John 9 Loogies and healin’s
Read John 9:1-7
John is very purposeful in showing Jesus’ strategy. In John Jesus’ teachings, specifically the I Am statements, and miracles are intertwined. “I Am the living water” spoken to the woman at the well, followed by healing the handicapable man at pool of Bethesda. Jesus feeds 5,000 then says “I Am the bread of Heaven”. In chapter 8 Jesus said “I Am the Light…” and now He heals a blind man.
We’ll come back to the phrase “as he passed by” at the end.
-Jesus takes note of a blind man. His disciples automatically assume this calamity is punishment for some great wickedness, either his or his parents. This was a common believe of the time also reflected in the rabbinic saying from around 300AD, “there is no death without sin, and there is no suffering without iniquity” (b. Shabbat 55a). Instead of asking “can we help this” they treated this man’s misfortune as a theological puzzle. There is nothing wrong with theological discussions. But this was not the time for such a discussion; this was the time to do something to relieve this man’s suffering.
-Jesus says the man’s blindness is nobody’s fault. Some suffering is due to sin, some due to bad choices, but other is due simply to the fact that we live in a broken world. Some things just suck. This man’s blindness can’t be tracked to something he or his parents did wrong. It just is, and God allowed it to be so that on this day God could show His power and love. God allowed him to be blind for many years just for this one day. How difficult is it to keep trusting when the answer of solution doesn’t come immediately, or when the situation is something that has “just always been this way”?
-Jesus says He (some mss say we) must work while it is day for night is coming. This is a reference to the fact that Jesus had limited time on earth and therefore had no time to waste. He could not afford to overlook one opportunity to do the work of the Father because the night, death and 3 days in the tomb (see 12:35, 13:30), was getting closer.
-Jesus spits, makes mud and smears it on the guy’s face. Gross. Why such an odd means? Jesus could have, and did in other cases, simply say “boom, healed.” There are 2 possibilities, one is more probable than the other.
1. Both spit and clay were common to pagan healing myths of the time. Remember Asclepius from the study in John 5? Asclepius, the god of healing, had a temple in Jerusalem. This temple, or Asclepeion, was near built in the first century BC near the Pool of Bethesda. Worshipers and believers of Asclepius thought there was special healing power in saliva. The symbol of Asclepius is a rod with a snake. Being bitten by certain snakes was thought to have power. In some temples they would bring in dogs to lick wounds. Certain clay utensils were also very important. By using spit, to make muddy clay, Jesus is again setting Himself up as superior to Asclepius as the true Physician.
2. It’s likely that the focus on Jesus’ action here shouldn’t be on the spit, but on the mud. These people would have been intimately familiar with the creation account in Genesis. We know from that account that God formed man from the dirt. Irenaeus (130-200AD) said “the work of God is the fashioning of man...that which the artificer, the Word, had omitted to form in the womb, [namely the blind man’s eyes], He then supplied in public, that the works of God might be manifested in him” (Against Heresies 5.15.2). Jesus is still revealing His divine nature, but in a very creative way. Just as an artist or a craftsman fixes a damaged product with original materials, Jesus reveals His deity by using mud to fix the man.
-But the actual healing doesn’t take place until the man goes to wash in the Pool of Siloam. Obviously Jesus could have healed him on the spot. The washing wasn’t to finish or help Jesus’ power. It’s simply an issue of obedience. If you notice, most of the people whom Jesus heals on the spot seek Him out showing they already have a level faith. This man did not seek Jesus out, Jesus noticed him. The instruction to go and wash and be made whole is simply allowing the man to show faith and God and obedience to Jesus.
-John 8 ends with the Jews picking up stones to kill Jesus. In the Greek John 8:59 and 9:1 are joined by the word “and”. Look at Young’s Literal Translation: “58Jesus said to them, `Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham's coming -- I am;' 59they took up, therefore, stones that they may cast at him, but Jesus hid himself, and went forth out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. 1And passing by, he saw a man blind from birth,”
I saved this for the end even though it is the first part of the verse because I think it may be the most powerful thing about what’s happening here. Jesus is literally escaping from being stoned to death when He notices this man. Jesus is in the process of slipping out of a crowd trying to kill Him when He sees this man and stops everything to notice this person in need.
This is a crazy event. The majestic Son of God puts a lung butter mud pie on a guy’s face to heal him, while escaping from a crowd, and in doing so shows Himself to be not only the messiah, but YHWH in the flesh. The question now is, “How do we apply this to our lives?” Several ways.
1. Is your life too busy to help or minister to others? If you think it is, you are wrong. Never be so busy with your own life that you can’t see the needs in other’s lives.
2. Don’t get so fixated on discussing a problem that you don’t solve the problem. The disciples had no need to know why the man was blind, all that should have mattered to them was that he was blind. There are times to address causes and making better decisions. Then there are times to act.
3. Never presume to know how God will answer a prayer of move in a situation. Really, who saw the spit thing coming?
4. Don’t be surprised if God’s answer to your prayers or solution to your problems involves you doing something. Too many Christians think God only answers prayers in mystical ex nihilo ways. Many times God’s answer sounds more like, “Ok, here’s what you need to do…”
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
John 6, Feeding 5000
Here are some notes from last week's Resolved Bible study. When I started working on this study I didn't intend it to be a critique on "Prosperity Theology". In studying I found out this a favorite passage to use within the Prosperity movement. They love to use it to teach that if you have adequate faith God will mulitply your money just like Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves. However, when you look at it honestly Jesus seems to be teaching principles contradictory to this movement's theology. This is seen even more clearly when you put this miracle in the context of what Jesus said in did in the days after it happened. Enjoy.
John 6: Feeding 5k/Bread of life.
Interesting note, this is the only miracle recorded by all four gospels.
1 After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias ). 2 And a huge crowd was following Him because they saw the signs that He was performing on the sick. 3 So Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with His disciples.
(What motivated most to follow Him? The same thing that motivates many today. Too many Christians/preachers/teachers focus only on miraculous prosperity and never take the time to look at Jesus’ other teachings. “Christ’s miracles drew many after Him that were not effectually drawn to him.” Matthew Henry. It almost sounds like Jesus wants to get away from the people who are only there to see what they can get and be with the people who want to know Him.)
4 Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near. 5 Therefore, when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He asked Philip, "Where will we buy bread so these people can eat?" 6 He asked this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do.
(He asks Phillip because Phillip’s home town is near here. So Phillip would most likely have known many in the crowd and been more worried about their hunger than the other disciples. Phillip was also one of the earliest followers of Jesus and had seen all of His miracles. Jesus was not only giving Phillip a chance to show he had faith in the abilities of Jesus, He was giving Phillip a chance to let that faith help his own community. Sometimes God lets a tricky situation come in just to ask you “what are you going to do?” This question must have freaked Phillip out. “What are you doing asking me?!!! I’m following you here!” God is never caught off guard or at a loss for what to do.)
7 Philip answered, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn't be enough for each of them to have a little." 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, 9 "There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish—but what are they for so many?"
(How ridiculous this must have sounded. I wonder how dumb Andrew felt just saying this. But that was all they had, so they brought it to Jesus to see what He would have them do with it. Barely loaves were seen as less quality than the wheat loaves they were used to on the other side of the lake. Some insist that the only provisions God is involved in are Rolls Royce’s and $4K suits, etc. Yet here Jesus looks at the most ordinary, humble meal there was and says, “This will do.” He teaches us here not to demand the finest of everything but to be content with whatever God provides, even if it is more humble than we expected.)
10 Then Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. The men numbered about 5,000. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated and; so also with the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were full, He told His disciples, "Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted." 13 So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.
(Let nothing be wasted. How does that compare to some of the teachings popular in some circles today?)
14 When the people saw the sign He had done, they said, "This really is the Prophet who was to come into the world!" 15 Therefore, when Jesus knew that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain by Himself.
(When you follow God only because of miracles, or when the only thing that excites you about serving Jesus is what magic trick He will do for you, there is a problem.)
25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, " Rabbi, when did You get here?" 26 Jesus answered, " I assure you: You are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don't work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal of approval on Him."
(They were following Jesus not because they were in awe of the power and love of God, but because Jesus did something that made them feel good. The signs Jesus performed didn’t cause them to understand the true identity of the Messiah, as was intended. The signs gave them a full belly and they wanted more of that. Their devotion to Him was based on “what can I get out of you?” It was self seeking devotion.)
28 "What can we do to perform the works of God?" they asked. 29 Jesus replied, "This is the work of God: that you believe in the One He has sent." 30 "What sign then are You going to do so we may see and believe You?" they asked. "What are You going to perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. "32 Jesus said to them, " I assure you: Moses didn't give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 Then they said, "Sir, give us this bread always!" 35 "I am the bread of life," Jesus told them.
(The Jews had become very works oriented. Pleasing God was all about doing the right things. So their question was their way of asking, “How are we to interact with God?” Jesus’ answer seems overly simple: Believe in the One God sent. Asking what sign He would perform to prove He was from God took an incredible about of guts, or stupidity, since this is the same group He miraculously fed the day before. And then, to show Him what a “real” sign would look like they recall how Moses prayed and God sent bread from heaven. It becomes clear quickly that they were following Jesus to see what the magic man would do next for them. What does Jesus mean by “I am the bread of life?”)
41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
(Jesus points out that God used Moses as a tool to do a miracle, but Jesus is the miracle. As with pretty much everything in OT, the manna in the desert was a foreshadowing of the real deal; Jesus.)
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" 61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
(What happens to a faith based on prosperity and parlor tricks when life gets messy and real? What happens when our genie requires more of us than making wishes? Following Jesus is free, but not always easy. The character of the “miracle chasers” is revealed by their leaving when Jesus’ teachings become less fluffy.)
John 6: Feeding 5k/Bread of life.
Interesting note, this is the only miracle recorded by all four gospels.
1 After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias ). 2 And a huge crowd was following Him because they saw the signs that He was performing on the sick. 3 So Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with His disciples.
(What motivated most to follow Him? The same thing that motivates many today. Too many Christians/preachers/teachers focus only on miraculous prosperity and never take the time to look at Jesus’ other teachings. “Christ’s miracles drew many after Him that were not effectually drawn to him.” Matthew Henry. It almost sounds like Jesus wants to get away from the people who are only there to see what they can get and be with the people who want to know Him.)
4 Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near. 5 Therefore, when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He asked Philip, "Where will we buy bread so these people can eat?" 6 He asked this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do.
(He asks Phillip because Phillip’s home town is near here. So Phillip would most likely have known many in the crowd and been more worried about their hunger than the other disciples. Phillip was also one of the earliest followers of Jesus and had seen all of His miracles. Jesus was not only giving Phillip a chance to show he had faith in the abilities of Jesus, He was giving Phillip a chance to let that faith help his own community. Sometimes God lets a tricky situation come in just to ask you “what are you going to do?” This question must have freaked Phillip out. “What are you doing asking me?!!! I’m following you here!” God is never caught off guard or at a loss for what to do.)
7 Philip answered, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn't be enough for each of them to have a little." 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, 9 "There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish—but what are they for so many?"
(How ridiculous this must have sounded. I wonder how dumb Andrew felt just saying this. But that was all they had, so they brought it to Jesus to see what He would have them do with it. Barely loaves were seen as less quality than the wheat loaves they were used to on the other side of the lake. Some insist that the only provisions God is involved in are Rolls Royce’s and $4K suits, etc. Yet here Jesus looks at the most ordinary, humble meal there was and says, “This will do.” He teaches us here not to demand the finest of everything but to be content with whatever God provides, even if it is more humble than we expected.)
10 Then Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. The men numbered about 5,000. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated and; so also with the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were full, He told His disciples, "Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted." 13 So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.
(Let nothing be wasted. How does that compare to some of the teachings popular in some circles today?)
14 When the people saw the sign He had done, they said, "This really is the Prophet who was to come into the world!" 15 Therefore, when Jesus knew that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain by Himself.
(When you follow God only because of miracles, or when the only thing that excites you about serving Jesus is what magic trick He will do for you, there is a problem.)
25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, " Rabbi, when did You get here?" 26 Jesus answered, " I assure you: You are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don't work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal of approval on Him."
(They were following Jesus not because they were in awe of the power and love of God, but because Jesus did something that made them feel good. The signs Jesus performed didn’t cause them to understand the true identity of the Messiah, as was intended. The signs gave them a full belly and they wanted more of that. Their devotion to Him was based on “what can I get out of you?” It was self seeking devotion.)
28 "What can we do to perform the works of God?" they asked. 29 Jesus replied, "This is the work of God: that you believe in the One He has sent." 30 "What sign then are You going to do so we may see and believe You?" they asked. "What are You going to perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. "32 Jesus said to them, " I assure you: Moses didn't give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 Then they said, "Sir, give us this bread always!" 35 "I am the bread of life," Jesus told them.
(The Jews had become very works oriented. Pleasing God was all about doing the right things. So their question was their way of asking, “How are we to interact with God?” Jesus’ answer seems overly simple: Believe in the One God sent. Asking what sign He would perform to prove He was from God took an incredible about of guts, or stupidity, since this is the same group He miraculously fed the day before. And then, to show Him what a “real” sign would look like they recall how Moses prayed and God sent bread from heaven. It becomes clear quickly that they were following Jesus to see what the magic man would do next for them. What does Jesus mean by “I am the bread of life?”)
41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
(Jesus points out that God used Moses as a tool to do a miracle, but Jesus is the miracle. As with pretty much everything in OT, the manna in the desert was a foreshadowing of the real deal; Jesus.)
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" 61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
(What happens to a faith based on prosperity and parlor tricks when life gets messy and real? What happens when our genie requires more of us than making wishes? Following Jesus is free, but not always easy. The character of the “miracle chasers” is revealed by their leaving when Jesus’ teachings become less fluffy.)
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