Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

John 21. Day 226 - Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: John 21 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Jesus Restores Peter. Feed My Sheep. Follow Me.

"When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?'" — John 21:15

John 21 closes the Gospel with Jesus meeting His disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. After a night of catching nothing, Jesus tells them where to cast the net, and suddenly it is overflowing with fish. Then He invites them to breakfast. It is a simple, personal scene, but it prepares the way for an even more personal conversation with Peter. The disciple who had denied Jesus three times is now asked three times, "Do you love me?" Jesus does not ignore Peter's failure, but neither does He define Peter by it. He restores him and gives him responsibility again: "Feed my sheep."

The chapter ends with Jesus calling Peter back to the heart of discipleship: "Follow me." Peter immediately looks at another disciple and asks what will happen to him, but Jesus redirects him. Peter's job is not to compare his calling with someone else's. His job is to follow Christ faithfully. John 21 reminds us that failure does not have to be the final chapter for those who belong to Jesus. Christ restores, recommissions, and calls us forward. Love Him, care for the people He has placed in your path, stop comparing your journey to everyone else's, and keep following Jesus.

John 20. Day 225 - Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: John 20 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
The Empty Tomb. Peace from the Risen Christ. Believing Without Seeing.

"Jesus said to him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.'" — John 20:29

John 20 opens with the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene arrives expecting to find Jesus' body, but instead she discovers that the stone has been removed. Peter and the other disciple run to the tomb, see the grave clothes, and begin to understand that something extraordinary has happened. Then the risen Jesus appears to Mary and later to the disciples, speaking the words they desperately need to hear: "Peace be with you." The resurrection is not simply proof that Jesus survived death. It is the declaration that sin and death have been defeated and that a new creation has begun.

Thomas struggles to believe until he sees Jesus for himself, and his response becomes one of the strongest confessions in John's Gospel: "My Lord and my God!" Jesus then turns our attention toward everyone who will believe without seeing Him physically. John explains why he wrote his Gospel: so that we may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing have life in His name. John 20 reminds us that Christian hope rests on a risen Savior. The tomb is empty, Jesus is alive, and because He lives, faith is not wishful thinking. It is trust in the One who conquered death.

John 19. Day 224 - Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: John 19 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Jesus Is Crucified. The King on the Cross. It Is Finished.

"When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished.' Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit." — John 19:30

John 19 brings us to the cross. Jesus is mocked, beaten, crowned with thorns, and presented before the crowd while Pilate struggles between political pressure and what he knows about Jesus' innocence. Yet John keeps showing us that Jesus is not simply a victim being swept along by events. Even in His suffering, He is fulfilling Scripture and moving willingly toward the purpose for which He came. The sign above His cross reads "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews," and though it was meant as a charge against Him, John wants us to see the deeper truth: the King is reigning through sacrifice.

Then Jesus speaks the words that stand at the center of the chapter: "It is finished." This is not a cry of defeat. It is the declaration that the work the Father gave Him to do has been completed. The debt of sin is being dealt with, Scripture is being fulfilled, and the way to God is being opened through the death of Christ. John 19 reminds us that our salvation rests not on what we can do for God, but on what Jesus has already done for us. The cross is where love, justice, mercy, and obedience meet, and because Jesus finished the work, we can rest in the grace He purchased for us.

John 18. Day 223 - Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: John 18 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Jesus Is Arrested. Peter Denies Him. Jesus Stands Before Pilate.

"My kingdom is not of this world." — John 18:36

John 18 moves us directly into the events leading to the cross. Jesus is arrested, yet even in that moment He remains completely in control. He steps forward, identifies Himself, and protects His disciples. Peter, who had promised loyalty, soon denies even knowing Jesus three times. The contrast is painful but important: Jesus remains faithful even when His followers fail Him. Peter's weakness does not surprise Christ, and it will not ultimately be the end of Peter's story.

Jesus is then brought before Pilate and questioned about His kingship. He makes it clear that His kingdom is not built on the power structures of this world. Jesus is a King, but His kingdom advances through truth, sacrifice, and ultimately the cross. Pilate asks, "What is truth?" while Truth Himself is standing in front of him. John 18 challenges us to see Jesus clearly in the middle of injustice, fear, and failure. He is still King, still faithful, and still moving toward the cross to accomplish the salvation He came to bring.

John 17. Day 222 - Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: John 17 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Jesus Prays for His Disciples. Sanctified by the Truth. A Prayer for Our Unity.

"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." — John 17:17

John 17 allows us to listen as Jesus prays on the night before the cross. He first prays about His coming glorification and the mission the Father has given Him. Then He prays for His disciples, asking the Father to protect them, keep them faithful, and sanctify them by the truth. Jesus knows they will remain in a world that will often oppose them, but He does not ask for them to be removed from it. Instead, He asks that they would be protected from the evil one and made holy through God's Word so they can faithfully carry His message into the world.

Then Jesus does something remarkable: He prays for us. He prays for everyone who will believe in Him through the testimony of His disciples. His desire is that His people would be united in a way that reflects the relationship between the Father and the Son, so that the world might believe. John 17 reminds us that Christian unity is bigger than simply getting along. We are people Jesus prayed would be shaped by truth, protected in a hostile world, sent on mission, and united around Him. Before Jesus went to the cross, His heart was already set on the people His sacrifice would save.