Bent Oak Church

Jesus doesn't act how we would expect, nor how others expected. Jesus fits oddly into that scene of mourners grieving the death of Lazarus. Jesus fits oddly into a world of death. For he is resurrection and life. 

In the middle of Jesus's discussion with the Jewish leaders, he decides to change his analogy. Jesus decides to describe himself as a shepherd—the good shepherd and the shepherd's gate. For us, that image seems quant and sentimental, but it was a prophetic indictment of the way in which Israel's leaders were caring for their own flock. Jesus offered the test of a truly good shepherd, he would lay down his life for his sheep.

In the previous chapter, Jesus had claimed to be the light of the world. Now, as he had healed the lame man when entering Jerusalem, he healed a man born blind as he left. It served as a kind of parable to his claim. He could give light to a man born into darkness, but the bulk of the story is not the miracle. The story is as much about the blindness of the Jewish leaders to recognize what Jesus had done and what it meant. It exposed that their blindness was worse than the man's.

Jesus shocked the crowd by claiming to be the light of the world. Many were against him, but there were some in the crowd you began to beleive. Jesus offered them three tests of faith. He described how true disciples would abide in his word, bear his word, and obey it. 

The story of the woman caught in adultery is well known and controversial. We take a close look at the text and recognize why it was placed in chapter eight.Jesus uses the moment to reveal the universal depth of sin and to war those who find sin in others more quickly than in themselves. Ultimately, Jesus offers a new way of obedience. "Go and sin no more."

Increasingly, John portrays controversy around Jesus. He disappointed the crowd, confused his disciples, and offended the leaders. In John 7 we see people increasingly divided over who Jesus and what should be done with him. It is no different today. Jesus divides the world. 

Jesus's disciples were offended. They were offended by his talk of flesh and blood and by his unwillingness to meet their needs and expectations. Many abandoned Christ that day. The truth is, Jesus often said or did things that offended. It was this possibility of offense that forced people to make a decision. They could no longer live in their delusions or expectations but were forced to deal with the real Christ in their midst. 

Having witnessed and tasted Jesus's miraculous provision of bread, the crowd was ready to seize him and make him king. But Jesus slipped away. They eventually tracked him down in Capernaum where they began to question him. But Jesus sensed they were not there for the truth, they were there for more bread. Jesus explained that the bread they were really looking for was him. 

Brad Lombardi shares from the familiar stories of Jesus feeding the crowd and walking on water. 

Surrounded by accusations of blasphemy and law-breaking, Jesus worked to explain his power and authority to the Jewish leaders. It wasn't a formal trial, but the accusations were extremely serious. So Jesus did what any other accused in the first century would have, he called witnesses.