The Messiah and His Miracles (Continued)

The Second of the Significant Miracles in John – Healing a Ruler’s Son

The second sign that John records is the healing of the sick son of a royal official, a boy who was at the point of death. Jesus, located in Cana, was asked by a nobleman, to visit Capernaum to heal his son. From the narrative it appears that this father was an Herodian, not merely a servant of Herod but one devoted to his family out of principles of submission and conscience. The Greek work basilikos suggests a man of high standing in the court of Herod. The reply of the Messiah to the Herodian’s request was: “unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe” (John 4:48). In this response, he was levelling a charge that not only applied to the Jews generally, but to Herod’s court in particular. Luke tells us that Herod himself rejoiced when Pilate sent Jesus to him: “for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him” (Luke 23:8). The Herodian, now a distraught father, continued to plead: “Sir, come down before my child dies!” to which the Messiah responded, “Go your way; your son lives”. The word of the Lord was accepted, the son was healed from that very hour, and both the nobleman and those of his household became believers in Jesus the Messiah.

There are those that would identify this man with Chuza, the steward of Herod, whose wife became one of them that ministered of their wealth to the needs of the Messiah. Whether or not that was so, the Messianic message entered Herod’s palace through this healing, and thus the sign accomplished its purpose for a family, although its effect on the court of Herod was minimal. The opposition of Herod and his followers was obdurate to the end. Mark recorded two later incidents. “The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him" (Mark 3:6), and “Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement” (Mark 12:13). The Pharisees used the enmity of Herod as a political weapon, when they raised the question of divorce while Jesus was in his area of jurisdiction. The answer to this question got Jesus’ forerunner John imprisoned.

Capernaum, the location of this “second” sign, was the place where Jesus made His home during the time of His public ministry. It was a place that saw many of His miracles, described by Jesus as “mighty works” (Matt.11:20), and a place that received much blessing from His presence. Besides the royal official’s son, He healed the centurion’s servant there, the paralytic who was carried by his four friends, and Peter’s mother-in-law. Capernaum was one of the places where He healed “all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed”. To emphasise the point Mark records the scene: “The whole city was gathered at the door. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons” (Mark 1:32-34). 

Yet, the people of Capernaum generally remained impenitent, and although privileged to see many mighty works of the Messiah, nevertheless rejected His Messianic claim. This failure to respond to His gracious ministry brought down upon them a heavy denunciation of judgement: “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you” (Matt.11:23,24). Signs and wonders do not guarantee faith in Jesus. The sign of the prophet Jonah will repeat this truth. In Capernaum, in miniature, was seen what would happen nationally. The generation to which Israel’s Messiah came, did not believe, in spite of the vast array of attesting signs, and as a result, suffered the judgement of God.

Jesus the Messiah, in His association with Capernaum, demonstrated His exceptional knowledge of the human heart when He knew, even at an early stage, that its citizens would reject Him. Their opposition was in spite of the great swathe of miracles He performed and in spite of this extraordinary sign that He effected for a leading citizen of the town, a miracle that He executed at a distance of some miles.

His prophetic utterance not only revealed great wisdom but also hinted that He would occupy the position of ‘Judge of all the earth’, and would have authority to bar obdurate unbelievers from heaven and consign them to Hades.

The Third of the Significant Miracles in John – Healing a Disabled Man

The third sign is the healing of a severely disabled man. It was in Jerusalem, the nation’s capital, and at the pool of Bethesda, near the sheep gate. It was at the time of an un-named feast. Whereas in the previous miracle those in need approached the Messiah, here with evident intent, He took the initiative. Out of the crowd at the poolside, He selected a physical wreck of a man, and asked him if he wished to be healed. The Bible tells us that the waters of Bethesda had healing virtue at certain seasons. The “certain seasons” (John 5:4) were probably feast times. So among the “multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and paralysed” (John 5:3) was this paralytic. He responded to the stranger’s invitation by saying that the only resource, the healing waters, were out of his reach during the short time they were blessed. Jesus permitted no further objections and healed him with the words, “take up your bed and walk”.

Not knowing the identity of his benefactor, the now healthy Israelite climbed the Temple mount for the first time in nearly four decades, there to give thanks and praise to God for His beneficence. The merciful Messiah had given yet another person a new start, both physically and spiritually. Later that day, the One who not only had the power to loose from sin, but also to bind, found the man still in the Temple, and warned him, “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14). 

This sign, performed as it was in the nation’s capital, has somewhat of a national application. The Sanhedrin had not yet published their decision, so Jesus offers, in Jerusalem, a further fingerpost sign. The cure at the poolside demonstrated that the ‘miqweh’, ‘the immersion pool’, ‘the fountain of living waters’, ‘the Hope of Israel’ Himself, was present to heal. If they rejected Him they would be guilty of the same two sins as the generation that was taken into captivity: “they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jer.2:13).

The long-term invalid was a man whose condition was the result of obdurate sin. He had been chronically ill and disadvantaged for 38 years. This period of time reminds us of the generation which wandered in the wilderness for a further 38 years after God had found them guilty of ‘stiff-necked’ sin. If this sign is for the nation, then it must be a warning to those rebel leaders of the current generation. The warning to the newly invigorated man contained the pregnant phrase, “lest a worse thing come upon you”. Later, when Jesus was accused of being demon-possessed and formally rejected by the Sanhedrin, he told the leadership that a worse thing would come upon them. Their condition would deteriorate by a factor of seven because of their rejection of His Messianic claim.

The emphasis here is on the matter of sin. The principles are: “the invalid is not healed until his sins are forgiven” (cf.James 5:15), and: “who can forgive sins, but God alone?” (Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21). At the pool of Bethesda, served by the fountain of Siloam, Jesus brings into focus the prophecy of Zechariah: “there shall be a fountain (wellspring) opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness” (Zech.13:1).

This healing took place on the Sabbath, and the reaction of those that had political power was to persecute Jesus and conspire to kill Him. Their Messiah indicated that He had had no alternative but to follow His mission, obey His Father, and heal the invalid: “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working” (John 5:17). The Sanhedrists were further incensed: “for this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18).

The Messiah and His Miracles (Continued)

AUTHENTICATING MIRACLES IN JOHN’S GOSPEL – THE ATTESTING SIGNS

While the attesting miracles in John are recorded that the ‘whoever’ might believe, they each have significance, either for the nation or the disciples, and sometimes for both. There are 17 references using the word ‘σημεiον’ (semeion) in John’s gospel – in the NKJV translated ‘sign’ each time. They are 2.11; 2:18; 2:23; 3:2; 4:48; 4:54; 6:2; 6:14; 6:26; 6:30; 7:31; 9:16; 10:41; 11:47; 12:18; 12.37; 20.30.

John listed and described the attesting miracles so that the readers might believe. For that reason, it is interesting to note that the miracle signs did not always accomplish that purpose when performed in the presence of others. John’s first reference that includes the word ‘semeion’ is 2.11, “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him”. Here, the sign for His disciples accomplished the stated purpose, “His disciples believed in Him”. The last verse that includes the ‘semeion’ (apart from the summary text) is 12.37, “But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him.” Here, the signs for the general population and especially the leadership did not accomplish the designed objective. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” These texts encapsulate two of the main points - there was more than enough evidence for the nation to believe – so many signs – but only a remnant did.

Now let us consider the miracles (signs) as recorded by John. They are:

1. Changing water into wine

2. Healing a ruler’s son

3. Healing a disabled man

4. Feeding a large crowd

5. Walking on the sea

6. Healing the man born blind

7. Raising a dead man

8. The miraculous catch of fish

The First of the Significant Miracles in John – Changing Water into Wine

John identifies the miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee as being the first. Nevertheless, it appears from the words of the Messiah that it is out of chronological order. The grace of God permits it, but the real significance of the miracle applies to the end of His life. This is why He said to His mother, “my hour has not yet come” (John 2:4).

The main facts are these. Jesus and His disciples attended a wedding where they ran out of wine. When His mother brought this information to His attention, she expected Him to do something about it. He commandeered the six giant water pots that held water for the ritual cleansing of the family and guests. Each of the water pots held between twenty and thirty gallons. The Messiah ordered the servants to fill them with water. The servants filled them to the brim. He changed this water into wine – the best wine, according to the governor of the celebrations. John adds, “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11).

This first miracle demonstrates the seeds of the move from law to grace. John had previously stated, “the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). The water, which had been set aside for the rituals of purification, is a reminder of the legal requirements imposed on the population at that time. The Pharisees wanted the general population to observe the rules of purification that the priests in the Temple obeyed. They were aiming to establish a kingdom of priests! These champions of legalism were legislating joy out of the nation. Jesus turned the water, symbolic of the ritual cleansing under the Mosaic covenant, into wine, the symbol both of the New Covenant, where it represents the blood of the Messiah shed for sin, and the blessing under the Melchizedekian priesthood. In providing between 120 and 180 gallons of best wine it is also a physical illustration of the text, “I am come that you might have life and that more abundantly” (John 10:10).

At a wedding feast, they formally drank several cups of wine. The first was the cup of Terumah, which denoted that the virgin bride might have had a priest as a bridegroom. (The Church’s bridegroom will be the High Priest of the order of Melchizedek). The second cup was the cup of good news when they proclaimed and certified the virginity of the bride. (The Church is espoused to Christ as a chaste virgin). They pronounced the bridegroom’s blessing over the third cup, a blessing that was repeated every day of the feast.

At this wedding attended by Jesus and His disciples, the supply of wine ran dry. Mary asked her son to address the problem. Jesus, as Messiah of Israel, rather than Mary’s son, responded to the challenge.

It is unlikely the wine ran out before they drank the cup of Terumah, because that took place at the beginning of the celebrations. For the same reason, it is unlikely, that it was before the cup of good news. It could be that the problem surfaced when the governor of the feast was preparing to pronounce another of the bridegroom’s blessings, or perhaps a blessing after the order of the customary sevenfold marriage blessing.

Nowadays, the sevenfold marriage blessing is:

1. You abound in blessings, Adonai our God, who created the fruit of the vine.

2. You abound in blessings, Adonai our God, You created all things for Your glory.

3. You abound in blessings, Adonai our God, You created humanity.

4. You abound in blessings, Adonai our God, You made humankind in Your image, after Your likeness, and you prepared for us a perpetual relationship. You abound in blessings, Adonai our God, you created humanity.

5. May she who was barren rejoice when her children are united in her midst in joy. You abound in blessings, Adonai our God, who makes Zion rejoice with her children.

6. You make these beloved companions greatly rejoice even as You rejoiced in Your creation in the Garden of Eden as of old. You abound in blessings, Adonai our God, who makes the bridegroom and bride to rejoice.

7. You abound in blessings, Adonai our God, who created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight, love, fellowship, peace and friendship. Soon may there be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the jubilant voice of bridegrooms from their canopies and of youths from their feasts of song. You abound in blessings, Adonai our God, You make the bridegroom rejoice with the bride.

For blessings of joy very similar to these, Jesus provided the wine. The One who was present in Cana was the Creator the fruit of the vine (blessing No.1), and created all things for His glory (blessing No.2). He created man (blessing No.3) in His likeness, and for a relationship (blessing No.4). He had rejoiced with Adam and Eve in Eden (blessing No.6), and wished to bless Zion (blessing Nos.5&7). If they would receive Him they would have joy “up to the brim” – new wine!

The suggestion, that the symbolism of the provision of wine had more to do with the end of His ministry than the beginning, gains strength, when the wine that was drunk at the Passover meal is considered. As at the wedding, wine plays a significant part in the symbolism of Passover. Even the poorest Israelite must drink from at least four cups of wine. Jesus’s last meal before His execution was the Passover celebration. The first cup of wine at that meal had a double blessing pronounced over it. The house of Hillel say, “He (the governor of the feast) says a blessing over the wine, and afterward he says a blessing over the day” (Pesahim 10.2.1.C (Mishnah)). The House of Shammai say, “He says a blessing over the day, and afterward he says a blessing over the wine” (Pesahim 10.2.1.B (Mishnah)). The blessing over the wine was the same as that pronounced at the wedding. When they drank the second cup of wine, the governor of the feast would recount the reasons for the celebration of Passover. The Passover meal itself, which included the roast lamb, was followed with a third cup of wine, the “cup of blessing”. This cup, “the cup after supper”, “the cup of blessing which we bless” (1 Cor.10:16), is the one over which Jesus Messiah pronounced the words, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). At the drinking of the fourth cup they completed the singing of the Hallel. Matthew and Mark record: “After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Matt.26:30; Mark 14:26). Thus,

(i) Jesus began the celebration with the joy of thanksgiving with the first cup, ‘the cup of thanksgiving’.

(ii) In connection with the drinking of the second cup, ‘the cup of redemption’ He recounted YHWH’s grace in redeeming Israel from bondage.

(iii) The significance of the third cup, ‘the cup of blessing’ was redefined and given a new name, ‘the cup of the new covenant’.

(iv) Jesus concluded the feast in the customary way. He drank the fourth cup, ‘the cup of praise’, and sang the final part of the Hallel.

These cups were “mixed”, that is, they contained both wine and water, which adds further significance to the sacrifice of the Messiah upon the cross, when “blood and water” poured from His side. Blood and water are the two ritual cleansing agents and were the two cleansing agents of leprosy!

The timing of this first miracle is emphasised by John as “the third day”. The first day of this first week recorded by John is 1.19-28; the second day introduced by the phrase, “the next day”, is 1.29-34; the third day recorded as, “again the next day”, is 1.35-42; the fourth day, identified by the phrase, “the following day” is 1.43-51. It is on the third day after that, i.e. after the fourth day, that there was a marriage. At the end of the first week in Genesis, the pre-incarnate Son of God attended a marriage between Adam and Eve. At the end of the first week that John records, the incarnate Son of God also attended a marriage!

Those attending the wedding were aware of the significance given to marriage in the T’nach. It was customary, then as now, to reflect on the marriage that took place in the Garden of Eden, which God blessed by His presence. (See blessing No.6 above). Jesus used this occasion to reveal Himself to His disciples as the creator God, or as John puts it, Jesus, “manifested (revealed) His glory” (John 2:11), that is made visible and known, the glory of God incarnate. ‘Manifested’ or ‘revealed’ is a word to indicate a revelation - something hid, now visible. It is the word that Jesus used in His high priestly prayer, when He asserted that He had disclosed to them the divine reality, the Name of God, “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world” (John17:6). No wonder John declared, “… the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory” (John 1:14). 

The Messiah and His Miracles (Continued)

Authenticating Signs in John's Gospel

THE SIGN FOR THE FORERUNNER OF THE MESSIAH

Before looking at the miracles (signs) in John’s gospel, it is appropriate to pause for a moment and look at the sign from heaven that identified Jesus as the Son of God. Before Jesus started His public ministry, John the Baptist had a remarkable experience. He spoke of it. “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1.32-34). Here then is the first sign of deity. At the baptism of the Messiah, the invisible Spirit of God took physical form as a dove and rested upon Him as a sign.

We can better understand the implications of this sign when we consider it in conjunction with another event. The Temple authorities asked Jesus for a sign when He first cleansed the Temple. Having driven out the mercenary influences from the Temple area, they wanted Jesus to justify His actions, so they asked Him: “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” (John 2.18) He replied: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2.19). John explained that He was speaking of His body not the Jewish second temple. Here Jesus is already intimating the sign that will occupy our attention later, that of the prophet Jonah: “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt.12.40). But our immediate concern is the reference to His body as the Temple.

The Temple of Solomon (as also the Tabernacle) had certain things that signified and authorised it as the place where man could meet with God. They included:

(i) the divine presence/the divine glory

(ii) the instruments of divine guidance, the Urim and Thummim,

(iii) the anointing oil,

(iv) the ark with the mercy seat and the cherubim.

These were lacking in Herod’s Temple. When the destruction of Solomon’s temple drew near, the divine presence went up from the Propitiatory and never returned. The ark with the mercy seat and cherubim was lost; as was the recipe for the anointing oil. The oracle by Urim and Thummim was never restored. The Talmudists said, “Things are not asked or inquired after now (by Urim and Thummim) by the High Priest, because he does not speak by the Holy Spirit, nor does there any divine afflatus breathe on him”.

Its association with the name of Herod further degraded the Temple. The Jews object: “It is not permitted to anyone to demolish one synagogue, till he has built another”. Therefore, it was much more heinous to demolish the Temple; but Herod ignored such concerns and demolished the Temple before rebuilding it.

The sign to the Baptist and the statement of the Messiah when taken together, declare that the building, (i) which bore the unholy name of Herod, and (ii) which was governed by a band of thieves, and (iii) was home to those who opposed God’s true Messiah, could not be the true Temple of God.

On the other hand,

(i) Jesus the Messiah, was graced with the divine presence as the Bat Kohls testify, and although for the most part the divine glory was veiled there was a night when a mountain top was lit up by a light brighter than the noon-day sun.

(ii) Because He had access to the divine presence, He had divine guidance better than that which was available through the use of the Urim and Thummim.

(iii) Furthermore, His title Messiah, which means ‘Anointed’, required Him to be anointed to fulfil His office. This anointing took place on the bank of Jordan when the Spirit of God descended and rested upon Him. Jesus would also be the One to pour out the Spirit at the Feast of Pentecost after His ascension.

(iv) Jesus Messiah is also our propitiatory. ‘’Tw ἱλαστήριον’ (hilastērion) refers to the ‘mercy seat’ in the Sanctuary . A similar word is used of the Messiah. John the Apostle wrote, “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation (‘ἱλασμός’ (hilasmos)) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” And again, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (‘ἱλασμός’ (hilasmos)).for our sins.” He is our propitiatory. Not only so, but the mercy seat was protected by angelic guardians. So also the Messiah, especially at those times when He was most vulnerable to attacks from the Evil One.

In other words, the real Temple of God, (where God can truly meet with man), which has the Shekinah Glory, the Holy Spirit, the Propitiatory, the oracle of the Urim and Thummin, the protecting cherubim and the anointing oil, is the body of Christ, identified to the Baptist by the Father.

More Next Time

The Messiah and His Miracles (Continued)

Further attesting signs

Raising the Dead

Besides healing those who were almost dead, Jesus Messiah raised those who had died. The gospel narratives record the raising of the dead in general terms. When the Messiah gave His disciples power to raise the dead , they reported back with the words, “the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them”  (Matt.11.5). 

The gospel writers have also included a sample selection of this particular genre of miracle. The three synoptic writers recorded the ‘quickening’ of a young girl, the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler. Luke adds an incident when Jesus stopped a funeral to raise a widow’s son. In addition, John is famous for his narrative of the raising of Lazarus, beloved brother of Mary and Martha, who had been in the tomb four days.

A comparison of the 3 miracles would show :


1. A daughter. 2. A son. 3. A brother.

1. Just died. 2. Dead a day. 3. Dead four days.

1. In the home. 2. At the funeral. 3. At the cemetery.

1. Raised from a bed. 2. Raised from a bier. 3. Raised from the tomb.

1. She ate 2. He talked 3. He walked.

Raising the dead was the most startling of all His miracles. To give sight to the blind was wonderful, to loosen the limbs of the paralysed extraordinary, to cleanse a leper was amazing, to provide hearing for the deaf and speech for the dumb was remarkable, to give clarity of thought to the lunatic was astonishing, but when He raised the dead He did all these things at one time. To give life to a corpse, especially one who had been days in the grave, was astounding. The cadaver is blind, deaf, dumb, paralysed, numb, unclean and without a thought in its head, all together. In giving them the essence of life he provided sight, speech, feeling, hearing, mobility and best of all a head full of thoughts, imaginations and aspirations – in other words, He caused them to live.

Nevertheless, it was still not the final answer, for each of these three died again, but they were tokens of an ultimate resurrection. Martha said, “I know that he (my brother Lazarus) will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11.24) The resurrection of which Martha spoke, is still future – then the dead will rise no more to die. Confidence in that respect is high, because Jesus raised the dead while incarnate on earth. The second fact that gives confidence is, Jesus also rose from the dead - rose to die no more – He is the firstfruits of those that died. In Jesus we have the answer to the question Ezekiel raised in the giant graveyard, “can these bones live?” Messiah’s answer is an unequivocal ‘Yes’.

When Jesus died He descended into Hades, and emptied that part where the Old Testament saints were resting, namely, that section of Hades called Abraham’s bosom or Paradise. As a sign that this was accomplished the Messiah sent into Jerusalem many resurrected saints after His own resurrection. It was the sign of the prophet Jonah multiplied many times.

Next Time : Authenticating Miracles in John's Gospel

New Book from the pen of Bryan W Sheldon

The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel

One of the great foundation blocks of the healthy relationship between God and humankind is His righteousness. It can be guaranteed that in all His speech and actions He is righteous. By this, it is suggested, that because He is righteous you can trust what He says, you can trust His word. Invariably, He says what He means, and He means what He says.

Every word that comes from the LORD is carefully chosen and perfectly weighted. And because of His foreknowledge, He never, at any time, has to reverse or cancel His promises. In these days when there are subtle attempts to undermine the Word of God, we declare we can trust it, all of it, with no exceptions, and this includes those utterances that have covenant status. We have confidence in the righteousness of God, and confidence in the Word of God, and confidence in the covenant promises of God.

This book is an examination of the Abrahamic Covenant; the Mosaic Covenant; the Land Covenant; the Davidic Covenant and especially the New Covenant. And since the New Covenant is the rock on which the blessing of the Church is built, we will ask and answer the question, ‘how can the Church enjoy the blessing of the New Covenant, when it was declared to be for the nation of Israel?’

Included is a chapter that seeks to refute 'Replacement Theology'.

This book is published by Gospel Folio Press.

Anyone having difficulty in obtaining a copy should email the author, b.sheldon@ntlworld.com

 

The Messiah and His Miracles

THE SECOND ATTESTING SIGN - MASTERY OVER LEPROSY

The healing of leprosy as a Messianic sign was of fundamental importance to the Jewish people, because

(a) it was a visual of the judgement of God on sin, and

(b) it had been an attesting sign for Moses, and

(c) the Law of Moses had a prescribed ritual for the atonement of a cleansed leper.

Remarkably, there is no record in the T’nach of any individual healed of the living death under the Mosaic Law. Some argue from the silence of Scripture that the priests never once performed the cleansing rite of Leviticus 14. If Jesus could heal leprosy, it could be the single most powerful evidence of His Messianic credentials.

The case of the leper was dire. The isolation imposed on him not only took him out of any social contact with others, but also removed him from any support the Temple and its sacrifices might give. Rabbinism confessed itself powerless in the presence of this living death.

If the first attesting sign (the healing of those demon possessed) is prominent in Luke 4, then the second attesting sign (the healing of leprosy) is prominent in Luke 5. “Behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. Then He (Jesus) put out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed. Immediately the leprosy left him.” (Luke 5.:12,13) It is significant that this first recorded case of leprosy treated by the Messiah was a person “full of leprosy”. The disease had such a hold that it had almost extinguished life. It had run its course and had the decaying man firmly in its grip. Since leprosy is called the ‘living death’ and is, according to the Mishnah, a “father of uncleanness”, and is listed next to “corpse uncleanness”, how remarkable is the action of the Messiah, “He put out His hand and touched him”. The creeping death fled before the Lord of life. The touch of “the resurrection and the life” regenerated the dying body of the diseased man. Jesus instructed the leper to report to the priest, and offer those sacrifices that were required by the law.

The ministry to lepers does not have as much prominence in the gospels as the ministry of exorcisms. Nevertheless, there are those touches to show that it was an integral part of the overall mission of the Messiah. When John sent to Jesus for confirmation of His Messiahship, the Messiah offered His miraculous ministry as proof. Included in the catalogue of attesting signs was the ministry to lepers. “Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things that you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Matt.11:4,5) Observe again that Jesus used the word ‘cleansed’ not healed.

The most prominent case is the incident when the Messiah, having been rejected, sends ten healed lepers to the Temple to demonstrate this Messianic sign in all its fullness. The ten (a significant number) were healed together, healed from a distance and healed completely. Jesus was demonstrating to the Sanhedrin in no uncertain terms, that He was truly their Messiah and that they had made a terrible mistake.

Like the casting out of demons, Jesus also delegated this ministry to the apostles, to offer further proof to the nation that He was truly Israel’s Messiah.

THE THIRD ATTESTING SIGN – WATER INTO BLOOD

In the case of Moses the first two attesting signs were performed immediately at the bush, but the third attesting sign was not used until he had travelled back to Egypt. Similarly, in the ministry of the Messiah, the first two signs have early prominence, but the third sign does not feature until the conclusion of His ministry and life. We need wait a little before examining the purpose of this third element of the attestation of the Messiah. It will occupy our attention in chapter ten.

OTHER ATTESTING SIGNS

As Moses performed other miracles so too did Jesus. His were performed, (i) for the population generally, (ii) for disciples and (iii) for individuals. There was deliverance for those that were ‘bound by Satan’, the most prominent of which we will examine later. But there are two groups of miracles that deserve special mention – the healing of those that were blind and the raising of the dead. Light and life are the twin motifs of John’s gospel, and to support them there is the healing of the blind man and the raising of Lazarus. In the synoptics the examples are multiplied.

Giving Sight to the Blind

As previously intimated, Jesus included the healing of the blind in His catalogue of miracles that was evidence of His Messiahship. He also inserted the healing of the blind into the Messianic passage that He quoted from Isaiah 61.1,2. In Isaiah it reads: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD”. Whereas Jesus said, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18).

Multiple healings of the blind were among His Messianic signs. “Great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marvelled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel,” (Matt.15:29-31)and “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them” (Matt.21:14).

Then there were specific healings that one or more of the synoptic writers recorded for us. They are:

Two blind men healed together, before the Messiah’s rejection.

A blind, demon possessed man that was a Pharisaical test of His Messiahship.

Two blind men healed together, after the Messiah’s rejection.

A blind man healed in two stages.

On most occasions, Jesus touched their eyes and they received sight. However, Mark recorded an incident when Jesus took a blind man to a location outside the centre of population and performed the miracle in two stages. The first stage brought light without clarity. A further touch of the Messiah completed the healing. In some ways, it was an illustration of what was happening in the personal experience of many who heard Him.

Israel’s Messiah received great opposition from the ruling classes. Jesus called them thieves, robbers and fools. One of His most used epithets was ‘blind’. They were “blind leaders of the blind” (Matt.15:14). “Woe to you, blind guides … fools and blind … fools and blind … blind guides … blind Pharisee” (Matt.23.16-26). The Pharisees, protectors of the traditions of the elders, believed they had the most light. They were the ones to lead Israel into the good graces of God via the paths of Pharisaic righteousness. Jesus Messiah advised the population not to follow them. They were blind guides, living and walking in darkness, following a path that would lead to destruction.

As the “Bread of Life”, He fed the multitude with bread; as the “Resurrection and the Life” He raised the dead; but as the “Light of the World” He gave sight to the blind. The individual healings chosen by the writers of the gospels not only demonstrated the compassion and ministry of the Messiah but were also object lessons of what was occurring in the spiritual realm.

The incarnate Son of God came to give Israel sight. He offered to open their spiritual eyes, to give them light, the light of God. If they received Him as Messiah, they would receive further illumination from the Word of God. He would lift the veil from their eyes. Rabbinic teaching understood Messiah’s name to be ‘Light’. The light that illuminated the hills of Bethlehem at His birth, and seen as far away as Babylonia, was emblematic of the light He offered. He would provide them with light to illuminate, to enlighten, to educate and to guide - light for the mind and light for the spirit. The Messiah, who would sit on David’s throne in the Messianic kingdom, would be clothed in light as He was on the Mount of Transfiguration. Citizens in the Messianic kingdom would bask in that light.

But the leaders said they were not blind! They asserted they did not need their eyes to be opened – they could see very well. Therefore, Jesus left them in darkness! Their condemnation was that they loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

Others, that by faith asked for light, like the blind men that called upon the Son of David for healing - these were granted light. For some, their early encounters with Jesus brought light without clarity. Like the blind man who was healed in two stages, they needed a second touch. Like the two on the road to Emmaus, whose saw Jesus but did not recognise Him, they needed further ministry. Jews like Nicodemus, first saw Jesus as a teacher sent from God – but later came to full discernment of His Messianic office.

Perhaps the two stage healing was more pertinent to the two stage ministry of light to the nation. The first touch was symbolic of the ministry of John the Baptist. He was a “burning and shining light” and the Jews rejoiced in his light. But “he was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light” (John 1:8). The second touch was symbolic of the ministry of the Messiah, “the true Light” (John 1:9).

Next time: Raising the dead

The Messiah and His Miracles (Continued)

AUTHENTICATING MIRACLES IN THE SYNOPTICS



PROLOGUE TO THE FIRST ATTESTING SIGN – THE SERPENT IN SUBJECTION

As Pharaoh had Israel in bondage in Egypt, so the Devil held Israel captive in the land of promise. To liberate Israel, Moses had to overcome Pharaoh, the servant of Satan, but in the greater conflict between light and darkness, good and evil, Jesus had to overthrow Satan himself. Therefore, before the public ministry of the Messiah could take place Jesus had to face the evil one in the wilderness. The Bible says He was ‘led’ there to face the Lord of evil. Matthew and Luke give us the most details of the conflict.

In both accounts, the first temptation is the challenge to turn stone into bread. Jesus countered with a quote from the T’nach: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke 4:4; Matt. 4:4)The passage from which the quote was taken is in Deuteronomy, chapter 8. “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” Observe the highlighted words. “The Lord … led you … to test you. … He allowed you to hunger, … that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD”. The Messiah, recalling the events of the 40-year wilderness experience of Israel, and comparing them to His 40-day wilderness experience, concluded that in a similar manner the Spirit of God had led him there to test Him. It was God Himself that permitted, nay required Him to be hungry. To yield to the insinuation that He would benefit by stepping outside the revealed will of God would alienate Him from His Father. As the last Adam He would have failed in a similar manner to the first Adam. What Satan did not include in his calculations was the fact that performing the will of God is both physically and spiritually nourishing. Jesus Himself speaks of it at another time when He was again hungry and thirsty, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Since His condition was in the will of God, to seek to alleviate His hunger would put personal comfort above the purposes of God, and equate to disobedience of the command of God. Jesus understood that His experience was not simply the enmity of the Adversary but also a test from God, as to whether He would keep His Father’s commandments, do His Father’s will. The quote from the Torah was enough to close that avenue of temptation.

In the Garden of Eden, the pre-incarnate Christ cast down the serpent, symbolically demonstrating His power over Satan, the ‘cast down’ one. In preparation for the exodus from Egypt, Moses, commissioned by God as Deliverer, re-enacted this same scene and the serpent was again ‘cast down’, re-affirming the continuing power and authority of God over Satan. The ministry of the ‘seed of the woman’ must demonstrate this same power and authority, and climax in the prophesied ‘bruising’ of the serpent’s head. However, the enemy of the Messiah is the Devil, who operates on the principle of ‘deception with a view to destruction’. It was his ‘modus operandi’ in the Garden.

Jesus referred to this element of deception when He said to the Jews, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do … When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). We are warned of the “wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). His followers are “deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:13,14).

However, it is deception with a view to destruction. Not only is he the father of lies but also a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). He is the Adversary, “a roaring lion” who goes about “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet.5:8).

It is this deceiver, in the ‘one to one’, ‘face to face’ confrontation with the incarnate God, who attempts to cloud the issue and misdirect the Messiah into taking the position of the one ‘cast down’. Satan took Jesus up a very high mountain, showed Him all the splendour of the kingdoms of the world, and said, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me” (Matt.4:8,9) It was inevitable that Satan would couch this temptation in terms that reflected the cause of his own downfall - personal ambition running counter to the will of God. Here, in the wilderness he tries to recover all lost ground with one throw of the dice. What he had failed to do when he was the mighty, covering cherub, he tried to accomplish when the God that defeated him there was clothed in flesh. Jesus, weak with hunger, with limited resources, refused the offer and put His finger on the crux of the matter: “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Matt.4:10). Jesus rejected the offer of kingdoms, power and glory; and later reminded His followers that, “the kingdom, and the power and the glory” eternally belong to the Father (Matt.6:13).

In the third of the temptations, Satan took Jesus to the top of the tower on the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, where he challenged Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw (cast) Yourself down. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, and, In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Matt.4:6; Luke 4:9-11). This less than subtle effort was another attempt to get Jesus, Son of God, to occupy the position of the one ‘cast down’. Israel’s Messiah, who must have been meditating on the trials and difficulties of Moses, His Messianic predecessor, responded to the Devil with another quote from Deuteronomy: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God” (Matt.4:7, etc). The full quote is, “You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah.” Massah is the Hebrew word for ‘tempted’, as recorded in Exodus: “so he called the name of the place Massah … because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us or not?” (Exod.17:7) Jesus, recalling this episode from the history of the wandering nation, used the quote from the speech of Moses to repulse the temptation, and affirm that God was with Him - a powerful riposte to the conditional challenge, “if You are the Son of God”. James encapsulated the essence of the narrative recorded here when he wrote, “… submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

After Satan had left Him, and angels had ministered to Him, He “returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region” (Luke 4:14).

THE FIRST ATTESTING SIGN – THE SERPENT IN SUBJECTION

Luke, who testified that he put his gospel in chronological order, used an event in which Jesus laid out His claim to be Messiah, to introduce the healing of a man with the spirit of an unclean devil. After the conflict with Satan in the wilderness, during which the Devil unsuccessfully tried to make Jesus the ‘cast down’ One, the carpenter’s Son presented Himself to His home congregation as Messiah. When the congregation questioned His authority to make such a claim Jesus sensed their unbelief and responded, “no prophet is accepted in his own country” (Luke 4:24). He followed this statement with two examples of prophets ministering to Gentiles while Israel was in unbelief. Those people who had been fellow citizens of His in Nazareth were filled with a demonic fury and “rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and … led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff” (Luke 4:29). Having failed to manipulate the Messiah into being the ‘cast down’ one, here Satan inspired those that had been His neighbours, His customers, His friends, to enact it. It was another attempt to kill Him before His time and by a method that would reverse the prophecy of God. To bruise Satan’s head, Jesus would have to be the ‘lifted up’ One. The people of Nazareth tried to make Him the ‘cast down’ One. Jesus “passing through the midst of them … went His way” (Luke 4:30). A similar incident took place later in His ministry where He coined the more famous phrase that has now become a proverb: “A prophet is not without honour except in his own country”. To that incident, the writer added the post-script: “He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt.13.58).

Rejected in Nazareth, the Messiah travelled to Capernaum, where in the synagogue, a man with the spirit of an unclean devil was troubled at the presence of the One who is stronger that Satan. Jesus commanded the demon, “be quiet and come out of him” (Luke 4:35). With a last defiant flourish, it “cast down” the poor, possessed individual and then left him. This demonstration of Messianic control over Satan amazed everyone in the synagogue who talked of His authority and power.

Lightfoot points out that the phrasing of Scripture at this place is quite significant. The man had “a spirit of an unclean devil”. The Jews made a difference between an unclean spirit and an evil spirit; ‘evil spirit’ being the general term for the demon while ‘unclean spirit’ was the description of a demon that found its element among the tombs and other places that were most unclean. The Gemmara speaks of the necromancer who visits burial places to be better inspired of an unclean spirit. Similarly, they understood those with the spirit of python, or the prophesying spirit to be of the same kind. Here then is the significance of the Messiah’s first recorded exorcism, that it demonstrated the power of the Messiah over Satan, especially Satan seen as the Serpent (the spirit of python), and Satan as an unclean Spirit, who had the power of death and produced in humans the fear of death.

It is clear that the grip of Satan on the population would have to be broken before Israel could be free to accept (or reject) Jesus as their Messiah. The ministry of exorcism, conducted by the Messiah and His disciples, was essential to accomplish this. By the end of this particular day many of those possessed by demons had been healed, their devilish tormentors confessing as they were dismissed: “You are the Messiah, the Son of God” (Luke 4:41). Here is an indicator that demons were compelled to acknowledge the deity of Jesus as well as His Messianic office. These victories over demons were consequent upon the successful stand taken by Jesus in the wilderness, from which He had returned “in the power of the Spirit”.

The gospels also mention individual exorcisms, such as the Gadarene demoniac; and Mary, who had been possessed by seven devils. The one in Luke 4 we have already noted, and then there will be the very important case in Matthew 12 when the Sanhedrists charged Jesus of being a servant to Beelzebub.

Jesus delegated this power over Satan’s domain to His disciples when He sent them out to the towns and villages of Israel: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). They exercised this power in the name of the Messiah. Matthew described the power delegated to the twelve apostles: “And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt.10:7). The early Church continued this ministry.

Next time: The second attesting miracle