River’s Edge Church

After Jesus heals a man born blind, he is dragged before the religious elite, who refuse to believe what has happened. Unfortunately the verdict was decided before the trail, and the evidence of the healed beggar doesn't count. But the reason this story is so striking is that it captures the cultural moment that we're living in. In what ways are we the healed beggars of the 21st century, dragged before modern day pharisees who have put the verdict before the trial?

In a world full of people claiming to be Savior or Lord, Jesus stands apart as unique. But why do we believe Him over the other voices? And what does it look like to acknowledge the truth of who He is in all areas of life? 

Our discipleship to Jesus can be framed as a journey into greater and greater truth, but along the way we face an enemy described as the "father of lies." These lies distract and enslave, from individual lives to entire world-views, ideologies, and nation states. How do we recognize these lies? And what does true freedom look like? 

As the crowds listen to Jesus' words and watch Him do impossible things, many continue to doubt that He is the Messiah. We are quick to judge them for their lack of faith, but we live in an age of doubt and skepticism, where all of us will have moments where we doubt Jesus.

As great fires are being lit on the temple grounds, and the Israelites celebrate the Exodus and God's light, Jesus stands up and claims to be the light of the world. Whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness, but because He is the light, whoever rejects Him has no choice but to walk in darkness. 

In a later inserted story, we see Jesus confronted by a mob who has caught a woman in the very act of adultery. They are ready to stone her according to the law of Moses, and they intend to trap Jesus in the process, but He comes at the situation from a very different angle. How did the religious leaders get things so wrong when they thought they were so right? 

As Jesus stands up at the Festival of Tabernacles, on the last and greatest day of the festival, and as the priests are pouring out water on the Temple grounds, He proclaims to His followers that He offers living water, and that those who come and follow Him will have rivers of living water (God's Spirit and blessing and salvation) that flow out of them. Whether we are in a "desert season" or a place of abundance, Jesus' promise to His followers remains. 

As the women went to the tomb that first Easter Sunday, one thing was clear: they believed Jesus was dead and they didn't expect that to change. But then a violent earthquake shook the ground, shaking them out of their sorrow and bringing them face to face with something they believed to be impossible. 

As Jesus goes to the Festival of Tabernacles, his ministry seems to be in crisis. The religious leaders are plotting to kill him, the crowds can't decide if he is good or bad, most of his disciples have deserted him, and even his own brothers mock and tease. But it's important that we understand what Jesus is experiencing in this season, because it mirrors the cultural moment that we are living in. Millions of American Christians are walking away from their faith, and Jesus is once again turning to the remnant that is left and asking "will you leave also?"

After multiplying bread and walking on water, the crowds come to Jesus eager to engage again, but Jesus tells them they don't understand the deeper sign, they don't recognize who He is or the fact that He alone will satisfy their true hunger and thirst.