Easter in the GospelsSample

(Video and written devotion are the same content.)

Welcome back to Easter in the Gospels. I’m Rachel Wojo and today’s reading in this Easter in the Gospels Bible reading plan is a bit longer, at four full chapters.

On day 1 of this Bible reading plan, I encouraged you to remember that Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the synoptic gospels, meaning their order can be aligned and they can be “seen” together on a timeline. John does not follow the same chronological timeline in his writing; he often shares symbolically instead. John could be considered the storyteller of the four gospels.

John calls himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. His writing is more extensive, from the garden of Gethsemane to the ascension of Jesus to heaven than any other gospel writer. It is cool that that he provides the conversations between the people. Words were important to John; his outline of Jesus’ prayer before entering the garden of Gethsemane is beautiful. As far as we know, he is the only writer of the four Gospels who was present in the garden to hear the prayer Jesus spoke. John often notes the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in his gospel writing, and he concludes chapter 20 with a wonderfully fascinating statement:

"Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

That little phrase “which are not recorded in this book” is intriguing to me because in chapter 21, he gives more detail on what Jesus did before the ascension—more than any other disciple. And his final conclusion to his gospel account?

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."

John’s love for his master is so evident in these words. As a writer, I have reflected on this statement and pondered how many more books there are to be written to explain the love of Jesus, yet it cannot be explained in totality.

As we conclude this Easter in the Gospels Bible reading plan with the book of John, I pray that you are filled with awe and wonder that the God who loved you so much gave his only begotten son for you. So that you can have eternal life. Our earthly journeys provide but a small glimpse of the incredible life to come.

Father, as we pause to think that the world itself does not contain enough space to hold a record of your works, give us a deeper awareness of the resurrection power that lives within each of us as Christians. May this Easter prompt us to live victoriously, fully trusting in the work of Jesus on the cross and out of the grave to provide the power we need to live for You today.

If praying like we just did together is challenging for you or someone you know, I want to offer this free prayer guide for when you can’t pray. This guide provides encouraging thoughts, verses, and even fill-in-the-blank prayers to strengthen your prayer life. Click here to get the guide: https://rachelwojo.com/cant-pray

Enjoy your final day of Easter in the gospels!