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The book
of John has a very unique perspective on the life of Christ that is different
from the other 3 gospel accounts. John's account records some similar things to
the others, but it also has things recorded that are not found elsewhere (a good
example of this would be the account of foot-washing). But, the book of John
does present an overall look at the different types of miracles that Jesus
performed. John records seven public miracles, and they give a complete look at
all the miracles that Christ executed while He walked this low ground of sin and
sorrow.
The
number seven in the Bible is considered to be a number of completion. Seven is
the number of days in the week (as shown by the creation of the world and the
day of rest). Therefore, John
s record of seven public miracles is symbolic of
the fact that they show the
complete
picture of the miracles of our Lord and
Saviour. Also, we will see that each miracle builds like a crescendo towards
the miraculous conclusion to which every child of God
s inner man hopes for.
Indeed, the end of the story is a blessed picture of hope that gives strength
and consolation in time of trouble. 1.
Turning water into wine (John 2:1-11) In the
second chapter of John, we find Jesus attending a wedding at Cana of Galilee.
There are many points to be made from this account, but the first that can be
easily seen is that our Lord does condone marriage as an honourable estate by
His presence here on this occasion. Marriage was instituted by God, and He does
not take kindly to the fact that many today are engaging in gross activity
outside of the bounds that He has set. Now, at
this marriage, they run out of wine at the marriage feast, and Mary (the mother
of Jesus) tells Him,
They have no wine.
(verse 3) Christ
s response to her
is,
Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
(verse 4)
This is a very interesting conversation, for Mary had suffered a great deal to
be the mother of Jesus. We find that at His presentation to Simeon at the
temple in Luke 2 that Simeon even tells her of the suffering that she would
endure in regards to this circumstance. Jesus also was abused for the perceived
conditions surrounding His birth. Psalm 69:12 says that Jesus would be the song
of the drunkards. The Pharisees in John 8 could not get the upper hand in the
conversation, so they resorted to saying,
We be not born of fornication.
Therefore, we can see that our Lord and His mother endured much suffering about
the circumstance of His birth. That is why Mary is so anxious for Him to reveal
publicly who He is. She is now ready for Him to declare how that she was
overshadowed by the Holy Ghost while a virgin to bring our Saviour into the
world. She is ready for Him to show forth His great and good name. Now, had I
been in the Lord
s shoes, I would have probably been ready to vindicate myself
as well. However, our Lord
s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not
our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:10) So, our Lord says that His hour has not yet come.
His time scale is different from ours. When Abraham and Sarah try to
help the
Lord out
by having Ishmael through Hagar, the Lord says that he is not the
one. When man today tries to help the Lord out to get folks into heaven, our
Lord plainly declares,
With men this is impossible; but with God all things are
possible.
(Matthew 19:26) So, our
Lord will not be rushed in His purpose of revealing Himself, performing
miracles, or doing the work of salvation. But, Mary shows her faith in her Lord
by telling the servants to do whatsoever Jesus told them to do. That is the
attitude every member of the congregation should have in regard to being a
servant of the Master. Whatsoever He commands, we should be ready and willing
to perform. This is not because He needs help, for He
needs
nothing from us.
But, He does REQUIRE things from us, and they are to do justly, love mercy, and
walk humbly with thy God. (Micah 6:8) So, the servants are ready for the
Saviour
s bidding, and He tells them in verses 7-8,
Fill the waterpots with
water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out
now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
Notice
the work that the Lord commands His servants. He tells them to fill, draw, and
bear. Today, the gospel minister
s duty is the same. He needs to fill his pot
with water through study, meditation, and prayer. No minister today is
commanded to go before the Lord
s people without study, for II Timothy 2:15
tells us to study. Also, we need to seek the Lord
s direction about where to go
and serve. (Psalm 119:5) Men are not called into the ministry by mom, dad, or
themselves. Likewise, the man of God is not called to go somewhere by a source
any different from the One that called him in the first place. Too many men are
not God-called ministers, but just as sadly, some are not God-sent either. The
Lord must work on both ends like He did in acts 10. He worked on the end of the
minister (Peter), and He worked on the end of the people preached to
(Cornelius
s household). However,
in the midst of the filling, drawing, and bearing, the Lord has done something
outside of the servant
s ability. During this time, the water that was used has
become wine. The same is true with the gospel today. Men can bring the water
of the preached word, but only the Lord has the ability to turn it into the wine
of the gospel. For the gospel to be preached, the Spirit of the Lord must be in
attendance, or it is just an oration like water. Many might say,
Is not water
profitable?
It certainly is, but consider the difference between hearing an
oration on the word of God and hearing the gospel proclaimed with power and
demonstration of the Spirit. The water does some good to the head (learning
what is contained therein), but the wine is the only thing that can cheer,
comfort, and nourish the soul (righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith), for wine is representative of the precious blood of Christ that was shed
on Calvary
s hill for the atonement and redemption of His people. When the
wine that is brought to the governor is tasted, the governor declares that it is
the best wine at the feast. (verses 9-10) So it always is with our Lord. He
does exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20)
While we try to do things for ourselves, our efforts are always lacking in
strength and ability compared to our Lord
s power and outpouring of mercy and
grace. The
gospel
that is brought before people of other orders may have some
food and nourishment in it (for it is my opinion that the Lord does not leave
them completely destitute). But, that is like comparing crumbs to a feast. The
bounty of our Lord, complete with His dainties, can only be found in the true
church where people are worshipping in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) One
final point about this miracle is that not many people were aware of the
existence of it. It says in verse 9 that the ruler, governor, bridegroom, and
others at the feast did not know from whence the wine was. However, the
servants that drew it knew. This public miracle was only noticed and revealed
to a few. Many times, our Lord performs miracles in our lives, and those around
us are blind to the blessings of the Almighty. Consider the gospel again. To
the world, the preaching of the gospel is foolishness, but to us who believe, it
is the power of God. (I Corinthians 1:18) If someone from the world observed
one of our services, they would see a bunch of people singing without
instruments (some perhaps even off-key), some old fellow getting down on his
knees to pray to something that he cannot see, and finally, an unlearned man
gets up and talks for a while. To the natural man, these things are foolish to
behold. However, when the Lord blesses us to see and drink the wine of His
gospel and service, it is truly the sweetest thing this side of glory that we
can experience. So, our Lord
s first public miracle is only revealed to a few
disciples and servants. 2.
Healing of the nobleman
s son (John 4:46-54) Jesus
has returned to Cana of Galilee where He performed the first miracle, and now He
is approached by a certain nobleman. This nobleman has a son that is sick unto
death, and he beseeches the Lord in verse 47 to come down and heal his son.
Now, the son is at Capernaum, and Jesus is at Cana. Therefore, this nobleman
walked or rode approximately 18-20 miles to come to Jesus. This is a great act
of faith to leave a loved one for that long (who is at the point of death) to
come see a man that you believe can heal your child. Consider
the attitude today. Currently, I pastor a church that is a 45 minute drive on
Sunday morning to get there. Some ministers I know travel much further than
that to be with the folks the Lord has called them to serve. Every minister
that I know has traveled hundreds and thousands of miles to be at meetings to
try to attend to the people of God. Many today think it foolish to go so far
when,
There are plenty of churches right here close by.
Many will not even
consider going anywhere that is not immediately at hand. They would rather go
somewhere that they might not entirely agree with (but is closer) than travel
several miles to be with folks that are more attuned to their beliefs.
This man
was not willing to settle for the physicians that were at Capernaum. He went to
see the Great Physician that was currently at Cana. Then, when the man arrives,
our Lord says in verse 48,
Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not
believe;
For quite a long time, this statement puzzled me, but it seems that
the Lord is testing the man
s faith. He tells the man that he must see signs
and wonders to believe. But, the man responds in verse 49,
Sir, come down ere
my child die.
The man
s attitude was that he needed not to see a sign before
they journeyed back to Capernaum, but he believed that the Lord could do this
miracle. When we
come before the throne of grace, sometimes I wonder about myself if I am
exhibiting confidence in my Lord
s ability. We need not ever doubt His ability
like the man did in Mark 9. He brought his possessed son before Christ and made
this unbelieving statement,
but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on
us, and help us.
(Mark 9:22) Notice he doubted the Lord
s ability, and the
statement,
if thou canst
should have been replaced by
if thou wilt.
This is
the attitude of the leper in Mark 1:40. He declares,
If thou wilt, thou canst
make me clean.
Our attitude should be like the leper and the nobleman that we
are confident in our Lord
s ability, and we pray that we would have our will
aligned with His and pray for His will to be done in us. (Matthew 6:10) So,
Christ tells him in verse 50,
Go thy way; thy son liveth.
Again, it takes
great faith on this man
s part to do the commandment of the Lord. Had I been
there, I might have pleaded with the Lord to come with me. However, this man
s
faith was similar to the centurion in Luke 7. The centurion had a servant that
was sick unto death, and he sends servants to beseech Christ to heal him.
However, when he finds out that Christ is coming to the house, he sends more
servants beseeching Christ not to trouble Himself. He knows that his Lord is
able to speak the word and it be done. He knows that the Lord did not have to
be physically present to perform the miracle. How does our Lord respond?
I
say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel.
(Luke 7:9) So, the
nobleman returns to his house in Capernaum, and his servants meet him to relay
the news that the fever has left his son. When he asks his servants when the
miracle occurred, they give him the precise hour in which Jesus gave him the
words that his son had been healed. Now, our Lord is certainly not obligated to
save us, but thanks be unto Him that He did! Likewise, He is under no
obligation to give us any evidence, assurance, or news about it. However,
again, thanks be unto Him that He did that as well. Notice again, that the
servants are bringing the news of the miracle of our Lord. That is the purpose
of the gospel to bring the news of the Saviour and His work. Again, this public
miracle is not known by many. Just the disciples, servants, and the nobleman
were privy to the exact nature of the miracle. Likewise, in our lives, miracles
are happening, and the masses are completely ignorant except for the few chosen
and babes in Christ to whom the Father saw fit to open their eyes. (Matthew
11:25-26) 3.
Impotent man who met the Omnipotent Saviour (John 5:2-16) The
third miracle recorded by John gives account of an impotent man who lay at the
pool of Bethesda by the sheep gate and market. He had been impotent (lame on
his feet) for 38 years. The reason for him being in this place is that he,
along with many other sick folk, are waiting by the pool for the troubling of
the waters. An angel went down once a year and troubled the waters so that
whosoever first stepped in afterwards was made whole of whatever sickness that
he had. (verses 3-4) When
Jesus arrives at the place, He asks the impotent man
Wilt thou be made whole?
(verse 6) Jesus knew of this man
s plight, and needed not that any man tell
Him. Our Lord is the only one that can discern these things and knows the
thoughts and intents of our hearts. (Hebrews 4:12) Therefore, even if we do not
know why He does, asks, or states things, He still knows for what purpose He
does it, and it should be our course not to question it but seek to know it.
The impotent man responds to Jesus by saying that
I have no man.
What a
statement! I have no man! For 38
years, this man had been here trying to be the first one to step into the water
after they were troubled, but there was always someone there ahead of him. He
had no man to take compassion on him and his crippled condition. No one passed
by and helped. Does this not remind us of our plight? We were lying in a
field, polluted in our own blood, and dead. (Ezekiel 16) However, the Lord did
not just pass us by. He took compassion on us and commanded us to live! David
had compassion on the seed of Jonathan, a cripple named Mephibosheth. Certainly
this is a picture of our Lord taking pity on our crippled condition. This
impotent man did not realize that he was beholding the Omnipotent God in fleshly
form. This was a man that had no power, and he could see One with his own eyes
that had and still has all power. (Revelation 19:6) Now, the man was indeed
correct in that he had no man for 38 years to help him. However, Jesus was not
just God. He was then and still is now all God and all man at the same time.
One might say,
I cannot understand that. It seems beyond my comprehension.
To this, I declare that it is most certainly beyond your comprehension, and it
is probably further beyond mine. However, we are in good company, for the
Apostle Paul wrote by Divine inspiration,
And without controversy great is the
mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
(I Timothy 3:16) This is
something that we do not even argue about, for we cannot understand an infinite
God as finite creatures. So, this
impotent man did have a Man on this occasion to help him. Likewise, we, as the
children of God, have a Man to help us. We are not going to minimize His
Divinity, but there is something in regards to our Saviour that was imperative
for His humanity. How did Christ redeem His people from the curse of the law?
How does Christ mediate between His people (the offenders) and God (the
offended)? These questions are best answered by different questions. Can
anything hurt or touch to harm the One True and Living God? And, does God
mediate to Himself? Indeed, I believe that all would answer assuredly that
there is not a power in heaven, earth, or under the earth that is able to reach
and touch God to do harm. He is unreachable in that sense. Therefore, how was
Jesus Christ touched to harm, suffering, and eventually death? It HAD to be
that He took upon Him human flesh that was able to suffer, bleed, and die.
Likewise, God alone does not mediate to Himself, for that is a foolish concept.
But, Paul tells Timothy in I Timothy 2:5,
For there is one God, and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
He specifically denotes
that Christ does the mediatorial work (as both man and God). We cannot divide
the Godman, but we can see that it took both God and man to do the work that
Christ fulfilled. Obviously, God created the heaven and the earth and is the
power of the resurrection (Living Word of God), and clearly human flesh (albeit
sinless) was pierced, suffered, and eventually died (redemption through His
blood). The
impotent man did have a Man on this occasion, and Jesus commands him to,
Rise,
take up thy bed, and walk.
(verse 8) Now, before Christ made that statement,
the man had not the ability to do this. So, by following the command, did he
give himself the ability to do it? Did his healing depend on his fulfilling the
command? Both of these questions may seem a bit foolish, but consider the
foolish notions of the religious world today. They claim that you will be saved
(more specifically born again) if you hear, receive, accept, confess, believe,
are baptized, or some other action to be taken. These actions are in the same
category as the command of Christ to the impotent man. These actions do not
give the ability (only Christ can give the ability), but they show forth that
one has the ability. Walking down the street does not give your legs the
strength to do it, but rather, it shows the strength that your legs are already
in possession of.
Likewise, belief shows forth that one has already been passed from death unto
life. (John 5:24) Baptism is the answer of a GOOD conscience. (I Peter 3:21)
One man told me that baptism gave you the ability to have a conscience for sins
and transgressions. Then, I queried,
Then how can you have a good conscience
that baptism will answer?
Baptism, belief, confession, etc. are all
indications, evidences, or fruit that one is already in possession of life.
When this man took up his bed and walked, the Lord had already given him the
ability, and he was displaying what the Lord had done for him. However,
we find that Christ did this miracle on the sabbath. To the Jews, this was an
unthinkable thing to do. Many times, Christ performed great, miraculous acts on
the sabbath day, and the Pharisees sought to slay Him for it instead of
rejoicing in the good work of the Lord. The Pharisees find this man carrying
his bed and tell him that it is unlawful to do what he is doing. He then tells
them that the one who healed him told him to do it. (verses 10-13) There
are many today that think it unlawful to do the bidding of the Master. If
social services hears of parents spanking their children in accordance to the
word of God (Proverbs 22:15), they will seek to haul the parents off to jail for
child abuse. When friends, neighbors, and relatives desire us to join and
engage in actions contrary to the teachings of the Lord, they find it
unimaginable that we would refrain. Many people visit with our churches and
ask,
Where are the things for the young folks? Where are the musical
instruments? Where are the things for us to have fun?
They find it
unthinkable that all (young and old) should worship together with the
instruments that our Lord has given to us (heart of flesh and voice of praise).
They find it unreasonable that the church should not have a few natural things
to keep them interested. However, these days of waxing worse and worse it is
getting to be more than a few things in the so-called churches in the world. Then,
Christ meets the man again in verse 14 and tells him,
Behold, thou art made
whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
Now, what could our
Lord be referring to? When our Lord relieves us from our sinful condition
(regeneration or being made dead to the final effects of sin), He expects us not
to walk according to our old ways. (Romans 6:1-6) What is different in the
before and after picture is that the Lord expects things from the ones that He
blesses. If He calls us from a state of death in sins to life in Christ, He
expects us to shew forth His praises. If He blesses us to see things in His
word (by His revelation), then He expects us to use them to the furtherance of
our lives in glory to Him. He tells us in Luke 12:48,
For unto whomsoever much
is given, of him shall be much required:
If we have been raised with Him and
shown these things, it is incumbent upon us to live in such a way that shows
forth these things. We do them not out of fear or obligation, but rather, it is
a sweet labour of love to the One that loved us more than we could ever repay. Then,
verses 15-16 tell us that when the Pharisees knew that Jesus had done this
miracle on the sabbath day, they sought to slay Him. Now, today there are many
seeking to discredit the salvation of the Lord. Some are atheists that are
trying to stamp out His very name from the earth. Others are Armenians that are
trying to stamp out the notion of salvation by grace alone. When the Lord
s
work and purpose goes against natural man
s pride and glory, he will try to do
whatever it takes to remove from him the evidence against him. If the Bible
says that salvation is by grace alone, well then, we will change the Bible. If
the constitution was written by God-fearing men, then we will change the
constitution and re-write history. However, all of these efforts will be
thwarted and come to nought. For, the Lord will always have His name and word
in the earth.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass
away.
(Mark 13:31) This
miracle is observed by more than just a few, but many refuse to accept the
nature of it. The Pharisees would not admit that this miracle was of the Lord,
for it was in violation of the sabbath (or so they thought). Likewise, in our
lives, when people see the miracles that take place, sometimes they do not react
with heart-felt gratitude, tears, and joy. Sometimes, the miracles of the Lord
anger and enrage people to the point of seeking to discount them. When I first
rejoiced to see the truth, I thought,
I have to go out and tell everybody.
This is the best thing I have ever heard, and all my friends are going to feel
great.
Many others that I have talked to tried the same thing, and we all got
very similar results. They did not desire to hear or receive these things.
Granted, they were and still are good people, but they cared nothing for the
wonderful news and glad tidings from a far country. 4.
Feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-14) As was
mentioned at the outset of this article, there are different things mentioned in
the different gospel accounts. However, of all the miracles that Christ
performed, this is the ONLY one that is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Therefore, it would behoove us to learn all that we can about this miracle.
This miracle marks a change from the previous public miracles. This could be
called the
coming out
miracle in which a great multitude beheld the goodness
of the Lord. In Matthew 14, we find that the number that observed this was
actually far more than 5,000. In Matthew 14, it says that there were 5,000 men
besides women and children. If we are conservative, we can assume that roughly
half the men were married, and their wives accompanied them. If these married
couples had (conservatively) 2 children apiece present, we have gone from 5,000
being fed to around 12,500 people being fed on this occasion. In John
6 we find that Christ asks His disciples in verse 5,
Whence shall we buy bread,
that these may eat?
But, we also find that He asked this question to prove
them, for He had already decided and purposed what He would do. Likewise, when
our Lord asks us questions, it is not for Him to gain information and
understanding, but many times, He is proving our faith and understanding (again
not for His knowledge, but for ours). Our Lord knew that there would be a lad
there with 5 loaves and 2 fishes, and He also knew that He would feed those
there with that miniscule amount. Many times, the gospel minister may come to
the Lord
s house with what He feels like is just a small amount, but the Lord
does mighty and wonderful things with that food. Notice
also that the only thing that is said about this lad is what he brought. We
know nothing about his name, age, etc. for that is not important for this
account. Likewise, the actual name of the gospel minister and who it is that
brought the food is not important. Whether it is Paul that planted or Apollos
that watered, it matters not, for God is the ONLY one that can give the
increase. (I Corinthians 3:6) This lad is not to be praised for bringing 5
loaves and 2 fishes, and gospel ministers are not to be praised for their study
and efforts (only encouraged). The Lord only is to be praised, and Paul said at
the close of Ephesians 3 that the glory in the church is focused solely on her
Founder. God forbid that we glory in anything other than our Lord. We boast of
Him all the day long, and He is the joy of our song. (Psalm 44:8) In verse
11, we are given another example by our Lord. When He took of the loaves, He
brake them and gave thanks for them. Our Lord, while on this earth, gave thanks
for the food that He ate and distributed. Therefore, when one asks why we pray
before a meal, let us not wonder where the practice comes from. Our Lord (the
One who created everything) got down and prayed on a regular basis to the
Father. Our Lord, who had need of nothing, prayed about every course and thing
that He did. Therefore, if the mind of Christ is supposed to be in us
(Philippians 2:5), let us always
pray without ceasing.
(I Thessalonians 5:17) Also in
this verse we find something else to draw our attention. He gave the loaves
(after giving thanks) to distribute to the multitude. Now, did our Lord need
them to do this (I speak this foolishly)? As previously mentioned, our Lord
NEEDS nothing, and had He so desired, He could have commanded the food to be
immediately at each one. Also, He needed not 5 loaves and 2 fishes, but had He
chosen to, He could have spoken the food into existence out of something else
there or nothing at all. He is God, and there is nothing that is too hard for
Him. However, He chose to send His 12 disciples to do the distributing. This
is a very important concept that will be discussed in more detail during miracle
number 7. When it
comes to the Lord
s food, we also learn that it is all sufficient and
never-ending. After the multitude had finished eating in verse 12, Jesus says,
Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
Directly before,
we learn that the people of the multitude were filled (nothing lacking). Now,
Christ says to gather up what remains. How astounding! A multitude of perhaps
over 12,000 people eat from nothing but 5 loaves and 2 fishes and are filled!
That is remarkable enough, but Christ says to gather what is left. When the
disciples are done gathering in verse 13, they have 12 baskets full of
fragments.
Sometimes when the Lord blesses His ministers to preach in power and
demonstration of the Spirit, the minister leaves the pulpit thinking,
I sure
didn
t think there was that much there, and I still have more that I could say
about that.
Sometimes in my experience, I study a certain subject and think,
I wonder if it will even take 20 minutes in the pulpit to exhaust my knowledge
of this study.
After about 50-55 minutes, I think,
I better shut this down,
or I
ll never quit.
Only the power of God can cause something to increase the
more it is divided. When we rightly divide the word of truth, there sometimes
seems to be no end to what a certain verse talks about. If I ever divide
something, I end up with less than I started with, but the Lord can divide and
get the same effect as multiplication. This
miracle marks the first time that a host of people were present when Christ
performed the miracle. They did not have to hear about it 2nd or 3rd
hand. They beheld the wonder of the Lord with their own eyes. Sometimes in our
lives the Lord will do things that many see. Some of them present are even
willing to rejoice for a time in the goodness and mercy of the Lord (much like
the stony or thorny ground). But, by the end in verse 66 of the sixth chapter,
many of these people are walking no more with Him. Many times I talk to people
that seem to really receive the message of grace when in conversation, but then
just moments later, they begin to reject the notion that they had nothing to do
with their eternal redemption. But, there are still times of revival where
multitudes are fed from the Lord
s bountiful storehouse. (Psalm 85:6) 5.
Walking on Water (John 6:15-25) Directly
after feeding the multitude, Christ departs from them before they can make Him a
king by force. As He goes into a mountain to pray, His disciples get in a ship
and head over the sea towards Capernaum. (verses 15-17) Now, after the
disciples leave the presence of Christ and depart into the sea without Him, they
find themselves in the midst of a great storm that they are unable to do
anything about. In Matthew 14, it declares that Christ constrained His
disciples to go in the ship before Him. Then, they found themselves in
distress, and they were unable to locate Him. Recall
the account in Luke 2 when Jesus (at age 12) comes with His family to
Jerusalem. When His family left Jerusalem, they went a day
s journey before
they noticed that He was not there. Then, it took them 3 days to find Him
again. In our lives, finding Him after losing Him is always more difficult than
if we had never left. While we never lose Him eternally (He cannot deny
Himself), we can find ourselves in the midst of the storm and unable to see Him
or feel His presence. However, in Mark 6 we read that He
saw them toiling in
rowing.
(Mark 6:48) The point of the lesson is that Christ constrained them to
go (while knowing what they would face) as a trail of faith. In our lives, we
may be constrained to go or do something and think that the Lord has forsaken us
in our trial, but He always sees us and is not far from every one of us. Here the
disciples left the presence of Christ, and they are almost immediately in the
midst of something that they cannot handle. Then, they see Jesus coming to them
walking on the water, and His presence frightened the disciples. (verse 19) In
Mark 6, this account says that the disciples thought He was a spirit. There are
times when we remove ourselves far enough from Christ that we do not even
recognize Him when He appears. We are troubled at His presence, but we know Him
not. Consider their perspective for a moment. They had
just witnessed the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, and then someone comes
to them walking on water. Who else would it be? But, before we get down on the
disciples too harshly, how many times in my life have I witnessed the miraculous
work of the Lord, and then almost immediately, I act like I have never beheld
His beauty and grace? People might look at me directly after and wonder whether
I love my Lord or not. Perhaps He even appears doing another miracle, and I do
not recognize Him. But, they do not stay in ignorance, for our Lord speaks to
them in that still, small voice that dispels their fears,
It is I; be not
afraid.
(verse 20) His
voice can do what no gospel minister
s voice can. His voice can take all the
waves and toils of life and make them seem as nothing. His voice speaks with
such grace and charity that those that heard Him in Luke 4 wondered at the
gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth. However, the waves and winds do
not cease until the Lord steps into the ship. We see in verse 21 that when
Christ comes into the ship they are also at their destination on the other
shore. Many times, we see Christ, but are still distracted by the toils of
life. Sometimes we even see Him, hear Him speak, and are walking on water
ourselves with Him, but still we look at the things of life and must cry out,
Lord save me, I perish.
But, something blessed happens when we bid Him come
into our ship. By
bidding Him to come into our ship, we are showing forth that we are already
His. He never once has or will seek to enter the ship of someone that is a
goat. So, right now, sonship is not under consideration, but rather our
Christian walk and discipleship is in question. He tells the churches in
Revelation 3:20,
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he
with me.
This verse of fellowship with God is much different than
regeneration. Ezekiel 35:25-27 tells us that in regeneration He rips out the
old heart and puts in a new one (stone to flesh). There is no knocking in
regeneration, but in discipleship, not all children of God have common or
similar interactions with their Redeemer. There are many in complete gospel
ignorance of their atonement. But,
when we see Him, hear His voice, and see His works, it is our duty to willingly
bid Him board our ship to take care of us. I am reminded of the popular bumper
stickers that read,
God is my co-pilot.
I suppose that this is partly
correct. However, God is more than our co-pilot. He is our pilot, co-pilot,
navigator, plane or conveyance, and everything in between. He is our way,
truth, and life. (John 14:6) Without Him we can do nothing, but with Him, we
can do all things. So, the disciples bid Him come into the ship, and
IMMEDIATELY the waves cease and they arrive at their destination. Now, when we
seek to do things outside the bounds set by our Heavenly Father, the waves
continue to roll, but when we get to the point when all we can do is smite upon
our breast and say,
Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.
Or,
Lord, help.
He
hears from heaven and grants our petition. One
might say, this miracle was not observed by multitudes, so how is this building
in public knowledge of His miracles? Let us consider verses 22-25. The
multitude that partook of the loaves and fishes observed that the disciples left
in a boat alone, and Jesus did not get into a boat. Then, when they took
shipping to the other shore in Capernaum, they found Jesus and the disciples.
They even ask Christ,
Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
They knew that
something else miraculous had happened, even though they did not observe the
actual walking on water. So, again, a multitude had knowledge of the wonderful
works of the Lord. 6.
Restoring of sight to the blind man (John 9) At the
beginning of John 9, Jesus observes a man that was born blind. Now, we will
find later that even the prophets of old never restored sight to one born blind,
and it was unheard of since the world began. This is extremely important, for
the Lord blesses His prophets and apostles to restore sight to one that has lost
it, but only He can give sight where none was before. Also, only He can bring
life to the lifeless. The
disciples query something in verse 2 about which sinned (the man or his parents)
for him to be born blind. Jesus tells them that this is not a result of their
sins, but that this is something that the Lord will use for His glory. He will
do something so miraculous that the Pharisees and all the religious rulers
cannot explain away from the books of the law (even though they will try).
Then, Christ gives the blind man some instruction. He makes clay from spittle
and anoints the eyes of the blind man, and He tells him to wash the clay away in
the pool of Siloam. (verses 6-7) Oh, what
a picture this is of baptism! The impotent man was commanded to walk after the
Lord gave Him the ability. This man was given sight after the Lord did His
work. Again, the washing in the pool did not give the sight, but it revealed to
Him that He could see. What does the clay represent? Clay comes from dust
(from whence we came), and it currently is over his eyes. However, when he
washes, he sees. Likewise, baptism will not cause someone to be a child of God,
but it will wash their shortcomings from their eyes. Cleansing (in this case
healing) has already occurred, but this is when we feel the benefit of it. Many
have told me,
I can get just as much out of church without being baptized.
If
this be the case, then I am deceived every time that we have communion. It is a
sweet time of rejoicing that cannot be had looking in. Only the partaking of it
(amongst the other blessings in Zion) can truly make a person thankful to be a
servant of Christ. When he comes forth, he sees and there is quite a stir made
about this miracle. From
verses 9-34, we read of the effect that this miracle had. Everyone that knew
him before is amazed at the grace and mercy of God to cause such a miracle.
Many even say in bewilderment,
Is this he?
Finally, word of this reaches the
Pharisees who immediately try to discount this event since Jesus again performed
a miracle on the sabbath day. Again, they are more concerned about the sabbath
than the mighty power of God. Christ even asks them on one occasion (when
healing a woman from her bowed condition),
Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of
you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to
watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan
hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath
day?
(Luke 13:15-16) So,
these Pharisees begin to question the man about what happened when Christ
performed this miracle. They even call the parents to hear what they have to
say. Then, they ask the man again what happened. I used to wonder why they
kept repeating themselves, but then I realized that they were trying to catch
somebody telling the story differently from one account to the next. They were
not really seeking the truth, but they were looking for a reason not to believe
something that they did not desire or want. They did not want to believe on
Christ (some could not for they were not of His sheep
John 10), and others
feared that their seat in the synagogue would be removed from them. So, they
are looking for errors in the story but are unable to find even one. Then, the
former blind man begins to boldly proclaim that they are being stubborn and
unreasonable. In
verses 30-33, the man responds to their claim that they are Moses
disciples.
He gives as good a reason to believe in Christ as any,
Why herein is a
marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened
mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a
worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began
was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If
this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
This man
knew that he was blind before, and now he saw. That is reason enough to believe
on His Lord, but here are people that are more proud to be of Moses than the
Lord. Likewise, there are many people today that are more proud of the office
that they hold than the one that blessed them with that office. Many of the
rulers of the people were in seats of authority that the Lord established in the
law and prophets (like the priesthood). But, the error comes not in the office
they held, but in their attitude of the office. They thought the alter was more
important than the One being offered to. The letter of the law was more
important than the spirit of the law. Their place more important than the One
they are representing. Then,
the Pharisees make a true statement with an improper application in verse 34,
They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost
thou teach us?
The statement that the former blind man was born in sins is a
true statement. However, the application or implication is that they were not.
This is not correct. We live in a world today where people think that one
cannot judge who has ever transgressed. They like to quote Matthew 7:1 without
reading the rest of the passage. The importance is not on the judging but the
measure by which one is judged. A judge in a court of law that pronounces
edicts and judgments is not doing so based on the record of his own life. He is
doing so based on the standard of the law. Likewise, the gospel minister does
not give admonition, exhortation, and correction based on the righteousness of
his own life, but by the standard of the written word of God. However, that
same standard applies to the gospel minister just as it does to the smallest
child. So the
judgment of the Pharisees was incorrect instead of their statement. To say,
Judge not, that ye be not judged,
is a correct statement. However, to apply
that to declare against judgment whatsoever is an incorrect application. We are
not to play games of comparison with each other. Many times growing up I would
tell my parents,
Well, I
m not doing so badly. Johnny misbehaves much more
than I do.
This reasoning was to try to get out of a spanking. However, Mom
and Dad said,
I am not responsible for Johnny. And, you should not be trying
to measure up to Johnny anyway.
What does our Lord say?
Be ye therefore
perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
(Matthew 5:48) Then,
Jesus finds the man again in verse 35 after the Pharisees cast him out. He asks
the man if he believes on the Son of God. The next statement could generate
confusion if not rightly divided, for the man says in verse 36,
Who is he,
Lord, that I might believe on him?
He calls Jesus Lord, but He does not know
that He is the Son of God. Let us consider the experience of Saul of Tarsus on
the road to Damascus. He cries out to Jesus,
Who art thou, Lord?
(acts 9:5)
Saul knew that it was the Lord that spoke to him, but he knew nothing about his
Lord. This blind man was the same way. He called Jesus Lord, but knew little
about Him. He knew that He could open the eyes of the blind, and Saul knew that
He could turn the determination of his wicked heart. However, they are both in
some ignorance about the exact nature of Jesus Christ. That nature to be taught
is that He is the second Person in the Godhead. He is equal with the Father and
Holy Ghost in all things. These are things that are not intrinsic to man
s
understanding, even immediately after regeneration. They must be taught on a
continual basis
precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line, here a
little, and there a little;
(Isaiah 28:13) The Lord
then declares in verse 37 that He is the Son of God. Yet again, the Lord
declared plainly who He is even though they constantly questioned it. Today,
man is still questioning the eternal Sonship of Jesus Christ. They claim,
Oh,
he was just a man.
Or, they say,
He was a good man and teacher, with some
wise instruction.
These statements will not hold up to close examination. If
He was just a
good
man or teacher, how
good
was He? He could not have been
too good, for He would have been guilty of dozens of lies. He declared on a
constant basis that He was and is the eternal Son of God. Back in John 8:58, He
used that precious name of God in regards to Himself when He said,
Before
Abraham was, I am.
Jesus is verily God and verily man all together all at
once. From the moment of the conception of His humanity, He is forever God and
Man throughout all eternity. This man
does not confer with any of his friends about his new-found understanding, but
he immediately begins to worship Jesus. When we see Jesus, the Root and
Offspring of David, our mode should be that of immediate worship, for He has
done so much for us. What excuse could possibly be worthy to reach His ears?
This miracle builds the crescendo even more about the man Christ Jesus that is
the Son of God manifest in the flesh. His works are reaching the ears of more
and more people, and each miracle builds in manifest power (in our eyes) to more
and more amazement. However, the Pharisees always had an answer to explain away
His miracles, that is, until miracle number seven. 7.
Raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-46) There
was a family of siblings named Lazarus, Martha, and Mary that were beloved to
our Lord. He had close fellowship with them on several occasions. At the
beginning of John 11, the sisters send word to Christ that Lazarus was sick.
However, our Lord intentionally waits before coming to Bethany (where the family
lived). This intention to wait was not out of cruelty, but rather, He was going
to perform a miracle that natural man could not reason away no matter how much
time given. In verse
11, Jesus tells His disciples that,
Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that
I may awake him out of sleep.
Now, this gives folks great confusion from time
to time, but our Lord here is NOT advocating soul-sleeping. This is plain in
verse 14,
Then said, Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
The disciples
had thought the Lord was talking of rest or sleep. They seemed to think that
Lazarus was just waiting for a little nudge into motion. But, Jesus clears up
the confusion for us. So, one might ask,
How can one sleep and die at the same
time?
The answer depends on the perspective. Our Lord
sees our flesh as but asleep or resting. To man
s perspective, the flesh is
dead upon someone
s passing. There is not a part of man save the body that goes
into the grave. The soul and spirit (other two parts of man) go back to God
immediately at the point of death. (Ecclesiastes 12:7, Genesis 35:18, Hebrews
4:12) Therefore, the remains of our loved ones at funeral services are dead to
us, but they are asleep to our Lord. The reason that they are asleep to Him is
that He already sees us glorified in His Son
s image. (Romans 8:28-32) Now that
we have cleared up Lazarus
s condition, let us proceed to his restoration to
life. When
Jesus arrives at Bethany, Martha meets Him and declares,
Lord, if thou hadst
been here, my brother had not died.
That is, I believe, a true statement.
Death cannot stand in the presence of Life Itself. However, Martha is
mis-guided about the nature of the resurrection when Christ tells her,
Thy
brother shall rise again.
She responds in verse 24,
I know that he shall rise
again in the resurrection at the last day.
What is the harm in this
statement? I even heard a man say one time,
There is nothing wrong with
Martha
s statement.
However, our Lord does some correcting before He does the
raising. He
declares,
I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live:
The resurrection is not a day, but rather the
resurrection is our Lord Himself! Many times, we refer to the
resurrection
morning.
But, let us always remember that the resurrection is going to happen
in a moment, and the substance of the resurrection is our Lord. The word
resurrection means,
to rise again, have life again, or stand again.
Our Lord
is the only One in whom we can have that hope and faith to stand, rise, and live
again. Then,
Christ asks Mary and Martha where they have laid Lazarus. When they bring Him
to the tomb, we read in John 11:35,
Jesus wept.
Many teach their children to
memorize that verse since it is the shortest in the Bible, but I wonder if many
or any teach them of the profound concept within it. While I would not withdraw
fellowship from one that taught that the meaning of this verse was that Jesus
wept for the sorrow of the grieving family, I believe a more sublime concept is
at work within the fabric and framework of this verse. Consider that Lazarus
s
body has been in the grave for four days (as shown in verse 39). Where was his
soul and spirit for four days? Paul says,
Therefore we are always confident,
knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
(For we walk by faith, not by sight) We are confident, I say, and willing
rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
(II
Corinthians 5:6-8)
Therefore, if Lazarus was absent from the body for 4 days, that means that he
was present with the Lord for that same amount of time. For four of our earth
days, Lazarus was experiencing , the 3rd heaven, Abraham
s
bosom, and enjoying eternity
s bliss and charity. That is a place that the
inner man of all regenerate children of God desires to be. Now, we can see why
the Lord is weeping. He is weeping, for He is about to bring one back down from
to this low ground of sin and sorrow. He is going to experience the
heartaches of this life once more. He is going to suffer under the weight of
the bondage of the body of this death. He is again going to have to struggle
between the warfare of the natural and spiritual natures in him until he
breathes out his last breath (again) in death. Truly, this is something more
worthy of weeping over than the other (in my humble opinion). After
Jesus has finished weeping, He tells those present to roll away the stone. Then
in verses 41-42, He says,
Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I
knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I
said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
Here, Jesus gives the
best reason for why He spoke things audibly while walking the earth. He did it
for our benefit, so that we would know how to conduct ourselves and behave. He
asked and beseeched His Father in all things. Likewise, so should we. He
needed not to speak anything audibly on this occasion, for one of His thoughts
could bring any of His purposes to pass. However, He chose to speak for theirs
and our benefit. Then, He
raises Lazarus from the grave in verse 43 by saying,
Lazarus, come forth.
This simple statement gives us a very clear picture of the moment of
regeneration and later, the resurrection. The first thing that Christ said is
Lazarus.
This call is a personal call by our Lord. He does not choose a
handful here and there nonchalantly and without conscious decision. He chooses
and calls those that He knows personally and with much love (through
foreknowledge). People talk about a personal Saviour, but I do not know how a
Saviour could be anything other than personal. He knows each of us by name, and
our names are written in His book. (Revelation 20:12) We are also told that
I
have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before
me.
(Isaiah 49:16) Therefore, our Lord knows us personally, and if we know Him
or love Him, He has always been there first. (I John 4:19) The next
word in the statement is
come.
This word, on many occasions, is a command for
movement where none is presently. This statement is not one that is made to a
moving man but rather a sedentary man. In this case, it was a dead man that is
being brought to life again. This word does not mean
believe
here. Why oh
why would Christ tell a dead man to believe on Him? Instead, He tells us what
is meant by the word
come
in John 6:37 and John 6:44,
All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out.
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:
and I will raise him up at the last day.
This
shows that this type of coming to the Lord is dependant upon His power solely
and none whatsoever upon ours. Lazarus was dead, and the Lord told Him to
come. Therefore, Lazarus was not in a state of belief or confession. He was in
a state where only the Lord could call him. Likewise, regeneration and the
resurrection are the same. The voice of the Lord and His call are the only
things that can accomplish the job. Now, Lazarus was raised from a state of the
death of the body to die a natural death again, but it is a clear picture of the
eventual resurrection at the end of time when death will be completely removed
from every part of our being. Consider
the account in John 5:25 and 28-29,
Verily, verily I say unto you, The hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and
they that hear shall live.
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the
which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth;
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Here are two effectual callings that
our Lord purposes. One is regeneration (happening now), and the other is the
resurrection (yet to come). The same voice and power that does one is the same
as the other. So, if anyone believes that they are responsible for their new
birth or regeneration, then they must also be in charge of their resurrection.
To quicken the soul and spirit (regeneration) means that you must also quicken
your body (resurrection). However, no one can claim such, and therefore all is
done by the work of the Lord. Notice
also that this calling is effectual, or it produces the desired result or
effect. No one can tell the Lord,
I don
t feel like it right now. Come back
some other time.
Lazarus did not do anything other than come at the Lord
s
command. One might even wonder how he came being bound hand and foot with
graveclothes. It would seem that he could not, but he came anyway. It is my
belief that the Lord caused him to fly out of the tomb, since he could not walk
for the bindings upon him. But, no one ever refuses this calling whatever their
current circumstance, for they would have to be stronger than the Lord, which is
impossible. The last
word of the phrase is
forth.
The Lord did not call us to some unspecified
location. The word forth denotes a direction involved. We were not called to
possibly fall again. Rather, Lazarus was called to the direct place where the
Lord was by His design. We are told that our calling is into His marvellous
light. (I Peter 2:9) Paul also declares that our sins are not imputed to us
again. (II Corinthians 5:19) Therefore, we can see that the Lord called us to a
state of life in Christ never to be dead in sins again. To say that we were
given eternal life, and then we fell from it means it was not eternal to begin
with. David
proclaimed in the 40th Psalm that not only were we pulled from the
horrible pit and miry clay, but we were also set upon a rock (Christ). Finally,
our goings were established. So, what is meant by establishing our goings? One
cannot take from that that we are made to never sin again. Rather the way that
is established is mentioned at the close of Hebrews 6. The way is heaven itself
that Christ prepared and entered before us. Our destination is forever secure.
While our steps get mighty wayward from time to time, we are never in danger of
losing our home in heaven, for that would make the death of Christ vain, which
is another impossible, foolish notion. After
Christ raises Lazarus from the grave, He tells the ones there to,
Loose him,
and let him go.
While the first statement is a clear picture of regeneration
and the resurrection, this statement is a clear picture of the utility of the
gospel. We have mentioned previously that the Lord often used those at hand to
do things while He performed miracles. Did He have to? Certainly not! Our
Lord could have carried out every action Himself without the use of another.
But, He chose to use His servants to carry out specific tasks. So, if
the Lord alone controls regeneration, what might the purpose of the gospel be?
Let us answer that question by posing another. Could the Lord have granted
complete, total knowledge of Himself and His word immediately following
regeneration? Certainly that is within His power, but it does not fall within
the realm of His will. Many times, we live in a constant state like Missouri.
We desire everyone to
show me,
and if you do not, that means that you cannot.
However, our Lord does not do a lot of things that He is capable of. He has the
ability to give complete knowledge to an individual, but He chooses to save some
by the foolishness of preaching. This is not part of redemption, atonement,
calling, etc. However, it is part of conversion, understanding, and Christian
behaviour. Lazarus
is bound hand and foot with graveclothes. This is indicative of our state
directly following regeneration. We have heard the Lord
s voice (in the new
man), but we cannot see Him, nor do we know much about Him. However, when we
sit under the sound of the gospel minister with the attendance of the Holy
Spirit, it gives us some release of the graveclothes (body of this death). We
begin to learn about the sinless One who died for us. We begin to learn the
specifics of the two natures within us that are constantly at warfare. Then,
blessed things begin to happen. The
graveclothes start to loosen. No longer do we feel like the Apostle Paul in
Romans 7 all the time. We start to feel the faith within us reverberating with
hope of a better day to come. Sometimes, the gospel is preached in such power
like the napkin around our face being lifted to see our blessed Saviour! The
curtain is pulled back just a little to glimpse the smallest portion of His
glory and presence! We have heard His voice, but we are then made to see Him
just a little bit clearer. We learn about Him in the beautiful pictures painted
throughout the Old Testament. We learn that the weight we are carrying, He has
already loosed from us. Then, we desire to take up His yoke and follow Him out
of joy and love. Is this
a miracle? Our Lord declares as much in Matthew 11:5. Our Lord puts the
preaching of the gospel on the same plane as the dead being raised, the lepers
cleansed, and the blind receiving their sight. However, who gets the glory?
Lazarus certainly was not going to praise those that loosed his graveclothes.
His praise and glory went to the One that gave him life. His honour and
adulation went to the One that gave the direction to do the loosing. We indeed
need to be thankful for the servants of the most High God, but our thanks should
never cross into praise. The message of the Lord is far more blessed than the
one delivering it. If it pleased the Lord, He could direct an ass to speak to
us, as He did on one occasion. (Numbers 22:28-31) So, we
see the picture of the new birth and the gospel. As a result of this 7th
miracle, many believe on the Lord. (verse 45) This miracle builds the crescendo
to what would seem like the highest point. Here was a man that had been in the
grave for four days, and this was very important. To the Jews, a man could be
raised to life again up to three days after death, as they believed that is when
the silver cord was broken that prevented resuscitation from happening.
Therefore, the other two raisings that Christ performed (Jairus
s daughter and
the lad in the coffin) could be explained away by the Pharisees by declaring
that their silver cord had not yet been broken. Therefore, it was no great
thing for them to be raised again (in the Pharisees
minds). However,
the Lord purposely waited until Lazarus
s body had been there for four days, and
they were without natural explanation on this occasion. When believers gave
their account, the Pharisees at the end of John 11 were very worried about the
growing nature of this miracle. In John 12, we find that while seeking the
destruction of Christ, they also purposed to put Lazarus to death as well to
remove the evidence for the belief that his resurrection had caused. Today, man
is trying to remove all the evidence that he can find about the goodness of the
Lord to try to overturn and blind the faith of some. If he can cast a shred of
doubt, he will stop at nothing to keep those from setting their affection upon
Christ. However,
even though this miracle represents completion in the miracles that Christ
performed, this miracle (along with the rest) point to that ultimate miracle
that occurred later in John. Together, these miracles show forth the work that
Christ did during His ministry, but the 8th miracle outshines every
miracle before or since. 8.
resurrection of our Lord and Saviour (John 20-22) Seven is
the number representing completion in the Bible, but eight represents the number
of perfection in the Bible. This final miracle is perfect in every sense. This
miracle does what the rest do not. In every case before, the miracle performed
did not grant perfection. Even Lazarus was raised to life to die a natural
death once again. However, this miracle is the only thing that can give us any
hope and consolation in the troubled world in which we dwell. Our Lord
declared many times while walking this earth that He would be put to death, but
that He would be raised to life again. He even told His disciples in Matthew 12
that He would be in the grave for three days and three nights. Now, if someone
can get three days and three nights from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, then I
need another math lesson. He was there exactly three days and three nights,
which means that He was crucified on a Wednesday, and He arose BEFORE the sun
came up on Sunday. I will also note that Christ
s body was the ONLY part of Him
that was in the grave. Had the Godman been wholly dead during that time, rest
assured that all the forces of darkness would have wreaked havoc in every place
possible, and the universe itself would be rent by its very fibers. In
secular life, I am an electrical engineer. Electric power cannot reach its
destination if the source of the power is dead. Likewise, if the source of life
is dead, then there can be no life at all anywhere. However, Christ commended
His Spirit to the Father before bowing His head and giving up the ghost.
Therefore, His Spirit went to God immediately, and His body alone went into the
heart of the earth. However, it was necessary for His body to come out of the
earth to give PROOF of our being passed from death unto life. The
atonement and redemption was paid COMPLETELY and SOLELY when Christ was on the
cross. So, what is the purpose of the resurrection? The resurrection is where
we find our justification (declaration of righteousness). Romans 4:24-25,
But
for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up
Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised
again for our justification.
While atonement happened on the cross, the proof
is in the resurrection. No other
man before Christ was ever raised from the dead to die no more. They ALL
experienced a natural death again. However, Christ is the firstfruits of them
that slept, and He is the first resurrection. Therefore, all that He died for
were raised with Him when He came out. (Colossians 3:1) We are told in Ephesians
4:8,
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive,
and gave gifts unto men.
He led His captives with Him. Whereas before we were
the captives of sin, now we are the captives of love to our Lord. He alone
keeps us, and our hope is in Him and the power of His resurrection. When
Christ came out of the grave, He did not go back to glory secretly. He showed
Himself for 40 days after being raised, and He went back to glory in the
presence of many witnesses. Therefore, we can boldly say that we have hope in
Christ and the power of His resurrection. Without it, we are of all men most
miserable. (I Corinthians 15:19) Without His raising, we cannot one day hope to
be there in body, soul, and spirit. Without this miracle, we cannot hope to
be
fashioned like unto his glorious body.
(Philippians 3:21) However,
He did come out beloved. He did go back to glory, and we are told that He is
coming in the same manner in which He left. He is coming back with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God. (I Thessalonians 4:16) We
are told that He is coming with clouds and ten thousands of saints. (Revelation
1:7, Jude 14) What a glorious sight to behold! We shall then say as David did,
As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when
I awake, with thy likeness.
(Psalm 17:15) It is my
hope and sincere desire that this has been of some benefit and edification to
those who may read it. It is my greatest desire that the Lord
s name has been
glorified by it, for it is for nought if that be not the case. These miracles
show forth the beauty, wonder, and power that our Lord has. They show us both
completeness and perfection wrought in the things that He has done in our lives,
and may we ever be found seeking His face, serving in the vineyard of the Lord,
and helping our brethren in all things. As Paul closed I Thessalonians 4,
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Philip
N. Conley Written:
February 4, 2006 Revised:
February 6, 2006 Revised:
February 9, 2006 Revised:
February 16, 2006
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