Jn 14:5-11

 Context

  Doctor : Congratulations on the birth of your new baby. I have some important news you need to know. She has jaundice. It’s a liver disorder that causes her skin and the whites of her eyes to turn yellow.  Parents : Are you talking about our baby? She looks okay to us. If fact she looks beautiful. (Together they ooh and aah as they look at the baby). If we take her home and give her a lot of love, I’m sure the problem will go away. Skit: Not Our Baby

  Doctor : She is beautiful but this is a potentially devastating disease. If we don’t do something she’ll have a lot of trouble.  Parents : (Now panicking.) Oh, no! What are we going to do? (Now screaming.) We need help! Doctor, doctor you’ve got to help us. What do we do?  Doctor : I have good news. This potentially devastating disease is eas- ily treated. All we have to do is put the baby under a special light for a while. This will stimulate her liver to start working properly and she’ll be all right. Skit: Not Our Baby

  Mother : (Very skeptical.) That doesn’t sound good. My mother and grandmother always told me not to shine a bright light on a baby— that will hurt the baby. I’m not doing that.  Doctor : There is nothing to worry about. The light will help her liver and remove this yellow hue from her skin.  Mother : (Increasingly skeptical.) I don’t see how sitting under a light will remove her yellow—that’s too easy. How about instead if we scrubbed her with soap and dipped her in bleach? If we worked hard enough, I’m sure we could get her normal coloring back. Skit: Not Our Baby

  Doctor : You seem like a very concerned parent, but scrubbing and dipping won’t solve this problem. And using bleach on a human could cause injury or death! There’s only one way to treat this. Get your baby under the light, and she’ll get healthy.  Father : (Smug and confident.) I agree with my wife—that sounds too easy. If we just relax and let her grow up naturally everything will turn out okay.  Doctor : Let me be clear about this. Your baby has jaundice and needs help right now. Skit: Not Our Baby

  Father : (Anger rising.) I don’t like your tone, Doc. You’re getting a little pushy with this light-treatment thing. You say jaundice is real. Maybe for you, but we don’t see it that way. We go by what we see and believe and if we sincerely believe that, things will work out for the best.  Doctor : You’re going to jeopardize your baby if you do that. Look, there’s only one way to cure her. You hesitate because it sounds too easy, but look at the credentials hanging on my wall. I’ve studied at medical school, and I’ve used what I’ve learned to cure countless babies like yours. Trust me!  Mother : (Angry and emotional.) I don’t like it when you say you know how to fix this problem. Maybe there are other ways to handle this. I think you are very narrow-minded to push this light-treatment thing on us and our baby. Skit: Not Our Baby

  Doctor : I am telling you this because I want to save your baby. This is the best and only way we know to treat jaundice in newborn babies. I want to cure your little girl. This isn’t narrow-minded—it’s the only rational choice in accordance with the evidence.  Father : (Angry and emphatic.) My parents taught me to be skeptical of people who act like they have all the answers. Who can know everything? I think we’re done here.  (Parents turn and leave.) THE END Skit: Not Our Baby

  What’s happening here? What is the doctor trying to do?  What do you think about the response of the parents?  What’s keeping these parents from receiving the help the doctor is offering?  Who is being responsible and rational, and who is being arrogant and narrow-minded?  Today we’re going to talk about Jesus Christ being the solution  to our problems and the only way to really knowing God. If we replayed this skit and talked about Jesus, what would the doctor say about Jesus being the answer?  What would the parents say expressing their disbelief?  Why is Jesus being the only way to God such a highly charged argument? Skit: Questions

  What did Thomas ask Jesus? What response did he receive?  How did Jesus describe his relationship with the Father?  What evidence did Jesus suggest to prove his relationship with the Father?  In what ways is faith in Jesus Christ exclusive or narrow?  How do people who don’t believe Jesus is the only way to God describe who Jesus was?  What do you think about Jesus’ claim to be “the way and the truth and the life”? Reading (Jn 14:1-11)

  14:1, “Believe in God”  14:2-3, “My Father’s House” 1. The Way to God (Jn 14:1-5)

  14:6, “I Am”  14:6, “The Way”  14:6, “The Truth”  14:6, “The Life” 2. Jesus Outrageous Claim (Jn 14:6)

  14:8, “show us the Father”  14:9, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”  CR: Jn 1:18  14:11, “Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.” 3. Backing up His Claim (Jn 14:7-11)

 Evidence – 1 in 10 17

 4. Narrow Minded?