John 6:1-15 - The Far Side - Miracles at Christmas
Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Tiberias at the height of His earthly ministry. The crowds (over 5,000 men in this scene) wanted Jesus to be their earthly king (5:15). Jesus saw the large crowd coming towards Him and He knew what He wanted to do. He had compassion on them and He wanted them to know that He was the answer - not money, not things of this world, but God Himself. Jesus would not be dissuaded from His preaching and teaching of the need to hear the message of the Son and to believe in the One lifted up. The crowds would not understand at that point - and neither would His disciples - but they would after the resurrection.
Jesus sat down with His proverbs men and showed them how to serve. Jesus rejected the fame and fortune of the world (not that it could tempt Him - it could not) and instead, He gave thanks to God and showed His men how to put miraculous faith into action. Jesus' miraculous feeding of thousands of people (and the way that He did it) showed His disciples and the many people there that His teaching and testimony were true. Jesus’ miracles proved that God sent Him (5:36). By His faith in action He showed His men the meaning of “Thy will be done” (5:30). We too are to be encouraged by God this Christmas for, like the Galileans on the other side of the lake, we may find ourselves on the far side of where we thought we would be, but God is with us. Right now, He is with us.
Jesus came to earth to rescue and save. That was His only ambition, nay, His only mission. What about us? Are we focused on our mission, to make genuine disciples of Jesus? Or are we hell-bent on selfish ambition? I’m excited for the year ahead because I see so many signs of God's grace and blessing. I see sinners saved by Grace rejecting the things of this world and committing to be the proverbs men and women God desires us to be. Wise. Humble. Honest. Generous. Upright. Couriers of good news and creative ideas. Bringers of blessing. God’s righteous men and women. Caring for others, measuring with accurate scales, and planting seeds of good deeds. Fearing God, shunning evil. Pure in what we see and think. Hating the work of those who fall away and wanting no part of it. Declaring God's strength to our kids and to our grandkids.
“Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death” (Proverbs 11:4). That rings true with Revelation 22:16. God our Savior desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4). I believe that with all my heart. I believe without a doubt that wherever you are on this planet, God loves you. Completely!
This is the Christmas Season when we give thanks and celebrate the coming of the Savior and give thanks for His sacrifice for our sins. I love it for many reasons including the decorating and the food (my wife is planning lots of great cooking). We retell the ancient story of the Holy Spirit conception and Mary and Joseph - faithful humble servant parents. We will remind each other how Jesus was worshiped by people who knew God and sought God (Simeon and Anna in Luke 2:25-40). Wise men were seeking and successfully honoring God the Messiah. We retell the story of the miraculous messages from the angels and the protection for the Messiah in Egypt from the evil king and a wicked adulterous nation who would not stop until they had nailed Jesus to the Cross. It is a time of remembrance and great celebration. It’s a time to celebrate God’s blessings of this last year and to look forward to the next.
Thank You Jesus for the Cross. We have faith in the things we can't see for You have put eternity in our hearts. We cannot fathom what You’ve done for us. Yet we desperately need encouragement this Christmas and we need fellowship of genuine believers. We need fellowship with You. Please help us not to lose heart or succumb to bitterness. Our trust is not in men. Our hearts are being renewed today by You. We seek the unseen things which we know are eternal. In this Season we celebrate all of Christ’s miracles in our lives - and everything He has pronounced (1 Chronicles 16:10-12). For we know that King Jesus reigns today and forever (Psalm 9:7-10). Amen.
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