Three signs. Three questions. One that actually matters.

In this message, we take a big swing through John 5 and 6 together—the healing at the pool of Bethesda, the feeding of the 5,000, and Jesus walking on water—and land on the question underneath all of them: are we chasing Jesus, or just chasing what he can give us?

We look at a man who'd been sick for 38 years and answers Jesus' question with reasons why healing is impossible. We look at a crowd that gets fed and comes back the next day looking for more bread, not more of Jesus. And we look at Peter, who stays when everyone else walks away, because "you have the words of eternal life."

Along the way: why archaeology backed up a detail in John's Gospel skeptics doubted for years, why grace tends to collide with our religious rule-keeping, and a gut-check from C.S. Lewis about how easily we settle for less than we're offered.

In this episode:

• The healing at the Bethesda pool and the question, "Do you want to get well?"
• Why the religious leaders missed the miracle and only saw a broken rule
• The feeding of the 5,000 and its ties back to the manna in Exodus
• Jesus' hard teaching about eating his flesh and drinking his blood—and why people left over it
• Peter's answer: "Lord, to whom shall we go?"
• The real question: do you want what Jesus gives, or do you want Jesus?

Scripture: John 5:1–15, John 6:1–15, 25–69

Quoted: C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory