Jesus’ Power Over Everything
Jun 1, 2014 3135
All the seven miracles of transformation in the fourth gospel bespeak the divinity of Jesus, for ‘these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name’ (John 20:31). Note how he is strong where we are weak:
The miracle at the wedding feast reveals the power of Christ to bring a new quality of life into human existence. Water becomes wine.- The feeding of the five thousand shows his power over quantity. A few loaves and fishes become enough to feed an army, and there is plenty to spare.
- The healing of a man who had been ill almost forty years shows Christ’s power over time.
- His sending of the word of healing from Cana to Capernaum shows Christ’s power over space.
- His walking upon the water reveals his supremacy over natural law.
- His healing of a man who was born blind illustrates his control over apparent chance, i.e., over non law.
- The raising of Lazarus testifies to Christ’s power over death. He is ‘The resurrection and the life.’
Thus each of these mighty works testifies that Christ is no mere man only. He is God! The divinity of our Lord is our assurance of eternal life and our guarantee that he is sufficient for all our needs in this present time, as well as in the world to come. The Gospel of John has as its message the glorious truth that once we are united to Christ by living faith, our only limitation will be the welcome one of the will of God, which is always good. Despite our weakness and our sinfulness, all things—the failing of supply, of health, of strength, of apparent safety, etc.—work together for good. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. But most of all, the Gospel is declaring that the spiritual ravages of our nature made by sin, can be healed by our contact of faith with the living Christ.
John is as aware of the simplicity of salvation by faith alone, as certainly as Paul, and therefore he uses various forms of the word ‘believe’ approximately one hundred times, in most chapters of his Gospel this concept is emphasised (see, for example, 1:7, 12; 2:11, 23; 3:12,15,16,18,36; 4:28,39,53; 5:24,38,44,46,47; 6:29, etc.). That salvation is free, is the glorious good news told again and again.
Sense can be made of the nonsense of life only as we believe the words of Christ. Listen again to some from the most beautiful book in the Bible:
‘…whoever comes to me I will never drive away’ (6:37). ‘… whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life’ (5:24). ‘… whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst’ (4:14). ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies’ (11:25).
Throughout the Gospel of John the word of the divine Christ works transformation. It raised Lazarus from the dead. That same word received and believed by you and me places us too on resurrection ground; translated into the eternal kingdom of God.
Des Ford (from “Eternal Life Now”)
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