Miracles

Posted on by korgrocker

“He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 NLT

The Bible is full of miracles. And there is no reason that I can find as to why God would have stopped doing them in 21st-century Planet Earth. Of course, there are some Christians who claim that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit died out with the Apostles and never happen today, but the facts do not support such a view. Often today, a miracle, such as in my own testimony, is associated with a medical condition. At other times, a series of “coincidences” seems to point to a miracle granted from God. To take an example, a neighbour of mine, driving a large camper van, had a heart attack on a motorway in Scotland. His wife, from the passenger seat, was able to bring the vehicle to a stop in the middle lane on the highway, with traffic backing up behind them. There was then a series of “coincidences”. Several vehicles behind them was a paramedic going on holiday. Behind him was a bus that happened to have a defibrillator on board. The paramedic managed to restart my neighbour’s heart, and minutes later an air ambulance landed close by. A miracle? My neighbour thought so. The sceptic might dismiss such a series of circumstances attribured to God, and, with an isolated example, they might be right, but when examples such as this stack up, a wise person might start to wonder.

In the Bible, we read about Jesus and the many miracles He performed. The first recorded miracle was in John 2, at the wedding in Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine. We read, “Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions” (John 2:6-8). As if this weren’t miraculous enough, we then read in the following two verses, “When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”” 

There was also an occasion when the Pharisees asked Jesus for a miracle to prove His authority. We read in Matthew 12:38, “One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority””. But Jesus was having none of their hubris, as we read in the next verse. Going back to Exodus, we find the Israelite slaves seeing one miracle after another, but they still rebelled against God. The parting of the Red Sea. Manna to feed them, not just once but for forty years. The pillars of fire and smoke. Water from a rock. What did God have to do to get through to such a stubborn and rebellious people? But this is the thing about miracles. They may lead a person to faith for a short time, but such a faith based on miracles will not last. There were plenty of Jesus’ miracles for the Pharisees to consider. He healed the sick, and He raised the dead. He fed five thousand men and their families. Jesus even walked on water, and the Pharisees were present for most of these. But even when presented by the miracle that took place in a synagogue, they still didn’t get it. In Luke 6 we find the occasion when Jesus healed a man right in front of the Pharisees and teachers of religious law. We read, “On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath” (Luke 6:6-7). After Jesus healed the man, we read, “At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him” (Luke 6:11). The Jewish leaders failed to be convinced of Jesus’ pedigree and authority even when faced with a miracle.

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”

Ephesians 3:20

Through the Holy Spirit, the Gift of Miracles is granted to believers to benefit the “common good”. And if we pilgrims lack the faith to pray, expecting a miracle, we must turn to Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”. What does “infinitely more” look like? Ask Jesus. He knows.

Dear Lord Jesus. You performed many miracles in Israel during your time on this world. And through Your Spirit, there is more to come. We pray for the faith to do Your will. In Your precious name. Amen.

Faith and Healing

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. … to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,”
1 Corinthians 12:7, 9 NIVUK
“to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same [Holy] Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit;”
1 Corinthians 12:9 AMP

“Wonder-working” and “extraordinary” are words the Amplified translation uses to enhance the meaning of the gifts of faith and healing. Paul didn’t elaborate on what the gift of faith is or how it would benefit the brothers and sisters in Christ, but all believers have faith that they have been saved through Jesus. But the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith is more than that. According to “gotquestions.org”,  “The gift of faith may be defined as the special gift whereby the Spirit provides Christians with extraordinary confidence in God’s promises, power, and presence so they can take heroic stands for the future of God’s work in the church. The spiritual gift of faith is exhibited by one with a strong and unshakeable confidence in God, His Word, and His promises”. Biblical examples of faith can be found in Hebrews 11, the great faith chapter. We read about the faith of Noah in verse 7, “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith”. Noah’s faith was definitely God-given, because how else would he have laboured for a hundred years or so building a large boat on dry land in a place that had never experienced rainfall before? He had to endure the ridicule of a people who probably labelled him “that crazy man” or something worse. Because of his faith, and we remember that he didn’t have to do what he did because he had a free choice, the human race was saved from extinction along with the animals that God provided for him. 

“And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith”.

Genesis 15:6.

Another example quoted in Hebrews 11 is Abraham. Imagine being told in your nineties that you would have a child? And we read in Genesis 15:6, “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith”. But in a sense, we believers help our fellow Christians through our faith, that quiet confidence that God is who He said He is, and that He will bring to pass all that He has promised. Our fellow pilgrims sometimes go through a difficult patch, and it is our faith that will help sustain them through times of trouble. 

Paul also wrote about another spiritual gift, “and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit”. In theological terms, this is tagged as a miraculous gift, something “extraordinary” that is far beyond what is expected or even deemed possible. I have a personal experience of this with my daughter, who some years ago suffered from encephalitis so severe that the prognosis was the worst possible. And yet, she was miraculously healed, and the word “miracle” was appended to her hospital notes at the time by the medics involved in her care. There are many Christians who sadly believe that the spiritual gift of healing died out with the First Century Apostles, but that is not my experience and the experience of many others in the faith. There are, of course, Biblical examples of miraculous healings, and the case of the lame man begging at the Temple gates comes to mind. He was a man who had never been able to walk and who had to be carried to the temple each day so that he could beg for sufficient money to keep himself alive. He asked Peter and John for alms as they entered the Gate, as we read Peter’s response and what happened then in Acts 3:6-7: “But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened”. 

Today, our medics, through technology and new drugs and medicines, can perform healings that would have been considered miraculous in Paul’s day. We thank God for the resources we have that bring about healings from all sorts of conditions. But there is still room for God to perform miracles of healing, and He does frequently. There is always the enigma of why God doesn’t heal everyone who asks Him in prayer, but we must always leave room for miracles in the lives of our fellow believers. Paul himself had an unknown condition that he referred to as a “thorn in his flesh”. We read about in in 2 Corinthians 12:7b-9, “ … So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me”. And then we have a little passing comment in 2 Timothy 4:20, “Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus”. Surely Paul must have prayed for the man called Trophimus, obviously to no avail.

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

Apostle Paul

We pilgrims continue in our journey, always praying for a miraculous healing when we encounter a brother and sister in need. And if the opportunity arises, we should pray for everyone in need of healing, because, for all we know, we might meet someone whom God wants to touch in that moment.

Dear Heavenly Father. We thank You for the times when You have healed our sicknesses and diseases, and we are so sorry for the times when we have failed to thank You and acknowledge Your grace. But in those times when our prayers have not been answered in the way that we would like, we nevertheless still praise and worship You because of who You are. Amen.

Breakfast on the Beach

Posted on by korgrocker

“When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread. “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.”
John 21:9-11 NLT

Events were unfolding quickly. After a fruitless night’s fishing, and as dawn was breaking, the disciples were about a hundred yards from the shore when they noticed a Figure standing there. He instructed them to put their nets over the side of the boat one more time, and, after doing do, they found that they had caught more fish than they could have ever dreamed of. In fact, they had caught 153 large fish, as they later found out. John said to Peter, “It’s the Lord”, and impetuous Peter jumped over the side and headed for the beach. Breakfast was waiting for them – barbecued fish with bread, and Jesus told Peter to bring some more fish for the meal. 

Once more the disciples were exposed to Jesus’ miracles. A heavy haul of fish but the net didn’t break. A breakfast cooking before them. And of course, for the third time, the resurrected Jesus standing there with them. Twice previously during His ministry years Jesus had miraculously fed thousands of people, from just a few fish and some bread, and here He was again, repeating the occasion before them. Not for thousands but for a few disillusioned, tired and hungry disciples. Would they have been hearing Jesus’ words, “O ye of little faith” ringing in their ears?

We pilgrims read the Bible stories. We read the accounts of Jesus’ ministry years, as He walked the highways and byways of Palestine. We feel the pain of the woman caught in adultery, or the synagogue leader and his sick daughter. We feel the joy of those sitting down to a meal of bread and fish. We wonder as the figure of Lazarus, wrapped in grave clothes, appears from the mouth of a tomb. But then we turn to our circumstances, perhaps facing into financial difficulties, with too much month left at the end of the money. Perhaps struggling with our poor mental or physical health, or the sickness of someone close to us. And in it all, we too hear the Lord say to us “O ye of little faith”. Jesus had the answer for tired and hungry disciples, and He has the answer for us as well. The Kingdom of God is not just for some time in the future. It is here with us today. In every situation we face. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need“. These were not just nice platitudes for a people without needs. They applied, and continue to apply, to all who believe in Him. So we, like the disciples raise our eyes away from the situations before us, and instead focus on the Meet-er of needs, Jesus himself, conscious that He is interceding for us in Heaven. 

Dear Lord Jesus. Where would be without You? Please bolster our faith today as we navigate through this challenging life, supplying the provision we need for the journey ahead. Amen.

Fishing Lesson 2

Posted on by korgrocker

“Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.”
John 21:3-6 NLT

A fruitless night’s work. In fact, they were depressed when they went fishing and returned, still depressed and now tired, after a night without sleep. In spite of their best endeavours they had caught nothing. Not even a tiddler. And to make things worse, this Person had turned up on the beach and rubbed their noses in their disappointment by asking if they had caught anything. A terse reply “No!” was their response, but then He, because it was Jesus, told them to throw their nets over a particular side of the boat. I suppose their first thoughts were resentment and “who does he think he is – we’re the experts around here”, but something must have cut through their thoughts, and, tired as they were, they cast their nets. The Man on the shore said that they would catch “some” but they caught so many fish they couldn’t pull their nets back into the boat. Another amazing miracle. 

The event was just like God. No half measures. No stinginess. Just an unstinting and bountiful supply of whatever was needed at the time. That haul of fish would have provided the financial resources to keep them all going for a while. There was a time when Jesus went fishing with His soon-to-be disciples. A crowd has gathered to listen to Jesus, in fact there were so many people that He borrowed a boat and used it as an oratory. And we read in Luke 5 what happened next. “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking”(Luke 5:4-7). The episode ended, ” … Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus” (Luke 5:10b-11). 

Faced with such a miracle, yet again, what were the disciples thinking? Peter and the others who had been present during that original miracle must have remembered the occasion. Then, Jesus commandeered their boat after a fruitless night’s fishing, and turned their fortunes around. Now He had repeated the miracle. Two miracles either side of the grave, emphasising that God is not bounded by death. All who believe in Him will experience eternal life, now and after crossing the Great Divide.

Is there anyone reading this today who needs a miracle? Well, the same Saviour who filled a net with fish will fill our hearts and lives with His provision, just when we need it. He is an unstinting God, who delights in His children. Our circumstances might be riven with fear, but Jesus says to us what He said to he leader of the Synagogue, “But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith“” (Mark 5:36). David knew all about God’s provision and he wrote in Psalm 23:5-6, “You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honour me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever“. The Lord is not just a passive presence, He “pursues” us with His “goodness and unfailing love“. He is with us, before us, behind us and around us. Everyday of our lives.

Dear Lord Jesus, we worship and praise and thank You today, for all You have done for us. Amen.

Calling His Name

Posted on by korgrocker

“So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!””
John 11:41-44 NLT

After the people removed the stone that sealed the entrance to Lazarus’ tomb, there was a pause while Jesus spoke publicly with His Father in Heaven. Jesus looked up to heaven as He did this, removing all doubts about who He was conversing with, and from the content of the prayer enabling the people who were standing around the tomb to have an opportunity to finally understand that Jesus had been sent by God. Then perhaps there was another pause before Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out”. How could a body dead and buried for four days hear the call of Jesus? But there came a shuffling noise and at last a body wrapped in grave clothes appeared at the entrance of the tomb. Even the cloth wrapped around his head was still there. What did the people think? Shock? Fear? Wonder? Elation? They froze, not knowing what was going on and what they should do, so Jesus had to tell them to release Lazarus from the strips of cloth. What about the signs of decomposition? What about the smell that Martha was so afraid would be there? Someone would have had to find a robe to cover Lazarus’ nakedness. Did his sisters explode in floods of emotion, their grief replaced by wonder and elation? All the professional mourners suddenly found themselves out of a job. There would have been absolute chaos there for a time, but John’s account in his Gospel dispassionately just gave the facts of what happened.

We can’t even start to imagine the impact that event would have had on the people. We pilgrims read the account factually, though of course still realising that an amazing miracle had taken place. But how would we have felt about the situation had we stood there in the sandals of one of the people standing at the tomb? Often a Biblical message or account is notable not so much by what it said but what it doesn’t say. In a sense, Lazarus and his sisters, dear friends of Jesus, were caught up in an amazing miracle that has touched countless people, then and ever since. Jesus used the opportunity of Lazarus’ illness and subsequent death as a once and for all time demonstration of the power and glory of God. His sisters had the opportunity to turn their faith and belief in Jesus into something even stronger. 

God doesn’t have favourites amongst His children. We are all treated the same by our loving Heavenly Father. Lazarus had died and was buried, and his spirit was in Heaven. He had left his human life, and his earthly body, behind and he was now in a place of no more sickness, tears and death, in the presence of God. But the next thing he heard was Jesus calling his name, and his spirit was returned to his body, a body released from death, a body miraculously just as it was before his illness, warts and all. Extrapolating this to all believers who have died, is the next thing they hear when they find themselves in Heaven, the voice of Jesus calling their name? In a timeless eternity, will this be followed by the believer’s spirit being reunited with their resurrected body? A body just like the one Jesus had?  

The down side for Lazarus was that he had to die again. But any feelings of resentment that he might have felt would have been replaced by the comfort that through his whole experience, many, perhaps countless, souls had come to know Jesus and believe in Him.

Dear God. You constantly amaze us and we thank You for the faithful men who wrote down what Your Spirit told them to. On our knees today we worship You. Amen.

Jesus Had a Plan

Posted on by korgrocker

“A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha …. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.””
John 11:1, 3-7 NLT

John’s account in his Gospel doesn’t provide any details about the nature of Lazarus’ illness, but events could have developed in the following way. One day Lazarus was a healthy young man, carefree and enjoying life. Then he started to feel unwell. A fever developed and he became too ill to get out of his bed. The fever started to get worse, and he drifted in and out of delirium. His poor sisters became very worried, and spent their time in shifts, dealing with his personal needs, wiping the sweat from his brow. Trying to get him to drink. After a few days, he became comatose and still. Barely breathing. The fever raging on. In the middle of all this the two sisters sent a message to their friend Jesus, an anguished call for help. He didn’t come to heal their brother, but perhaps He instead sent a comforting message to Martha and Mary, that Lazarus was going to be alright.

Jesus received the message but He decided to stay where He was for another couple of days. If He was still at the place where He went to after His previous hassles with the Pharisees, He was still near Jericho and not too far from Bethany where Lazarus and his two sisters lived. Jesus, however, had a plan. Lazarus’ sickness was an opportunity for giving glory to God and His Son, Jesus, and His plan was that “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death”. So rather than rush to his friend’s bedside, Jesus stayed away for another couple of days. And then there came the moment when He decided to travel to Bethany, in Judea. 

As the story unfolded, the backdrop to one of Jesus’ most momentous miracles was starting to build. This was a miracle that indeed brought glory to God, but it also sealed Jesus’ death warrant. So the story of Lazarus has remained in Scripture as an important milestone on Jesus’ journey to the cross, and our journey to salvation. It was an event that was faith building for His disciples, and is the same for us, His modern disciples, today. There are no doubts in our minds. John’s account lacked details, but that in a way makes it even more authentic. The events in Bethany changed John’s life, and he wrote much later “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life” (1 John 1:1). John was convinced about Jesus’ divinity and never wavered in His faith in Jesus. He went on to write, “We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). John did his utmost to leave a legacy underpinned by the reality of Jesus, and his writings have endured the passing of time to bring that message to everyone who dares to pick up a Bible and read it. With John today, and countless disciples since, we give Jesus all the glory, all the praise, and all our thanks and worship. Forever.

Dear God. We give You all the glory for the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Thanks You. Amen.

Escape to the Jordan

Posted on by korgrocker

“Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptising and stayed there awhile. And many followed him. “John didn’t perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.” And many who were there believed in Jesus.”
John 10:39-42 NLT

The tone of John’s account is remarkably downbeat, factual but unemotional and, at times, a bit short on detail. There was Jesus, apparently in the middle of an antagonistic and aggressive crowd, who were wanting to stone Him because they considered His claims about Himself to be blasphemous – “Once again the people picked up stones to kill him” (John 10:31) – yet He was able to escape arrest, walking away and leaving His aggressors behind. And Jesus didn’t have far to go. The exact place where John the Baptist was baptising in the Jordan is debated amongst archaeologists, but the consensus seems to place it about five miles North of the Dead Sea, no more than twenty or so miles from Jerusalem. So Jesus didn’t have far to go before He found a place of safety. John’s account records that “many” followed Jesus there and “many” believed in Him.  Away from the legalistic and aggressive crowd in Jerusalem it seems people were more able to listen to Jesus, see His miraculous signs, and come to a belief in Him as the Son of God.

We pilgrims know how difficult it can be, to share the Good News about Jesus with several unbelievers all at the same time. They tend to hold each other back and even resort to ridicule or more aggressive responses. But on their own, without peer pressure, people can be more receptive. The devil has indeed blinded the eyes and stopped the ears of those who otherwise would be open to hearing our testimonies of hope in Jesus, for a future with Him in eternity. Much of our evangelism is focussed on helping people move a little closer to a belief in Jesus, without finally hearing the big “Yes” to become a follower and believer in Him. But the people in Jesus’ day were pre-armed by John the Baptist, who pointed the attention to Jesus, and they remembered what he had to say. John 1:29-30, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me’”. John the Baptist was well respected by the people and they listened to him.

We pilgrims must always take advantage of the occasions where we find a chink in someone’s anti-God life and provide an opportunity to communicate the love of God. There are many lonely or depressed people around us, who have no solution to their misery. The pressures of life have worn them down, and they desperately need to hear Good News, but they turn on their televisions and find even more depressing news and images of distress that contribute to their own problems. Such people would, however, rather turn to hedonistic activities to try and dull the pain, or they try and find a “god” in activities such as alternative religions or practices such as Yoga. They end up seeking medical solutions with pills that treat their symptoms rather than the cause behind them. They may even engage in public demonstrations for lost causes instead of focusing their human efforts towards God, because we know that there is only one Person who has the remedy for their suffering and that is Jesus. The people in our families and communities need to see and feel the love of Jesus and we may be the only people who can help. 

In Jesus’ day, the people were drawn by His miracles. In our days, miracles are not quite so obvious but we can tell about the miracle we experienced on that day when we came to believe in Jesus. But there came a time when Jesus had communicated all that He could and it was time for Him to find a place of safety where He could find rest and recharge His spiritual batteries. If Jesus needed to do that then how much more must we, His followers, who are not immune from the pressures of life just because we are believers. We too need to find a place perhaps right back at the beginning when we were baptised. That place when we felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. That place when we heard the voice of Jesus saying “come”. And when we arrive there His Spirit will once again flush away the stains of this world, resourcing us for our journey towards the promised land. 

Dear Father God. On our knees today we offer to You all the praise, all the worship and all the glory. Amen.

Do You Believe?

Posted on by korgrocker

““You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue. When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
John 9:34-38 NLT

Jesus’ compassion was such that He wanted to make sure Mr Blind-no-more was alright. After his mauling in the Pharisees’ court, with its subsequent punishment of excommunication, the man found his euphoric, sight-restored, bubble pricked and deflated, leaving him devoid of the social contact and help he would now desperately need. But he had a future and a hope by believing in Jesus. And he was found by Jesus, his new Lord and Master, who lifted him up into a new bubble of belief in the Son of God. One day that man would find himself somewhere where the Pharisees couldn’t go. 

Jesus was consistent in His message that only those who believe in Him will enter a spiritual realm that includes God Himself. We have of course the much-quoted verse in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. He said much the same in John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life”. In John 6:35, Jesus said, ” … I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus’ message of salvation through believing in Him expanded to include His teaching for the new believers. It was hard teaching at times, but the results came to fruition on that day when the rushing wind and tongues of fire empowered the early church founders to continue in obedience to what their Lord and Master said to them. The Holy Spirit brought to their remembrance the truths expounded during their years spent with Him. 

We don’t know what happened to Mr Blind-no-more after his encounter with Jesus. After such a miraculous healing, he probably became a disciple and follower of Jesus, and may have even been in the upper room when the Holy Spirit fell on those who were gathered there. He certainly never lacked the boldness necessary to stand up to the Pharisee. In his shoes I would certainly like to think that I would become a follower of the Man who healed me and restored my sight. We are told that after he met Jesus again, Mr Blind-no-more worshipped Jesus after confessing that he believed in Him. And we can almost hear the gates of hell clang shut behind another person who had escaped its clutches. We pilgrims too have been redeemed from the sins that otherwise would have entangled us, and we now enjoy our status as followers of Jesus in the Kingdom of God. Perhaps one day we will catch up with Mr Blind-no-more and will be able to ask him about his amazing experience.

Dear God. You are truly amazing and Your power has not only enabled countless miracles to take place, but it has also opened the door for sinners to enter Your kingdom. We are so thankful. Amen.

“Blind-No-More”

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.”
John 9:13-16 NLT

We don’t know how many Pharisees were present when the man who had been blind was brought before them. We don’t know his name and for centuries he has only been identified by his healing, not by who he really was. In Old Testament times names were often granted to children to mark an occasion or message appropriate to what was happening at the time. In Hosea 1 we read of children being born to Gomer being assigned names as part of Hosea’s prophetic message to his fellow people. Names such as “Not-loved” and “Not-my-people”. In times nearer our own we have seen names granted for a profession, such as “Lamb” for a butcher or “Gardener” for someone who has that job. So perhaps the new name for the man at the centre of this account should be “Blind-no-more”. But whatever we call him, the people, his friends and neighbours, were so confused that they took him to the Pharisees, especially because they were very sensitive to anything that might be construed as working on the Sabbath day. That spitting on the ground and making a little mud ointment should be classed as “work” is perhaps an indication of the hold the Pharisees had over the general population. 

Mr “Blind-no-more” must have been getting fed up with repeatedly having to tell people what had happened to him, even those who had previously heard his account. This act of healing by a Man who preached a message counter to that of the Pharisees had introduced so much confusion amongst them that we are told there was “a deep division of opinion”. 

We pilgrims have read this account of the miraculous healing so many times that we are in danger of becoming desensitised to the wonder of it. This was really a big deal, because someone who was born blind not only lacked functioning eyes but also they lacked that part of the brain that processes the visual images into a form where they could be understood. At an early age a child starts to see the world around him and their brain develops with the need to interpret what they see. And then think about the connection between different parts of the brain – consider what is involved in seeing a ball coming towards us and having the eye/hand co-ordination to catch it. Perhaps healing the blind man’s eyes was only a part of the miracle that happened to him that day. And so we stand in Mr Blind-no-more’s shoes and try and imagine how he felt. John’s account was a dispassionate précis of what had happened, factually correct, but I imagine Mr Blind-no-more was euphoric, excited and rushing around telling everyone what had happened to him. He wasn’t concerned that this had happened on the Sabbath day. Neither was he concerned about what other people were saying about it. As far as he was concerned, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!” And so we take a step back, looking on at the scene that was unfolding before us, marvelling at God’s power, grace, compassion and love.

Dear Lord Jesus. We read that this miraculous healing took place so that the power of God could be seen in the blind man. And we indeed give God all the glory for this, and the many other occasions when You Brough healing to a lost and hopeless people. Thank You for Your love and compassion. Amen.

Jesus’ Authority

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.)”
John 6:8-10 NLT

There were many people in that crowd. John recorded that there were five thousand men, so we can perhaps multiply this number by as much as four to obtain an estimate of the number of men, women and children, present. These were all people mostly from the surrounding towns and villages, and they had all come to see Jesus, the miracle worker sent by God. We don’t know how far they had travelled, but it was sufficient for Jesus to be concerned about their return journeys. What were these people expecting from Jesus? Was it to be entertained? Perhaps they were attracted, as people are today, to something “magic” (although of course there is nothing remotely similar between a deception and Jesus’ miracles). Did the people genuinely want to hear more about God and His Kingdom? Were they sick and wanted to ask Jesus to heal them? Or were they just curious and had nothing else on that day? Probably all of the above, but regardless, here they were in Jesus’ presence, and as Andrew noted, they made up a “huge crowd”. In Mark 6:34, there is a similar account of what happened that day, and we read, “Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:34). 

The next thing that happened was that Jesus asked the disciples to do a bit of organising. “Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred” (Mark 6:39-40). Just a small point, but it once again illustrates how Jesus planned carefully what He was about to do. There was no point in having a large crowd of people milling around. Children chasing each other and parents getting stressed wondering where they were. So, knowing where everyone was made sure that no-one was missed in the food distribution that was about to commence. But perhaps it was significant that the people obeyed what Jesus asked them to do. I have heard conference organisers describe the problem of getting people to do something together at a corporate event like herding cats. People tend to be independent and often uncooperative and can have a ”who is he telling me what to do” attitude. So to get everyone to sit down together in regimented groups was almost a miracle in itself. The Gospel writers don’t say what the expectations of all the people in the crowd were when they sat down, but they had probably come to realise that with Jesus around, miracles happen. 

That’s the issue though. With Jesus still around today through the Holy Spirit, what are our expectations? And because the Holy Spirit lives within us, surely we pilgrims can be personally involved with those expectations. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). A challenging verse, but, nevertheless, what are we hoping to accomplish in God today? The God who fed a bunch of slaves for forty years, or, through His Son, a huge crowd sitting on grassy slopes on the Eastern side of Lake Galilee, can also do amazing things through us, can’t He? But will we allow Him to? Hmmm…

Dear Father God. It is so humbling to know and experience Your wonder-working power in our lives. We pray for the opportunities to do Your works as we go about Your business here on earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.