Jesus' earthly ministry has come to an end, apart from the ultimate ministry in His death and resurrection. There are still things for His disciples to know and learn and so John spends the next 5 chapters recording the words of Jesus to those disciples. Here in Chapter 13 we get not only to hear what Jesus wants us to know, we also see Him living out those words. John 13:15 says, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you". Let's not just hear the words of Jesus, but put them into practice.

This great chapter is where we see Jesus raise His friend Lazarus from the dead. In so doing, Jesus can not only say that He is "the resurrection and the life" but proves it in a way that cannot be denied. After this, Jesus will set out to Jerusalem where He too will face His own death followed by His resurrection that will usher in a resurrection for all who believe in His name.

This passage in Matthew shows the compassion, power and love of Jesus. With the death of John the Baptist, Jesus withraws to mourn and shows no anger or hatred. Feeding of the five thousand shows the power of Jesus in creating enough food from 5 small loaves and 2 fish. Walking on the water and calming the seas shows how Jesus is in control of all situations, then and now. Is Jesus in control of your life?

In this passage, Jesus tells His disciples that He will soon be leaving them, but instead, the Holy Spirit will come to teach them and remind them of everything that Jesus had said. As we start a new year, and all the challenges of life that we will face, and because of our hope and faith in Jesus, we can be assured that God will be with us in all of these circumstances.

Through this series we have seen Mary submitting, singing, searching and now we see her sacrificing, as Joseph and Mary present Jesus to the Lord and offer a sacrifice. This is a picture of what Jesus came into this world to do, to be our sacrifice for sin.