Another Miracle

February 29 Another Miracle John 6:16-29

“It is important what we look at in Christ’s miracles. For he who does not aspire to God’s Kingdom, but clings to the comforts of the present life, seeks only to fill his belly. Just as today many would eagerly embrace the Gospel if it were empty of the bitterness of the cross and only brought carnal delights.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 4:153

What is your motivation for being a Christian? Are you a disciple of Christ because it’s the right thing to do, or because it’s profitable in some way? In one sense, every decision to follow Jesus is self-interested since it results in salvation. To have faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord is to receive eternal life; it’s also to escape from the horrors of judgment. Who wouldn’t want to be rescued? But does this make the decision to receive Christ selfish? Hardly; it’s not selfish to want to be what God always wanted you to be. What is selfish is to follow Christ because of the benefits alone. There are those, even today, who will encourage you to be a Christian so that you will be prosperous and be materially blessed.

Some of those who followed Jesus back to Capernaum were more interested in being fed than in feasting upon His words. They had witnessed the feeding of the five thousand and had been impressed. This wandering rabbi really could work miracles. Some of them wanted bread; others were interested in the benefits He could bring to Israel. Few realized that, in Jesus, they had encountered the Bread of Life who satisfies our souls not for a moment but forever.

The disciples left Jesus after the miraculous feeding, returning to Bethsaida by boat. Jesus was still walking and praying somewhere up in the hills. As they crossed the lake it grew dark and a storm blew up. Despite their experience as fishermen they struggled through the rough waters. Then, some three miles from shore, they saw Jesus approaching them, walking on the water. They were terrified. From the heady heights of the successful gathering of over five thousand they plummeted to the depths of terror. How could this be? Real men don’t walk on water; was this an apparition, a ghost?

Jesus calmed both their fears and the rolling waves as He stepped into the boat. Within moments, or so it seemed, they had reached the shore. Did they sleep well that night, after the exertions of the day, or did they count the stars, wondering what exactly they had got themselves involved in? Did they stop to ask, “Who is this Jesus?”

As He walked upon the water, Jesus bore witness to His true identity. By dividing the tiny meal to feed a multitude Jesus had shown His authority over nature. He did it again, even more dramatically, when He took a short-cut over the Sea of Galilee, leaving His disciples open-mouthed and amazed.

When some of those who had witnessed the first of these miracles caught up with Him the following day, wondering out loud how He had managed to make the journey so quickly without a boat, Jesus turned the tables on them. They had come, He said, for all the wrong reasons. They were more interested in filling their bellies than in feeding their souls. They should seek the work that endures, not the work that spoils. And the work that God requires of us is this: that we believe in the One whom He has sent.

For further reading: Psalm 58

Feeding a Multitude

February 28 Feeding a Multitude John 6:1-15

“(T)he miracle … has this in common with others, that in it Christ exercised His divine power in conjunction with His kindness. It is also confirmation to us of the statement in which He exhorts us to seek the Kingdom of God, promising that all the rest shall be added to us. For if He took care of those who were led to Him just by a sudden impulse, how will He fail us if we seek Him with a firm purpose?” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 4:147

How do we solve problems when they come our way? Sometimes we attempt to buy our way out of trouble by throwing money at the problems. Sometimes we look to other people for solutions. At other times we simply try to make our problems disappear. Perhaps our problems would be fewer if we would look to Jesus for solutions?

The disciples had a problem. Many of the local people had followed Jesus up into the hills above the western shore of the Sea of Galilee; the hour was getting later and the people were getting hungry. They had nothing to eat. What were they to do? Philip’s solution was really no solution at all. He proposed throwing money at it. They could send down to Bethsaida, the nearest town, for bread. But it would cost eight months wages to buy enough bread for so many people. It was impossible. Andrew had an idea: the people could share what they had brought with them. But when he searched to discover what was available, all he could come up with was a young boy whose mother had packed him a snack – five small barley loaves and two small fish. Barley bread was the cheapest available; the fish were little more than relish. Even Andrew was embarrassed to suggest this as a solution. The boy’s meager offering was nothing compared to the need. In the other Gospels we learn that a third solution was offered: just send the people home; that would get rid of the problem!

Jesus had His own solution, which depended neither upon money nor people. It did not require sending the people home, either, thereby missing an opportunity. When all other resources had failed, God did not. And so five loaves and two fish were brought to Jesus. He gave thanks over them, as at any meal; then He broke them and distributed them, and there was more than enough. In fact, the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of left-overs. Poverty was replaced by plenty. All were fed.

The people were quick to make a connection: Moses had fed the Israelites in the wilderness; he led them out of captivity and into the Promised Land. Surely, Jesus would do the same? He had met their needs; would He not now lead them against the occupying Romans? He had come to set them free. He must be the Messiah, the long-awaited One. They must proclaim Him as their leader and begin the work of liberation.

But Jesus was not ready to be made into a political savior. His mission was so much more than they had understood. He was a Messiah, to be sure, but His mission was not what they imagined. Jesus’ mission was to bring liberty; wherever and whenever people were oppressed by the stranglehold of sin, there would Jesus be at work setting the captives free. So, He left the place of miracle and made His way up into the hills to pray. His works bore testimony to His mission, but the people’s minds remained blinkered by self-interest. It could have been a great triumph. Jesus was at the height of His popularity. But He did not give them what they wanted. They were looking for a freedom fighter; He gave them the suffering servant. So, they began to turn against Him. Five barley loaves were broken on the hillside; soon, His body would be broken on the Cross. He gave them the answer to their problem, but they would not listen.

For further reading: Psalm 54

Faithful Witness

February 27 Faithful Witness John 5:31-47

“We know what any man says about himself is not taken as true and authentic, even though in other respects he speaks the truth, for no man is a fit witness in his own cause. And although it would be unjust to reduce the Son of God to this level, He prefers to give up His right, so that He may convince His enemies by God’s authority.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 4:135

How do we know that Jesus is who He says He is? Just because someone says that he is a prophet, a king, or an opera singer does not mean, necessarily, that he is. There are many charlatans out there, pretending to be what they are not. There are even more who are deluded. We should be wary. Common sense tells us to hesitate before accepting the testimony of a person who makes exalted claims. But what if the testimony does not come from the person, but from those who are considered trustworthy? And what if those trustworthy witnesses are in fundamental agreement in support of the person’s claim? Shouldn’t we, at that point, be ready to at least consider that the claim may be valid?

Jesus said that He did not expect those who heard Him to believe on the basis of His testimony alone. There are others who bear witness. The language is reminiscent of Old Testament passages, such as Isaiah 43, in which witnesses are called to give evidence before a court. Is the God of Israel the One, the only true God, or not? In the same way, Jesus called upon witnesses to testify that His claims were not false. What witnesses?

God the Father was to bring testimony on Jesus’ behalf. Jesus’ will was not to be separated from His Father’s; He only did or said what His Father had told Him to do or say. Therefore, Jesus’ claims were not really His own; the Father bore witness through Him. This may seem strange to us, but we need to understand that this is how Jesus validated His ministry to Himself. He could not have been deceiving Himself because His words were not His own.

John the Baptist also bore witness to the Light that had come in Jesus. John was anxious that he should not be mistaken for the Messiah, so he pointed to Jesus and identified Him as the Lamb of God, come to take away the sins of the world.

Another witness was to be found in the form of Jesus’ works. By His miracles, by His life of total obedience to His Father, and by His atoning death, Jesus demonstrated that He was so much more than a man. God Himself supported this claim through the revelation of Scripture. Jesus’ ministry was in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Specifically, the Jews should have considered the works of Moses, which bear startling witness to the authenticity of Jesus.

All of this may seem far removed from our experience and from the questions we have today. When we go searching for authority we don’t tend to ask about the witness of the Holy Spirit through the works of Christ or the words of Scripture. Perhaps we should! Too often, the only authority we accept is the witness of our intellect. If we cannot understand something then we are inclined to reject it, forgetting that we are fallen creatures and that there are some things simply too high or mysterious for us to grasp. We don’t care for mystery, we prefer reason. But where reason fails, God remains. We should use every faculty at our disposal to try to understand the length, breadth, height, and depth of our Savior’s love. We should summon ever witness; but we should also remember our limitations. In the end, we are not the ones who will judge.

For further reading: Psalm 51

The Father's Son

February 26 The Father’s Son John 5:16-30

“Therefore let us keep our eyes on Christ as He was sent into the world to be our Redeemer. The Jews saw nothing higher than human nature in Him. And so He insists that that it was not His humanity which healed the sick man but His divine power… they fixed on the sight of His flesh and despised Christ; and so He commands them to rise higher and look at God.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 4:125

Christianity is not, ultimately, a set of moral teachings or a philosophy of life; it is not a means of interpreting our world or a code of religious principles. Christianity is all about Jesus Christ. We are Christians because we believe that Jesus is who He says He is: the Christ, the Son of God. It’s all about Jesus.

The man who had been healed reported to the authorities, having met with Jesus for a second time. There seems to have been scarcely an ounce of gratitude in him; perhaps he was simply afraid. Whatever the reason, he was anxious to tell the Pharisees who had made him break the Sabbath. He looked to shift the blame. Interestingly, the authorities were more concerned with the mat than with the act of healing. They had lost sight of God’s priorities. They thought their rules were more important than that an invalid had been restored.

Jesus defended Himself by pointing out that He was doing the Lord’s work. God’s Son would not rest, even on the Sabbath, as long as there were deeds of mercy waiting to be done. In effect, Jesus claimed that He had not really broken the Sabbath; He had fulfilled its greatest purpose, which was to bring glory and honor to God the Father. His words must have astonished His hearers. The rabbi from Nazareth was getting ideas above His station. In fact, His words were blasphemous. He was claiming for Himself functions and privileges that could only belong to God.

If Jesus had not been in trouble before, from this time on He was a marked man. By healing on the Sabbath He had broken the fourth commandment, that the seventh day should be set aside for the Lord as holy. By speaking as He did, Jesus also broke the first commandment. His claims put Him on a level with God.

Jesus claimed to be the Judge. In doing so He made a clear case for His divinity since, according to Scripture, judgment belongs to the Lord. He also claimed to be the giver of life. If anyone was to hear His words and believe in the One who had sent Him, that person had passed over from death, they would not be condemned, they had received eternal life. This was a clear claim to divinity. Those who make Jesus out to be only a good teacher or an important prophet have the greatest difficulty with these words. And, we must face them, too. The Man who speaks must either be mad, or the greatest charlatan the world has ever known, or – He must be who He claims to be. Which is it?

We must not make do with a lesser Jesus. We must not confine Him to our human categories and then conclude that we have captured His essence. He is either: a lunatic, a liar, or Lord. There are no other alternatives available. It is too easy to be like the ungrateful man whom Jesus healed by the Pool of Siloam – willing to accept the benefits, but not the cost.

For further reading: Psalm 49