FROM THE PASTOR

jesus' miracles

Have you been thinking lately, we need a miracle! The gospel reading for Sunday the 25th of July was John 6:1-21; Jesus feeds the 5000 and walks on the water. Have you ever wondered, why did Jesus do miracles? To show how clever he was? To make people believe in him? To prove Jesus is God?
 
The gospel writer, St John, prefers to use the word “Signs” when speaking of Jesus performing miracles (Jesus did miraculous signs). The focus is not the miracle itself but the sign. This is important for John, lest any reader be lead astray. A sign is simply a pointer. That’s what signs do don’t they? The point to something. So, when Jesus performs the sign of turning water into wine, the main thing was not the miracle itself, but what the miracle points to! And what exactly does that miraculous sign point to? Someone said it this way: “The Messianic Kingship has arrived in Jesus, let the celebrations begin!”. The Messianic promise made by God and foretold by the prophets long ago has now come. God’s kingdom in Christ, is blessing, abundant joy, peace between God and us. The kingdom of God is here, light and life is here as against darkness and death! As wine brings gladness to the heart, so Jesus brings the goodness and love of God to us!
So why did Jesus perform miracles like that and what we have in John 6? To show how clever Jesus was? To prove Jesus is God? No. none of that. Wherever and whenever a miracle happened it was done to always to show God keeping his promise. The miracle was to show more of God’s nature, rather than the kind of miracle that took place. From the time our parents, sponsors, gave us children’s Bible story books (I still have some of my Arch ones! And we read them to our boys), through Sunday school and Confirmation classes, to the regular readings in worship services, we hear of the many miracles that Jesus performed. Miracles like:
 
healing the sick,
raised the dead
making the blind see.
 
Yet Jesus wasn’t always calming storms, turning water into wine and healing people; so again, why did Jesus do miracles? For the same reason Jesus did everything else; to fulfil the promises of the Messiah proclaimed throughout the Old Testament.
 
We need to be a bit careful when we think of Jesus’ miracles, because sometimes we think maybe God should do a miracle for me, perform a miracle in my life; perform a miracle somewhere else; maybe, make this bad situation that I’m experiencing right now, and make it all go away. Dear friends, we do well to remember, as great and wonderful, even compassionate as Jesus’ signs were; they were only temporary:
 
The wine, at the wedding at Cana, was drunk
The calm waters became stormy again
The five thousand would be hungry again
The ones healed, even raised from the dead, would die
 
But one miracle would last forever; Jesus died for the sins of the world, breaking the power of sin, death and the devil. Jesus died and was laid in a tomb; only for the power of God raising Jesus’ dead body to life and destroying death and the grave with it! That my dear friends was the greatest miracle of all.
 



We Pray For:
† The church and all that is given and received to enable it to grow (the Holy Spirit, faith, blessings, offerings, people called to serve etc).
† Chaplains who work in places of healing, hospitals, mental health hospitals, nursing homes and rest homes.
† All healers, doctors, nurses, parish nurses, the medical profession in general.
† All people who will never leave hospital and those with incurable diseases,
especially children.