The Sunday Next Before Advent
“Then those men, when they had seen the
miracle that Jesus did said, This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the
world”
From the Gospel…..“Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did said,
This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world”
The
Gospel this morning is one of the most familiar stories of the miracles that
Jesus performed. I would venture to guess
that it is probably right up there with the parable of the Prodigal Son, and
the Parable of the Good Samaritan in popularity. This may be true for a number of
reasons. It could be familiar to so many
of us because it is the only miracle that is found in all four gospels. So, no matter which of the four gospels we
choose to read, we are bound to run into it at some point. Or, it might just be because it is a very
simple one for us to understand…a simple one for us to remember….or think
about. Whatever the reason, it truly is
an important event both for those people who were followers of Jesus and
eyewitnesses of the miracle, and… it’s also important for us today.
What
I want to focus on this morning, is not necessarily the actual miracle of the
multiplying of the bread and the fish, though that is obviously an important
part of the story, but I want to look again at what we read in the last couple
of lines of the story. We read here…..“When the people saw the sign that He had
done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
If
we think about it, this is a turning point for many of the followers of
Jesus. This miracle that Jesus performed
seemed to have convinced many, if not most who were present, that Jesus was
indeed “that Prophet” …The
Messiah….that they were expecting.
The question I want you to ask your self this
morning, is ……do I believe that Jesus is indeed “that Prophet” This is an important question.
Now,
I am willing to bet that not each and every one of the 5000 men….and keep in
mind…. this does not even include the women and children who were present……..I
bet that not every one was aware that a miracle had been performed. I'm sure
they might have seen some kind of commotion going on near Jesus, but probably those
who were at a distance were not as immediately aware of what happened. They just saw bread being distributed. So, not all of them recognized the truth that
those most closely to Jesus recognized. Not
every one had the benefit of seeing the miracle as it happened. I'm sure, though, the story of what happened circulated
quickly throughout the crowd, and in a very short period of time, every one on
that hillside knew what had happened.
For
us, in the 21st century…..approximately 2000 years after this event,
I think we might be able to relate more to those in the crowd who had only
HEARD the story of what Jesus had done…..believed what He had done…..and put
their faith in Him…rather than relate to those who actually saw the miracle
performed in front of them. We really have
to envy those who were present, simply because they were eyewitnesses of Jesus’
miracles. What an amazing time it must
have been for those people. To be
present during the time that our Lord spent on earth.
You
see, there were many different reasons why people followed Jesus. Some followed Him because He had great
healing powers. Others followed him,
just to get something to eat. Still
others followed Him because of the words that He spoke. Perhaps they just liked the way in which he
spoke to them. To be sure, not all
followed Him because they believed He was the Messiah that was promised to come
to save
Many
times, the question was asked as to whether Jesus was the Messiah. The Jews were indeed looking for a Prophet…a
Messiah…..but…. Was He the
One?.....Was HE the Prophet? He
performed many miracles. He healed the
blind…..He healed the deaf…..He even raised the dead. He performed these
miracles because He was demonstrating that God indeed had come and dwelt with
them. But still, people asked the
question…. “Is this the Prophet who was to come into the world?” Just
a few chapters earlier, the woman at the well, when confronted with Jesus and
his knowledge of her adulterous past, said, “Sir, I perceive that you are a Prophet.” She definitely recognized something special
about Jesus. Was it a demonstration of
her faith in Him, though?.....Probably not.
Even John the Baptist, when he was in prison
sent messengers out to ask Jesus directly if He was the Prophet. They asked…..are you the Prophet? Are you the one who was promised to come, or
should we look for another? What does Jesus do at this point?...Well,
He says, “Go and tell John what you
hear and see: “The blind receive their
sight, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead
are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them.” Jesus knew that the evidence of His power
needed to be told to John in order to strengthen his faith while he was in
prison.
What
is all of this talk of a Prophet any way?
Why were the people asking this question? Where did they get the idea that a Prophet
was to come? Well, the Jews knew the
scriptures….they knew that Moses had spoken of a prophet to come. Moses said, way back in Deuteronomy, “The
LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your
brothers—it is to Him you shall listen”. So, from then on, the Jews looked for a
Prophet. Right up until the day that
Jesus performed the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 and beyond….the people
were expecting a Prophet. The Jews lived
in expectation of the coming Day and the coming Age. They understood from the prophets of old that
the coming Day was tied directly to the coming One….The Messiah. And now….all of a sudden…..right
before their eyes, Jesus was demonstrating the fact that He was indeed that Prophet who was to come
into the world. And some of them STILL were asking …. “is
this the Prophet?”
But,
how many noticed it? Some must have,
because they were forced to make this proclamation. Some saw this truth because they saw the
miracle that Jesus did. As a matter of fact, the next verses in this chapter tell
us more of the story. The next few
verses end the chapter by saying….Perceiving
then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus
withdrew again to the mountain by Himself. Jesus knew that they misunderstood the
miracle. He knew that they were indeed half-right,
in recognizing that He was a Prophet, but they did not realize what kind of
Prophet He was. He did not come to save
the people of
Today, we read these stories because they were
preserved for us in writing. They are
written for our benefit as well as for those at that time. They are written to demonstrate to US that
Jesus is the Messiah. He IS the One who
was to come….and in fact did come. We weren’t there at the feeding of
the 5000. We must believe the testimony
of those who were there and put our faith in Christ. But, even today, there are those who do not
believe. There are those who, like in
Jesus time, who even hear this news, and STILL don't believe.
I
am reminded of a man I heard the other day, who called into a radio program I
like to listen to. The hosts were
talking about the gospel…the good news of what Jesus has done for us, and its
impact on the world around us today. You
could just tell….that this man was deeply concerned as he asked his
question. He first made a comment that
…..those people who walked with Jesus, such as the disciples and others, had
the benefit of actually seeing what Jesus did and listening to him, and having
an intimate relationship with Him. He
went on to point out that even Paul had an encounter with Jesus that I’m sure
none of us have had. We haven’t been thrown off our horse and been struck
blind. We haven’t heard the audible
voice of Jesus speaking to us as Paul did.
The caller then asked the hosts…..do you think that the good news about
Jesus….the Gospel….can truly have the same impact on people today as it did on
those who actually walked with Jesus and saw what he did….and heard what he
said.?? Can people still believe in
something they cant see? You could just hear the despair in his voice
because his question was almost being asked rhetorically. He sounded as if he had given up hope. He….was now asking in his own way…..is this
the Prophet? If this is the Prophet, can
He still save people even though their faith might be weak? Can He still be believed, even though we
haven’t seen Him? After thousands of
years, do the stories of what Jesus did still have the power to save people?
I’m sure he
believed that Jesus was indeed the Lord, but he…….like those who were at the
feeding of the 5000…..like John the Baptist…. Like many others…..were asking
the same question……is this really the One we have been expecting?
Listen to the words of Paul in the second
chapter of his letter to the Galatians.
He writes, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who
lives in me. And the life I now live in
the flesh, I live by faith in
the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. This should be our mindset as well. We now live by faith because Christ lives in
US. Paul knew that living in the flesh
as we live in the flesh, requires faith…..and here, he takes the time to
encourage us with these words. In closing, I would like to offer one last
word ….and this one is from our Lord Jesus Himself. At the time of His resurrection, He appeared
to the disciples to show them He was alive.
Thomas was not present at the time of this visit. However, 8 days later, Jesus appeared again,
and this time, Thomas was with them. He saw Jesus, but had to still put his finger
in the wounds before he would make his famous statement….”My Lord and my God” And listen to Jesus’ response to
Thomas……….…Have you believed because you have seen me?....Blessed are those who
have NOT seen…. and yet have believed.
+In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost, Amen