John 13

John tells the Good News about Jesus

Gospel of John

Marion Adams

Chapter 13

Jesus washes his *disciples’ feet 13:1-11

v1 It was the day before the *Passover. Jesus knew that it was time for him to leave this world. He had to return to the *Father. He had always loved his *followers in this world. He loved them to the end.

v2 It was time for supper. Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, had decided already to *betray Jesus. The devil had given this idea to Judas. v3 The *Father had given to Jesus power over everything. Jesus knew this. He knew that he had come from God. And Jesus knew that he would return to God. v4 So, during the meal, Jesus left the table. He took off his outer clothes and he wrapped a towel round his body. v5 He poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the *disciples’ feet. He dried them with the towel that he was wearing.

v6 He came to Simon Peter. Peter said, ‘*Lord, I am very surprised if you intend to wash my feet!’

v7 Jesus replied, ‘You do not understand now. But later, you will understand why I am doing this.’

v8 Peter said, ‘No! You shall never wash my feet!’

Jesus answered, ‘If I do not wash your feet, then you do not belong to me.’

v9 Simon Peter said, ‘*Lord, then do not wash only my feet. Wash my hands and my head, too!’

v10 Jesus answered, ‘Let us suppose that a person has had a bath. That person is *clean all over. Such a person needs only to wash his feet. And you, my *disciples, are *clean, except for one of you.’

v11 Jesus knew who would *betray him. So he said, ‘except for one of you’.

Verse 1 The next 5 Chapter s record Jesus’ words to his *disciples on the evening before his death. He knew what would happen to him. But his *disciples did not know. So Jesus wanted to prepare them for his death and *resurrection. He wanted them to remember, after these events, what he had said. He wanted them to know that he loved them. And he wanted them to know that his love for them would never end.

Jesus loves us in this way, too. His love on our behalf never ends. He came to the earth because he loved us. He died because he loved us. And because of his death and *resurrection, we can be with him *forever. Nothing can separate us from his love.

Verses 2-3 Like the other *disciples, Judas had been with Jesus during three years. He had listened to Jesus when he taught. And Judas had seen Jesus do *miracles. But the devil had put a wicked thought into Judas’ mind. And Judas had decided to do what the devil wanted. We do not know why. Many *Jews expected the *Messiah to fight against the *Romans. Perhaps Judas expected Jesus to do this. And so Jesus had disappointed Judas. Perhaps Judas even thought that he could force Jesus to fight. Perhaps Judas thought that Jesus might fight to prevent his arrest. Or perhaps Judas just wanted the money that the *High Priest paid him.

However, Jesus knew already that Judas would *betray him. He knew that this was part of God’s plan to *save people. Jesus knew that he had come to the earth for this purpose. He knew also that he would return to his *Father in heaven.

Verses 4-5 What Jesus did next would have surprised his *disciples. He washed their feet. Usually, a slave did this task. It was the custom for slaves to wash the feet of their master’s guests. The slaves would do this as soon as the guests entered the house. But Jesus did it during the meal.

He wanted to show his *disciples how to behave towards each other. He wanted to show them that they must serve each other. He did not just tell them what to do. He was serving them as he knelt down to wash their feet. He was their leader. But he did what a slave would do on their behalf. That is what Jesus wants *Christians to do. He wants us to serve each other. It is very important that leaders serve, too. We should be humble. We should not be too proud to serve other people. Jesus, God’s Son, did the job of a slave on behalf of his *disciples. We should always be willing to serve each other in any way.

When Jesus washed the *disciples’ feet, his action was also *symbolic. It pointed to Jesus’ death on the *cross. If we want to belong to Jesus, we must let him take away our *sins. He does this by means of his blood, which poured out on the *cross. It is as if *sin makes us dirty inside our hearts. But Jesus, by his blood, removes the *sin from our hearts. So Jesus’ blood makes us *clean inside our hearts. We cannot remove our own *sins. Only Jesus’ blood can do this. But we have to *believe in him and we must obey him.

Verses 6-9 The other *disciples did not say anything about Jesus’ act. But Peter did. Perhaps he was confused because he did not expect his master to behave like a slave. And perhaps he was unhappy because he would have preferred to wash Jesus’ feet, instead.

His reaction was like many people’s reaction to Jesus’ death. Many people prefer to do things for themselves. They find it difficult to receive anything from God. They are proud. They think that they have become good enough by means of their own efforts. They do not think that they need Jesus.

But Peter did want to belong to Jesus. In fact, Peter wanted to belong to Jesus completely. So Peter asked Jesus to wash his hands and his head, too.

Verses 10-11 We must believe that Jesus’ death has removed all our *sins. Then we will be like a person who has had a bath. We know that we are completely *clean inside our hearts.

However, even after we have become *Christians, we *sin sometimes. This is like when our feet become dirty. So we need to ask Jesus to remove these *sins. We say that we are sorry. We ask him to forgive us. If we have hurt another person, we should ask that person to forgive us. It is best to do this as soon as possible after we have *sinned.

The *disciples were ‘*clean’ because they *believed in Jesus. But Judas was not ‘*clean’. He obeyed the devil and he *betrayed Jesus.

Jesus explains why he washed their feet 13:12-20

v12 After Jesus had washed their feet, he put on his outer clothes again. Then he returned to his place at the table.

He said, ‘I have washed your feet. You should understand why I did this. v13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘*Lord’. I am your *Lord and your Teacher. So you are right to call me this. v14 I, your *Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet. So you should wash each other’s feet. v15 I have done this because I want you to imitate me. You must do the same on behalf of other people, as I have done on your behalf. v16 I tell you the truth. A slave is not greater than the master. A messenger is not greater than the person who sends him. (A messenger is someone who delivers a message.) v17 You know these things. Now do them, and God will *bless you.

v18 I am not referring to all of you. I know the people whom I have chosen. “The person who ate with me now opposes me.” That is what the *scriptures say. And this will happen soon.

v19 But I am telling you now, before it happens. So when it happens, you will believe me. You will believe who “I am” [see note on John 6:35]. v20 I tell you the truth. Anybody who accepts my messengers [see verse 16] also accepts me. And anybody who accepts me, accepts the *Father. This is because the *Father sent me.’

Verses 12-17 Jesus showed the *disciples how to behave, not only with each other, but also with everybody. He was their teacher and their leader. And he was also God’s Son. Therefore, he was greater than any man or woman. But he served his *disciples. He made himself humble. He did a task that slaves did.

He wanted the *disciples to do the same. Of course, he was not referring only to his act when he washed the *disciples’ feet. He meant any kind of act that showed love and honour to other people. All *Christians must follow Jesus’ instructions about this. We must serve God and we must serve other people, too. Leaders especially should never think that they are too important to do dirty or unpleasant tasks. They should never be too proud to serve the people that they lead. (See also 1 Peter 5:1-6.)

Verses 18-19 Again, Jesus warned his *disciples that one of them would *betray him. He used words from Psalms 41:9.

Verse 20 When we tell people the good news about Jesus, we become his messengers (people who deliver messages). We are speaking on his behalf. So, if people accept us, they accept him, too. This is because he sent us. So they accept God the *Father, who sent Jesus to us.

Jesus tells the *disciples that one of them will *betray him 13:21-30

v21 After he had said this, Jesus became very sad and worried. He said to his *disciples, ‘I tell you the truth. One of you, my *disciples, will *betray me.’

v22 The *disciples stared at each other. They did not know to which of them Jesus was referring. v23 A certain *disciple, whom Jesus loved, was leaning close by Jesus. v24 Simon Peter nodded to attract this *disciple’s attention. Simon Peter said to him, ‘Ask him (Jesus) whom he is speaking about.’ v25 So that *disciple moved even closer towards Jesus. The *disciple asked, ‘*Lord, who will do this?’

v26 Jesus answered, ‘I will put this piece of bread in the sauce (liquid that gives flavour to food). Then I will give the bread to the person whom I was talking about.’

Then Jesus put the bread in the sauce. He gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. v27 Judas took the bread. And immediately, Satan entered him. (‘Satan’ is a name for the devil.)

Jesus said to Judas, ‘Do quickly what you intend to do.’

v28 None of the other people at the table understood why Jesus said this to Judas. v29 Judas looked after the money for them all. So some *disciples thought that Jesus was giving instructions to Judas. Perhaps he was telling Judas to buy things that they needed for the *festival. Other *disciples thought that Jesus had told Judas to give some money to poor people.

v30 Immediately after Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Verses 21-22 Jesus’ words caused shock to the *disciples. They looked at each other. They tried to work out who would *betray him. But still they did not know who the person was. It was not clear. They allowed Judas to look after all the money, because they trusted him. They did not know that he intended to *betray Jesus. Judas did not seem guilty, because he hid his feelings well. Otherwise the other *disciples would have known what he intended to do.

Verses 23-25 John refers to the ‘*disciple whom Jesus loved’. This is the first time in his *Gospel that he does that. John never referred to this *disciple by name. Many people think that this *disciple was John himself.

At the *Passover, the *Jews did not sit at the table for the special meal. They lay on couches (long seats) next to the table. This was a *Roman custom. But slaves always sat or stood to eat. So, at the *Passover, this custom reminded the *Jews that they were not still slaves. God freed their *ancestors at the time of Moses. And that was the meaning of the *Passover.

This *disciple was leaning by Jesus on the couch (long seat). Because of his position close to Jesus, this *disciple was able to whisper to him. The other *disciples could not hear their conversation.

Verse 26 It was the custom to give a piece of bread like this to a special guest or friend. So Jesus was showing love and honour to Judas when he (Jesus) did this. Jesus knew what Judas intended to do. However, Jesus still loved Judas.

Verses 27-28 The devil knew that Jesus was God’s Son. So the devil wanted to kill Jesus. He thought that this would stop God’s plan to save people from the results of their *sins. Jesus had to die in order to do this. But the devil did not realise that. And the devil did not realise that Jesus would become alive again. So the devil did not stop God’s plan. And Jesus knew that the time had come for the most important part of this plan. He wanted it to happen quickly.

Verses 29-30 So Judas left the room and he went outside, into the darkness. His physical act, when he stepped from the light into the darkness, emphasised his *spiritual attitude. He had left Jesus, the *light for the world (John 8:12), to do what the devil wanted.

Nightfall was also important for another reason. *Jewish *festivals begin at nightfall. So at this moment, the *Passover began.

Jesus gives a new command to the *disciples 13:31-38

v31 After Judas had left, Jesus spoke to the *disciples. He said, ‘Now the Son of Man will receive *glory! And he will bring *glory to God! v32 If God receives *glory because of the Son of Man, God will bring *glory to the Son of Man. God will bring *glory to him at once. v33 My children, I will remain with you only during a short time. Then you will look for me. But you will not find me. You cannot go where I am going. I said this to the *Jewish leaders. And now I am telling you, too. v34 I give a new command to you. You must love each other. You must love each other in the same way that I have loved you. v35 Love each other. Then everybody will know that you are my *disciples.’

v36 Simon Peter said, ‘*Lord, where are you going?’

Jesus answered, ‘You cannot go with me now. But later, you will follow.’

v37 Peter asked, ‘Why, *Lord? What is the reason that I cannot follow you now? I am ready to die on your behalf!’

v38 Jesus said, ‘You tell me that you are ready to die on my behalf. But I tell you the truth. You will deny that you even know me. And you will do this three times before the *cockerel *crows!’

As soon as Judas had left, Jesus began to talk to the rest of his *disciples. He wanted them to know that he was leaving them. And he would return, but everything would be different.

Chapter 13:31 to the end of chapter 16 is a record of what Jesus told to his *disciples. These Chapter s contain some of the most important words that Jesus ever said. His words were not just for his *disciples. They were for all *Christians everywhere.

Jesus wants each one of us to know him personally, as he knows each one of us. He told his *disciples that they were his friends. He spoke to them as friends speak to each other. He wants each one of us to be his friend, too. If we love Jesus, we will want to obey him. In these Chapter s, Jesus gave instructions to all who follow him. Also he gave wonderful promises about the *Holy Spirit. Jesus was leaving. But the *Holy Spirit would continue to guide his people and to teach them.

Verses 31-32 Jesus knew that Judas was going to the *Jewish leaders. So Jesus knew that soon, he (Jesus) would die. It was God’s plan that his Son, Jesus, should die as a *sacrifice on behalf of all people. By means of his death, Jesus brought *glory to his *Father. His *Father brought *glory to Jesus when he (the *Father) made him (Jesus) become alive again. And Jesus received *glory when he returned to be with his *Father in heaven.

Verse 33 Although Jesus would die soon, he seemed excited. He knew about the *glory that he would receive. However, the *disciples did not understand this.

When Jesus went to heaven, they would not be able to follow him immediately. This was because they would not die immediately. So Jesus knew that they would be sad. They would be sad because they had separated physically. But they had not separated *spiritually. Later, Jesus explained how the *Holy Spirit would come to help them. And he would come to guide them.

Verses 34-35 But first, Jesus gave an important command to his *disciples and to all *Christians. He told them to love each other. ‘To love other people’ was not a new command (see Leviticus 19:18). But Jesus added something new. To love people as much as Jesus loved people was very different!

Jesus showed how much he loved us by means of his death. He became a *sacrifice on our behalf. He suffered the punishment that we all deserve. He loved us when we were *sinners. He continues to love us, even when we do bad things. He even loves people who *reject him. Jesus loves people in a way that is completely unselfish. That is the way that *Christians should love each other. This kind of love is more than just a feeling. We show it by means of what we do on behalf of other people. We should help people and we should not expect a reward. When people hurt us, we must not hurt them back.

Other people often watch how *Christians behave. They want to know if our *faith makes us different. Love is the evidence that we follow Jesus. Other people will notice this. They will realise that this kind of unselfish love is very special. And they may ask us about Jesus. They may want to know how and why we are able to love in this special way.

Verses 36-38 But Peter did not want to talk about this new command. Instead, he wanted to talk about Jesus’ statement that he was leaving them (verse 33). Peter seemed to think that Jesus was going to another place on the earth. So Peter could not understand why he could not come, too. He considered that he was one of Jesus’ most loyal *disciples. Peter said that he was ready to die for Jesus. In fact, later that same night, Peter denied that he followed Jesus. Peter told people that he did not even know Jesus!

It is easy to make big promises to God when we do not have trouble in our lives. We may just be boasting. (To boast means to praise oneself.) But God knows what is in our hearts. He knows whether our promises are sincere. We do not know always what we would do in a difficult situation. If we want to remain loyal to Jesus in every situation, we must show this in our daily lives. We must talk to him often. We must read the Bible. We must trust him to guide us. And we must obey him, whatever he asks us to do, whether big or small tasks. Then our *faith will increase and it will become stronger. We will have the strength to remain loyal to him always.

disciple ~ a person who wants to do the same things as another person and to learn from them. Jesus had disciples. John the Baptist had disciples, too.
Baptist ~ a person who baptises people.

baptise/baptism ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; it is to show that the person wants to obey God. Christians receive baptism as a sign that they want to follow Jesus.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Passover ~ an important holy day for the Jews. They eat a special meal on this day every year. This is to remember that God freed them. Before God freed them, they were slaves in the country called Egypt. This happened at the time of Moses. So Passover became an important holiday. At the time of Jesus, the Jews came to Jerusalem to pray in the Temple. And families shared a special meal together.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city of Israel. It was the place where Israel’s early kings ruled. Later, the kings of the southern kingdom called Judah ruled in Jerusalem.
temple ~ a building where people went to worship God. Jesus referred to his body as a temple. This was because God was living among people in his Son, Jesus.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews went to worship God.
Israel ~ name of the land that God gave to Jacob (who is also called Israel) and his sons (Genesis chapter 35). Also refers to the Jews, the group of people whom God chose to belong to him in a special way.
kingdom ~ a place or country that a king rules. God’s kingdom is where God rules. God is the king of all Christians and all Christians are in his kingdom.
worship ~ to give thanks and honour to God and Jesus. To show to him that we love him very much.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Father ~ God. Jesus taught us to call God ‘Father’. All Christians are God’s children.
father ~ someone whom a person respects and follows; an ancestor. The Jewish leaders said that Abraham was their father. But Jesus said that the devil was their father, instead!
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
ancestor ~ person in the past from whom one’s parents came.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews. The ‘Jewish leaders’ were a group of important Jews who lived in Judah.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
follower ~ a person who accepts another person as their guide and their teacher; like a disciple.
disciple ~ a person who wants to do the same things as another person and to learn from them. Jesus had disciples. John the Baptist had disciples, too.
Baptist ~ a person who baptises people.

baptise/baptism ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; it is to show that the person wants to obey God. Christians receive baptism as a sign that they want to follow Jesus.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
betray ~ to give information about a friend to their enemy.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
clean ~ in the Jewish religion this means something or someone that God accepts.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews. The ‘Jewish leaders’ were a group of important Jews who lived in Judah.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
resurrection ~ to come back to life after death.
forever ~ always.
miracle ~ wonderful works that only God can do by his power. A wonderful event that shows that a person’s message is from God.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ name for the special servant of God. It means the person whom God sent to save people from the results of their sins. Jesus is the Messiah.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Roman ~ a person from Rome. Rome was an important city. The Emperor and the government lived in Rome. Roman describes everything that belonged to Rome.
Emperor ~ the chief Roman ruler.

'High Priest ~ the most important priest in the Jewish Temple.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews. The ‘Jewish leaders’ were a group of important Jews who lived in Judah.
temple ~ a building where people went to worship God. Jesus referred to his body as a temple. This was because God was living among people in his Son, Jesus.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews went to worship God.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
worship ~ to give thanks and honour to God and Jesus. To show to him that we love him very much.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city of Israel. It was the place where Israel’s early kings ruled. Later, the kings of the southern kingdom called Judah ruled in Jerusalem.
Israel ~ name of the land that God gave to Jacob (who is also called Israel) and his sons (Genesis chapter 35). Also refers to the Jews, the group of people whom God chose to belong to him in a special way.
kingdom ~ a place or country that a king rules. God’s kingdom is where God rules. God is the king of all Christians and all Christians are in his kingdom.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
save ~ to rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.'symbol/symbolic ~ a thing that reminds us of something else, especially an idea or a quality. So we may use the symbol in order to describe that other thing. Something that is a symbol is called ‘symbolic’.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together. Roman soldiers fixed people to crosses in order to kill those people as a punishment. Jesus died on a cross. The cross is now the sign of the Christian church.
Roman ~ a person from Rome. Rome was an important city. The Emperor and the government lived in Rome. Roman describes everything that belonged to Rome.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Emperor ~ the chief Roman ruler.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
bless ~ to say or to do good things for someone. To guard and to protect from evil things.
festival ~ when people meet together in public for a happy party to remember a special day or event.
Gospel ~ one of the 4 books at the beginning of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They record Jesus’ life.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church and what Christians should believe.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
ancestor ~ person in the past from whom one’s parents came.
spiritual ~ something that belongs to the spirit rather than to physical things.
light ~ Natural light helps us to see physical things. But in John’s Gospel, the word ‘light’ also refers to that which helps us to see (understand) spiritual truths.
Gospel ~ one of the 4 books at the beginning of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They record Jesus’ life.
spiritual ~ something that belongs to the spirit rather than to physical things.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church and what Christians should believe.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews. The ‘Jewish leaders’ were a group of important Jews who lived in Judah.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
glory ~ everything that makes God great and beautiful. A bright light that comes from God or Jesus to show that they are beautiful and holy.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
cockerel ~ a male chicken.
crow ~ to make a noise like a male chicken.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
sacrifice ~ a gift to God to ask him to forgive sins; or a gift to thank him for something. The Jews killed animals as sacrifices. This word also means to make a sacrifice.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
sinner ~ someone who sins.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
reject ~ not to accept or not to believe in someone or something.
faith ~ to *believe in someone or something; to be really sure about the things of God and Jesus.