But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, - Matthew 5:44
This morning we will complete our sermon series on “The Miracles of Jesus”. Over the past several months we have read passages about and discussed 43 distinct occasions during which Jesus performed a miracle or miracles. In today’s message we will add 2 more, bringing the final total to 45. I have made an intentional effort to balance the primary texts we’ve used each week throughout this study evenly between the 4 gospels.
Today’s sermon is titled “The Severed Ear and Catching Many Fish”. It is the 31st and last message of this series. We will be reading from the books of Luke and John. As for the setting, Jesus and the apostles had just finished eating the Passover meal. It was just a few hours before His arrest. They went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. It was late at night and the disciples were having a hard time staying awake and keeping watch.
I. AN ALTERCATION IN THE GARDEN (Luke 22:47-53; Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-50; John 18:1-11)
While Jesus was speaking with His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, urging them to stay awake, a crowd made up of Roman soldiers, officers from the chief priests, and Pharisees came to arrest Him. They were led by Judas Iscariot who greeted Jesus with a kiss. The disciples initially sought to prevent them from taking Jesus into custody. Peter drew his sword and struck the chief priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. Jesus said, “Stop! No more of this.” Then He touched the servant's ear and healed him. Jesus questioned the manner and timing of His arrest, but voluntarily and peacefully submitted to the authorities. The disciples fled in fear.
The betrayal and arrest of Jesus is recorded in all 4 gospels. Each of them states that 1 of the disciples cut off the high priest’s servant's ear. However, only Luke adds that Jesus lovingly healed the servant by replacing his ear. Think of it! Jesus healed 1 of the very men who had come to arrest Him as they were about to take Him away. Amazing. I sometimes wonder if that servant’s perspective about Jesus changed. The truth is, all of us were enemies of God at some point, and yet He still was willing to redeem us (Romans 5:8).
This was a healing miracle. There is no indication that the servant asked to be healed. Rather, Jesus acted out of kindness and compassion. He healed the man by touching him, presumably reattaching his severed ear. This was another demonstration of Jesus’ power, but also a lesson for the disciples that such violence was unnecessary and inappropriate. Jesus didn’t resist being arrested. This was the very reason for which He’d come.
II. APPEARANCES TO THE DISCIPLES (John 20:19-21; 24-28)
After Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, the risen Lord appeared to the disciples several times over a period of 40 days before ascending into Heaven. These are known as the post-resurrection appearances of Christ. On at least 2 of these occasions, Jesus appeared suddenly in a locked or closed room without ever entering through the door. This happened the night of Jesus’ resurrection in the upper room (with Thomas absent) and again a week later (with Thomas was present).
Without question, these sudden appearances were miraculous. However, I am not going to formally include them on our list of miracles. You may recall, earlier in this series we discussed Jesus’ ability to know what people were thinking or particular details about their lives that He shouldn’t have known. This, too, was miraculous. Jesus possessed supernatural abilities that were consistent with His divine character. That said, the miracles we are focusing on in this sermon series are those in which Jesus did something on behalf of someone else.
III. BREAKFAST BY THE SEA (John 21:4-11)
Peter, John, James, and 4 of the other apostles went fishing on the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). They had already seen and spoken with the risen Lord Jesus a few times by this point. They fished all night long, but caught nothing. In the early morning light, an unknown figure called out from the shore telling them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. When they did so, their nets were filled with fish. John recognized that it was Jesus, and Peter excitedly dove into the water and swam to the shore. When the other disciples arrived in the boat, they cooked the fish over a fire and had breakfast together with Jesus on the beach.
This must have been a powerful moment for Peter, John, and James (and Andrew, if he was there). Jesus had performed this same type of miracle 3 years earlier when he called these men to be His disciples. On both occasions they caught nets full of fish after having caught nothing the night before. I am sure this experience brought back wonderful memories of that remarkable day.
John wrote that they caught 153 fish that morning. He actually counted them, which isn’t surprising for a commercial fisherman to do. He included the exact number in his gospel, perhaps so that his readers could appreciate this abundant miracle as much as he did.
During their breakfast by the sea, Jesus “restored” Peter. The Lord forgave him for betraying Him 3 times on the night of His arrest. Jesus repeatedly challenged Peter to “feed His sheep”. He was preparing him, and the other apostles, to continue spreading the gospel after His departure. Not long afterward, Jesus ascended into Heaven. Though He left, His work continued through His followers.
This was a natural miracle. Jesus displayed His power over nature by causing the disciples to catch a great number of fish. He told them what to do and when they obeyed His command, He simply willed the miracle to occur. Jesus performed this miracle as an unmistakable way of revealing His identity to the disciples.
CONCLUSION
Well friends, we have come to the end of another sermon series. Over the past several months we have examined all of the miracles or “signs” recorded in the Bible which Jesus performed during His earthly ministry. He actually performed many more which are not mentioned or described in the gospel narratives besides those we’ve listed. Of those that we have discussed, there have been healing miracles, exorcisms, natural miracles, and physical resurrections. Jesus performed these miracles using a variety of different methods - spoken words or commands, physical touch (sometimes with spit), and/or simply willing them to happen as the result of the recipient’s obedience.
In some instances, Jesus performed a miracle because He was asked to do so. In other instances, He acted on His own initiative without being asked. In some instances, the recipient knew who Jesus was. In others, they did not. Some exhibited a degree of faith, while others didn’t show any. Many were Jewish, but not all of them were. The variations between each story testify to the authenticity of Jesus’ power. The miracles He did were not some type of elaborate hoax or gimmick. Jesus performed real, undeniable, and irrefutable miracles which proved beyond any doubt that He was (and is) the Son of God.
Sinner, what else does Jesus have to do in order to convince you that He is God? Rise from the dead? Uhh, yeah, He did that too. If you are still unwilling to believe in Him in light of all of the miraculous things He’s done, you're not in doubt… you’re in denial. The evidence is overwhelming. The Christian faith is neither blind nor naive. Quit rejecting the only One who can forgive your sin and pardon your guilt! Repent and receive Jesus today, that you might experience the greatest miracle of them all - the salvation of your soul.
This morning we will complete our sermon series on “The Miracles of Jesus”. Over the past several months we have read passages about and discussed 43 distinct occasions during which Jesus performed a miracle or miracles. In today’s message we will add 2 more, bringing the final total to 45. I have made an intentional effort to balance the primary texts we’ve used each week throughout this study evenly between the 4 gospels.
Today’s sermon is titled “The Severed Ear and Catching Many Fish”. It is the 31st and last message of this series. We will be reading from the books of Luke and John. As for the setting, Jesus and the apostles had just finished eating the Passover meal. It was just a few hours before His arrest. They went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. It was late at night and the disciples were having a hard time staying awake and keeping watch.
I. AN ALTERCATION IN THE GARDEN (Luke 22:47-53; Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-50; John 18:1-11)
While Jesus was speaking with His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, urging them to stay awake, a crowd made up of Roman soldiers, officers from the chief priests, and Pharisees came to arrest Him. They were led by Judas Iscariot who greeted Jesus with a kiss. The disciples initially sought to prevent them from taking Jesus into custody. Peter drew his sword and struck the chief priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. Jesus said, “Stop! No more of this.” Then He touched the servant's ear and healed him. Jesus questioned the manner and timing of His arrest, but voluntarily and peacefully submitted to the authorities. The disciples fled in fear.
The betrayal and arrest of Jesus is recorded in all 4 gospels. Each of them states that 1 of the disciples cut off the high priest’s servant's ear. However, only Luke adds that Jesus lovingly healed the servant by replacing his ear. Think of it! Jesus healed 1 of the very men who had come to arrest Him as they were about to take Him away. Amazing. I sometimes wonder if that servant’s perspective about Jesus changed. The truth is, all of us were enemies of God at some point, and yet He still was willing to redeem us (Romans 5:8).
This was a healing miracle. There is no indication that the servant asked to be healed. Rather, Jesus acted out of kindness and compassion. He healed the man by touching him, presumably reattaching his severed ear. This was another demonstration of Jesus’ power, but also a lesson for the disciples that such violence was unnecessary and inappropriate. Jesus didn’t resist being arrested. This was the very reason for which He’d come.
II. APPEARANCES TO THE DISCIPLES (John 20:19-21; 24-28)
After Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, the risen Lord appeared to the disciples several times over a period of 40 days before ascending into Heaven. These are known as the post-resurrection appearances of Christ. On at least 2 of these occasions, Jesus appeared suddenly in a locked or closed room without ever entering through the door. This happened the night of Jesus’ resurrection in the upper room (with Thomas absent) and again a week later (with Thomas was present).
Without question, these sudden appearances were miraculous. However, I am not going to formally include them on our list of miracles. You may recall, earlier in this series we discussed Jesus’ ability to know what people were thinking or particular details about their lives that He shouldn’t have known. This, too, was miraculous. Jesus possessed supernatural abilities that were consistent with His divine character. That said, the miracles we are focusing on in this sermon series are those in which Jesus did something on behalf of someone else.
III. BREAKFAST BY THE SEA (John 21:4-11)
Peter, John, James, and 4 of the other apostles went fishing on the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). They had already seen and spoken with the risen Lord Jesus a few times by this point. They fished all night long, but caught nothing. In the early morning light, an unknown figure called out from the shore telling them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. When they did so, their nets were filled with fish. John recognized that it was Jesus, and Peter excitedly dove into the water and swam to the shore. When the other disciples arrived in the boat, they cooked the fish over a fire and had breakfast together with Jesus on the beach.
This must have been a powerful moment for Peter, John, and James (and Andrew, if he was there). Jesus had performed this same type of miracle 3 years earlier when he called these men to be His disciples. On both occasions they caught nets full of fish after having caught nothing the night before. I am sure this experience brought back wonderful memories of that remarkable day.
John wrote that they caught 153 fish that morning. He actually counted them, which isn’t surprising for a commercial fisherman to do. He included the exact number in his gospel, perhaps so that his readers could appreciate this abundant miracle as much as he did.
During their breakfast by the sea, Jesus “restored” Peter. The Lord forgave him for betraying Him 3 times on the night of His arrest. Jesus repeatedly challenged Peter to “feed His sheep”. He was preparing him, and the other apostles, to continue spreading the gospel after His departure. Not long afterward, Jesus ascended into Heaven. Though He left, His work continued through His followers.
This was a natural miracle. Jesus displayed His power over nature by causing the disciples to catch a great number of fish. He told them what to do and when they obeyed His command, He simply willed the miracle to occur. Jesus performed this miracle as an unmistakable way of revealing His identity to the disciples.
CONCLUSION
Well friends, we have come to the end of another sermon series. Over the past several months we have examined all of the miracles or “signs” recorded in the Bible which Jesus performed during His earthly ministry. He actually performed many more which are not mentioned or described in the gospel narratives besides those we’ve listed. Of those that we have discussed, there have been healing miracles, exorcisms, natural miracles, and physical resurrections. Jesus performed these miracles using a variety of different methods - spoken words or commands, physical touch (sometimes with spit), and/or simply willing them to happen as the result of the recipient’s obedience.
In some instances, Jesus performed a miracle because He was asked to do so. In other instances, He acted on His own initiative without being asked. In some instances, the recipient knew who Jesus was. In others, they did not. Some exhibited a degree of faith, while others didn’t show any. Many were Jewish, but not all of them were. The variations between each story testify to the authenticity of Jesus’ power. The miracles He did were not some type of elaborate hoax or gimmick. Jesus performed real, undeniable, and irrefutable miracles which proved beyond any doubt that He was (and is) the Son of God.
Sinner, what else does Jesus have to do in order to convince you that He is God? Rise from the dead? Uhh, yeah, He did that too. If you are still unwilling to believe in Him in light of all of the miraculous things He’s done, you're not in doubt… you’re in denial. The evidence is overwhelming. The Christian faith is neither blind nor naive. Quit rejecting the only One who can forgive your sin and pardon your guilt! Repent and receive Jesus today, that you might experience the greatest miracle of them all - the salvation of your soul.