Lesson 3 - Giver of Life

Last week we studied how Jesus miraculously turned the water into wine. I Like how Mark Batterson in his book "The Grave Robber" describes it, "The first miracle at Cana was molecular. The catalyst was a chemical reaction that mutated water molecules, revealing His microscopic mastery of subatomic particles." 1 We are going to see tonight that even Jesus being physically present isn't a limiting factor to the miraculous workings of God.

Darrell Stettler jr. in one of his latest blog posts was reworking some of the great oratory on who Jesus is from some like S. M. Lockridge and others and came up with this. I really like this -

"Light is not the fastest human thing… thought is. Thought can travel anywhere in the blink of an eye. But if you let your thoughts race from here to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you would find that he was already there. Then if your thoughts raced back to the people you love and care for, you would find he was already beside them, before you decided to think of them.

He is faster than the fastest, higher than the highest, greater than the great…"2

I want us to see tonight that John is trying to give us a glimpse into not only the miraculous but the miracle maker - I want us to realize that The Miracle Maker is still Alive and well and hasn't lost any power - there are still miracles all around us so often we miss them due to preconceived notions, or prejudices, or busyness, or some other reason I hope after this study that we will be more alert to and believing in miracles.

The story really starts two days prior to this in Samaria when Jesus changes a life for a poor Samaritan woman and a mighty revival ensues and he stays for two days, then they come to Galilee.

Galilee is the northern portion of Palestine, and was the scene of most of the earthly ministry of Jesus.

It contained the cities of

Capernaum Bethsaida Cana Nazareth Nain

Verse 44 says something very interesting it quotes Jesus as saying, "John 4:44 (KJV)

44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country. "and then the very next verse we are told how they "received him." It looks like a contradiction but I think there is a simple explanation here are two options.

They only received him because of the miracles he did in Jerusalem… This is questionable but acceptable This is the one I lean more toward - Jesus did not go to Nazareth (which is in Galilee) his hometown he is in Cana

John 4:45 (KJV)

45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

The miracles

Having seen all the things Jesus did at Jerusalem

Cleansed the temple

Some scholars say that Jesus cleansed the temple twice during his earthly ministry I am not sure I fully agree with that - The details correspond with each other with very few discrepancies

Performed miracles

John 2:23 (KJV)

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.

Matthew 21:14-16 (KJV)

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,

16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

The Roman Ruler - when he came to Jesus begging for his son's life Jesus did not ask for his tax return, for the nobleman to give up his Roman citizenship, or to change Roman laws the only thing he asked for was faith - and a faith in more than his signs and wonders.

Jesus upon the first request says, "Except ye see signs and wonders you will not believe"

Jesus wants our faith on Him not on the works he can do - Certainly there is a ministry of miracles and I feel the Holiness church has been lacking in that area perhaps due to the outrageous claims of the Word of Faith and TV Healers - But if we are going to take Jesus we are going to have to accept his miracles too -

I've even used the argument before - if we already believe why do we need miracles - the only place Jesus didn't do miracles in his ministry was when he was not welcomed or a lack of faith - I pray LORD HELP ME TO BELIEVE IN MIRACLES Jesus never did signs and wonders to awe or amaze people, or bring applause it was to have them believe in HIM. This was not Jesus putting of the nobleman as much as it was a test of faith - and the nobleman passes the test as Jesus answers his request - although not perhaps in the way the nobleman thought Jesus simply said - "Go thy way thy son liveth" and the man turned and walked away believing in the Words of Jesus - no visible proof Just the word of God - what marvelous faith and yet that should be the daily privilege of all God's children Not only did the nobleman belive but it brought about the salvation of his household.

In 1825 Samuel Morse the painter and inventor was in Washington DC painting a portrait fo the leading French supporter of the American revolution. While he was painting a messenger delivered a one-line letter from his father that read, "Your dear wife is convalescent." By the time Morse reached his homein New Haven Connecticut his dear wife was already buried. Heartbroken that he had not known about his wifes illness for more than a week he stopped his painting and started tinkering and inventing. He wanted to invent a faster form of communication which was used for many years in fact the last telegram was sent from India July 14 2013 over 160 years since the first telegram was sent in the Us in 1844.

A large crowd gathered inside the Capitol May 24th, 1844 to witness the first telegram which contained a four word message chosen by Annie Ellsworth from Numbers 23:23 "What hath God wrought" It took someone who knew the special language invented by Sameul Morse to both send and decode the message it took wires and equipment. Then came telphones, cellphones, emails, texts all at a few keystrokes messages can be conveyed all the way across the world in seconds.

Yet none of that technology compares with what happened that day - when Jesus really doesn't tell the nobleman much just to go his way his son liveth - no verbal command to the sick child at least from John's gospel, not loud prayer or magestic hand waving simply "Go your way" and the miracle was done faster than light, a telegram a text a thought

The work was done.

Again going back to Mark Batterson I like how he words his description of this second miracle, "miracle is both physiological and geographical. Jesus relieves a dangerously high fever without the aid of acetaminophen. But the key fact is this: Jesus turns down the temperature from twenty miles away! Many of Jesus’ miracles happen via the laying on of hands, but this one is a long-distance miracle. The second miracle reveals more than His ability to regulate the hypothalamus, the brain’s thermostat. It shows off His macroscopic mastery of time and space"

2. Healing the official's son 4:43-54 Points to Jesus as the Giver of life First miracle the disciples believed on Him Results in the believing of the ruler and his household

1 Mark Batterson (2014-09-02T00:00:00+00:00). The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible (Kindle Locations 818-834). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

2 http://www.darrellstetler2.com/who-is-this-baby/