Visual Resources for the Lectionaries

This post offers visual resources for the Revised Common Lectionary and the Narrative Lectionary for March 15, 2026. Use this chart for quick links to the texts and the resource pages on cartoonistbible.com.

Lent 4

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Revised Common Lectionary Resources

Gospel Reading – John 9:1-41

This is from 2018. Read Commentary.

​The Gospel reading this week really wants to extend through chapter 10, verse 21. Chapter 9 only sets up the punchline. This seems apparent, given the first reading and the Psalm. 1 Samuel 16 tells the story of when Samuel anointed a shepherd boy, named David, to replace King Saul. Psalm 23 is the Shepherd Psalm. We have two passages about a good shepherd, so where is the Shepherd in the Gospel reading? He’s in Chapter 10. So, you might not want to read it, but, in my opinion, chapter 10 should be acknowledged.

John 9:1-10:21 demonstrates a repeated literary pattern in the Gospel of John: Sign-Dialogue-Discourse (read this post).

The Sign. Jesus gives sight to a blind man and declares, “I am the light of the world.” It was a physical act that people could see and try to interpret.

The Dialogue. The sign is followed by lots of conversations that seek to understand it. The people talk to the man, the Pharisees talk to his parents and him, Jesus talks to the man. Throughout these dialogues there is a growing awareness, as if the light is slowly rising. Who is Jesus and what does this sign mean? The man’s eyes of understanding slowly open until he finally trusts that Jesus is the Messiah. The Pharisees have already predetermined that Jesus is a sinner. Their eyes are intentionally shut. The light does not penetrate. They choose to be blind.

The Discourse. Finally, in chapter 10 Jesus exposes the full light and explains the meaning of the sign. He makes two more bold claims. First, “I am the Gate, through whom the sheep enter for abundant life.” Second, “I am the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, not like these false leaders.”

The light of God’s truth and abundant life shines through the life of Jesus. Abundant life is possible and free to all who see it and recognize his voice. This is where the Ephesians passage comes to play, “let us live as children of light.”

scroll down to find John downloads

Narrative Lectionary Resources

John 18:28-40

This image is from the Come and See Version of John

We continue the Passion Narrative in John this week. Jesus is taken before Pilate, the Roman governor. Historical sources tell us that Pilate was in a precarious situation. The Emperor placed him in Judea in order to keep the mobs under control.

I see two parts of this story that seem important for our current cultural climate. First, Jesus says, “If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over.” The term world—cosmos in Greek—does not refer to the physical realm as if Jesus were contrasting it to the heavenly realm. Rather, it refers to the dominant system of how things work. The world system—cosmos—of Empire relies on violence and domination. One Empire conquers another and maintains its control through violence, manipulation, and intimidation. That is not the way the Kingdom of God operates. Jesus came to offer an alternative operating system. His kingdom—cosmos—is one of love, forgiveness, and mutual flourishing. Otherwise, Pilate would have been dead before the question left his mouth.

Oh, that the children of God would live according to God’s kingdom and not perpetuate the violent tactics of Empire, again and again. May we be “not of this cosmos.” Lord, have mercy.

The second part of this story that is relevant to our current moment is found in Pilate’s philosophical question, “What is truth?” It is the question of the ages. In my context, in the West, in the twenty-first century, we are the descendents and inheritors of the Enlightenment’s quest for truth. The rise of rationalism and the scientific method led us to the nuclear bomb. The existentialist and subjectivist deconstruction led us to nihilism. “What is truth?” There is no such thing. Everything is relative. Each individual is responsible to author their own truth and their own identity…and then we die. This is not Good News.

The Good News, as I read it in the Gospels, is that truth is not a thing or an abstract proposition. Truth is a person. Truth is embodied in Jesus Christ. The creator of the universe, the dynamic creative energy of all things, took on flesh to show us what a loving relationship and abundant life in divine community can look like. This is truth in action. We are invited to participate and trust that there is love and light and hope in the world.

This is Good News.

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