When Jesus Shows Up

Every story about Jesus from the When God Shows Up series, from the angel’s visit to Mary to the empty tomb, each retold in plain words with a King James key verse and the passage to read for yourself.

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One Thing I Know
John 9 · Book 1, Day 20
As Jesus walked along, He saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked a question many people were thinking: “Who sinned, this man or…
Called by Name
John 20:1–18 · Book 1, Day 25
Mary Magdalene had once been tormented by seven demons until Jesus set her free. From then on, she followed Him. She was there at the cross when most…
What Are They Among So Many?
John 6:1–14 · Book 2, Day 2
A huge crowd had followed Jesus to a hillside near the Sea of Galilee. They had seen Him heal the sick, and they wanted more. By the end of the day…
Through the Roof
Mark 2:1–12 · Book 2, Day 4
Word got around Capernaum that Jesus was back in town, and so many people crowded into the house where He was staying that there was no room left, not…
Nevertheless at Thy Word
Luke 5:1–11 · Book 2, Day 7
Simon Peter was a professional fisherman. He and his partners had worked the Sea of Galilee all night long, and they had caught nothing. Now it was…
Just the Hem
Mark 5:25–34 · Book 2, Day 10
For twelve years, a woman had suffered from constant bleeding. She had gone from doctor to doctor and spent every penny she had. Instead of getting…
Money in a Fish’s Mouth
Matthew 17:24–27 · Book 2, Day 13
Jesus and His disciples had just arrived back in Capernaum when some tax collectors came up to Peter. Every Jewish man was expected to pay a yearly tax…
Out of the Boat
Matthew 14:22–33 · Book 2, Day 16
After feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent His disciples ahead across the Sea of Galilee while He went up a mountain alone to pray. During the night…
When the Wine Ran Out
John 2:1–11 · Book 2, Day 19
Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were invited to a wedding in the village of Cana. In that culture, a wedding feast could last for days, and…
Up a Sycamore Tree
Luke 19:1–10 · Book 2, Day 22
Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector in Jericho, and he was rich. Tax collectors worked for the Roman occupiers and often charged extra to fill their…
Four Days Too Late
John 11:1–44 · Book 2, Day 25
Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were some of Jesus’ closest friends. When Lazarus became seriously ill, the sisters sent Jesus a message…
Breakfast by the Fire
John 18:15–27; 21:1–19 · Book 3, Day 1
On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter followed at a distance and ended up warming his hands at a charcoal fire in the high priest’s courtyard. Three…
While He Was Yet a Great Way Off
Luke 15:11–32 · Book 3, Day 3
Jesus told a story about a man with two sons. The younger one said, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.” In other words, give me…
Everything I Ever Did
John 4:1–42 · Book 3, Day 5
Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Samaria, a region most Jews avoided. Around noon, Jesus sat down by a well, tired from the journey…
Neither Do I Condemn Thee
John 8:1–11 · Book 3, Day 7
Early one morning, Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, with a crowd gathered around Him. Suddenly the religious leaders pushed their way through…
He Cried the More
Mark 10:46–52 · Book 3, Day 9
On the road out of Jericho sat a blind man named Bartimaeus. Every day he sat by the roadside, begging. One day he heard a large crowd passing by and…
Remember Me
Luke 23:32–43 · Book 3, Day 11
When Jesus was crucified, He was not alone on the hill. Two criminals were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. The crowd mocked…
The One Who Came Back
Luke 17:11–19 · Book 3, Day 13
As Jesus entered a village on the border between Samaria and Galilee, ten men with leprosy came out to meet Him. They knew the rules. People with…
Talitha Cumi
Mark 5:21–24, 35–43 · Book 3, Day 15
Jairus was an important man, a ruler of the synagogue in his town. But that day, none of that mattered. His twelve-year-old daughter was dying. He…
One Last Healing
Luke 22:39–53; John 18:1–11 · Book 3, Day 17
It was late at night in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus had just finished praying so intensely that His sweat fell like drops of blood. Then the crowd…
Weep Not
Luke 7:11–17 · Book 3, Day 21
Jesus and a large crowd were approaching the town of Nain. As they neared the town gate, another crowd was coming out: a funeral procession. A young…
Wilt Thou Be Made Whole?
John 5:1–15 · Book 3, Day 23
In Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there was a pool called Bethesda, surrounded by five covered porches. Crowds of sick people lay there: the blind…
She Loved Much
Luke 7:36–50 · Book 3, Day 25
A Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to dinner. As the guests reclined at the table, a woman walked in, a woman known in that town as a sinner…
My Lord and My God
John 20:19–31 · Book 3, Day 29
On the evening of the first Easter Sunday, the disciples were gathered behind locked doors, afraid. Suddenly Jesus stood among them. “Peace be unto…
Peace, Be Still
Mark 4:35–41 · Book 4, Day 2
At the end of a long day of teaching, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us pass over unto the other side.” So they set out across the Sea of Galilee in…
Be It unto Me
Luke 1:26–38 · Book 4, Day 4
In the small town of Nazareth lived a young woman named Mary. She was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph, and as far as she knew, her life would be…
Did Not Our Heart Burn?
Luke 24:13–35 · Book 4, Day 6
On the Sunday after Jesus was crucified, two of His followers were walking from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles away. They were…
Thy Prayer Is Heard
Luke 1:5–25, 57–80 · Book 4, Day 10
Zacharias was a priest, and his wife, Elisabeth, was also from a priestly family. The Bible says they were both righteous before God. But they had no…
Fear Not to Take Mary
Matthew 1:18–25 · Book 4, Day 12
Joseph was a carpenter in Nazareth, engaged to a young woman named Mary. Then he received devastating news. Mary was pregnant, and he knew the child…
Good Tidings of Great Joy
Luke 2:8–20 · Book 4, Day 16
On the night Jesus was born, there were shepherds out in the fields near Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flocks. Shepherds were not important…
Another Way
Matthew 2:1–12 · Book 4, Day 18
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem. “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in…
My Father’s Business
Luke 2:41–52 · Book 4, Day 20
Every year, Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When Jesus was twelve years old, He went with them. When the feast…
This Is My Beloved Son
Matthew 3:13–17 · Book 4, Day 22
John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness and baptizing people in the Jordan River, calling them to repent. Crowds came from everywhere. One…
Born Again
John 3:1–21 · Book 4, Day 24
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the ruling council of the Jews. He was respected, educated, and religious. And one night, he came to see…
Hear Ye Him
Matthew 17:1–9 · Book 4, Day 26
Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain by themselves. There, He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His…
That Just Man
Matthew 27:11–26 · Book 4, Day 27
Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. The chief priests accused Him of many things, but Jesus said nothing. Pilate was amazed. Pilate…
It Is Written
Matthew 4:1–11 · Book 5, Day 22
Right after His baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterward He was hungry…
Passing Through the Midst
Luke 4:16–30 · Book 5, Day 23
Jesus came home to Nazareth, the town where He grew up. On the Sabbath, He went to the synagogue as usual, and they handed Him the scroll of the…
The Man Among the Tombs
Mark 5:1–20 · Book 5, Day 24
Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee into the country of the Gadarenes. As soon as He stepped out of the boat, a man came running toward Him from the…
Help Thou Mine Unbelief
Mark 9:14–29 · Book 5, Day 25
When Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, and John, He found a crowd arguing with His other disciples. A father stepped forward. He had…
Out of Bethlehem
Micah 5:2; Luke 2:1–7 · Book 6, Day 22
About seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Micah made a remarkably specific prediction. The ruler of Israel, the One whose origins go…
Simeon’s Long Wait
Luke 2:25–35 · Book 6, Day 23
In Jerusalem there lived an old man named Simeon. The Bible describes him as “just and devout,” a man waiting for “the consolation of Israel,” the day…
Anna
Luke 2:36–38 · Book 6, Day 24
Simeon wasn’t the only one in the temple that day. There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher. Her story…
Thy Son Liveth
John 4:46–54 · Book 6, Day 25
In the town of Capernaum, a royal official had a son who was sick and dying. When he heard that Jesus had come back to Galilee, he traveled about…
Thy King Cometh
Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1–11 · Book 6, Day 26
About five hundred years before Jesus, the prophet Zechariah wrote a strange picture of Israel’s king. He would come to Jerusalem, righteous and…
I Will Not Leave You Comfortless
John 14:1–3, 15–18, 25–27 · Book 6, Day 27
It was Jesus’ last night with His disciples before the cross. They had shared the Passover meal. He had washed their feet. Judas had gone out into the…
As He Said
Luke 24:1–12 · Book 6, Day 28
Early on the first day of the week, a group of women came to Jesus’ tomb carrying spices they had prepared. Their Lord was dead, and they had come to…
This Same Jesus
Acts 1:1–11 · Book 6, Day 29
For forty days after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and spoke with them about the kingdom of God. Then, on the Mount of Olives, He…
Consider the Lilies
Matthew 6:19–34 · Book 7, Day 19
Jesus sat on a hillside in Galilee and taught a crowd of ordinary people. Many of them were poor. They lived day to day, worried about where the next…
Seven Loaves in the Wilderness
Mark 8:1–9 · Book 7, Day 20
A huge crowd had followed Jesus into a remote area. For three days they stayed with Him, listening and watching Him heal. By now their food had run…
Two Small Coins
Mark 12:41–44 · Book 7, Day 21
Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem, just days before His crucifixion. He sat down across from the treasury, where people dropped their offerings into…
The Women Who Gave
Luke 8:1–3; 23:55–24:1 · Book 7, Day 22
As Jesus traveled from town to town preaching, He didn’t carry money for food or lodging. So how did He and His disciples live? Luke tells us, almost…
Two Pence and a Promise
Luke 10:25–37 · Book 7, Day 23
A lawyer asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life. Love God with everything you are, he answered himself, and love your neighbor as yourself. Then…
Knocking at Midnight
Luke 11:1–13 · Book 7, Day 24
One of Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus gave them a simple prayer that included the words, “Give us day by day our daily…
Lacked Ye Any Thing?
Luke 9:1–6, 10; 22:35 · Book 7, Day 25
Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power to heal the sick and cast out demons. Then He sent them out two by two to preach in the…
The Bread of Life
John 6:22–35 · Book 7, Day 26
The day after Jesus fed five thousand people, the crowd went looking for Him. They found Him on the other side of the lake. Jesus knew why they had…
Behold Thy Mother
John 19:25–27 · Book 7, Day 27
Jesus hung on the cross. He had been beaten, mocked, and nailed there. Every breath was agony. A few people who loved Him stood nearby. One of them was…
Follow Me
Matthew 9:9–13; Luke 5:27–32 · Book 8, Day 20
Matthew was a tax collector in Capernaum. He worked for the Roman authorities, sitting at a booth and collecting taxes from his own people. Tax…
I Will; Be Thou Clean
Mark 1:40–45 · Book 8, Day 21
In Jesus’ day, leprosy was more than a disease. It was a sentence of loneliness. Anyone with leprosy had to live outside the town, away from family and…
New Wine
Mark 2:18–22 · Book 8, Day 22
Some people came to Jesus with a complaint. John the Baptist’s disciples fasted regularly. So did the Pharisees. “But thy disciples fast not.” Why not?…
Eighteen Years Bent Over
Luke 13:10–17 · Book 8, Day 23
Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. Among the people listening was a woman who “had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed…
A Grain of Wheat
John 12:20–33 · Book 8, Day 24
It was the week of Passover, and Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims. Some Greeks who had come to worship went to Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, with…
A New Commandment
John 13:1–17, 34–35 · Book 8, Day 25
It was Jesus’ last night with His disciples before the cross. “Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” During…
He Is Risen
Matthew 28:1–10 · Book 8, Day 26
Early on Sunday morning, as dawn was breaking, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary walked to the tomb where Jesus had been buried. They expected to find…

Where these stories come from

Book 1: When God Shows Up (2 stories about Jesus)
Book 2: When God Makes a Way (9 stories about Jesus)
Book 3: When God Restores (13 stories about Jesus)
Book 4: When God Speaks (12 stories about Jesus)
Book 5: When God Fights for You (4 stories about Jesus)
Book 6: When God Keeps His Promises (8 stories about Jesus)
Book 7: When God Provides (9 stories about Jesus)
Book 8: When God Makes All Things New (7 stories about Jesus)

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