A Miracle on Malta

Friday, June 9, 2023

Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta.  The people of the island were very kind to us.  It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.  As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand.  The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt!  Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.”  But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.  The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead.  But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.  Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island.  He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days.  As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery.  Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him.  Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.  As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.  Acts 28:1-10

Many of us read accounts of healing miracles, and how the power of God was all over Paul’s daily life’s journey….and we think:  I could never do that.  And, for most of us…we’re right.  The chief reason is that God never called us to be Paul, or Peter, or John, healing with a short prayer, walking on water, or feeding a crowd of five thousand with a few loaves and fishes.  I’m relatively certain God never called me to test that whole snake-handling thing.

So, what is the reason for seeing this account in Scripture?  Like  any miracle, God’s reasons are His.  However, we can say that most miracles are for our encouragement, to help our faith understand Who is in control, no matter what the circumstances.  Miracles also teach us that our compassionate God cares about us, and that we ought to care for others.  But the problem is that we fail to connect the dots about our part in the miracles God wants to do.  Hmm….say a little more about that, preacher; glad you asked.

Miracles come in all walks of life, and to people with strong faith, and to people with little faith, or even those who doubt God even exists.  And miracles are entirely a gift which is in God’s hand, not because of some innate power any human being possesses.  The way miracles show up is surprising.  Sometimes it is as private as a prayer at three-o’clock in the morning, when your child has spiked a 104° fever for five hours, and you’re at your wits-end; you’ve prayed half-a night over that child, and she keeps getting sicker.  Suddenly, out of nowhere, that kid wants a hamburger, and her skin is cooled, the temperature is down.  Four hours later she’s on her way to school. 

Your house’s sick heating system needs to be replaced, and the leaves are falling; winter’s on the way, and your bank account is as sick as the furnace.  You never expected to open a manilla envelope at the mailbox, and discover $4,000 in cash, with the unsigned note that said:  Hope this comes in handy.

For You Today 

Bottom line:  You never know when, why, how, or what will be the answer to the dilemma you’re facing…but you can know (very intimately) WHO has the answer.  And when that happens, thank Him, and listen closely for when he wants you involved in somebody else’s miracle.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   Signs  and  Killing Two Birds with One Fish and Understanding a Miracle                                        

Title Image:  via Wikimedia Commons   Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Life Signs

 

Friday, January 28, 2022

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.  After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus.  “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us.  Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”  Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”  “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus.  “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”  Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.  So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’  John 3:1-7

This is the entry driveway to the place I’ve been spending my lunch times, three days a week, for the past 5 months.  Cardio-rehabilitation is the introduction to changing a sedentary lifestyle to one of cardiovascular health.  In short, I’ve been reintroducing my ticker to the busy-ness of behaving itself. 

This view is what you see when you exit the building.  

It’s a one-way zone, you don’t want to get that mixed up.  It is much like life in this world; you come into this world, and you progress in one direction to the exit sign!  No do-overs!

Now that, as Nicodemus said to Jesus, is common sense.  How can an old man re-enter the womb and go through the process again?  Nic’s question poses a reductio ad absurdum,[1] Latin for reasoning a foolish explanation which explains the opposite of common sense.  In the natural world old men don’t get born a second time; with the flesh, this is impossible.  

So, this Pharisee with the long, gray beard, and easily recognizable robes, who knows (and perhaps loves) a good debate, wants Jesus to explain what he’s teaching.  And Jesus obliges the supposedly spiritually-wise leader of God’s people in a way that he never expected.  Reduced to the smallest common denominator, Jesus tells his questioner that each of us comes into this life one way, physically, and we know it's a one-way street where, someday, we encounter the exit sign.  That’s not new news; but Jesus turns the page and compares it to the otherworldly truth about eternal life in the Spirit. 

Jesus tells Nicodemus that the kingdom he should really be concerned about is not to be found within the four walls of Solomon’s temple, but the Kingdom where the breath of God blows – a place that has no place you can see, but will last forever.  It’s different than the physical realities one can experience.  In this kingdom you don’t go back to be born-over in flesh, but you can be born-again of the Spirit of God.  It’s the Kingdom of God, the place, and source of eternal life.

For You Today

One-way signs, meant to direct the flow of traffic, are common everywhere.  They’re important because they help us avoid collisions that can be disastrous.  There’s one of those signs at the entrance to the human heart; that’s where Jesus is standing, knocking, and speaking those “one-way” words:  You MUST be born-again![2]

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

---

[1] the form of argument that attempts to establish a claim by showing that the opposite scenario would lead to absurdity or contradiction.  See Wikipedia.com

[2] See Matthew 7:8 and Revelation 3:20

The Sign of Jonah

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.”  But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.  “The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah.  Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.  The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon.  Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.         Matthew 12:38-42

To understand the sign of Jonah (a metaphor comparing the resurrection of Jesus with Jonah’s three-day ride inside God’s fish-taxi) we must understand to whom Jesus was talking.  Matthew tells us the group that came seeking a sign were teachers of the law and Pharisees; these were the religious professionals (clergy) of Israel.  The teachers of the law (rabbis) did just that, taught each jot and tittle of Scripture’s laws.  Their entire focus was zoomed-in on legal correctness, making certain no law was forgotten.  The Pharisees were more interested in living-out [applying] the law daily.  They took what the rabbis taught and tried to walk the tightrope of never crossing the line of transgression.  This group was made up of teachers of the law and keepers of the law.  Their tribe is legion to this day.

I recently had a conversation with a young man who had been raised in church but hadn’t been for some time.  It was a conversation that lasted awhile, and eventually turned to faith.  He explained that his main life’s goal was to treat other people like he wanted to be treated.  It was a golden rule approach of which the Pharisees would be proud.

This group of teachers and keepers of the law were also inspectors of anyone who infringed on their domain.  They came to Jesus looking for proof; they wanted a look at Christ’s credentials.  And so, Jesus held up Jonah and the queen of Sheba.  One was a Jewish prophet who had trouble obeying God’s command, but eventually had to repent and obey; the other was a non-Jew, and a woman, hardly representative of authority to rabbis and Pharisees, but displaying the utmost of wisdom when she came to sit at the feet of Solomon.

By holding up Jonah and Ethiopia’s queen as righteousness, juxtaposed to the rabbis and Pharisees who prided themselves on self-righteousness, Jesus turned everything upside-down.  And, the teaching for us is that the humility of repentance trumps the pride of righteousness every time.

Veiled [thinly] in Jesus’ teaching is the sign; the Lord is telling the teachers and Pharisees to watch for the humility of the grave to be overthrown with the power of God on the third day.  He was saying to them, you’re like little children if you don’t understand…you think you’ll be done with me if you put me in a grave…but you can’t keep God in a grave!

Here’s the apostle Paul’s commentary on the rabbis and Pharisees:

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction!  But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.  As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”                                             1 Corinthians 1:18-19

For You Today

If you’re like my young friend, trying to keep the Golden Rule, but forgetting the humility of worshipping the God of that Golden Rule, you’re missing true wisdom and the power of God.  Start looking at the third day’s empty tomb.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO 

Title Image:  Pixabay.com      Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For another post on 1 Corinthians 15 see Signs

The Time Has Come

[i][ii]

Monday, April 1, 2019

Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:  “Praise the Lord!  For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.  Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him.  For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.  She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”  For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.  Revelation 19:6-8

I’ve officiated at enough weddings in the past 40 years to know the pecking order of things when that special day of the ceremony arrives.  During one rehearsal a groom kept asking questions of the pastor about where he should stand, and if he should keep his hands folded this way or that.  When the 3-year-old flower girl had a melt-down everyone took a break.  The pastor took the groom aside and told him:  Listen, just stand in that one spot and look at the bride with everyone else…it doesn’t matter how you hold your hands, bud; nobody’s going to be looking at you.  Considering the norm, a groom will wear a $75 rented tux, while the bride’s gown makes the national debt look like an austerity program.  

When Elizabeth and I got married we saved the tux rental too because I had my Army uniform to wear.  One of the groomsmen told me it was appropriate; that uniform with the private’s stripe shouted that I was a guy who knew how to take orders!

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be like none other.  According to this end time prediction the bride will be beautifully dressed in the most elegant way, adorned with the sacrificial works of the church in caring for people throughout the ages.  But the groom, the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, the One Who died for this bride, will be the center of all creation and beyond. 

All that exists will be turned towards the groom on that day.  And that means every believer, every man, woman, and child who has trusted in Christ will be in attendance, and all attention will be on Messiah; no one will have eyes for anyone but Jesus.

The Apostle John, writing down this Revelation vision about that day as Jesus spoke it to him, recorded that the bride had prepared herself.  That preparation is the sum of all the good that has been done by believers in the name of Jesus over the last two millennia.  I believe it also includes those pre-cross saints, such as Abraham, Abel, the prophets, King David, Samson, and everyone who trusted in God’s promise of a Savior.  Every kindness ever done in the name of our Lord is remembered in Heaven (whether or not it is recorded on earth) and will be rewarded on that day.

When I was much younger that day of Jesus’ return, and the marriage supper of the Lamb seemed so much more removed from reality than today.  Perhaps, owing to the naïve nature of the 1950’s sans Internet and lightning-fast news reporting, as well as my own preoccupation with growing up, playing sports, and generally surviving the threat of polio and measles.  My mind just didn’t have time for thinking about all the wonders of the world coming to an end before I’d even had a chance to explore some of it.  

Fast-forward to the dawn of the 3^rd decade of a new millennium, I can’t believe it hasn’t happened yet!  Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, floods, famine, atmosphere collapsing…Jesus’ Mt Olivet sermon[iii] warnings of end times approaching read like the gloom and doom of the daily news reports.  Perhaps it’s just my age, or a different stage of preoccupation with Scripture’s forecast, but the question occupying my mind mostly these days is how much longer can it be?

For You Today

It isn’t for any of us to know the exact time, or exactly what it will be like when Jesus Christ returns to set everything right which has been wrong.  But we have the larger picture – it is going to be the best…better than any human imagination can conceive.  The time…when it comes…will be so grand, no believer will ever look back on this life wishing for the good ol’ times; as the poet said, the best is yet to be!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

Go to VIDEO 

---

[i] Title Image:   Pixabay.com

[ii] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from The New Living Translation©

[iii] Matthew 24-25

Signs, Wonders and Shadows

[i]

Monday, December 12, 2016

The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.  And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.  But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them.  Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women.  As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by.  Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.  Acts 5:12-16^(NLT)

I’ve seen some dramatic presentations of the wave of healings that followed the apostles in the early church.  All of them seem to crescendo – they flow from the less-dramatic to a final of bedlam of praise and worship when a little girl is raised from the dead.  I get goose-bumps over this, wanting to join-in with the crowd shouting hosanna! 

And then my hermeneutical training from seminary kicks-in and I remember that miracles aren’t the focus; the miracles are the sign-posts pointing to the focus.  The miracles, according to many learned ones down through the centuries are authentication signs which put an exclamation point on the claims that Jesus’ death and resurrection are the real deal from heaven; this was Messiah, and now the healing would be for our eternal soul and spirit, not just body.

I like that!  Of course when you’re an introvert like me, there is a certain “safeness” about distancing oneself from physical miracles that puts bodies back together.  After all, what are you going to do to top that at church next week? 

And all that jumping around, raising hands and shouting, well that’s just not my style.  For pity’s sake, I can’t even do the Fox Trot.  I would mess the whole thing up if a miracle happened anything bigger than the 3^rd grade Sunday School class’s missing chalk showing up at just the moment when all hope was gone. 

Safe miracles are OK; that stuff in Peter’s shadow…well, that’s another story.

But, as necessary as it is for me to know all the stuff I learned at seminary, there are some things no class in eschatology, pneumatology or Greek prepositions that can open a heart to what God is doing at 7:40 am today.  That is the experiential reality of where God’s desire and your open heart meet.

I first learned that …well, at seminary!  But it wasn’t in a class.  In fact things were going so badly I was ready to quit seminary and go back home.  Then a miracle happened (more than the Sunday School chalk variety), and faith was restored, and we pressed on conjugating Greek verbs.

All that to say this:  you can’t schedule a miracle.  Sometimes it will happen because a prayer was offered.  Sometimes it will occur because the need is so pressing it will kill faith, and God intervenes.  Sometimes it will happen because a child knows God better than you do.  And sometimes a miracle will spring forth in response to the shadow of Peter passing you in a hallway.

Miracles, signs, and wonders are passing events that affect our faith for eternity.  And while you cannot produce miracles simply because you’ve always wanted a new Cadillac SUV, you can respond to what God wants to do in your life.  You can let your heart be open to God’s desire.

For You Today

Here’s a question that deserves a good bit of thought and prayer before you leave the house today:  how will my heart and hands respond when God places a miracle before me?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

---

[i] Title image: By Tangopaso (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Signs

Thursday, December 18, 2014

One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.”  But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.      Matthew 12: 38-39 (NLT)

Some folks are always just waiting for the Lord to give them some kind of sign, just a little miracle, please, so I can do what you want, Lord. 

The trouble with most people who make those types of statements is that they don’t even do the basics of what the Lord has been extremely clear about for everybody…consistent worship, bringing the tithe of our income to the church, sharing our faith.  They say they want some kind of sign so they can follow, but actually they’re just hiding the fact of their own unbelief.  They have no intention of following God; it just sounds good to say it!  If God really spoke to them they’d faint dead away to actually have a prayer answered!

You might recall Phillip, one of Jesus’ disciples, wanted a sign; he tried to convince Jesus that it would satisfy him.[1]  Jesus’ answer was that Philip’s request was just the opposite of faith when he asked, please, Jesus, do a little miracle and show me God.  It was the opposite of faith, because he was requiring “sight” to be satisfied in his faith.  That’s not how God’s people roll!  The just walk by faith, not sight

Friends we don’t even do that in the natural world.  When you go to work today, or the market or school, you will obey the speed limit (hopefully); you pay your taxes and don’t manipulate the stock market because you’re an American citizen; yet, you’ve never met the President or Speaker of the House.  You just obey the laws of the land on faith that the law of the land still works. 

I got a nice letter from the government in 1966…it said “Greetings”; and before I could turn around I was on a train for an army post in South Carolina.  They put green baggy clothes on me, a gun in my hand and a hard hat on my head. 

Then they sent me to Southeast Asia.  I went! 

I want you to know I didn’t ask to see President Nixon to make sure of the orders.  (Maybe I should have?)  I was an American; I was drafted, so I went. 

Christians should be at least that willing to exercise faith towards the living God! 

Philip thought if he could just see, he would believe; he’d be satisfied.  Philip failed to understand that it works the other way around.  You will never see until you believe.  Seeing, in hope of believing will only create more desire for seeing. 

And that is stunted, immature faith that will never see with the eyes of faith, or the heart of God.

If you want to see the kind of miracles that will bless this world and turn around our culture for God, part with the unbelief that stunts your faith.

For you, today

Give your faith a workout on the rocky road today…and have a great faith day!

---

[1] John 14