If you’ve ever traveled internationally, one thing you don’t want to do is miss a flight. That’s just what happened to my oldest son and me a few years ago. We raced toward our gate but gave up the chase when my backpack unzipped and the laptop ejected out the top, landing hard on the tile floor. As a Turkish man and his young son helped us recover the strewn backpack contents, we settled into the realization that we, indeed, missed our flight.

Jesus had many critics. His miraculous healings, direct teaching, and the shocking claim that he was God's son shook up the religious establishment! Instead of the overwhelming evidence of messianic prophecy validating Jesus' ministry, in their minds, they could only see him taking away their power, prestige, and traditions.

If you're like me, you know someone who has struggled under the powerful grip of toxic environments, unhealthy choices or lingering sickness. People that we love and pray for God to restore, heal, or make aware of his great love for them. Yet, the years tick by without evident change.

As Jesus inaugurated his coming kingdom, it was natural for people to have questions. His teachings broke from tradition, and he spoke as one with authority but had no official title. He performed life-changing miracles, which validated his message of God’s kingdom coming to earth. But, questions about particular religious practices are emerging, providing Jesus an opportunity to clarify just how different following him will be.

According to recent media reports from an arranged marriage culture, a man refused to marry his bride because her family failed to prepare his favorite dish for the wedding feast. He married another woman later that day. Similarly, a bride refused to marry her groom on their wedding day upon discovering he needed glasses to read.

Love attracts a crowd, doesn’t it? People knew that Jesus was for them because he routinely approached his neighbors with love and compassion while living a simple life that projected purpose and hope to everyone. It was this no-limits hope that inspired a group of friends to approach barriers as mere stepping stones.