The Miracle Worker

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

THE MIRACLE WORKER

John 10:34-39

34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'? 35 If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came — and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38 But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."  39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

NIV

Jesus was quoting from one of the Psalms in which the Psalmist, who is believed to be David, wrote that God has said you are all gods, sons of the Most High God. But David went on to write you will all die like mere men. Of course he was referring to those who oppose the weak, the fatherless. But Jesus was making a point to those Pharisees about the Law they so diligently adhered to. If they were so insistent on the Law then they would have seen Jesus for who he was, the Son of God. But they were blinded by their own adherence to what they believed rather than the actually truth of the Law. They certainly believed in God and knew the history of what God did for their ancestors. How he performed many miracles after bringing them out of Egypt. He parted the Red Sea, he gave them manna from heaven, turned bitter water into sweet, led them with a pillar of fire at night and one of smoke by day. The list of miracles could fill a book, well it does actually, several, and Jesus was telling them they may know that he and the Father are one, because he has done a whole host of miracles in their presence. Who else but God, but Jesus could do so many miracles? Who else but God, but Jesus could do just one miracle? Can any man do even one miracle? Perhaps a little magic, a little sleight of hand, maybe a little false miracle empowered by the devil to trick people away from God, but actually out and out miracles only come from the hand of God. They knew what God had done and they know what Jesus has done, but their rage was about being challenged regarding their beliefs in the Law and not understanding the truth of it. We do not have that challenge for we know the truth of the Gospel, we know Jesus and the Father are one, we know that Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus. We know it all. We know the truth. But do we get distracted by the Law? Do we get so involved in the list of do’s and don’ts that we forget about the freedom in Christ? Do we get so narrow minded in our denominationalism we become blinded to the truth? We cannot afford to be like those Pharisees in any way shape or form. We have to stay focused on Jesus. He is our salvation, our savior, our Lord, our Good Shepherd, who laid his life down for us, so that we might have life and have it more abundant. What else do we need? How much Law can save us? How much rule following can save us? How much of the right next step can save us? Sure we should live out our faith, sure we should live a life of love, but it is not about an adherence to rules, it is about Jesus. The true life of love is telling people about Jesus. If we love our neighbor as ourselves we would tell them about Jesus. It is not about cleaning their yard; it is about telling them they need Jesus. It is not about anything but telling them about Jesus. Humans, those without Jesus can clean yards, humans do all sorts of humanitarian deeds, but only those of us who know Jesus can tell them about him. Jesus does the miracle, he saves people from perishing, and he gives life. Jesus is the miracle worker.