PODCAST · religion
The John Project
by Randy Boldt
This podcast explores the Bible's Gospel of John a few verses at a time with a devotional perspective.
Episodes
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John 21:20-25 • Postscript
The final six verses of the Gospel of John form a kind of postscript that accomplishes three things. It establishes the basis for John’s credentials as its author, stakes his personal reputation to the veracity of what he’d written, and explains why the project involved a significant amount of...
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John 21:18-19 • Follow Me
I’ve just celebrated my seventieth birthday. To use an American football metaphor, that means I’m deep in the fourth quarter. And I’ll admit it’s tempting to allow my focus on the importance of the current play to become distracted by speculation regarding the uncertainties of the endgame. But…
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John 21:15-17 • Character Arc
Recently, some of our grandchildren have become involved in theater arts. So, I’m learning a whole new vocabulary that includes the term, 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘤. In the context of storytelling, that refers to the change or growth a character experiences over the course of a story. And John...
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John 21:5-14 • Fishers of Men
Prior to becoming one of the twelve, John had been a commercial fisherman along with his brother and father. And nowhere is that part of his background more evident than in verse 11 of the 21st chapter of his gospel. It contains a collection of very specific details connected to the events...
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John 21:1-4 • Loving Ambiguity
All of us have had the experience of unexpectedly running into an acquaintance, exchanging quick greetings, and before moving on to wherever we were originally headed, saying to each other, “Let’s catch up over coffee sometime.” But we usually just say things like that because it’s expected, and...
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John 20:24-31 • An Evidence-Based Faith
As I was preparing to enter my freshman year of high school, I realized that the secondhand faith I’d inherited from my parents wasn’t going to be strong enough to bear the weight of my future. I knew if I was going to live as a genuine Christian, I would need a faith of my own. So, alone in my...
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John 20:19-23 • His Sobering Offer of Grace
On the evening of the first Easter, as the disciples wrestled with the believability of Mary Magdalene’s claim that Jesus was alive, John 20:19-23 tells us that they huddled behind closed doors in fear of those who’d murdered their master. But then suddenly, there he was, standing in their midst...
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John 20:17b-18 • It Continues to Speak
Immediately following his resurrection, Jesus dictated a message to be sent to his closest followers, and John 20:17-18 tells its story. Considering the magnitude of the moment, its brevity is startling. But surely no other single sentence has ever communicated more. Its content, how it was...
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John 20:17a • A Little Too Clingy
John 20:17 contains the text of what is certainly the most important message ever sent. It was from Jesus to his disciples, contained eternity-altering revelations, and………was entrusted to the most unlikely messenger. But before exploring the impact of that message and its messenger, let’s…
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John 20:11-16 • Until He Spoke Her Name
I buy an iced coffee from a Starbucks near my home almost every day, and as a result, I’ve gotten to know most of the partners at that store. They even greet me by name when I walk in. And although I know it’s their job to do that, I still appreciate the kindness of being recognized. So, I always...
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John 20:1-10 • A Progression of Perception
John chapter 20 opens with Mary Magdalene going to Jesus’ tomb in the predawn hours on the Sunday following his crucifixion. We know from the other gospels that she’d gone there to complete the burial process that had been interrupted by the Sabbath. But when she arrived, she discovered the stone...
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John 20:1 • Point of View
When I was a young man, I toured with a Christian rock band, and in 1977, we recorded a live concert for television to promote the release of an album. The show was captured from different angles by a variety of cameras, and their individual feeds were edited together to create the version for...
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John 19:38-42 • Joe and Nick
John 19:38-42 supplies details regarding Jesus’ burial. But it also records a remarkable account of bold, risky, and unexpected faith exercised by two members of the Jewish elite. Both were part of the Sanhedrin – the religious leadership council – and both, until this point, had been timid...
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John 19:31-37 • Fine-tuned to Inspire Faith
My wife and I have had parents pass into eternity in recent years, and we’ve learned firsthand that among the many unexpected decisions confronting surviving loved ones is determining how much and what aspects of the deceased’s history to preserve. Wading through all their photos, slides, videos,...
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John 19:28-30 • The Divine Completer
Decades ago, I took part in a study designed to help teams and their leaders understand each other better and work together more effectively. At its conclusion, each participant received a report describing their personality type and the work environment they would most likely thrive in. And I...
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John 19:25-27 • Boundary-Marking Words
I was twenty-one when I pulled my car to the entrance of Little Company of Mary hospital in Torrance, CA to pick up my wife and our first child from the maternity ward. After Sue was seated and I’d placed our newborn in her lap – child car seats weren’t a thing in those days – I closed the...
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John 19:23-24 • The Jots and Tittles
In the fall of 2008, my wife was away on a personal retreat seeking the Lord in prayer regarding his plans for the next season of her life, and she felt her heart drawn to Isaiah chapter 41. Several parts of that passage spoke to her deeply, especially the phrases, “Fear not, for I am with you,”...
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John 19:17-22 • The One in the Center
In just two days, I’ll celebrate the glories of Easter with exultant believers around the globe. But today, I join the family of the redeemed in remembering the price of our salvation and the love that paid it. It’s Good Friday. And this year, I’m determined not to just give token consideration…
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John 19:12-16 • Signposts
I was fourteen years old when I first lied to my parents. It was actually the only time I was ever untruthful with them. I’d just come home from a party at a friend’s house that I hadn’t told them about, and I made up a story to cover my tracks. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I...
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John 19:6-11 • The Source of All Authority
As Jesus stood on display before them with the blood from his wounds seeping through the purple robe Pilate’s troops had draped over him in mockery, the religious elite pressed Pilate to finish him off by nailing him to a cross. The torture already inflicted had been at the procurator’s command…
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John 19:1-5 • Behold the Man
When I’m home, I usually watch the evening news to keep up with what’s going on. But in this age of ubiquitous real-time video capturing a world becoming increasingly loveless, violent, and tragic, I’m finding the reports more difficult to watch. These days, correspondents frequently preface…
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John 18:39-40 • From One Barabbas to Another
John 18:39-40 documents a very odd exchange between Pilate and the Jewish leaders that ultimately reveals the spectacular beauty of the gospel. After conducting his own interrogation of Jesus, Pilate determined he was not guilty of the charges brought by the Jewish leaders. In fact, the governor...
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John 18:33-38 • The Sound of His Voice
I’m an introvert and very comfortable with silence, but I love the sound of my wife’s voice. And I delight in pursuing the treasures to be discovered when she speaks. Whether she’s asking me to pass the salt, telling me about her day, or verbally processing something she’s going through, I find...
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John 18:28-32 • The Divinely Designed Endpoint
I love riding rollercoasters. But while recently visiting a local theme park, I noticed and was impressed by something about them I’d not really considered before. Even after a wild ride of ups and downs and twists and turns at speeds designed to make you feel like things are out of control, they...
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John 18:12-27 • The Allure of the Campfire
There are few things more attractive than a campfire on a chilly night. Its warmth is comforting, its flickering light is mesmerizing, and the company of those sharing it is reassuring. But something tragic happened around the one described in John 18. The narrative in the middle section of the...
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John 18:10-11 • Sheath the Sword and Drink the Cup
I’m not now nor have I ever been an athlete, but I powerwalk from my home to the beach and back daily for exercise. My route takes about an hour and includes climbing several large hills. And every day, the final ascent requires me to decide all over again to push through my fatigue and embrace…
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John 18:7-9 • The Power of His Promise
Have you ever misplaced the TV remote because you laid it down somewhere without thinking, stored something away for safekeeping and later forgot where you put it, or inadvertently left your credit card at a restaurant? Sure, you have. We all know what it feels like to lose something. But there…
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John 18:1-6 • Lanterns, Torches, and Weapons
My wife and I recently vacationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, and I went for a walk one morning along the Ala Wai Canal. As I strolled under the canopy of the trees that line the pathway, I suddenly came upon two men wielding swords – real, metal swords – the kind that belong in a movie not the hands of...
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John 17:20-26 • Relational Wrong-Heartedness
Confession alert! I’ve nursed a serious animosity toward the pastor of one of the mega-churches in the region where I live. He’s well-known and I’m obviously not, so we don’t run in the same circles. I only know him from news reports and his public statements. But I don’t like him. No, it’s more...
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John 17:17-19 • Positional and Progressive
While establishing a new church in Silicon Valley years ago, the Lord provided me a job with what was then the highest-valued technology company in the world. But I was not a computer scientist, engineer, or coder. I barely knew how to send an email. I was in way over my head. And one day in a...
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John 17:13-16 • Joy-filled and Undevourable
Having already asked that they be preserved in their understanding of the fatherhood of God and that in their relationships with each other they would display the unity of his family, John 17:13-16 continues the record of the Lord’s petitions on behalf of his disciples. He prayed, “I come to...
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John 17:6-10 (5) • Not of this World
Jesus entered the climax of his earthly ministry through the portal of prayer. Between the Upper Room and Gethsemane on the way from the Last Supper to the Betrayal, he paused to intercede for himself, his disciples, and all future believers. The account of this exquisite supplication of Son to...
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John 17:6-10 (4) • Knowledge and Belief
Sue and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary this year, and I can hardly believe I just said that. It seems like only yesterday that we walked the aisle, stood before God with our friends and family as witnesses, and pledged our love to each other. But the reality is a lot of living has...
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John 17:6-10 (2) • A Divine Gift
A week ago, after playing my acoustic guitar to help lead worship at church, a man approached me to comment on the beautiful sound of my instrument. I don’t know what he thought of my playing. He didn’t say. But he was right about my guitar. It sounds great. It’s a blond, jumbo Guild I’ve had for...
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John 17:6-10 (1) • One Hundred and Thirteen Times
There’s a new coffee shop in my neighborhood, and I stop there most mornings to grab a cup on my way to spend a few minutes watching the surfers down at the pier. When it first opened, I would save time by ordering ahead using an app, step inside just long enough to pick up my drink, and then be…
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John 17:1-5 • I Love You, Jesus
John chapter 17 provides the opportunity for us to eavesdrop on Jesus praying to the Heavenly Father. His betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane were imminent; he’d completed his ministry among the people of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea; and he’d just concluded the final preparation of his disciples…
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John 16:28-33 • Baby Talk
My wife and I raised three kids of our own, have seven grandchildren, and during our four decades of pastoral ministry, cared for many families with little ones. So, we’ve engaged in our share of baby talk. That’s when an adult attempts to communicate with a youngster by simplifying what they…
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John 16:23-27 • Name-Dropping
One of my lifelong mentors is a widely known and well-regarded Christian leader. During a conversation I had with him several months ago, he urged me to introduce myself to one of the teaching pastors on staff at a large church near my home. He’d met the young man, was impressed by his sincere...
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John 16:16-22 • Right on Time
Last Christmas, instead of typical gifts, my wife and I gave our children and their families experiences we could enjoy with them. For instance, one of the families received a two-night stay at an indoor, waterpark resort near their home in the state of Oregon. But the trip wouldn’t take place…
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John 16:8-11 • The One Who Convinces
Having told the disciples his return to the Father would facilitate sending them the Holy Spirit, Jesus began to describe two aspects of the Spirit’s mission: convincing and communicating. John 16:8-11 contains the Lord’s description of the first of these. Most English New Testament versions...
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John 16:5-7 • The Other Side of the Coin
Jesus had told his disciples he’d soon be leaving them and that his departure would expose them to persecution. These two things – anticipation of the loss of his physical presence along with the prospect of their personal suffering – had caused them to experience sorrow of heart according to…
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John 16:1-4 • A Light to My Path
It’s hard to stumble over something you can see. It’s the unknown, unexpected, hidden, and unobserved things that trip us up. When I was a kid at summer camp, our cabin leaders used to take us on flashlight hikes at night. And I learned that even in the dark on an unfamiliar trail with uneven...
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John 15:18-27 • His Witness-Bearers
In my opinion, the word hate is the strongest in the English language for expressing negative emotion. There are others such as detest, abhor, and loathe, but these and similar terms are usually reserved to communicate an intensity a step or two below full-blown hatred. Once it reaches that…
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John 15:16-17 • Chosenness
Have you ever been part of a schoolyard pick? That’s the process where a group of people are divided into teams by those who’ve been designated as leaders. It can be either a traumatic experience or an exhilarating one depending on how early you’re chosen. Turns are taken and selections made…
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John 15:12-15 • An important Reminder
At one point years ago, I needed to support my family while planting a new church, and I got a job as an accountant for a large tech company. It was during one of the information economy’s boom cycles, and the pace was crazy. There was so much work to do it became difficult to keep track of it…
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John 15:11 • Joy
My wife and I live near the Disneyland Resort in Southern California and have annual passes to its theme parks. We usually spend one full day a month there. And that might reasonably make you wonder why a retired couple would want to spend so much time at a place designed for families with young...
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John 15:9-10 • An After-Visit Plan
Lately, I’ve found myself less than enthused about seeing my doctor. Why? Because in this stage of my life, those visits almost always conclude with him telling me how much more I should exercise and how much less I should eat. And I tend to walk out of those appointments feeling like I’ve...
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John 15:4-8 • A Severe Mercy
Burnout. Jesus tried to warn me. One morning, nine years into my first pastorate, I woke with a strong sense from the Lord that something in my life needed urgent attention. And that alert was accompanied with the impression that he would restrain its consequences for one year to give me time to...
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John 15:1-3 • The Vinedresser’s Shears
My wife bought a pair of pruning shears the other day, and that act marked a significant turning point in her life. I’m not joking. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but anyone acquainted with the tenderness of that woman’s deeply sensitive heart would immediately recognize that the idea of...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
This podcast explores the Bible's Gospel of John a few verses at a time with a devotional perspective.
HOSTED BY
Randy Boldt
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The John Project have?
The John Project currently has 178 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The John Project about?
This podcast explores the Bible's Gospel of John a few verses at a time with a devotional perspective.
How often does The John Project release new episodes?
The John Project publishes regularly with 178 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The John Project?
You can listen to The John Project on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The John Project?
The John Project is created and hosted by Randy Boldt.
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