After two stress free days within a remote place, Jesus drops the other shoe by stating to His disciples to pack up, time to go to Judea. His directive is met by opposition from his followers. Jesus then provides a short parable regarding the light of day. The question for you and me is this. […]

We continue today with the examination of chapter 11 verses 1-5. At the closing of Jesus’s public ministry and just prior to the death burial and resurrection account, John sandwiches this chapter within his account in order to focus attention on the subject of death. Join us through watching in on the zoom discussion as […]

In today’s session the Moot Men dive into chapter 11. This chapter along with 12 serves as a type of bridge which allows for transition from Jesus’s public ministry to the passion week. Because of this transitive purpose within John’s intent we must pay close attention to the content and its placement within the book. […]

As chapter 10 comes to a close, Jesus and His disciples make their way to the remote region beyond the Jordan River where John the Baptist began his ministry. This is where Jesus’s public ministry began and it is here where the public portion of His ministry will culminate. John the writer records the overarching […]

In session 143 we examine Jesus’s interaction with a handful of irate accusers. On the verge of His own stoning, Jesus patiently reasons with these people. His motive, as seen previously, is to invite these to a new and rewarding kind of life to be experienced through belief in and through Him.  

In our session today we examine an intense exchange between Jesus and His religious accusers over the subject of blasphemy. The opposition does not like the idea that Jesus, as a man, is making Himself out to be God. Jesus responds by quoting a portion of Psalm 82 then poses a question for their consideration. […]

In session 141 Jesus responds to His audience with troubling words, “you are not my sheep.” We read such words and our minds go in all directions attempting to understand what He meant. Does His statement mean that these folks are part of the unfortunate group who some label as the un-elect. Many of us […]

In session 140 the setting is the Temple in Jerusalem during the festival of dedication. The crowd surrounds Jesus requesting from Him a straight answer regarding the Christ. His response to their request indicates that from His perspective clarity in communication is not what is required. According to Jesus, He has already provided adequate information. […]

In this session the Moot Men take a deep dive into the subject of Dissension. What was true at the time of Jesus is all around us today. Sometimes we just scratch our heads exclaiming, “Why is it so hard to get along?” This subject permeates our daily experience. Thanks for joining in as we […]

In session 138 Jesus continues to describe Good Shepherd. He continues by stating that as the good shepherd He has power to lay down His life for the sheep so that He may take back His life once again. He also states that He is acting out of His own free choice. No one takes […]

In this session we examine what Jesus has to say about the good shepherd. He does so through a brief contrast with what He calls the hireling. It is clear through His description that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, some present and some not present within the immediate context. The […]

In week 136 we examine an illustration used by Jesus to place His offering in context with what has occurred before. He uses what He calls a Sheepfold, common to His audience, to explain His reasoning. He compares those apparent shepherds who have come before Him with His own shepherding qualities and intent. The outcome, […]

Today, Jesus talks about how the blind can receive sight. This correlates to our story and is fairly easy to follow. Jesus makes the blind to see. We are able to embrace that. But what is also true from His teaching is that those who see must become blind. In fact and according to Jesus, […]

Tucked away in chapter nine is yet another glimpse of God’s intent as seeker and what it looks like to respond as fully human as demonstrated by Jesus of Nazareth. The occasion is the formally blind man’s rejection by the governing religious authority. Once Jesus hears about how the man is being treated, He seeks […]

Today we see continued questioning by the Temple Leaders, escalating anger, which results in what we are calling a forced separation prompted by these leaders. They could not get the man to respond in a way that was satisfactory so they resorted to the common human practice of kicking him out. This man is actually […]

In today’s session we examine two contrasting responses to what we are calling the “Fear Vacuum.” The Temple leaders illustrate the natural default human behavior in relation to this simple idea. On the other hand, the man formally born blind demonstrates what it can look like operating from a Christ informed perspective. His actions are […]

Today we look at two states of fear responses. The first is demonstrated by the temple leaders as a fear of power loss. The second is demonstrated by the parents as a fear of rejection. We then examine this common idea of fear through providing an illustration. Using the illustration, we then contrast the mind […]

In session 130 we examine the escalating dissension as demonstrated by those who witnessed this dramatic healing. The presence of the begging man born blind was well known to many. He is now fully functioning with complete sight but being pummeled with questions regarding how this all happened. What could have been a celebration of […]

In today’s session we begin to examine how this man’s healing is perceived by the general public. We see a polarized mixed response. We see push-back, denial and overall a general need to know what to do with this new development. What is clearly missing is celebration by his neighbors. Why is this so hard […]

Today we view Jesus healing the man born blind. We see Jesus applying a mixture of kneaded dirt and saliva, a command to go to Siloam and while there, wash out the mixture. We explain the geography of Siloam and identify it as a place of receptivity. We then discuss the role of receptivity as […]