“Look at the Book” is Bible Gateway’s series of short blog posts and infographics introducing you to the books of the Bible. The Gospel of John differs sometimes drastically from the other three (“synoptic”) gospels, presenting a more theological depiction of Jesus.
Scroll to the bottom if you’d prefer to see (and save) this article as an infographic. You’ll also find a handy 30-day reading guide. Or, for a challenge, you can do it in one week using the 7-day reading guide below.
Summary
John wrote to all people to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God who operated with his Father’s full authority. John’s gospel goes the deepest theologically, touching on issues such as the incarnation and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Category: Gospels
Theme: Belief
Timeline: Written around 85 AD by the Apostle John
Key Verse
“Jesus answered, ’I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” — John 14:6 (NIV)
I Am Who I Am
Seven “I am” statements identify Jesus as God and Messiah:
John and James, his older brother, were known as “the sons of Zebedee,” and Jesus gave them the name “Sons of Thunder.”
Access the rest of the series. Browse Bible studies for each book of the Bible. Or right-click on the infographic below to download and save the image for your reference.
Our childhoods shape who we are for the rest of our lives.
Our relationships with our parents are foundational for how we form bonds with others. Our connection with our ancestors can shape our dreams for the future. The customs and values of the town we call home can influence everything from what dishes we serve on holidays to which policies are the highest priorities for us during election seasons.
It is with good reason that one of the first questions we ask someone when we meet them is, “Where are you from?” Even though the answer doesn’t tell us everything, it gives us a starting point for understanding who a person is now.
So, where was Jesus from? And how do we, 2,000 years and many cultures and languages removed, make sense of the answer to help us better understand Jesus in adulthood?
Jesus had a mom and dad with personalities and commitments that shaped him.
Jesus had younger siblings who followed him around, and maybe even relied on him.
Jesus had a weighty lineage that could be traced all the way back to King David and Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the reign of a paranoid and violent king.
Jesus grew up in Nazareth under Roman colonization and amid whispers of revolt.
Getting to know Jesus the boy is a significant piece of understanding Jesus the man. But, besides the birth stories in Matt. 1-2 and Luke 1-2 (with a short story about 12-year-old Jesus at the Temple at the end of Luke 2), we have nothing in the Bible that addresses Jesus’ formative years. At least, not directly.
What we can do is use context clues from the gospels, Paul’s letters, ancient historians like Josephus, and archaeological discoveries to paint a fuller picture of what Jesus’ childhood was like.
Jesus’ Family
In many societies, especially those in the modern West, where we normalize and celebrate individualism, we often imagine Jesus as quite singular, solitary, and set apart. We might even impose individualistic narratives on him, like that he discerned and accomplished his mission alone or that he “pulled himself up by his bootstraps.”
But the truth is that Jesus was fully human, and like all humans, Jesus — his birth, identity, perspectives, priorities, and sense of purpose — did not emerge from a vacuum. He was heavily influenced by the people around him, and, being from a more collectivist culture than many of us alive today, it makes sense that the people around him would shape who he is.
Jesus’ Parents
First, we have Jesus’ parents. Much has been written about Jesus’ mother, Mary, since we hear from her at Jesus’ birth and glimpse her relationship with Jesus as an adult. The song Mary sings when she is pregnant with Jesus (Luke 1:46-55) reveals how well-versed she is in the Bible, and we can assume she passed that wisdom to Jesus. She also seems to know of Jesus’ power even before his ministry has begun at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-12), and she ends up following Jesus all the way to the cross, presumably as one of his disciples (John 19:25-27).
Less has been written about Jesus’ relationship with his (human) father, Joseph. Besides his brief appearance in Matt. 1-2, Joseph is not mentioned at all in the Bible, and most scholars believe he probably died before Jesus started his ministry. However, that doesn’t mean that Joseph had little impact on Jesus’ formative years.
If we read Matt. 1-2 from Joseph’s perspective, we can see that Jesus would have been immersed in stories about his own birth and childhood, not just from Mary, but from Joseph, too. Joseph understood Jesus to be his own son, conceived miraculously before he and Mary consummated their marriage. He did everything, including flee his homeland, to protect his wife and infant son when their lives were threatened.
Having a model of protective, intimate, parental love from both his mother and father may have helped Jesus articulate a compassionate and present God, who is close enough to refer to as “Abba,” Father, and in whom Jesus urged us to place our unequivocal trust.
Jesus’ Siblings
The New Testament also gives us glimpses of Jesus’ relationship with his siblings: James, Joses, Simon, Jude, and his unnamed sisters. Because Jesus was the oldest, it is likely that Jesus was responsible for helping with his younger siblings in childhood, and depending on the age gap, also for caring for them after Joseph died.
While John 7:1-5 tells a story where Jesus’ brothers were skeptical of his ministry, Acts and Paul’s letters (1 Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:18-19) tell us that Jesus’ brother James became not only a disciple of Jesus, but one of the most important leaders of the church after Jesus’ ascension. It is James who makes the final judgment at the pivotal Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:13-21; Gal. 2:1-10), where the Jewish leaders decided that Gentiles did not need to convert to Judaism to follow Jesus.
Because of James’ leadership in the early church, it is reasonable to guess that we have the stories of Jesus’ birth and childhood thanks to his siblings. They would have told their family stories repeatedly as they talked about Jesus. Caring for his younger siblings during his formative years and navigating his relationship with them over the course of his ministry would have been immensely formative for Jesus’ character and priorities.
Jesus’ Ancestries
It was not only Jesus’ immediate family that shaped and influenced him. Communities of the ancient world were far more tight-knit than what many of us experience today, especially in the modern West. Ancient communities also felt far deeper connections to the people of the past. It’s not just where a person was from, but who a person was from that defined how they saw the world — and how the world saw them.
Jesus as a Descendant of David
Stories about our birth and early childhood provide each of us with a sense of identity, belonging, relationships, and expectations. One of the defining elements of Jesus’ early life is that he was born into the royal line of David. It is unlikely that this sort of heritage would have or could have been invented, since genealogies were closely remembered and orally tracked in the ancient world, and since Jesus’ siblings were around to correct any outright fabrications.
As a descendant of David and first-born son, Jesus would have felt an immense weight. First, being in the Davidic line was a liability. King Herod, who was from a family who converted to Judaism, was verifiably terrified of losing his power, and he was willing to kill, including his own sons and countless innocent people, to keep it.
To compound that reality, having David in his ancestry would have provided Jesus with a sense of destiny, especially since there was the lingering promise from God of future leadership from David’s line. People believed there would be a king-Messiah from the descendants of David who would save Israel from oppression. This expectation weighed heavily on Jesus and influenced how other people perceived him. When he rides into Jerusalem on the donkey at the end of his ministry, it is with this identity-marker that the crowds greet him: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matt. 21:9).
This means Jesus was not only rooted in Jewish Scriptures as a story he could learn from; he was born into a family and a context where the story of Jewish Scripture was his story.
Jesus as a Jew, Judahite, and Judean
While many are familiar with the idea that Jesus was Jewish, we are not always familiar with the dimensions of what that actually means. Jesus was a Ioudaios, which is the Greek word that the New Testament uses as a rendering of the Hebrew word Yehudi. Our English word, “Jew,” is a contraction derived from these terms. To be a Ioudaios, for Jesus, was tridimensional:
Jesus was a “Jew,” in terms of his ethno-religious identity. To be Jewish in this sense meant identifying with a specific ethnic group that saw itself as chosen and called by God in a unique way. It also meant worshipping the one true God, under the guardianship of the Law and with a special focus on the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus was a born Jew, not a convert to Judaism, which heightened this identity for him. This dimension of Ioudaios is a theological and philosophical outlook, which means it would have shaped everything about how Jesus saw the world.
Jesus was a “Judahite,” in terms of his tribal heritage as a descendant of one of Jacob’s twelve sons, Judah. For those of us from the West, we probably have a hard time understanding the importance of Jesus belonging to a “tribe,” but in many indigenous cultures, tribal belonging remains an important part of identity. For Jesus to be able to trace his lineage back to a founding ancestor would have provided him with a sense of rootedness within his community and a shared history with his neighbors. In addition, the story of the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) is largely the story of Judah, as a tribe, within the broader tribes of Israel (e.g. Gen. 35:22; 42:13,32; 49:28; Ex. 24:4). This story would have been told to Jesus over and over, at the family dinner table as much as in the synagogue. It was the story that belonged to him, his family, and his community.
Jesus was a “Judaean,” in terms of his physical regionality in the area known as Judea. As the ancestral land assigned to his ancestor Judah, Jesus would have felt a deep emotional tie to the land through his heritage. He would have been tangibly and intimately familiar with the landmarks mentioned throughout much of the Bible. As a native resident of the land, he would have spoken their language (Aramaic), dressed in their clothes, eaten their food, danced to their music, and felt most at home among their architecture and art.
Being Judean also means that Jesus would have experienced firsthand the violence and unrest that took place in Judea in the first century, too.
Jesus’ Traumas
Identity is about selfhood developed through social interaction. It governs how we relate to others and the world. It includes gender, ethnicity, culture, heritage, family, tribe, race, socio-economic class, occupation, politics, nationality, place, religion, physicality, sex, sexuality, parenthood, relationship status, age, ability/skill, and more.
One’s identity can also be linked to life experiences, and trauma is especially formative for a person’s perceptions of themselves and the world. Consider, for example, how survivors of crime, abuse, wars, health crises, or environmental disasters are shaped by their experiences.
As we consider Jesus’ formative years — where and who and what shaped him in his early life — we must include trauma. Before Jesus turned 12, he endured the threat of violence, escaped a horrific massacre, was hunted by political powers, lived as a refugee in a foreign land, and immigrated back to his own home, where political unrest and economic instability reigned.
Herod’s death and Jesus’ family’s move to Nazareth did not end the threats to Jesus’ life before he even began his ministry. There is a well-attested cultural memory of resistance to Roman rule in Judea during Jesus’ childhood. Rome met these rebellions with extreme violence.
Sociopolitical turbulence, imperial atrocities, and terrible pain and suffering at the hands of the Roman Empire defined Jesus’ childhood — and the hopeful expectations of his community as he grew up.
As we flesh out Jesus’ childhood, we get a fuller picture of how Jesus, having taken on human form, became the teacher, leader, and Messiah that we get to know in detail — and meet personally — in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Dr. Joan Taylor, a world authority on the history and literature of the first century AD, draws both on the latest archaeological findings and on the historical clues to be found within ancient texts of the period. The result is a book that brings the story of Jesus’ childhood clearly and vividly to life as never before, while also pointing to the many ways in which Jesus’ experiences as a child are likely to have influenced his life, attitudes, and actions as an adult.
After Jesus had entered the water, God’s Sacred Breath entered Jesus to fill and indwell him, so he followed his voice into an area where all noise was cut off. He went without food to worship for as many days and nights as two people have digits, and his hunger ate him. There his soul was tested by the head of the worldlings.
Does this sound vaguely familiar? You may recognize the passage as the first two verses of the fourth chapter of Luke — the beginning of one account of Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness, but it’s been translated with an amalgamation of terminology from eleven different languages that renders a recognizable story strange and somewhat startling.
Some terminology might seem curious to English speakers, but these phrases are all drawn from real Bibles read by and for real people with real Christian faith.
This familiar story of Jesus’s temptation is told in all three of the synoptic gospels and holds a special place in how we view and think of Jesus, especially at this time of year during the 40-day season of Lent when many of us also fast or undertake other spiritual practices.
A New Lens for Lent
During Lent, as we take a step back from business as usual to reflect and remove distractions from our lives, it may be especially valuable to also take a step back and “unfamiliarize” ourselves with this pivotal passage of Scripture in order to understand and embrace it even more deeply — not just seeing it with fresh eyes, but bringing us closer to fellow believers the world over.
Let’s look at this passage in the hybrid translation above a little more closely. If you want, you can follow along with all this information and more in the Translation Insights & Perspectives (TIPs) tool on the pages for Luke 4:1 and Luke 4:2.
After Jesus had entered the water…
In the original Greek text and English translations of Luke 4:1, there is no mention that the temptation happens immediately after Jesus’ baptism. In fact, unlike the other gospels, Luke inserts Jesus’s genealogy at the end of chapter 3.
But in a recent Italian translation, the translator felt there was a need for a clear connection between these two events, especially because the episode about the temptations is placed at the beginning of a new chapter. When tempted by the devil, Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit had just descended upon him at baptism.
English uses “baptism” for “entering the water” — a transliteration of the Greek baptizo, which also means “immerse.” As a result, most languages use an actual translation of baptize, often as a form of “dip,” or, like the Indonesian Uab Meto, “to enter into the water.”
…God’s Sacred Breath entered Jesus to fill and indwell him…
Baptism as “entering into the water” seems particularly fitting since it corresponds so seamlessly with his then being “filled with (the Holy Spirit)” expressed right afterward as “fill and indwell.” This translation from Tagbanwa, a language in the Philippines, beautifully encapsulates how the Holy Spirit not only fills us at first but stays and “indwells” us.
Interestingly, the name used here for “Holy Spirit” is “Sacred Breath,” which follows the example of famed French translator A. Chouraqui, who drew his inspiration for that translation from one of the other meanings of the Greek Pneûma or the Hebrew Ruach. The translation for the Spirit as “Sacred Breath” connects the Spirit’s indwelling nature with God’s lifegiving breath in Genesis 2:7 and Jesus’s Spirit-giving breath in John 20:22.
…he followed his voice into an area where all noise was cut off.
After entering the water and being “indwelled” with the Spirit, Jesus “followed” the Sacred Breath’s “voice” (according to Bariai speakers and readers in Papua New Guinea) to a place where “all the noise was cut off.”
This spatial translation for desert comes from Australian Noongar speakers, and though it misses the important parallel to the desert where Moses and the people of Israel spent their 40 years, our own Lenten practices might also benefit from finding quiet places where “all the noise is cut off” — even if we don’t necessarily travel to a desert or wilderness.
He went without food to worship for as many days and nights as two people have digits, and his hunger ate him.
The Mexican language of Isthmus Mixe adds clear purpose to Jesus’s long fast, specifying that his intent in going “without food” was “to worship God.”
Using “as many as two people have digits” like the Mairasi of Indonesia to designate the number forty may seem unusually anatomical for English speakers, but many languages around the world use similar body part tally systems.
And the Ugandan Kupsabiny expression for Jesus’s intense hunger during his fast, “the hunger ate him,” gives a new physical intensity to his experience in the wilderness. You might reflect on this language if you do your own fasting practice this Lent.
There his soul was tested by the head of the worldlings.
We are familiar with the English account of Jesus’s temptation, but the “soul test” of the Tibetan Bible adds another layer that brings out the experience of spiritual warfare. It’s one thing to withstand a temptation (only to know that there’s another temptation right around the corner), but “soul test” reminds us that our soul grows during these tests — and becomes more equipped to handle them in the future (Rom. 5:3-5).
“Devil” is often translated with a term that describes the commander or leader of an army of evil spirits, but “head of the worldlings,” a translation from the 40,000 Ojitlán Chinantec speakers in Oaxaca, Mexico, seems to work very well for this passage in particular. After all, later in verses 5 and 6 the devil claims the power to offer Jesus authority over all the “kingdoms of the world.” And it calls to mind Paul’s designation of Satan as “god of this world” in 2 Corinthians 4:4.
Make More Room for God This Lent
There are many ways and reasons to observe Lent. Some believers choose to fast to prepare themselves for the glorious news of the Easter resurrection. Others fast as a form of sacrifice to ever-so-faintly shadow the sacrifice of Jesus. Some see it as a form of service or obedience.
In contrast to many of the other liturgical seasons throughout the year, Lent happens mostly quietly and privately, so the motivations and practices tend to vary greatly. Even so, most if not all practitioners of Lent share a common desire to make more room for God, to have a greater focus on him.
And one primary way to sharpen this focus on God so he gains more room in our lives and hearts is to study Scripture.
During this Lenten season, consider immersing yourself in a different kind of Scripture reading through the lenses of languages from around the world in the TIPs tool. If you’d like to immerse yourself more fully in the story of the temptation (or “soul test,” as our Tibetan brothers and sisters would say), you can start in Matthew, in Mark, or in Luke.
The question “how do I pray?” has been searched millions of times on Google, but the first time we see it recorded in our human history is in Luke 11. As Jesus finished his prayer time, one of the disciples approached with this question:
“Lord, teach us to pray.”
It’s a question we’re still asking today, especially if it seems like nothing happens when we pray or we’re hearing conflicting teachings on what prayer should sound like. Others fear their lack of prayer skills will keep God from listening or helping us. The good news is, your prayers don’t change God’s love or faithfulness. But your prayers can change you.
Jesus teaches us a framework, not a formula, for effective prayer.
He wants your prayers to transform your life and for God to use your prayers to make a lasting and eternal impact on our world. One of the clues indicating that you’re using prayer like a formula is that you use prayer like God is your vending machine. Or you resort to calling on God when your life is on fire and God is your emergency fire extinguisher. One other clue is if you treat prayer like a monologue where you talk to God and tell Him what you want, but you don’t develop the skills to hear Him.
Ultimately, the point of prayer isn’t for us to change God’s mind but rather to be willing for God to change us.
Here are four principles we can draw from Jesus’s teaching on prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. We’ll use Matthew’s version for our time together.
Begin Prayer with a God-Centric, Not Problem-Centric Approach
This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, — Matthew 6:9 (NIV)
Jesus teaches us to begin prayer by remembering our relationship with God, our Father. The original Greek uses the Aramaic word Abba, which means a personal, trusting relationship, not cold or distant. We tend to begin our prayers by telling God our problems, but that’s like starting a conversation with a friend by handing them a to-do list instead of greeting them first.
When we approach God as Abba, we release our stress and anxiety by stepping into His presence. God is safe. In prayer, heaven meets earth, and we step into God’s protective space. We’re reminded and reassured He is bigger than our biggest challenges or anxieties. This is why people often say they feel better after praying.
As we open our prayers centered on God, we reconnect with the confidence that whatever the outcome of our prayer, we can trust in God’s goodness, love, power, and presence.
If you tend to pray problem-first instead of God-first, here’s a helpful tool I developed called a “God-Centering Exercise.” It has four parts:
God Is: Remembering God’s character, goodness, and love.
God Has: Replaying God’s faithfulness in my life and others’ lives.
God Can: Reflecting on God’s power.
God Will: Reminding myself of God’s promises for my life and eternity.
Prayer Refreshes Our Heavenly Perspective
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. — Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
Our world gives us a near-sighted perspective. We react to what’s in front of us. But without prayer, we lose sight of God’s eternal perspective.
Prayer gives us God’s spiritual vision and fixes our earthly nearsightedness so we’re able to see beyond the chaos and live out the gospel and God’s purpose for our lives.
Prayer Nurtures Humility
Give us today our daily bread. — Matthew 6:11 (NIV)
The phrase “daily bread” is connected to how God provided daily food for the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4). They had no means or agency to provide for their needs. God gave them literal daily bread for their survival.
Jesus teaches us to tell God what we need. One of the etymological roots of prayer is “to beg.” There are health crises we can’t fix, relationship problems we can’t heal, financial insecurities we can’t change, and dreams we can’t achieve without God.
Not only that but notice how Jesus instructs us to pray using plural words like “us” and “our.” Jesus didn’t teach individual prayer. He taught us to pray as a community and for each other. It means that each body of Christ needs to check in with the different parts of the body and respond if there are needs, not ignore them. It’s not effective prayer if we’re not praying for others on a regular basis. God cares about everyone.
More on humility in Jesus’s next teaching point:
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. — Matthew 6:12 (NIV)
For decades, medical professionals, including mental health experts, have known the importance of forgiveness on our physical and psychological health. King David writes about how his unconfessed sin weakened him but confession healed him (Psalm 32:3-5). God’s desire is for us to live free from guilt or shame, especially since those are easy tools for Satan to use to tempt us to lose faith in God’s love for us.
On the flip side, forgiving others is just as important. When we hold onto resentment or bitterness, we hurt ourselves. Yet, Jesus teaches forgiveness must be a regular part of our prayers because we’re humbly reminded that God has forgiven us of far more than we could ever forgive of anyone else (Matthew 6:14-15).
Prayer Keeps Our Spiritual Warfare Toolbox Close at Hand
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ — Matthew 6:13 (NIV)
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told Peter and the disciples to stay awake and pray. Peter fell asleep and didn’t take time to pray as Jesus requested. Later, Peter succumbed to the temptation to anger by slashing off the ear of Malchus, a servant (John 18:10-11). He also denied Jesus three times and was devastated.
Jesus knew spiritual warfare was cloaked from our earthly eyes until Satan saw an opportunity. We can stay prepared for spiritual opposition when we’re praying. As we pray, we’re more likely to keep other spiritual weapons like reading our Bibles, staying in the Christian community, and obeying God sharp and ready for battle.
Conclusion: Pray Like Jesus and Be Transformed by Him
Jesus taught us to pray so we can experience God’s life-transforming love and power. This framework is for everyone!
I love Corrie ten Boom’s well-known words: “Make prayer your steering wheel, not your spare tire.” Your next step is to apply Jesus’s teaching principles in your prayer life today and experience the transformative power of prayer.
When you pray like Jesus, you will learn more about God’s character and His eternal plan and purpose for you. In Matthew: Pray Like This, Bible teacher Barb Roose guides you on a six-week Bible study of the Gospel of Matthew, taking a deep dive into Jesus’s prayer patterns.
Along the way you’ll learn that prayer is the place where God meets you with His heart set on conversation and time spent with you.
“Look at the Book” is Bible Gateway’s series of short blog posts and infographics introducing you to the books of the Bible. The Gospel of Luke speaks most to the marginalized of society and how Christ came especially for them.
Scroll to the bottom if you’d prefer to see (and save) this article as an infographic. You’ll also find a handy 30-day reading guide. Or, for a challenge, you can do it in one week using the 7-day reading guide below.
Summary
Luke presents the works and teachings of Jesus that are most essential for understanding the way of salvation. Also focuses on the grace of God as revealed in Jesus and given to those who seem least worthy in society to receive it.
Category: Gospels
Theme: Marginalized
Timeline: Written together with Acts around 60 AD
Key Verse
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” — Luke 19:10 (NIV)
A Feast of Grace
Jesus is called “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Eating and drinking were so important in the mission of Jesus because they were a sign of his friendship with the marginalized. His “excess” of food and “excess” of grace are linked.
Luke records 9 instances of Jesus eating with people, and at least another 11 instances of Jesus referencing eating.
“In Luke’s Gospel Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal.” — Robert Karris
Access the rest of the series. Browse Bible studies for each book of the Bible. Or right-click on the infographic below to download and save the image for your reference.
Here it is, your source for all the latest Bible-related and Bible-adjacent news from the month of March 2025 — from archaeological discoveries and academic research to cultural events and conversations, developments in the global church, and more.
Week of March 23
March 29 — A Russian court banned the “New Testament: The Restoration Translation” by Witness Lee, the Chinese Christian founder of the Local Church in Moscow, citing “linguistic signs of propaganda and humiliation” against other religions in Lee’s commentary. The ruling raises concerns about increased pressure on evangelical Christians in Russia and highlights ongoing challenges for religious freedom of Chinese Christians. (Christian Today)
March 27 — Declassified CIA documents reveal that in 1988 the agency attempted to locate the Ark of the Covenant using psychic techniques, as part of Project Sun Streak. A “remote viewer” described the Ark as a wooden, gold, and silver container adorned with six-winged angels, hidden in a dark, subterranean location, and guarded by “protective entities.” The psychic’s findings were never verified; the Ark’s location remains a mystery. (Jerusalem Post)
March 27 — Is March Madness distracting you from Bible study? Try slipping a little in during half-time — after all, that’s the point of the game. Basketball was invented in 1891 by a Canadian seminary grad at a Massachusetts YMCA as a character-building exercise for Christian young men during the long winter months. Within a few years, missionaries were using it as an outreach tool for unchurched youth in American cities and abroad. (RELEVANT)
March 27 — Forever 21, the iconic fast-fashion retailer known for its yellow bags stamped with “John 3:16,” has announced the closure of all U.S. stores due to competition from online brands and declining mall traffic. Founded in 1984 by Korean immigrants Do Won and Jin Sook Chang, the brand’s rapid growth reflected both the American dream and Christian faith, though it suffered controversies over labor practices and the ethics of fast fashion. (Christianity Today)
March 27 — Revive Europe, a student-focused evangelistic initiative that insists Europe is “pre-revival, not post-Christian,” is gaining momentum. Its next Awakening Project event will be held in London from April 30 to May 2. It will unite 300-500 participants for worship, prayer, teaching, and fellowship, culminating in an all-night prayer session with over 1,000 young adults. Future events are being planned, with Munich up next. (Christian Daily)
March 27 — A Pew study found that 20% of adults globally have left the religion they were raised in, with Christianity and Buddhism experiencing significant losses. Most of these individuals now identify as religiously unaffiliated, including atheists, agnostics, and “nones.” Western Europe and the U.S. show high rates of disaffiliation, while countries like South Korea see some gains in Christianity among those raised without religion. (Religion Unplugged)
March 26 — Three prominent Israeli archaeologists summarized the past decade’s biggest discoveries about Jerusalem’s development during the Iron Age (1200–586 BC). Highlights include monumental structures like the Stepped Stone Structure, possibly linked to biblical Millo, and the Large Stone Structure, which could be King David’s palace. Other finds include a defensive moat and luxurious reception hall (or “chamber“) in the City of David. (Biblical Archaeology Society)
March 26 — The first complete Chinese translation of the Bible, created by John Lassar and Joshua Marsham between 1815 and 1822, recently sold at auction for over £56,000 ($115,000). Initially donated to an Oxfam store in Essex, England, the rare Bible was expected to fetch £600-£800 but far exceeded expectations during a Bonhams auction. The proceeds will support Oxfam’s charitable efforts. (Christian Today, from BBC)
March 25 — A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that most U.S. clergy now support therapy and medication alongside faith. Historically, mental health struggles were often seen as spiritual failings. Now, 9 in 10 clergy recommend professional care and medication in addition to prayer and Scripture. This integrated approach is especially vital for younger generations, who report high levels of anxiety and depression. (RELEVANT)
March 25 — NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, who recently returned from space after his eight-day trip turned into a nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station, credited his faith in Jesus Christ for sustaining him during the long, challenging mission. Despite technical complications and emotional strain, Wilmore described his experience as a spiritual journey, quoting Scripture and emphasizing that God was always present. (Christian Today)
March 25 — This year, Easter will be celebrated on the same day, April 20, by all Christian denominations, a rare alignment of Eastern and Western calendars. This coincides with the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, which sought to unify the date of Easter. The shared celebration has inspired leaders from Catholic, Protestant, Coptic, and Eastern Orthodox churches to advocate for a permanent common date. (Religion Unplugged)
March 24 —Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has taken on a leadership role at Gloo, a Christian tech platform that aims to support faith communities with ethical and effective AI integration. Gelsinger hopes to shape AI as a “force for good and for God.” Gloo claims over 100,000 Christian leaders using its platform, which offers services like AI chatbots tailored to church beliefs, sermon kits, and tools for connecting congregations. (RNS)
March 24 — The Gafcon G25 conference, held on March 12 at Christ Church Plano, Texas, focused on renewing biblical authority and raising the next generation of Anglican leaders. Attended by 170 leaders from 25 countries, the event emphasized theological unity amid cultural diversity. It also revisited Gafcon’s origins and outlined future initiatives, with the next major gathering planned for Abuja, Nigeria, in 2026. (Christian Daily)
March 23 — Pope Francis was discharged from Gemelli Hospital after 38 days of treatment for bilateral pneumonia. At 88, his recovery was preceded by global prayers and well-wishes from people of all faiths. He said he “had the opportunity to experience the Lord’s patience,” and expressed gratitude for healthcare workers and others who care for the sick, as well as hope for peace in the Holy Land, Ukraine, Myanmar, and Africa. (Vatican News and The Guardian)
Week of March 16
March 22 — Excavations under the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem have uncovered traces of an ancient garden, aligning with the Gospel of John’s description of a garden near Jesus’ crucifixion and burial site. Archaeobotanical analysis revealed evidence of olive trees and grapevines from the pre-Christian era. The site was later converted into a church by Constantine in the fourth century. (Times of Israel)
March 21 — Evangelism in Kenya and other arid regions faces an unlikely obstacle to conversion: water scarcity. After surrendering to Christ, 68 new believers in Kenya dug a pit, lined it with polythene, and carried water 2 miles overnight to fill it so they could all be baptized. The mission also established Bible studies and connected the community with local pastors to provide long-term discipleship for the community. (Christian Daily)
March 21 — The Korea World Missions Association (KWMA) commemorated 140 years since the Gospel’s arrival in Korea with a meeting of denominational leaders to discuss the changing global missions landscape. Their “New Target 2030” plan focuses on international mission partnerships, sustainable mission models, and intergenerational participation, and emphasizes the Korean church’s pivotal role in bridging Western and non-Western missions. (Christian Daily)
March 20 — Jordan’s Baptism Site, traditionally recognized as the place John the Baptist baptized Jesus, has been named the Best UNESCO World Heritage Site of 2025. This prestigious recognition highlights the site’s excellence in preserving history, improving visitor access, and promoting sustainable tourism. Located on the eastern banks of the Jordan River, the site is a key Christian pilgrimage destination and a symbol of peace and cultural diversity. (Aleteia)
March 19 — If you’re fasting for Lent this year, we have good news: A new MIT study found several health benefits of the practice (beyond its spiritual significance). Intermittent fasting and low-calorie diets boost the regeneration of intestinal stem cells, improving gut health, aiding recovery from injuries or inflammation, and enhancing longevity. However, researchers caution that fasting could accelerate tumor development in people with cancer. (RELEVANT)
March 19 — Pastor William Devlin of Infinity Bible Church in New York has offered to sacrifice his life to save Nigerian Christian farmer Sunday Jackson, who faces a death sentence for killing a Fulani herdsman in self-defense. Devlin, a long-time advocate for persecuted Christians, expressed his willingness to exchange his life for Jackson’s, citing his faith and Jesus’ sacrifice as his inspiration. (Christianity Daily)
March 19 — Mission Eurasia, a Christian ministry based in Tennessee, U.S., has partnered with the city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, to provide spiritual and medical care in war zones. The agreement allows the ministry to deploy Christian medics and spiritual counselors to areas affected by Russian attacks. These “spiritual first responders” offer trauma counseling, distribute Bibles, and provide urgent care at no cost to patients or the government. (Baptist Press)
March 18 — We previously reported that U.S. Bible sales have been growing rapidly — but what about in the notoriously faith-averse UK? As it turns out, the answer is … even more rapidly. UK Bible sales grew by a whopping 87% between 2019 and 2024. As in the U.S., part of this shift is driven by Gen Z’s higher levels of spirituality: 62% of British 18- to 24-year-olds describe themselves as spiritual, compared to just 35% of those over 65. (Christian Today)
March 18 — The Magdala Stone, discovered in 2009 in an ancient Galilean synagogue, has continues to spur debate over the purpose of its carvings, which include menorahs, rosettes, and possible chariot wheels. Some scholars interpret its designs as representing God’s chariot and the Temple’s Holy of Holies, offering a “virtual visit” to the Temple for distant worshippers, while others suggest it served as a Torah rest or stand. (Haartez)
March 18 — Lifeway Research found that 52% of U.S. Protestant churches have seen at least 4% attendance growth post-pandemic, while others remain plateaued (33%) or declining (15%). Churches with 100 or more in attendance are much more likely than smaller churches to grow, suggesting the importance of capitalizing on momentum. And evangelical congregations are somewhat more likely than mainline to grow. (Lifeway Research)
March 17 — The Africa Bible Impact Summit (ABIS) in Rwanda gathered 144 leaders from 30 countries to promote Christ-centered transformation in Africa. Hosted by Community Bible Study, it emphasized Bible engagement and discipleship rooted in African experiences. Speakers highlighted Africa’s deep Christian heritage, arguing that Christianity has closer historical ties to Africa than to the West, and called for an African hermeneutic. (Christian Daily)
March 17 — The Serenity Prayer is famously used in 12-step programs and widely beloved — but not many know its origins. The prayer was written not in ancient times but in the 20th century by American Reformed theologian and Union Seminary professor Reinhold Niebuhr, for a worship service in Massachusetts. His original version differed slightly, focusing on collective action and moral responsibility rooted in Christian realism. (RNS)
March 17 — Young women, historically the backbone of church communities, are leaving at higher rates than young men due to shifting relationship dynamics, outdated gender models, and disproportionate volunteer expectations. Meanwhile, young men are slightly more engaged, drawn by cultural shifts in masculinity and faith as a stabilizing force. But churches wanting to preserve their future must adapt to better engage young women. (RELEVANT)
March 17 — Did St. Patrick really drive all the snakes out of Ireland? Probably not. Fossil records show Ireland (like many islands) has been snake-free since the Ice Age. But his real story, perhaps more amazing than the legend, includes being kidnapped, enslaved, and later returning to Ireland to spread his faith despite significant resistance. Scholars suggest the “snakes” represent the pagan practices he fought to end. (RELEVANT)
March 16 — Are science and faith at odds? Many believe they are, but others argue modern science would not exist without Christian theology, which views nature as a form of divine revelation (Ps. 19:1, Rm. 1:20). Early scientists like Roger Bacon and Isaac Newton sought to uncover God’s laws of creation (Jr. 33:25), and even modern breakthroughs like the Big Bang theory, proposed by Rev. Georges Lemaître, show Biblical overlap (Gn. 1:1). (Christian Today)
March 16 — Global benevolence declined last year according to Gallup, with fewer people helping strangers (56%, down 6%), donating money (33%, down 4%), or volunteering (26%, down 4%) in 2024 compared to 2023. Economic pressures and “philanthropic fatigue” are key factors, alongside reduced international aid from countries like the U.S. and U.K. Charitable activity still surpasses pre-2006 levels, but concerns about the future persist. (Baptist News Global)
Week of March 9
March 14 — The “Nun Study,” launched in 1986, involved 678 Catholic sisters from the School Sisters of Notre Dame and provided groundbreaking insights into Alzheimer’s and dementia. The sisters’ shared lifestyles allowed researchers to bypass variables and isolate factors influencing cognitive health. Key findings revealed that higher early-life cognitive abilities, such as education and language skills, reduced dementia risk later on. (Catholic News Agency)
March 13 — Islamists in Syria massacred over 1,300 people, mostly Alawite Muslims who traditionally lived side-by-side with Christians. The violence sparked fears among Christians who, though not directly targeted, often face theft, displacement, and vulnerability as an unarmed minority. Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim leader, promised justice but ties to radical groups continue to generate scrutiny and doubt. (Christianity Today)
March 12 — Churches in Britain are releasing a special edition of the Gospel of John to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day. Designed to resemble the Bibles issued to British soldiers in World War II, the special edition includes the gospel text alongside four real-life stories of faith and courage from the war. The initiative, led by Hope Together and Biblica, also encourages prayer for peace during the celebrations. (Christian Today)
March 12 — Robert Morris, founder of Gateway Church in Texas, was indicted on five counts of child sexual abuse stemming from allegations dating to the 1980s. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice concluded its sexual abuse investigations of the Southern Baptist Convention with no charges filed, aside from one count of lying to the FBI. (Christianity Today and RNS)
March 11 — Analysis of the 2023 Annual Church Profile (ACP) revealed a “complicated picture” for Southern Baptist churches (the largest Protestant denomination in America). Small congregations continue to shrink, with 70% of churches having fewer than 100 attendees. Baptisms increased by 47% over two years, with urban and younger churches showing higher rates. But the only region where membership grew was in New England. (Lifeway Research)
March 11 — Persecution of Indian Christians rose by 6.5% in 2024, with 640 verified incidents including physical violence, arrests, vandalism, and social boycotts, driven by Hindu nationalism and stricter anticonversion laws in 10 states. Christians face fabricated charges, denial of burial rights, and forced reconversions. Christian networks provide legal aid and advocacy, striving for the religious freedom promised by India’s Constitution. (Christianity Today)
March 10 — Archaeologists at Megiddo in Israel uncovered evidence supporting the biblical account of King Josiah’s death at the hands of Pharaoh Necho II around 609 BC. Excavations revealed a sudden influx of Egyptian and Greek pottery, indicating a significant Egyptian military presence during that period, aligning with the account in 2 Kings 23:29. This discovery provides the first archaeological link to this biblical event. (Biblical Archaeology Society)
March 9 — Pastor John MacArthur, 85, addressed the Shepherds Conference via video after a seven-week hospital stay due to complications from heart and lung surgeries. Appearing frail but optimistic, he expressed gratitude for prayers and support, acknowledging he is on his “last lap” of life and ministry. MacArthur, who has led Grace Community Church since 1969, shared his ongoing recovery journey, including physical therapy to regain strength. (Christian Post)
Week of March 2
March 8 — More women lead Christian ministries in the U.S. than secular businesses. A recent survey found that while the vast majority of Christian leaders (77%) are male, women leaders have increased from 16% last year to nearly 23%. (Only 10% of Fortune 500 companies have women CEOs.) The survey also found over half of ministers expect positive impact from Trump administration policies. Fundraising and staffing remain their biggest challenges. (MinistryWatch)
March 7 — Christian NGO leaders representing 35 organizations like World Relief and Samaritan’s Purse met with the Trump administration to address the USAID foreign aid freeze. The suspension has caused program closures and layoffs for many longstanding evangelical missions. Administration officials acknowledged concerns but emphasized reducing government reliance and increasing private donor support. (RELEVANT)
March 7 — Gather25 brought together 7 million participants in 21,000 locations last week. Hosted from seven global sites, including Rwanda, India, and the U.S., it featured diverse worship styles, languages, and performances aiming to reflect Rev. 7:9‘s vision of worship across all nations. A related album included songs in multiple languages but leaned toward Western pop worship styles. (Christianity Today)
March 7 — African theologians are marking the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea with major renewal events such as the Sixth World Conference on Nicaea in Egypt. Delegations across the continent are hosting lectures and discussions to highlight Africa’s rich theological heritage. Methodist Rev. Jackie Makena and Orthodox Rev. John Njoroge both emphasize the need to foster unity and address divisive theologies in the postcolonial era. (RNS)
March 7 — Greenland’s population of 57,000 are mostly native Inuit — and almost entirely Lutheran Christians, a legacy of Danish missionary Hans Egede, who arrived in 1721. Though not all members regularly attend services, the church’s traditions continue to unite the community amid discussions of the nation’s future. The quiet country was surprised to find itself in the global spotlight following President Trump’s recent comments. (RNS)
March 6 — Gen Z is sparking a spiritual awakening. While institutional religion struggles, young people are gathering for unpolished, authentic worship at universities across the U.S. and UK, such as the 16-day Asbury Outpouring in 2023. Leaders like Jennie Allen and Jonathan Pokluda note Gen Z’s hunger for integrity, accountability, and transformation, rejecting the polished megachurch programming and celebrity pastors of recent generations. (RELEVANT)
March 6 — Amid ongoing health issues, Pope Francis shared a voice recording from the hospital, thanking the faithful for their prayers during a rosary gathering in St. Peter’s Square. Speaking in a raspy voice, he said, “May God bless you and the Virgin protect you.” His condition has remained stable since Monday, but he continues to receive noninvasive mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy while alternating rest and work. (RNS)
March 5 — How does archaeology illuminate the Bible? The discipline’s emphasis has shifted from proving the Bible’s histories to better understanding them. For example, the absence of pig bones in the region of Judah sheds light on dietary laws in Deut. 14 and Lev. 11, while the discovery of artifacts such as altars and figurines clarifies household worship practices alluded to in Jdg. 17. (Biblical Archaeology Society)
March 5 — Jason Wilson’s Cave of Adullam in Detroit provides a Christ-centered approach to address the masculinity crisis. Inspired by 1 Samuel 22, the program uses martial arts, prayer, and scripture to teach both self-discipline and reliance on Jesus. The Cave of Adullam, Wilson writes in his book, strives to cultivate the “comprehensive man” who embodies “both courage and compassion, strength and sensitivity.” (Christianity Today)
March 5 — Pixar’s new animated series, Win or Lose, introduces the studio’s first openly Christian character, Laurie, the coach’s daughter. Set in the world of Inside Out, the series follows a middle school softball team the week before their championship game, with each episode highlighting a different player. In the first episode, Laurie prays aloud, saying, “Dear Heavenly Father, please give me strength.” (RELEVANT)
March 4 — A recent survey shows only 26% of Americans observe Lent. (Are you one of them?) Among those who do, key practices include fasting from favorite foods or beverages (50%), attending church services (49%), fasting from bad habits (37%), and giving to others (36%). Younger adults (18-29) are more likely to give (50%), while African Americans often incorporate prayer (54%). Protestants are more likely to read Bible verses (35%) than Catholics (12%). (Lifeway Research)
March 4 — A recent study showed a surprising shift toward traditional values in relationships among Gen Z, with 62% avoiding one-night stands and only 23% engaging in casual hookups, compared to 78% of young millennials in 2004. Only 21% of Gen Z believe marriage is irrelevant, a significant drop from the 39% of millennials 20 years ago. Rising divorce rates and the pandemic’s forced isolation have led them to prioritize commitment. (RELEVANT)
March 4 — Veteran rock radio DJ Matt Talluto found Jesus after losing his job during the pandemic. Now he has started Iron-FM, a Christian “dad rock” radio station targeting men age 25-51 and playing hits of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Though he enjoys today’s worship artists, Talluto says they are mostly targeted toward women — and he’s ready for a hard rock revival. (Christianity Today)
March 3 — Australian blood donor James Harrison died peacefully, age 88, having saved the lives of 2.4 million unborn babies (not a typo) between 1954 and his last donation (his 1,173rd) in 2018. Harrison’s plasma contained a rare and precious antibody called anti-D, which can prevent a potentially fatal disease in unborn babies in as many as 17% of pregnancies. He “never missed a single appointment, and expected nothing in return.” (NPR)
March 3 — Los Angeles Lakers center Trey Jemison III is using his platform to host Bible studies on Instagram. Not just posting inspirational quotes, Jemison encourages his thousands of followers to read along, ask questions, and engage in discussion. Raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Jemison’s faith became central going undrafted in 2023. He credits prayer and God’s guidance for his NBA career. (RELEVANT)
March 3 — How would you describe the Bible — in seven words or less? Here’s a project that asks that question of many different pastors, scholars, and laypeople (they are allowed to expound upon their answer in a few additional sentences), with more responses to come. (The Christian Century)
March 3 — The Church of Saint Paraskeva in Serbia, which dates back to 1331, houses a rare White Angel fresco. It depicts the archangel Gabriel dressed in a white chiton and himation, sitting on a stone of burgundy and indicating the place of Christ’s resurrection. Despite damage during Turkish rule (including the angel’s eyes being gouged out of the wall), the fresco remains significant, one of only three White Angel frescoes in the world. (Jerusalem Post)
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Lent is the Christian liturgical season beginning with Ash Wednesday and leading up to Holy Week. It’s an observance of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness praying, fasting, and being tempted by Satan, before emerging to begin his public ministry.
Lent is often associated with “high church” (e.g., Catholic and Orthodox) denominations, but it’s observed by many Protestants as well, and its Biblical basis provides good reason to do so (even if, chronologically, it’s a bit odd to go straight from the wilderness to the Passion). It’s an important acknowledgment of our origins as dust and our return to dust before resurrection in Christ — reminding us of our complete dependence on him for our whole being.
In modern Western culture we typically associate Lent with “giving something up” for 40 days. That comes from the traditional practice of fasting — giving up food — during this period, in emulation of Christ’s fasting in the desert. It’s a worthwhile practice — but it’s by no means the only one. (Honestly, I hate fasting — it makes me shaky, tired, and unfocused — and that’s partly why I wanted to write about other options!)
Also, fun fact, Lent isn’t technically 40 days: it’s six weeks and change (some Christians say it ends on Maundy Thursday, others on Holy Saturday), which is more like 42-45 days. Some denominations exclude Sundays as “mini-Easters” in between.
If you want to grow closer to Jesus, it’s important not just to invite him into your own life, but to enter into his as well. Here are a few suggestions for how to participate in this somber season.
But first, a little background.
Lent in the Bible: Where Does the Holiday Come From?
The period of Lent is based on Jesus’s trials in the wilderness. After his baptism by John, Jesus immediately ventures deep into the desert for 40 days of solitude, fasting, prayer, meditation, and spiritual combat with Satan. This period is recounted in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13.
The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly why Jesus does this — but he is clearly following the model set by the Scriptures. Moses was alone upon Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights before receiving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:27-28), and Elijah fled to the mountain of Horeb for 40 days of fasting and praying before receiving the word of the Lord to return to Damascus (1 Kings 19:1-18).
In any case it seems clear that Jesus is preparing himself for what will obviously be a major adjustment to his lifestyle. It also indicates to his followers how important it is for us to be purified, centered in ourselves and in him, before presuming to lead others (cf. Matt. 7:3-5).
Origins of Lent in the Church
It’s easy to see how the practice of fasting and prayer in emulation of Jesus evolved in the early church — if a bit less clear why it falls directly before Holy Week.
Before Lent became an official season of the church, it was common practice to fast the week before Easter. By the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, this period had been stretched into the 40-day (or so) period we now know.
There is some debate about whether that longer fast was already in practice and simply codified as an official church holiday, or whether it was established top-down based on the scriptural references of 40-day fasts cited above. Either way, Lent became adopted as a universal Christian practice after that.
The word “Lent” itself comes from an Old English word simply meaning “springtime.” In the Greek and Latin of the early church, the season is known instead as Tessarakostí (Greek) and Quadragesima (Latin), both of which mean “fortieth.”
7 Ways to Walk With Jesus Through the Wilderness of Lent
Now that we understand the Biblical and ecclesial background of Lent, here are seven ways Christians can participate and grow closer to Jesus leading up to his Passion at Holy Week.
1. Prayer
OK, this one is a freebie. As Christians we should always be praying (1 Thess. 5:17). But Lent is a great time to redouble your prayer practice — whether that’s extemporaneous conversations with God, repetitive recitation like the rosary or Jesus Prayer, praying through the Psalms, or simply sitting in silent contemplation.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, prayer is shown as the bedrock of relationship with God, so no matter what else you are doing to observe the season — even if it’s nothing at all — take it to God in prayer. If you are fasting or giving up something else, it’s customary and recommended to pray to God for help sticking with it.
2. Fasting
Fasting is the most ancient and original method of preparation for communion with God. By depriving ourselves of the necessary means of our survival, we demonstrate our dedication to God and reliance on him — while reminding ourselves that we do not live by bread alone (Matt. 4:4).
There are several ways of doing this. (Jesus may have been able to eat literally nothing at all for 40 days, but most people cannot physically do that, so don’t try it!)
Some Christians ingest nothing except water during the day, and eat only a simple meal (of grains and vegetables) in the evening. Others allow themselves snacks of bread and maybe salt or oil to get through the day.
Other Christians are less stringent and instead allow themselves simple meals throughout the day — but abstain entirely from meat, alcohol, and sweets until Easter. Finally, some Catholics permit meat on Sundays (as mini-Easters), but still refrain from alcohol.
You can take the approach that works best for you. The important thing is to set a practice and stick to it — don’t bail on Day 5 because your buddy invites you to a steak dinner.
3. Giving Up Other Habits
If (like me) fasting isn’t for you — perhaps for health reasons or a history of food scarcity — you can choose to give up something else during Lent as a substitute (or, if you’re really serious, in addition). The important thing is that it’s something valuable — something that’s hard for you to go without. (This isn’t an excuse for you to get out of your exercise routine.)
It’s become popular to give up screen habits during Lent — a great way to replace your TV time, for example, with time spent in prayer or Bible study. You might choose to give up social media or news apps. Other possibilities to forego include sweets, shopping (other than for necessities like groceries) or eating out, or a favorite pastime like golf, bowling, or video games.
In short, Lent can provide an opportunity not only to grow spiritually, but (like New Year’s Day) also to reevaluate your lifestyle and habits, and cut out some unhealthy practices you’ve developed. Who knows, maybe in the end you’ll even want to stick with it after Easter!
4. Almsgiving, Charity, and Volunteering
How about giving up money? For some of us that might be even harder than giving up food — which, again, is exactly the point. Giving extra money to your church, or to organizations that help the poor, or another charity of your choice is, like fasting, an important reminder (withverystrongBiblicalbasis) that everything we have comes from God.
If money’s tight, see what you can cut out. If you’re giving up streaming TV shows or shopping, donate the money you would have spent on them instead.
If money’s really tight — or if you’re giving up other things instead — consider giving your time. Spend an evening every week volunteering at the local soup kitchen, food pantry, animal or homeless shelter, or again, any cause that is important to you (or better yet, to God).
5. Bible Study/Meditation
Deprivation is sort of baked into the bread of Lent, for all the reasons I’ve discussed above. But as I’ve also said, Lent is also a time to reevaluate your habits, cut out the bad ones, and double down on the good ones.
Above all, it’s about growing closer to God. And one of the best ways to do that is to meet him in his Word. Scripture is where we encounter the Holy Spirit, learn from him, work with him, and wrestle with him. Along with prayer and communal worship, Scripture engagement is the very foundation of the Christian life.
If you don’t have a regular Scripture reading practice, there’s no better time than now to start one. Again, you can replace the time you would have spent doomscrolling with time spent reading and reflecting on Scripture.
And if the Bible is already a regular part of your daily routine, this might be a good opportunity to take the next step and go deeper in your studies with a Study Bible, a Bible study (yes, those are different things), or a Bible Gateway Plus membership. (Try doing a deep dive on the passages mentioned above about Moses, Elijah, and Jesus in the wilderness!)
6. Time in Solitude
There’s a reason Moses, Elijah, and Jesus all undertook their 40-day retreats alone. There are things you learn about yourself when confronted by yourself that never quite come to the surface in a crowd.
In fairness, the opposite of this is true as well, which is why church community has been a part of the Christian story since the beginning — but in general we spend more time with each other than with ourselves.
That doesn’t mean time holed up in your apartment eating frozen pizza and binge-watching TV by yourself, or locked away in your bedroom scrolling through TikTok videos. Jesus didn’t bring a smartphone to the desert. In fact, he didn’t even bring a Torah.
Time in solitude means time with no other sensory inputs. Maybe Scripture — but better yet, this is something you can do after reading a Bible passage. Instead, chuck your phone in a drawer and take a stroll through nature, or just sit in a quiet place where there’s nothing distracting or calling at you (including undone chores). Maybe listen to some quiet music (without words). And think about God. Where is God in your story? Where should he be, that you haven’t let him in? Where are you in God’s story?
7. Spiritual Warfare
Like I said, things come up when you spend time alone — including lots of things you might wish didn’t. But again, that’s the point: it’s easy to miss the quiet, corrupting influence of demonic forces when you’re going about your busy day. In fact, they’re counting on it.
There’s a good chance this is why Jesus immediately ran off to the desert after being baptized and entering the public eye. He needed to know — and needed us to know — and needed Satan to know — that he would not be led astray. He was tempted three times: to turn stones to bread (Mt. 4:3-4), to test God’s faithfulness to him (Mt. 4:5-7), and to worship the devil in exchange for earthly power and fame (Mt. 4:8-10).
Spiritual warfare is complex, often misunderstood, and can be dangerous. But at its most basic, it is simply the process of taking a hard look at where you are being tempted — not by other people, but by the whispers of the Enemy in your own heart — to act selfishly, destructively, and contrary to God’s good design — and to put up a shield against him.
During Lent, try to root out those temptations, reject them, and tell that devil to go pound sand.
Conclusion: From Death to Life in the Time of Lent
On Ash Wednesday, we solemnly remember that from dust and ashes we were formed, and to ashes and dust we return.
On Easter, we rejoice in amazement at the final defeat of death in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In between is Lent, when we have the opportunity to confess and reflect on our helpless mortality — even as we prepare to embrace life everlasting in the free grace of our Lord.
References to wine and wine-related themes abound in the Bible, and yet few understand how deeply the theme of wine is woven into God’s story of creation, provision, and redemption. Wine in the Bible is presented as a gift and tangible blessing from God. It is to bring us joy (Psalm 104:15) and help us connect more deeply with God, each other, and the land the God provides for his people.
1 Kings 4:25 presents a beautiful yet humble vision of how God desires his people to live: Israel and Judah, under the rule of Solomon, live in peace and safety, each under their own vine and fig tree. It is not a vision of grand landowners but of small farmers with just enough land to provide for their daily needs and a little extra for feasts and celebrations and to share with those in need.
In Biblical times wine was understood not as a luxury or elitist beverage but as the primary drink, a food item and a daily necessity. Wine is nutritious and was used for medicinal purposes. It had important religious and economic roles, and the enjoyment of wine was deeply woven into the social fabric of God’s people living on God’s land:
The Israelites offered wine at the temple as a sacrifice, and it had an important role in the religious celebrations such as the Sabbath, the Passover meal, and the Feast of Harvest (Lev. 23).
It was enjoyed regularly at family meals and celebrations such as weddings, birthdays, and the weaning of children.
And in the Lord’s Supper Jesus elevates wine to new heights as this tangible and precious gift of wine now speaks of Christ’s precious blood shed on the cross.
But to fully understand the complex way the theme of wine is woven throughout the Bible we must go all the way back to the beginning.
Wine in Genesis: God the Master Farmer
The Bible presents God as the Creator of the whole world, including all fruit-growing trees and plants that serve to feed both humans and animals (Genesis 1-2, Psalm 104).
Scripture envisions God as the master farmer who enables all things to grow and flourish upon his earth (Gen. 2:9, Psalm 104:10-16). Agricultural abundance is a sign of God’s blessing upon his people who are called to live in covenant faithfulness with him.
This is foundational for understanding the theme and role of wine in the Bible: a gift from God and an expression of God’s benevolence upon his people whom he set apart to reflect his presence and character on the earth so that all the nations might blessed.
Noah, Man of the Earth and the Vine
The first person in the Bible to plant a vineyard and craft wine is Noah, who like Adam, is called a man of the earth (Gen. 9). After the flood, God makes a covenant with Noah and all living creatures and reiterates his command to Noah to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.
It is striking that Noah, rather than planting grains, a fast-yielding crop, plants a vineyard. It takes years before a vineyard produces significant fruit.
Planting a vineyard was an act of faith in God’s future. Wine would bring comfort, joy and elevate simple feast and the celebrations of an agrarian community weighed down by heavy labor and strenuous life conditions.
Noah is also the first person to get drunk in the Bible, and like all people and cultures had to learn how to handle alcohol and drink wine with wisdom.
Wine in Proverbs: Wisdom and Warnings
In Proverbs we see how the Hebrew tradition had evolved and gained wisdom and guidelines for how to enjoy wine wisely (Prov. 3:9-10; 9:1-6; 20:1; 23:20-21, 30-35; 31:4-7, 10-20). Proverbs reminds us that wine is a gift and an agricultural blessing from God that we are not to take for granted (3:9-10). Proverbs even compares wisdom to a woman who prepares a feast that includes rich food and wine (9:1-6).
Given that wine was held in such high esteem, it is not surprising that Proverbs includes some stern warnings against drunkenness and the abuse of wine (20:1; 23:20-22). It even describes the state of drunkenness and the consequential hangover to deter the young from getting drunk (23:30-35). It also discourages leaders from consuming too much wine and alcohol lest they are tempted to abuse their position and oppress the poor (31:4-5). But to the dying and those experiencing severe suffering Proverbs commends drinking wine and strong drink as it can bring comfort and some relief (31:6-7).
Finally, Proverbs celebrates the noble, wise, and industrious wife who exemplified wisdom in all she does. Like Noah, she plants a vineyard and invests in God’s future for the well-being of her family and community (31:10-20). This is a rather nuanced and wise approach to wine that sets solid boundaries around wine and alcohol consumption.
Wine in Israel’s History: The Fruitfulness of the Land
From the time of Noah, wine, vines, and vineyards becomes regular features in the biblical narrative.
Jacob’s Blessings: Washing His Garments in Wine
When Jacob serves game and wine to (deceptively) seek the firstborn’s blessing from his father, blind Isaac passes on the family inheritance and God’s blessing to Jacob, saying “May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine (Gen. 27:28,37). For the first time wine is directly associated with God’s blessing upon a family clan.
Agricultural abundance is not a secular matter in the Bible but a gift and direct blessing from God’s benevolent hands. When Jacob in turn blesses his son Judah, the abundance of vines and wine gains even more significance: “The scepter will not depart from Judah … He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of the grapes” (Gen. 49:10-12, NIV). The bounty that his poetic blessing invokes now focuses solely on vines and wine with extravagant visions of tree-like vines with a great abundance of wine flowing like a river in which to wash clothes.
The Valley of Grapes and the Fruit of the Land
When the Israelites arrive at the border of the Promised Land Moses sends out spies — and interestingly this happens during harvest time (Num. 13:20). The spies come across a valley with massive vines and grape clusters on them. They name this valley Wadi Eshkol (Hebrew for ‘grape cluster,’ Num. 13:24). Surely this land was blessed by God!
When Moses declares God’s blessing on the Israelites just before they are to enter the Promised Land, this blessing includes the fruitfulness of the land — especially grain, wine and olive oil (Deut. 6:11-12; 7:12-13; 8:8; 33:28).
The vision of 1 Kings 4:25 that each tribe was to live in peace and safety with each family under their own vine and fig tree was the life that God wanted to provide for his people. At the temple the Israelites brought sacrificial offerings (Exod. 29:40; Lev. 23:9-14; Num. 15:5,7,10; 18:12,27; 28:14, Deut. 14:22-23). It reminded the Israelites that all the fruit of the land was a gift from God and part of the covenant blessings, not to be hoarded but to be shared. Those that had plenty were to share it with those in need such as the poor, the widows, and orphans (Lev. 19:9-10; Deut. 23:24; 24:21).
The Prophets: Sour Grapes Yield Bitter Wine
The sad oracles of the prophets, however, tell the story of a people unfaithful to God’s covenant as they turned justice into violence and self-indulgence and neglected the poor and needy. Here the prophets use the vine, vineyard, and wine to speak metaphorically of God’s people as an unfruitful vineyard and vine that only produces sour grapes. God’s judgment is compared to a wine press, bitter wine, and a bitter cup of wine (God’s wrath). He will remove his protection from his people (a vineyard) and they will have to go into exile (Isa. 3:13-15, 5:1-8,11-13,22, 51:17,22; 63:1-6; Jer. 2:21; 6:9; 8:13; 25:15-18, 27-28, Lam. 1:15; Ezek. 15:1-6; 17:1-12, 19:10, 23:32-34; Hosea 2:8-10, 10:1-2; Joel 3:13).
And yet, the prophets also speak of God’s redemption and restoration of his people. God will heal their disloyalty, and his people shall flourish once more like a vine (Isa. 27:1-6; Hosea 14:1,4-7). When the prophets speak of God’s future redemption they speak of a new messianic age with a renewed outpouring of God’s Spirit. Peace will return and God will restore his people to the land and its fruitfulness. God will bless them once more with abundant harvests of grain, oil, and plenty of wine. Feast and celebrations, and wine flowing in great abundance will be a mark of this coming age (Isa. 2:4, 25:6-8, 55:1-3; Jer. 31:3-6,12; Hosea 2:18-23; Joel 2:18-19, 21-24, 3:18; Amos 9:13-15; Mic. 4:3-4; Zech. 3:10, 8:12-13, 9:16-17).
Wine in the New Testament: The One True Vine
It is to these prophetic expectations that Jesus speaks and acts when he performs his first miracle at Cana and transforms an abundance of water into choice wine (John 2:1-11). On one level this miracle is a profound affirmation of the importance of family celebrations. The Son of God joins in the celebrations of ordinary people, shares their joys, and deepens their joys. Let that sink in for a while.
On another level this first of Jesus’s signs revealed that in Jesus God’s presence and kingdom has come once more to his people. Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one, whom God sent to deliver his people. Wine, with its great potential for beauty, complexity, subtlety, and aging, speaks to God’s eternal purposes in bringing life, salvation, and blessings in the form of abundant agricultural provision to his people.
Jesus and his family enjoyed wine regularly, like most Israelites, and his ministry was shaped by eating and drinking wine with sinners and saints alike. This was probably the reason his fellow Hebrews accused him of being a drunkard: “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” (Matt. 11:19; Luke 7:34 NRSVUE).
Jesus drew on the world of agriculture — including wine — to teach about the Kingdom of God, using wine skins, new and old wine, and the vine to speak about his own life and mission as he gathered disciples to follow and remain in him (Matt. 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-39, John 15).
The apostle Paul, too, affirms wine as a gift from God and emphasizes the health benefits of wine (1 Tim. 4:3-4) while also warning against drunkenness (1 Cor. 5:11; Gal. 5:21).
Jesus and his family celebrated the Passover annually and enjoyed four cups of wine as the evening unfolded and they retold the story of the Exodus. When Jesus reinterprets the Passover celebrations in light of his own life, ministry, and sacrificial death, he elevates wine to new heights as wine now speaks of Christ’s blood shed on the cross (Matt. 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 2:14; John 13:1-4; 1 Cor. 11:23-25).
And just like Jews reserved a cup of wine for Elijah at the Passover celebrations, expectant that God would deliver them once more, so does Jesus use the cup of wine to stir expectations for the future: “I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29 NRSVUE). The future lies in God’s hand and Christ will return to complete the work that he has begun.
Conclusion: A Healthier and Wholesome Relationship With Wine
It is from this biblical foundation that we can and must ask what it means to embrace wine as an agricultural gift from God and allow it to elevate our meals and celebrations. Using the Bible as a blueprint, we must develop and implement guidelines to heal from our broken relationship with alcohol and discern what it means to develop a healthier and wholesome relationship with wine and alcohol more widely — around the table with food and fellowship.
Begin your journey of developing a God-ordained, Scripturally grounded relationship with wine in Cup Overflowing by Gisela H. Kreglinger. Or, go deeper into the Bible’s vast, intricate, and ultimately affirming account of alcohol in Wine in the Word, a video Bible study with Kreglinger and Randy Frazee. Watch Session 1 free below!
Typically, when I say something to my wife Becky about feeling hurt, wanting more from her, or suggesting there is a better way to go about a project, her first response is defensive. For decades, my reaction was to fight against her, and we’d be off to the races.
I understand her defensiveness vastly more today than I did even a year ago. I know to expect it when I disrupt her, and I now endeavor to respond with compassion and to enter the groaning of God on her behalf and mine.
It is a profound shift from my natural reaction to her, one built on the foundation of Romans 8.
Paul’s Grand Promises in Romans 8
There is a grand entrance and exit to this chapter in Scripture. It begins with the stupefying statement that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). Every fault, every failure, every form of darkness in our hearts melts before the presence of the one who is love.
The chapter ends with the proclamation that nothing can separate us from the love of God, whether it be death or life, angels or demons, or anything in creation (vv. 38–39). It speaks to our deepest fear of abandonment. We are not alone, nor will we ever be separated from God, even in our darkest failure, doubt, or anguish. We may abandon God, but the Trinity will never forsake us.
These grand promises hold the power to change our lives — but only if we engage with them. As silly as this metaphor is, these promises are like a gift card that sits in our sock drawer, pointless unless we draw from its potential. We have to participate in cashing in on the gift.
First, We Must Enter the Sufferings of Jesus
Romans 8:17 gives us a picture of what that entails: “If we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (emphasis added).
We are called to enter the sufferings of Jesus. And we do so every time we enter the humiliation of Good Friday and the despair of Saturday on behalf of others.
Becky has known humiliation in the coldness of her mother, the violence of her father, the manipulation of boyfriends, the rape by a professor, and through my replication of several of her past emotional traumas. I enter the suffering of Jesus when I enter the stories of Becky’s past.
Beyond suffering her past, I also suffer the future on her behalf, as I long for her to experience what is wholly good and beautiful.
Groaning for Redemption
This mirrors Romans 8:22–23: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies” (emphasis added).
We are to groan with the earth, with each other, and with the Spirit as we await our complete adoption as God’s sons and daughters. As intensely as a woman suffers in childbirth, we are to suffer for the earth and for each other, as the Spirit within us groans with words too deep to hear (v. 26).
Most days, I don’t hear the groaning. I just live my life as if I am outside the keening. That is, until the Band-Aid of my distractions is ripped off, and I am face-to-face with death in any of its multifarious forms. Then, I groan. But I often fail to scan the horizon for redemption.
What Does It Look Like to Suffer Each Other’s Path to Redemption?
When I am suffering, I am not prone to wait, let alone wait eagerly. I want it changed now. Right now. And if not, then soon. Very soon. But I seldom have such eagerness when I suffer for another.
This is what we do naturally; it is not the “adopted by God” life available to us, as we read in Romans 8. That life involves the stunning promises of no condemnation or abandonment and the peculiar call to suffer with Jesus. To await eagerly our own adoption and our beloved’s adoption. To suffer each other’s long and arduous path for the redemption of our bodies. What does that look like?
We can consider a simple example of everyday marital friction. During a visit at our daughter’s house, Becky and I were disagreeing about when to leave. As she became defensive, I felt my anger rise. My habitual reaction would be to prioritize that anger and let it fly out at her.
But, in that moment, I made a concerted effort to let it go and, instead, tune into Becky’s emotions and enter her suffering. I imagined and felt the loss Becky would experience in missing a dear friend’s birthday party if we left later. I felt sorrow for her that most of her life she’d had to defend herself to survive. More than anything, I felt a deep, almost inexplicable desire for her heart to one day be free from having to defend herself.
Groaning for her enabled me to change my plans and facilitate an early departure without feeling pressured or irritated. This is, of course, an infinitesimally small example. If I had been more mature, this would not have been much of an issue.
Groan for Your — and Your Partner’s — Redemption
Anytime I anticipate Becky’s redemption, I am compelled to imagine my own, sparking desire for my own transformation. When I am forced to face my younger, angry parts, will I groan for them to be redeemed, or will I threaten them with condemnation or abandonment?
Will I feel the eager, intense desire to become more of who I will one day be, or will I justify and defend my current irritation and remain stagnant in it? These questions are our entry point for suffering our partners’ past and future. We also are called to suffer our partners’ dreams for earthly tastes of the coming redemption.
What if you could experience a marriage that is not just good, but truly life-giving? Therapists Dan Allender and Steve Call show how deeper intimacy can bring more healing and delight.
With more than seventy years of therapeutic experience combined, Dan Allender and Steve Call demonstrate how God is inviting you and your partner to a wild faith journey with the hope of transformation.
Marriage is not about merely getting along or resolving conflict through compromise. It reveals who you are and invites you to who you can become. Marriage offers a space for you to experience what you are made for—honor and delight. And it is the ground from which redemption is meant to grow, where, together, you can reflect God’s image more and experience a taste of heaven.
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