Bible in 90 Days {Week 11 Recap}

Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!! THE END IS IN SIGHT! Only 12 more days until this mad-dash through the Bible is complete!

I’m pretty proud of myself despite the fact that I’m a day behind schedule right now. Considering the fact that I drove almost 1,000 miles last week (yes, you read that right) for our Tri-State Spring Break Tour, I think that’s pretty doggone good!

One problem that I’m having now that we are in the New Testament is “familiarity.” Part of me wants to up my reading speed because A) I am behind and B) I’ve read the NT much more often than the OT, so it’s very familiar. On the other hand, I’m afraid that my familiarity with the text will cause me to miss something that I might not have otherwise noticed. Since the point is to learn rather than just cross the finish line, I’ve deliberately been making myself slow down and absorb it.

Thoughts from last week’s Bible readings:

• Remember when Satan asked God if he could test Job? Did he do the same with the disciples? Luke 22:31 (“Satan has asked…”)
• Why did Jesus tell them to buy swords if they didn’t have one (right before his crucifixion)? Because they would be in danger?
• I guess I never caught this before, but Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist before he became a disciple of Christ. John 1:40
• The mountain that the Samaritan woman talked about (where her people worshipped)–was that one of the “high places” that God always got upset about in the Old Testament? John 4
• We recently discussed John 7 in Sunday School, where I noticed how sarcastic the brothers of Jesus were being. John 7:5 tells us that they didn’t believe. On one hand, I totally get that–no one wants to think that their pesky brother is the Son of God, especially if you’ve shared close quarters with that person all your life (surely even Jesus wasn’t immune from childish bickering). On the other hand, it makes you wonder what Jesus really was like as a kid. It also made me wonder if Mary and Joseph ever shared their story with the kids. Did they withhold the information regarding his birth to protect their children from being labeled “CRAZY?” What exactly did they know? What did they see in Jesus?
• I love the story about the blind man whom Jesus healed. They kept asking him questions–even brought his parents in–and he stood up to them. He gave them some zingers like, “Do you want to be his disciples, too?” and then he was all, “Whaddoya MEAN, you don’t know where he came from. He HEALED me! Come on! Give me a break!” (my paraphrase). And the leaders were left standing around all flustered in their hot robes saying, “Well…well…What do YOU know? You were born blind, you stinky ol’ sinner!!!” 
• Another thing I had never noticed: Caiaphas (the high priest) had prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation–to unite it, not save it from sins, but still… John 11:50-53
• Also, I had never noticed that Greeks came seeking Jesus.
• We always put a “if it’s within God’s will” asterisk on John 14:12-14 regarding answered prayers, but there doesn’t seem to be an asterisk beside it. I can say with certainty that God hasn’t answered every prayer that I’ve ever send upward, so I don’t know how to interpret those verses.
• I love this verse: ” If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him. ” John 14:23