Wow! I’ve really enjoyed preparing and speaking about the seven miraculous signs of Jesus that the apostle John recorded in his gospel. Our Sunday school image of Jesus always gets challenged by a fresh reading and study of Him in the gospels. He always seems so much more dangerous and controversial when we just read the text without watering it down as a “Bible story.”
Something else I’ve noticed these past seven Sundays is how much more effective the gospel is at penetrating human hearts when we don’t try to oversimplify it or explain away the difficult parts. One attender indicated that it was the understanding from the sign where Jesus walked on the water that really moved him.
The attender wrote, “That Jesus would send his disciples into a storm and then wait until the 4th watch to go out to them really spoke to me. I think this is a better explanation of reality than the stuff of Christianity lite usually being preached. This kind of faith isn’t so self serving and syrupy. It requires more of me and I think now I must respond.”
Several people have come to faith in Jesus during this series. Some of them self admitted atheists and agnostics. Others have found their faith challenged.
That’s what the real Jesus does. He challenges our view of reality. He makes us choose.
I’m thankful that many chose to follow Him in these last seven weeks!