Be Encouraged >> Three Particular Miracles

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This post is going to be a little different than my usual Encouragement posts. I've come down with a nasty cold, and with nothing drafted already, I found I didn't have the energy to share anything too profound with you today. ;D

But, I've recently been digging into a new study on the gospel of Luke, Unexplainable Jesus, by Erica Wiggenhorn. It's an eight-week study breaking down the events recorded in Luke. And it's been quite enjoyable thus far. All in thanks to Moody Publishers, I'll be reviewing this sometime in March (so if interested, be on the lookout!).

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Today, however, I thought I'd share something from that study that's stuck out to me.

In regards to the miracles of Jesus, Luke told us He performed many such miraculous deeds, but Luke chooses to highlight three in particular: the miraculous catch of fish, the healing of the paralytic, and the healing of another man's affliction. These can be found in Luke 5 & 6.

The quote below brought His miracles into a whole new light for me.
Nothing Jesus ever did was without purpose.

"Luke points out how Jesus is Lord over creation or nature by bringing a miraculous catch of fish; Lord over sin & judgment by removing diseases, such as paralysis, which were sometimes believed to be signs of judgment; and now we [see] Jesus exercising miraculous power on the Sabbath. In other words, Jesus' power & authority extend to all aspects of human existence."

(Unexplainable Jesus, Erica Wiggenhorn, p. 72)

That revelation is simply amazing to me! I've read these miracles & stories many times over & know them now by heart.

In the instance of Jesus instructing Simon Peter to cast off and let down their nets, Peter wearily protested they had already labored all night with nothing to show for it. Did you know then, that any professional fisherman of Galilee knew you only caught fish at night because it was impossible to do so during the day? It was a waste of time. Why? I'm not sure. It could have been the hot climate, where all the fish stayed well below the range of nets during the heat of the day. Whatever the reason, Jesus used it as a demonstration of His authority.

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Jesus has a purpose in EVERYTHING He does.

"What if Peter's NOTHING was so that Jesus could come along & do SOMETHING? What if our effort, resulting in NOTHING, was Jesus' plan to show up & do SOMETHING UNEXPLAINABLE?"

(Unexplainable Jesus, p. 68)

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In the healing of the paralytic, Jesus displays His power over sin. During that age, a disease or other such affliction was seen as judgment from God on that person, or even their family.

And here comes Jesus, the claimed Messiah, giving healing where many believed the afflictions were divine judgment for that person's sins---be it the parents' sin, or his/her own. Jesus coming as He does in this way, and in chapter 5, verse 20, saying, "Man, your sins are forgiven," is an amazing claim on His authority. Essentially, He gives the scribes & Pharisees (who are protesting at His incredible statement) this question: "If illness is indeed from sin, and I can heal from illnesses, then shouldn't you naturally conclude that I have power over sin?"

To me, that's a no-brainer. xD

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In the third miracle, found in chapter 6, verses 6 through 11, Jesus heals a man whose right hand was withered. It doesn't give any more detail in regards to his condition or as to what caused it. But the passage specifically states, "On another Sabbath..." (v. 6) In the eyes of the zealous Pharisees, this was an outrage as it was considered a type of labor on the Lord's day of rest.

A bit of background on the laws in regards to the Sabbath: The teachers of the Law were revered among the people & were some of the wealthiest members of society. At this point in Israel's history, it's understood that less than 10% of the people were able to read. Because of that, most would have held a sense of awe for the teachers & their wisdom.

We should remember that at this time the "Law" is not merely the first five books of our Bible. The Jews also had an oral law that passed down from generation to generation, and was often referred to as tradition. They believed Moses had received this oral law from God at the same time he received the written law. But by the time Jesus appears, "these teachers of the Law had begun to elevate the oral law & their traditions over the simplicity of the written law recorded by Moses. Hundred of rules had been added, many of which referred to all the 'do not' on the Sabbath. They had taken God's command not to work on the Sabbath & developed countless applications from it---one of which was that healing should not occur on a Sabbath day." (Unexplainable Jesus, p. 79)

Now comes Jesus calling them to be open to a new teaching, and to look beyond the letter of the law & instead look at the intent: "The purpose of the Sabbath was to rest in the goodness & provision of God." (E. Wiggenhorn)

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Wow.

Do we have faith like Peter & his brothers, who, though weary from an all-night shift at work, still chose to obey the words of their Lord & see Him make SOMETHING from NOTHING?

Do we truly believe that God can save us---unworthy & undeserving as we are in our sin? Are we the kind of friend who would do everything in our power to bring our loved ones to the feet of Jesus?

How often do we take the simplest of things & overthink & overwork it into something it's entirely NOT? Waaaaaaay too often, in my case.

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Beloved,

Jesus has a purpose in everything He says & does. EVEN IF the answer to your sincere question is a soft, "No." Isn't it a relief to know we have Someone who is literally all-knowing & all-powerful? He has ALL authority, and all He truly asks of us is that we trust Him & believe His Word.

Be encouraged!

You are not alone in your weariness, nor your sin, nor those nasty overthinking habits. I encourage you to find someone to talk to if you struggle with any of these things. God gives us the people in our lives---yes! you guessed it---for a purpose. How wonderful to know we don't have to walk through this world alone.

Comments

Christine SmithFebruary 24, 2020 at 10:13 PM
WOW INDEED! That first quote you shared especially opened my eyes. I mean, OF COURSE I knew Jesus has power over ALL aspects of human existence, but the way she illustrated it was so powerful. Like you, I've read those passages time and time and time again, and yet this is a whole new revelation from them!

And isn't that the most amazing thing? It doesn't matter if we read the Bible a million times and know it by heart word for word. We will STILL find new revelations. Because God is infinite, and there is always more to learn. It just... *clutches heart* It boggles my mind and puts me in complete awe. We've got such an awesome God!

I just adored this post! It really shows that God has power over ALL and that's a GOOD thing. A very, very good, comforting, wonderful thing.

Thank you SO much for sharing with us, sweet Sarah! I'm so sorry to hear you're sick. I do hope you get better soooon! *hugs*