Jesus Gathers Disciples, Performs a Miracle and Cleans House

In our last encounter, we got a brief glimpse of His childhood, witnessed His baptism, and Jesus’ victory over Satan. (See Christ as a Boy and a Warrior). Here’s what happens next…

Immediately after His victorious battle with the devil, Jesus begins His return journey to Galilee. Along the way, He encounters John the Baptist and his disciples. John immediately exclaims.

“Look! The Lamb of God!” Jn:136 AMP

Two of John’s disciples decide to follow Jesus:

The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following Him, and asked them, “What do you want?” They answered Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went [with Him] and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard what John said and [as a result] followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first looked for and found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means the Christ). Jn. 37 – 41. AMP

(The unnamed disciple has traditionally been identified as John). When Simon Peter approaches, Jesus says:

“You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas (which is translated Peter).” Jn. 11:42 AMP

The following day, Jesus and His trio of disciples went to Galilee, where He conscripts a man named Philip, who in turn ran to get his friend, Nathanael, telling him that he found the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

Nathanael responded by asking if anything good could come from Nazareth, seeing as how it was a small insignificant town. Philip asks him to see for himself.

As they approached Jesus, He said:

“Here is an Israelite indeed [a true descendant of Jacob], in whom there is no guile nor deceit nor duplicity!” Jn. 1:47 AMP

Jesus is alluding to Nathanael as being a true man of faith. Nathanael retorts:

“How do you know these things about me?”

And Jesus responds: “Before Philip called you, when you were still under the fig tree, I saw you.” Jn. 1:48 AMP

That Jesus could have seen him in a vision, where he indeed had been under that very, tree was enough to convince him:

“Rabbi (Teacher), You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” Jn. 1:49. AMP

Jesus answers him basically telling him he hasn’t seen anything yet:

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man [the bridge between heaven and earth].” Jn. 1:51 AMP

Two days later, Jesus and his quintet of disciples are invited to a wedding, where Mary, his mother, was in attendance as well. She approaches Jesus and tells Him that the host has run out of wine, (a social disaster in Jewish culture.)

Jesus answers:

“[Dear] woman, ^[b]what is that to you and to Me? My time [to act and to be revealed] has not yet come.” Jn. 2:4 AMP

Mary cleverly ignores her Son and tells the servants to do whatever He says. Jesus tells them to fill six each 20-gallon or 30-gallon pots with water, which He transforms into unparalleled wine.

This, the first of His signs (attesting miracles), Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory [displaying His deity and His great power openly], and His disciples believed [confidently] in Him [as the Messiah—they adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him]. Jn. 2:11 AMP

Passover was approaching; so, Jesus and His retinue went to the temple in Jerusalem. In the outer courtyard, He saw money changers, and people selling animals for sacrifice. He was not pleased:

He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; then to those who sold the doves He said, “Take these things away! Stop making My Father’s house a place of commerce!” His disciples remembered that it is written [in the Scriptures], “Zeal (love, concern) for Your house [and its honor] will consume Me.”[1] Jn. 2:15 – 17. AMP

The Jews were upset at His behavior and asked what kind of miracles He could show them that would attest to Jesus’ authority for His behavior. He answers:

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and You will raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple which was His body. So when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered what He had said. And they believed and trusted in and relied on the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. Jn. 2:19 – 22. AMP

Jesus increases in stature every time we encounter Him, yes?

Next time, a big mental shuffling for Nicodemus…

Goodnight and God bless.

[1] Ps.69:9

Conversion, Miracle and Discipline

Immediately after Jesus drives Satan away (see Being Left Behind, Dunked in Water and Confronting the Devil), He returns to Galilee. Along the way, He again encounters John the Baptist and his disciples.

Again, John calls out, “Behold the Lamb of God!” Jn. 1:36 NKJV

This prompts two of his disciples, (Andrew and John) to follow Jesus. Andrew ran off to get his brother, Simon Peter, telling him that he has found the Messiah, which the Bible now tells us is translated to mean ‘Christ’ (Jn. 1:37 – 41).

When Simon Peter approaches, Jesus looks at him and rightly identifies him:

“Your name is Simon, son of John – but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”). Jn. 1:42 NLT

During the following day, Jesus enters Galilee and approaches a man named ‘Philip,’ and asks him to become His fourth disciple. Philip runs off to get his friend Nathaniel (called ‘Bartholomew’ in the book of Matthew). Nathaniel is skeptical at first because he doesn’t believe the Messiah would hail from such an insignificant small town (Jn. 1:43 – 46).

Yet, as Nathaniel approaches, Jesus said:

“Now here is a genuine son of Israel – a man of complete integrity.” Jn. 1:47 NLT

Nathaniel asks Christ how it is that He knows him. Jesus replies that He had a vision of him sitting under a fig tree, (just before Philip went to fetch him). Nathaniel blurts out:

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God – the King of Israel!” Jn. 1:49 NLT

Christ tells him that He having a vision is nothing compared to what all His disciples will see:

“I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.” Jn. 1:51 NLT

“The Son of Man” is how Jesus referred to Himself more than 80 times. No one else ever directly called Him by that name. Only the disciple Stephen said it, when he saw Christ in His glorified body (Acts 7:56). It is a Messianic title for the mysterious human / divine figure that is the Son of God (Dan. 7:13, 14).

[Jesus will return as the Son of Man and will sit in judgment as the same (Mt. 16:27; Rv. 1:13 & 14:14). But after Christ establishes His Kingdom, His full glory will be revealed.]

Two days later, Jesus and His gang of five were invited to a wedding in Cana, a Galilean town near Nazareth. Mary, Jesus’ mother was in attendance as well (Jn. 2:1, 2).

Mary approaches her Son and tells Him the hosts have run out of wine. Jesus answers:

“[Dear] woman, what is that to you and Me? My time [to act and to be revealed] has not yet come.” Jn. 2:4 AMP

Mary cleverly ignores His words and tells the servants to do whatever He says. In deference to His mother, Jesus performs His first miracle, changing 120 gallons of water into premium wine (Jn. 2:5 – 10). That made a big impression on His disciples:

This, the first of His signs (attesting miracles), Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory [displaying His deity and His great power openly], and His disciples believed [confidently] in Him [as the Messiah – they adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him]. Jn. 2:11 AMP

Jesus and the Five went to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

When they reached the Temple court, they found it full of people selling animals for sacrifice and moneychangers for those seeking Jewish coin. Jesus divine ire was manifest, and He applied divine discipline:

Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” Jn. 2:15, 16. NLT

“But as for you, son of man, your people who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses say to one another, everyone to his brother, ‘Come now and hear what the message is that comes from the LORD.’ They come to you as people come, and they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not practice them…” Eze. 33:30, 31. AMP

As the disciples witnessed Jesus’ holy outrage, they were reminded of a Messianic prophecy:

Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. Ps. 69:9 NLT

So, the disciples’ faith is fortified again.

Some of the people He had run out of the courtyard came back and asked Him by what authority did He have to do these things. They asked Him to perform a supernatural ‘sign.’ Jesus responds:

“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jn. 2:19 NLT

The true meaning of Christ’s words was lost on both the crowd and the disciples. The crowd mocked Him, telling him that it took 46 years to build the Temple; how could He do it in only 3 days.

(Jesus was instead referring to His crucifixion and resurrection. During that event, the disciples would finally get what He meant).

Later during the festival, Christ would perform some miraculous signs (Jn. 2:23), but the Bible doesn’t reveal what they were – only that some of the people were beginning to believe He was a Holy Man sent by God.

Jesus however, kept His distance, because He knew, omnisciently, that many were only pretending to believe:

But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart. Jn 24, 25. NLT

“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.

“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried about long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, searches all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” Jer. 17:5 – 10. NLT

Can you feel the excitement, as the Son of God begins to come into His own? He’s gathering an army, cleaning house, and radiating His Father’s miraculous glory. And He’s doing it all for you…