Jesus’ childhood, youth and early adulthood benefited from the love and security of family and close-knit community in the backwoods of Israel, in Galilee, where city folks would have referred to them with terms like yokels, bumpkins, hillbillies. So it was that he emerged onto the public square seemingly ‘out of nowhere.’ Nazareth was one of many villages of major insignificance to the elite in Jerusalem and those in the surrounding territory. By going public, Jesus broke away from the anonymity and unchangeableness of rural tradition, opening himself, his family, and his village to outside scrutiny, to mockery, to opposition. His humble newcomer origins were both a blessing and a bone of contention. No family pedigree, no notable education, no sophistication or polished speech, not even nominated, ‘most likely to succeed.’ Thus meagerly equipped, Jesus successfully became the champion of underdogs everywhere and Judaism’s Public Enemy #1, with a price tag on his head. His notoriety rarely left him ‘feeling the love.’

John 6: 22-71

1. vv. 25-40 - _______________________________ love me

2. vv. 41-51 - ______________________________ love me

3. vv. 52-59 - __________________________________ love me

4. vv. 60-71 - ______________________________ love me?