The Jewish religious leaders have stones in their hands, ready to launch them at Jesus. They believe they have caught him in the act of sin. As we learned in the previous post, though, Jesus asks them a question, “But what about my miracles? Don’t they prove that I and God the Father are one?”Continue reading “The real choice about Jesus – John 10:22-42, Part 5”
Tag Archives: miracle
We are witnesses to the power of Jesus – John 11:1-45, Part 5
Now the moment has come. We’ve been studying John 11 this week, and we’ve observed Jesus talking with his disciples and his friends, Mary and Martha, about their brother Lazarus’ sickness and death. Jesus made the trip to Judea to the town of Bethany to visit that sisters, as Lazarus lay in a grave forContinue reading “We are witnesses to the power of Jesus – John 11:1-45, Part 5”
What we can learn from Jesus weeping – John 11:1-45, Part 4
Martha’s brother, Lazarus, still dead. Martha believes Jesus can do something about it because he is the promised Messiah, the bringer of life. But instead of pleading with Jesus, Martha now goes to find her sister, Mary. In John 11, verses 28-37, we read about the result of the sisters’ conversation. “And after she hadContinue reading “What we can learn from Jesus weeping – John 11:1-45, Part 4”
The kind of belief God really wants – John 11:1-45, Part 2
Jesus has received an urgent message from some of his closest friends, Mary and Martha. Their brother Lazarus, also one of Jesus’ best friends, is sick. Very sick. Deathly sick. What does Jesus do in response? He waits…two more days. He doesn’t immediately gather up his disciples and head out on the road. He waits. Continue reading “The kind of belief God really wants – John 11:1-45, Part 2”
How Indiana Jones got Jesus wrong – John 6:52-71, Part 2
In the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy is trying to find the Holy Grail. A legend states that the Grail is the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper. The legend goes on to say that Jesus’ followers collected some of his blood the next day when he was on theContinue reading “How Indiana Jones got Jesus wrong – John 6:52-71, Part 2”
Jesus, biblical literalism, and the Blindfold Taste Test – John 6:52-71, Part 1
Have you ever participated in a blindfolded taste test? To introduce this sermon, we had a blindfolded taste test, inviting three volunteers to each come forward. They didn’t know it, but they were about to eat a bite of different kinds of bread and different red-colored beverage. One person had V8. Another had pumpernickel. EachContinue reading “Jesus, biblical literalism, and the Blindfold Taste Test – John 6:52-71, Part 1”
How to know if you have the right motivations for following Jesus – John 6:22-51, Part 5
If you are following Jesus, why are you following him? This week on the blog, starting here, we’ve been studying Jesus’ interaction with a crowd of people whom he had miraculously fed a free meal (aka “The Feeding of the 5,000”). We examined that miracle last week here. The next day, the crowd wants JesusContinue reading “How to know if you have the right motivations for following Jesus – John 6:22-51, Part 5”
Have you ever felt like a relational vending machine? – John 6:22-51, Preview
How would you like to be a human vending machine? I’m talking about a situation in which you feel used. It can happen to all of us, and we usually don’t like it. Maybe in your job, you feel like people are constantly asking more and more of you. Parents can really slip into thisContinue reading “Have you ever felt like a relational vending machine? – John 6:22-51, Preview”
When fear gets the best of you – John 6:1-21, Part 4
Fear can be crippling. As a kid, I was afraid of our dark basement. If I had to go down there alone at night, I would turn on all the lights, quickly do what I needed to do. Then in one final motion, I would turn off the light and race up the stair, takingContinue reading “When fear gets the best of you – John 6:1-21, Part 4”
The real purpose of Jesus’ feeding of the 5000 – John 6:1-21, Part 3
A boy is standing right in front of Jesus, and the boy has a packed lunch of five small loaves of bread and two small fish. He looks across the hillside and sees the crowd of hungry people that, like him, have come to experience the miracle-worker. How is it possible that he, a boy,Continue reading “The real purpose of Jesus’ feeding of the 5000 – John 6:1-21, Part 3”
Let's Talk About Sunday 