Epaggelia

Jesus came walking towards His disciples on the sea. When His disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying “Its a ghost.” But Jesus spoke to them “Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.” Peter answered Him “Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Jesus told Him “come”, and Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened and beginning to sink he cried out to Jesus to save him. Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him, saying to him “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying “Truly You are the Son of God.” 

What do you think would have happened, when Peter saw the waves and felt the water push him, if he would have not feared & doubted, and just remained standing still? The lake of Galilee is at least 140ft deep, and they were 3 or 4 miles off shore! Where the eyes of his heart were focused, was more important than where his feet were or what they were doing, Ephesians 1:17-18.

 The point of this miracle is to teach us how hard it is to walk spiritually with God, when storms hit us. The New Testament is used by God to teach us to keep walking and when the storms of life get fierce, we must STAND, Ephesians 6:10-18. But for most of our life as a Christian, we are to walk in newness of life, Romans 6:4. Walk by the rule that only a new creation counts for anything, Galatians 6:15-16. Walk in the good works God prepared for you, Ephesians 2:10. Walk in His love & light, Ephesians 5:2-8. Walk in wisdom, Colossians 4:5. Walk with him as a divine guest in the Spirit, Galatians 5:16-25. This is the second type of miracle, which Jesus uses to emphasize the necessity of “walking”. Firstly, he used the healing of the lame & paralyzed to restore strength for walking. Now he uses Peter’s faith to walk in impossible circumstances. There seems to be no doubt in anyone’s mind, that Peter was an experienced fisherman and of course a decent swimmer. But when it came to walking on water, he was totally clueless. So he put his faith in the powerful voice of Christ that said “COME”, (Mat. 14:29 & Job 37:5) stepped out of the boat & WALKED!  Sadly, within moments Peter put his eyes on the stormy waves and started sinking. Such is our common experience in getting distracted with problems in the world, throwing us off focus and away from the powerful word of God which is alive and used by God’s Spirit in the Bible. We must learn, believe and remember that storms in life are temporary, and God’s word is permanent! Walk with a determined faith in the Father’s love. He will catch us when we fall, IF we will pray in faith!

The testimony of everyone in the boat proclaiming Jesus to be the “Son of God” is Jesus proving to everyone in the boat, that he was in control of their whole world. John’s gospel doesn’t mention Peter’s steps on water and then sinking, John simply states that the disciples knew Jesus moved the boat instantly to the shore from 3 or 4 miles out. The Lake of Galilee is 13 miles long, and 8 miles wide, so to get to the shore “immediately” is impossible without some external force like Jesus commanding it to move. All of them were experienced fisherman, so they know how boats, water and the wind can and can not assist travel. John himself, in writing this, was an experienced fisherman, being the son of Zebedee, so he knew very well how far and how quick the boat traveled. The disciples were mainly interested in helping Jesus get into the boat, but they learnt Jesus was more interested in getting them to the shore! That is what Jesus wants for you and I. Getting us home is his goal. We can’t do God’s work in and all by our self, we need his assistance to stand, to walk and to end up on the shore, with Him! It was not only Peter, that Jesus helped defy gravity, but the entire boat. As Christians, we must stay in the boat, just like Noah & Paul instructs us. See the story in Acts 27:19-31.

God used Moses to feed thousands of people in the wilderness, through many years. Exodus 16 & Numbers 11. There was always more than enough manna and quail. God in Jesus comforts us in the reality that the “bread of life” we have in Jesus will always give us sustenance and more, for the power we need to live and do what is right. Read John 6:31-58. Why? Because he was moved with compassion when he saw weary crowds of people. We should learn that Jesus fed many different kinds of people, on two different occasions. Teaching the world that he is truly our souls provider and without him we would starve to death spiritually.

The first event of 5000 men, recorded in Mt. 14 & Mk.6 was predominantly a Jewish crowd, because both accounts feeding 5000 use the word “kophinos” for baskets, Mt. 14:20 & Mk. 6:43.

The second event of 4000 men, recorded in Mt. 15 & Mk. 8 is predominantly a Gentile crowd, because both accounts feeding 4000 use the word “spuris” for baskets, Mt. 15:37 & Mk. 8:8. Which may explain why the disciples don’t seem to expect Jesus to feed them, even after they saw him feed the Jewish crowd beforehand. Notice in the first event the disciples come to Jesus asking about food for the crowd, but in the second event, it is the other way around. Jesus asks the disciples about feeding the crowd. 

Notice, regardless of what kind of people are in the crowds, in each case, Jesus performs the miracle, but the disciples are commanded to distribute the miracle. Setting people in segregated groups of 50 – 100. Is there a lesson for the church to learn from this in the distribution of God’s word? His word is certainly produced miraculously and abundantly, but how do we distribute it? 

Paul taught in 2nd Corinthians 9:8-12, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that in everything, always having all self-sufficiency, you may abound to every good work; As it is written, “He scattered; he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains forever.” Now He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for eating, may He supply and multiply your seed, and increase the fruits of your righteousness, you being enriched in everything to all generosity, which works out thanksgiving to God through us. For the ministry of this service not only supplies the things lacking of the saints, but also multiplying through many thanksgivings to God”. Herein may be the whole point of preserving these miracles in the Bible, that is: God’s generosity towards us through His word, is what promotes praise & thanksgiving so that others in the world will get fed. The immediate reaction of the crowd in John 6:14-15, is to assume Jesus is the “prophet” which Moses said would come into the world. As soon as Jesus knew their conclusion, he withdrew because he knew they expected him to make an army in the world and defeat the idolatry of the Roman Empire, as Elijah defeated the idolatrous Baal worshipers in ancient times. Since Jesus had this kind of power, he could easily feed an army which could defeat any nation. What kind of army is Jesus feeding today?

There was a large crowd around the house Jesus was staying in Capernaum. With no room left in or outside the house, four men dug through the roof and lowered a paralyzed man on a mat, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw how strongly they believed that He would help, Jesus said to the sick man “Son your sins are forgiven!” Some of the Jewish leaders thought this was blasphemy, for only God can forgive sins. Jesus let them know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, and said to the paralytic “I say to you stand up, take your mat and go home”. The man stood up took the mat and went out before all of them, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this”. Everyone could see the faith of the men who carried the sick man, but it was only Jesus that could see the sick man’s faith, John 2:25, so it was a perfect opportunity to teach.

The idea of relating the power of his healing with the power to forgive sins, was a deliberate attempt of Jesus to get the Pharisee’s attention onto their sinful behavior towards the law. They were using the law to justify themselves as being righteous in keeping the law. The analogy is obvious; when we try to use rules to make us right in God’s sight, we immediately enslave ourselves to law itself, because none of us can keep it perfectly, it always condemns/captivates us, like paralysis! Only God can make us righteous and free. In John 5:1-15, Jesus healed a totally disabled sick man in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, who was very likely paralyzed, to make the same point. If keeping the Sabbath made us acceptable, and breaking the Sabbath made us a reject. Then the only way Jesus could help them understand how powerful God was in accepting people, was to use the Sabbath himself by healing a paralyzed person, they all thought was a reject! Don’t misunderstand God, the law of Moses was holy, but it wasn’t made nor used in order to make people righteous. The law existed and worked to teach people what holiness was, and give Jews an acceptable way to worship God. It didn’t make THEM acceptable, it made their sacrifices and work acceptable. A real teaching tool, Galatians 3:22-25.

When the paralyzed man in Jerusalem beside the Bethesda pool, was healed by Jesus, he didn’t know who Jesus was, Jon. 5:13. It was not his faith that attracted Jesus, it was the fact that he only had a bed, and it was the Sabbath. Jesus knew he needed the man’s consent to be healed, because he would use him as ammunition against his critics. This was love, he was not out to humiliate him and get him kicked out of the synagogue or Temple, but to put him on a journey with that bed which would lead him into the Kingdom of Christ. When we walk with Christ, we should make sure we walk with a reminder of what he has cleansed us from, never forget what you were saved from, and never lose focus on what your saved for. Walk in newness of life, Romans 6:4. Walk by the rule that only a new creation counts for anything, Galatians 6:15-16. Walk in the good works God prepared for you, Ephesians 2:10. Walk in His love & light, Ephesians 5:2-8. Walk in wisdom, Colossians 4:5. DO NOT walk as enemies of the cross, Philippians 3:18, but walk with him as your best friend in the Spirit, Galatians 5:16-25.

The very fact that we can walk in Christ, is a miracle, considering the fact that spiritually we couldn’t walk at all. Sin paralyzes our ability to do what is right and even think right, it is a miracle he forgives us and enables us to walk again. Thank God for his indescribable gift, 2nd Corinthians 9:15. When we were baptized we became babes in Christ, needing to grow & learn how to walk, 1st Peter 2:2, 1st Corinthians 3:1.

After preaching, Jesus came down the hillside followed by a large crowd. A leper approached Him, knelt before Him worshiping, and pleaded, “if You want to, You can cleanse me”. Jesus touched the man, and said to him “I am willing, be clean”. And instantly the leper was healed.
The law of Moses gave detailed instructions about the cleansing of lepers and even their residence, see Leviticus 13 – 14. The Levitical Priesthood had the duty to carry out these rules whenever a leper approached them. The legal specifics were long & drawn out with time consuming details. In the gospels, the lepers come to Jesus, who is not a priest, but was the obvious source of power when the Priests failed in their duty. Jesus was actually overriding the authority of the law, when he touched a leper, instead of breaking the law, he was over-riding it because of his instantaneous success. He wasn’t acting like a priest, but he was speeding up the process beyond anyone’s expectations. Why did he do this so powerfully? Because he was “moved with compassion”, Mk.1:41. His divine compassion would not allow him to become unclean by touching the leper, instead, the leper instantly became wholly clean!
There is no natural remedy, or self-cure, nor topical ointments that could touch the depths of this bacterial infection. This lack of a cure, however, did not mean that people were not cleansed of the disease. God healed Naaman by having him wash seven times in the Jordan (Lk. 4:27 & 2nd Kings 5) What is impossible with men, is possible with God. Leprosy was an inward disease, Even though you saw leprosy on the outside of the body, the real cause of the disease was lying beneath the surface. The sores and other problems were symptoms of the disease, but the cause ran deeper still. Sin is precisely the same. Sin proceeds from a sinful heart. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. – Matthew 15:19. Just like the leper would have the disease long before it even began to show, sin does its work in us well before others may ever see it. It often starts with secret sins, when we are ignorant of sin’s consequences. Then it begins to show itself in public sin, then when we defend and justify our sin, it starts to fester and putrefy, it all starts from within. James 1:14-15
The fact that Jesus touched the leper (Mt. 8:3) is astounding because if anyone else had come in contact with a leper, they would have become unclean. Jesus, however, touches the leper, and the opposite happens; the leper becomes clean. We are sinners deserving judgment, and God being a just God must punish sin. It is by His loving will that His merits are applied to us. We should ‘fear’, because He does not reach out with His healing hand and touch just anyone; We should ‘hope’, because He very frequently touches the most miserable. He bore the wrathful justice that sin deserved when the Father sent his Son to the cross. For those who have faith in Jesus, their sins can be forgiven because their just punishment was placed upon Christ. God will judge every sin, and His wrath will either be poured out on the sinner or upon Christ in their place. This substitution is why God can be both just and the justifier of sinners. How do we receive this cleansing? Are there works of righteousness we must fulfill to merit this forgiveness? The answer is no. But back in Lev. 13 we see a picture of how Jewish Priests could declare cleansing. Now, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” – 1 John 1:9. This is the point of Jesus sending the leper straight to the Priesthood, proving to the Nation, that their God-given authority was coming to an end, Luke 5:12-15.

One day, the crowds at the sermon of Jesus were so large, he had to get into Peter’s boat and teach off the shore of Lake Galilee. When Jesus finished speaking He told Simon to go out in the deeper water and let down his nets. Simon replied “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if You say so, we will try again”. And this time the nets were so full, they began to tear. A shout for help brought in another boat and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. It was during this miracle Jesus told his closest disciples, “Do not be afraid, from now on you will be fishing for people’s souls. See Jude v23. Never forget that in their day, the fishermen were only as good as their nets, if it tore, getting help was urgent & mandatory. Fellowship in fishing for the souls of men is a necessity. No Christian does this by yourself, even an apostle needed an apostleship. They had miraculous power and eye-witness testimony, but working as a team is still mandatory. 

Even when Jesus blessed Peter’s fishing business with miraculous gain, it was not for a larger profit. It’s goal was to give Peter who was still holding on to a physical goal, into a new spiritual goal. Proving that Jesus does give courage to Christians who are exhausted and/or anxious. See Romans 5:3-6, remembering that Jesus tells each of us to carry our cross, Luke 9:23, but even he needed help. Luke 23:26 & John 19:16-17. Read Galatians 6:9. 

If we are shown just a single person is interested in God’s message in Jesus, we should try to fish for them. Prayerful patience turns physical followers into spiritual students and none of us knows how many fish that will lead to. See Colossians 4:2-4. In another analogy Paul used, we are like brilliant glints of light in the darkness & no one knows how far we shine. Philippians 2:15, Revelation 21:11 & Ephesians 5:8-11.

Spiritual courage is not like physical courage. One takes faith in Christ who is bigger than you, the other takes faith in yourself as bigger than other people. We should value spiritual courage as better than physical courage, Matthew 13:47 & Acts 2:4 & 18:9 & 27:24, Ephesians 6:10, 1st Peter 4:11 & 2nd Corinthians 8:23.
Jesus repeated this miracle, after his resurrection, as his third sighting with the bewildered apostles, John 21:4-11. Do we know why? Because even eye-witnesses of his power need to be taught & reminded of our source.

Jesus healed many people of all kinds of illnesses. As explained in the Gospel of Luke: “At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah” (Luke 4:40-41). Jesus also would not allow his enemies to capture him before the perfect timing of his sacrifice. Both acts of restraint are miraculous. Why?

This type of miracle in two scenarios, enacted towards demons and people have a common goal; Which is the evil intent or purpose of undermining Christ’s mission. If Jesus permitted demons to keep on testifying, it would easily prompt people to think of the Messiah only as a miracle worker and not as the Servant of God coming to redeem sinners from eternal death and hell. The same can be said for his physical enemies trying to arrest him and/or kill him before the perfect timing of Our Father in Jesus. The Pharisees’s evil intent to thwart God’s perfect plan, would allow people to accept Jesus as just another martyr and not the King of kings orchestrating the redemption of humanity in his self-sacrifice by crucifixion on his own terms. In both scenarios, the sovereignty of God in Jesus is being attacked, and Jesus won’t let it continue, MIRACULOUSLY. See Luke 4:28-30 & John 10:39. The best examples of this miraculous power is his open rebuke of the Priests in the Temple courtyards, while everyone knew posted & armed guards were available! John 2:13-25 & Matthew 21:12-13 & 23-27.

This type of miracle was even enforced by the apostle Paul towards the servant girl possessed by Satan in Acts 16:16-18. After Paul performed such miraculous power, he would be tested before courts and given the opportunity to attribute this power to Christ as Sovereign! Today, when we are given any evidence of God’s power over sinful situations, it is the sovereignty of Christ that we should proclaim openly! We should remember to proclaim His rule with compassion, as in most examples of his miraculous restraint, he would heal the sick & oppressed at the same time. Speak the truth in love, Ephesians 4:15.

Even when Jesus was giving himself over to his enemies he restrained them from killing him while being beaten repeatedly and while being scourged. Many people die while being persecuted in those ways. Was it the miraculous power of restraint on his enemies by Jesus that allowed such prolonged suffering until he died at the right time on a cross? What do you believe is the purpose of such slow torment? To prove his love for us all, even the worst of us who were in open rebellion.

Jesus had completed a full circle in his travels (walking), and being back in Cana where he had turned water into wine (the first sign), he met a court official who had a direct link to royalty. This nobleman was so anxious about his son that he traveled from Capernaum to Cana, being away, he could’ve missed this son’s death, because there are at least 24 miles between both towns. This was a huge act of faith on the part of the father of noble-birth, he is truly walking by faith in Jesus as he makes the journey. Walking by faith is prescribed in at least 7 New Testament verses (2nd Cor. 12:18, Acts 9:31, 1st Jon 2:6, 2nd Jon 1:4, Gal. 5:16 & 26.. Paul mandates Christians should walk by faith in Christ in 2nd Corinthians 5:7. Jesus recognizes his faith and heals his son from over 24 miles away!

How did Jesus know who the boy was?

How did Jesus know where the boy was?

When did Jesus know the boy needed help?

Even after the father’s journey, Jesus still inquires into the authenticity of the father’s faith, “except you see signs…, you will not believe”, the father then replies, “come or he dies”. For some reason the father’s faith in Jesus is unwavering, and he holds Jesus in a unique position of power. Do we?

When Jesus said to a grief-stricken Martha that he was “The Resurrection & The Life”, Jon 11:25-27, could you reply? “Yes Lord, I believe…”. There are three other titles Jesus accepts which relates to his power over death. The Way, The Truth & The Life, and the Author of Life, John 14:6 & Acts 3:15.
The father’s journey back home was in faith, and his official entourage would be easily spotted by the messengers meeting him on the road between Cana & Capernaum. Most English versions of the Bible record the verification in their conversation about the timing of the miracle as the “seventh hour”, which in our verbiage would be close to 1pm. So we know the household was awake when the boy’s fever left him and it was not an overnight occurrence, everyone there would have recognized the moment he began feeling better. This miracle was the “second sign” 4:54, and it was different from the first sign, in that it was directed towards the Nobleman and his household in Capernaum. The first sign was directed towards his disciples. Now, he is sending a message of God’s powerful love to new believers outside his group of disciples. They’re faith is entirely dependent on the word of the father, his explanation of when and who pronounced the healing is what engenders faith in Jesus for this household in Capernaum, 24 miles away from Jesus in Cana. When the church prayed for Peter in prison, we are not told how far apart they were between the prison and the house, but it was quite a distance away when Peter got to share his explanation of what God did (Acts 12:1-17). Do you believe God can answer prayers powerfully over great distances and leave you totally unaware of the answer’s timing?