THURSDAY January 3
The Creator Among Us
Read
John 2:7-11
2:7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
2:8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare [it].
2:9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
2:10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: [but] thou hast kept the good wine until now.
2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
6:8-13
6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
6:9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
6:10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
6:13 Therefore they gathered [them] together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
9:1-34
9:1 And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which was blind from [his] birth.
9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
9:6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
9:7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
9:8 The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
9:9 Some said, This is he: others [said], He is like him: [but] he said, I am [he].
9:10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
9:11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
9:12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
9:13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
9:14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
9:15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
9:16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
9:17 They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
9:18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.
9:19 And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?
9:20 His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
9:21 But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
9:22 These [words] spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
9:23 Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
9:24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
9:25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner [or no], I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
9:26 Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?
9:27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear [it] again? will ye also be his disciples?
9:28 Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.
9:29 We know that God spake unto Moses: [as for] this [fellow], we know not from whence he is.
9:30 The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and [yet] he hath opened mine eyes.
9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
9:32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
9:33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
9:34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
What do these texts reveal about the creative power of God?
Each of these miracles gives us a glimpse of God’s power over the material world that He Himself created.
First, what kind of process would be required to change water directly into wine? None that we know of. Indeed, it took an act outside of the laws of nature, at least as we now know them, to do what Jesus did here.
In the miracle of the fish and loaves, Jesus started with five loaves and two small fish and ended with enough to feed a multitude and have 12 baskets of leftovers. All the food was made of atoms and molecules. At the end, there were many times more atoms and molecules of food than when Jesus started to feed the crowd. From where did the additional molecules come, if not by the supernatural intervention of God?
Furthermore, what physical changes occurred to the blind man when he was healed? He was blind from birth; thus, his brain had never been stimulated to form images from the messages sent by the eye through the optic nerve. So, his brain had to be rewired in order to process the incoming information, form images, and interpret their meaning. Next, there was something wrong with the eye itself. Perhaps some photoreceptor molecules were produced incorrectly as a result of a mutation in his DNA. Or perhaps some mutation had occurred at birth in the genes that control the development of the parts of the eye-the retina, optic nerve, lens, etc. Or perhaps some mechanical damage had occurred that prevented the eye from functioning properly.
Whatever the details of the man’s blindness, the words of Jesus caused molecules to form in appropriate places, forming functional receptors, neuronal connections, and brain cells so that light entering the eye would form an image, and the man would have the ability to recognize images that he had never before seen.
Miracles are wonderful when they happen, but what is the danger of making your faith dependent upon them? Upon what, then, must our faith depend?
What is religion all about? Is it not to change us? Our faith is dependent upon our knowledge of God. If we do not trust Him, then why would we trust His Word? The Bible tells us where faith comes from. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17. It is the Word that reveals God, His love and His power. When we know God, we will love God. We will trust Him and His Word. His promises, we will claim for ourselves as we are fully surrendered to Him. Understanding the character of God, knowing His goodness, Satan chose to follow his own selfish, independent will. This choice was final. There was no more that God could do to save him. But we have been deceived; our minds have been darkened by Satan's lies. The height and depth of the love of God we do not know. For humanity there is hope in a knowledge of God's love. By beholding His character we are drawn back to God. Our heart must be cleansed. God's law must be written upon it. This is a supernatural event just as was the opening of the blind man's eyes.
Our faith is not dependent upon miracles, it is dependent upon our knowledge of God. Having said that, miracles do increase our faith. The greatest miracle of all is God's ability to change my mind, my heart. The Holy Spirit opens our minds to the truth as it is in Jesus. As we behold His loveliness, we are transformed into His likeness. This miracle experienced in the life increases faith beyond the faith that led one to accept Jesus as Saviour. Having experienced God's grace, man has a song to sing that even the holy angels cannot sing, for they have never known grace.
Why is it that ao many professing to be Christians refuse to acknowledge that we need to be changed in order to enter heaven, that we must be reconciled to God and filled with His Spirit?