What follows is the gospel presented as a talk by the Apostle John — the youngest of the apostles and the disciple Jesus loved, so what he tells us about Jesus is firsthand. Imagine that the Apostle John is here among us today, telling us about Jesus himself. Everything below is drawn from his Gospel.
Hello, my name is John. I want to tell you about my best Friend. Perhaps you also have good friends, but this Friend of mine is not like anyone who has ever lived. I came to know him very well. We were inseparable. Together we ate, we laughed, and we wept. I saw what he did. I heard the things he said, and I became certain that he is far different from everyone else who has ever lived on this earth.
Jesus Calmed the Storm (Luke 8:22–25)
The stories I am going to tell you really happened. Jesus did many astonishing things. Let me tell you about a few of them. Once, together with Jesus and some of his other disciples, we were crossing a lake in a fishing boat. While Jesus slept, a terrible storm broke out. Some of us were fishermen. We had been caught in fierce storms before, but this time the boat was about to sink. We were terrified. We went to Jesus and woke him: “Master! Master! We’re going to drown!” He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging water. The storm stopped at once. We were amazed and began to ask one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
Jesus Raised Lazarus (John 11)
We saw Jesus do many things we thought impossible. Once a dear friend of Jesus named Lazarus fell ill and died. By the time Jesus arrived at the tomb, Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus saw Martha, Lazarus’s sister, and explained to her that he has power over life and death. Martha understood who Jesus is and said, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” Jesus wept, for he loved his friend dearly. When he came to the tomb, he prayed and then called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Everyone waited to see what would happen. Then Lazarus came out of the tomb, still wrapped in his grave cloths. It was incredible!
Jesus Multiplied the Bread and Fish (John 6)
Great crowds often followed Jesus. They wanted to hear him teach and to see the miracles he did. Once more than five thousand men, along with their families, followed him beside the lake to hear him teach and to see him heal the sick. When Jesus saw that the people were very hungry and tired, he had compassion on them and decided to help. We did not have enough money to buy food for everyone. Then Jesus surprised us again. A boy gave Jesus five loaves and two fish. Of course, that was not enough to feed a crowd of thousands. But Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks, distributed them to those who were seated — and the same with the fish, as much as they wanted. Incredible! As we handed it out, the food multiplied so much that there was more than enough for the whole crowd. There was even food left over, which we gathered up.
Jesus Is on the Side of Sinners (John 8:1–11)
But Jesus came for something far greater than doing miracles. He came to rescue people from sin. I was there when an angry crowd brought a woman to Jesus. She had been caught in sin. The people wanted to punish her — they were even ready to stone her to death! The crowd asked Jesus, “What do you say?” Jesus bent down and began to write something on the ground with his finger. The crowd pressed him for a clear, definite answer. He straightened up and said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her!” Then he bent down again and went on writing on the ground. One by one, the people in the crowd realized that they too were sinners, and they went away ashamed. Only Jesus and the woman were left. Then Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go now, and from now on sin no more.”
Jesus Is the Good Shepherd (John 10)
All of us have done wrong things. We deserve punishment for our sins, and we cannot save ourselves. We can never become good enough to atone for our sins. We need to be forgiven and saved. Jesus said that he is like a shepherd, and we are like sheep. As animals, sheep are helpless. They wander off, get lost, or fall into trouble, and they cannot rescue themselves. They must be saved by their shepherd, who is wise and strong. God is far stronger and wiser than we are. Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
Jesus promised to save us by giving his life for us. He knew exactly what he was doing. Jesus said:
“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life… No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:17–18)
Jesus Was Crucified (John 19)
One evening, while we were praying in the garden, my friend Jesus was seized. He was arrested by the religious leaders, who envied him for his popularity and the influence he had among the people. They bound him and led him to the governor, Pilate. Pilate asked him many questions and became convinced that Jesus was innocent. But a crowd of angry people gathered and began to demand that Jesus be punished and put to death. Pilate grew afraid, and giving in to their pressure, he condemned Jesus to death. The soldiers led Jesus away to the place of his execution. Carrying his own cross, he went out. We came to the place called the Skull. There the Roman soldiers nailed him to a cross. I was there with some of those close to Jesus. There was nothing we could do. Jesus hung on the cross for hours. Then he died. Suddenly the earth shook and darkness fell. Everyone was terrified. After Jesus died, we took him down from the cross, wrapped his body in cloth, and laid him in Joseph’s tomb. We closed its entrance with a huge stone. Pilate ordered soldiers to guard Jesus’s body.
Jesus Rose from the Dead (John 20)
In those moments, all of us who followed Jesus were very sad. Jesus had been dead three days. Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’s friends, went to his tomb. When she arrived, she saw that the great stone had been moved. She came back to tell us what she had seen. Two of us ran with all our might to the tomb and went inside. Jesus’s body was not there! We were bewildered and went home, wondering what had happened.
Jesus Is Alive (John 20; John 14)
Later that same day I was together with the other disciples. We were talking about what we had seen. We had locked the door, because we were afraid. Then suddenly Jesus came into the room to us. He stood in the middle of the room and said, “Peace be with you!” As he said this, he showed us his hands and his side. They bore the marks of the nails, but he was alive! Jesus was alive for forty more days. During that time more than five hundred people saw him and spoke with him. After that, Jesus went to heaven. Before he ascended, he promised that God would send his Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us. Jesus had told us:
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth… He will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:16–17, 26)
Our lives changed completely from then on. We told everyone we met about Jesus. We went through the markets and the temple courts; we traveled to other cities and countries and told everyone the good news: Jesus bore the punishment we deserved, so that we could know God and love him. This is the greatest gift!
You Can Believe and Follow Jesus (John 3:16–17; John 1:12)
Jesus invites you to be his friend and disciple. Yes — God, who created everything and rules over everything, wants you to be his friend. Here is what Jesus said:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16–17)
Throughout his life Jesus did many things. I have told you these stories so that you may know and believe that Jesus is the Son of the one true God. He has power over everything — over the earth, the water, nature, life, and death. He made us, he loves us, and he cares for us. All of us have disobeyed God and deserve punishment for our sin. But because God loves you, he sent his Son Jesus to sacrifice his life and bear the punishment for your sin by dying on the cross. Three days later God raised him from the dead. Then he sent the Holy Spirit to help and encourage you. There is only one way for us to become friends of God: we must believe in what Jesus did for us and follow him with our lives. Let’s do it!
How Can You Follow Jesus?
Pray! You can talk to Jesus anytime, anywhere. He is always listening. Ask God to forgive the wrong things you have done. Thank him for the good things he has done, and tell him what you need.
Read! Read or listen to the Bible. You can begin with the Gospel of John in the New Testament. There you will read the story of Jesus’s life, written by his closest friend.
Meet! Meet with other friends of Jesus. With them you can rejoice in what Jesus is doing.
Do! Honor God by living the way he asks you to. Obey him and show his love to those around you.
Tell! Tell those around you about Jesus. This is good news — too good to keep to yourself. People everywhere need to hear about Jesus, to believe in him, and to follow him. When you tell someone about Jesus, you give them the greatest gift.