Day 1 - Wednesday, Feb. 26 Preparing the Way DAILY READING - The Fourth Gospel - Introduction to John As we begin our study of the book of John, you might have some questions. You aren’t alone. Some of your questions might look like many I have heard before. How is John’s story different than the three other Gospel stories? Why do we need a Fourth Gospel? What does this Gospel tell us about God? Humanity? Ourselves? We will think about these questions and more as we dive into the study of John’s Gospel. Particularly, I want us to keep at the forefront these questions: What is Jesus doing for humanity in the Gospel of John? How does Jesus want to reveal Himself to you through the Gospel to form deeper relationship with you? As we begin on this first day, what are some of the questions YOU hope to answer in the next 40 days? What do you hope for? Although there is some scholastic disagreement about who wrote the Fourth Gospel, the majority of scholars believe that John, the son of Zebedee and disciple of Christ, is the author. From this understanding, we will proceed into the book that differs from the other three Gospels, or the Synoptics. Turn to Matthew 1. What do you notice in the opening of Matthew’s Gospel? Read the first eleven verses of Mark’s Gospel. How does Mark begin? Now turn to Luke’s Gospel and describe the beginning of his account: Each Gospel points to the author’s main intention of what they want us to know about Jesus. How do each of the Synoptic Gospels differ from each other and why do you think that is important? Read John 1:1-5. How does John begin his Gospel? What does this tell us about Jesus? Read John 13:23. What does this tell us about John? John describes the purpose of his Gospel in Jn 20:30-31. What does John say about his main purpose for writing this account?