Insight! with Garry Nation

My rendition of Marijohn Wilkin's beautiful folk-gospel song from 1975.

The Gospels of Matthew and Mark say that after his resurrection Jesus instructed his disciples that he would meet them in Galilee, but it is John who tells the story of how that happened; and it is John who tells us of the restoration of Simon Peter. John 21

Peter, John, and the other disciples have their own encounter with the risen Lord. And, as usual, John names names and tells stories that none of the other Gospels tell--including one that unintentionally gave one disciple an unfortunate and undeserved nickname. John 19:16-42

The first witness to the resurrection of Jesus was a surprise. This is Mary Magdalene's first appearance in this Gospel, but it is her most impactful moment in the Scriptures, and the story of her encounter is one of the most moving. John 20:1-18

John presents a vivid, stirring account of the crucifixion of Jesus. But, unlike the other Gospels which present this cluster of events from a compilation of stories, John does so as a singular eyewitness who has his own personal memory and his own sense of what is most important to tell. John 19:16-42.

The more we know about Pilate, the more we see he had good reasons for trying to save Jesus. Why did he fail? John 19:1-16.

Jesus is brought before Pilate, who asks him one of he most important questions anyone could ever ask. But why does he not wait for an answer? John 18:28-40

Jesus is betrayed, arrested, questioned, and denied. John 18:1-27

Jesus presents 3 petitions to his Father: to Glorify, Sanctify, and Unify. John 17.

Almost all of Jesus' teachings on prayer and the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John are found in John 14-16, adding both content and context to those teachings found in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus' promises are powerful, but it's important to interpret them in their own context. John 14:13-26; 15:7,8, 26; 16:1-15, 23-24.

Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure, telling them things they do not want to hear but absolutely need to know before he is taken from them. John 16:4-33.

Jesus explains how abiding in him and relying the Holy Spirit enables believers to cope with hostility from the world. John 15:12 - 16:4.

Having spoken at length about his own relation to the Father, Jesus explains to the disciples about how they relate to him and to the Father--using the extended metaphor of the vine and its branches. John 15:1-11

In John 14:12, Jesus tells his disciples that afterward those who believe in him would do his works and “greater” because he was going to his Father. This introduces his teaching regarding the Holy Spirit, whom he calls the "Paraclete," that is, the Helper or the Comforter.

In John 14:11, Jesus says, "Believe me...or else believe on account of the works themselves." This verse provides a springboard to discuss the apologetics - the argument for faith - in the Gospel of John.

After shocking his disciples with the word that one of them would betray him and another would deny, Jesus immediately turns and says, "Let not your hearts be troubled." In the discussion that follows he assures them that he is "the way, the truth, and the life," an expression that is both full of allusion to the Old Testament and potent with meaning for the gospel he wants them to preach.

It is one of the most iconic events in the Gospels: Jesus washes his disciples' feet. But like the twelve men in the room, we often misunderstand and misapply what Jesus did there.

One of the busiest chapters in this Gospel, John's summary of the last week of Jesus' ministry can be broken up into seven distinct events: (1) The Anointing, (2) The Plot, (3) The Entrance, (4) The Greeks, (5) The Agony, (6) The Unbelief, (7) The Great Summation. John 12.

Why does John choose to focus on only seven of Jesus' miracles, and what is their significance? These questions answered in this talk. John 1 - 11.

Jesus performs the seventh and most dramatic sign of all, the raising of Lazarus from the dead. John 11.

In Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), Jesus makes his most controversial statement yet. John 10:22-42.

The conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees begun in Chapter 9 continues. They've demanded to know who he is to do the things he does. He responds, "I am the Good Shepherd" a phrase more loaded with prophetic implications than we might imagine. John 10:1-21.

After proclaiming himself to be the light of the world, Jesus gives a fitting sign of his identity: he heals a man of blindness who had been born that way. The once-blind-now-seeing man encounters surprising blowback. John 9

The discussion and debate from Chapter 7 moves from the open court of the Temple a little further in, to the Treasury. The topic shifts from Jesus' proclamation of the gospel to what he has to say about himself--leading to an explosive climax. John 8:12-59.

On the last, great day of the feast Jesus publicly proclaims fulfillment of the prophets' promise of Living Water, and expounds on the gift of the Holy Spirit. John 7:32-52

Jesus attends the Feast of Tabernacles privately, and his public absence prompts widespread conversation about him. When he emerges to teach toward the end of the week, the divergent opinions are brought into the open as well--and he refutes them all. John 7:1-31.

With Passover at hand, Jesus admonishes his seekers to pursue the bread of life. He then tells them, "I am the bread of life." Then their doubts and questions arise. John 6:22-72.

All the Gospels depict the miracle of the feeding of the 5000, but only John connects it temporally and thematically to the Passover. And John is one of three evangelists who tell of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee to his disciples, but again he implies a connection to the Exodus. John 6:1-21.

Jesus singled out a man at the Pool of Bethesda who suffered from lameness, healed him, and stirred up a huge Sabbath controversy in the process— something familiar to us from the Synoptic Gospels, but here in John, Jesus takes it to a new level. John 5.

This is a chapter full of surprises: Jesus' astonishing revelation to a most unlikely person, the reception in Samaria, and his cool response to a Herodian official's request for his child's healing. John 4.

In this passage we hear testimony from John the Baptist followed by testimony from John the author of the Gospel, who clearly lays out the stakes of God's sending His Son into the world. John 3:22-36

One of the best known Bible verses is not only a concise summary of the gospel, it also leads off one of the most theologically rich passages in the Bible. John 3:16-21.

A religious leader named Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. Jesus answered questions he didn't know he had, and introduced a controversial and often misunderstood teaching: that one must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. John 3:1-15.

The overarching theme of the Gospel of John is Believing. Several sub-themes will contribute to it. In chapter 2 the author introduces the theme of Signs. The first sign Jesus performs is one only a few people knew about. But it was followed by a very public act that brought him a lot of attention. John 2:1-25.

In the midst of the Prologue, the author introduces one of the main themes of the Gospel: Witness. John 1:6-8, 19-51.

The Gospel of John is unique in many ways. The author explicitly tells us his purpose for writing in Chapter 20, verses 30 and 31.

The Prologue to the Gospel of John (1:1-18) is one of the most powerful short themes in all of literature and is foundational to Christian theology. Understanding this passage is crucial to understanding who Jesus is and what is the message of the gospel.

Jeremiah puts into words the utter devastation and profound grief and pain following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. And in the midst of some very uncomfortable truths he reveals one of the most comforting truths expressed in the entire Bible.

The final chapters of Jeremiah assert the sovereignty of Yahweh over the gentile nations of the world.

The passage begins, "The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD." There follows a long passage explaining what provoked the word before the word itself is shared. Jeremiah's last days and final prophecies are described, followed by a short epilogue relating a flashback with Baruch. Jeremiah 40-45.

Chapters 34 through 39 of Jeremiah focus on the theme of truth, whether it is believed or not.

Simon's Song by Garry Nation

The book of Jeremiah is not only about judgment. There is also comfort, promise, hope for the future--and hope for a Messiah. Jeremiah 30-34.

When a lone voice stands against the consensus, how do you decide what's true? That is the theme of Jeremiah 26-29. This passage also includes the story of Jeremiah's yoke.

Jeremiah 21-24 presents a sequence of prophecies delivered at different times that form a sandwich: a message of good news and promise for the future, sandwiched between two severe prophecies of judgment.

Conspiracy theories, real conspiracies, threats on his life, rotting underwear, apathetic audiences, a God whose assignments seem destined to fail--all these things and more mark the trials and tribulations of a prophet in the last days of a nation. Jeremiah 11-20.

The prophet Jeremiah addresses a nation that is in violation of every one of the 10 commandments, but excuses its moral complacency because of the presence of the Temple of the LORD.

Prophets often wrote their prophecies as songs. If we can compare Jeremiah to modern recording artists, chapters 2-6 represent his first album, composed during the reign of godly King Josiah. There was a resurgence of religion in those days, but among the ruling elite and the people, Jeremiah did not see much real repentance.

The spiritual corruption at the core of Judah's rulers left them incapable of making wise decisions in the face of the Babylonian threat. At the end, a weak, vacillating king seemed to want to listen to the prophet Jeremiah, but was too weak to stand against the princes who foolishly thought that Egypt would save them from Nebuchadnezzar. 2 Kings 23-25; Jeremiah 1

Not only did Hezekiah's son Manasseh undo all the reforms of his father, he took Judah's descent into idolatry to new depths. His grandson Josiah was devout, but all his best efforts could not roll back all the religious corruption that had now become part of the culture. 2 Kings 18-23.