All Gracious and Stuff
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Well HOWDY! Happy summer! What a great few weeks of reflection I have had! This spring I was involved in a women's Bible Study on the Miracles of Christ. I wasn't too thrilled about it at the beginning of the semester. It's not that I had any problems with studying it or anything, it's scripture after all, and most of it is even written in red! It's just that I didn't think that miracles were going to impact my day-to-day life at all.
Even as I write this, I am laughing at the complete absurdity of my thought process here. Miracles are miracles. But really, they're miraculous for a reason. Christ told dead people not to be dead anymore, and they listened. He told the sick that they weren't sick and they said "okay" and were just better. He told the lame to get up and walk and they got up and walked. These things are anything but normal, and radically changed lives and the course of history. They are far too monumental to be glossed over as things that everyone learns in Sunday School. The same power that Christ had to raise the dead and heal the sick is the same spirit that lives inside of me, and this is something that's of inexplicable worth.
Even as I write this, I am laughing at the complete absurdity of my thought process here. Miracles are miracles. But really, they're miraculous for a reason. Christ told dead people not to be dead anymore, and they listened. He told the sick that they weren't sick and they said "okay" and were just better. He told the lame to get up and walk and they got up and walked. These things are anything but normal, and radically changed lives and the course of history. They are far too monumental to be glossed over as things that everyone learns in Sunday School. The same power that Christ had to raise the dead and heal the sick is the same spirit that lives inside of me, and this is something that's of inexplicable worth.
The miracle that probably shook me up the most is an old classic, (aren't they all though?) when Jesus feeds the 5,000. This happens in Mark 6 and in Matthew 14. I feel like this is a miracle that I've heard countless times, but it always seems to impact me differently. The Word of God is Living and Breathing, it is sharper than a double-edged sword and will never die or grow dull, unlike us.
I could go on forever about how great it is that we will never just be "finished" reading the Bible how we can be "finished" reading The Hunger Games, but this blog is long enough!
Preceding the miracle, Jesus finds out that his cousin, John the Baptist, was beheaded and his head was brought to King Herod on a platter. He has not exactly been well received, and knows that he's destined for a death even more cruel than that of his cousin.
His disciples had just returned from some time out sharing the Good News, and were looking forward to some sweet time away with their Lord. They probably needed a little bit of a recharge. People in today's world are hostile towards a gospel that has been around for over 2,000 years, I cannot imagine what type of adversity the apostles faced as the first to bear it.
Soon, Jesus sees a large crowd of people. A huge crowd was the last thing the apostles wanted. But it says that,
They had to have been pretty annoyed, but Jesus looked at them and had compassion on them. How often is it in my life that I have had someone in my life disturb me or even hurt me, and felt genuine compassion for them?When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.(Mark 6:34 ESV)
Jesus not only has compassion on us, but he also forgives us. Even more perplexing than that, Jesus is always in for us. He desires to have a relationship with us that is close and personal. Where we can be in intimately acquainted communion with the Spirit.
Even the most unfortunate events can yield truth and be life-giving. You can experience what it is like to be absolutely offended, disregarded, and insulted. You can live a life that is geared towards serving others and be completely selfless and sacrificial with your time, and still have those that you're serving reject you and choose to pursue things that are worldly and detrimental to themselves and those around them.
Think about how often we break God's heart. Think about how we are an adulterous people to a God who deeply loves us. Think of the life that he has given us and how on a daily basis we give Him the "thanks, but no thanks" and carry on after things that will not be beneficial to our walks with Him. Then, think about how God not only loves us still, but he is compassionate towards us. And then, beyond that, he still has more to give. The book of Hosea is an awesome book to study when thinking about these things!
After the people come and he shows them compassion, it becomes very clear that they're going to need something to eat. Jesus, being Jesus, doesn't panic. Again, I wish I could say that the apostles had also kept their cool too. Sure enough though, Christ provided then even as he does today. He produced enough bread and fish to feed 5,000 men, and even more women and children. Christ did this in the most gracious way he could. Typical Christ, being all gracious and stuff. He sat them down, broke the bread and the fish, distributed the disciples, and the disciples served it to the people. Christ served the disciples by teaching them how to better serve, and served the people by literally serving them food.
The way that our God loves us is so perfect. We are called to love how he loves us. This has been such a challenge for me this semester. We are to love everyone, even those who have really deeply wronged us or even deeply offended us.
This love isn't supposed to be a love of tolerance, but a love that pursues, teaches, and serves.
Live well.
Love well.
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