Study Guide – Life of Christ: Miracles Astound 5
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Love Story
It all began when God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Gen 1:27-28)
Eventually God chose our forefather in the faith Abraham saying, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3)
When Abraham’s descendants found themselves in trouble, the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew. (Exodus 2:23-25)
At that time God declared, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.” (Exodus 6:7-8)
Much later, after God had disciplined his disobedient children, he told them, “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off’; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:8-10)
And then God outdid himself. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
Now that’s worth hearing again: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Love begetting love: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:9-12)
Miracles FAQ
What constitutes a miracle? In Scripture a “miracle” is a sign or wonder which serves to focus observers beyond the miracle itself to God, who orders and/or overrides nature and history to his own glory. At times, God demonstrates his sovereignty, power, mercy, and grace by intentionally arranging a series of naturally occurring phenomena. Many students of the Bible believe that the Ten Plagues (Ex 7ff) are an example of this kind of miracle. In other situations, God acts to overrule “natural laws,” as in when Jesus turned water into wine. Signs and wonders also take the form of God exerting his power over forces of evil, like in the case of the Gerasene Demoniac (Mk 5). Additionally, the Bible speaks of miraculous signs which are leveraged by false teachers for their own ends or to distract people from God. These situations are described as “tests” that reveal our devotion to God.
Who can perform a miracle? God’s power is the necessary actor in any and all godly miracles. In the Bible, there are times when God provides a sign through no particular intermediary. In the story of Jonah’s miraculous survival in the belly of a whale, there is no third party agent mentioned. God simply saves Jonah. In other situations, God works through an angel or messenger. For instance, after Daniel survived the night in the lion’s den, Daniel tells King Darius that God had sent an angel to close the mouths of the lions. In the New Testament, in addition to Jesus’ miraculous acts, a number of his followers also performed miracles.
Do miracles still happen today? Yes. The Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians that God gives the “manifestation of the Spirit for the common good,” and that he gives to some “the gifts of healing,” and to others the gift of “miraculous powers” (1 Cor 12). There are some forms of Christianity in the world today, however, that view the particular gifts of the Spirit that have to do with healing and miracles as having ceased with the deaths of the original Apostles. Yet, many more Christians continue to see God supernaturally arranging natural events and superseding what we might call “natural law” in order to provide signs and wonders that point to his own glory and power. In many circumstances, God uses his followers and the prayers of his followers as active agents in these mighty works.
Why don’t we see more miracles in our lives? Many current Western forms of Christianity have inherited faith traditions that have under emphasized and even denied God’s desire to work his wonders through his children. One of the causes that might contribute to this condition has been described as Christians opting to see faith and science in opposition against one another, as if faith and science necessarily couldn’t exist in tandem and in partnership. Another potential cause is the seemingly charlatan approach to miracles that the more vocal and charismatic “practitioners” of miracles pose. Their often self-glorifying antics result in a desire among many to disassociate with them and their “ministries.” A third source of our departure from biblical teaching on the subject might be the result of decades of turning congregations into institutions to be managed rather than cultivating them as communities of faith in which spiritual gifts are recognized and encouraged. Conversely, depending on God, nurturing intimacy with Christ, submitting ourselves as agents of his love and power, and stepping out in faith are great first steps in opening ourselves to the full work of the Spirit in our midst.
An Interview
An Interview With A Boat Sitter
Interviewer (INT): What have you done for God lately?
Boat Sitter (BS): Oh, I don’t know. I guess I’ve gone to church most Sundays, and I serve on the CFC, the Committee that Forms Committees.
INT: How’s that going for you?
BS: Oh, quite good. I’ve been sitting in my own pew for years, and I’m getting really good at forming committees. Just the other day I formed a committee to evaluate if we have enough committees. We’re calling it the CTEIWHEC.
INT: When was the last time you told someone about Jesus, invited a homeless person into your home, or spent as much on groceries for a struggling family as you spend to feed yourself?
BS: Uh, that kind of stuff seems a little too scary for me. Nope. It’s safer to serve in the manner to which I’ve become accustom. Our church has people who go out into the world, but I don’t know. I mean, if I were to say something about Jesus to someone outside the church, I might inadvertently offend the person. No offense is a good defense.
INT: So what do you hope to be doing for Jesus one year from today?
BS: Well, I have my eye on a pew on the other side of the aisle and two rows closer to the back. I’ve heard a rumor that the family that usually sits there might be going into the mission field. It’s an amazing opportunity, you know—the pew, I mean. It’s the right distance from the heater and the air conditioner. I’m praying that I’ll soon be worshiping God in the lap of luxury.
An Interview With A Water Walker
Interviewer (INT): What have you done for God lately?
Water Walker (WW): It’s the most exciting thing. Just this morning, I was walking my dog. I had been praying for the people who live behind us and trying to build a friendship with them. Today, as I was on the sidewalk in front of their house, I saw one of them gardening. We struck up a simple conversation. I invited them to come to church with me this Sunday, and they said yes.
INT: Do you always talk to people about Jesus?
WW: No. That’s the funny thing. For years, I just attended church on Sundays, but then I was convicted. I heard that Peter got out of the boat to go toward Jesus, so I figured it was time that I got out of my pew and started going places where Jesus would go.
INT: And Jesus would go to the people who live behind you?
WW: Well, it’s a start. I think he would go to them. They’re new to the community and don’t seem to have much if any religious background. I think, in some way, they might be part of my “mission field.”
INT: What if they become offended?
WW: I figure it’s not really my job to be concerned if they end up being offended by authentic love and the good news of Jesus. I just keep my eyes on Jesus and try to walk the way he walked. He loved people and told them about the kingdom of God, so that’s my job too.
INT: What do you hope to be doing for Jesus a year from now?
WW: Who knows! It’s really quite exciting. God used me build a bridge to my neighbors. His power and presence makes all the difference. I can’t wait to step out and do whatever he wants me to do next.
What Are You Looking For?
Do you ever open the refrigerator door, look inside, and slowly survey the contents, only to say to yourself, “What am I looking for?” You didn’t open the door to feel the cool air. You didn’t randomly check the refrigerator for pure sport. At the very least, your trip to the fridge was prompted by some sort of craving or hunger. You may not have known what you wanted, but you wanted something.
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus, the self-proclaimed “bread of life,” is surrounded by hungry people who don’t often know what they want. They are coming to him in droves, opening the metaphorical Jesus fridge to see what this man is all about. Once the door is opened, some like what they see, some are appalled, some are perplexed and still others forget why they came in the first place. There is a hunger inside of them, but they’re not sure what will satisfy their appetite.
Jesus proclaims to the crowds, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry…” But not everyone accepts what he offers. In fact, most are content with merely opening the door and moving on.
“What are you looking for?” Jesus asks. He wants to know. Are you looking for someone to blame? Are you looking for an authority to condone your selfish behavior? Are you looking for a teacher to question? Are you looking for a temporary fix? Are you looking for a Savior?
I hope you are looking for him, because he is looking for you.
Stirred Up
“Wade in the water/wade in the water, children/wade in the water/God’s gonna trouble the waters…”
You may recognize this song. Usually sung at vacation Bible school or at summer camp, this light-hearted tune walks us through familiar biblical stories in which God stirs up the waters (parts seas and rivers) in order to clear a path for Israel. As we sing, it stirs up our souls, clearing a path for us to walk freely in the Christ.
The line, “God’s gonna trouble the waters,” has always captivated my imagination. The word ‘trouble,’ at least for a kid, tends to communicate a negative message. Yet in this song it takes on a different meaning. The Israelites weren’t in trouble while walking through the Red Sea and crossing the Jordan. We aren’t in trouble as we sing and pretend to wade in the water. This is the good kind of trouble. The kind that comes from the hand of God.
When Jesus arrives in Jerusalem at the pool of Bethesda, God is at it again. Yet this time, it’s not the water he’s troubling. While everyone is waiting for an angel of the Lord to stir up the pool, Jesus is on the sideline quietly disturbing the status quo. He gets into trouble by healing a desperate man on the Sabbath. But it’s not the healing itself that causes such a fuss. It’s what Jesus tells the man to do. “…take your mat and walk.” The self-appointed Sabbath police notice this healed man carrying his mat, a big ‘no, no’ back then. What ensues is a confrontation between Jesus and his adversaries where they try to kill him while he tries to save them. Once again, like so many times before, God troubles the waters. Jesus, through an act of healing, stirs things up. What kind of trouble is this? Is it bad? Is it good? Wade in the water. Find out for yourself.
Signs of Power
How do you respond to power? Some people are automatically leery of it. It could be that they once wielded power but found that they weren’t up to the responsibilities that came with it. Maybe there was a time when they flexed their power and someone suffered as a consequence. Now, in an effort to avoid the pain, they simply choose to give power a wide berth. Of course, it could be that they experienced someone else’s misuse or poor application of power, and they themselves were hurt in the process. Kick me once, shame on you. Kick me twice, shame on me. So, they remain skittish of power and the people who brandish it.
On the other hand there are those who embrace power, even seeking it out and seizing it whenever they can. At times, this positive response to power is due to a selfless desire to use it for good. For others, it comes out of an addiction to the thrill power provides or from an unhealthy fusion between the experience of power and the substantiation of personal identity.
Jesus was not only powerful, he was comfortable with power. With a word or a touch he could heal diseases, cast out evil spirits, and calm storms. He could take gallons of water and turn it into the finest wine. If there were 5,000 hungry people and only two fish and five loaves of bread, no problem; Jesus had the power to make happy meals. He also raised people from the dead. Yet through it all, he actually requested that people keep what he did to themselves. He was Mr. Universe, but never once did he pose or flex his power simply to show off.
For many, Jesus’ power defined him. It set him apart and was why they chose to believe in him. They would come to him in droves seeking either a display of his power so that they could verify the rumors or a personal experience of his power so that they could overcome whatever was holding them back. One set of friends took their paralyzed buddy, hauled him up on the roof of a house in which Jesus was ministering, tore the roof open and lowered the man into the jam-packed room. Jesus then healed him.
With all this power at his disposal, however, it never distracted him from his life mission. He came to die—to submit himself to lesser powers and to surrender his life to save others. He championed the power-fooled by not playing their power games. He may have died at the hands of small-minded leaders and the cruel masses, but as it turned out not only was he more powerful than they but he was also more powerful than death itself.
Whether you happen to be attracted to power or repulsed by it, you have the absolute best option in Christ. He’s the total package. He’s the humblest powerful person who ever lived and at the same time the most powerful humble person. Furthermore, he refuses to monopolize his power. He freely shares it with all who follow him, only asking that we apply it as he applied it: for the sake of others—especially those who have the least power of all.
