52 Verses About Jesus

- A 52-Week Journey of Knowing Christ

Study • Memorize • Meditate • Live

Simon Yuan

Introduction

Is This Book Volume Two—or a New Journey?

After publishing my first book, Popular Bible Verses for Every Week of the Year: A Weekly Scripture Devotional, I began to consider a question: Should my next book be Volume Two of the first, or should it be a new book with a different purpose?

Yes, in some ways, this book could be considered a second volume. Like my first book, it focuses on Bible verses, follows a 52-week devotional format, and encourages readers to engage directly with Scripture through the SMM method: Study, Memorize, and Meditate.

There is certainly room for a second volume of Popular Bible Verses for Every Week of the Year. Many well-known and beloved Bible verses did not make it into the first book simply because there was space for only 52 weekly devotionals. Selecting another 52 popular verses and applying the same SMM approach would be a worthwhile writing project.

However, I came to realize that this new book has a different purpose.

My first book grew out of my personal practice of reading and studying the Bible through the SMM method. The verses were selected from across Scripture, and each weekly devotional was designed to stand on its own. Together, they encouraged readers to develop a more personal and consistent engagement with God’s Word.

This new book, 52 Verses About Jesus: A 52-Week Journey of Knowing Christ, follows the same devotional format but takes a more deliberate approach. Rather than selecting verses independently, I have chosen them to form a connected journey centered on the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus stands at the heart of God’s redemptive story revealed throughout Scripture. From the opening words of Genesis to the final blessing of Revelation, the Bible unfolds the story of God’s creation, humanity’s need for redemption, God’s promises, and their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

The purpose of this book, therefore, is not simply to collect 52 verses about Jesus. It is to help readers discover who He is, understand what He has done, deepen their relationship with Him, and learn to live for Him as knowing Jesus is the ultimate purpose of this life and the life after.

This is not merely another collection of weekly Bible devotions. It is a 52-week journey of knowing Christ.

From SMM to SMML

As in my first book, readers are encouraged to engage directly with Scripture through the SMM approach: Study, Memorize, and Meditate. For this new book, I have added a fourth step—Live. The expanded approach is called SMML: Study, Memorize, Meditate, and Live.

The addition of Live reflects an important conviction: studying Scripture, memorizing its words, and meditating on its truth should lead us toward a life transformed by God’s Word. We do not engage with Scripture merely to gain knowledge; we seek to know Christ more deeply and to live in a way that honors Him.

Each of the four steps serves a distinct purpose.

Study invites readers to examine a verse carefully within its immediate and broader biblical context. We pay attention to key words, surrounding passages, and the message of the biblical book in which the verse appears. We also consider how the verse fits within the larger story of Scripture and its revelation of Jesus Christ.

Memorize encourages readers to commit the verse and its reference to memory. Hiding God’s Word in our hearts allows Scripture to shape our thinking, guide our prayers, strengthen our faith, and remain with us even when our Bibles are closed.

Meditate invites readers to reflect prayerfully on the meaning and implications of the verse. We consider what it reveals about Jesus, what it teaches us about God, and how its truth speaks to our circumstances, our faith, and our obedience.

Live challenges readers to put the truth of God’s Word into practice—to live with Jesus and for Jesus. Each week, we consider one concrete way to respond to what we have studied, memorized, and meditated on. The goal is not simply to understand Scripture but to allow its truth to shape our attitudes, decisions, relationships, and daily lives.

Through SMML, my hope is that readers will move beyond reading about Jesus to knowing Him more deeply, loving Him more fully, and following Him more faithfully.

A Journey from Genesis to Revelation

The structure of this book reflects its central message: the person of Jesus Christ stands at the heart of God’s redemptive plan.

We begin with Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (ESV). Although this verse does not explicitly name Jesus, the New Testament reveals that all things were created through Him and for Him (John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:15–17). Jesus is not merely a figure who appears later in the biblical story; He is the eternal Son through whom all things were made.

From this beginning, we will journey through 52 weeks of Scripture, exploring Jesus’ identity, the promises concerning Him, His incarnation and ministry, His invitation to follow Him, His death and resurrection, the new life we have in Him, and the hope of His return.

Our journey concludes with Revelation 22:21:

“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” (ESV)

We begin with Christ the Creator and end with the grace of Christ. Between these two points, we encounter the unfolding story of God’s redemptive work and consider what it means to know and follow Jesus today.

The ultimate purpose of this journey is not simply to accumulate more biblical knowledge. It is to deepen our relationship with the One Scripture reveals. As Paul expressed his longing in Philippians 3:10, he desired “that I may know him” (ESV).

That desire is at the heart of this book.

An Invitation to Begin

Whether you have followed Jesus for many years or are just beginning to explore who He is, I invite you to join me on this 52-week journey. Take time each week to study a verse in context, memorize it, meditate on its truth, and put it into practice. This book can also serve as study guide for Bible study group to know more about Jesus and know Jesus more by going through the verses from the first verse of the Bible and the last verse of the Bible.

Do not feel that you must rush through the material or master every detail. Instead, approach each passage with an open Bible, a prayerful heart, and a willingness to respond to what God reveals through His Word.

My hope is that these 52 verses will become more than words you read on a page. May they become truths you carry in your heart, realities that shape your life, and reminders of the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

The Bible is not merely a book to be studied; it is God’s Word inviting us to know the One at the center of His redemptive story—Jesus Christ.

May this journey help us know Him more deeply, love Him more fully, and follow Him more faithfully.

Let us begin.