English

Turning Water Into Wine

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • What is something nice someone did for you recently? • Have you ever been to a party where the food or drinks ran out? What happened? • Tell us about a time you had an urgent need and someone was able to meet it.  𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴, 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟮:𝟭𝟭 (Read also 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟮:𝟭–𝟭𝟬.) In his account of Jesus’ life, John the disciple wrote about seven signs, or miracles, that Jesus used to reveal His glory to His disciples and followers. Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding in Cana, a weeklong event where the food and wine should not run out. At this wedding, however, the host ran out of wine. Jesus, moved by the need He saw, revealed His glory to His disciples for the first time by turning water into wine. Let us look at three qualities of Jesus revealed by this miracle. 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀’ 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀. 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, “𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳.” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘮. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟮:𝟳 When Jesus was told that there was no more wine left, He responded that it was not yet time to manifest His glory. The lack of wine was also not a critical event to anyone except the host, for it would bring great shame to the family. When Jesus turned the water into wine, the only ones who knew were His disciples and the servants, those behind the scenes. Through the miracle, Jesus met a need and revealed His power and concern for people. What do you think may have moved Jesus to respond? 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀’ 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 (𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸), 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘸.” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟮:𝟵-𝟭𝟬 Jesus did not only turn water into wine—He turned it into excellent wine. He went beyond what was expected and upheld the host’s honor and hospitality. Even if the wedding was not a critical life-or-death situation, Jesus abundantly met the need before Him. He used the imagery of wine as mentioned by the prophets (Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13–14; Jeremiah 31:12) to show His blessed fruitfulness and provision. How does this miracle illustrate the grace of God as described in John 1:16? 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀’ 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 (𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸), 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 . . . 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟮:𝟵 Jesus did not seek attention for the miracle in any way. The servants did not tell the master of the feast about the miracle, and the host received the credit for the wine. Turning water into wine at the wedding of Cana was Jesus’ first miracle, but He manifested God’s glory in the humblest way and only to those behind the scenes. Why do you think Jesus chose to reveal God’s glory in this way? The first sign points to the purpose of all the signs: to manifest the glory of Jesus Christ. The first sign shows us several things: it reveals Christ’s power and authority; it shows His concern for people and their needs; and it shows His value for all—even those behind the scenes.  𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Do you believe that Jesus is a miracle worker? Based on the Bible story, what kind of miracle worker is He? How may He have been at work in your own life? • Jesus’ abundant grace is seen in how He meets the needs of the people. What would “abundant grace” look like in your life today? • Is there a story of Jesus’ miracles and grace that you can share with your family members and friends this week? What is that story and how can you share it? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank Jesus for His abundant grace and love that moves Him to work miracles in your life. • Pray that as you continue to believe in Jesus, you will also continue to see God’s glory manifested in your life through miracles.  • Ask God to show His glory to your family members and friends through miracles in your life and in their lives as well. Pray for an opportunity to share God’s love and grace with them. 

Healing The Official's Son

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • Have you ever asked anyone for a big favor, and it was granted? How did you feel? • Is there anyone you believe no matter what they say? Who is that person? How did that happen? • Share about the most serious illness you or a family member experienced. 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦.” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘦. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟰:𝟱𝟯-𝟱𝟰 (Read also 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟰:𝟰𝟲-𝟱𝟮.) After Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana, news spread that He could perform miracles. When Jesus returned to Cana, it was likely that those around Jesus were watching to see if He really would, or could, do miracles. However, Jesus only granted the sign to the one who first believed it could be done, and then acted on that belief. How did this happen? Let’s look at how this person’s faith led to a miraculous healing. 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗻. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩. . . . 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘚𝘪𝘳, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴.”  𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟰:𝟰𝟳,𝟰𝟵 The story does not say whether or not the official was the only one who asked Jesus for something. What we do know is that at this time, the news of Jesus doing a miracle was mostly a rumor. Very few people had seen it happen. This desperate official took a chance and asked Jesus for a miracle. Jesus addressed the viewers, challenging their choice to believe only 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 seeing signs and wonders, instead of acting by faith. How did Jesus’ description of the viewers contrast with the official’s actions? 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱. 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘎𝘰; 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦.” 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘈𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟰:𝟱𝟬-𝟱𝟭 None of the viewers saw the sign or miracle that Jesus did. Only the person who acted upon his faith and asked for a miracle was able to see the sign. When the official heard Jesus’ words, he believed that the healing was complete and went home. Because he acted on his faith, the glory of God was revealed to him personally. What does it mean for us to take Jesus or God at His word? 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀. 𝘚𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘠𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮.” 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦.” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟰:𝟱𝟮-𝟱𝟯 Because of the miracle, God’s glory was revealed to one household, and everyone in the household believed in Him. The miracle was personal to the official who received it, and it met an urgent and personal need. In the end, most importantly, God’s glory was revealed and people believed in Jesus because of this. How has God built up your faith amidst challenging situations? The second miracle Jesus performed revealed His authority over life and death. The official was most likely a Roman official, a Gentile who wasn’t expecting a Savior because of prophecies. As early as His second miracle, Jesus revealed His power and grace to more than just the Jews. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Have you only ever heard about how Jesus can work miracles in your life? Would you like to know more about who He is today? • When you feel like Jesus has spoken to you, how do you normally respond? What would a response of faith look like for you? • Has everyone in your household experienced Christ’s grace and glory? How can you share it with those in your household this week? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank Jesus for the personal and loving way that He does miracles to meet His people’s needs. • Pray for the courage to take Jesus at His word and for the strength to obey by faith. • Ask Jesus for the opportunity to share about His grace and glory with your household this week. Pray for the right words to say as you speak about Him.

Healing the Paralyzed Man

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • Share about a time someone gave you a helping hand when you really needed it. What happened? • Tell us about a time someone forgave you for doing something you felt guilty about even before you apologized. • Was there a time when you did something that did not turn out well, and you suffered the consequences of your actions? What happened, and how did you deal with it? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬.” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟱:𝟴-𝟵 (Read also 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟱:𝟭-𝟭𝟱.) In Jerusalem, there was a pool called Bethesda. According to the story, anyone who was able to touch the water first after it was stirred up would be healed. At that pool, Jesus saw a lame man who had been there for a long time, and He healed him. Later on, Jesus told the man not to sin anymore, so that nothing worse would happen to him. This sign shows how Jesus does miracles to deliver us from the consequences of our sins. What does this sign tell us about the greatness of God’s grace? 𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘆. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺-𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥?” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟱:𝟱-𝟲 To “supersede” means to “take the place of” or to “remove and replace.” Jesus saw the longtime hopelessness of the lame man. He must have also known that the man’s physical condition was a consequence of his own sinful actions. However, Jesus still approached the man and asked if he wanted to be healed. God’s grace is not only for our physical healing, but also to save us from our separation from Him. If you were the man, how do you think you would have responded to Jesus’ question? 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘚𝘪𝘳, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦.” 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬.” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥. . . . 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘚𝘦𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭! 𝘚𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟱:𝟳–𝟵,𝟭𝟰 The lame man answered Jesus’ question by explaining that no one was available to help him, and that he could not help himself to the pool. At that moment, Jesus told the man to stand and healed the man. Think about the joy the man must have felt! It was only later that Jesus invited the man to turn away from sin so that 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 would happen to him. This miracle shows us that it is not about what we do, but what Jesus did for us. What does Romans 2:4 say about repentance and God’s loving kindness? 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆.  𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥, “𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘥.” 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, ‘𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬.’” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟱:𝟭𝟬-𝟭𝟭 At that time, on one day in the week called the Sabbath, it was forbidden to work or do any kind of labor. The rules about this were so detailed that you could not even roll up your bed on that day. Instead of celebrating with the lame man about his healing, the Jews protested that he took up his bed on the Sabbath. But, God’s grace is greater than religiosity and legalism. How did Jesus respond to the Jews in John 5:17? What does this say about Him? This third sign foreshadowed a greater miracle that Jesus would do, when He died on the cross and saved every person from the power of sin over us and its consequences. Jesus used this sign to reveal His greater overall plan for all people. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • The apostle Peter wrote an encouragement to the readers of his letter that Jesus overcame the impossible, died for our sins, and has healed us by his wounds (1 Peter 2:24). Do you believe in this truth? Would you like to receive this saving power today? • Is there an area in your life that you are holding on to more than the finished work of Jesus? Ask God for the grace to surrender that part of your life and to trust Him wholeheartedly. • Do you know a friend or family member who is in need of healing? Pray with someone this week for complete healing and restoration. 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Praise God for His miraculous power to heal us physically and spiritually, even when things seem hopeless or impossible. • Ask God for forgiveness for relying on your own abilities instead of His abundant grace. • Pray for someone who is in need of healing, whether physically, emotionally, or mentally. Ask God to use you to be a channel of His love to this person.

Feeding the 5,000

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • What is your comfort food after a long day? • Share about a time you were so hungry that you ate something you do not normally eat. • Share about a time that you had a hard time getting something to eat. What happened? What did you do? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. . . . 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦; 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟲:𝟭𝟭,𝟯𝟱 (Read also 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟲:𝟱-𝟭𝟰.) In the middle of His ministry, great crowds followed Jesus because He was healing the sick. When Jesus saw that the crowd had gone long without food, He responded to their need and miraculously fed 5,000 men, along with the women and children with them. How does this miracle point to who Jesus is? Let’s look at how Jesus meets both our physical and deepest needs. 𝟭. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆. 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱, “𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘢𝘵?” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟲:𝟱 Jesus identified the need of the crowd for food before anyone spoke or complained. He took initiative and asked His disciple, Philip, where they could buy bread for the multitude of people there. Then the disciple Andrew found a boy who had only five loaves of bread and two fish, but knew that wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone. Jesus took the food that could have fed some and used it to feed all. What do these actions say about Jesus? 𝟮. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬. 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴, “𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵.” 𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟲:𝟭𝟭-𝟭𝟯 Jesus seated the crowd, gave thanks to God, and miraculously multiplied the five loaves of bread and two fish until each person in the crowd had eaten their fill, as much as they wanted. More than that, there were so many leftover fragments that twelve baskets were filled with pieces of bread. What does this abundance of provision say about how Jesus provides? 𝟯. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘁.  𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥!” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟲:𝟭𝟰 God promised His people from the start that He would raise a prophet like Moses for them that they would listen to (Deuteronomy 18:15). Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the crowd convinced them that He is someone extraordinary, perhaps the prophet God had promised to send. What part of the miracle do you think convinced the crowd? (See Exodus 16:15.) The fourth sign clearly shows that Jesus is someone who anticipates our needs before we speak them, cares for us, and meets our needs in abundance. He cares about us and provides for us. Like Moses, Jesus fulfilled the role of a prophet sent by God and provided bread from heaven—which we discover in the rest of John 6 is His own body. All who partake of Him will receive and experience eternal life. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • After reading about this miracle, what do you think this says about who Jesus is and who He is in your life? • Do you see Jesus as someone who cares and provides for your daily needs? What is something you can do this week to deepen your understanding of who Jesus is? • Is there anyone who needs to hear about this miracle and how Jesus cares for our daily needs? How can you share it with this person this week? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank Jesus for taking the initiative to see our needs and providing for us even before we ask. • Pray that you will always be sensitive to how Jesus moves in your life to provide for your daily needs. • Ask God for the grace to share about Jesus’ love, care, and provision with your family members and friends this week.

Walking on Water

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • When was the last time you went on a trip? What were the things that made the journey difficult? • Share about an instance when you asked someone for help. What led you to do this? • Recall a time when you had to accomplish a difficult task. Tell us about it. 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢, 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘶𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟲:𝟭𝟲-𝟭𝟳 (Read also 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟲:𝟭𝟴-𝟮𝟭.) Jesus’ disciples were on their way to Capernaum. At sea, the circumstances were not favorable to them. It was dark, there was a storm, and more importantly, Jesus was not physically with them. The disciples were caught in a difficult situation they could not overcome on their own. After rowing for a few miles, Jesus appeared—and He was walking on water! The disciples were frightened at first, but when they recognized that it was Jesus, they were assured of His presence. In this miracle, we see how Jesus alone trumps over all—including the elements, fear, and chaos.  𝟭. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟲:𝟭𝟴-𝟭𝟵 The disciples were stuck in a storm that seemed to have no way out. But Jesus suddenly appeared walking on water. In their culture, large bodies of water and the abyss of the sea were considered chaotic and dangerous. Jesus walking on water shows that He is the only one with authority to walk over the water, an element that no one else, including the disciples, could overcome. It was not by the strength of the disciples to row, the weather, nor by any other thing that Jesus was able to do this. It was because of who He is. Why do you think we could take a familiar story like this for granted? Why is this a “blow your mind” kind of experience?  𝟮. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘐; 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥.” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟲:𝟮𝟬 The disciples were 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 by what was happening (John 6:19). Their reaction to the situation was human; fear comes when there is a crisis. However, Jesus reacted differently to the storm. He was neither afraid nor intimidated by the disciples’ fear and the storm. In fact, Jesus walked over the troubling sea, and then proceeded to calm their fears. When Jesus said, “𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘐, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥,” the disciples immediately felt relieved. Jesus was greater than both the storm and their fear. If you were in the boat with the other disciples, how do you think you would have reacted to the situation? Why? 𝟯. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀.  𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨. . . . 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟲:𝟭𝟴, 𝟮𝟭 When Jesus came to their rescue, the disciples turned their attention to Him—no longer on the storm or their weakness in the situation. They looked to Jesus for who He is and what He can do. In the midst of chaos, Jesus brought the disciples away from the storm and eventually into safety. It is not clear how exactly Jesus brought the disciples to land, but what the Bible records is that He was able to do it, in a way that only He can. How does this truth comfort you?  The fifth sign shows that God has authority over any and every situation in our lives—including the most difficult ones. He is not limited by our circumstances or fears. Just like how God brought order in the chaos of the seas by speaking (Genesis 1), this story points to Jesus as the one who has power over the chaos of the world.  𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Reflect on how God brought you through a difficult time. How did He show you that He is above these challenges? • What challenges are you going through this season? Take some time this week to remember that Jesus is always with you and to declare God’s authority over the storms you may be facing • Jesus alone brought relief and comfort to the disciples in the midst of a storm. Share this particular truth about Jesus with someone this week. 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God that Jesus is always with you and that He is able to overcome every difficult situation in your life. Ask God for faith to believe this truth starting today. • Pray that you would fix your eyes on Jesus over any circumstance or fear. Pray that God builds your faith through the challenges you may be facing—that Jesus is the anchor and certainty of life amidst difficult storms. • Ask God for courage and wisdom to share the truth about who Jesus is to those around you who are going through storms in their lives.

Healing the Man Born Blind

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • Have you ever won an award or recognition for something? What was it for? • Tell us about a time when you experienced not having electricity available at night. How did you feel? • When was the last time you had difficulty looking for something (e.g., keys, clothes) at home? Why was it difficult to find? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 “𝘈𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.” 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘢. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘎𝘰, 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘮” (𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘵). 𝘚𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟵:𝟱-𝟳   (Read also 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟵:𝟭-𝟰.) Jesus and His disciples happened to pass by a blind man, whom the disciples thought was blind as a result of sin. Having been unable to see since birth, it seemed impossible for the man to be healed. By putting mud on the blind man’s eyes, Jesus instantly healed him. Jesus’ healing of the blind man was not because of who the blind man was or what he had done. It was a miracle that turned an impossible situation into an amazing story of God’s power and grace. Today, we will look at this man whose life was filled with darkness, until Jesus’ light and glory shone in his life.  𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝘈𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘙𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥?” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟵:𝟭-𝟮 The man in this story was not only in physical darkness due to his blindness. As an outcast in society, carrying the burden of physically being unable to see, social and emotional darkness surrounded the blind man. This man needed light in his life. Jesus approached the blind man to give him sight, but this miracle gave him so much more than that. Jesus gave him both the light that comes from seeing and the light that overcomes the darkness he was in. How was God’s glory revealed through the blind man? 𝟮. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘢. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘎𝘰, 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘮” (𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘵). 𝘚𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟵:𝟲-𝟳 Nothing and no one could heal the blind man until Jesus came to him. The way Jesus chose to heal the blind man was interesting—He put mud on his eyes. It was a miracle that came out of something as ordinary as mud. Before healing the blind man, Jesus revealed Himself as 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 (John 9:5). This proves how He is the only one who can fulfill the man’s needs. He is the only one who can bring light to the blind man’s dark world and into our dark world today. What does Jesus’ use of ordinary things like mud say about the way He performs miracles?  𝟯. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱.  𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, “𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮. . . . 𝘈𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟵:𝟯, 𝟱 The miracle did not happen because the man who was blind was worthy of being healed. Jesus healed him because of who He is—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. Jesus brought light to the whole world, not just to one man. Bringing light to the man who could now see was only a foretaste of what Jesus would accomplish on the cross. Jesus is the light that allows God’s glory to shine in the world. He came not just to perform miracles for people; He came to lead people to God through miracles. What does it mean for God’s glory, His light, to shine upon the whole world? In the sixth sign recorded in the Gospel of John, Jesus revealed Himself as the light of the world. In darkness, Jesus is the light that brings direction, illumination, and clarity in our lives. The darkness in our world today is where the glory of God is revealed the most.  𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Have you received the light of Jesus in your own life? If so, how has your life changed for the better? If you have yet to receive Him as your light, would you like to do so and pray with someone today? • What specific area in your life needs the light of Jesus? How does the message today speak to that area? • What is something you can do to bring Jesus’ light to others this week? Pray for someone who has yet to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Ask God for opportunities to present the gospel to this person. 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God that Jesus overcomes the darkness in the world and in our lives. Pray that you would hold on to this truth despite the challenges of life. • Ask God to build your faith through the difficulties you may be facing right now.  • Pray that the light of Jesus continues to shine in your life, and that you would be a witness for others who need this, too.

Raising Lazarus from the Dead

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • What was the longest time you had to wait for something? What did you do while you were waiting? • Have you ever lost an item you really liked? What did you do when you lost it? • What is something you’ve always wanted to do since you were a kid? Tell us about it. 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳, “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 . . .” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟭𝟭:𝟮𝟱   (Read also 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟭𝟭.) Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is one of the many miracles He did. It deals with one of life’s most devastating events—death. The pain and hopelessness brought by death is a problem that everyone faces. Death causes fear and pain, and it is something we do not have control over. In this passage, Jesus does the impossible by raising someone back to life. In the story of Lazarus, we see how Jesus overcomes death and brings hope.  𝟭. 𝗟𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺, “𝘓𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥. . . .” 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘓𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘣 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟭𝟭:𝟭𝟰, 𝟭𝟳 Lazarus had already died before Jesus went to their place. But when Mary sought Jesus, He did not bring Lazarus back to life right away—He wanted to be with the people first. When He saw Mary, and the Jews who were with her weeping, Jesus was 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 (John 11:33). The pain of losing a loved one was real, but Jesus’ comfort was just as genuine. How did Jesus show His compassion while the people were mourning (John 11:35)? 𝟮. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦, “𝘓𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵.” 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩. 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘜𝘯𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘨𝘰.”  𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟭𝟭:𝟰𝟯–𝟰𝟰 Jesus did not just raise Lazarus back to life as soon as he had been pronounced dead. He waited four days to do this. The Jews believed that it was impossible to raise someone back to life after four days of being in the tomb. However, Jesus was able to do the impossible—He brought Lazarus back to life. By a word from Jesus, “𝘓𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵,” Lazarus was resurrected. Jesus unbound Lazarus from the tomb and gave him life. In this passage, we see God’s glory—His victory over hopelessness and death—displayed. Why do you think Jesus brought Lazarus back to life this way? 𝟯. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.  𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳, “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 . . .”  𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟭𝟭:𝟮𝟱 When Lazarus was resurrected from the dead, the people who saw him were amazed. Through this miracle, the truth was revealed: eternal life is found in Jesus alone. Though everyone faces the reality of physical death, through faith in Jesus, we do not need to fear death. Those who have put their faith in Christ will be resurrected and will live forever in God’s presence. It is also through this miracle that Jesus brings hope, no matter how difficult or impossible the situation. Only He is able and has the authority to speak life to the areas of our lives that have run dry and may even be dead. How does the truth of the resurrection affect how you live and trust God? In the seventh sign, Jesus reveals Himself as the only living hope amidst fear, pain, and death. The promise of eternal life and hope brought by Jesus remains true for us today. Together, even as we face the reality of death, let’s trust Jesus to give us life for all eternity. Let us also believe that God can resurrect the areas in our lives that have run dry. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Even if we will eventually die, we can experience God’s peace and power over death if we believe in Him. How do you think the truth of the resurrection should affect your life today? • Are there situations in your life that seem hopeless or dead? Ask God to do the impossible and give you new life that only comes from Him. • Think of someone who has yet to receive the life that is found in Jesus. How can you be a witness of Jesus’ hope and light to him or her this week? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God that nothing is impossible with Jesus. Pray that God gives you an expectant heart despite difficult or seemingly impossible situations. • Ask God for grace to live in light of the hope Jesus brings. Pray that He would give you peace and joy amidst uncertainty and fear. • Ask God for opportunities to share the life of Jesus with others. Pray for the boldness to speak life to those who need encouragement this week.