DAY SIXTY-FIVE: 

Raising Lazarus from the Dead 

John 11:1-44 

All this week we've been looking at some of the miracles that Jesus performed. So far we've considered four miracles: feeding 5,000 + people with just five loaves of bread and two fish; walking on water; healing a blind man; and delivering a demon-possessed man from his bondage to Satan. All of these fit the two definitions of miracles: first, each of these cannot be explained by natural means; and they point to God and bring glory to Him. Today we're going to look at the greatest of Jesus' miracles, raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. This miracle, witnessed by hundreds of Jerusalem's most prominent citizens, attested that He was indeed the Messiah of Israel and the Son of Man. This miracle also set into motion the events of Jesus' final week.

Jesus had three very special friends whom He and His disciples stayed with every time they were in Jerusalem. They were Mary, Martha and Lazarus. They lived in a little village just over the crest of the Mount of Olives named Bethany. We're told it was a Sabbath day's journey (a couple of miles) from the city. Verse two identifies Mary as the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with perfume and dried them with her hair. (John 12:1-8, Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:1-9- Luke 7:36-50, though similar, is an entirely different incident) We read in Luke 10:38-42 of a time when Jesus visited. Mary sat and Jesus' feet listening to him while Martha ran about trying to get a meal ready. Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to help. Jesus replied, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." We find no mention of Lazarus except in John's gospel and even here he didn't say anything.

Jesus received a message from Martha and Mary that Lazarus was deathly ill. Understood in the message was a plea for Jesus to come and heal him before it's too late. But instead of heading right away for Bethany, Jesus stayed two more days where He had been ministering. Then all of a sudden He told the disciples to pack up and head south. This made the disciples uncomfortable. Jesus barely escaped stoning the last time they were in Jerusalem. It was suicide to go back! He told them of Lazarus' death, and that He was glad for their sakes that His friend had died, so that they might believe. It appears that Jesus was constrained from leaving for Bethany for a couple of days, but when that constraint was lifted He wanted to leave right away.

When Jesus arrived Lazarus had already been in the grave for four days. It was necessary, due to Israel's hot climate, to bury the dead as quickly as possible. The funeral service and prayers for the dead came later. The period of mourning lasted up to 40 days with guests coming to comfort their bereaved friends. This was a prominent family, and John tells us that many Jews came to offer their sympathy.

Martha went out to meet Jesus. She said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Martha no doubt wondered why Jesus didn't come right away and heal Lazarus. Yet she still has faith in Jesus. He replied, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said she knew that her brother would rise, along with everyone else, at the end of the age. But Jesus pushed way past that: "I am the resurrection and the life.Whoever believes in me,though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Jesus not only has life, He life itself. He not only hopes for the resurrection of the dead, He IS the resurrection. Jesus said in John 5:25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." Jesus asked Martha if she believed this. She answered, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,who is coming into the world."

Jesus went with Martha to the house. Marty didn't come out to greet Jesus as Martha did. Perhaps she was bitter that He didn't come before Lazarus died. Martha sent word that Jesus wanted to see her, and she ran out to Him. She fell at His feet and wept. "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." She once sat at Jesus' feet, soaking in His wonderful words. Once again she's at His feet, but this time she is grieving unconsolably. Emotions start to bubble up inside Jesus. Remember, He was God Himself, yet He was also a man, in every way like us. The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35, "Jesus wept." Just two words, but so rich in meaning. Jesus experienced the same sorrow that we do when a loved one dies. One of my favorite hymns is "Does Jesus Care?" This verse shows that He does care about our sorrow and pain!

Jesus went out to the garden behind the house to see the tomb. He ordered the stone to be rolled away. Martha protested that Lazarus had been dead four days. I love the King James Version's rendering: "He stinketh." Jesus said do it anyway. Then He prayed, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me." Then He yelled out, "Lazarus, come out!" And Lazarus did just that, still wrapped in the linen strips and with a cloth wrapped around his face. He must have had to waddle to the entrance! Jesus said to unwrap him, and under all that cloth was Lazarus, alive and well, cured of the disease that had killed him. Jesus raised the widow of Nain's son when He saw the funeral procession. He raised Jairus' daughter. Each of these had been dead for less than a day, probably just a few hours. Lazarus was rotting away when Jesus raise him.

This is where our reading ends, but we need to look at the aftermath. First, many of the most prominent citizens of Jerusalem witnessed this miracle. They believed in Jesus- how could you not believe if you'd seen Lazarus come out of his tomb? Yet there were some who went to the Pharisees and reported what had happened. Certainly they would finally believe. How could they deny that Jesus was the Messiah if He could raise a man who was four days dead? But they didn't believe. Their hearts, like Pharaoh's, were hardened and they hated Jesus all the more. They feared that everyone would believe in Jesus and that the Romans would crack down hard. Caiaphas, the high priest, said, "...it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish." (John 11:50) John comments that even though he didn't realize it, Caiaphas was prophesying. "...Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad." The miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead was the catalyst that led to the cross.

Jesus is the Lord of Life! The raising of Lazarus from the dead is incontrovertible proof. As John said back in the first chapter, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." Jesus offers us life- all we have to do is believe. Eternal life doesn't begin when we die, it begins when we are born again (John 3:3). We're living the reality of eternal life right now! If this isn't good news, there is no such thing as good news.

Why, then, did the Pharisees and the other Jewish leaders not believe? They were expecting a Messiah who would affirm what they had done and make them His officials in a restored Israel. Jesus threatened the place they had made for themselves and the prestige they enjoyed. But beneath all of this we see fear. Yesterday I mentioned M. Scott Peck and his book People of the Lie. He wrote that fear underlies evil, a fear that will not allow faith. John wrote in 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." If they could not accept Jesus they had no choice but to destroy Him. From that moment Jesus was under a death sentence, even before He was arrested and tried.

The movie version of Jesus Christ Superstar came out in 1973 and had a remake in 2000. Here is a scene from the latter version, where the Jewish leaders discuss Jesus and His growing popularity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU7htB3cyo4

DAY SIXTY-FOUR: 

Healing a Demon-Possessed Man 

Mark 5:1-20

Today we look at how Jesus dealt with the demonic powers. This was a large part of His earthly ministry, and He gave His disciples the authority to cast out devils. We're usually uncertain and even a bit frightened of this subject. Let's see what we can learn from this and other passages.

Jesus and the disciples sailed to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, to the land of the Gerasenes. We know this area today as the Golan Heights, a part of Syria but occupied by Israel since the Six Day War in 1967. It has some of the most fertile farmland in the world. In Jesus' day it was part of a region known as the Decapolis (ten cities). These ten cities were heavily influenced by Greek culture.

When they arrived a welcoming party was waiting for them. A man with an "unclean spirit" ran out from among the tombs where he lived. He was a wild man, breaking out of any chains used to bind him. The people of the area heard him crying out at night, and he gashed himself with rocks. Not exactly the Welcome Wagon! This man ran at Jesus, but then bowed down before Him. "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." The unclean spirit knew exactly who Jesus was and what kind of power He had. Jesus asked the man for his name. He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." A Roman legion at full strength had 10,000 men. That's a lot of demons! The demons bargained with Jesus. "Don't send us out of the country! Let us go instead into that herd of pigs over there." Jesus agreed, and the legion of unclean spirits left the man, entered the pigs and made the entire herd jump off the cliff into the Sea of Galilee, where they drowned. This man whom no one could tame was now calm. Someone offered him clothes and he put them on.

The pig herders ran off and told what had happened. Others came to check it out and saw the former demoniac just sitting there, clothed and in his right mind. They were frightened and asked Jesus to leave the region. The man who had the legion of demons wanted to get into the boat and join Jesus and His disciples. But Jesus said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." The man did just that, and he was an incredible witness for Jesus all through the Decapolis.

Jesus sent His disciples out with this mandate: "And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay." The disciples had full authority to do what Jesus did, and they did it! They were full of joy when they reported to Jesus, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" (Luke 10:17) Jesus replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:18-19)

What does all of this mean for us today? We don't hear a whole lot about the demonic any more. Does that mean that supernatural evil forces aren't at work in peoples' lives any more? No, said the late M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist who became a Christian. He details his journey from atheism to faith in his first book The Road Less Traveled. It is his second book, People of the Lie, that I've found very helpful in understanding the supernatural forces behind human evil. Peck saw narcissism, the belief that you're the most important person and that the rules don't apply to you, as the root of evil. Extreme narcissists become psychopaths. He related these conditions to the unseen spiritual forces of Satan and his demons. I have to agree with most of what Peck wrote. When you read about Satan in the Bible it's obvious that he's the supreme narcissist. It only stands to reason that his followers would have that same bent. Satan cannot bear the thought that he is subject to God. He rebelled against God and set to work undermining His work. The serpent appealed to Eve's vanity and pride when he tempted her to eat the forbidden fruit. Every temptation involves pride and self-centeredness in one way or another.

What about the church's ministry today? Should we be casting out demons? I think so, when necessary. We have the same authority that Jesus gave His disciples. The real battle, though, is played out on a far bigger field, and this is where we can best serve. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:10-12 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." The weapons of earthly warfare, like guns and swords, are useless in this battle. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..." Our chief weapon is prayer. Through prayer we demolish Satan's stronghold and weaken his grip on the people around us who are slaves to sin. Prayer is at the same time the most important and the most neglected task. It's vital that we pray as individuals and in groups to break down all that stands in the way of the Kingdom of God. The Moravian Church in Herrnhut, Germany held a prayer meeting that lasted 100 years! They prayed in one-hour shifts around the clock for a century. The article I've linked to mentions that this small community sent out 300 missionaries. That's great, but a whole lot more than that happened during this century of prayer. John Wesley and George Whitefield had powerful evangelistic ministries. There were two major revivals in America during that time and all sorts of other advances for the Kingdom. I have to believe that this prayer meeting was a key to all of that.

One last word: It's easy to get wrapped up in fighting demons. We can start to see devils behind every tree. No doubt they're out there. But Jesus told His disciples, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

I found this very powerful praise and worship song, "Break Every Chain," by a group called Jesus Culture. It's nine minutes long and at first I felt like its repetition was unnecessary. But as I listened the message grabbed hold of me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtyVdC7E6Wo

DAY SIXTY-THREE: 

Healing A Blind Man 

John 9:1-41 

Today we come to one of my very favorite passages. We find in it an important key for understanding God's work in our lives, punctuated with some of the best humor in the entire Bible. 

Jesus and the disciples were walking through Jerusalem on a Sabbath day. They saw a man who had been blind from birth, begging for anything someone might give him. The disciples asked Jesus what seemed to them a logical question: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" They saw blindness as a curse, and a curse is the result of sin. It was a foregone conclusion, then, that SOMEONE sinned. Who was it- the man himself or his parents?

Jesus' answer: "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him." Job's friends assumed that he must have sinned for all that misfortune to befall him. But like this blind man, Job lost everything not because of his sin, but so that God would be glorified. We will see that this man was born blind so that God would be glorified when Jesus healed him. This man has a part in something far bigger than just himself. Jesus said, "We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Just as the blind man would see light, so everyone would see Jesus, the light of the world, through this miracle.

Jesus spit on the ground and made some mud with his saliva. That sounds disgusting to us, but people used saliva as a medicine in those days (and there's some validity to that). Jesus put the mud on the man's eyes and told him to go and wash it off in the nearby Pool of Siloam. The man staggered there in blindness, walked away seeing for the first time in his life! Everyone was amazed. Some thought that this can't be the beggar we saw every day- this man just looks like him. They asked what happened, and the man told them "The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed and received my sight." They asked where Jesus was, but the man didn't know.

Nothing escaped the attention of the religious authorities, especially when Jesus was involved. In the previous chapter Jesus engaged in a heated debate with them which ended when they were ready to stone Him for his claim "Before Abraham was, I am." Now Jesus once again healed on the Sabbath, thereby breaking their rules. They had to get ahead of this before the news spread all over Jerusalem. They brought the man in for questioning. These learned scholars of the Law of Moses thought they would bully this illiterate into denouncing Jesus. It didn't work out that way.

Under questioning the man said that Jesus made mud and put it on his eyes. Then He told him to wash it off in the Pool of Siloam. Aha! Not only did Jesus heal this man on the Sabbath, but He also made mud. TWO violations of the Law! This man desecrates God's holy day, and therefore He cannot be of God. Yet some of the Pharisees were beginning to wonder. How could a man do something like this if God is not with Him? So the hard-liners went at the man again, and he stuck to his story. They even brought in the man's parents, who affirmed that he was born blind. They didn't want any trouble, though, so they told the Pharisees that their son was of age and he can answer for himself.

They called the blind man back in and started a full-court press. This man is a sinner! The man replied, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." When asked again how he came to see he said I already told you. Are you asking because you want to become Jesus' disciples? This enraged the Pharisees. They were Moses' disciples, not followers of this man Jesus. But the formerly blind man's logic is unassailable: "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." Check and mate! This unlearned man had confounded the experts. The Pharisees had no answer, but couldn't tolerate the thought that this man was right and they were wrong. So they did the only thing they could do if they wanted to continue in their beliefs. They kicked him out!

Jesus heard what had happened and tracked the man down. He asked, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" Remember, this man has never seen Jesus- he was still blind when Jesus sent him to wash off the mud. He replied, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said you're looking at Him. The man fell down before Jesus and worshipped Him. He was forever grateful not only for the gift of sight but for the mercy that the Son of Man had shown him.

Jesus commented, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." Some Pharisees overheard and were offended. Is Jesus saying that they are blind? Jesus answered, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains." The Pharisees were not physically blind, but were willfully blind when it came to the things of God. Jesus is the light of the world, but they refused to welcome that light because it revealed their own sins.

Life is full of hard and unanswerable questions. Why did my child get sick and die? Why am I confined to a wheelchair? Why are so many people starving in this world? Sometimes we can see the consequences of specific sins. In many cases people are starving because it's politically expedient to starve one's enemies. Sometimes people bear the consequences of their own sins, like an armed robber who is shot while committing a crime. But why are children born with things like spina bidfida, cerebral palsy, autism and all kinds of maladies? Why does someone in the prime of life suffer from Lou Gehrig's Disease? Why does God allow evil things, like child molestation?

We don't like it when life doesn't make sense. So we try to make sense of it. We tell grieving parents who have lost a child things like "God must have wanted another angel in heaven." We feel like we have to say something, but when we do it's usually the wrong thing. Job's friends were true friends when they shared his misery in silence for seven days. It was when they opened their mouths that they became Job's tormentors by trying to explain what had happened to him. There are no magic words. If there were, I'm sure they would have taught them to me in seminary.

Jesus said that the man was born blind so that the glory of God might be shown in him. That's true of every one of us, regardless of our health. God, in His wise Providence, determined the course of your life and mine before He created the universe. (Ephesians 1:3-6) He created us to glorify Him with the good works He prepared beforehand for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10) When we were discussing the life of Joseph and the terrible injustices that he endured, I recommended a classic book, The Crook in the Lot, by Thomas Boston. This book also speaks to the questions we face today. We may not like the difficulties that God has allowed into our lives, but He loves us and will use those circumstances to bring glory to Himself and blessings to us and others.

What about healing? You can see evangelists on TV who have healing lines at their services. People come to the stage with all kinds of problems. The evangelist prays and the people stagger and sometimes fall. But then they show signs of being healed. Is this for real? I'm not so sure. Some of this is outright deceit (the evangelist Peter Popoff was caught receiving prompts via a small receiver in his ear from his wife, who had interviewed the people and knew of their needs). Other times it's a case of the person wanting to be healed so badly that they believe they are. I have no doubt that there are genuine healings. God can do anything, and He loves to surprise us. Most of what God does, however, He can accomplish through Providence (His control of all things under the laws He has established). He gives us doctors as instruments of healing. Sometimes God allows our diseases and infirmities to run their course. He calls us to glorify Him and bless others in this life, despite our ailments. He promises us perfect healing with Him in heaven.

I can't think of anyone better to give us a word of encouragement than Joni Eareckson Tada. She suffered a spinal cord injury in a diving accident when she was 17 years old. She has spent the last 47 years as a quadriplegic. This is a clip from an interview ten years ago with Larry King.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Foffh-gneRs

DAY SIXTY-TWO: 

Walking on Water 

Matthew 14:22-36 

Yesterday we looked at the feeding of the five thousand. After everybody had eaten and all the scraps were collected Jesus sent His disciples across the Sea of Galilee while He remained behind. Jesus went up on a mountain to pray while the disciples headed west toward Genessaret. Jesus would join up with them later, presumably walking around the lake. It was dark by the time the disciples were in the middle of their journey. This was of no particular concern to them because they often went fishing at night- you have to go after the fish when they're biting! But on this night a monster storm suddenly came down on them. This was one of the dangers fishermen faced on the Sea of Galilee. The surface is about 100 feet below sea level with mountains surrounding it on all sides. A storm could sweep in without warning. The fishermen knew companions who had lost their boats and even their lives. They tried every trick they knew to steer into the storm and ride it out to no avail.

In the fourth watch of the night, which was just before dawn, the disciples saw Jesus. He was walking on the water as easily as they walked on land! The frightened men thought this was a ghost. But then Jesus spoke to them: "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." Peter was skeptical and said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." Jesus said "Come." Peter got out of the boat and found himself walking on the water, just like Jesus! What an amazing thing! Then Peter looked around and realized where he was. He was scared, and he began to sink. "Lord, save me!" he cried. Jesus grabbed hold of Peter and said, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" They walked back to the boat together and when they boarded the storm subsided. This made a big impression on the disciples. They said, "Truly you are the Son of God." A miracle, you'll remember from yesterday, not only is something that can't be explained naturally. It must also point to God and teach us something about Him. The feeding of the 5,000 showed God's love and care for us and His promise to meet our physical needs. What does this miracle, Jesus walking on water, teach us about God?

This miracle teaches us about faith. The disciples were frightened as the storm threatened to sink them. Then Jesus came strolling along, walking on top of the breaking waves! Peter asked Jesus to prove it was really Him. He asked to walk to Jesus on the water. Jesus told him to come. When Peter stepped out of the boat he didn't sink! It was as if the water was dry land. He took one step, then another, then another. He was doing it! Peter was walking on water, just like Jesus. Just then Peter looked around and realized what he was doing. It was impossible to walk on the water, and especially so during a raging storm. Despite the fact that he WAS walking on water, Peter was scared and began to sink. Jesus rescued him and chided him for his "little faith." The Greek word is oligopistos, a compound of the word for small or tiny and faith. Faith in the Bible is more than just accepting something as fact. Faith is believing with our whole beings, trusting God for everything we need. Jesus used this word five times, each directed toward the disciples.

Remember that Jesus performed miracles not in His own strength or by His right as God. He put aside all the powers and rights of being God and was just as limited as we are. He walked on water by faith. Peter also walked on water by faith. He trusted Jesus when He said "Come." Peter faltered when he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at his circumstances. Jesus had a big job for the disciples. He told them on His last night with them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) The disciples are in training to become apostles, leaders of Christ's body. When we get to the Book of Acts in a couple of weeks you'll see what Peter and his colleagues accomplished. They did indeed do greater works than Jesus, not just with miracles but with the spread of the Gospel throughout the Roman world before the last of them died.

I'll speak for myself now, and if what I say fits your situation you can take it to heart. I realized recently that I've spent my whole life playing it safe. I want to see where I'm going, be within sight of the shore. I'm not fond of change. But God has been convicting me for my little faith. I can look back and see so many missed opportunities, and so many times where I did what looked sensible to me and it didn't end well. I know I need to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) I want to get out of the boat and follow where He leads! Just about every church I've been around has also played it safe. We see how well that has worked. It's time for the church to get out of the boat, too. There's a community around us with lots of people who need what God has so graciously given us. Let's take some risks and reach out!

Here's a beautiful song from our Aussie friends at Hillsong based on this miracle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPq3wAqLvKI

DAY SIXTY-ONE: 

Feeding the Five Thousand 

Luke 9:1-17 

This week we'll look at some of the miracles of Jesus. Before we discuss miracles we should define what is a miracle. The dictionary definition is, "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency." Kris Samons of Probe Ministries adds another important dimension to the definition: "A miracle is a sign that God uses to point to Himself; the same way we follow signs to find a museum or an airport." It's not enough to say that a miracle occurs outside of natural law. It also has to point somehow to God. Every morning for their forty-year sojourn in the wilderness God fed Israel with manna, bread from heaven, in enough quantity to feed over a million and a half people in an inhospitable wilderness. This was a daily reminder of God's love and power. We can see in each of Jesus' miracles a sign that verified His claims to be the Son of God and Messiah of Israel.

Chapter 9 of Luke's Gospel begins with Jesus sending out His disciples to minister without Him. This gave the disciples, who in time would become apostles and lead the church, an opportunity to learn of God's power. It also gave Jesus an extended time when He could be alone in prayer. He "...gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal." The important thing for us to realize here is that the disciples performed miracles the same way that Jesus did, through trusting in God. Philippians 2:6-7 says of Jesus, "...who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men." Even though He was God He did not use His power as God to do any of His miracles (that's what the devil tried to get Him to do when he tempted Jesus). When He was on the earth, Jesus was like us in every respect and took on our same limitations.

Next we read a little blurb about King Herod. He's the one who reluctantly beheaded John the Baptist. Herod was conflicted over John: he disliked hearing that his relationship with his brother's wife was sinful, yet he gladly listened to John and at some level knew he was right. Now word has arrived at his palace about Jesus and the miracles He performed. This was back before TV news, so we can pardon Herod for thinking that John had come back to life. Herod wanted to see Jesus, and indeed he would soon enough.

Now we come to the feeding of the 5,000. This is the only miracle found in all four gospels. The disciples returned from their mission and reported to Jesus what had happened. Luke doesn't record what the twelve disciples said, but I'm sure it was similar to what we read in the next chapter when Jesus sent out 72 followers by twos: "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" (10:17) Jesus wanted to take them away to the area around Bethsaida for a time apart. They would need it, just as Jesus did, after ministering to the crowds. Word got out, though, and the people followed. Jesus didn't get angry that His plans were thwarted. Instead He welcomed them and ministered to the people. He taught them about the Kingdom and healed their diseases.

It was past mid-afternoon and the disciples were concerned for the people. These people had missed lunch to come here and it will be suppertime soon. They told Jesus He'd better send them away so that they can go into the towns and buy some food. But Jesus said to the disciples, "You give them something to eat." John tells us that Phillip replied "Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little." A denarius was a day's wage for a workingman. That's a lot of money, and it wouldn't buy enough so that everyone could have a little taste. John went on to report that Andrew, Peter's brother, came to Jesus and said, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?" These were little barley loaves, akin to hamburger buns today, and the fish were probably on the small side, like panfish. Unlike everybody else, this boy had thought to bring some food. But we're told that there were 5,000 men alone, not counting women and children. But Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups of about 50. Jesus then prayed, thanking God for this food and the disciples began to distribute the loaves and fishes to the people. The baskets never went empty! Everyone ate his fill. They were so full that when Jesus told the disciples to pick up all of the pieces they filled twelve baskets. These were probably fairly large baskets with handles, holding about two bushels (this is the same word used of the basket used to lower Paul over the wall of Damascus). Most of these people existed on the edge of hunger. They were fortunate to eat two small meals a day. Jesus fed them so much food that they couldn't eat another bite and didn't care about taking the leftovers home! Matthew and Mark record that Jesus performed a similar miracle later, feeding 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread. (Matthew 15:38 and Mark 8:9)

This miracle shows Jesus' concern for our physical needs and well-being. Mark's account says, "When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd." In the Sermon on the Mount He taught us that we don't need to worry about what we will eat, drink or wear. Our Heavenly Father will care for us. Jesus taught us to pray "Give us this day our daily bread."

John's account of the aftermath of this miracle is also important to help us keep things in proper perspective. Jesus sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee at nightfall while He stayed to pray. Then a storm arose and the disciples feared for their lives. Then Jesus came strolling by on the water as if He were out for a Sunday walk! (We'll look at this miracle of walking on water later in the week). It wasn't long before the crowd showed up to see Jesus again! They wanted more of that miraculous and free food. Jesus could feed everyone so that they'd never be hungry again.

But Jesus didn't perform a miracle this time. He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." (John 6:26-27) Jesus didn't come just to feed our bodies. He came for a much greater purpose, to show us how to have eternal life. He went on to say, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (6:35) This confused the crowd, and He went on to confuse them even more when He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." (6:53) That sounded like cannibalism, and the people responded, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" (6:60) At this point those great big crowds started to thin out dramatically. Jesus wasn't going to give away free bread. They didn't understand that He was offering them something much, much better.

Here is the feeding of the 5,000 from the Jesus of Nazareth miniseries from 1977. Overall I think this 600-minute portrayal is the best that's ever been done. I'm not as fond of this scene because Jesus somehow seems other-worldly and doesn't pray over the food. Yet I think it captures the crowd's excitement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E1A4pLtFDY

DAY SIXTY: 

The Prodigal Son 

Luke 15:11-32

Today we look at another of Jesus' "people parables," popularly known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The word prodigal means "spending money or resources freely and recklessly" Tim Keller, the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, argues that it is not the son but rather the father, who is the prodigal in this story. His lavish love is a picture of God's love for us.

Chapter 15 begins, "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.'" Jesus didn't respond to their charges with a reasoned discourse but rather with a series of parables about "lost" things: a shepherd goes out to look for his lost sheep; a woman goes to great lengths to find her lost coin; and a father welcomes back his lost son.

In this last parable Jesus told the story of a father who had two sons. One day the youngest asked his father to give him his share of the estate early, so that he can go out and enjoy it now. He is in effect wishing that his father were already dead. This is an absolutely outrageous request! The father had every right to throw his impudent son out on his rear. But, amazingly, the father agrees. The Law of Moses specified that the eldest son receive a double portion. In this case, with two sons, the estate was divided into thirds. The elder received two-thirds and the younger one-third. The father would not have that kind of cash lying around so he had to sell some livestock and maybe even some land. But he got the money together and with a heavy heart bade his son farewell.

Next stop: a far country! He went wild and found out how quickly he could blow through his father's hard-earned money. He was flat broke in a foreign land when a depression struck the far country. He had no money and no prospects for a job. He sank so low that he agreed to herd some hogs. The pay: all the bitter carob husks, the same food he fed the swine, that he could eat. He was absolutely miserable. He came to his senses and realized what he had thrown away. His father took good care of his servants. He knew that he didn't deserve anything from his father, but he also knew his father was a generous man and just might take him back as a servant. He looked toward home and then headed out. The trip back felt a whole lot longer than the trip out. He left full of excitement but is returning in disgrace. He doesn't know if his father will make him a servant. If he does, he knows he'll have to endure whatever his older brother dishes up. Nonetheless he's on his way home, rehearsing his speech over and over and over: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."

Home was within sight! He longed for his father and was ashamed of what he had done. What awaited him? He'd find out soon. The father saw his son on the horizon and ran out to meet him! This is exceptional, because it was not proper for a mature man to run. It wasn't dignified. But the father didn't care about dignity. He hiked up his robes and ran to embrace his son! The son launched into his well-practiced speech: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." That's as far as he got. His father called out to the servants to get a robe and sandals for his son. Then he told them to put a ring on his son's finger. This was the family signet ring, used to authenticate documents. He was giving the checkbook back to his son who had blown through one-third of his estate! Then he told the servants to slaughter that calf he'd been fattening up and get the grill going. Call the neighbors! We're having a party! "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."

The older son stayed and worked with his father and the servants. His little brother wasn't much help when he was around, but his absence made more more for everyone else. Day after day he dutifully rose before dawn and worked until after sunset. He never gave his father any problems. Now he comes back from the fields after a hard day's work and hears music and singing! Then he smells the unmistakable aroma of beef roasting on a spit. Nobody told him there was going to be a party! He asked one of the servants what was going on. "Your brother is back! Your father was so happy that he ordered this feast- he even told us to cook up the fatted calf. All the neighbors are here. I'll go and tell your father that you're here."

The older brother was furious! That little weasel came back after nearly impoverishing us. And Dad is throwing him a party the likes of which this town has never seen. It was all too much for him. He refused to go into the party. He didn't want to see his slimly baby brother, and he didn't want to see his father either.

The father came out to check on his older son. His refusal to join the party was a slap in his face, but the father ignored it. He pleaded with his son to come in and see his brother. Years of bottled-up resentment poured out and he spoke disrespectfully to his father. "Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!" The father's response is so beautiful: "Son,you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."

This is where the story ends. Jesus didn't say whether the older brother came to the party, or whether he reconciled with his brother and father. Each listener must come to his or her own conclusion.

Tim Keller points out that there are TWO lost brothers in this parable. The younger son, who left his father's side to pursue worldly pleasures, was clearly lost. All his hopes and dreams turned to ashes and he reaped the consequences of his sin. But what about the older brother? Even though he didn't go anywhere, he was just as lost. He sat at the same dinner table with his father every night, but did he share his heart or listen to his father share his heart? He went through life thinking that his good behavior and faithful service entitled him to his father's love and acceptance. He disdained his wayward brother and resented his refusal to join him in keeping up with all of the responsibilities of the household. It's easy to see that the younger brother represented those tax collectors, prostitutes and other sinners that gathered around Jesus. They were lost. Their Heavenly Father is looking for them and all the angels in heaven rejoice when one of them comes home. The older brother is a picture of the Pharisees and the scribes. They were the church people of their day. They were proud of their piety and devotion. They stayed close to the Father but didn't really give themselves to Him. They were so close, yet so far, from God.

We see the sinners all around us, the people who forsake God and look for meaning in life elsewhere. Like the younger son they reap the consequences. Yet God loves them and calls to them to come home. Where is home? Jesus' sheepfold, His church, where He watches over all of His sheep. Some of us have been in the sheepfold all of our lives, like the older brother. We've been good and obedient. It's easy for us to despise the younger brothers in our world and resent God's lavish generosity to them. We've deferred our hopes and desires so that we can serve God, and we've never had a fatted calf either. Yet we're always with God, and all His blessings are ours. We just don't receive them. This parable gave Jesus' listeners a lot to think about, and it is worth our consideration today.

I found a real treasure, a blast from my past, which I'd like to share with with you. Isaac Airfreight was a trio that performed Christian skit comedy in the 1970s and 80s. I went to see them in Canton when I was in college. This was ripped from a vinyl album and you can hear the pops and crackles. Those of you who are younger than 50 might not get all of the humor, but it's still enjoyable. I present the story of "Prodigal Joe."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeNHYfXAibw

DAY FIFTY-NINE: 

The Good Samaritan 

Luke 10:25-37 

Yesterday we looked at the parables that used illustrations from everyday life to describe the Kingdom of Heaven: seed, soil, weeds, fish, etc. Today and tomorrow we'll look at parables that tell stories about people. These stories caught the attention of His hearers and distracted them while He outflanked their defenses. By the time He finished the story everyone knew that He had made His point.

He used object parables to teach the crowds, but used people parables to address individuals. In this instance a lawyer (not an attorney as we know them, but rather a scribe, a scholar of the Law of Moses) came to Jesus with a question: "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" That's the most important question anyone can ask! Jesus answered this question with another question. You know the Law. What does it say? The scribe had a ready answer: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." We often assume that the two great commandments, to love God and others, originated with Jesus. They didn't. The first commandment, to love God, comes from Deuteronomy 6:5. The second, to love neighbor as oneself, is found in Leviticus 19:18. The Rabbis in the generations before Jesus taught these great commandments. This was one of the first things a young man learned in Synagogue School.

Jesus said, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." The scribe knew the answer to the question even before he came to Jesus. But it wasn't the answer he wanted. So he asked a follow-up question: just exactly WHO is my neighbor? We saw how Jesus addressed this question in the Sermon on the Mount: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." (Matthew 5:43-44) Instead of repeating Himself Jesus told a story.

A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. As the crow flies it's just 15 miles. But as my father pointed out, unless you can fly you don't travel that way. The journey is over twice that far on the ground. Jerusalem is 2,500 feet above sea level, and Jericho is over 700 feet BELOW sea level. The road twists and turns and winds all over. It goes through an inhospitable wilderness, and there are many places for robbers to hide. It wasn't safe to make the journey alone, but this man is all by himself and indeed he met some robbers. They beat him and took everything, even his clothes. Then they left him in the hot sun to die. His only hope is for someone to come by and help him.

He was in luck! A priest came by. Surely he would help. But the priest looked at the man and then walked on. "What if this man dies while I'm helping him? If that happens I've touched a dead body and I would be defiled. I couldn't fulfill my priestly duties for a day. I feel badly for this guy, but I have a higher calling and just can't help him." So the priest went on his way.

Then a Levite, one who helps the priests and administers the tithes, came by. Surely he would stop. But like the priest he went by on the other side. He too had duties to perform and thought he couldn't afford risking defilement. The man's groans went unanswered.

Then a Samaritan came by. You've heard, no doubt, that the Jews and Samaritans hated each other. That simple statement, however, doesn't convey the depth of their animosity. The Samaritans were the remnant of the ten northern tribes of Israel who were left behind when the Assyrians deported most of the population and brought in foreigners to take their place. They tried to preserve their faith, building a temple and carrying out sacrifices atop Mt. Gerizim, near Shechem. Judah later fell to Babylon and went into exile for 70 years. When they returned they were a small minority in their homeland. When they started to rebuild the Temple the Samaritans offered to help. The Jews told them to get lost. The Samaritans then joined with the foreigners around them to hinder the efforts to rebuild Jerusalem, its walls and the Temple. Many years later, when the Maccabees briefly ruled Judah, the Jews destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim. The Jews thought the Samaritans were no better than pagans, and the Samaritans thought the Jews had ruined the purity of the faith by adding to the Scriptures (the Samaritans believed that only the five books of Moses were authoritative). So yes, Jews and Samaritans hated one another! They each wished ill of the other and if a Samaritan were to find an injured Jew he most certainly would not help him.

But this Samaritan stopped. He got off his donkey and went over for a closer look. He saw that the man was badly wounded but still alive. He treated the wounds with wine (an antiseptic) and olive oil (it promoted healing) and then bandaged the man. The Samaritan put him on his donkey and took him to an inn. He cared for the man through the night, but it was apparent that he wasn't ready to travel. The Samaritan paid the innkeeper in advance for the man's room and board, and promised to pay if the innkeeper had to spend more. Then the Samaritan loaded up his donkey and continued his journey.

Jesus then said, "Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" There's only one answer. Not the priest or the Levite, but the hated Samaritan, proved to be a neighbor, and the Scribe had to admit as much. Jesus then said "You go and do likewise." Game, set and match! Hours of theological debate reduced to a simple story.

In this parable Jesus taught that everyone we meet is our neighbor. Not just the people who look and think like us. Everyone. We have a duty to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We appreciate it when others show us kindness, but do we always show that same kindness to others? Jesus spent a lot of time with tax collectors, prostitutes and other kinds of sinners. Where would He spend time today? I believe He'd hang with the same kinds of people, because they need Him and we're afraid to go near them, much less touch their lives. Even though we're not bound by the purity laws of the Old Testament, we still fear defilement.

Jesus told us what it will be like when He returns in Matthew 25:31-40. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." He welcomed the "sheep" into the kingdom, "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." (25:35-36). They wondered when they saw Jesus in that condition. He replied, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." The goats, however, He dispatched them to the "eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Why? Because they didn't help Jesus in these circumstances. "Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these,you did not do it to me." That's a lot to think about!

Here's a song that drives the message home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJG8vuuB-OA