John: WEEKEND RECHARGE!

July 12, 2025

Monday, July 7—John 1:19-28
Tuesday, July 8—John 1:29-52
Wednesday, July 9—John 2:1-12
Thursday, July 10—John 2:13-25
Friday, July 11—John 3:1-15

THIS WEEK’S DAILY DEVO OVERVIEW: JOHN 1:19—JOHN 3:15

John 1:19-28: Introducing John the Baptist

• John the Baptist understood his identity and purpose.
• John the Baptist’s purpose was to point others to Jesus.
• True humility shifts focus to Jesus and away from ourselves. 

John 1:29-52: Jesus—the Lamb of God

• John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God.
• Sharing Jesus should be a relational approach: “Come and see.”
• Jesus sees us and knows us intimately. 

John 2:1-12: The First Sign—Water into Wine

• Jesus’ first sign—transforming water into wine—is a demonstration of how he transforms our lives. 
• Obedience, even when we don’t fully understand, allows God to work through us.
• The first sign was a private miracle that produced personal faith. 

John 2:13-25: The Temple Cleansing

• Jesus demonstrated his intolerance for exploiting worship. 
• The resurrection is the ultimate validation of Jesus’ authority.
• Jesus knows the motives of our hearts. 

John 3:1-15: From Above

• Spiritual rebirth (born from above) is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.
• Rebirth comes through Spirit-initiated repentance and faith. 
• Jesus used the story of Moses and the bronze snake (Num. 21) to foreshadow his work on the cross. 

PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES
Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus interacting with the Pharisees and Sadducees. Who were these Jewish groups, and what did they believe?

The Pharisees
The Pharisees were a religious and political group that held to the Old Testament law. It is said that there were nearly 6,000 Pharisees in Jesus’ day. They observed the Law of Moses and added their interpretation, creating 613 rules for the Jews to follow. They emphasized the strict adherence to the law and the oral traditions they had established. They believed in the resurrection of the dead, angels, and divine judgment. 

The strictness of their traditions and interpretations often caused them to oppose Jesus, especially when he healed on the Sabbath and associated with sinners. Jesus criticized them for their legalism and self-righteousness (Matt. 23). 

Nicodemus was a Pharisee who was open to Jesus and his teaching. Also, the apostle Paul was a Pharisee who trained under Gamaliel (Phil. 3:5). 

The Sadducees
The Sadducees were from a priestly and aristocratic social class. They were among the elite. They were involved in the temple leadership and, with the Pharisees, were part of the Sanhedrin—the seventy Jewish leaders that acted as a “supreme court” under Roman authority. 

The Sadducees accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament, written by Moses (the Pentateuch), and rejected oral tradition. They did not believe in angels, the resurrection of the dead, or the afterlife. Their opposition to Jesus stemmed from his teachings and the threat these posed to their authority.