Highway Sermons

In John 9, as Jesus and the disciples encounter a man blind from birth, the disciples assume that someone has sinned to cause the condition. Jesus, however, dismisses that, and sees the man’s blindness as an opportunity for God’s work to be revealed.

Once again, more important to John than the miracle itself is its significance. Like the healing of the paralytic at the pool, this sign also occurs on the Sabbath. As the inquisition unfolds, the blind man will believe into Jesus over the course of the narrative. Fourteen questions are asked in the story, the most important of which is asked by Jesus in verse 35: “do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Lord,” answers the man in verse 36, “I believe.”

John’s narrative reveals that, more significant than experiencing the physical light that comes with eyesight is the spiritual insight of seeing the divinity of Jesus. Ultimately, the light shines powerfully through the man’s testimony about the light of the world.

John 6:16-21

After Jesus withdrew to a mountain by himself, the disciples— fresh off of witnessing Jesus reject the title of king— headed for Capernaum by boat. They were away from Jesus, in the dark, and perhaps experiencing doubts that were more violent than the storm in which they suddenly found themselves.

At the moment of their greatest distress, Jesus comes to them, walking on the water, and says, “It is I, do not be afraid.” The phrase “it is I” is “ego eimi” in the Greek, which can alternately be translated as “I am,” which is the form of divine disclosure in Scripture.

In the previous story, Jesus fed the crowd in a way that was reminiscent of Moses.

But this sea miracle transcends the parting of the Red Sea. Jesus’ calming of the waters— which in Hebrew literature are a symbol of chaos— is a sign of his power of the created order of nature, and of his ability to deliver his disciples from chaos.

How does the unique way in which John tells the story of the feeding of the 5,000 point to who Jesus is, and how we can live into a life of provision in Him? Join us as we look at how this story shapes our understanding of prophecy and provision, and of surrender and sustenance.

John 5:1-15

While in Jerusalem for the festivals, Jesus encounters a paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, who had not walked for 38 years. Jesus engages the paralytic, and tells him to pick up his mat and walk. Verse 9 not only tells us that “at once the man was cured,” but it also informs us that it was the Sabbath– a detail that John intentionally suspends for dramatic effect.

When the Jewish leaders saw the man carrying his mat after being healed, they did not see a person who had been an invalid in the community for 38 years– they saw someone who was violating the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders were unconcerned with the miracle itself; they simply wanted to know who was responsible for it.

The healing of the paralytic is a sign of Jesus’ authority– a sign that he has authority over the Sabbath. Life in Jesus’ name is not always bound by, or constricted by, the letter of the law.

Jesus is approached by a royal official, whose son was sick at Capernaum. The official– who comes to Jesus with a deep human need, and faith, is looking for action. He wants Jesus to come with him to his home, before his child dies.

Jesus responds instead with a word– a word that, interestingly, is an action for the royal official. Jesus tells him to “go, your son will live.”

John repeatedly uses the word “believe” in his gospel. And the fact that he almost always uses it as a verb underscores that, for John, faith involves action. We see that here as the official responds to Jesus with action. He took Jesus at his word, and departed. And as he was on his way home, he was met by his servants with the news that his son was better– which happened at the exact time Jesus had told him his son would live.

This second sign, where Jesus heals at a distance, reveals both that Jesus, the Word, is indeed God (John 1:1), and that his word alone has power. Jesus’ word is enough.

And it is enough to bring physical life for the official’s son, and eternal, infinite life, to the official’s entire household.

In this first Sunday in our new "Signs of Life" teaching series, John Riemenschnitter unfolds the first of Jesus' miracles, the changing of water into wine, done to help a bride and groom in their community wedding celebration.

This was the first of the signs through which Jesus revealed his glory–literally, the original. The beginning. And as John 2:11 underscores it was a sign of the time for the disciples, who were just beginning to believe into Jesus, the Messiah, who was present among them.

The new year is a time when we look ahead to the unknown. And so often, what we want to know about the future is categorical: should I do this, or that? Will you do this, or that? And when we encounter new events, new people, new opinions, new issues, we want to categorize them as well. We want God and people to fit into our categories.

In Joshua 5:13-15, an encounter with a spiritual begin, a commander challenges Joshua’s categories: “No, but ...” No, this is not about whether I am for or against you. This is about whether you are for or against me. I am. I have come. The place you are standing is holy ground.

God does not serve our categories, but we serve him. Our orientation to him, our worship of him, our personal relationship with and encounters with him, are more important than the categorical decisions we get so distracted by and focused upon.

To recognize that something is holy ground is to recognize the powerful presence of God in the places of our lives, and because Jesus has come and the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are now holy people, on holy ground in all the spaces of our lives. How can we remain cognizant of that through all the ups and downs of the next year? What are some practices that tie us in to that reality of holy ground?

In Joshua 5:1-12 the goodness of God in keeping his promises is not conditional on the Israelites’ obedience: he had already led them across the Jordan. But God does ask his people to consider how to set themselves apart for God. He asks them to respond in obedience by both laying something aside through circumcision, and by partaking of something through the Passover meal.

As people of the new covenant, we no longer need to be circumcised to be accepted as God’s people. But Paul does speak about circumcision in this way in Romans: “circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.” The Bible asks us to go deeper than behavior modification – God invites us to look at our hearts, the seat of who we are, and asks us how we identify ourselves as belonging to God.

Just like the Israelites, we’re prompted to consider what we base our identities on, and what we may set aside or take up in obedience to that identity. And as Paul reminds us, it is the Holy Spirit who does this work in us.

In Joshua 4:1-24, God specifically instructs his people to carry stones and build a memorial. This is because how we remember is important. The stories we tell ourselves and others is important.

During the new year, we have all kinds of traditions for remembering, for doing our year-in-reviews. But it is important not only to look back at events, but to see how those events reveal God’s provision and faithfulness in our lives. It is important to give thanks, to remember that God is indeed mighty, because we so often forget. And establishing practices of gratitude and remembrance can become a touchpoint, a foundation, for us as we go forward into new missions in our lives."

How do we pace ourselves well in the spiritual life? We’ll look what the crossing of the Jordan River shows us about how to follow, how to wait, and how to make space to see God’s work of grace in our lives.