What is the point of Miracles? 

John 6:1-21 Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand and Walks on Water

This month we have been following the progress of religious life from receiving the word, … committing to the word …. and finally spreading the word to other people.

What authority did he have to deliver this teaching? The signs of a person speaking with authority.

John’s Gospel originally was called the Book of Signs. The Jewish religion seeks evidence of prophet’s ability to produce signs or miracles

Just imagine of the effect of these miracles in our area if we opened the Tavistock Times

Prophet turns water into wine at wedding – 200 witnesses

Prophet heals a blind man in the Tavistock Pannier Market

Prophet heals MS sufferer in Sydenham Damerel

Prophet feeds 5000 at an event on Dartmoor – twice!

Prophet walks across Meldon Reservoir

Prophet raises Mr Jones from the dead in Milton Abbot

Stories like this would instantly be frontpage news not and just locally but nationally – and perhaps internationally. We would still be talking about it 2000 years later.

The 5000 were similarly impressed … After they had eaten there, they gathered twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”  John 6:6-13

The miracles were not of course the goal. Our Lord's miracles were acts of power and compassion but the goal was His life was communicating His life changing teaching.

This could be summarised in the beatitudes, …. by the way our Lord led his life … how he met his death …. and crucially by appearing to hundreds of people after his resurrection.

We know that our Lord had extraordinary charisma in his home town of Nazareth; after infuriating the congregation in his local synagogue they threatened the lynch him by throwing him off a cliff. He simply walked through them and went on his way.

Crucial of he changed lives by what … and how he taught.  He spoke with authority. What is authority? He spoke from experience. He had the power to create loyalty and of course the power to perform signs

In my experience successful religious people live lives full of seemingly bullet-proof joy, peace and contentment – whatever their material success or failure. They can cope. They love Our Lord’s teaching and live his works – just as our Lord said it would.

Equally it is also our experience that people who live irreligious lives live lives full of frustration, worry and dissatisfaction.

Graham Green discovered that the delivery of his shiny new 2nd Cadillac of success was not the sign of success that he had thought it would be. Frequently criminals and mafiosi invariably discover that all the money that they have exhorted, all the status they have acquired has just created a life or worry and concern – and frequently long terms of imprisonment.

Material goals do not deliver. Spiritual goals do deliver. Building the religious love muscle is actually the goal of life – not material success. It is the only thing that goes with us.

Earlier we discussed the all-important parable of the Sower and the Seed. If we finally manage not to be the seed thrown on the path, on rocks or the choking weeds of material life – but on good soil – we are charged to spread the word. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

How do we do that? Perhaps by trying to follow the wonderful St Francis and ‘preach the Gospel always – sometimes using words’

  Amen

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John 6 New International Version Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14 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.

Jesus Walks on the Water

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles,[b] they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.