1995 issue 7 - sermon on luke 4:31-44 - the authority and power of the preaching of jesus part 2 -...

8/12/2019 1995 Issue 7 - Sermon on Luke 4:31-44 - The Authority and Power of the Preaching of Jesus Part 2 - Counsel of C

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Q J : l p ~ J \ u t 4 o r i t ~ axm

JIofu.er

of

t4.e

JIr.eadfing

of

m.esus

Luke 4:31-44

The

Point of This Incident

The

mazing

Authority

and Power of the

Word ofChrist

His word, written and

preached, is still the instrument

He uses as the exalted Christ, to

control and overcome evil in the

world. He

speaks through

the

mouth

of

His church as

His church

faithfully

expounds and

bears

testimony to

His Word. His

Word

still

overcomes evil

and

the

demonic

in

your life, as

you believe it,

obey it

and

bear witness to it.

The

Triumph ofJesus Christ

Over

the Power

of

Satan

Because Jesus Christ has

defeated

and

overcome Satan, so

also shall CHRIST'S

PEOPLE

gain

the victory over Satan (and the

demonic). His work is no real

threat to the progress of God's

kingdom. Satan has been bound

by

Christ, and now his house is

being plundered. - Bahnsen, pg.

39. Christians do

not

have to fear

Satan and his demons,

but

we

must take them and their activity

seriously. And here is why:

(a). Jesus gave power over the

demons

to

His disciples, Mat.

10:1; Mk. 6:7; 9:38; Lk. 10:17;

Acts 5:16; 8:7; 16:16f; 19:12. He

never meant for the victory to be

His alone; He shares His mighty

power with believers so that they

too defeat the devil and destroy

his works. The kind of power

which Jesus

gives

is not something

of which the unbelieving world

can partake; even the professional

sorcerers do not have the power

which is bestowed

on

Christ's

apostles, Acts 8:9, 19, and when

they try to imitate it, dreadful

results rebound upon them,

Acts

19:13.. . -- This EXCLUSIVE

POWER OVER DEMONS which

Jesus has delegated to His

followers means two things:

FIRST, believers cannot

be

demon

possessed. There is an utter

antithesis between the Holy Spirit

and an unclean spirit, Mk. 3:29f,

just as their respective

descriptions indicate, I John 4:4 ...

SECOND, because of the power

which accompanies the preaching

of

the gospel, where the good

news of Christ's kingdom has

penetrated and taken root, it

scatters the darkness and

subsequently reduces the

occunence of demon possession

in

a sodety. - Bahnsen, pg. 39.

(b).

The New Testament is full

THE COUNSELof Chalcedon

August,1995

of indications that Christians have

the

ASSURANCE

OF ETHICAL

VICTORY in their encounters with

Satan

and demons See John

17: 15; James 5:16;james 4:7;

Eph. 6:10-18; I John 4:3-4; IJohn

5:18, which says:

He who was

bam of God keeps him and

the

evll

one

does

not

touch

him.

(c). Even in the face

of

severe,

physical persecution, the believer

wins

in

his war with Satan, I Pet.

4:11; 5:11;

Rev.

9:H; Lk. 10:19;

Rom. 8:35f; Rev. 12:1Of. Victory

over sin and preservation from its

power and

deadly effects

are assured

us. Satan

cannot gain

an upper

hand over us

even through

physical

fureatening

....

Bahnsen, pg.

40.

(d). Not

only is the

Christian's

victory over

Satan

and

the demonic evident

with respect to demon-possession,

temptation to sin, and

persecution; it is also clearly

evident with respect to the success

of evangelism, Mat. 12:28f. ---

The power

of

the proclaimed

gospel can shatter Satan's

attempt to lead people astray

from the truth. Thus the church

is assured of great power and

success when it faithfully

proclaims the whole counsel of

God, Rev. 19: IH. Because

CHRIST NOW RULES the

nations, Psa.

2:8; Rev.

12:5;

19:15f, SATAN is unable to

DECEIVE the nations, Rev. 20:2f.

A missionary door of utterance

has been opened to the nations for


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faith which no

man

can shut, Rev.

3:7f; Acts 14:27; Col. 4:3. The

Great Commission shall be

accomplished, and all nations

shall be made disciples of Christ,

Mat. 28:18f; Rev. 7:9; 11:15;

15:4, since ALL

power in heaven

and earth have been granted to

Him and He is ever present with

this power

in

His church. Thus

the gospel is the POWER of God

unto salvation, Rom. 1:16.

Evangelism and doctrinal

edification are activities which the

believer can

FORCEFULLY

ND

SUCCESSFULLY engage in as God

brings all nations to serve His Son,

Acts 2:34f; Psa. 72;

Rom.

1:5;

15: 11; 16:26; I Cor. 15:25f; Col.

11:27f; IITim. 4:17. The

believer's victory over Satan,

therefore,

is clear from the fact

that Satan cannot prevent the

proclamation

of

the gospel from

being prosperous

in

this age.

Bahnsen, 40f.

The fact is that while Satan is

alive, he is NOT

WELL

His

power and kingdom have fallen,

and

presently he frantically

thrashes out his short remaining

time. Christ

has

deposed him,

crushed him, and shaclded him;

Christ's followers continue to

spoil his house. The only lordship

he retains is over the despicable

elements oflife symbolized by

dung. - Bahnsen, pg. 42.

(4:38-40) The Amazing

Authority and Power oj

Jesus ord

Over

Sickness

The Reality and Purpose oj

Miracles in the MinistJy ofJesus

The Reality

oj

Miracles

Three words

in

the

New

Testament designate the

miraculous works of God in the

Bible, miracle, wonder, and

sign, Acts 2:22; II Thes. 2:9;

Heb. 2:4. Miracle is dynamis

in

Greek, pointing to the divine

omnipotence operative in the

event. Sign is semeion, pointing

to the goal of the miracle---it is a

work of God which functions as a

word

of

God, which

simultaneously reveals the

presence and power of the

Kingdom of God and

authenticates and witnesses to the

fact that the Kingdom has come.

Wonder is teras, pointing to the

attention -compelling character of

the miracle. Putting the meaning

of these three words together, we

could define a miracle biblically as

an observable phenomenon

effected by the direct operation of

God's power, an arresting

deviation from the ordinalY

sequences of nature, a deviation

calculated to elicit faith-begetting

awe, a divine inbreaking which

authenticates

a

revelational

agent. - Vernon Grounds

in

Baker s Dictionary oj

Theology,

pg.

357f.

The Purpose oj

MiJ'acles

in the Ministry ofJesus

In jesus ' power to work

miracles, the coming of the

Kingdom of God is realized and

its presence is made evident. (See

notes below for proof.) The

Kingdom makes its triumphant

advance

in

the world through the

word ofJesus Chlist. And His

preaching of the kingdom is with

words and deeds, including

miracles. Therefore, jesus'

miracles reveal the coming

of

the

Kingdom of God.

(For a special insight into the

purpose of miracles, see:

Appendix: C.S. Lewis on

Miracles

on

page

nf.)

The Cessation

of

Miracles

jesus gave His apostles the

power to perf mI miracles in

order to AUTHENTICATE THEIR

APOSTOLIC MESSAGE, Le., to

confirm that His apostles,

under

the inspiration of the Spirit of

Christ, spoke and wrote the word

of Christ inerrantly, so that to

accept their words is to accept

Christ's words, and to reject their

words is to reject Christ's words,

Heb. 2:4. This is the reason Paul

calls this apostolic ability to

perform miracles as the

mark of

an apostle, II Cor. 12:12.

As

B.B.

Warfield

has

written: These

(miraculous) gifts ... were part

of

the credentials

of

the Apostles as

the authoritative agents of God in

founding the church. Their

function thus confined them

distinctively

to

the Apostolic

Church, and they necessarily

passed away with it.

(Counteljeit

Miracles, London, Banner of

Truth

Trust, reprint 1972).

Robert Reymond explains the

last sentence of Warfield: If the

apostles possessed special signs

which authenticated their claim

to

authority, II Cor. 12: 12; Rom.

15:18-19, they necessarily passed

from the scene with the passing of

the apostles. --- Clearly, miracles

selved here, (in Acts 14:3),

not

as

ends

in

themselves but as

'authenticating means' to an

'authority end,' Heb. 2:3-4. -

What About Continuing Revelation

and Miracles in

the Presbyterian

Omrch Today?, pg. 43, (Nutley,

N.j., Presbytelian and Reformed

Publishing Company, 1977).

The reason miracles were

the

signs of the apostles was because

miracles

had

a revelatory character

and the apostles were vehicles

of

divine revelation. Therefore,

because

of

this inseparable

connection

of

miracles with

revelation, as we

saw

in the role

of

miracles

in

the ministry ofJesus,

miracles were the

mark and

credential of Christ's apostles, and

August, 1995 l' THE COUNSEL of

Chalcedon

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of

His prophets

in

the Old

Testament.' The reason miracles

passed off the scene with the

apostles,

is

that with the passing

of

the apostles, the completion

of

the

revelatory process which

produced

the Bible

had

,taken

place. When verbal revelation

ceased,

and

the all-sufficient Bible

was completed, there reTllained

no

further

need

for those signs that

bore wimeSs to revelation taking

place.

Miracles

do

not appear

(SOTERION

or SOTERIA

in

Greek), is not used in Matthew

and Mark, and it, (SOTERIA),

occurs only once

in

John.

In

Luke, however, SOTERIA, is used

four times,

1:69,71,77;

19:9),

and SOTERION is used twice,

2:30, 3:6. The word savior,

SOTER, occurs twice, 1:47; 2:11,

and

the verb, to save, SODZO, is

used more times by Luke than any

other gospel writer, 6:9; 7:50;

point of view. The healing

process is subordinated to a

higher purpose, and this higher

purpose furnishes the chief reason

why the occurrence is so

denominated. What is this higher

idea that stands in

the

ba

ckground?

t

is that of the

transference out

of

the sphere

o

death

into

the sphere

of

life:

- G.

Vos, pg, 260. It is exactly in the

delivery from death that the

:.Jesus Christ came to

on the

pages of Scripmre

vagrantly, here, there, and

elsewhere indifferently,

without assignable reason.

They belong to revelation

periods, and appear only

when

God is speaking to

His people through

raise His people from the

dead, spiritually in the new

birth and

physically

at

the

second coming

o Christ.

salvation of the kingdom

reaches its climax. 'Dead

persons are raised,

because in Jesus' action

that Kingdom is beginning

to be realized

in

which

there will

no

more

be

any

death,' Rev. 21:4; 20:14.

... the kingdom

of

God

revealed in miracles

signifies the redemption

accredited messengers,

declaring His gracious purposes.

Their

abundant

display

in

the,

Apostolic Church is the mark of

the

richness of

the

Apostolic Age

in revelation;

and

when this

revelation period closed, the

period

of miracle-working

had

passed by also, as a mere matter of

course. :--...

when

this historic

process

of

organic revelation

had

reached its completeness, and

when

the whole knowledge of

God designed for the saving

health of the world had been

incorporated into the living body

of

the

world's thoughts---there

remained,

of

course,

no

further

revelation to be made,

and

there

has been

accordingly

no

further

revelation

made:

Warfield,

Counteifeit

Miracles.

(4:38-39)

The Healing o Peter s

Mother-in-Law by Jesus

The

Relation o

Physical Healing

nd

Salvation

According to Luke

The word, salvation,

8:12,36,48,50; 9:24, 56; 13:23;

17:19,33; 18:26,42;

19:10;

23:35,37,39.

Luke also uses

salvation seven times nd

savior two times in Acts.

Therefore, it becomes apparent

that salvation' s the key to the

theology

of

Luke. His focus is on

the Divine-human SAVIOR,Jesus

Christ,

Who

is God

my

Savior

incarnate, Lk. 1 46f.

Luke emphasizes the fact that

Jesus brings a complete salvation

to the whole man in his whole

world; and he makes this point by

using the Greek verb, SODZO,

with reference to miraculous

physical healings He perfonns.

Our

English versions translate the

verb

in

these miracle stories

as

heal. For Luke the Greek word,

SODZO, has two predominant

meanings: to deliver and to heal,

or to make whole. However,

when save is translated heal,

Luke is

not

merely depicting the

healing act from a purely medical

6 THE COUNSELof Chalcedon August,1995

from all evil

and

the

restoration of the whole of life.

Ridderbos, The

Coming

of the

Kingdom, pg. 68.

See

Luke 6:9;

Mark 3:4; Mark 5:23; Matthew

16:25-27; Mark 8:35-38; Luke

9:24-26. Jesus Christ came to

raise His people from the dead,

spiritually in the new bi

rth and

physically at the second coming of

Christ, s Jesus said to His

Fathet,

....

.even as

Thou

gayest Him

authority

over all

mankind,

that t J

all whom Thou hast given

Him,

He

may

give eternal life,

In. 17:2.

And

in John

10:10 He said:

I

came

that

they

might have

life,

and

might

have

it

abundantly.

The Healing

o

Peter's

Mother-in-LqwZ

The brief narrative of the

healing of Peter's mother-in-law

conveys the impression of

unpretentiousness ... --- In

response to the disciples' request,

Jesus stood beside the bed, seized

the woman's

hand and

lifted

her

up. The fever was removed and


4/6

there was no trace of the weakness

which could be expected under

normal circumstances. The

woman immediately stood up and

ministered to

her

guests, (Le., she

fixed dinner for them).... Then

notice that the WOman

'ministered, (or served) to them'

confirms the mercy and

compassion extended toward her

by Jesus and indicates that the

figures in the background of the

gospel narrative are affected by

the power of this mysterious

Galilean."-

lane.

(In the

The Reason Multitudes Crowded

AroundJesus

We must not get too excited

about the "success" ofjesus'

minisny in the initial phase of His

Galilean minisny. The crowds

were coming to Jesus, not because

they recognized and submitted

to

His saviorhood and lordship,

but

because mmors were flying that a

miracle worker had come into

their vicinity. 'jesus had come to

preach repentance and the

sovereignly willed for them to take

place. The healings were not

caused by His touch,

but by

His

omnipotent word, which was the

expression of His sovereign will.

''The touch of the

hand

was

merely symbolical of the blessing

bestowed. No power flowed out

from the hands

and

physically

entered the patient. The power

was in the volition ofjesus, and

the miracle was wrought

in

a

supernatural way." - Lenski.

Gospels, discipleship is

defined by service, Mk.

9:33f; 10:43f.)

(4:40-41) The Healing of

Many People

With

Various Diseases and the

Casting ut

of

Many

Demons

he crowds were coming

to

Jesus,

not

because they recognized and

submitted to His saviorhood and

lordship, but because rumors were

The Casting ut of

Many Demons

Notice

the

clear

distinction Luke makes

between sickness and

demon-possession. Once

again he muzzles their cry

and silences their shrieks,

flying that a miracle worker had

come into their vicinity,

for they are powerless

before Him. "Jesus

'Ibis summary report

reflects the point of view of a

narrator who was excited with

what he witnessed."- Lane.

The Time of the Healings

The people came to Jesus for

healing in the early evening, after

sunset, which brought the sabbath

day to a close.

The Large Number

ofHealings

What an evening Countless

numbers of people coming to

Jesus Miracle

upon

miracle

performed by Jesus It was as i

the entire city was gathered at the

door of the house where Jesus

was, (the home of Peter and

Andrew,

Mk.

1:29). The verb in

Mk. 1:33 indicates that the

crowds were continually

increasing

in

size. All kinds of

people brought "all" kinds of

personal relations to be healed by

Jesus

of all lands

of diseases and

sicknesses.

'nearness of the kingdom but the

people think only of relief from

pain and affliction. They fail to

perceive the significance ofJesus'

conflict with demonic power. In

compassion and grace Jesus

extends to them authentic healing,

but

it is

not

primarily

for

this

purpose that he has come. -lane.

The Method ofJesus' Healing

Jesus' method of healing

people was flexible and varied.

He "rebuked'" the fever in Peter's

mother-in-law, 4:39, (while Mark

adds that Jesus "grasped her

hand"), and He "laid His hands"

on other sick people brought to

Him, 4:40. In one instance He

used His own saliva

in

the

healing, Mk. 7:33; 8:23. One of

the reasons for this flexibility is to

help people see that the

miraculous healings took place,

not because Jesus

cOlTectly

perfOlmed some magicahite or

symbol, but because He

forbids the demons to speak, for .

they know who he is; they

recognize him as their adversary

in

a conflict which has cosmic

proportions." - lane.

The Relation of the

Miracles and Preaching

ofJesus Christ

The powerful and authoritative

preaching ofjesus is no less proof

than the mighty miracles ofJesus

that the Kingdom of God has

come to earth

in

all its saving and

life-giving power. This is the

reason for Luke's emphasis in this

section of the AUTHORITY and

POWER ofthe teaching ofjesus.

"His word is

not

only a sign,

it

is

charged with power;

it

has

the

disposal of the matter, the

salvation which

it

defines;

it

is not

merely a word, but 'it shall

accomplish that which He pleases'

Who speaks it. That is why at

bottom there is

nb

difference

between the word

with

which

August, 1995 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon

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Jesus

casts out demons, and heals

the sick) and His preaching of the

gospel. In both cases the word

and

what it indicates go together.

Nowhere does this connection

come to light more clearly than in

the story

of

the healing

of

a

palsied man, Mk.

2:1-12 and

parallels

.

- Ridderbos,

The

Coming

of

th

eKingdom,

pg. 72f.

Jesus' preaching of the

Kingdom confirmed by His

miracles is at the same time the

manifestation

of

the Kingdom, the

vehicle

through

which the

. Kingdom comes, the sign that the

Kingdom

has

come.

his

is the

reason

for the many expressions

of

amazement, astonishment,

confusion, bewilderment, etc.,

which describe the frame of mind

of

those who heard Jesus'

preaching

and

saw His miracles.

They are

not

intended, however,

onlyashistorical-psychological

descriptiOns of the impression that

Jesus made on

the multitude. The

evangelists, (Gospel-writers),

want

to

indicate that Jesus'

word and

work revealed the absolute, the

supernatural, and the divine in

such a way

that

even the

multitude could

not

but be aware

of

it.

As

has

been

said, this

amazement

is not only caused by

their witnessing of His miracles,

but

also by their listening to His

preaching, Lk.

4:22;

Mt.

22:22.

They

are

not

merely amazed at

Jesus' knowledge or wisdom or

ability

in

speaking, but at bottom

they respond to the powers and

the

authority revealed

in

His

word. In this respect there is no

difference between Jesus'

preaching and

His

miracles:-

Ridderbos, pg. 75.

(4:42-44) The Purpose

and Content of esus

Powerful Preaching

4:42-43) The Need of esus for

Private Worship and Rest

Before daybreak Jesus left the

crowds of the city unnoticed to

seek some quietness after all the

strenuous work of the previous

day, The crowds, however,

continued to

hound

him crying

out for more miracles. However

much sympathy and compassion

He felt for these needy people,

Jesus refused to continue His

healing of them. His task at

Capernaum was completed and

He

had to obey the will

of

His

Father and to proceed to other

cities, there to p ~ c h by word

and deed the glad tidings of the

kingdom of God. Geldenhuys.

While]esus is here depicted

as the great Physician of the

human body as well as of the soul,

we must

remember that NO ONE

HAS THE RIGHT TODAY TO

DEMAND THAT HE SHOULD

HEAL EVERY DISEASE and this

always, or

in

most cases, without

the use

of

medicine. He is still the

Almighty

and

Merciful Physician

who is able to heal any illness

without such aids where He so

desires. I t is, however, clear from

God's Word that it is not always

His will to heal diseases. --- .we

should never prescribe

to

God

how He is to act. The perfect

healing in soul

and

in body,

aChieved by Jesus for all believers,

will become full reality only at His

coming, when the faithful will live

and

rule along with Him in risen

and glorified bodies. Before that

Day no believe r has the right

to

demand perfect healing just as

he

has no right to expect that he will

be

exempted from all other

amictions of life and from death

.

Geldenhuys.

The

Return

to the Wilderness

To describe the place where

TH COUNSELofChalcedon August,1995

Jesus went for prayer, Mark uses a

double

tenn

meaning literally,

wilderness place: Mk.

1:35.

Its

reference is to a place of solirude

which in some sense recalls the

wilderness, Mk. 1:45;

6:31:-

Lane. Jesus withdraws

to

the

wilderness from the seeking

multirudes, with the result that

the multitudes pursue Him to the

wilderness, i.e., the place

of

solitude where He has gone to

pray. It appears that Jesus

deliberately withdraws from the

people to rerum to an area which

has the character of the wilderness

where He encountered Satan

and

sustained temptation. The nature

of

th

e temptation in eaCh instance

may be related

to

the clamor of

the crowds, who are willing to

find in Jesus a divine-man who

meets their needs

and

so wins

their follOwing. The people,

however, have no conception of

what it means to go out

to

the

wilderness to bear the burden of

judgment, as Jesus has done. He

turns from their acclaim,

returning

to

a place which recalls

his

determination to fulfill the

mission for which

he

has

come

into the world. - Lane .

The

Needfor Prayer

Jesus often prayed alone

at

night. The siruation again recalls

the wilderness when Jesus

confronts the temptation of Satan,

and is sustained by help from

God. His strength is

in

prayer

through which He affirms His

intention to fulfill the will of God,

which means His submission

to

the judgment of God ,, -Lane.

Jesus withdrew from the

crowds

to

this place

of

solitude for

a while to hold communion with

His Father in heaven,

and to

pray.

Holy and sinless as His

human

narure was,

it

was a nature kept


6/6

sinless in the regular use of means

of grace, and

not

in the neglect of

them. There is an example here

which all who desire

to

grow in

grace and walk closely with God

would do well to follow. We

must make time for private

meditation, and for being alone

with God. ---We live

in

hurrying,

bustl ing times. The excitement of

daily business

and

constant

engagements keeps many men in

a perpetual whirl, and entails

great peril on souls. The neglect of

this habit of withdrawing

occasionally from worldly

business is the probable cause of

many an inconsistency or

backsliding which brings scandal

on the cause of Christ. The more

work we have

to

do, the more we

ought

to

imitate

our

Master. --- If

the Master found the practice

necessary, it must surely

be

a

thousand times more necessary

for His disciples. - ] c Ryle,

EXpOSit01 Thoughts on the Gospels,

St. Luke, Vol.

1,

NY:

The Baker

and Taylor Co., ) pg. 127f.

lThe miracles of the

Bible

are

largely

confined

to

four eras, each separated

from the other

by

centuries: (1). The

Exodus from Egypt

under

Moses

and the

Conquest of Canaan

under

Joshua; (2).

The Ministries of Elijah

and

Elisha in

their war

with Baalism; (3). The

Babylonian Exile; and (4). The Ministry

of Christ and His Apostles. Outside of

these eras, miracles

are

rare

in

the

Bible.

Notice one thing these four periods

had

in common: much divine verbal,

inerrant revelation was taking place in

each era; therefore, many miracles were

taking place as the means

by which

God

was bearing witness to His revelation.

2We

learn from this

incident

that

Peter was married,

and

that

his

mother-in-law lived in his home,

probably

because her husband was dead.

All this is rather inconvenie nt for

Roman Catholicism which regards Peter

as the first pope

and

demands celibacy

for its priests. - Lenski, Interpretation o

Luke,

pg 270.

3Jesus rebuked the fever of Peter's

mother-in-law, 4:39,

and

He also

rebuked the wind, Lk. 8:24. The

word,

urebuke, indicates 'jesus' absolute

authority

in the

natural

kingdom

over all

desttuctive influences operating

in it

as a

result of sin and of the curse

on

the

world. This is however, also a

manifestation of the coming of the

kingdom

of God. Christ penetrate s

into

the province of the plince of this world

and

vanquishes the hostile powers which

devastate the creation. 'He is again the

Ruler, the Lord and the King ofnature. '

Ridderbos, The Coming o the Kingdom,

pgs. 67f. (Nutley, N.j., Presbyterian and

Reformed Publishing Company, 1975).

Appendix:

C. S. Lewis on Miracles

There is an activity of God displayed

throughout creation, a wholesale activity

let uS say whiCh melt refuse to recogItize.

The miracles done

by

God incarnate,

living as a man

in

Palestine, perform the

very same things as this wholesale activity,

but

at

a different speed

and on

a smaller

scale. One of their chief purposes is that

men having seen a thing done by personal

power on the small scale, may recognize,

when they see the same

thing done

on the

large scale, that the power behind it is also

personal- s indeed the very same

person

who lived among us two thousand

years ago. The miracles in fact are a

retelling

in

small letters of the very same

story which is written across the whole

world

in letters too large for some of us to

see.

Of that larger script,

parl

is already

visible,

part

is still unsolved. In other

words, some of the miracles do locally

what God has already done universally;

others do locally

what

He had not yet

done, but will do. In that sense, and from

our human point of view, some are

reminders and others prophecies.

God creates the vine and teaches it to

draw

up water by its roots and, with the

aid of

the

sun, to

turn

that water into a

juice

which

will ferment and take on

certain qualities. Thus every year, from

Noah

1

s time till ours, God turns water into

wine. That, men

fail

to see. Either like

the Pagans they refer the process to some

finite spirit, Bacchus or Dionysus: or else,

like the modems, they attribute real and

ultimate causality to

the

chemical and

other material phenomena which are all

that our sense can discover

in

it. But

when Christ at Cana makes

water

into

wine, the mask is

off,

In. 2:1-11. The

miracle has only hal f its effect if it only

convinces us that Christ is God: it will

have its full effect if whenever we see a

vineyard or

drink

a glass of wine we

remember that here

works

He who sat at

the wedding party in Cana. (pgs. 336-

337).

U;

the true miracles express not

simply a god,

but

God: that which is

outside Nature, not as a foreigner,

but as

her sovereign. They announce

not

merely

that a King has visited our town, but that

it is

the

King,

our

King. (pg.

339).

The second class of miracles,

on

this

view, foretell

what God has

not

yet done,

but will do, universally. He raised one

man, the man who was Himself, from the

dead because He will one day raise all

men from the dead. Perhaps not only

men, for there are

hints in

the New

Testament that all creation will eventually

be

rescued from decay, resto red

to

shape

and subserve the splendor of

re-made

humanity, Rom. 8:22. The Transfigura

tion, Mat. 17: If and

the

walking on the

water, Mat. 14:26,

are

glimpses of

the

beauty

and

effortless

power over

all

matter

which will belong

to

men when they are

really waked by God. (pg.339).

C.S. Lewis

'

comments on the miracle

of the incarnation are powerfu1. He

writes, N0 miracle

is

in fact more

significant.

What

happens in ordinalY

generation?

What

is a father

1

s function

in

the act of begetting? A microscopic

particle passes, it may be, the color of his

hair

and

his great grandfather

1

s

hanging

lip, and the human form in all its

complexity of bones, liver, sinews, heart,

and

limbs,

and prehuman

form

which the

embryo will recapitulate in the womb.

Behind every

spermatozoon

lies

the whole

history of the universe:

locked

within it is

no small part

of

the

world's

future. That

is God's normal way of making a m a n a

process that takes centuries, beginning

with the creation of matter itself, and

narrowing to one second and one particle

at the moment of begetting. - Once,

therefore, God does it directly, instanta

neously; without a spermatozoon, without

the millenniums of organic history behind

the spermatozoon. There was of course

another reason. This

time

He was creating

not simply a man,

but the

man

who was

to be Himself:

the

only

true

Man. The

process which leads to

the

spermatozoon

has carried

down

with it through the

centuries much undesirable Silt; the life

which reaches

us

by that

normal route

is

tainted. To avoid that taint,

to

give

humanity a fresh start, He once

short

circuited the process. (pg. 338).

August, 1995

t THE

COUNSEL of Chalcedon

t

9

1995 issue 7 - sermon on luke 4:31-44 - the authority and power of the preaching of jesus part 2 -...

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