Blog - Jean E. Jones

Discovering the Identity of Jesus

Announcing: “Discovering the Identity of Jesus” online devotional, Discovering Good News in John release, and a live, online launch party! "Discovering the Identity of Jesus: A 7-Day Study of John 1" Discover the amazing things John 1 reveals about the identity of Jesus in this new FREE online devotional with seven 2-minute lessons! Perfect for busy people.

Bible Study, News

Join the Launch Team for “Discovering Good News in John”!

I’m excited to announce that we’re forming the launch team for Discovering Good News in John (releasing July 5)! If you want to learn more about the book, check out the endorsements, and view the table of contents, click here. So what is a launch team? A launch team is a group of people who are excited about the release of a new book and are willing to help the author spread the word leading up to and after the release. If you’re excited about Discovering Good News in John and its message of Jesus’s mission, ministry, and resurrection, we’d love to have you join the team. What You Get

Christian Living, Spiritual Practices

What Evangelicals Can Learn from Lent

At age 12, I discovered a television soap opera called Dark Shadows. It spellbound me with its tales of witches, vampires, ghosts, and werewolves. I watched it every day after school, drawn to the witches’ power to protect themselves. I didn’t know if witchcraft was real, but I wanted to find out. After all, my mother spoke well of witchcraft and claimed her grandmother in Mexico was a witch. But after a couple years of watching Dark Shadows, my girlfriend Linda told me she thought I was too obsessed with it. She said I was starting to act like one of the witches. Also, she wasn’t sure whether witchcraft was compatible with Christianity. Hence, she suggested I give it up for Lent as a sign that God was more important to me than the show. He was, so I did. I wasn’t a Christian yet, but

Bible Study, Jesus in the Old Testament

Why Do People Call Jesus “Messiah”?

When I first became a Christian, one of the things that puzzled me around Christmas time every year was why people called Jesus “Messiah.” I didn’t know what the word meant, but the way people said it made it sound like something super special. I was also confused over why people said the Jews were waiting for this Messiah. So in this post, I’ll answer three questions: 1) What does "messiah" mean? 2) Why were Jews waiting for a messiah? 3) What New Testament word is equivalent to "messiah"? I'll also provide links to other Christmas-related posts, including a Christmas poem.

The Last Supper celebrates the Passover and Unleavened Bread Feasts

Jesus in the Old Testament, Old Testament, Spiritual Practices

3 Feasts Jesus Didn’t Fulfill (and 4 He Did)

Who doesn't love feasts? God gave the people feasts they could enjoy before him. Indeed, God commanded the Israelites to gather together at seven sacred assemblies every year involving feasts. Leviticus 23 describes them: 1. Passover (verse 5) 2. Feast of Unleavened Bread (6-8) 3. Feast of First Fruits (9-14) 4. Feast of Weeks (15-22) 5. Feast of Trumpets (23-25) 6. Day of Atonement (26-32) 7. Feast of Booths (33-43) The people gathered at the tabernacle (later, the temple). Not only did these festivals ensure that people remembered God’s mighty works, but they pointed to something significant about Jesus. In fact, Jesus fulfilled the first four on holy days! What do I mean by “fulfilled”? The apostle Paul wrote that the festivals “are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17). In other words, the feasts and what they commemorated foreshadowed some reality about Jesus. Thus, Jesus fulfilled the feasts when he completed that which they foreshadowed.

Rembrandt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jesus in the Old Testament

Years ago, I wanted to know more about Jesus in the Old Testament. So I bought a burgundy leather Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. It had all kinds of study helps, including cross-references—the verses listed in the margins that point you to related passages. I looked forward to finally looking up all those places in the New Testament where it said Jesus fulfilled something in the Old Testament. But I quickly found out I didn't have enough background to understand many of the connections. Indeed, one of the things that confused me was that not all the underlying passages were prophecies. It turns out that the New Testament finds Jesus in the Old Testament in multiple ways, not just prophecies. Diving into the many Old Testament passages that reveal God’s plan of salvation through Jesus will strengthen your faith. So here, I’ll show three ways we find Jesus in the Old Testament. [Read more…]

Apologetics, Bible Perplexities, Jesus in the Old Testament, Old Testament

“The Virgin Shall Conceive”: Why Isaiah 7:14 Confuses People

For many years, the prophecy that confused me most was Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Every Christmas I heard pastors quote this, but none had ever explained its context. What confused me was that the next three verses say that the prophecy will be fulfilled within a dozen years. If it was supposed to be fulfilled in the eighth century BC, how could it apply to Jesus? Let’s go ahead and clear that up. First, here’s what brought on this prophecy...

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Bible Study, Psalms

Understanding Hebrew Poetry

For years, Hebrew poetry mystified me. When I was about to read the Book of Psalms for the first time at age 17, I was excited. So many people had told me that Psalms was their favorite book of the Bible, and I couldn’t wait to experience what they had experienced. But I was disappointed. I thought they were repetitive, and none followed the standard flow of an essay: Introduction, three to five points, conclusion. Instead, the middles and ends often repeated the beginning. I could not make sense of many of them. That is, until years later when I finally learned how to interpret Hebrew poetry. Then the structure—which relied on repetition—made sense. Not only could I now interpret the psalms, but I also could finally pray them the way they were meant to be prayed. Here’s what I needed to know.

Bible Study, Small Group Leadership

How to Safely Meet

Fall Bible studies would normally start this month, but many areas are still under quarantine. So I asked readers what they’re doing to safely meet, and received back some innovative ideas! Thankfully, some report that quarantines have lifted in their areas and they are back to meeting, though with adjustments. That’s good news since God created us for fellowship. But that’s not the case for all, so I’m making changes to how I post the videos—see the announcements at the end. As you consider your upcoming Bible studies, here are ideas to safely meet, beginning with tips for meeting online.

Holy or “Black” Saturday and Resurrection or “Easter” Sunday

Holy or “Maundy” Thursday and Good or “Passion” Friday

Holy or “Fig” Tuesday and Holy or “Spy” Wednesday

Discovering the Identity of Jesus

Join the Launch Team for “Discovering Good News in John”!

What Evangelicals Can Learn from Lent

Why Do People Call Jesus “Messiah”?

3 Feasts Jesus Didn’t Fulfill (and 4 He Did)

Jesus in the Old Testament

“The Virgin Shall Conceive”: Why Isaiah 7:14 Confuses People

Understanding Hebrew Poetry

How to Safely Meet

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