Seven Miracles - Pt 21

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” (John 9:35-38 ESV).

As we come to the close of our examination of the sixth sign in John, there are five conversations, and step by step the blind man’s sight of who Jesus is becomes clearer, and his courage to defend him becomes stronger, until we reach the climax with his worship of Jesus as the Son of God. 1. The first conversation is between the man and his neighbors (vv. 8-12). They were arguing about whether he was the blind beggar. He insisted he is the one who as blind. So they ask how his eyes were opened. And he answers, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes” (v. 10). So at this point, he simply calls him “the man.” 2. The second conversation is between the man and the Pharisees (vv. 13-17). They too ask him how he could be seeing if he were blind. He tells them. They are divided by his answer. He can’t be from God; he broke the Sabbath. Something important has happened in this interchange. His heart is being changed. Now Jesus is a “prophet,” one sent by God. 3. The third conversation is between the Pharisees and the man’s parents (vv. 18-23). They question if this is really their son. They answer that he is, but they don’t know how he was healed. They were fearful of the Jews, so they lied (v. 22). This makes the son’s courage all the more amazing. They are on their way. But their son is moving much faster. 4. In the fourth conversation we see the full-blown courage of the beggar standing up to the most religious and educated people of the land! (vv. 24-34). And we see the full-blown blasphemy of the Pharisees. Amazingly he responds to this threat with his most famous statement of all: “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” The power of a personal testimony over a bad argument is always greater. And now they become hostile. The blind man was seeing more and more clearly. And their blindness was hardening. 5. This leads to the last conversation between Jesus and the beggar (vv. 35-38). And one thing that makes it so significant is that Jesus initiates it. The man has been threatened and cast out of his lifelong religious community. But Jesus seeks him and finds him (it’s no accident that the next chapter is about Jesus as the Shepherd who gathers his sheep). And that’s the last thing we see or hear of him. That is the point of the story. Jesus does the works of God. Jesus is the glory of God. Jesus is to be worshipped. The man was blind. And then he called Jesus “the man.” And then he called him a prophet. And then he defended him at huge risk. And then fell down and worshipped. This is why Jesus came into the world. He is seeking worshipers. Are you such a believer? You can be. Trust him today!

Seven Miracles - Pt 20

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. (Proverbs 21:30-31 ESV).

Yesterday we saw the first reason why Jesus healed this blind man with mud he mixed on the Sabbath. Today we see the second reason for the mud. It is to show that God usually uses means in doing his wonderful works in this world. Jesus could have simply spoken and the man’s eyes would have been opened. However, we see most of the wonders of God in the Old Testament were brought about by the use of human means. This is the meaning of our reading today. Solomon reminds us that “the horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” God is decisive in the victory, but he uses means. He doesn’t need the horse, but he uses the horse. You see, there is some truth to “an apple a day makes the doctor stay away.” Thin for a moment about the bigger picture of the truth revealed in Jesus using the common mud to heal the blind man. This means that God does not reject the physical world he has made. He uses the means of food to sustain life. And, he uses a thousand remedies to bring about healing, from sleep to penicillin, from Riboflavin to radiation, from sunshine on the skin to cough syrup for the throat. And lest you think this removes the mystery of God’s wonderful work, consider boring down through layer after layer after layer of physical causes for why antibiotics work against strep. Forty or fifty layers down into the molecular, subatomic activities of the smallest particles, or non-particles, there comes a point where there is no explanation inside this closed material system. The final explanation is always God. And if our hearts are alive and humble and worshipful, we will not stop until we see God at the bottom of everything. It is no small thing, to believe that God uses means to accomplish his purposes. Jesus used mud. Then, Jesus sends him away to wash in the pool of Siloam. The name of the pool meant sent and John bothered to point that out. Perhaps because the reason the pool was called Sent is that the water in the pool was sent there by stream from a distant spring. In pointing this out, Jesus may have been making a comparison between the pool called “Sent” and himself as the one “sent” from the Father as the living water (cf. John 4:10-11). If that’s right, then the water signifies not just cleansing; and, it is not just healing, but life. When you meet Jesus and receive him for who he is, you live, and you see, and you begin to be healed, and will be healed completely before he is done with us at the resurrection.

Seven Miracles - Pt 19

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:14-18 ESV).

Jesus has himself done the works of God. John gives us this hint of the message in this gospel in the first chapter. Our reading today is from that portion of the book revealing this for us. That’s what the blind man saw. That’s what the Pharisees did not see, which is why this chapter ends with blindness just like it began, only of a worse kind. You certainly don’t need to wear religious robes to have this kind of blindness! The common phrase “the blind leading the blind” comes to mind at this point. We have much of that in our current culture. We see it plainly as things unfold toward blasphemy and worship. One of the keys is how Jesus uses mud to heal the blind man. There are two reasons for this. One is explicit in the text, and the other seems implied. First, Jesus did it because it was against the law to do it on the Sabbath, at least against the Pharisee’s understanding of the law; and, he meant to unleash the controversy that would bring out both the blasphemy and the worship (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:19). The mud-making is explicitly connected with the Sabbath and the Pharisees. They had developed many applications of the prohibition of work on the Sabbath, and one of them was the kneading of dough. And the word for mud or clay here is the same as the word of dough. Jesus had broken the law against kneading dough, or clay, or mud. I believe Jesus is being very intentional. He is undeniably showing that he was “Lord of the Sabbath” (cf. Matthew 12:8). He defines the Sabbath. To show what the point of Sabbath rest is. The point of Sabbath rest is healing. The whole point of Sabbath rest is that we are helpless and God creates, God sustains, God heals, we don’t. What day could be better for God incarnate to find a broken man and heal him, to give this man and his parents rest from all the struggles of blindness? The purpose of the Sabbath is to give God-exalting blessing to broken and weary humans. And he did it on the Sabbath to trigger this controversy that goes on for 41 verses. Hearts are exposed in this controversy. And not just exposed. Hearts are shaped. Faith doesn’t just get revealed; faith gets strengthened. This blind man becomes clearer and clearer about who Jesus is. And he becomes stronger and stronger in his courage in defending Jesus against very dangerous adversaries. That’s the first reason for the mud. It was on the Sabbath and would unleash a firestorm for the sake of truth and faith and worship. We would do well to listen to that and imitate this genuine worship. Determine to stop following “the crowd.” Follow Jesus!

Seven Miracles - Pt 18

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. (John 9:1-7 ESV).

As we look at the miracle itself, we must observe that it sets the stage for everything else in this chapter. Jesus has already answered their question about why the man was born blind. It was so that the works of God would be manifest. That answer in itself is difficult for us to fathom. After all, we find fault with the thought that an unborn child could have done anything so wrong as to deserve a life of blindness, especially in that world. The key is in our understanding of the eternal purpose and plan of God. This man’s blindness was not punishment for any wrongdoing. This will lead to Jesus’ continued teaching of the work of the Cross. Jesus also says, “We must work the works of him who sent me” (v. 4); and, then Jesus himself made the mud and healed him. So the stage is set for this seminal moment when they question who Jesus is. It is a part of learning how to respond to Him, who says God’s work is going to be shown here, and then does the work himself. It is a bold statement of his divinity. The controversy that follows is all designed by God to show how the person and work of Jesus leads some to blasphemy and some to worship. The blasphemy is recalled by John later in the chapter: “So for the second time, they [the Pharisees] called the man who had been blind and said to him, ‘Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner’” (v. 24). So, we see this all too familiar dichotomy where God gets glory when you call Jesus a sinner. It is so strange to think in these terms. Can we really be glorifying God when you are demonizing Jesus? Certainly that must be blasphemy. However, we must understand this in the context of the ultimate purpose of God to lead the Jewish religious leaders to completely reject Jesus ultimately resulting in His death on the cross. But that was not the only response to the healing of this blind man. There is also worship. It’s the climax of the story. The last thing the man does in this text before he disappears from the story is worship Jesus. In the other six places in this gospel where the word “worship” (Greek proskuneō) is used, it means really “worship,” not just “fall down.” That is the correct response for us today. We’ll see more of this principle tomorrow. Today, worship Him. He has indeed healed us!

Seven Miracles - Pt 17

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. (John 9:1-7 ESV).

We come to the sixth miracle of Jesus with our reading today. The conversation at the beginning of this account is important to note. Jesus sees a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples ask about the cause of the blindness. Jesus turns the question around and says, in effect, human causes are not decisive in explaining things. Divine purposes are decisive. The reason causes are not the ultimate explanation for things is that God is not ultimately a responder but ultimately a planner. In other words, when God ordains that something happen, God is not, at the bottom, responding to human causes; rather He is, at bottom, planning a purpose. The implication of this is profound. No matter what mess we’re in or what pain we are experiencing, the causes are not decisive in explaining it. What is decisive in explaining it is God’s purpose. Jesus says, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (v. 3). And if you are born again, God’s purpose for our pain will be a good purpose. It will be worth everything we must endure (cf. Romans 8:28). Of course, none of this will make sense, or be helpful, if God himself, and the glory of his incomparable works, is not your greatest treasure. When Jesus says, the purpose of this blindness is “that the works of God might be displayed in him,” he assumes the manifestation of the works of God, has a value that outweighs years and years of blindness, both for the man and his parents. In order to embrace that, we have to value the manifestation of the works of God more than we value seeing. Indeed more than we value life itself. We see this in the Psalms: “Your steadfast love is better than life” (Psalm 63:3). And, later, Jesus said to the prisoners in Smyrna, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Being loved by God, and being with God forever, is better than having eyes and better than being alive in this world. If we don’t believe that, then saying that God has wise and good purposes in all our losses will not be much comfort. But if we do believe it, not only will God’s purposes comfort us and strengthen us, but they will make us able to patiently, and gently help others through their times of darkness.

Seven Miracles - Pt 16

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. (John 6:16-21 ESV).

Jesus did not come into the world mainly to deliver us from the sufferings of this present age, but to deliver us from the wrath to come (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:10). He came not to give us an easy life now, but an eternal life later. So, when the crowd wanted to make him their king (v. 15), Jesus left them and went into the mountain. Our reading tells us what happened that evening. It was quite revealing. It takes us to our fifth miracle in John’s Gospel. Jesus walks on the water. This miracle actually clarifies the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this miracle of Jesus, and the disciples being rescued from the wind and landing strangely safe at their desired haven, is that nothing is made of it in the rest of the Gospel. We are in the middle of chapter 6, and the entire chapter is devoted to unfolding the implications of the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. So that miracle gets a whole chapter of attention and explanation. This miracle gets none. John is not telling this miracle as a way of setting the stage for a long dialogue about Jesus’ ability to walk on water. Instead this miracle is embedded in the story of the feeding of the five thousand. This miracle in John’s mind served that story. John is telling the short and amazing incident of Jesus’ walking on the water to clarify or underline something in the story about the loaves and fish. Jesus is showing something to the disciples, and to us, that underlines the point of the feeding of the five thousand. Remember what Jesus told the disciples when the five thousand had eaten their “fill.” Jesus told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost” (v. 12). John then says they gathered up “twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten” (v. 13). It’s no mere coincidence that there are twelve. Jesus calls his disciples “the Twelve” (vv 67-70). Jesus was showing them that when you serve him and all you have to give is given he will take care of you. When it seems you have no strength left, no reserve to call upon, he will always be enough for you. The more you satisfy others, the more he will be your satisfaction. The more you give life to others, the more he will be life to you. That is certainly a message I need more and more!

Seven Miracles - Pt 15

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” (John 6:10-14 ESV).

Today we begin with the fourth miracle in John’s Gospel known as the “Feeding of the Multitude.” The story recounts Jesus taking the five barley loaves and a few fish, giving thanks to God, and then feeding five thousand people with them. It should be noted at the outset that the amount of food Jesus uses is of no importance. It happens here to be no more than a small lunch for the little boy. The “loaves” are no more than biscuit size and the fish are no more than minnow size. The miracle is not in the multiplication of these elements; the ultimate point of the miracle was to show Jesus as the Bread of heaven. The point was not mainly that Jesus gives bread to satisfy our stomachs, but that he is bread to satisfy our souls. It is interesting that the people were blind to this truth. Jesus admonishes them: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (v. 26). Even at the end of our reading today when they wanted to make Jesus their king, they believed on him as a great source of prosperity, but not as a great Savior from sin. They certainly didn’t and not as a great Treasure in himself. You may remember me writing in one of the devotionals dealing with the first miracle that Jesus is not a “divine vending machine.” Again John emphasizes this truth by asserting that Jesus did not come into the world just to give bread, but to be bread. He did not come to be the fast food solution for our physical hunger, but to be the all-satisfying bread for our souls. Certainly he cares about our physical needs, but he ultimately cares more about our eternal lives. The day of resurrection is coming when he will give us bodies like his glorious body, and when “he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). It should not be surprising that the Apostle Paul declares, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). We would do well to maintain such a future focus. Our redemption is drawing ever closer, even when we are hungry. Bread today does not guarantee the real bread of our Savior. Don’t settle for any less than eternal life!