“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”
  Miracle #2-   John 4:46-49,50-53,54

Dear Reader, the key to the meaning to this miracle lies in the history of Israel with their God … in particular with their murderous dealings with their God-sent prophets (Matthew 23:34-37,38-39).

Indeed, Christ knew the stiff necked and hard hearts of his people, that he would be faced with, in his coming to earth (Matthew 1:21; Ezekiel 3:7-9).

Since Abraham believed God (Genesis 15:6), Israel’s history was the great sin of unbelief (Hebrews 3:12, 19; 4:6,11) as evidenced in Paul’s writing to the Hebrews “… for the sin which doth so easily beset us (Israel)…” (Hebrews 12:1), and this, despite having more miracles and deliverances per square foot, than the rest of the world put together.

In short, Israel’s history can be summed with the cyclical repetition of the following five steps … 1. Temporary belief 2. Unbelief 3. Apostasy 4. National devastation 5. Deliverance …. 1. Temporary belief 2. Unbelief etc.

After 400 years of God’s absence after the prophet Malachi, Israel is one big mess with disease, palsy, Roman domination, pestilence, leprosy … in short … Israel is a physical, mental and religious catastrophe.

God’s purpose was always to have nation, made up of countless generations of “Abraham’s” that would simply believe God. Christ’s 2^nd miracle gives Israel the Abrahamic template of “believe” as their basis to be strong in faith … that is … to be fully persuaded (Romans 4:20-21).

The characters in Christ’s 2^nd miracle are the desperate Jewish nobleman at his wit’s end concerning the physical healing of his fevered son at the point of death. Both represent two aspects of Israel.

The father can be likened to a frantic, desperate Israel not knowing where to turn for help

… having tried all the other “false doctors and healers” of other nations’ gods, for close to 1900 years. 

The son can be likened to another aspect of Israel, who, after 400 years of misery, is at the point of death.

Both in absolute need of grace and mercy, the nobleman confronts Jesus, who says to the father “… thy son liveth. And the man believed …”.

Here is Jesus reminding Israel, 1900 years later, that their father Abraham did the same concerning Abraham’s seed (Genesis 15:6). Israel’s sin that doth so easily beset is unbelief.

Christ presents to Israel the belief needed toward him … that of whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16) … and of course they didn’t.

 Harley Hitchcock
April 2023

www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com

“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”

  Miracle #3-   Unclean devil in man
in synagogue (Luke 4:33-36,37)

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