October 21 | Jesus Knew His Audience

Today’s Reading:

Read John 7-9

How well do you know each member of your family? Challenge each person to write down their favorite ice cream flavor and not to say out loud what they wrote down. Give each family member an opportunity to guess the other person’s favorites. Were you right? Do you know each other that well?

Jesus knew the people He was teaching and ministering to very well. He knew their history, their belief systems, and their traditions. Because of that, He was able to teach them in a way that they understood. Jesus was able to connect their knowledge of the law with the truth that He had come to fulfill that law. Jesus taught in a way that the Jewish people would understand.

At the Feast of the Shelters, Jesus taught in the synagogue. Much of what He taught referenced the law that Moses had been given. He compared himself to living water which was a reference to the time when God provided water from the rock when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness. (John 7:37-38; Exodus 17) Jesus told the people that He had come to be the light of the world (John 8:12) just like God had been the light for the Israelites to follow as a pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness. (Exodus 13) Jesus also used the phrase “I am” which would have compared to the name God told Moses to call Him in Exodus 3:14. Jesus knew what the Jewish people needed to hear in order for them to understand that He had come as the Messiah.

Application/Prayer:

Celebrate today that Jesus knows you just like He knew the Jewish people He was teaching. Jesus knows what you need, and He knows how to meet those needs. Thank Him for that today!

October Memory Verse:

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”

Psalm 56:3

Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:

Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.