Relevant Verses: Genesis 6, 9, 15; Deuteronomy 7; Jeremiah 31, Psalm 136Theme: Covenantal LoveLeading Question: “How does the idea of covenant help us understand the word “love”? Our lesson speaks of “covenantal love.” Just what does that mean?Comment: Where we live there is a “covenant” which spells out what can be built and what cannot be built i…

Relevant Verses: Exodus 33; Hosea 14; Matthew 22Theme: God Loves FreelyLeading Question: Given all that we know about the human race and about ourselves, is it “reasonable” to expect that God should love us?Our lessons this quarter juxtapose the concepts of God’s love and justice. Here are some crucial questions that help us address the tension bet…

Relevant Verses: John 21Theme: Knowing JesusLeading Question: What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?Question: Can you think of any events in your life that seemed bad at the time but in hindsight were meaningful?The last chapter in the Gospel of John contains Jesus’ appearance to the disciples on the shores of the Sea of Tiberius. One recogni…

Relevant Verses: John 18:33–19:5; 19:17–27; 20:1–18Theme: The Crucified and the Risen JesusIn his book Night, Elie Wiesel describes a scene from the concentration camp in Auschwitz:One day, as we returned from work, we saw three gallows, three black ravens, erected on the Appelplatz. Roll call. The SS surrounding us, machine guns aimed at us: the u…

Relevant Verses: John 14:10, 24; 16:7–11; 17:1–26Theme: Inseparable CompanionshipLeading Question: What is your preferred way of thinking about the Trinity?John's Gospel has been a significant source for the Christian doctrine of the Trinity from the patristic period to the present. The Fourth Gospel cintains the most comprehensive raw material for…

Relevant Verses: John 14:1–6Theme: Jesus, the Only WayLeading Question: How do we know the way to God?In postmodern times, one of the most important discussions in Christianity is whether salvation, or soteriology (soteria in Greek means "salvation"), is particular or universal. Is salvation only through Christ? If there are other ways to reach up …

Relevant Verses: John 1:4, 12, 13; 6:61-68; 10:10; 14:6Theme: Life in AbundanceLeading Question: What metaphor do you like to use to describe life?The Gospel of John begins with God as the life-giver: times.In Him was life, and the life was the Light of all people.(John 1:4 NRSV)The theme of life appears with the Greek word zoe 36 times in John’s n…

Relevant Verses: John 5:17, 20, 36–40, 46, 47; 8:12–30Theme: The Father’s TestimonyLeading Question: Have you ever waited for something important to happen and it felt like a life time?Healing on Sabbath (John 5)There were many who were sick—the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed—all aying at the pool gate of Bethesda. The man who was ill for 38 ye…

Relevant Verses: John 8:54–58; 12:1–8; 19:4–22; 20:19– 31Theme: Signs Faith versus Blessed FaithLeading Question: What do you need to believe?The tension between signs faith and belief without having seen is a curious one in John’s Gospel. On one hand, Jesus’ sings are featured with prominence in order that people might believe that Jesus is the Me…

Relevant Verses: John 1:32–36; 3:25–36; 5:36–38; 6:51–71; 7:37–53Theme: The Scandal of JesusLeading Question: Have you ever felt offended by something Jesus asked you to do?The miracle of the loaves and fish is recounted in all four Gospels. According to John’s account in chapter 6, this miracle becomes a “sign” pointing beyond itself on a much dee…

Relevant Verses: John 4Theme: The Witness of the Samaritan WomanLeading Question: Does a personal relationship with Jesus always feel good and comfortable?There could be no character more opposite to Nicodemus than the Samaritan woman at the well.Question: What are some of the contrasts you can draw between Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman?Questio…

Relevant Verses: John 1; 3Theme: Witnesses of the MessiahLeading Question: How comfortable are you with being a permanent bystander or witness for someone else?There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.He was not the Light, but he came to testify about…

Relevant Verses: John 1:1-18Theme: The Power of the WordLeading Question: What image does “the Word was God” convey for you?The prologue is the most profound statement about Jesus’ identity in the New Testament, identifying Jesus as the “Word” (logos). The Greek term logos had a conceptual background in Judaism and in Greek philosophy. In the Old T…

Relevant Verses: John 6:1–15, 26–36; 11Theme: Signs of DivinityLeading Question: What persuades you about Jesus as a divine being?Nowhere in the New Testament is Jesus presented as more thoroughly human and more thoroughly divine than in the Gospel of John. Consider these polarities pointed out by Prof. Paul N. Anderson, The Riddles of the Fourth G…