Before his journey to the Cross, Jesus is tried before the religious authorities and the civil authorities to the same effect. In both cases, he is found guilty without evidence. According to John, this is all the evidence we need to find the institutions, themselves, guilty. Instead, he offers a crucial reminder: Jesus did not come to serve the government or religious authorities - he came to replace them. The Church is not called to be an institution, but a faithful group of followers living as Christ lived.

Jesus comes to do what only he can do. He makes us clean, he forgives us, and he loves us just as we are. Pride tells us that God's grace is always for someone else. Jesus tells us - dirt and all - that we are loved and accepted.

The life we build is constructed through an endless series of small choices. Each choice reflects our core orientation to the world: do we choose fear or love? The Resurrection is about the victory of life over death. But it is not the victory of just any kind of life - it is about the victory of a life defined by love, not fear.

The Gospel narrative is not single-dimensional. With every perspective, the contours of its story change, broaden, and vary. John does not satisfy our longing for a simplistic tale of black and white morality, where every scene clearly communicates the significance of Jesus’ every action. Instead, John uses ambiguity to challenge our preconceived notions. He squarely asks us: do you really understand the Gospel? Or are you just following along?

There are many good reasons not to believe in God. They may be personal or public, individual or universal. John’s Gospel is just as attentive to belief as it is to disbelief. The resurrection of Lazarus is the ultimate and greatest miracle Jesus performs - and it has the effect of dividing its witnesses. As it turns out, it is the religious witnesses who deny the resurrection. Those who follow Jesus because of who he is, not what he does believe in the resurrection, even if they reject the religion of the Pharisees.

The Great Commandment is reflexive. Because God calls us to love him and serve our neighbor using every part of ourselves - heart, soul, body, mind - he also redeems every part of us. This means that God wants more from us than obedience or worship - God wants a relationship with us. We cannot experience this relationship and we cannot live out the Great Commandment unless we offer God our hearts - in addition to our minds.

Christian Freedom, at its best, should follow the sacrifice of Jesus. When the Church acts, it should act in free obedience to the God who is revealed in Christ’s sacrifice. This means we are called to put our neighbor’s interests before our own, sacrificing our time, talent, and spirit in service to them and to God.

Christians historically have fought to exclude their enemies from the life of the church - through wars, schisms, and trials. Their justification? To purify the church through its worship and practice. The results are not convincing. But what happens when Jesus is the one who draws the boundary - what happens when obedience to his means giving up some of our freedom?

What happens when Jesus asks you to break God’s law? Christian freedom means liberation from the oppressive laws of man - but what does it mean for God’s law? Jesus models how the way of the Gospel is not anarchy or lawlessness, rather it accomplishes what law cannot.

When Jesus finds us struggling under the burden of tradition and man's law, he reminds us that we are subject only to His law. This means that we remove any barrier to loving God and neighbor, no matter its source: nation, religion, gender, or ethnicity. Jesus makes clear that his way is above the way of the world, and the kingdom he inaugurates conquers the ways of man.

What does it mean to be born again? If the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these, why doesn’t Jesus clearly explain how we can be born again? In the mystery of birth, we discover that God’s grace poured out must have more to do with his action than ours - his call which makes our response possible.

Christian freedom is nothing less than freedom from fear - fear of neighbor, self, and God. Jesus bravely models the fearlessness he calls disciples to imitate. In taking on the powers of exploitation and injustice, Jesus embodies the Christian mission: to love God and neighbor in the face of fear.

How does conversion work? Is it more like conquest or liberation? The Bible provides several examples of how Jesus calls us to discipleship, but the most common is through dialogue. We bring our questions, doubts, and authentic selves to Jesus and he meets us as we are.

John's Gospel is unique. It was born out of a crisis of faith and the need to articulate unambiguously the truth of Jesus' mission and identity. More than any other evangelist, John paints a picture of Jesus colored by Christian Freedom - freedom for and from. In Christ, we are freed for obedience and from sin.