Articles

Articles

The Wonder of Jesus

THE WONDER OF JESUS

Jim McDonald

Few of the miracles of Jesus worked provoked more reactions and wonder than His raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11). The resurrection of this man occurred near the end of Jesus’ personal ministry and was one of Jesus’ final signs He gave His nation to cause them to believe in Him.

In John 5 Jesus had healed a lame man at the pool of Bethesda. This healing intensified the opposition of the Pharisees and Jewish rulers against Jesus. In their estimation He was “a sinner” because He healed the man on the Sabbath. No amount of marvelous works would cause them to think otherwise. On that occasion, in His exchange with them, He told them He only did the works His Father showed Him to do (John 5:19), and that He would do even greater works so that they might marvel (v. 20). Greater works than healing the lame man Jesus indeed did do.

The works and teaching of Jesus caused general astonishment. Early in His ministry Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilea with His disciples and had fallen asleep in the rear of the vessel. A sudden storm arose, which threatened to capsize the vessel and the disciples awoke Jesus and asked, “Carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). Jesus immediately rebuked the winds and waves, saying, “Peace be still” and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. They asked, “What manner of man is this that even the winds and waves obey Him?” (Matthew 8:27). The astonishment Jesus produced through His miracles was not confined solely to His miracles. His style of teaching produced amazement among His listeners because “He spoke with authority and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29).

It was not only the style of teaching that produced astonishment; the things He taught produced astonishment as well. When Jesus had shown the difficulty rich men have in being saved, He said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God,” His disciples asked incredulously, “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:23-25). When Jesus taught on the permanence of marriage and of the sin of divorce and remarriage, except for the cause of adultery, the disciples exclaimed, “If the case of the man is so with his wife, it is expedient not to marry” (Matthew 19:9-10).

Jesus promised that “greater works” would be shown to these Jewish leaders so that they might marvel — and greater works He did! He gave sight to a man who had been born blind, a miracle so fully established that while the leaders could not dispute its genuine nature, they were unwilling to acknowledge what that miracle proved. They said, “We know God spoke unto Moses, but as to this man, we know not whence he is” (John 9:29). Their inconsistency was not unchallenged as the healed man responded, “Why, herein is the marvel that ye know not whence he is and yet, he opened my eyes!” (John 9:30).

The death of Lazarus was widely known. Lazarus’ two sisters had many come to comfort them over their brother’s death, among which were many of the Jews who before had not believed in Jesus. Mary rose up quickly when she received news that Jesus “was calling for her” and rushed to greet Him and the Jews followed her, supposing that she was returning to Lazarus’ tomb to weep there. They witnessed the greeting of Mary to Jesus, and they saw and exclaimed how He loved Lazarus when He wept. They were there when Jesus said, “Take ye away the stone.” They heard Martha protest, “Lord, by this time the body decayeth; for he hath been dead four days” (John 11:39). They were witnesses to the words of Jesus: “Said I not to thee, that, if thou believedst, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). They heard Jesus say, “Lazarus, come forth.” They saw with their own eyes the dead man walk out the door of that tomb! For some of them, that was the moment of turning and believing. But to others, loyalty to their party was greater than accepting Jesus to be what His miracles said He was. They therefore rushed back into Jerusalem to tell the ruling authorities what had happened at Bethany.

The rulers marveled — just as Jesus said they would — but they would not accept the truth that miracle proved. They said, “What do we? This man doeth many signs” (John 11:47). The answer to their own question was not to believe Jesus to be the Son of God; instead, they plotted to kill Him because to them Jesus was a threat to their nation’s survival.

The nation’s sovereignty was lost 37 years later. Rome came, destroyed their city, their temple, and dispersed the people. And it remained so for almost 2,000 years. Their rejection of God’s Son and their complicity in His death were the cause for the loss of their nation’s sovereignty. Paradoxically, though, that death brought about permanent remission of sin and the hope of eternal life for them and all mankind! What do you think about this man of wonders?