When Jesus walked from town to town in Galilee to proclaim the arrival of the Kingdom of God, it would have been difficult to get people to listen to such a peculiar message. But the message was not in his words alone. It came with signs and wonders. People came to see Jesus do miracles, or to be healed of their own infirmities, and then they stayed to listen. Now they could see that his message is important.
And Jesus did miracles among them:
1. Healing the Sick
a woman healed by touching His robe
"Who touched me?"
- Luke 8:40-56 ~ "healing"
Everyone remembers the story of how Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead, but they forget how, on the way, an unnamed woman touched him in the crowd and was healed instantly.
This poor woman is bleeding, and unclean. She has tried every remedy, spent all her money, and can't get any relief. But here is Jesus. He is so smart and wise, and He loves everyone, and people say that He might be the Messiah, and He heals the sick. If anyone can help, He can do it. Dear God, let Him be the One! ... Okay, just trust. Have faith in God, and trust. If only we can reach out and grab hold of even the hem of his robe, maybe He'll see us. Lord help me! So many people are crowding in to get his attention, but ... There! I got it ... a tassel on his shawl ... but, Wow! It did something! I can feel it! The pain is gone, and I feel so much better!
What? He's looking for me? Oh, no, I'm still unclean. I haven't washed. But now He has stopped, and He's asking. Who touched Him? We all did. But He says He felt the power flow from Him. I'd better speak up. "It's me. I just needed to ask you. I tried everything, just a touch. Please, say it's alright. I didn't mean any harm." And Jesus reaches out, takes my hand, and says, "Daughter, you are healed. Your faith has saved you."
And that was it. Jesus hurried on toward the house of Jairus, the cantor at our synagogue. His daughter is sick, too. I'm going home. I need a bath. I'm never going to forget this day. I'm going to follow this Jesus. He's the One. Wherever He goes, God is with us. He has finally sent the Messiah!
But what does this story mean? Jesus cares for us even when we are still unclean, when we feel like we can't go to the house of God. We worry that people will shun us if they know what we are really like. But Jesus sees us. He knows that we want to be righteous, merciful and holy, but our human condition is holding us back. And yet, if we try our best to reach Him, and hold on to our faith, He will stop for us. He is looking for you, now, in the midst of the crowd. Cry out! Reach for Him. Let Him see you, and touch you. Have faith, and you too will be saved.
2. Including the Despised
the samaritan woman at the well
"He told me everything I ever did."
- John 4:4-42 ~ "inclusion"
Jesus is wandering far afield today. He says He is going to reach the Jews first, but this is Samaria. There's a bit of shade here at the well, a good place to rest while the disciples go into the village for food. On the path, there is one woman with a yoke, coming to fill her kegs with water.
When she arrives, Jesus speaks. "Can you give me some water?" She is surprised, "You're a Jew, and you're asking me?" "If you know who I am, you should be asking me to give you water, and I would give you flowing, living water" She shakes her head, "Sir, you don't even have a bucket. Why do you Jews think that Jerusalem is so special?" "Because that's where God said to build his Temple, but the time is near when we won't have to go there. Instead, we will worship Him in Spirit and Truth." "Are you a prophet? I know the Messiah is coming, but when?" Jesus smiles, "I am He." She wants to scoff, but He goes on, "Go call your husband." "Ha! I don't have a husband." "Correct, you have had five, and the one you have now is not yours." Now, she is astonished, "You are Him! The whole village should know! Let me go tell them!" Jesus chuckles, "I was hoping you would." She races off excitedly. The disciples have returned with supplies, but now Jesus is rested and ready to go into the village and preach.
On the basis of this woman's enthusiastic news, and the disciples' testimony, the villagers are willing to listen, and some will believe. Here, He can preach the good news, even among the Samaritans. They also are children of Jacob, even if they are mixed with gentiles, and heretics too. If they want to know Him, and accept his teachings, then they can also become true followers, and work for the Kingdom. The Father's plan includes the whole world, everyone who believes and accepts the Son at his Word. Just because they happen to worship differently, that won't stop them from entering the Kingdom. To worship in Spirit and Truth does not mean that we all have to be exactly the same. It wasn't until after the Council of Nicea that we came to such disagreements that the Church split into factions that can't be reconciled. Sometimes it's better to not put too fine a point on theoretical arguments.
3. Forgiving the Broken
He told a cripple to rise up and walk
"Which is easier, to say ..."
- Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:1-12 ~ "forgiving"
When Jesus was at home in Capernaum, big crowds would gather to hear Him preach. One time, a paralyzed boy asked his friends to carry him to where he could hear Jesus teach. They managed to get him up close, and Jesus saw how much they wanted to meet with Him. Knowing what was in the boy's heart, He said, "Child, your sins are forgiven." But there were some scribes and teachers there, and they began to murmur, "Isn't that a blasphemy? Only God can forgive sins." And Jesus heard them. "Why are your hearts so hard? Which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven, or rise up and walk? But just so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on Earth to forgive ..." He turned to the boy, "Arise, pick up your mat, and go home." And immediately the boy was healed, and he got up, and took his mat and walked home. The people were astounded, and were saying, "We have never seen such a thing. Who is this that God gives Him such great authority?" And Jesus' fame spread even more, and the crowds grew.
When evening came, and the crowd had gone, the disciples must have had many questions. Jesus would have taught them how God loves mercy just as much as righteousness. If a person regrets his wrongs, and is truly sorry for the harm to others and his offence to God, then God is quick to forgive. On the condition only that we must be willing to forgive those who have offended or harmed us. We must offer mercy to others, just as we desire God's mercy. It may not be easy, but suffering for our own sins isn't any easier, if we insist on justice instead. That is why the first message of the arrival of God's Kingdom is that we must repent. Even if we think we are broken, unable to choose what is right, we must turn away from our sins, and ask God for help. Think. Holding on to old grudges against our neighbors is a big problem.
Jesus told the disciples that forgiving sins was a central reason why the Father sent Him into the world. The Messiah was meant to bring reconciliation between the Father and the Jews, and further, to the gentiles as well. And in return, we are meant to try to follow his Will, not just his Law, and to work together to establish his Kingdom, on Earth like it is in Heaven. If we will do this, we will see how much the Father, in the abundance of his grace, will help us to remodel our lives after the image and likeness of his Son.
4. Power over Nature
He walked on water, and calmed a storm
"Why did you doubt?"
- Matthew 14:22-34 ~ "reassuring"
After a long day preaching to the crowd by the shore of Lake Kinnereth, Jesus wanted some time alone to recuperate. He told the disciples to take the boat to Capernaum, and wait for Him at home. Once the boat was beyond sight of land, the wind began to blow hard against them, and the waves made it hard to row, so that it was dark before they came near home. Jesus knew that they were struggling, so He went to them, walking out across the waves. But when they saw Him, the disciples thought it was a ghost. They were afraid, but Jesus called out, "It is I, do not fear." Peter challenged Him, "If it is you, Lord, call me out to come to you." Jesus called him, and Peter got out of the boat, and began to walk across the water. But he felt the wind pushing him, and was afraid again. He took his eyes off Jesus, and began to sink. "Lord, save me!" he cried! And Jesus caught him by the hand. "O ye of little faith," He chastised, "why did you begin to doubt?" Then they reached the boat and climbed in. By now the wind had begun to storm, and the boat was taking on water. The disciples begged Him, "Help us, lest we perish." Jesus stood, raising his hand, and said, "Peace, be still." Immediately, the wind calmed, and they were able to row home. The disciples were amazed, saying, "What kind of man is this? Even the wind and seas obey him!"
This episode is a classic to demonstrate the divinity of Christ. Indeed, it reflects one of the descriptions of God from the book of Job, that He "strides across the waves." This is a clear indication of the power and authority of God as the Creator of the Universe. If Jesus dares to walk across the lake, He knows that He is one with the Father, and divine Himself. In John's gospel, this is when He chooses to tell the Pharisees that He is the Bread of Life, greater than the manna in the wilderness. Of course, they don't understand, especially when He says they will have to "eat my flesh, and drink my blood." He is baiting them as, "If they don't know by now who 'I am,' they have hardened their hearts." Likewise, Jesus' disciples didn't understand either, but they knew that He is God. So, they thought, "Whatever He says, just go with it, maybe he'll explain later." That was because, when Jesus walked on water, He proved what they had begun to suspect: the Son of Man is more than a man, He is the Son of the Living God.
5. Promising Resurrection
He raised Lazarus from the dead
"...if you believe, you will see the glory..."
- John 11:1-44 ~ "promises"
The resurrection of Lazarus is a complex story, and a great sign for the people to believe in Jesus' authority, such that the Father will do whatever the Son asks. Jesus hears that Lazarus is sick, but delays his arrival until after he has died. This was for the glory of God, because there were some who did not believe in the resurrection, even on the Last Day. Jesus would give proof of this. For now, He waits for the friends of Lazarus' family to assemble. He wants an audience.
But further, this is a sign that He is greater than their expectations for the Messiah. They have come to know Him as a healer, but He has underplayed his few times of raising the dead. Mary and Martha both declare their faith in Him, even when He says He is the Resurrection and the Life, but they don't expect this, not now. So when He goes to the cemetery and asks for the stone to be moved, they question, reminding Him that the body will smell awful. But Jesus only says, "Did I not tell you, that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" Thus reassured, they had the stone removed.
Then Jesus prays aloud: "I thank you Father, that you always hear me. I know this, but for the crowd's sake I am saying it, so that they may believe You have sent Me." Now that everyone is paying attention, He shouts, "Lazarus! Come forth!" And in just a few moments, the man who was dead and buried is seen shuffling forward, out of the tomb. He is hampered by the burial cloths, so Jesus says, "Untie him, and let him go." Upon seeing this, many in the crowd are amazed, and they believe that Jesus is the One Annointed to be the Saviour of Israel. Through Him, Israel's glory, and God's Kingdom, will be established. This they believe, even though they have no idea of how it is going to be accomplished.
Even the Sanhedrin are beginning to believe, or at least they see that everyone else will soon. They worry that fools will try to use Jesus for their own agenda, to cast out the Romans, and a great war may follow. So, in their own self-interest, to maintain their place and influence, they become complicit with God's plan, even though they refuse to see it. They seek to sacrifice Jesus in order to save the nation from ruin, and in doing so, they help Jesus to save the whole world.
