John 6:1-21
Two miracles in one Gospel lesson. Powerful stuff.! So powerful that a lot of folk don't even believe they really happened. I was doing my research on this text and in one of the commentaries I read, the starting assumption was that Jesus didn't REALLY feed 5000 men with just 5 loaves of barley bread and two fish. Jesus didn't REALLY walk on water. “Whatever may have actually happened.” is the phrase that the writer used.
Maybe that's the problem! A lot of folk start with unbelief. We don't want to seem uninformed. We don't want to seem unintelligent so we start where the rest of the world starts: the assumption that it really isn't true.
Jesus asks us to believe!
Matthew chapter 9, “When (Jesus) went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, 'do you believe that I am able to do this?' they said to him, 'Yes, Lord.' Then he touched their eyes saying, 'let it be done for you according to your faith.' and their eyes were opened.” Jesus required that they have faith; that they believe. Then the miracle happened.
In Matthew 22 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. And what ever you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive.”
More left overs than what they started with; Water supporting the weight of a man; Medical conditions instantly cured; a mountain being cast into the sea? These things defy logic. They defy the very laws of physics?
Never mind those things right now. Let's start with something a little easier to chew: You are sons and daughters, adopted by the Lord God! Do you believe that? Does it empower you? Does being a child of God Embolden you to action? What if I said that “You are powerful.” Would you believe it or do you start thinking of ways that you feel powerless. Or perhaps you start thinking of the earthly ways you have influence over others. You are a nation of priests! Do you believe that? Miracles will happen because of what you say and do. Not that the power emanates from us but that because the gathered believers are the body of Christ on earth God will make things happen through us.
We think of mountains being lifted up and cast into the sea and we just keep reading because what does that have to do with me? Jesus walking on water? Nice story. Feeding the 5000? Must be some other explanation. All these have to do with a mindset of faith and trust in God. Don't try to dissect how they happened, know that a crowd of people were hungry and they were fed. Know that the disciples were afraid and in trouble and Jesus came to them in the most unlikely way. Know that those who were blind were able to see. Have you ever been hungry, scared, couldn't see the truth that was in front of your face? I've been all those things. How did you get through? I don't know about you but it is my faith in God that sees me through! It's my faith in God that brings unexpected blessings...miracles.
I've seen God active in this world. I've seen wonderful things happen when His people act in faith. I have yet to see God act outside of the laws of physics though. But that was never the point. Jesus wasn't about “Wowing” a crowd. Jesus was all about getting his disciples to act in faith not fear or doubt.
Miracles can happen in a flash. but a miracle can also be a transformation that takes place over time. You want to change your life? You don't have to change every aspect all at once. But you do have to take a step toward change, as terrifying as that step may be. That's where faith comes in; That's where belief comes in Jesus called us to be his, to follow him and to obey his commands.
Today I want to talk to you about 5 steps that will put you in a position to witness the miracles of God in your life and in the life of this church.
- Follow Jesus. Not only do we have to intellectually learn Jesus. We have to commune with Jesus. We have for listen for the will of Jesus. We have to have a right understanding of who Jesus is as God's son and that we have salvation through his name. Because Jesus is the only one worthy to approach the throne of Grace. He is the only one with out flaw or blemish. Jesus is the only human to live without sin. So we approach the Throne of grace not in our own name, not in our own righteousness but in the name and the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
The Disciples in today's Gospel reading Jesus went away again to the other side of the sea and the crowd followed him again because he was healing them. Wouldn't you? If you were in the crowd and you saw that people were being healed by this man's touch wouldn't you follow him where ever he went. They were following him not as disciples but as those in need. It's good to come to Jesus with your needs but Jesus calls us to follow him in a different way. Jesus wants us to love him. And if we love him we will obey his commands. If we love him and want to follow him we will live as he instructs us. He went up the mountain that day with his disciples, you know the ones that were really following him in the way he wanted. And when the crowd of people came there he tested Philip with a question about how to feed this big crowd. Philip answered the way many of us would: with doubt. Sure it was a logical assessment of the situation. For all we know Philip estimated the cost of feeding the crowd quite accurately. But that's not what Jesus was getting at. Which brings us to step 2 in putting yourself in a position to witness God's miracles. Step 1 was follow Jesus.
- Look for the faintest possibility of a course of action. As Philip was doing his calculations and explaining why they wouldn't be able to feed the crowd a little kid probably approached the disciple Andrew and offered his food that he brought with him. It wasn't much but he offered it. Andrew could have patted the boy on the head and dismissed him as often happens to people who don't come up with the solution that those in charge are expecting or wanting. But that didn't happen. They had nothing to feed the crowd and this boy had a little. And so Andrew offered it to Jesus. It wasn't a solution but it was something. We don't always have to know the whole solution to take a step toward solving a problem.
- Take a step toward solving the problem/changing the circumstances. They had 5 loaves of Bread and two fish to work with. They started distributing food. Everyone had what they needed. We may be tempted to try to explain this miracle. Some have suggest that once the boy shared his food, every body that brought food started sharing theirs as well and found that with that supply there was enough. But the text doesn't give us that option of interpretation. “So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves where left by those who had eaten.” The fragments were from the 5 loaves. It was a miracle. The people were so impressed, the text reads, “Therefore when the people saw the sing which he had performed, they said, 'this is truly the Prophet who is come into the world.' so Jesus perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make him king, withdrew again tot the mountain by himself alone.” This takes us to the next step:
- Stay on course. It wasn't about the miracle! Jesus wasn't about impressing people. Jesus intent was to teach his followers to trust in him. Trust that if they act in faith that they can do all that Jesus did while he was on this earth. Jesus offers us rest. But Jesus does not offer a life of comfort. The crowd was looking for comfort. They wanted to make him king so that all their problems would go away. But this was not Jesus intention. Jesus teaches trust and faith in Him, not reliance and a dependance on miracles. We have to stay on course. Wonderful things happen in the life of faith. One of the challenges we face is being distracted by the mean rather than focusing on the end. Feeding 5000 people is a good and necessary. Jesus commands us to feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty and to clothe the naked. But that is not the end. The end is to have and to teach faith in Jesus Christ. Which brings us back to our final step in putting ourselves in a position to witness God's miracles in our life and in the life of the church.
- Make Sure Jesus is in the Boat with you. When Jesus was on that mountain the disciples went on ahead without Jesus. I don't know what they were thinking. Maybe they figured they had it all figured out on their own and they didn't need to bother with Jesus any more. Maybe they got tired of waiting for Jesus. But when they got a good distance away from Jesus that's when they got into trouble. That's when they got scared and were crying. And Jesus came to them on the water. Now are we going to worry about the details of how this happened or are we going to understand that in the disciples time of trouble Jesus came to them where they were even though they left him behind!
So how is it with you today? Are you chasing Jesus looking for a miracle or are you positioning yourself to be the miracle?
No comments:
Post a Comment