Key Thought

Today's Prayer

Forgive me, Father, for sometimes playing religious games. I truly want to have genuine faith and I know that you long to give me life through that faith. Mold me and make me more into a person of character and faith. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

It was winter, and the time came for the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. Jesus was in the temple area at Solomon's Porch. The Jewish leaders gathered around Jesus. They said, "How long will you make us wonder about you? If you are the Christ, then tell us clearly." Jesus answered, "I told you already, but you did not believe. I do miracles in my Father's name. Those miracles show who I am. But you don't believe. Why? Because you are not my sheep (people). My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die. And no person can take them out of my hand. My Father gave my sheep to me. He is greater than all. No person can steal my sheep out of my Father's hand. The Father and I are one." Again the Jews there picked up rocks to kill Jesus. But Jesus said to them, "I have done many good things from the Father. You have seen those things. Which of those good things are you killing me for?" The Jews answered, "We are not killing you for any good thing you did. But you say things that are against God. You are only a man, but you say you are the same as God! That is why we are trying to kill you with rocks!" Jesus answered, "It is written in your law, 'I (God) said you are gods.' This Scripture called those people gods—the people that received God's message. And Scripture is always true. So why do you say that I am saying things that are against God because I said, 'I am God's Son'? I am the one God chose and sent into the world. If I don't do what my Father does, then don't believe what I say. But if I do the same things my Father does, then you should believe in the things I do. You might not believe in me, but you should believe in the things I do. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." The Jewish leaders tried to get Jesus again. But Jesus escaped from them. Then Jesus went back across the Jordan River. Jesus went to the place where John was baptizing before.Jesus stayed there, and many people came to him. The people said, "John never did a miracle. But everything John said about this man (Jesus) is true." And many people there believed in Jesus.

Related Scripture Readings

Jesus used stories to say some other things to the people. Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a king that prepared a wedding dinner for his son. The king invited some people to the feast. When the feast was ready, the king sent his servants to tell those people to come. But the people refused to come to the king's feast. "Then the king sent some more servants. The king said to the servants, 'I have already invited those people. So tell them that my feast is ready. I have killed my best bulls and calves to be eaten. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' "{The servants went and told the people to come.} But the people refused to listen to the servants. Those people went to do other things. One person went to work in his field, and another person went to his business. Some of the other people grabbed the servants, beat them, and killed them. The king was very angry. The king sent his army to kill those people that killed his servants. And the army burned their city. "After that, the king said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready. I invited those people, but they were not good enough to come to my feast. So go to the street corners and invite all the people you see. Tell them to come to my feast.' So the servants went into the streets. They gathered all the people they could find. The servants brought good people and bad people to the place where the wedding feast was ready. And that place was filled with people. "Then the king came in to see all the people. The king saw a man there that was not dressed in the right clothes for a wedding. The king said, 'Friend, how were you allowed to come in here? You are not wearing the right clothes for a wedding.' But the man said nothing. So the king told some servants, 'Tie this man's hands and feet. Throw the man out into the darkness. In that place, people will cry and grind their teeth {with pain}.' "Yes, many people are invited. But only a few are chosen." Then the Pharisees left the place whereJesus was teaching. They made plans to catch Jesus saying something wrong. The Pharisees sent some men to Jesus {to trick him}. They sent some of their own followers and some men from the group called Herodians. These men said, "Teacher, we know that you are an honest man. We know that you teach the truth about God's way. You are not afraid of what other people think about you. All men are the same to you. So tell us what you think. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar ? Yes or no?" But Jesus knew that these men were trying to trick him. So he said, "You hypocrites ! Why are you trying to catch me saying something wrong? Show me a coin used for paying the tax." The men showed Jesus a silver coin. Then Jesus asked, "Whose picture is on the coin? And whose name is written on the coin?" The men answered, "It is Caesar's picture and Caesar's name." Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. And give to God the things that are God's." Those men heard what Jesus said, and they were amazed. They left him and went away. That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that no person will rise from death.) The Sadducees asked Jesus a question. They said, "Teacher, Moses told us that if a married man dies and he had no children, then his brother must marry the woman. Then they will have children for the dead brother. There were seven brothers among us. The first one married but died. He had no children. So his brother married the woman. Then the second brother also died. The same thing happened to the third brother and all the other brothers. The woman was last to die. But all seven men had married her. So when people rise from death, whose wife will she be?" Jesus answered, "You don't understand because you don't know what the Scriptures say. And you don't know about the power of God. At the time when people rise from death, there will be no marriage. People will not be married to each other. All people will be like the angels inheaven. Surely you have read what God said to you about the rising from death? God said, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ' {If God said he is their God, then} these men are not really dead. He is the God only of living people." All the people heard this. They were amazed at Jesus' teaching. The Pharisees learned that Jesus told the Sadducees things they could not argue with. So the Pharisees met together. One Pharisee was an expert in the law {of Moses}. That Pharisee asked Jesus a question to test him. The Pharisee said, "Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?" Jesus answered, "'You must love the Lord your God. You must love him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: 'You must love other people the same as you love yourself.' All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands." So while the Pharisees were together, Jesus asked them a question. Jesus said, "What do you think about the Christ ? Whose son is he?" The Pharisees answered, "The Christ is the Son of David. " Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Then why did David call him 'Lord'? David was speaking by the power of the {Holy} Spirit. David said, 'The Lord (God) said to my Lord (Christ): Sit by me at my right side, and I will put your enemies under your control. ' David calls the Christ 'Lord.' So how can he be David's son?" None of the Pharisees could answer Jesus' question. And after that day no person was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions {to try to trick him}.

Some Jews said to Jesus, "Show us a miracle for a sign. Prove that you have the right to do these things." Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple and I will build it again in three days." The Jews answered, "People worked 46 years to build this temple! Do you really believe you can build it again in three days?" (But the temple Jesus meant was his own body. After Jesus was raised from death, his followers remembered that Jesus had said this. So his followers believed the Scripture {about him}, and they believed the words Jesus said.) Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Many people believed in Jesus because they saw the miracles he did. But Jesus did not trust them. Why? Because Jesus knew the things people were thinking. Jesus did not need any person to tell him about people. Jesus knew what was in a person's mind.

I told you that you would die with your sins. Yes, you will die with your sins, if you don't believe that I AM. "