Catching Fog

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” (John 14:5–14)

What are the biggest, most spectacular miracles of all? The apostle Thomas asked two questions: where was Jesus going and how could they follow him? Philip just wanted to see the Father. Jesus’ responded with three points.

First, Jesus said that he was going to the Father and that Jesus alone was the only way for them to get to the Father. Second, if you know Jesus , then you know the Father. Third, those who believe in Jesus will be able to do more and better works than Jesus ever did.

How can that be? Just as Jesus told parables to make his words more easily understood, so he painted pictures with his miracles. Healing the blind and deaf, raising the dead—these were metaphors for what Jesus came to do spiritually. In his life, Jesus reached but a handful of human beings. Since his resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, untold millions have been brought from spiritual death to spiritual life through the message of the Gospel. That’s how we’ve performed works greater than Jesus. We make a mistake if we imagine there are greater works for us to do than removing spiritual blindness, deafness, and death.

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When Martha had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.

Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.

Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus wept.

So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!”

But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?” (John 11:28–37)

The best thing for you may turn out to be very unpleasant. Jesus’ will for Lazarus was that he get sick and die. Jesus’ will for his friends and relatives was that they experience grief. Why? To bring glory to God. There is more to our lives than just us. And even if it is all for the best, the pain is no less intense.

After Jesus learned where Lazarus had been placed, in the shortest verse of the Bible, we learn that he cried. Why did Jesus cry when he knew Lazarus would be alive so soon? Jesus cried over the death of Lazarus for the same reason any human being has ever cried over the death of a loved one.

Christians find it easy to think of Jesus as God. Too often, we have trouble accepting the fact that he was also human. Jesus laughed and Jesus cried, for the same reasons that any human being laughs or cries.

The death of Lazarus and Jesus’ interactions with the mourners gives us added insight into the heart of Jesus: we get to know Jesus not just in the words he spoke, but also in his tears, no different from the ones we shed in our darkest hours. Like Jesus, we know that the resurrection is coming. But like Jesus, we still must cry.

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Jesus and his three disciples came down from the mountain and were met by a large crowd. Just then someone in the crowd shouted, “Teacher, please do something for my son! He is my only child! A demon often attacks him and makes him scream. It shakes him until he foams at the mouth, and it won’t leave him until it has completely worn the boy out. I begged your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn’t do it.”

Jesus said to them, “You people are stubborn and don’t have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you?”

Then Jesus said to the man, “Bring your son to me.” While the boy was being brought, the demon attacked him and made him shake all over. Jesus ordered the demon to stop. Then he healed the boy and gave him back to his father. (Luke 9:37–42)

Because he loves us, Jesus never gives up on us. Jesus words to his disciples may seem harsh. In the face of the boy’s suffering, Jesus berated them for being “stubborn” and having “no faith.” He then wonders aloud about how long he’s going to have to stay with them and put up with it all.

Where was Jesus’ compassion? Why was he suddenly so cross with them? The context explains it all. Jesus had sent his disciples two by two to preach about the kingdom, with Jesus’ authority to heal and cast out demons. He had fed the five thousand. Peter had declared that Jesus was Messiah and Jesus had predicted his death and resurrection. Then three of his closest disciples had witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain, saw Moses and Elijah, and heard the voice of the Father. It was only after all of that, that Jesus blew up at his disciples when they failed to help a poor man and his son. Nevertheless, Jesus solved the problem, despite the stubbornness and faithlessness around him. He healed the boy from the demon and restored the son to his father.

Jesus may be disappointed by our failure, just he was with his disciples, but he’ll keep working with us, even as he kept working with them. How long did he put up with his disciples? The rest of their lives, and for all eternity. But Jesus more than just puts up with us. He loves us and will be with us always.

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As soon as the meal was finished, Jesus insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead across to Bethsaida while he dismissed the congregation. After sending them off, he climbed a mountain to pray.

Late at night, the boat was far out at sea; Jesus was still by himself on land. He could see his men struggling with the oars, the wind having come up against them. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them, walking on the sea. He intended to go right by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and screamed, scared out of their wits.

Jesus was quick to comfort them: “Courage! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.” As soon as he climbed into the boat, the wind died down. They were stunned, shaking their heads, wondering what was going on. They didn’t understand what he had done at the supper. None of this had yet penetrated their hearts.

They beached the boat at Gennesaret and tied up at the landing. As soon as they got out of the boat, word got around fast. People ran this way and that, bringing their sick on stretchers to where they heard he was. Wherever he went, village or town or country crossroads, they brought their sick to the marketplace and begged him to let them touch the edge of his coat—that’s all. And whoever touched him became well. (Mark 6:45–56)

Jesus doesn’t want us to be afraid. When the disciples were rowing against the wind, while they were stuck trying to cross the lake that Jesus had told them to cross, they got scared by the unexpected appearance of Jesus. Rather than assuming that Jesus would be with them in their hard struggle, they were more willing to believe in ghosts. Mark commented that the implications of the feeding of the five thousand hadn’t yet penetrated the disciples’ hearts. What was the implication of those miraculous loaves and fishes? Just as God had fed the Israelites in the wilderness with bread from heaven, so had Jesus fed the multitude in Galilee. That meant that Jesus was God come down to Earth in human form.

Therefore his disciples should have understood that Jesus would that they were always safe and that without question they would arrive on the other side of the lake since they were going there because he told them to. But like the disciples, too often we find it easier to trust our circumstances—that is, to believe what are eyes show us—than to trust the one who is Lord over our circumstances. Jesus told his disciples not to fear, because he was with them. Likewise, Jesus is always with us.

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It happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11–19)

Jesus made a habit of going to all the wrong places and hanging out with all the wrong people. Not only did he go to Samaria, but then he met up with its lepers. According to the law, they had to stand apart from others and call out “unclean” so that people would know to avoid them. When the ten wanted Jesus to heal them, they didn’t come near. Instead, they begged for mercy from a distance. Jesus’ response was simply to tell them to go show themselves to the priests. A leper had to go through a lot in order to gain official recognition of his cleansing. Leviticus 14 lays out all the details. There were ceremonial washings. He had to shave off of every last hair on his body. And he had to perform a series of sacrifices.

As those ten men started on the journey to present themselves to the priests their disease left them. Nine of the men continued on their way. But one of them, a Samaritan, turned back to glorify God. Jesus thought that it was strange that only one, the one who wasn’t even an Israelite, expressed thanks. Jesus told that man, and that man only, that his faith had healed him.

But notice: the other nine remained healed. Jesus did not take back his blessing from the other nine lepers who failed to thank him. God’s gifts are irrevocable. Jesus intervenes in our lives because of his mercy, not because he gets something from us. But he still appreciates getting thanked.

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“Whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades.

“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Luke 10:10–16)

What does it take to get people to believe? It depends on whether people want to believe. Jesus did most of his teaching and miracles in the region around the Sea of Galilee. Chorazin was a town about two miles north of Capernaum. Bethsaida was located at the northeast corner of the Sea of Galilee where the Jordan river flows into it. Both cities had witnessed Jesus’ teaching and his miracles. But most of the inhabitants had not been convinced. So Jesus condemned them by suggesting Tyre and Sidon would have repented if they’d gotten to see such marvels.

But if Tyre and Sidon would have repented had the miracles that were done in Chorazin and Bethsaida been done in them, then why didn’t God do such miracles for them? Isn’t it God’s will that no one should perish? If there was a way of saving those cities, then why didn’t God save them?

By condemning Chorazin and Bethsaida Jesus was not suggesting that there had been hope for those wicked cities of the past. Jesus’ point was simply that Chroazin and Bethsaida were without excuse. Jesus had done enough for them. They should have believed. Now that they had rejected Jesus, their blood would be on their own heads. Those ancient, evil cities had only had God’s prophets in their midst, men like Isaiah and Ezekiel. Chorazin and Bethsaida had God himself in their midst, in the person of Jesus Christ. To whom much was given, much would be required. Like them, we have no excuse for not believing.

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Jesus and his three disciples came down from the mountain and were met by a large crowd. Just then someone in the crowd shouted, “Teacher, please do something for my son! He is my only child! A demon often attacks him and makes him scream. It shakes him until he foams at the mouth, and it won’t leave him until it has completely worn the boy out. I begged your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn’t do it.”
Jesus said to them, “You people are stubborn and don’t have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you?”

Then Jesus said to the man, “Bring your son to me.” While the boy was being brought, the demon attacked him and made him shake all over. Jesus ordered the demon to stop. Then he healed the boy and gave him back to his father. (Luke 9:37–42)

Because he loves us, Jesus never gives up on us. Jesus words to his disciples may seem harsh. In the face of the boy’s suffering, Jesus berated them for being “stubborn” and having “no faith.” He then wonders aloud about how long he’s going to have to stay with them and put up with it all.

Where was Jesus’ compassion? Why was he suddenly so cross with them? The context explains it all. Jesus had sent his disciples two by two to preach about the kingdom, with Jesus’ authority to heal and cast out demons. He had fed the five thousand. Peter had declared that Jesus was Messiah and Jesus had predicted his death and resurrection. Then three of his closest disciples had witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain, saw Moses and Elijah, and heard the voice of the Father. It was only after all of that, that Jesus blew up at his disciples when they failed to help a poor man and his son. Nevertheless, Jesus solved the problem, despite the stubbornness and faithlessness around him. He healed the boy from the demon and restored the son to his father.

Jesus may be disappointed by our failure, just he was with his disciples, but he’ll keep working with us, even as he kept working with them. How long did he put up with his disciples? The rest of their lives, and for all eternity. But Jesus more than just puts up with us. He loves us and will be with us always.

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While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher any more.”

Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”

They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. (Luke 8:49–56)

Because Jesus is with us, we don’t have to be afraid anymore. Luke repeats the story of Jairus the synagogue ruler, but as usual, puts his own unique spin on things. Writing to a non-Jewish audience, Luke does not bother to insert any of the Aramaic wording that appeared in Mark’s rendition. And when Jesus told Jairus not to be afraid, we discover from Luke that Jesus told Jairus why he didn’t need to be afraid: Jesus promised to heal his daughter.

Jairus had experience with sick people getting well. But when people were dead, it was too late. But Jesus brought something new into the world. As the prophet Isaiah said of Jesus, “by his wounds we are healed.” And what more profound illness do people face than the illness of death?

Why did Jesus tell Jairus to keep the miracle to himself? Because Jesus hadn’t done it for praise or fame. He’d done it out of compassion. And besides, we don’t get excited by the everyday miracles of life. On the first day manna appeared in the time of Moses, people saw it as a miracle. After thirty years of eating it every day, it was no more miraculous than a sunrise—which tells us something about our perception of sunrises. Jesus hoped that we would realize that as unusual as a dead girl coming back to life was, it was really no more special or difficult than the daily miracles of God that we take for granted.

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And as Jesus returned, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. And there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house; for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.

And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.

And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.”

But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”

When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” (Luke 8:40–48)

Why do we always assume the worst? The unnamed woman with the hemorrhage appears in three of the four Gospel accounts. When Jesus asked who had touched him, how does the woman respond? With fear. This, despite the fact that the bleeding that had been afflicting her for twelve long years had stopped. She had received from Jesus just what she wanted.

So why was she afraid of Jesus? Because the default setting on human beings is distrust of God and his intentions. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent planted a foul lie in the mind of Eve, the mother of us all: that God did not have the best of intentions for her. She came to believe that God was withholding something wonderful: the fruit that he’d forbidden. Ever since, human beings believe that God’s intentions may not always be good. The woman feared that Jesus would take away the gift that she had snatched from him. She thought that perhaps he hadn’t really been willing to give her that healing and so now he’d take it away.

But God never takes away the gifts that he gives to his children. God’s gifts are irrevocable. Jesus reassured that woman, as he reassures us today, that we can go in peace. We need to always assume the best from God. We need to trust God’s character and good intentions.

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