I am so excited to share with you my new John Bible Reading Plan!! As Easter approaches, I was thinking about what would be helpful as we all anticipate celebrating Christ’s death and resurrection. John is always one of those books of the Bible that is so incredibly helpful in getting to know who Jesus says that He is and what our response should be to the huge claims of Jesus. Before I share the plan, let’s talk a bit about why I chose John’s Gospel and my prayer for how it might encourage us in this season!
What is unique about John’s Gospel?
John’s Gospel is unique in so many ways from the other three gospels. The literary style he uses is quite different, the angle at which he shares the stories of Jesus tends to be unique, and the focus of his letter is also a bit different. This last one is the one I want to really focus on in this Bible reading plan.
John shares at the end of the book that his purpose for writing is that we might believe and have life in Christ:
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31
A huge focus of the book of John is on who Jesus says that He is. He declares over and over by His signs, wonders, and words that He is the Son of God and that there is life both now and eternal when we believe in His name. This focus on the identity of Jesus, His purpose on earth, His relationship to the Father, and the life that comes from believing in Him is central to the book of John.
Throughout the book, Jesus does many signs and wonders and often times He links these signs with His teaching on who He is. This is one of the main goals of this Bible reading plan: that we would see who Jesus is, meditate on His character and goodness, and believe He is who He says He is.
How is Jesus described in John?
That brings us to the meat of this study! While the actual reading plan is quite simple, the main goal is to take a deep look at the “I am” statements of Jesus and who He says that He is in the book of John.
Throughout the book of John, Jesus proclaims 7 I Am statements that reveal His identity to those He is speaking to and to us. If you recall, this term “I am” is the great name, the divine name of God as He reveals Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:
“Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” Exodus 3:13-15
Jesus makes great claims as He identifies as God’s Son, as the great I Am Himself, and as He claims to be the light, the life, the way, the truth, and so much more! The Gospel of John is full of stories and claims of Jesus as He reveals His identity and calls us to believe in His name. That brings us to the 7 I Am Statements of Jesus that we will focus on in this John Bible reading plan.
What Are the 7 I Am Statements in John?
As we journey through the book of John, we will be keeping our eyes out for Jesus’ I am statements. It is incredible to stop and take a deeper look at each of these statements in order to know Jesus more deeply. As we spend time steeped in the gospel of John, my prayer is that we would stand in awe at who Jesus says that He is and that we would be drawn to believe, praise, and trust in Him all the more. Here are Jesus’ 7 I Am statements in John:
- I am the bread of life (6:35)
- I am the light of the world (8:12)
- I am the door of the sheep (10:7,9)
- I am the good shepherd (10:11)
- I am the resurrection and the life (11:25)
- I am the way, the truth, and the life (14:6)
- I am the true vine (15:1)
As we look at each of these, we will be considering questions like:
-What does each teach you about who Jesus is?
-How does each truth about who Jesus is bring you to praise Him?
-How does it impact your relationship with him?
There are also other questions to guide you as you read, study, and meditate on God’s Word and how it applies to your relationship with Christ and your life.
Getting Started with the John Bible Reading Plan
Before you get started with the plan, I would highly recommend getting a little bit of background on the book, the author, the setting, and who the book of John is written to. You can do this by looking in a study Bible, going to blueletterbible.org, or I really like to watch the Bible Project’s book overviews for more helpful info. The videos break John into two sections. You might want to watch each of them when you are up to the corresponding chapters in John. Here are their Gospel of John videos:
Watch The Bible Project’s Gospel of John Videos:
Print your reading plan and printable questions
Below you will find the plan and printable questions that I have made to go along with the John Bible reading plan. These questions are a general guide to help you process what you are reading as you go. The questions are general questions, not specific to each chapter. There is plenty of space to write as you go through the chapters of John!
As you go through each chapter, spend time making observations, write down your questions, do some more looking into what the passage means, what this teaches you about Jesus, and how it applies to your life. If this is something new to you, have a look at this post for helpful tips in getting started in reading the Bible:
How To Spend Time With God in His Word
Ask someone to join you!
Ask someone to join you in doing this challenge to read the book of John, whether that is a friend, a spouse, someone you are discipling, a neighbor, or talk about doing it as a family. Have a look at who Jesus is with others! You may even want to do this as a lead up to Easter like our family is doing 🙂
Pray!
Lastly, pray for God to work in you and others. Ask Him to show you who Jesus is and what your response should be as you grow in your knowledge and understanding of who He is. Ask Him to give you (and others) eyes to see who God is and His big plan of redemption in Jesus, and what it looks like to have life in His name.
Life in His Name: John Bible Reading Plan
This picture gives you an overview of how the plan is set up. The consecutive pages give you the questions to ponder and pray through as you go. You may want to spend 21 days going through it, or make it a four week plan by doing five each week instead. Or, just simply go at your own pace and spend more time lingering over each chapter!
Link to Your Free Printable John Bible Reading Plan:
Easter Bible Reading Plan
One last encouragement as a way you may find helpful to use this plan!
Our family is using this as our plan for our family Bible time leading up to Easter. We are going quite a bit slower than 21 days, but we are looking forward to dwelling on who Jesus says that He is in this Easter season, and why Christ’s death and resurrection were necessary on our behalf.
It would also be a great plan to do with someone who is considering who Jesus is for the first time and if they want to believe in Him. Taking a dive into John is a great starting point for those who don’t yet believe in His name.
This plan would be a great rhythm to put into your yearly Bible reading schedule either individually or as a family. The book of John does a great job at laying out who Jesus is as well as finishing with the story of Christ’s death and resurrection, which would allow some great time to study these passages around Easter time.
I pray this could be a great Easter Bible Reading Plan to prepare your heart for the celebration of Christ at Easter and all year round!
Other Easter Resources:
Looking for other great Easter resources for you or your family? Check out some of these:
Easter Activities for Kids : A roundup post I did for some great, Christ-centered Easter activities for kids and families.
Why Celebrate Holy Week?: I give a look at why we celebrate Holy Week.
Our Only Hope: Reflections From Easter
Love To the Uttermost by John Piper : A great Easter devotional to go along with your reading plan!
Your Sorrow Will Turn To Joy : Morning and evening meditations for Holy Week
I pray that as you dive deep into the book of John, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31.
What a good, glorious, life-giving God that we serve! Let’s praise His name together as we draw near to Him in His Word! If you are reading this for Easter, Happy Easter, and if you are reading this any other time of the year, may you draw near to God as you get to know His Son through the book of John!
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