Jesus Changes People

The religious leaders don’t like having their hypocrisy pointed out and try to seize Jesus. John’s explanation as to why they are unable to do so is theological: his hour had not yet come. In other words, it wasn’t time for Jesus to die. As the festival is drawing to a close, Jesus offers the thirsty a drink. But what is he talking about? It’s obviously not physical thirst, but an internal, spiritual dryness that only he can satisfy. Many people today are thirsty but haven’t found what will satisfy their thirst. As Jesus explains, those who receive the Holy Spirit as a result of believing in him will have access to living water.

Passage: John 7:25-52

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Jesus is facing the hostility of the religious leaders and the unbelief of his brothers. The Jewish leaders were no longer simply annoyed by Jesus; they were actively looking for a way to kill him. Jesus seems to have understood this. What is unclear is whether his brothers also knew this when they encouraged him to go to Judea – the place where the opposition was the strongest. Later in chapter seven, he will discuss whether it was appropriate for him to heal on the Sabbath. Whether it’s opposition or unbelief, Jesus understands one of the reasons why is that people tend to judge someone (or the truth) by “mere appearances.” It is easy to discount or dismiss something or someone if it doesn’t appear to be the way we think it should be.

Passage: John 7:1-24

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After the crowd began to leave, Jesus turns to his twelve apostles and asks,  “Do you want to leave, too?” In this question, we get a glimpse into the humanness of Jesus – he really wanted to know if they were going to leave. Peter’s answer is still the right answer today: “You have the words of eternal life.” Only Jesus allows us to boldly access God’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus himself will affirm that “no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Peter’s answer also highlights the progressive nature of following Jesus: “We have come to believe ...” This didn’t happen immediately or as the result of a single event.

Passage: John 6:60-71

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Jesus recognizes that the crowd has followed him for the wrong reasons. It’s not because of his teaching, but because he fed them. Jesus seizes upon this as an opportunity to teach about the cost of discipleship. By the end of the encounter, most of the crowd will have left. What Jesus does is redefine what it means to be religious. Rather than being a set of rules to follow, the work of God is to believe in Jesus. But what does that mean? Calling himself “the bread of life,” Jesus teaches us that true belief is finding our satisfaction in him.

Passage: John 6:25-59

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The disciples were initially afraid when they witnessed Jesus’ demonstration of his power over nature. Once he identified himself, they were willing to take him into the boat. This story serves as a reminder that Jesus has ultimate power and authority over everything, and not just “spiritual” things such as salvation, redemption, etc. We live in the universe he created and that he still sustains.

Passage: John 6:16-24

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We’ve learned more about Jesus in John 4:1-6:15, but if we don’t do something with it, then it hasn’t really been helpful information. Ken and Mike discuss different ways that will help you put into practice what we’ve been learning about and from Jesus. This includes how to handle social and cultural boundaries; our motivation for obedience; and how we allow God to work through us. The discussion is practical and offers tangible ways for someone to start implementing these practices into their life today.

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As more people heard about his miracles, larger crowds began following  Jesus. In this particular story, there are at least 5,000 people present. Jesus decides to test the faith of Philip by asking Philip how they could feed so many people. Philip responds with finances – it would cost too much to feed that many people. At some point during this conversation, Andrew went off and found a boy with five loaves of bread and two fish. Although he brought the resources to Jesus, he still had his doubts: “How far will they go among so many?” We do the same when we doubt what God can do with our own limited resources.

Passage: John 6:1-15

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While John the Baptist testified to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus has an even weightier testimony – it was God working through him. The miracles Jesus performed were an indication of his connection to God. Scripture itself testifies to Jesus. If fact, he told his Jewish audience that the Scriptures they studied actually pointed to him. Jesus isn’t discouraging diligent Bible study. But he is reminding us that all of Scripture points us to him, the living Word. Only by coming to him can we find real life.

Passage: John 5:31-47

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In addressing the objections of the religious leaders to performing a miracle  on the Sabbath, Jesus responds, “My Father is always at work.” Jesus and the Father operated in sync with one another. Jesus does what he see his Father  doing and this is because “the Father loves the Son and shows him all he  does.” What we may perceive as a lack of God’s activity may be the result of our lack of perception. As we draw closer to Jesus, we will discover the many  different ways God is already at work in our world.

Passage: John 5:16-30

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While in Jerusalem, Jesus walked by the Bethesda pool where “a great number of disabled people” gathered each day. The reason the pool drew so many people was the belief that the waters had magical healing powers. According to legend, an angel would descend and touch the waters and the first to enter would be healed. Jesus encounters a man who has lived with his disability for thirty-eight years. He asks the man what seems to be an odd question: “Do you want to get well?” Not everyone who needs to be healed want to be healed. Jesus does heal the man, but it happens to be on the Sabbath – something that will attract the attention of the religious leaders.

Passage: John 5:1-15

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