Friday, July 30, 2010

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).

Friday, July 16, 2010

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). 

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

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