We should start this morning by noting where we are in John’s Gospel, at the beginning of chapter 5. As many of you will have surmised by now, this comes right after chapter 4, in which only two things happen. Just preceding these events, John recounts a healing in Capernaum, which is up on the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee. Just before that is Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in which he talks about giving “living water.”

Jesus is getting around! Samaria is between Galilee to the north and Jerusalem to the south, and it’s about 100 miles from Jerusalem to Capernaum across hilly terrain. Clearly John isn’t telling us everything. But, as he writes at the end of chapter 20, “…these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Remember that is why we are here; “life in his name.”

This encounter combines elements of those prior two: living water and healing.

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I love this graduation Sunday each year. We celebrate these wonderful young people for their achievements in earning a high school diploma or college degree and look ahead to their next challenges. After all, graduation means moving up. The best part of what you’ve done is not the diploma or degree, even if it’s Cum Laude or you’re the Valedictorian. The best part are the opportunities your achievements open for you moving forward.

I remember my first days like yesterday.

Just as you will learn a lot about whatever you’ll study, your faith deserves and requires the same sort of attention. If anyone ever tries to tell you faith is for simple minds, you’ll know that person hasn’t given it real study.

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