SPCK - N T Wright
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Good Shepherd
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Good Shepherd
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Good Shepherd John 10.1-10 We stood on the cliffs and watched as the mother birds swooped in from the sea with mouthfuls of fish. There, below us, were thousands, probably tens of thousands, of young birds, all waiting eagerly, all screaming their peculiar cry. They were all …
John for Everyone Part 1 - Seeing and Not Seeing
John for Everyone Part 1 - Seeing and Not Seeing
by SPCK - N T Wright
Seeing and Not Seeing John 9.35-41 Who decides when the picture is in focus? I attended a lecture the other night in which the speaker showed us some wonderful colour slides of medieval paintings of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The colour was magnificent; the interpretati…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Is Jesus from God?
John for Everyone Part 1 - Is Jesus from God?
by SPCK - N T Wright
Is Jesus from God? John 9.24-34 One of the most depressing things about war is the way in which both sides routinely invoke God on their side. People now joke about the First World War, in which British army chaplains were praying to God for victory while a few hundred yards away…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Blind Man's Parents
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Blind Man's Parents
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Blind Man’s Parents John 9.13-23 John for Everyone The street lights weren’t working properly that night as my friend walked home late from work. As he took the short cut through the alleyway towards his own street, it was almost pitch dark. He knew the path well enough and w…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Man Born Blind
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Man Born Blind
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Man Born Blind John 9.1-12 I was just waking up, listening to the radio, when a news item caught my attention. Someone had been dismissed from their job for holding heretical views about the afterlife. I listened more intently. Who was it? What job had they been doing? Was it…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Before Abraham, "I Am"
John for Everyone Part 1 - Before Abraham, "I Am"
by SPCK - N T Wright
Before Abraham, “I Am” John 8.48-59 Abraham lived roughly as long before Jesus as Jesus did before us. Speaking of them as in any sense contemporaries conjures up images of time travel, such as has been made famous in the world of science fiction since at least H. G. Wells and Ju…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Children of Abraham - Or of the Devil
John for Everyone Part 1 - Children of Abraham - Or of the Devil
by SPCK - N T Wright
Children of Abraham – Or of the Devil John 8.37-47 The famous psychologist Carl Jung published, among his many works, a picture-book illustrating the main points of his thought about the strange ways in which the human mind works. One of the most striking pages is a picture of Ad…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Truth Will Make You Free
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Truth Will Make You Free
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Truth Will Make You Free John 8.30-36 The square was crowded. Indeed, it was more than crowded: it was packed to overflowing. People were leaning from windows in the beautifully sculpted office blocks around the square. It was lunchtime, but nobody was thinking of eating. The…
John for Everyone Part 1 - From Below of from Above
John for Everyone Part 1 - From Below of from Above
by SPCK - N T Wright
From Below or from Above John 8.21-29 ‘The house is on fire! Get up at once!’ She burst into the dormitory where several of the other girls were sleeping. She dashed to the nearest bed and shook the sleeper violently. ‘Come on! There’s no time! You’ll be burnt alive!’ ‘Go back to…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Light of the World
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Light of the World
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Light of the World John 8.12-20 As we turned the corner, we saw a large yellow sign beside the road. The two words that jumped out at us were ‘ACCIDENT’ and ‘WITNESS’. It appeared there had been a road accident at that dangerous corner the previous Friday night. Some people h…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Adultery and Hypocrisy
John for Everyone Part 1 - Adultery and Hypocrisy
by SPCK - N T Wright
Adultery and Hypocrisy John 7.53-8.11 Two women were brought before the young king. They were prostitutes, and shared a house. Both had given birth, but the son of one of them had died. Now both were claiming the living son as their own. How could anyone tell (in the days before …
John for Everyone Part 1 - Where Does the Messiah Come From
John for Everyone Part 1 - Where Does the Messiah Come From
by SPCK - N T Wright
Where Does the Messiah Come From? John 7.40-52 I watched in admiration as the chess game reached its closing stages. Somehow the television commentator managed to explain what the two master players were doing in such a way that even a complete beginner like myself could understa…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Rivers of Living Water
John for Everyone Part 1 - Rivers of Living Water
by SPCK - N T Wright
Rivers of Living Water John 7.31-39 ‘A pint of water every hour, and don’t forget!’ I was setting off into the desert, and my host was understandably anxious. Coming as I did from a cool and damp climate, I might easily forget how important it was to keep drinking plenty of water…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Moses and the Messiah
John for Everyone Part 1 - Moses and the Messiah
by SPCK - N T Wright
Moses and the Messiah John 7.19-30 My friend was walking with his son through a park in a Canadian city. It was a lovely summer day. The son had recently taken up golf, and was itching to practise some shots with a club he’d brought with him. ‘You can’t do that,’ said my friend. …
John for Everyone Part 1 - Disputes about Jesus
John for Everyone Part 1 - Disputes about Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
Disputes about Jesus John 7.10-18 ‘You’ll find out how when you really want to.’ Jeff ’s mother was trying, not for the first time, to teach him how to cook. He just couldn’t get the hang of it. He would see what she was doing and copy her, but when he tried later to do it himsel…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus and His Brothers
John for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus and His Brothers
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus and His Brothers John 7.1-9 Many Jewish communities around the world keep the festival of Tabernacles, or ‘Booths’, to this day. The ‘tabernacles’ in question are usually makeshift shelters, made out of whatever comes to hand, set up in the open air in a back yard or porch.…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Division among Jesus' Followers
John for Everyone Part 1 - Division among Jesus' Followers
by SPCK - N T Wright
Division among Jesus’ Followers John 6.60-71 I once went to a lecture that was supposed to be an introduction to philosophy. It quickly appeared that the great philosopher wasn’t interested in introducing the subject, but in talking about it at a high level to the small group of …
John for Everyone Part 1 - Eating and Drinking the Son of Man