Friday, June 1, 2012

Miracles

Saint John wrote about seven miracles of Jesus in his Gospel to depict the life changing results we have when we choose to believe in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
  • Law is replaced by Grace- Water changed to wine.
  • Faith leads to spiritual restoration- Nobleman's son is healed.
  • Weakness is replaced by strength- Paralytic walks.
  • Hunger replaced by spiritual fulfilment- Feeding the five-thousand.
  • Fear is transformed by faith- Walking on water.
  • Darkness is replaced by light- Blind man can see.
  • Death is overcome by eternal life- Lazarus is raised from the dead.
These acts show the character of God and that Jesus is indeed the Son of God as he claims.  God is compassionate, forgiving, faithful, kind, peaceful, loving and extraordinary.  We are called to be righteous like Jesus and to ask for whatever we need in his name.  The blessings flow and the miracles still happen.  How goofy we are to ever reject such a gift.  How stubborn we are to try and discredit the deeds of Jesus or to claim that he never existed because the stories are too old without verification.  No one else has ever made the claims that Jesus did and fulfilled prophesy.  No one has had the credibility or performed such miracles out of love and forgiveness.  The gospel of John differs from the other three by focusing on the divine nature of the perfect man.  No one else has been without sin and perfect in God's eyes.  Many have been martyred and given themselves to a life of service for others.  Many have been good and helpful people, perhaps even shinning examples for others.  The Holy Spirit has done marvelous things to continue the work of Jesus through many people throughout the ages.  The Triune God remains the ruler of us all if we allow it.  We are in bondage with our thoughts that go contrary to Jesus teaching.  If we follow Jesus we understand the true way of joyful living and we are set free.