The Gospel of John
Read John's eyewitness account of Jesus in 21 chapters, from the Word made flesh through his signs, his teaching, the cross, and his appearances after rising from the dead.
21 chapters · read each one, then take its quiz
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Sign in to start- 1John 1: The Word Became Flesh
John opens by declaring that the eternal Word was with God and was God, and became flesh to reveal the Father. John the Baptist testifies that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and the first disciples, including Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, begin to follow him.
- 2John 2: Water into Wine and the Temple Cleansed
At a wedding in Cana, Jesus turns water into wine, the first of his signs, and his disciples believe in him. In Jerusalem he drives the merchants from the temple and speaks of his body as a temple to be raised in three days.
- 3John 3: Nicodemus and the New Birth
Jesus tells Nicodemus that entering God's kingdom requires being born again by the Spirit, and that God gave his only Son out of love for the world so that believers would have eternal life. John the Baptist rejoices that Jesus must increase while he decreases.
- 4John 4: The Woman at the Well
At a well in Samaria, Jesus offers a woman living water, reveals her past, and declares himself the Messiah, teaching that true worshipers worship in spirit and truth. Many Samaritans believe, and Jesus heals an official's son from a distance.
- 5John 5: Healing at Bethesda and the Son's Authority
Jesus heals a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years, and the leaders object because it is the Sabbath. Jesus answers that he works as his Father works, that the Son gives life and judges, and that the Scriptures testify about him.
- 6John 6: The Bread of Life
Jesus feeds five thousand and walks on the sea. He then declares himself the bread of life, teaching that coming to him depends on the Father giving and drawing people to him. Many disciples leave, but Peter confesses him.
- 7John 7: Jesus at the Feast of Booths
Jesus goes up secretly to the Feast of Booths and teaches in the temple, amid debate over whether he is the Christ. On the last day he invites the thirsty to come to him for rivers of living water, and the officers sent to arrest him return empty-handed.
- 8John 8: The Woman Caught in Adultery
Jesus refuses to condemn a woman caught in adultery, telling her accusers that only one without sin may throw the first stone. He declares himself the light of the world, teaches that the truth frees those enslaved to sin, and claims to have existed before Abraham.
- 9John 9: The Man Born Blind
Jesus heals a man blind from birth by sending him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The Pharisees interrogate the man and his parents and cast him out, and Jesus reveals himself to him as the Son of Man while exposing the Pharisees' spiritual blindness.
- 10John 10: The Good Shepherd
Jesus calls himself the door of the sheep and the good shepherd who gives his life for his flock. His sheep hear his voice, and no one can snatch them from his or the Father's hand. At the Feast of Dedication, the leaders try to stone him for claiming oneness with the Father.
- 11John 11: The Raising of Lazarus
Hearing that Lazarus is ill, Jesus waits, then comes to Bethany after he has died. He tells Martha that he is the resurrection and the life, weeps with the mourners, and calls Lazarus out of the tomb. The council then resolves to put Jesus to death.
- 12John 12: The Anointing and the Hour Has Come
Mary anoints Jesus' feet at Bethany, and crowds welcome him into Jerusalem. When Greeks seek him, Jesus says his hour has come, like a grain of wheat that must die. John explains the people's unbelief from Isaiah, and Jesus calls them to believe.
- 13John 13: Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet
At supper Jesus washes his disciples' feet as an example of humble service. He foretells Judas' betrayal, and Judas goes out into the night. Jesus gives the new command to love one another as he has loved them and predicts Peter's denial.
- 14John 14: The Way, the Truth, and the Life
Jesus comforts his troubled disciples, promising to prepare a place for them and declaring that he is the way, the truth, and the life. He reveals the Father, promises the Holy Spirit as another Helper, and leaves them his peace.
- 15John 15: The True Vine
Jesus calls himself the true vine and his disciples the branches, who bear fruit only by abiding in him. He commands them to love one another, reminds them that he chose them, warns that the world will hate them, and promises the Spirit's testimony.
- 16John 16: The Work of the Spirit
Jesus warns of coming persecution and explains that the Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and guide the disciples into truth. Their sorrow will turn to joy, and he assures them that he has overcome the world.
- 17John 17: Jesus' High Priestly Prayer
Jesus prays that the Father would glorify the Son, having given him authority to give eternal life to all whom the Father has given him. He prays for his disciples' protection and holiness, and for all future believers to be one and to see his glory.
- 18John 18: The Arrest and Trial Before Pilate
Jesus is arrested in a garden after the soldiers fall back at his words, and Peter cuts off a servant's ear. Jesus is questioned by Annas while Peter denies him three times. Before Pilate, Jesus says his kingdom is not of this world, and the crowd chooses Barabbas.
- 19John 19: The Crucifixion and Burial
Jesus is flogged and mocked, and Pilate hands him over to be crucified. On the cross he entrusts his mother to the beloved disciple and, fulfilling Scripture, declares that it is finished. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus bury him in a new tomb.
- 20John 20: The Empty Tomb and Thomas
Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty, and Peter and the beloved disciple see the linen cloths. Jesus appears to Mary, then to the disciples, breathing on them the Holy Spirit. Thomas doubts until he sees him and confesses Jesus as his Lord and God.
- 21John 21: Breakfast by the Sea and Peter Restored
The risen Jesus appears to seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee and gives them a miraculous catch of fish. Over breakfast, he three times asks Peter whether he loves him, commissions him to feed his sheep, and foretells how Peter will die.