Ask Mr Bible

Is God an impersonal force or a real Person?  You make the call.

The Bible makes it crystal clear that He is decidedly NOT some mystical principle, but an actual, living, caring Person!  Here are but a few of His many activities:

 A. He creates—“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

 B. He destroys—“And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous … Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground” (Gen. 18:20; 19:24-25).

 C. He provides—“These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth” (Psa. 104:27-30).
  
  “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?” (Luke 12:24).

 D. He promotes—“For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psa. 75:6-7).

E. He cares—“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward” (Heb. 10:35).

No principle can care.  Only a person can care for another person or another object.  Poet Thomas Baird wrote these thrilling words concerning these verses in 1 Peter and Hebrews:

It is His will that I should cast my cares on him each day.
He also bids me not to cast my confidence away;
But oh!  How foolishly I act when taken unaware,
I cast away my confidence and carry all my care.

 F. He hears—“He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?” (Psa. 94:9-10).

The fact that God hears is mentioned nearly 70 times in the Psalms alone.  In almost all cases this fact is connected to hearing our prayers.  For example, in Psa. 6:8 God says that he hears in time of sorrow.  Then in Psa. 34:6 we are told God hears in time of trouble.  Perhaps the greatest passage is found in Psa. 55:17, where we are told that God hears anytime we pray.  David says: “Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”

 G. He hates—There are certain things that God hates, and only a person can be involved in this manner. 

  “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (Prov. 6:16-19).

 H. He grieves—“And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart” (Gen. 6:6).  As humans are grieved, God Grieves.  In the New Testament we are told concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).

 I. He loves—“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Perhaps the greatest song ever written is a song that we sometimes limit to the singing of little children.  It is the song that, as small children, we learned in Sunday school:

Jesus loves me, this I know;
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to him belong,
They are weak, but he is strong.

Imagine you are living during a warm April day in the Middle East some 20 centuries ago when suddenly you heard the mind-boggling news . . “IT’S TRUE, HE’S ALIVE!”

Would you have (1) believed it? (2) disbelieved it? (3) expressed total confusion about the news?  Well, here are the responses of many who did live at that time:

The response of His foes:

1. The Jewish leaders demanded that Pilate seal Jesus’ tomb to prevent the resurrection from happening.

“Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch”  (Matt. 27:62-66).

2.  The Roman soldiers who witnessed the resurrection were bribed to say it had never occurred (Matt. 28:12-15).

The response of His friends:
 
Sadly, none of Jesus’ disciples remembered (or had sufficient faith to believe) His repeated promise to rise again.

1.  The women did not remember.
“And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?” (Mark 16:1-3).

2.  Mary Magdalene did not remember.
“And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away” (John 20:13-15).

3.  Peter and John did not remember.
“For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead” (John 20:9).

 “Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass” (Luke 24:12).

4.  The apostles did not remember.

“And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not” (Luke 24:9-11).

5.  The two disciples on the Emmaus Road did not remember.
“Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25, 26).

6.  Thomas did not remember.
 “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the LORD. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:24, 25).

What is the evidence supporting the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must  believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”  (Heb. 11:6).

 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

 These verses at first glance may seem to have little in common with the resurrection of Christ, but the fact is they serve to set the stage for us as we contemplate this glorious event.  From these passages we learn two truths:

 ● Above all else, God desires that we, by faith alone, accept His revealed  word on any given subject apart from any external evidence that might exist to support it.

● On the other hand as believers, after accepting God’s word at face value, Peter exhorts us to compile whatever relevant evidence that might exist to validate or confirm the Scriptures!

 Perhaps no other biblical event lends itself more completely to all this than does the resurrection of Jesus Christ!  The evidence supporting His resurrection is nine-fold:

A. The empty tomb:
 If Christ did not rise again, what happened to His body?

 1. His friends did not remove it, for they were as surprised concerning the empty tomb as the rest.  See John 20:1-9.

 2. His enemies did not remove it, for they were bribed to tell a lie concerning the empty tomb.  See Matt. 28:12-15.

 Josh McDowell observes:

Another obvious fact after the resurrection was the empty tomb.  The disciples of Christ did not go off to Athens or Rome to preach Christ raised from the dead; they went right back to the city of Jerusalem where, if what they were teaching were false, their message would have been disproved.  The resurrection could not have been maintained for a moment in Jerusalem if the tomb had not been empty. 

B.   The tremendous and sudden change in the lives of the disciples.
       Two examples will suffice here:

 1. That of Simon Peter:
  a. Just prior to the Resurrection Peter is seen bitterly denying his Savior (Matt. 26:69-74).
  b. Just after the Resurrection he is seen boldly declaring His Savior (Acts 2:14-40).

 2. That of John the Apostle:
  a. Just prior to the Resurrection John displayed total contempt toward the Samaritans.

“And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?” (Luke 9:54).

b.  Just after the Resurrection he displays total compassion toward the Samaritans.

“Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John … And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans” (Acts 8:14, 25).

 C. The silence from both the Romans and Pharisees.  Not once did either of these enemy groups even attempt to deny Christ’s resurrection.  They hated it and tried to suppress it, but could not refute it. 
  
The point of all this is simple:  If the foes of Christianity could have produced the body of Jesus, no warnings, threats, or imprison-ment in regard to His followers would have been necessary.

D. The change from Saturday to Sunday as the main day of worship.   Imagine the following:

While visiting a foreign country you are suddenly seized by some terrorists and held hostage in solitary confinement for 90 days.  During this time you are permitted absolutely no contact with the outside world.  After three months (for no apparent reason) you are released and allowed to return home.  Upon arrival, however, you learn some incredible news.  During your absence all Christian churches everywhere no longer gather for worship on Sunday, but instead assemble on Monday of each week.  Your immediate question of course would be what in the world could have happened during those 90 days causing Christians to abandon their 2,000-year-old custom of worshipping on Sunday.

Yet this is exactly what happened in Palestine shortly after the Resurrection of Christ.  As ingrained as the Sabbath was in the hearts and history of the apostles, it would have taken some fantastic event to change their thinking here.

 E. The existence of the Church:
 In less than 50 years after Christ’s death, the Christian Church  had become a mighty power, causing the Roman government to  view with growing concern its influence upon men and women.   Legends and religions do not develop this quickly.

 F. The various appearances of Christ following His Resurrection:
  During the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension, our Lord made ten specific appearances before individuals or groups of individuals.

  1. The first day (Easter Sunday)
   a. To Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18)
   b. To some women (Matt. 28:9-15)
   c. To Simon Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5)
   d. To two disciples en route to Emmaus (Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13-35)
   e. To ten apostles in the Upper Room (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-48; John 20:19-23)

  2. The final 39 days
   a. To Thomas and the 10 apostles in the Upper Room (John 20:24-31)
   b. To seven apostles by the Galilean Sea (John 21)
   c. To the apostles and 500 disciples (Matt. 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18; 1 Cor. 15:6)
   d. To James, the half brother of Christ (1 Cor. 15:7)
   e. To the 11 apostles on the Mount of Olives (Luke 24:49-50; Acts 1:3-8)

“And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Amen” (Rom. 16:20).

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14).
   
As one considers the unspeakable cruelty that human beings have imposed upon other human beings throughout recorded history (such as the holocaust, etc.), it may well seem these verses ring hollow indeed.  Did the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ really signify total victory over the devil?  If so, why is he allowed to continue his malicious and murderous reign over this earth?  Is Satan not aware that he is both a defeated and doomed foe?  On the surface, hard questions indeed!  However, an event at the end of World War II may help by way of illustration and application to answer these probing questions.

On August 6 and 9, 1945, the first two atomic bombs were dropped upon the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  In one blinding instant over 150,000 people perished.  Some were blown apart, others burned alive, still others crushed by fallen objects, and many were actually vaporized by the terrible heat.  However, a number of the survivors who may have escaped the initial blast perhaps without a single scratch or cut were, nevertheless, doomed to die in the near future by a frightful and (up to that time) unknown terror called radiation poisoning.  Stated another way, these poor people were, practically speaking, as dead as the original bomb victims.

What is being proposed here is that Satan was being subjected to a double and lethal dose of divinely induced spiritual radiation poisoning, with the first being administered on the cross and the second inside the tomb!

Thus, while the devil may, at present, appear and act as if he survived God’s wrath untroubled, he is, in reality, a doomed foe whose time is running out.

Martin Luther may well have had all this in mind when he wrote the third stanza of his great hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.  Note the stirring words:

And tho’ this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph thru us.
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him—His rage we  
Can endure, for lo, his doom is sure: One little word shall fell him.

The patriarch Abraham who lived and died some 2000 years ago continues to serve our generation as a glorious example of God’s faithfulness.

How Abraham could have reflected on his life:

I still miss Sarah.  Let’s see, how long has she been gone?  I was 137 when she died at age 127.  On my next birthday I’ll be 175.  Nearly 40 years.  That’s a long time to be separated from someone you love.  I can still vividly remember when she and I packed up and left Ur a century ago!  What a handsome couple we were back then.  Of course all our friends and relatives thought we were crazy!  They told us it was bad enough to leave the comfort and safety of city life, but to head out for an unknown land at the command of some invisible God, well, that was sheer insanity!  I wonder how Ishmael is doing these days?  As I remember, he’ll be 88 on his next birthday.  The last report I heard was that he had married an Egyptian girl and had fathered 12 sons.  That’s good!  I hope the best for him.  My heart still grieves when I think back on those events which made it necessary for us to go our separate ways.  Keturah has been a good wife to me, certainly a fruitful one, giving birth to six healthy sons.  But it is Isaac of course, the heir of the covenant, the miracle son, who is the source of my joy and comfort.  Again my thoughts turn to Sarah.  So much has happened since leaving Ur.  God’s righteousness has been imputed to the both of us.  Her barren womb bore us our beloved Isaac.  Each of our names has been changed for the good.  From our seed the Messiah Himself will someday come.  No, old girl, our friends—not us—were were wrong.  You probably did on occasion miss the comfort and safety of big city life.  I know I still do at times.  But not to worry, beloved daughter of the covenant, for we both look for “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

1.      The believer’s relationship to the world is never the same after his conversion (Gen. 12:1-3).

2.       I am never to depend upon Egypt (a type of the world) in time of trouble (Gen. 12:10).

3.       Lying always increases, but never decreases, our problems (Gen. 12:13).

4.       My sin can affect unsaved people (Gen. 12:17; 20:18).

5.       Righteousness is only imputed by faith (Gen. 15:6).

6.       Never substitute God’s revealed plan for one of your own (Gen. 12:2; 16:2-3).

7.       The purest kind of faith is accepting from God those terrible things you cannot possibly understand (Gen. 22:1-2, 15-18; Heb. 11:17-19).

8.       Make every attempt to see that your children marry believers (Gen. 24:1-4).

9.       Anticipate the “sweet by and by” while living in the “nasty now and now!”

          (Heb. 11:10).

Father:  Terah (Gen. 11:26)

Spouses:  Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah (Gen. 11:29; 16:3; 25:1)

Sons:  From Hagar: Ishmael (Gen. 16:15-16).  From Sarah: Isaac (Gen. 21:2-3).

           From Keturah: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah

           (Gen. 25:2)

Brothers:  Nahor and Haran (Gen. 11:26)

Sisters:  Half sister was Sarah (Gen. 20:12)

First mention:  Gen. 11:26

Final mention:  1 Peter 3:6

Meaning of his name:  “Father of a multitude”

Frequency of his name:  Referred to 307 times

Biblical books mentioning him:  27 books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Nehemiah, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter)

Occupation:  Patriarch

Place of birth:  Ur of the Chaldees (Gen. 11:31)

Place of death:  Near Hebron in Canaan (Gen. 23:19; 25:9)

Age at death:  175 (Gen. 25:7)

Important fact about his life:  He was the father of the Hebrew nation and the ultimate role model for faith (Gen. 12:1-3; 1 Chron. 1:34; 2:1-2; Heb. 11:8-10).

Five reasons why the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is of supreme importance:

 It is the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights of the Christian faith.
  
 It emphasizes the absolute uniqueness and utter superiority of the Christian faith.  The founders of all other religions in human history eventually died.  But only the founder of Christianity (who also died) is
 alive and active today!  Thus, in one sense of the word, the empty tomb, not the cross, serves as the official sign of Christianity!

 It is the final side making up the divine triangle of salvation.  Thus:

  1. Jesus’ birth made it possible.
  2. Jesus’ death made it actual.
  3. Jesus’ resurrection made it certain.

 It serves as the official measurement of God’s power.  We are all aware of how man measures power, using such units as candle power, horse power, atomic power, etc., but how is divine power measured?  In
 the Scriptures there are two such standards of measurement.

  1. In the Old Testament it is the power God used in bringing Israel out of Egypt (Exod. 14:26-       31).

   Time and again, especially in the Psalms, this mighty event is referred to.  Note but a few references:

   “For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters … Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers” (Psa. 74:12, 13, 15).

   “Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea. Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left … Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea” (Psa. 106:7-11, 22).

  2. In the New Testament it is the power of God used in bringing Jesus out of the grave.

   “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Eph. 1:19-21).

  It is the focal point in regard to both salvation and the Scriptures.

  1. Regarding the salvation:
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain”  (1 Cor. 15:1, 2).

  2. Regarding the Scriptures:
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”     (1 Cor. 15:3, 4).

Jesus healed a man who had been born blind (John 9:1-7)

SURVEY

Jesus began this miracle by spitting on the ground, making mud with the saliva, putting it on the man’s eyes, and saying: “Go wash in the pool of Siloam.”  The blind man obeyed and was immediately able to see!

SIGNIFICANCE

● This is the only miracle where Jesus commanded the person to be healed to do something.

● This is the final of seven miracles where the parents of the recipient are involved. 

SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

● Notice the insensitivity and callousness shown by the disciples here:

 “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-2).

 As it can be seen, there was no desire on their part to help this pitiful man.  Rather, his condition served simply as a focal point for an academic, theological discussion!

● At first reading, this seems to be a very silly question, for how could this poor, sightless man be suffering for his sin if he was born blind?  However, some rabbis felt a baby could sin in its mother’s womb, or that its soul might have sinned in a preexistent state.  They also held that terrible punishment from God came upon certain people because of the sin of their parents.

 This grievous error, of course, is totally refuted by both Moses and Ezekiel. 

 “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deut. 24:16).

 “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezek. 18:20).

● Jesus answered their question as follows:

“Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3).

Here Jesus corrects that terrible teaching that says that all suffering is a direct result of personal sin.  The disciples at this point had made the same false assumption that Job’s three “friends” had once made (see Job 4:7-8; 8:20; 20:4-5), and that many modern “faith healers” today still make.  However, God Himself had severely rebuked the companions of Job for their wicked judgment:

“And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath” (Job 42:7).

During His earthly ministry Jesus performed some 35 recorded miracles.  At least eight reasons may be given as to why:

A. To fulfill Old Testament prophecy

“When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matt. 8:16-17).

“But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (John 12:37-38).

B. To validate His message

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (John 3:1-2).

“And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased” (John 6:2).

C. To reveal His glory

“This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana, of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory …” (John 2:11a).

D. To increase the faith of His disciples

 “and his disciples believed on him” (John 2:11b).

“When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do” (John 6:5-6).

E. To declare His Messianic claims

“Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world” (John 6:14).

F. To prove His deity

“And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matt. 14:32-33).

G. To demonstrate His compassion

1. Upon the hungry multitudes (Matt. 9:36; 14:14; 15:32)
2. Upon the blind (Matt. 20:34)
3. Upon the lepers (Mark 1:40-41)
4. Upon the demon-possessed (Mark 5:18-19)
5. Upon the grief stricken (Luke 7:12-13)

H. To show His authority to forgive sin

“And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house” (Luke 5:20-24).

Two sets of brothers learned this, as recorded in Luke 5:1-11:

Four fishermen (Andrew, Peter, James, and John) had toiled all night without catching one single fish.  However, at Jesus’ command, Peter rowed out into the deep waters of the Galilean Sea and let down his nets.  Immediately they caught so many fish that their nets began to break due to the huge catch, which fish soon filled their boats.

SIGNIFICANCE

● This is the first of 4 miracles done upon the Sea of Galilee. 

●   It is the first of two miracles resulting in a supernatural catch of fish.  Note the contrasts and comparisons however:

1. The comparisons
a. On both occasions they had unsuccessfully fished all night (Luke 5:5; John 21:3).
b. On both occasions they obeyed Jesus’ command and were successful (Luke 5:5, 6; John 21:6).
c. On both occasions Simon Peter was the key figure (Luke 5:3-8; John 21:7-11).
 
2. The contrasts
a. On the first occasion the fishing net broke.  On the second it did not (Luke 5:6; John 21:11).
b. On the first occasion Jesus instructed Peter to “catch fish,” while on the second He would command him to “feed sheep” (Luke 5:10; John 21:15-17).

SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

● Peter would later fulfill Jesus’ two-fold command to catch fish and feed sheep.  Thus:

1. He caught fish!
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).

2. He fed sheep!
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:2-3).

“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Peter 5:1-2).

● It should be noted most of Jesus’ apostles were busy at work when He called them, as were the God-called Old Testament men.  Note:

1. Moses and David were tending sheep (Exod. 3:1-2; 1 Sam. 16:11).
2. Gideon was threshing wheat (Judges 6:11-12).
3. Elisha was plowing a field (1 Kings 19:19-21).
4. Amos was herding cattle and picking fruit (Amos 1:1; 7:14-15).
5. Matthew was collecting taxes (Matt. 9:9).
6. Andrew, Peter, James, and John were fishing (Luke 5:1-11).
7. Saul of Tarsus was arresting Christians in his misguided zeal as a Pharisee (Acts 9:1-6).

The intended lesson here seems obvious—God’s call upon a person is rarely (if ever) dependent upon his (or her) brain capacity, brawn, blue blooded history, or banking achievements, but rather just how busy that individual is at the time!

Abraham’s faithful servant had once given an eloquent testimony to this:

“And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren” (Gen. 24:27).

● Finally, it should be noted that these experienced fishermen did exactly what Jesus told them to do, even though it must have seemed unreasonable at the time.  King Solomon once wrote:

 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Prov. 3:5-6).

The only miracle performed by Jesus which was recorded by all four gospel accounts involved the feeding of the 5000, as recorded in Matt. 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; Mark 6:33-44; John 6:5-13.

● At least five reasons have been suggested concerning why this miracle was performed.

1. To demonstrate Christ’s compassion upon people—He was concerned not only with their souls, but also with their bodies.

2. To test His disciples—This undoubtedly strengthened their faith.  They would remember it all their lives.

3. To prove His messianic claims—The Jews had a tradition that when the Messiah came, He would feed them with bread as Moses had once done.  Note the following dialogue which took place on the next day between the crowd and Jesus: 

 “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven . . . And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:31-32, 35).

4. To show the value of small things when given over to Christ—Especially is this seen by the giving of the loaves, not only in matters of quantity (five loaves), but also in quality (they were barley loaves).  Wheat loaves were the normal diet back then.  Barley loaves were eaten only by the very poor.

5. To illustrate God’s faithfulness—In fact, this miracle was simply an unforgettable illustration of a profound principle Jesus had previously taught during his Sermon on the Mount. 

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:31-32).