By Elijah Kyabayinze
- Title: Signs of Divinity
- Memory Text
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ ” – John 11:25-26
This week, we have looked at three key Miracles and their significance in John: Feeding of the 5000, Healing the Blind Man, and Resurrection of Lazarus.
SUNDAY: The Feeding of the 5000
The miracles were intended to create a basis of faith. They were selfless, not a show. They were seals from God himself, confirming Christ’s divinity.
John 10:25 and 37-38. Christ was displaying His divine credentials to man for man to accept Him. This means Christianity isn’t a blind faith. Christ does not want unbelievers. People of weak faith.
MONDAY: Surely, He Is the Prophet
Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:48): Jesus is the source of life. He is disappointed when we do not trust Him to give us life. Read John 11:35.
Moreover, He waited for four days until Lazarus had started rotting, and all hope was gone. The belief that Jesus is the resurrection and life is the foundation of the Christian hope.
Without it, there is no Christianity. The details of placing Jesus in parallel with Moses were intended to relate to the Jews.
“Surely he is the prophet…” But in what sense? They want to accept Jesus but only on their terms. We, like the Jews, behave the same way. We need to understand that we don’t make the rules for believing.
However, Christ has shown he is preparing something much better than the earthly kingdom we so much want. Let’s trust him.
TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY: The Healing of the Blind Man (Part 1 and 2)
Use the light while you still can. As much as physical blindness is bad, spiritual blindness is eternally destructive.
Sins can lead to suffering. Jesus admits it. Some problems can be eliminated by repenting.
The significance of this miracle points to the damning reality of how hatred can fuel the rejection of light. When we meet Jesus, two things can happen.
Either our sight is restored if we believe, or we become more blind when we reject him. Jesus warns that the same light that gives sight if resisted, will ultimately lead to blindness.
THURSDAY: The Resurrection of Lazarus
It makes Jesus sad that we have little belief in how much can do for us.
“No doubt, Jesus’ delay only helped to make the miracle that followed even more astonishing. To raise a rotting corpse?
What more proof could Jesus have given that indeed He was God Himself?” Jesus makes the clearest sign that He is God Himself.
He gives a non-living thing life.” I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die ”
Read: John 11:25, 26
There was more to Jesus’s Miracles than a wonderful display of divine power. They uplifted souls, alienated their afflictions, gave them hope, and pointed them to a Saviour who cares.
Jesus demonstrates that Christianity is about restoring the image of God in others. We need to believe in Him because of the tremendous evidence.
Discussion Questions
- Why is it so important to have faith in Jesus as the Saviour?
- What are some of the foolish things Christians believe that the world mocks and rejects?
- What do we believe that also ‘put to shame’ the ‘things that are mighty’?
