Getting Jesus Right | Pastor Jeff Bucknam

About this episode

Pastor Jeff Bucknam explores the importance of truly understanding Jesus through the lens of John 3:22–36.

Have you ever misunderstood someone so completely that you walked away with the exact opposite of what they meant? It happens with Jesus more than you might think. In the Gospel of John, we watch it happen in real time. A religious leader hears Jesus talk about being born again and thinks he's describing a literal second birth. Temple officials hear Jesus talk about raising the temple in three days and think he's making wild architectural promises. Over and over, people listen to Jesus — and completely miss him. So what does it actually look like to get Jesus right? That's the question Pastor Jeff Bucknam opens up today in John 3:22–36, the next stop in our series Believe! The Gospel of John. In this passage, John the Baptist steps into the frame — and unlike the religious leaders, unlike Nicodemus — John actually gets it. And watching how he responds to Jesus reveals three marks of someone who truly understands who Jesus is: they recognize that everything they have is a gift from God, they willingly lay down their own popularity for his purposes, and they treat his words not as suggestions — but as the very words of God himself. This one is going to challenge the way you think…

People in this episode

Host: Pastor Jeff Bucknam

Topics covered

• understanding Jesus
• spiritual growth
• faith
• contentment
• ambition
• belief

Keywords

• Jesus
• John the Baptist
• Gospel of John
• faith
• spirituality
• belief
• contentment
• ambition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvest Bible Chapel

Books & works: Gospel of John

More episodes of Harvest Bible Chapel

• Eat the Bread | Pastor Jeff Bucknam · June 7, 2026 · 54 min
• Bread, Baskets, and Boats . . . Oh, My! | Pastor Jeff Thompson · May 31, 2026 · 45 min
• Deal With It | Pastor Tommy Creutz · May 24, 2026 · 53 min
• Get Up and Walk | Pastor Jeff Bucknam · May 17, 2026 · 59 min
• The Problem of Superficial Faith | Pastor Jeff Bucknam · May 10, 2026 · 56 min
• What Happens After the Well | Pastor Tommy Creutz · May 3, 2026 · 47 min