We are looking this week at the Miracles of Jesus. These events will help us to grasp the significance of his life and give a whole picture of who He was and is. Before each time of study and reading pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see in a fresh way the wonderful life and teaching of the Saviour.
Day 1 Read John 2:1-11
Mary encourages Jesus to help because she is now aware of the potential power her son has – does she want to show off her son? That would be quite natural. Jesus indicates that his agenda is that of his Heavenly Father and not his earthly mother! John tells us that this miracle revealed Jesus’ glory - His divine nature - and also that it helped people put their faith in him. Jesus is establishing the new way to enter a relationship with God based on faith in Him.
Day 2 Mark 4:35-41
This story is quite straight forward. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat when a storm kicks up. Jesus commands the storm to stop and it does! Jesus here demonstrates his power over nature. Have you ever been at sea in a storm? If you have you will know the sense of powerlessness in the brunt of the forces of nature! There are times when life is out of control from our perspective but we have to be able to grasp that whatever is happening to us Jesus is always with us – that is His promise to us. It doesn’t matter how bad things get we are assured of the presence and the power of Jesus in our lives. The storms still persist – remember that the disciples had to experience the storm before they experienced Jesus’ power.
Day 3 Matthew 14:13-21
Jesus was constantly testing and stretching his disciples. He could easily have performed the miracle without involving them but he wants to stretch their faith. He challenges his disciples to solve a problem and the instinct of the disciples is to look to their own resources rather than to Jesus who has limitless resources. Their conclusion? The problem had no solution! Let us think for a moment about any situation faced by an individual or a church – is our recourse to look at our own resources or do we look to Jesus and act on the basis of faith and the fact that Jesus will always provide?
Day 4 Matthew 14:22-33
How did the disciples feel when they saw Jesus? Genuinely scared! Peter is often criticised for his lack of faith – at least in every sermon I have heard. The people who should be admonished are the disciples who stayed in the boat. At least Peter made an attempt and in doing so connected with Jesus! The lesson? We can remain in our boats and never make any progress or we can take risks and if we feel out our depth cry out to Jesus and connect with Him!!
Day 5 Matthew 21:18-22
Jesus’ sharp words are about bearing fruit – the fig tree symbolised Israel – something that looked good but never satisfied people’s hunger [a bit perhaps like the Church today in many parts of the UK]. It is also a statement of the urgency of Jesus’ mission – he wanted to see fruitful labourers and there was little time to waste. Producing fruit involves faith and prayer – a relationship with God that works and impacts on our world, drawing people to faith in Jesus Christ. Does our faith have expectation and does it revolve around a life of prayer that calls out to God for great things from a great God?