Book of John Broken Down

Jesus is Lord

Chapter 1

• Location: Eternity / Wilderness of Judea / Bethany beyond the Jordan

• What Happens:

  • John opens in eternity, introducing Jesus as "the Word" (Logos) who was with God and was God.

  • Near the Jordan River, John the Baptist declares Jesus to be "the Lamb of God."

  • Jesus calls his first disciples (Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, and Nathanael).

Chapter 2

• Location: Cana in Galilee / Jerusalem (The Temple)

• What Happens:

  • Cana: Jesus performs his first recorded miracle at a wedding, turning water into wine.

  • Jerusalem: Jesus travels to the Temple for Passover, makes a whip of cords, and drives out the money changers and merchants.

Chapter 3

• Location: Jerusalem

• What Happens:

  • Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council, visits Jesus at night. Jesus explains the necessity of being "born again"

  • John the Baptist reaffirms his supporting role to Jesus ("He must increase, but I must decrease").

Chapter 4

• Location: Sychar in Samaria / Cana in Galilee

• What Happens:

  • Samaria: Resting by Jacob’s well, Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman, reveals her past, offers her "living water," and reveals himself as the Messiah. Many Samaritans believe.

  • Cana: A royal official comes to Jesus asking him to heal his dying son. Jesus heals the boy remotely from a distance.

Chapter 5

• Location: Jerusalem (Pool of Bethesda)

• What Happens:

  • Jesus heals a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years on the Sabbath.

  • Religious leaders confront Jesus for working on the Sabbath and claiming equality with God. Jesus responds with a deep sermon on his authority as the Son of God.

Chapter 6

• Location: Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias) & Capernaum

• What Happens:

  • Far shore of Galilee: Jesus feeds 5,000 men (plus women and children) with five loaves and two fish.

  • Middle of the Sea: Jesus walks on water to meet his terrified disciples in a storm.

  • Capernaum (Synagogue): Jesus delivers the "Bread of Life" discourse, causing many superficial followers to desert him.

Chapter 7

• Location: Jerusalem (The Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles)

• What Happens:

  • Jesus travels secretly to Jerusalem for the festival.

  • He teaches publicly in the Temple courts, causing sharp debates among the crowds and leaders about whether he is the Messiah or a deceiver. Temple guards are sent to arrest him but return empty-handed.

Chapter 8

• Location: Jerusalem (Mount of Olives & Temple Treasury)

• What Happens:

  • Religious leaders bring a woman caught in adultery to trap Jesus; he replies, "Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone."

  • Jesus proclaims, "I am the Light of the World" and ends the chapter stating, "Before Abraham was born, I AM"— prompting the crowd to pick up stones to kill him.

Chapter 9

• Location: Jerusalem (Pool of Siloam)

• What Happens:

  • Jesus heals a man born blind by putting mud on his eyes and sending him to wash in Siloam.

  • The Pharisees interrogate the newly healed man, who famously defends Jesus ("I was blind, but now I see"). The Pharisees expel the man from the synagogue.

Chapter 10

• Location: Jerusalem (Feast of Dedication/Hanukkah) / Across the Jordan

• What Happens:

  • Jerusalem: Jesus gives the sermon on the "Good Shepherd" who lays down his life for his sheep. The leaders attempt to stone and arrest him again for claiming divinity.

  • Across the Jordan: Jesus retreats to the region where John the Baptist had preached earlier.

Chapter 11

• Location: Bethany (near Jerusalem) / Ephraim

• What Happens:

  • Bethany: Lazarus falls ill and dies. Jesus arrives four days later, speaks with Lazarus's sisters (Martha and Mary), weeping at the tomb. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

  • Ephraim: Because the Sanhedrin officially plots to execute him after this miracle, Jesus withdraws to a village near the wilderness.

Chapter 12

• Location: Bethany / Jerusalem

• What Happens:

  • Bethany: Six days before Passover, Mary anoints Jesus' feet with expensive perfume.

  • Jerusalem: Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey (The Triumphal Entry) while crowds wave palm branches. Jesus predicts his coming death.

Chapter 13

• Location: Jerusalem (The Upper Room)

• What Happens:

  • During the Last Supper, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples to demonstrate servant leadership.

  • He identifies Judas Iscariot as his betrayer (who leaves into the night) and gives the disciples a new commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you."

Chapter 14

• Location: Jerusalem (Upper Room)

• What Happens:

  • Jesus comforts his disciples ("I am the way, the truth, and the life").

  • He promises the Holy Spirit (the Advocate/Comforter) to teach and remain with them after he departs.

Chapter 15

• Location: En route from the Upper Room toward the Garden

• What Happens:

  • Jesus gives the metaphor of the Vine and the Branches ("Abide in me").

  • He warns the disciples that the world will hate and persecute them because it hated him first.

Chapter 16

• Location: En route to the Garden of Gethsemane

• What Happens:

  • Jesus continues warning them about upcoming grief, explaining that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

  • He encourages them: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Chapter 17

• Location: En route / Near Gethsemane

• What Happens:

  • Known as the High Priestly Prayer: Jesus prays aloud for himself, for his immediate twelve disciples, and for all future believers—asking God for their protection and perfect unity.

Chapter 18

• Location: Garden of Gethsemane / High Priest's Palace / Praetorium (Pilate’s Headquarters)

• What Happens:

  • Garden: Judas leads armed soldiers to arrest Jesus. Peter cuts off Malchus's ear.

  • Palace: Jesus is questioned by Annas and Caiaphas. Meanwhile, Peter denies knowing Jesus three times.

  • Praetorium: Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate, telling him, "My kingdom is not of this world."

Chapter 19

• Location: Praetorium / Golgotha / The Garden Tomb

• What Happens:

  • Praetorium: Pilate has Jesus flogged, and soldiers mock him with a crown of thorns. Under pressure from the crowd, Pilate hands him over to be crucified.

  • Golgotha: Jesus carries his cross and is crucified between two men. He speaks his final words ("It is finished") and dies.

  • Tomb: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrap Jesus' body in burial linens and place him in a nearby new tomb.

Chapter 20

• Location: The Garden Tomb / Locked Room in Jerusalem

• What Happens:

  • Tomb: Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty early Sunday morning. Jesus appears to her first.

  • Locked Room: That evening, Jesus appears through locked doors to the disciples (minus Thomas) and breathes the Holy Spirit on them.

  • Locked Room (1 week later): Jesus appears again, inviting "Doubting Thomas" to touch his wounds, leading Thomas to declare, "My Lord and my God!"

Chapter 21

• Location: Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias)

• What Happens:

  • Seven disciples go fishing overnight and catch nothing. Jesus stands on the shore, tells them to cast the net on the right side, and they catch 153 large fish.

  • Over breakfast on the beach, Jesus restores Peter (asking him "Do you love me?" three times) and tells him to "Feed my sheep."