Miracles - Peacemaker

The seventh miracle John wrote about was Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, which corresponds to the seventh beatitude recorded by Matthew. This is a long passage, but I will keep all of it here for clarity...

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

I think the whole reason for this miracle was for Jesus to demonstrate that he truly had power over life and death. He could actually bring peace between us and God. I think he needed to do this before he left to give his followers the courage and strength to survive.

Even though Jesus knew he could bring Lazarus back, he still cried in pain with his friends. I think he was reacting to their sorrow, being sad for what they had gone through.

Why did these people have to suffer, even for a short period of time? I don't know. I do know that pain and suffering are shown all over the bible as part of God's plan.

God, thanks for my son Josh, who read through a lot of my writing and was willing to talk with me about what he saw. I value his input and perspective. I love him.

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Sundays | Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

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Miracles - Pure Heart

The sixth miracle John wrote about was Jesus healing a man who was born blind, which corresponds to the sixth beatitude recorded by Matthew:

Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

Once the guy is healed, the religious leaders start in on him. They don't like Jesus, and now they don't like this guy either.

The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

The guy is being honest with them about what happened, and they can't stand it. They kick him out of their church, probably to send a message to everyone else. Jesus finds him a bit later...

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

I like this miracle. It's very straightforward. The man was honest and didn't waver under pressure - pure in heart - and he saw God. That I would do the same when I need to.

God, thanks for a good day of visiting Samantha at OSU. I love my daughter and appreciate her very much.

Thanks for the day on the mountain I had with Nathan yesterday. I really enjoyed the talks we had while driving there and back. He's becoming a man, and I love him.

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Saturdays | Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

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Miracles - Mercy

The fifth miracle John wrote about Jesus walking on the water, which corresponds to the fifth beatitude recorded by Matthew:

When evening came (after feeding the 5000), Jesus's disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 

When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

The disciples were involved in the miracle of feeding people earlier in the day. Jesus specifically made them a part of the process of showing mercy. Then he sends them out across the lake as it was getting dark - then he walks on the water out to them.

It looks like a set-up to me.

The disciples are in the dark and on stormy water, and I'm guessing in trouble. Jesus shows them he has full control over the very thing threatening them. He has the power to be merciful.

I often doubt God has enough control over the world to actually deliver mercy to me. This is something I will continue to work on changing.

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A little note of caution before you read further: I'm pretty sure I'm not going nuts, and I'm going to go a bit longer than normal on this post...

Last week on Friday, I wrote about wishing I could extend my thoughts of kindness to Caleb (link). Last night I had a dream about him, the first since he died. The dream consisted of me seeing him, talking with him, hugging him, and then it ended. I don't even remember exactly what I said, but it was kind and he smiled that great smile.

What does this mean? I don't know.

Was it from God? I don't know. He knows I had it, that's all I can say.

Am I happy I had it? Yes. It gave me a good feeling - in my dream I acted as I hoped I would.

This is the best I can come up with: I have committed myself to a weekly cycle in my interactions with God. I have seen it play itself out on a number occasions, this being one of them. Last Friday I came to the decision in my heart that I would pursue kindness, and this small confirmation came to me this Friday, by God's mercy.

Is this going to become a big milestone for me? No. I don't want to talk about my dream, I want to talk about God and his goodness.

Here are some things I see in the word about this:

This weekly routine is what I think God wants for me. I have no direction for anyone else. Paul wrote: One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.

I will not get wrapped up in dreams. In the Torah: Do not practice divination or seek omens.

God, thank you for being merciful to me. Help me to show mercy.

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Fridays | Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

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Miracles - Hungry for Righteousness

The fourth miracle John wrote about was Jesus feeding the 5000, which corresponds to the fourth beatitude recorded by Matthew:

Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Many of these people followed Jesus because they wanted good to happen. They were sick and injured, and they were looking for healing. They wanted their kids, spouses, parents, friends to be made well. What a good desire - to be made whole, for things to be made right.

I don't know how much healing went on, as it's not written down. But Jesus comes to the point where he supernaturally feeds all these people. He shows them all that he is indeed God.

Just for consideration: the fourth statement in the Lord's Prayer is "Give us our daily bread". Interesting to think about how all this fits together...

God, fill me me with these good things: kindness, compassion, forgiveness, love for others. 

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Thursdays | Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

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Miracles - Meekness

The third miracle John wrote about was a lame man laying near a pool, which corresponds to the third beatitude recorded by Matthew:

Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie - the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked...

... Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

This is an interesting story. From what I have read, every so often an angel would "stir the water" and whoever was the first in the pool would get cured. Sounds kind of wild - like a biblical game show - I'll leave that alone for now.

The man in this story is the picture of powerlessness. He can't walk in a city that's on a hill - there are stone stairs everywhere. He has no friends that will help him in the water. When Jesus asks him if he wants to get well, he can't even say "yes", instead he complains about his situation.

Jesus speaks to him twice.

The first time he heals his body, so he can walk. Jesus doesn't ask him any probing questions or make obscure statements. He doesn't even wait for the "yes", he just does it. The man is now mobile - he has gained access to the city he's never been able to walk through. He inherits a little bit of the earth.

The second time Jesus focuses on his soul. Even a lame person should have friends and be able to interact. I think Jesus is getting at this greater issue. This man needs to change his heart, or he will miss the whole point of his pain and healing.

God, there are areas in my life where I seem powerless to change - mainly my ego. I'm lame, locked into a single position, only able to complain about it. Like this guy, I guess I wait for an angel to come and zap me with the solution. I need to be healed, then get up and walk. Come and heal me.

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Wednesdays | Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

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Miracles - Mourning

The second miracle John wrote about is Jesus healing a man's son, which corresponds to the second beatitude recorded by Matthew:

Once more Jesus visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

The official was facing the death of his son, so of course he was mourning. He was begging Jesus to save his son's life.

The initial response Jesus gave to him is kind of hard for me to make sense of. I think he is stating a fact, more than trying tell the man he had done something wrong. He may be saying "belief in God is more important than life and death" - but I need to think about it more.

Regardless of what Jesus's real message was, he healed the man's son. In the end, the man and his family came to belief as well. I like to think they were comforted on two levels: the immediate and the eternal.

God, I know what it means to mourn. I also know what it means to receive comfort from you directly and from the people around me. Even in the midst of all the chaos, thank you for caring for me and my family - not only for now, but also eternity.

God, be with my wife Becky and the kids. Forgive their sins, be near to them, and give them comfort.

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Tuesdays | Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

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Miracles - Poor in Spirit

The book of John has seven miracles listed in it. While reading through them a couple of years ago, I realized that they matched the seven beatitudes recorded in the book of Matthew. This was the beginning of my understanding that God works in the same pattern over and over in the Bible.

The first miracle is Jesus changing water into wine:

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

There a number of interesting things going on here, but I'm going to focus on the people Jesus helped out.

• They ran out of wine. Why?
• They invited too many guests. Why?
• They wanted to look richer than they actually were. Why?
• They were "poor in spirit" - and they over extended themselves.

So Jesus shows up and not only bails these people out of an embarrassing situation, he makes them look look even richer than people already thought. They didn't ask him to - he took the signal from his mom and blessed these people.

I think within God's kingdom, I'm richer than I can imagine. I'm not limited by money or success or anything. I know God shows up and takes care of me, even when I don't ask.

I'm also poor in spirit - I can see myself in this story. I exaggerate the truth to make things look bigger than they are. I'm often not satisfied with the reality I have, so I have to make it better and more interesting. I really want people to think I'm "richer" than I am - thinking that it will make my life better. God, forgive me.

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Mondays | Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.

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