Nature of Christ
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When I think about the miracles that Christ performed, there are some that I think are less “miraculous” and more examples of the nature of the Son of Man.
Cursing the Fig Tree
Cursing the Fig Tree
Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.
Have you ever gone to the cupboard, only to find the box of cereal is empty?
Or gone to the ‘fridge and found you were out of milk?
Jesus is walking along, and He’s hungry.
Jesus was a man, so He got hungry.
He sees a fig tree, and went to see if there were any figs.
But it wasn’t the season for figs.
And just like we do, He seems to show frustration.
Jesus cursed the fig tree.
Haven’t you cursed when something didn’t go the way you wanted?
But as with so many thing in the life of Jesus, there was more to the story than a simple curse.
Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
We don’t have too many fig trees around here.
But when I was a child, there were apple trees on my grandparents property.
My grandmother would send me out to pick apples.
As a young boy, what could be more fun than climbing a tree.
Of course, sometimes I couldn’t reach the apples, or they weren’t ripe yet.
I’m sure there were times I cursed the tree...
You see, I loved my grandmother’s apple pie :-)
But nothing ever happened.
But when Jesus cursed the fig tree, it dried up by the next day.
Even if there were a drought, it would take days or weeks for the tree to dry up,
But not when the creator of the universe cursed the tree.
Notice, Jesus’ actions were a mere fit of peak, but a chance to a lesson.
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Jesus says that if we have faith, we can move mountains.
Like something from the Star Wars movies.
“Do or do not, there is no try” —Yoda
Are we to be going about, waving our hands and commanding things to move around?
Or when we get into trouble, we can just waive our hands and claim “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for”?
As so many of the “name it and claim it crowd” quote:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Or is Jesus making another point?
We look at Jesus and say, “I could never do that.”
We look at the apostles and think, “Well sure, they could do that they were apostles.”
But Jesus just said that if you believe, and do not doubt, there is nothing you cannot do.
So when Scripture says you are to do something, and you say you cannot,
You are showing that you lack faith, that you have doubt.
This verse is not about doing “magic tricks”,
But pointing out that nothing is impossible, as long as you are following Christ and believe it will be so.
Philip & Nathanael Follow Christ
Philip & Nathanael Follow Christ
Next, let’s look at another “miracle” that doesn’t seem so miraculous.
The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
Think about how many times Jesus simply said the words “Follow Me.”
But this is not the point I’m looking at today...
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Philip heard that call, then reached out to Nathanael.
We aren’t told the relationship between Philip and Nathanael, but I think it’s safe to assume they were friends.
Philip was probably excited!
“We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote”.
We’ve found the guy we’ve been waiting for all these years and centuries.
And I’ve met HIM!
He’s Jesus of Nazareth...
And what is Nathanael’s response?
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Nathanael is at the very least, skeptical.
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Have you ever had someone come up to you acting like an old friend, but you have no idea who they are?
You’re almost embarrassed to ask “Who are you?”
Nathanael meets Jesus, who seems to know him.
So Nathanael asks… “Hos do You know me?”
Even before you were called, I saw you.
How many of us were introduced to Jesus, and wondered how He knew us.
Long before the call, Jesus saw us.
God created us.
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
Yet how often do we act as if Jesus doesn’t know all about us?
Isn’t aware of all that we have done?
Yet when Nathanael was confronted with this fact, his reaction was fitting.
Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Think of how many times Jesus was asked to give a sign.
Think of how many times you asked God for a sign or to prove Himself.
Nathanael recognized the divinity of Jesus because He knew him before He met him.
Yet what was Jesus’ reaction
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
You think Me seeing you under the fig tree was a big deal,
Just wait to what you will see as you follow me!
Woman at the Well
Woman at the Well
The last of these little “miracles” shows us that God will work where we don’t expect.
He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.
To say that Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along would be an understatement.
Jews traveling north to south would go out of their way to avoid Samaria.
Surprise, surprise, it was because of a religious disagreement.
But I’ll get to that in a minute.
So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
Jesus comes to a city near a plot of ground where Jacob had dug a well.
Land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
At that time, Jews divided the day, sunup to sundown, into 12 hours.
So being the sixth hour means it was mid-day.
Which will become important in a moment.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
A woman comes by to get water and Jesus asks her for a drink.
So far, nothing too miraculous seems to be happening.
Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
As I said, Jews and Samaritans don’t get along.
Even talking to a strange woman would a faux pa
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
We’ve all seen it, someone whose self-importance shows through.
“Do you know who I am?”
What does the creator of the universe say?
Lady, if you knew who you were talking to, you’d be asking ME for a drink of living water.
However, unlike those of us on earth, Jesus’ claim is no boast.
The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?
Dude, where are you going to get this living water?
You don’t have anything to draw with.
Besides, if you have access to water, what are you asking me for?
She hasn’t seen the point yet,
She thinks Jesus is talking about well water.
Then we see that this woman thinks Jesus is boasting.
Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
Just who do you think you are?
Are you greater than our father Jacob?
One of the patriarchs?
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