Perspective: The Meaning of a Miracle

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Comments are always welcomed.
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The Meaning of a Miracle

Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples' presence, signs that aren't recorded in this scroll.  But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God's Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name.

John 20:30-31 (CEB)

I felt it first when I was younger
A strange connection to the light
I tried to satisfy the hunger
I never got it right

From "Your Love" by  Brandon Heath

In the Gospels, we read that one day Jesus and the Disciples head across the Sea of Galilee to a secluded location.  There, they are met by a crowd of nearly five thousand people.  At one point, the question arises of how Jesus and the Disciples can possibly feed so many people.  They know that they cannot afford to buy enough food for everyone, and they have only five loaves of bread and two fish on hand.  Jesus has all of the people sit down on the grass.  He then takes the bread and fish, gives thanks for them, breaks them up, and has the pieces distributed to the crowd.¹

Somehow everybody in the crowd has enough food to eat, and, when the Disciples gather up the leftovers, somehow they fill twelve baskets.²

The story of Jesus' feeding the multitude is one of the few stories that can be found in all four of the Gospels.³  Sometimes, in my personal Bible studies, I like to compare different versions of a single story from the Gospels so that I can see what the different writers want to emphasize.  When I recently encountered the story of Jesus' feeding the multitude as it is told in the Gospel of John, I wanted to compare it to a telling from one of the other Gospels, because John's Gospel is radically different from the other three.  I chose to compare it to the version in the Gospel of Mark, since Mark's Gospel is thought to be the first Gospel written.

In Mark's version of the story, after Jesus has been teaching the crowd all day, the Disciples become concerned that the people are growing hungry.  They urge Jesus to dismiss the crowd so that everyone can go to a nearby village and buy some food.  Jesus then says to the Disciples, "You give them something to eat."⁴  In John's version of the story, when Jesus sees the crowd, He asks the disciple Philip where they will buy food for so many people.  The writer tells us that, when Jesus asks this question, He is already planning to feed the crowd miraculously.⁵

In Mark's version of the story, when the Disciples remark about how expensive it would be to buy food for so many people, Jesus asks them how much bread they have on hand.  They check their provisions and reply that they have five loaves of bread and two fish.⁶  In John's version of the story, when Philip remarks that it would not be feasible to buy food for the crowd, the disciple Andrew reports that a young boy has offered them his five barley loaves and two fish.⁷

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus' miraculously feeding the multitude seems to happen on the spur of the moment.  The Disciples are concerned that the people in the crowd are growing hungry, so Jesus helps them find a way to feed them.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus' actions are a lot more deliberate.  Jesus brings up the matter of feeding the crowd, because He already has a plan to feed the crowd miraculously.

Something else that differs between the two versions of the story is how the story ends.  In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus tells the Disciples to go ahead of Him back across the Sea of Galilee, and, after He dismisses the crowd, He heads up a mountain to pray for a while.⁸  In the Gospel of John, Jesus can see that the people in the crowd want to revolt against the Roman Empire and make Him their king, so He heads up the mountain to escape from them.  When night falls, the Disciples decide to head back across the sea of Galilee without Jesus.⁹

I think that the key to understanding the differences between the two versions of the story is understanding the significance of a miracle means in the Gospel of John.  In John's Gospel, Jesus' miracles are called "signs."  They are not just good deeds supernaturally done or demonstrations of divine power.  They are meant to point beyond themselves to some truth about who Jesus is.

In John's Gospel, the tension between Jesus and the people who want to make Him their king leads into a greater discussion about who Jesus is and what people want from Him.  When the crowd catches up with Jesus, He points out that the only reason they are looking for Him is that He gave them all the food they wanted.  He notes that the food He gave them won't keep them filled forever and then urges them to seek what can truly satisfy them.¹⁰  Jesus goes on to tell the crowd, "I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."¹¹

In three of the Gospels, Jesus miraculously feeds a crowd of thousands of people simply because they are hungry.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus miraculously satisfies the physical hunger of thousands of people in order to teach them that they need more than literal bread in this life and that He is the Bread of Life that will satisfy the hunger of their souls.


Notes:

1. Mark 6:32-41, 44; John 6:1-11
2. Mark 6:42-43; John 6:11-13
3. Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–13
4. Mark 6:34-37 (CEB)
5. John 6:5-6
6. Mark 6:37-38
7. John 6:7-8
8. Mark 6:45-46
9. John 6:14-17
10. John 6:24-27
11. John 6:35 (CEB)

The Miracle of the Loaves and the Fishes was painted by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo in the late 1600s.

Perspective: Disturbing the Demons

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Comments are always welcomed.
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Disturbing the Demons

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12 (NRSV)

I'm gonna pray until they tear your kingdom down
Pray until they tear your kingdom down
I heard the voice of Jesus say
Satan, your kingdom must come down

From "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down," a traditional spiritual

In the Gospels, we read that, on one Sabbath day, Jesus teaches in the synagogue in Capernaum.  Evidently, He teaches with a kind of authority that the congregation is not accustomed to hearing.  At one point, Jesus is interrupted by a man who is possessed by a demon.  Through the man, the demon shouts at Jesus, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are.  You are the holy one from God."  Jesus silences the demon and commands it to leave the man.  With a protest, the demon obeys.  The people in the synagogue that day are amazed by the authority with which Jesus teaches and casts out demons.¹

This story highlights both the power of Jesus' teaching and Jesus' dominion over the forces of evil.  That said, I think this story can also be read as a warning.

Note that, though the Gospel writers tell us that the people in the synagogue are amazed that Jesus teaches with authority, they do not explicitly tell us that the people like what He is saying.  It is quite possible that their reactions to His teaching are mixed.  Some people in the congregation might be troubled by what Jesus is saying.  Others in the congregation might have had certain inklings for which Jesus is finally giving them the words to express.  Some might simply be amazed that Jesus can get away with saying the kinds of things He is saying.

When one person in the congregation hears what Jesus has to say, something possesses him to start shouting at Jesus as if He is some sort of existential threat.  I suspect that, when we encounter this particular story, we tend to think that the man possessed by a demon just happens to wander into the synagogue on a day Jesus is teaching.  Perhaps the demon has been lurking silently in the congregation for some time, completely unbothered by the teachings of those who normally speak in the synagogue.  Perhaps Jesus teaches so provocatively that the demon simply cannot remain silent any longer.  In either case, the demon has to go.

Our world is infested by insidious, invisible forces that oppress and control people.  Sadly, our communities of faith are not immune to such "demons," and far too often they live in our faith communities completely unbothered and unchallenged.  People who proclaim truly prophetic words as Jesus did have a way of stirring up the "demons" that have been lurking silently.

The story of Jesus' casting a demon out of the synagogue is a warning that if we rock the proverbial boat, as Jesus did when he taught and healed with authority, we will invariably be met with opposition.  In the words of scholar N.T. Wright, "When the church learns again how to speak and act with the same authority, we will find both the saving power of God unleashed once more and a similar heightened opposition from the forces of darkness."²  People who dare to challenge the status quo must be ready to stand up to the forces that want to preserve it.


Notes:

1. Mark 1:21-27 or Luke 4:31-36 (CEB)
2. N.T. Wright.  Mark for Everyone.  2004, Westminster John Knox Press.  p. 12

The Possessed Man in the Synagogue was painted by James Tissot in the late 1800s.

Introspection: Bearing Fruit

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

Bearing Fruit

The seed that fell on good soil are those who hear the word and commit themselves to it with a good and upright heart.  Through their resolve, they bear fruit.

Luke 4:15 (CEB)

Be strong in the Lord and
Never give up hope
You're gonna do great things
I already know
God's got His hand on you so
Don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say

From "The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets

Lately, in my personal Bible studies, I've noticed that a number of Jesus' parables and teachings involve produce or, as it is simply called in Jesus' day, fruit.

In three of the Gospels, Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who scatters seed, representing someone who shares a message from God.  Some of the seed lands on a path where it never takes root, representing people who don't really pay attention to the message.  Some of the seed lands on rocky soil where it takes root but cannot grow very long, representing people who hear the message but soon leave it behind.  Some of the seed lands among thorny plants where it takes root and grows but inevitably gets choked out before it can bear fruit, representing people who hear the message but later get distracted by the concerns and vices of this life.  Some of the seed lands on good soil and yields an abundant harvest, representing people who hear the message and are transformed by it.¹

The last few months have been rather busy for me.  In late April and early May, I taught a short course on the Sacraments, namely Baptism and Holy Communion.  It was a new course for me, so I learned a lot as I prepared to teach.  In June, I preached two sermons at a particular church, highlighting two recurring themes I noticed in the Gospel of Matthew, specifically the way Jesus' interprets the Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus' abiding presence with us.  My two primary spiritual gifts are knowledge and teaching, and the class I taught and the sermons I preached are fruits of those gifts.

When I encountered the Parable of the Sower recently, I considered where I see myself in it.  Considering everything that has happened in my life and everything I've done, I think it is clear that the faith in which I was raised has taken root in my life and borne fruit.  That said, I can see myself in the seed that falls among thorny plants.  I have my share of distractions in life, and I know that I will not be spiritually fruitful if I am not intentional about growing in faith.  Interestingly, in Luke's Gospel, Jesus points out that the people who are represented by the seed that falls on good soil bear fruit "through their resolve."²  Ultimately, people are not soil, so they can choose to be spiritually fruitful.

In two of the Gospels, Jesus points out that a tree can be identified by the kind of fruit it bears.  Good trees produce good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit.  Fruit trees do not produce thorns and thistles, and thorny bushes do not produce fruit.  The implication is that, in the same way that a tree can be identified by the kind of fruit it bears, the content of a person's heart can be determined by what the person produces, namely the person's words and actions.  A person's inner character will inevitably make itself outwardly known.³

Encountering Jesus' analogy of a tree and its fruit recently gave me pause.  I questioned whether or not a person is, metaphorically speaking, either a fruit tree or a thorn bush, capable of bearing only good fruit or thorns and thistles.  I believe I'm bearing some good fruit in my life, yet I know that there are things in my life that are not as they should be.  As I prepared to teach and preach in the last few months, I had to contend with the feelings of unworthiness I typically feel when I do such things.  As I noted previously, I'm surprised that, in all the years I've been preaching, the ceiling of some church hasn't fallen on me.  I think that part of my problem is that, for various reasons, I'm prone to black-and-white thinking.  People are more complicated than plants.  There are good and bad things in all of our hearts, and all of these things have ways of making themselves known in our lives.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who plants wheat in his field.  As the wheat starts to grow, weeds are found growing among the stalks of wheat.  The landowner's servants offer to pull up the weeds, but the landowner tells them not to do so, because pulling up the weeds would uproot the wheat as well.  The landowner decides that the best course of action would be to let the weeds grow along with the wheat and to separate the wheat from the weeds at harvesttime.⁴  The wheat represents "the followers of the kingdom"; the weeds represent the "followers of the evil one"; and the harvest represents a future judgment carried out by God.⁵  A lesson to be gleaned from this parable is that we must leave the task of judging people to God, because our efforts to weed out the bad from the good will only do more harm than good.

Last year, I noted that, for a long time, the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds has had a special meaning for me personally.  I have a preoccupation with what people think of me that makes me want to hide the parts of myself that are less than ideal.  The parable reminds me that, if I worry too much that people might see the "weeds" in my life, I will end up denying them the opportunity to enjoy the "wheat."  All that said, I'm starting to wonder if maybe I have been projecting my own tendencies onto other people.  In other words, I'm starting to recognize my own tendency to overlook the "wheat" in my life because I'm so fixated on the "weeds."

A couple of months ago, I wrote an introspection about the losses I've experienced in the past twelve years and my need to move on from them.  When I shared it on Facebook, several members of my church commented on it.  They saw the disappointment and loneliness that were evident in my post, but they also saw that God has been at work in my life and through my life.  A couple of weeks ago, something minor went wrong, but I overreacted, texted my poor mother about it, and suggested that, for some reason, I deserved my misfortune.  My mother reminded me of some of the good things I do.  I'm lucky to have people in my life who can see the good fruit I bear when I become fixated on the negative parts of my life.

All of us are flawed people with messy lives, but we are all capable of being spiritually fruitful.  We all need people in our lives who believe in us and who see the good fruit we bear when we fail to see it for ourselves.  May you, dear reader, bear fruit wherever you find yourself right now, and may you surround yourself with people who will support you and encourage you.


Notes:

1. Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15
2. Luke 8:15 (CEB)
3. Matthew 7:15-2; Luke 6:43-45
4. Matthew 13:24-30
5. Matthew 13:36-43 (CEB)

The photograph featured in this introspection has been released to the public domain.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.