture as us - humanity, the unfaithful people who have gone astray. Jesus steps in as our mediator between the Law and the guilty. He does not deny her sin, but He does not condemn her either. Instead, He covers her in mercy and restores her dignity by saying “Neither do I condemn you… go and sin no more”. Jesus does the same with us; removes the shame the enemy and the world try to put on our shoulders, and calls us into a life of Holiness, not through fear but through love and belonging in Him. 

John 9 tells us of a man born blind and when Jesus went to him, people asked “was it this man or his parents that sinned” and Jesus said that it was neither but so that the glory of God may be shown through him. This validates James 1:2; “Count it all joy when you face trials of many kinds” because the Lord is faithful to use the hard things we go through to strengthen our faith but also the faith of others. Setting our mind on things above will remind us of the love, power, and kindness of God.

Week 6 Discussion Questions

1. Where in your life recently have you felt the Loving mercy of God cover you with grace and dignity? 

2. What's an area of your life that you are beginning to see Jesus’ heart and character more clearly than you did before? 

3. What might the Lord be asking you to lay down at His feet so that you can walk forward with Him in grace (ie, Habits, Perspectives, Mindsets)?

Week 7 Discipleship Journey

Week 7 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 9:24–41

Day 2: John 10:1–21

Day 3: John 10:22–42

Day 4: John 11:1–57

Going Deeper

Day 1: Jeremiah 5:21

Day 2: Ezekiel 34:11–16

Day 3: Nehemiah 8:2–18

Day 4: 2 Kings 4:32–37

Week 7 Journal Entry

Any doubt about who Jesus is should have been erased when He raised to life a man, Lazarus, who had been dead and buried for four days. And indeed, John tells us that many who witnessed that miraculous event put their faith in Jesus (John 11:45).

But spiritual blindness is a persistent affliction that has kept humanity from seeing God’s truth since long before Jesus came to earth.  And God’s people are not immune. Centuries earlier, the prophet Jeremiah addressed a people that have eyes but do not see and ears but do not hear (Jeremiah 5:21).

What was in the hearts of the religious leaders determined how they perceived the Lazarus miracle. They saw it not as evidence of the promised Messiah but as a threat. They were blinded spiritually by their pride, jealousy and fear of losing their positions (John 11:48). In fact, their spiritual blindness is on full display in this week’s readings, starting with their questioning and verbal persecution of a physically blind man whose sight Jesus restored in Chapter 9 and their stubborn refusal to even consider the evidence that Jesus is who He says He is.

Before Jesus raised Lazarus, his sister Martha also honestly expressed her doubt. Unlike the religious leaders, she has no hidden motives. But Jesus reminds her that if she believes, she will see the glory of God. This is true of all of us. We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV). Belief comes first. In the spiritual realm, seeing is not believing; believing allows us to see.

Week 7 Discussion Questions

1. Jesus proclaims that He came into the world so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind. When the Pharisees question whether he means them, He tells them if they were blind, they would not be guilty of sin, but since they claim to see, their guilt remains (John 9:39-41). Think beyond the surface of this exchange. What is Jesus saying to them, and us?

2. Jesus spoke truth to power and often got confrontational with the religious leaders, but not really with anyone else He encountered during His earthly ministry. Why do you think this is? What does it say about how we should respond to those who do not know Jesus versus those who say they do yet distort or ignore His teachings or use their power to mistreat or persecute?

3. Jesus' even returning to Judea to raise Lazarus was risky given that the religious leaders had tried to stone Him there a short time earlier (John 10:31, 39). Even his disciples questioned His decision to return there (John 11:8). But Jesus decides not based on fear, risk, or even what’s in it for Him, but on what will glorify God. How do we develop the confidence in God to cultivate a similar attitude?

Week 8 Discipleship Journey

Week 8 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 12:1–11

Day 2: John 12:12–19

Day 3: John 12:20–36

Day 4: John 12:37–50

Going Deeper

Day 1: Song of Solomon 1:12–17

Day 2: Zechariah 9:9–10

Day 3: Isaiah 53:10–12

Day 4: Isaiah 6:1–10

Week 8 Journal Entry

In John 12:20-26, some Greeks went to worship at the Passover feast and wished to see Jesus (John 12:20-21 ESV). Jesus uses the image of a grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying to explain that his death is necessary for new life and fruitfulness. Just as a single grain produces a harvest, his death will result in a multitude of believers (John 12:23-24 ESV). 

Jesus also emphasizes that those who love their lives in this world will lose them, while those who are willing to give them up will find eternal life (John 12:25-26 ESV). Jesus uses "hate" and "love" to draw a contrast. Overall, the author is trying to say that the way we view everything in this world, including our own lives, should look like hatred in comparison to our love for the Lord. That's what Jesus is talking about here. Here, Jesus is teaching us to die to ourselves or to deny ourselves, meaning we need to be willing to humble ourselves to exalt or magnify Him. 

This concept is so countercultural. Our culture continually lures us into prioritizing our own needs over those of others. Now, understand this: there is a necessity to take care of yourself. Perhaps where you are, you need to create a weekly rhythm of Sabbath rest. Each of us has an invitation from the Lord for this week.

Week 8 Discussion Questions

1. Where can you be a spiritual grain of wheat falling to the ground to bring Kingdom Fruit into the lives of others? At work? At home? In a relationship? 

2. Is there something in your life that is currently taking priority over Jesus? 

3. Holy Spirit, where are you inviting me to die to myself, like the grain of wheat, so that I and others may exalt you?

Week 9 Discipleship Journey

Week 9 Reading Plan

Day 1:  John 13:1–20

Day 2: John 13:21–38

Day 3: John 14:1–14

Day 4: John 14:15–31

Going Deeper

Day 1: Micah 6:6–8

Day 2: Leviticus 19:17–18

Day 3: Psalm 27

Day 4: Joel 2:28–32

Week 9 Journal Entry

  In previous weeks, we were introduced to Jesus' message that He was sent to earth by the Father, is one in communion with the Father, and that He was sent to redeem all believers to the Father. In chapters 13 and 14, Jesus uses His last few days on earth to urgently continue this line of teaching with His disciples. He emphasizes that "the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God" John 13: 3 (NIV). Jesus had been sent, not to conform to the patterns of this world but to set an example of a new way of living to the glorification of God.
At the Last Supper, Jesus showed an example of this new way of living by humbling Himself to the lowest position in society, that of a servant. Using water from a basin and a towel, Jesus broke Jewish custom and became a servant by washing the disciples' feet. He concluded the meal by challenging them with this new way of living. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" John 13: 34-35 (NIV). Jesus' authority on earth was made complete not through military victories and control but by reflecting the character of the One who had sent Him. He set the example that to be victorious over the darkness of this world, we must assume a life of humble service, justice, mercy, and love. He exhibited His power and authority in a way that was not expected; he chose to show His power through His unfathomable love for all mankind.
He speaks this same message to us today. Jesus encourages us when He says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father" John 14: 12 (NIV). He promises that we will not be living lives governed by love, justice, and mercy on our own. "And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever- the Spirit of truth" John 14:17 (NIV). Because we believe in the resurrection of Jesus, we have been reconciled to the Father. We can journey through life being guided by the Spirit, learning to live our lives as Jesus lived, and being empowered to love as Jesus loved.

Week 9 Discussion Questions

1. We have been called to be Jesus' disciples, to "do as He did." Describe a time recently when you showed leadership and love by doing something unexpected to serve someone else.

2. John 13:31-32 states, "When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify him at once." What does it mean for God to be glorified through the glorification of Jesus?

3. In chapter 14, Jesus highlights that He is the only way to eternal life with God and He is leaving the world to prepare a place in His Father's house for them. How are you preparing for your place in the Father’s house?

Week 10 Discipleship Journey

Week 10 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 15:1–17

Day 2: John 15:18–16:4

Day 3: John 16:5–15

Day 4: John 16:16–33

Going Deeper

Day 1: Psalm 80:8–19

Day 2: Isaiah 66:1–5

Day 3: Proverbs 1:20–33

Day 4: Psalm 30

Week 10 Journal Entry

Picture this: Jesus just ate his last meal with the disciples and begins giving them his final words of instruction, encouragement, and comfort before he dies. Although he had told them he would be leaving, they didn’t quite understand what that meant. But surrounded by friends with full bellies, Jesus wraps up the last few years they spent together with this beautiful teaching. 

John 15:10 NIV says, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love.” Maybe not the sentimental words you’d expect as Jesus’ last words… Didn’t we just read about how faith and believing have replaced the laws and commands? 

But Jesus continues, reminding us that keeping the command isn’t where we find our hope. Our hope for a life of love, forgiveness, and peace comes from God’s grace and mercy alone. Instead, keeping the command is where we find our joy. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:11-12 NIV). Following Jesus’ commands, like loving our neighbor, is one way we experience joy. Having a hard week? Help someone. Feeling frustrated or angry? Serve someone. The quickest way to feel God’s love and have your heart turn to joy is to love others as he has loved you. 

Jesus seals the deal in John 16:1 NIV saying, “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.” He makes it clear to the disciples then–and to us now–that love is always the answer. When we are committed to loving our neighbor, our enemy, and ourselves, we are as close to God as we can be. 

Week 10 Discussion Questions

1. How do you practically love others as Jesus would?

2. Why would this be an important enough message for Jesus to share as his final instruction before being arrested?

3. Jesus here also tells the disciples his Holy Spirit is coming, and later in the New Testament we learn that joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit working in us. Discuss.

Week 11 Discipleship Journey

Week 11 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 17:1–5

Day 2: John 17:6–19

Day 3: John 17:20–26

Day 4: John 18:1–27

Going Deeper

Day 1: Psalm 115

Day 2: Numbers 6:22–27

Day 3: Psalm 133

Day 4: Zechariah 13:6–9

Week 11 Journal Entry

John 17 is Jesus’ Priestly Prayer over all of His disciples, past, present, and future. This is a very clear view into the Lord’s heart for His people. He does not pray for the world in this passage, though He does long for all to know Him. He prays for His sheep, the surrendered ones who have believed in the Gospel and laid their lives down for Him. In this passage, the Lord Jesus looks up to the Father and longs to be in Glory with Him again (v. 5), but He knows that He is leaving His disciples behind. He intercedes on our behalf, asking the Father to teach us truth by the Father's Word and to make us Holy by way of truth and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. 

In verse 11 of chapter 17, the Lord Jesus pleads for the Father to protect us by the power of His name, for us to be united together just as the Father and the Son are united, and through that we will experience the same Unity that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share. We know that the enemy is trying to cause disunity in the Body, and Jesus, knowing all, prays specifically for this. Jesus wants His people to be with Him in that place of Unity and Glory, and pleads with the Father that we may be unified with each other in the same way. 

John 18 starts with the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. When Jesus is arrested, He goes willingly and submits to the Father’s will, but the intention of the Lord in this account is beautiful. In verse 38, Pilate is interrogating Jesus, and he asks, “What is truth?”. Pilate gets no answer because in Jesus’ silence, He answered “Me.” That was the invitation to Pilate to believe in the Good News. Even though Jesus was submitted to the Father and on His way to die for the sins of the world, He still was intentional about a person of high authority in the Roman government who oppressed the people of Israel, to know about this living water that Jesus wants to flood all of creation with.

Week 11 Discussion Questions

1. Where do you see unity or disunity among believers today, and how can we be part of the solution to cultivate unity?

2. What might it look like to follow Jesus’ example of surrender in an area where you're still holding onto control?

3. How do you personally stay rooted in truth when surrounded by competing voices or distractions?

Week 12 Discipleship Journey

Week 12 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 18:28–19:16

Day 2: John 19:17–27

Day 3: John 19:28–42

Day 4: John 19:38–42

Going Deeper

Day 1: Isaiah 53:1–9

Day 2: Psalm 22:1–18

Day 3: Exodus 12:1–30

Day 4: Isaiah 53:9

Week 12 Journal Entry

You are standing on the stone pavement, having been questioned extensively by the judge. No definitive charge has been made, and no evidence has been presented to convict you of a crime. The judge has stated on three occasions that he finds no charges on which to find you guilty (John 18: 38, 19: 4, 6). The crowd nearby insists that you must be crucified. When you look around at your accusers, you recognize fellow Jewish leaders. These are most likely the leaders you have seen daily at the temple. There are fellow Jewish citizens who, only seven days ago, were in the streets chanting “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!”John 12:13 (NIV). You remain quiet and motionless, knowing that your execution is imminent.

All that is happening had been foretold in the Old Testament. Jesus knows that he has come to fulfill the Messianic prophecies. Psalm 22:16-18 (NIV) predicted that “...a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and feet, I can count all my bones: people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing”. Isaiah 53:7 (NIV) predicts, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
Jesus’ life and death revealed to the world His divine authority and absolute truth over all. “You say that I am a king. The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of the truth listens to me. “What is truth?” retorted Pilate, John 18:37-38 (NIV). “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6 (NIV).

Week 12 Discussion Questions

1. 1. As we read about Jesus’ trial, it is Pilate who is responsible for either convicting Jesus of a crime or setting him free. Three times, he states that he finds no charge against Jesus. Pilate still releases him to the crowd to be crucified. Can you think of a situation where someone has not used their position of authority to bring about justice and truth?

   2. In John 18:14, it reads, “Caiaphas was the one who advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.” Explain how profound this statement would become in light of the crucifixion of Jesus.

   3. John 19: 38-40 recounts the burial of Jesus, which was carried out by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Both of these men had been disciples of Jesus before his crucifixion, but only in secret. What has changed to empower them to take the risk of stepping out of the darkness to prepare Jesus’ body for burial?

Week 13 Discipleship Journey

Week 13 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 20:1–18

Day 2: John 20:19–23

Day 3: John 20:24–31

Day 4: John 20:30–31

Going Deeper

Day 1: Psalm 16:8–11

Day 2: Genesis 2:4–7

Day 3: Habakkuk 2:1–4

Day 4: Romans 10:8–17

Week 13 Journal Entry

Our response to the Gospel is the most significant part of our lives. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3 NIV). It also ends with Jesus because he defeated death, and through our faith in his resurrection, we humans can have eternal life just as Jesus does. This proves He is God.

The most important question is, do you believe? In Chapter 20 of the Book of John, it says that John went inside the tomb, saw the strips of linen as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head, and believed, despite not understanding from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead (John 20:6-9 NIV). His faith in Jesus surpassed his knowledge of the Scriptures. This demonstrated the importance of our faith. 

Thomas was known as the doubter of the group of disciples. To believe Jesus has truly risen from the dead, Thomas needed to feel the actual pierced hands and side of Jesus (John 20:25 NIV). Jesus displays amazing grace and compassion by not rebuking him, but allowing him to feel the pierced parts of his resurrected body. Jesus could have shoved him away and removed him from the group of disciples if he wanted to, because he had every right to do so. But he did not. He responded with grace.

The signs and miracles Jesus performed were written so that every person who reads about them may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing they may have life in His name (John 20:31 NIV). John states there were so many signs Jesus performed in front of his disciples, but which were not recorded in the Bible (John 20:30 NIV). With what is written in the Old and New Testaments on signs and wonders displayed by God, one can only imagine the miracles Jesus performed.

Week 13 Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the many signs performed by Jesus in the presence of his disciples were not recorded as mentioned in John 20:30? 

2. John’s response to the empty tomb was the opposite of Thomas’s reaction regarding the resurrection of Jesus. Why do you think that is? How important is seeing versus believing? 

3. Besides John, Mary Magdalene was another one of Jesus’ followers who did not understand from the Scriptures that Jesus had to rise from the dead (despite being close to Jesus). What role does understanding play in our walk with Jesus? Can emotions sometimes cloud our understanding of truth? Is understanding more important than faith?

Week 14 Discipleship Journey

Week 14 Reading Plan

Day 1: John 21:1–14

Day 2: John 21:15–19

Day 3: John 21:20–23

Day 4: John 21:24–25

Going Deeper

Day 1: 1 Kings 19:1–8

Day 2: Proverbs 3:1–6

Day 3: Ecclesiastes 3:1–11

Day 4: Revelation 1:1–3

Week 14 Journal Entry

Before Jesus called His disciples to "Follow me" (John 1:43, Matthew 4:19, and Mark 1:16-18), several of them had been commercial fishermen. Jesus had met them right where they were in their ordinary lives and offered them a deal they couldn't refuse. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men" (Mark 1:17 NIV). They spent three years as his apprentices, watching as He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, healed the sick, and raised people from the grave. But now their rabbi had been crucified, buried, and the body stolen from the grave. They had heard Jesus speak of love, forgiveness, and restoration, yet they did not understand the complexity of His message. Believing that everything had been lost, they quickly returned to the lives they had previously known, just being fishermen.

Jesus had not given up on these men He loved so deeply. He continued to pursue them after His resurrection despite their lack of understanding and faith.  Jesus shared a breakfast of fish and bread with them, revealing His unending hospitality and divine provision. He acknowledged Peter's three denials during His trial (John 18:15-27) and gently restored their relationship. Peter's three declarations of love for Jesus remind us of the Lord’s unwavering forgiveness. Peter is then recommissioned to "Follow me!" (John 21:19 NIV) as Jesus releases His disciples into the world to become His fishers of men.

Jesus encourages us today in the same way. Despite our betrayal and rebellion, wavering loyalty and idolatry, lack of understanding and faith, Jesus still deeply loves each of us. He continues to pursue us as we grow in our knowledge of Him and walk with Him more closely. He is faithful in His hospitality and divine provision in our lives. He calls us into repentance to restore our relationship with the Father. Being full of mercy and grace, Jesus daily recommissions each one of us as His disciples to step out in faith and become His fishers of men.

Week 14 Discussion Questions

1. The entire book that John wrote can be viewed as his testimony to the life and death of Jesus, similar to how each of us has a testimony. What makes John's testimony so powerful?

2. In the story of the miraculous catch of fish, John is very specific about the number of fish that were caught – 153.  Research online several of the explanations for why this number may have been used by John. Be ready to share with your group different theories and which one you believe is most reasonable.

3. In John 21:20-23, Jesus rebukes Peter for having his focus on the actions of another person instead of on Jesus Himself. Can you think of a time when Jesus redirected your focus from being on other people and back into alignment with Him?