Good Morning Friends,
Today we explore the connection between supernatural wonders, Biblical predictions and our faith in an outcome. We look at our incurable situation as humans who doubt mystical events and then marvel at the claimed reality that God has chosen us, in love, and calls us to walk on water and to heal others. Now you maybe are wondering if the enemies of God are at work suppressing any belief in phenomena that science cannot explain. But before we tackle that issue, and we certainly are not going to get around to it all today, we ask a related question on the topic of the type of yoke that glorifies God. You see, there are seemingly never-ending arguments among many theologians, mystics, religious leaders and the faithful regarding supernatural manifestations, and prophecies. Some claim the existence of miracles done by Jesus and others claim that they are fraud, while still others try to explain them away or claim their own prophetic window to the future. The more things change the more they stay the same for what was true during Biblical times, with prophets and false prophets, and is true today. Sometimes as with politicians, as with religious leaders, it takes time to tell who is right. Seeds of doubt are sown to influence outcomes. With that in mind we ponder today’s question. So, What Is The Relationship Between Miracles, Prophecy, Faith And Holiness?
Scripture: In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place King Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, says the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord; and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. But listen now to this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, and broke it. And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: This is how I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years.” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went his way. Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: Go, tell Hananiah, Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars only to forge iron bars in place of them! For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations so that they may serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and they shall indeed serve him; I have even given him the wild animals. And the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: I am going to send you off the face of the earth. Within this year you will be dead, because you have spoken rebellion against the Lord.” In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.
Jeremiah 28:1-17 (NRSV)
Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. After the people of that place recognized him, they sent word throughout the region and brought all who were sick to him, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
Matthew 14:22-36 (NRSV)
Message: I believe that today’s scripture guides us to believe that miracles and prophecy require faith that the character of God will be manifested in our lives. You see, the relationship is intertwined with doubt and faith and God’s plan for our lives to be lived in abundance even if it requires some tough love along the way. Ever wonder why the wisemen are called wise. It is very simple really. They are called wise because what they predicted came true. So too with the issue of prophets and false prophets in today’s text from the book of Jeremiah. The proof that they were given a message from God related directly to whether that prophecy came true. The challenge during Jesus’ time and Jeremiah’s was for the people to see the bigger picture of trusting God. For example, there are many reasons why Jesus walked on water and perhaps several billion reasons if we count all those who might believe. But we too often focus on the miracle instead of the meaning behind the miracle. Walking on water is significant. You see, the disciples lived in a culture where there were many claims about various figures’ divinity and a common feature of them having divine powers was the ability to walk on water. After the feeding of the 5000 the disciples were still not getting it that Jesus was God, the Bread of Life, that must be broken. So, Jesus decides to show them His divinity. The story unfolds at the Sea of Galilee which lies in the lower portion of the Jordan Valley in a mountain range that rises to 4,000 feet above sea level. One of the more noteworthy aspects of this body of water is that it is greatly susceptible to sudden and extremely violent storms. The event takes place between 3 and 6 a.m. in the morning after the disciples had been rowing for maybe six hours across the lake and were not make much headway in their eight-mile trip across the lake that normally could have been completed in 3 hours. In the middle of their trip they must have begun to wonder if they were ever going to make it. What they were not getting was the bigger picture. They did not yet get it that the Bread of Life must be broken…that the Bread of Life, Jesus was God Incarnate. They understood Jesus was from God but did not yet know that Jesus was God and that their personal stories would only be completed to the glory of God through Him. Their spiritual struggle is something we face too. We are around the work of Jesus but do know Jesus. We serve and see amazing things happen, never allowing Jesus to complete us. There is a danger here. Sometimes the storms of life seem to overtake us, even when we are being obedient. For it is hard to walk on water when a tidal wave is coming. Such is life. Such is the Christian life. It is what was happening to Jeremiah in today’s text today too. You see we are not called to a life of ease, but one that is full of dangers and pitfalls – only we have the assurance that God is with us to see us through. When He draws near amid the storms of our life, we do not always recognize Him. We, like the disciples in that little ship, are troubled and fearful. But as ever, God draws near in our trouble. He brings justice but more often a word that vanquishes fear and teaches us about holiness. Holiness is not a popular message today. One of the reasons it is not popular is because of the misconception people have of holiness. Many still equate holiness with rules and restrictions. And there is a yoke we must wear, and it can be of wood or of iron. But living holy is not about the outward blessings we may have. Holiness is the character of God. It is the nature and love of God. And we attain a sense of it when we are content. Jesus was the perfect example of holiness. He was holy because he was ruled by love in all things. Every thought, word, and deed he ever did was motivated by love. Every act of His life was a contribution to the glory of God. Even the miracles He performed were not so much to prove His own deity, but out of a love and compassion for humanity. What constitutes true holiness is this love in us.
And So, in today’s scripture we have the story of Hananiah, the father of a government official prophesying to his own interests and contrary to the predictions of Jeremiah. And we have the story of Jesus and Peter walking on water. Both are about how God loves us into being who were designed to be and reveals to us the nature of that purpose. For example, Jesus taught and demonstrated in his life that even a little faith could move mountains. A coherent confirmation of the truth of this is found in today’s passage from Matthew, where we read that Jesus is walking on water toward a boat in which His disciples are. He calls Peter to come to Him. Peter leaves the boat and starts walking on water toward his Master. Peter becomes scared by the wind, doubts and starts to sink. The miracle is achieved through faith but is broken when faith is lost. The connection here between faith, miracles and prophecy leads us to conclude that through the action of a person exercising faith, God, though invisible means performs miracles. God chooses to require an act of faith to engage. Perhaps that is why Jeremiah shrewdly sows seeds of doubt about the prophecies of Hananiah, not by confronting them with anger but with reason based on the prophecy of those believed in by the people. He left them to ponder on the facts, demonstrating thereby that he was not alone in his views whatever current prophets might be saying, which incidentally demonstrates the high regard in which those past prophets were held by many even at this time. There is a coherent relationship between the teachings of the scriptures and miracles, which are the legitimate manifestations of the supernatural and our faith or lack thereof with holiness too. Perhaps the only hindrance to miracles is an unbelieving heart. False prophecy does not change the truth of God, but it does change how God interacts with us. Our fears and insecurities make it difficult for us to face God and tend to prompt us to rationalize God out of our world. And if people deny miracles because they bring them closer to a relationship with God that makes them nervous, then we tend to ignore these supernatural manifestations. I hope you see that faith is as important as rational thought here in predicting an outcome but holiness too. In his hometown, Jesus did not perform miracles, in part because people lacked faith but also because prophecy indicated that he would be rejected there. They did not see the holiness of Jesus. Through today’s story we see that the miracle of Jesus walking on the water was, more than any other miracle up to that point, the revelation that convinced Jesus’ disciples that He was indeed the Son of God. It is about the promised prophecy of the coming Messiah, the importance of faith and a miracle that is and always will be associated with Jesus. The purpose of Jesus’ walking on water had little to do with getting across the sea and everything to do with the purpose of the Incarnation in the first place. Though they had a long way to go in their spiritual understanding, the disciples were growing in their faith in the Lord and moved to worship Jesus. So, friends, as we contemplate the connection between, miracles, prophecy and faith as it relates to our lives becoming more holy, we are to believe that each of our stories can be completed in Christ
Pray we express the unselfish joy of Jesus in our hearts. Pray we animate the lives of others because our faith expresses a love of hope that believes. Pray we walk in the Spirit of contentment. Pray we never lose control of our temper but with temperance manifest the true holiness of love.
Pray we realize that when we have faith, even a little faith, God performs miracles. Pray therefor for the presence of God in our lives beyond an apparition. Pray we dispel disillusionment. Pray we defeat distractions. Pray we destroy doubt of the Incarnation and the promises of God. Pray we expect a miracle and are healed. Pray we realize that Christ comes in our afflictions but is also the one who calls us to righteousness to join in the miracle of life. Pray we believe in God and seek support for our faith. Pray God make us more holy.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 