Saturday 18th February
Read John 6:14-15
“After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” (NIVUK)
What would you think if you were present when Jesus fed so many people with so little food? You would recognise it was miraculous, against the physical laws of the universe, but what conclusions would you draw about the person who performed it? We often think that we would recognise God amongst us and worship Him and yet our hearts are ‘harder’ than we think.
At university, many years ago, the Christian staff worker recounted a conversation with someone who didn’t believe in Jesus. It was a very honest conversation. The non-believer recognised that even if Jesus were to miraculously appear in front of everyone at the bus-stop that afternoon, perform a miracle, teach wisely and graciously and be superlatively astounding, whilst he may believe whilst those events were occurring, when he got home, and memory faded, and his own priorities re-asserted themselves, he would explain away everything he saw and heard and remain a non-believer.
Can you recall what it was that transformed you from someone who didn’t believe or trust in Jesus to someone who bows before Him in worship? You didn’t have the benefit of seeing these many signs or meeting Jesus in person. Perhaps you didn’t have the benefit of long centuries of teaching by God to provide categories of what to expect (v14). Yet still you believe.
That is perhaps the greater miracle.
