Welcome to Day 1 of the Lenten Season, also known as Ash Wednesday. As you head to work or school today, you may notice people walking down the street with a smudge of what looks like dirt on their forehead. Now, before you act on the urge to stare, or even help them out by saying, “Um, you’ve got a little something on your forehead,” read on to learn why people all over the world commemorate Ash Wednesday in this way.
Read Genesis 3:1-19
In Genesis 2:15 we read that “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Because this was before Adam and Eve sinned, we must conclude that the tending and protecting the garden that God assigned to Adam was good work. It was important and life-giving.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they were disciplined in very specific ways. God’s punishment of Adam involved his relationship with the very ground from which he was formed. The idea of work itself was not the consequence of Adam’s sin, but rather the hardship and frustration that would accompany his labor. By the sweat of his brow, Adam (and by the way, all of his descendants as well) would work hard to grow food from the ground, but would be thwarted by the thorns and thistles it would also bring forth. This never-ending battle with the land and weather would plague Adam until he passed on and his body returned to dust.
Why are Ashes used on Ash Wednesday?
Ever heard of the phrase “sackcloth and ashes?” There is a tradition of donning ashes as a sign of penitence or great sorrow that predates Jesus, Easter, and certainly Lent. In the Old Testament, Job mourns his many losses and repents “in dust and ashes.” There are other associations of ashes and repentance in Esther, Samuel, Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Why is Ash Wednesday called Ash Wednesday?
In the 600s, Pope Gregory the Great officially moved the beginning of the Lenten season to a Wednesday, now called Ash Wednesday, to secure the exact number of 40 days in Lent—not counting Sundays, which were feast days. As Christians came to the church to begin the Lenten season, Gregory marked their foreheads with ashes, reminding them of the biblical symbol of repentance (sackcloth and ashes) and their own mortality: “You are dust, and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19)
The ashes were collected after the burning of palm branches (or crosses made from Palm leaves) from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations. In some churches today, the ashes are used to draw a cross on the head of people to mark the beginning of their Lenten fast. The drawing of a cross is often done while repeating the words “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15) Full disclosure…by the 11th century, the practice was widespread throughout the Catholic Church — until Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, threw the practice out in the 16th century because it was not biblically based.
Introduction - Life in His Name: The I AM of the Gospel According to John
The fourth and final written account of Jesus’ time on earth, the Gospel according to John is unique from the previous three accounts. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are synoptic, from the Greek words syn “together” and opsis “seeing” meaning “seen together “or “a shared view.” These narratives recount many common miracles, teachings and parables and follow a similar timeline of Jesus’ life and ministry, while over ninety percent of the material in John’s Gospel is unique.
It is most likely that the writer was the disciple John, brother of James and son of Zebedee. A few scholars question this and have suggested that it was a different John, known as John the Elder, who authored this piece as well as the the epistles of John and the book of Revelation. Regardless of which John was the author, (and I see more than enough evidence that it was, in fact, the Apostle John) he was a gifted and creative writer, confident in his relationship with Jesus. He refers to himself throughout his writings as “the one Jesus loved.” ((John 13:23) There is an intimacy between John and Jesus that is so precious. But his account isn’t simply emotional journal entries. John’s purpose statement for this gospel account is clearly stated in John 20:30-31: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in the book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John’s deep desire was to reach unbelievers, primarily people in the larger Greco-Roman world in Ephesus and beyond, with this message of the good news of Jesus Christ.
The Number Seven in John’s Gospel
Numbers are important in the Bible. We learned of the intentional use of the number 40 in Monday’s devotion. Throughout Scripture, the number seven signifies divine perfection, completion and spiritual fullness. It symbolizes God’s finished work, seen in the seven days of Creation (ending in Sabbath rest) and throughout Revelation, indicating the total, perfect nature of God’s plans. John masterfully employs this meaningful number as a literary device in his writing. Specifically in his gospel, John groups events and statements into sevens. There are seven signs or miracles he includes. These are certainly not the only miracles Jesus performed during His ministry. We know from the synoptic gospels that there were many other miracles John doesn’t mention. He only mentions seven…six of them unique to his gospel account. His decision to cap the miracles at seven is calculated (pun intended!).
Another important example that we will highlight during our Lenten study is the seven times that John records Jesus describing Himself as the “I AM.”
* In John 6:35 - I am the bread of life
* In John 8:12 - I am the light of the world
* In John 10:7 - I am the door of the sheep
* In John 11:17 - I am the resurrection and the life
* In John 14:6 - I am the way, the truth and the life
* In John 15:1 - I am the true Vine
Jesus’ I AM statements would have particular significance to the first-century Jewish listener. Just as God had revealed Himself to Moses with a resounding “I AM.” (Exodus 3:14 - God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”). Jesus used the same words to describe Himself throughout His ministry, as recorded by John. On each of the seven Sundays of #LentenDaily 2026 we will focus on a specific I AM statement made by Jesus to His followers. I can’t wait to get started!
Big Picture Questions for Today:
* “Why are we even learning about this? We’re not Catholic!!” you might ask. (Unless you are Catholic:) There are a couple of reasons:
* To place in proper perspective the great cost that Jesus willingly paid to rescue and redeem us, and present us holy and blameless before God the Father.
* To remind ourselves of our position in Christ: “Apart from Him, I can do nothing. Apart from Him, I would have no hope.”
* What are you most excited to learn about Jesus’ time on earth through gospel writer John?
Pray for the Lord to give you a proper view of your sin that drove Jesus to the cross, and thank Him for His sacrifice. Ask Him for eyes to see and ears to hear what He has for you through John’s gospel this Lenten season.
