THE MAN. 1 WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS? What country is He from? What kind, or of what sort is this man? Jesus was a puzzle, even to His disciples. They constantly marveled at His display of supremacy over every obstacle He faced. Never had there been a man of His likeness. Mt. 8:27 JESUS, THE MAN OF "ALL POWER." It mattered not at all what area of life He faced, He had power over ALL. His scope of authority was not limited to earth, but heaven also was His realm. Nature, disease, death and life were all demonstrated by Him during His three and one half year ministry on earth. No force of darkness could stand before Him. He conquered all. There are 35 recorded miracles enacted by Him. They cover a broad spectrum and are all beyond the scope of man’s ability. His power included the ability to create, not just change. Mt. 28:18 BYPASSING THE NATURAL PROCESS. Which begins with the root system of the vine and ends in the harvest of the fruit. Then the procedure of allowing the juice to ferment, was in a moment of time accomplished by the creative ability of the great Creator. Water became the best wine of the day. The six water pots are symbolical of the six thousand years from Adam to the end of the age. That which was but water will become the best of wine, foreshadowing a revival in the end of the age that is the greatest move of the Spirit of all the ages of time. John 2:1-11 HAVE YOU ANY MEAT? Surely there is humor in the question of the Lord Jesus? Was there a smile of His face when He asked them that question? He knew they had fished all night and were unsuccessful. At His suggestion, they cast the net on the right side of the ship. Too many fish, on the wrong side. The right hand side of the tabernacle was toward the south and typified the Holy Spirit. The candlestick was located there and is the type of the Holy Spirit. Ex. 26:36 Their catch was so great that they could not draw them into the boat but had to drag the whole catch up to the beach. John 21:3-11 Luke recorded a similar fishing expedition. As before they had tried on their own all night long, with absolutely no results. This time they were to "launch out into the deep." "Nevertheless, at your word." The second vital ingredient "THE WORD." The Spirit and the Word will always produce a harvest of souls. It is not what we say but what He says that will produce results. Luke 5:1-7 They were astonished at the great multitude of fish. v. 9 THE MAN. 2 OBTAINING THE TRIBUTE MONEY. The tax or assessment was levied on the subjects of the kingdoms or municipalities of that time. Once again the process is amazing. Someone had to have dropped that piece of money into the waters, or did He create it? Both are possible, but would He counterfeit it? Hardly. It demonstrates His authority over that which He had created. Peter was to cast a hook into the water and the very first fish would have a coin in its mouth with which they would be able to pay their tribute. How exactingly the words of the Lord Jesus were fulfilled. Mt. 17:27 Can we trust Him to meet our daily needs? When we have been faithful to His Word He is responsible for every NEED. Sometimes we want more than we need. He is not duty bound to respond to such desires. "But my God shall supply all your NEED according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Gal. 4:19 THE FIG TREE CURSED. A subtle, yet drastic change was taking place in religious life in the days of the Lord Jesus. Jesus warned them that it was a time to "bring forth fruits worthy of repentance". The old was on its way out; the new was replacing it with a whole new way of worship. The axe was being laid to the roots of the tree. Every tree that did not bring forth good fruit was being chopped down and burned. Luke 3:8-9 He spoke this to the individual. When it came to the fig tree it was to the whole nation of Israel. Jesus came to His own; He came seeking acceptance as the Messiah. He found resistance and rejection among the leaders. As a symbol, He used the fig tree. Barren and fruitless, therefore He cursed it and it died. Mt. 21:19 It was never to bear fruit again, and it has not been, nor shall it ever be fruitful again. Regardless of how men may try to revive it, the tree is dead from the roots up. A restoration of animal sacrifice is an insult to the Lord. Isa. 66:3 There is only one blood that is precious and acceptable for salvation, and that is the blood of Christ. 1 Pet. 1:18-19 He demonstrated His authority over nature, and His prophetic knowledge of the future. He knew the day would come where the religious anger of the people would be such that they would pronounce the curse upon themselves. They even made it to be a generational curse. Mt. 27:25 THE WIND AND THE WAVES WERE IN SUBJECTION TO HIM. Most certainly one of the greatest displays of the power of nature is to be found in the wind, especially so when it and the sea combine. The heat of the ocean is responsible for the hurricane and the typhoon. The winds in turn whip up the sea creating great waves. Mankind has no control over either; both come with great power and destroy the works of men. Jesus rebuked the wind and commanded the sea. Mark 4:37-39 The results were as astonishing as the storm had been. A sudden cessation of the wind, and the sea became calm. Mind you, these men were fishermen, and storms were not new to them. However this time they were fearful. It had to have been the strongest that they had ever experienced. Mark 4:39 Now they were really afraid being around a man so powerful as to be able to immediately stop the storm. Mark 4:41 Their fear demonstrated that hey were not yet men of faith. Mark 4:40 Fear is a tormenting emotion, but where there is a love for the Lord and faith in Him, fear is expelled. 1 John 4:18 THE MAN. 3 JESUS IN THE DESERT. Jesus the man of great and perfect compassion, Who when He saw the great number of people who had followed Him was stirred in His innermost being with a deep rooted feeling of sympathy for them. The love and mercy that He constantly felt toward people would motivate Him toward meeting their needs. He healed their sick. Mt. 14:14 There were no hidden agendas in Him. He was not politically minded. He was not moved by any ulterior objective. There has never been a man like Him, who was "touched with the feeling of our infirmities," Heb. 4:15 He has never changed. He is still the same Jesus. He very deeply cares for you. Healing is the children’s bread. SEND THEM AWAY. The practical minded disciples requested of Jesus that He send them away that they might find food for themselves. The response of Jesus must have been a real shock to them, "give ye them to eat." Mt. 14:15-16 Place yourself in their position. It had to have been startling to them. They had but five loaves and two fish. Mt. 14:17 Seven items of food for such a number of people was insignificant. But seven is the number of perfection. They were about to witness the creative spirit that was in the Christ of God. Bread is typical of the "bread of life." How aptly he was about to demonstrate to them just exactly who He was. Five is the number of atonement. All things must be accomplished through the perfect atonement of the Christ. Two is the number of the Lord Jesus. It is also a number that relates to Christ and His Bride. Two shall become one. "He blessed and brake." It now became the responsibility of the disciples to distribute portions to each and every hungry soul. Pastors, feed your people the WORD. The sheep are bleating, they are starving for lack of spiritual food. Take time to pray and study the WORD. Jesus said; "Feed My sheep." Not fleece them. THEY WERE SATISFIED. They ate of "miracle" bread. No wonder they were satisfied. The remnants of his glorious feast in the desert was twelve baskets full. Mt. 14:20 Twelve is the number of perfect spiritual government. His government! Five thousand men, plus women and children were fed at this sitting. Mt. 14:21 It reminds one of the feeding of the children of Israel during their forty years wandering in the wilderness. A desert location means nothing to the Lord. As a matter of fact, the desert experience is vital to spiritual growth. Look for blessings and manna from heaven in your desert. THE MAN. 4 THE MAN OF COMPASSION. Of one thing we may be certain, Jesus is the "man of compassion." His empathy involved not only the spiritual, but the needs of the natural man as well. His feeding of the multitudes after having ministered healing to them are a clue to his considerable love and feeling for humanity. He meets the needs of the entire man. He was so attractive to the people of that day that they followed Him into the wilderness for three days without food. Jesus said they were fasting. That is impressive. He strongly declared that He would not "send them away fasting." Mt. 15:32 The emphasis of the Spiritual was so strong and prevalent that they did not feel the need of that which was natural. The atmosphere of the wilderness was supernatural. They had stepped into an environment of the heavenly. It will happen again in the end of the age. In the midst of the wilderness experience, in drought, in a time of famine, He will provide for His elect. Can God? Ps. 78:19 Yes, He is able. He will provide for His Bride. Isa. 32:15 WITH LITTLE HE DOES MUCH. Seven loaves and a few little fish. In His hands it fed a multitude. There is no limit to His capabilities. He is the creator and all things grow and increase when He blesses that which is His hands. The number seven reminds us of the book of Revelation and the sevens there, which pertain to the end of the age. As the prophecies of the book of Revelation are fulfilled it will become more and more necessary for His people to rely totally on Him for their sustenance. The remnant filled seven baskets. We find a double seven here. Seven loaves were increased to such a mighty degree that the multitude was fed and there was a surplus. Mt. 15: 37 The double portion, speaking of the last day revival, is not only twice as much but a complete portion. It was the good pleasure of God the Father that in His Son, the Lord Jesus, that God is would dwell, in fullness. He is the physical being of the Godhead. Now, His invitation and good intentions toward His church is that the same Spirit, with the same measure be made known in the church, His Bride. Col. 2:9-10 "You have been given fullness in Christ". NIV. As He created Adam and Eve in His own likeness, so in the end of the age He will find an Eve who is equal to Himself in every way. His Bride will not be an emaciated, puny, woman who is without the power of the Spirit. She will be as glorious and beautiful as Christ. The seven gifts, the seven fruit and the seven graces of the Spirit will be in her, in their completeness and perfection. THE MAN. 5 JESUS HAS POWER IN THE SPIRIT REALM. Evil, binding, devilish spirits are brought into subjection by Him. He has absolute authority and power in the realm of the spirit, the unseen world. What we see, is the result of the work of the devil. The area of the control of the Lord Jesus included heaven and earth and is unlimited. It is "ALL POWER." Mt. 28:18 That same mighty force has been delivered to His people. What a challenge we face to demonstrate that victory that has been delegated unto us. He gave authority, "over all the power of the enemy." Luke 10:19 A MAN WITH A MUTE SPIRIT CONTROLING HIS LIFE. How frustrating, never being able to verbally express oneself. Signs, grunts, unintelligible noises would only be understood by those who frequently were around him. He was brought to Jesus by his father who stated that he was deaf as well. According to Luke [9:38] this was the man’s only child. That would have made him, not only his pride and joy but his heir as well. Jesus delivered him and when the evil spirit left him he began to speak. Mt. 9:32-33 AS THE PRINCE OF LIFE, HE RAISED THE DEAD. Jairus, a religious man, the head of the synagogue. According to Nelson’s Bible Dictionary, his name meant, "he will awaken." Names in the scripture have real significance. They foretell events in the life of the individual, the nation or even the world. The Old Testament name is Jair, "he enlightens or one giving light." ISBE. That would certainly indicate his position in the synagogue. That he was a believer is self evident, for on seeing Jesus he fell at His feet and worshipped Him. Mt. 9:18 His prayer was with great sincerity and travail. His little daughter was at the point of death. He demonstrated faith by asking that hands be laid upon the girl and she would be healed. The news of her death was brought by servants who suggested that Jesus not be bothered. That word of doubt and unbelief but stirred the Lord even more to go pray for her. At the house He met with the manifestations of sorrow and grief. His proclamation was that "she is not dead but sleepeth." The people in the house, perhaps professional mourners "laughed Him to scorn." When they were removed from the room. Jesus demonstrated that He is the resurrection and the life by commanding her to arise and live. Immediately, she arose and walked in the house causing great astonishment. Mk. 5:35-42 THE MAN. 6 THE MAN OF ALL POWER. When Jesus made this statement He fully meant what He said. His ministry was to demonstrate that absolute power was indeed delegated unto Him. Mt. 28:18 The brief span of time of ministering unto the people is replete with the healing of the sick. The disease made no difference, those who came to Him never went away disappointed. From the fever to leprosy, from a withered hand to a bent back, He conquered all. Demons could not continue to possess the people when confronted by the Lord Jesus. He loosed the people from their control. They were permanently delivered and set free. Death had to flee when He confronted it. From the daughter of Jairus, to Lazarus, He demonstrated His authority over death. It made no difference whether they had been dead but a short while or three days. Death lost the battle. John was so impressed with the vast number of miracles performed by the Lord Jesus until he stated, that if all the works of Christ were recorded, he supposed that the world itself could not contain all the books. John 21:25 That is exciting. Being as close to the Lord Jesus as he was, he should know all that was accomplished. MIRACLES THAT SYMBOLIZE SPIRITUAL TRUTHS. The man "full of leprosy"; an indication of advanced and severe illness. When the leprous man saw Jesus he immediately "fell on his face." He prostrated himself before the Lord and called upon Him for cleansing. Jesus touched Him. An act which would have rendered the ordinary person unclean also, but not Jesus. He was totally delivered from his devastating sickness. Luke 5:12-13 Leprosy is a type of sin, something with which all are contaminated. All have sinned. Rom. 3:23 This wonderful Jesus forgives ALL our iniquities. There is no limit to His pardon and cleansing from sin. Ps. 103:3 To His followers, the church, He has surrendered His Godly powers and issued an order that they were to go out and heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and to cast out devils. Here is the stickler, we can only impart that which we have received. The challenge then is that as freely as we have received, we have the ability to give. Pure and simple, an empty vessel has nothing to give. A full vessel runs over and spills out all around. To the measure that we have received Christ, so have we to give. Without Him we can do nothing. We only become a tinkling symbol and sounding brass, empty and hollow. THE MAN. 7 MIRACLES THAT SYMBOLIZE SPIRITUAL TRUTHS The tenacity of the blind men. Two, sitting beside the road begging for alms. On hearing that Jesus was passing by they "cried out", most certainly with raised voices in order to be heard over the noise of the great crowd following Jesus. The rebuke and hushing of the crowd only caused them to intensify their calling out to the Lord Jesus. They rightfully acknowledged Him as both Lord and the Son of David, or the Messiah. Jesus heard their cry and "stood still" in spite of the push of those thronging around Him. He responds to heart felt needs. Their request was for their eyes to be opened. In that great compassion that is so prevalent in Him, He touched their eyes and immediately they received their sight and followed Him. Mt. 20:30-34 The lack of certain spiritual evidences, if not manifest in the life of the believer, become a sign of spiritual blindness; a blindness that comes upon those who have been delivered from the power of darkness. However their salvation becomes stagnant and they forget the mighty deliverance of the past. 1 Pet. 1:3-10 One of the problems of the Laodicean Church is the fact that they had become blind, without vision or purpose. Rev. 3:17 There is a real need in the church of today for a return to the simplicity of the gospel and salvation. Jesus was confronted by a heart broken father with a son, his only son, who was demon possessed, having a mute spirit which controlled him. Mark 9:18 He came kneeling down, humbling himself before the Lord. Because of his condition, the man called his son a lunatic. The spirit possessing him caused him to afflict himself severely by casting himself into fires and waters. Mt. 17:15 The spirit was in complete control and would cause him to run to and fro, throwing himself about with lack of control. He would froth at the mouth and gnash his teeth, all the while growing weaker - perhaps even paralyzed. His physical body would certainly be greatly effected by such extreme bodily manifestations. The disciples could not help, but Jesus did. The demon demonstrated when the child was brought to Him. Jesus rebuked the devil and delivered the man’s son. The church of today is facing demonic powers such as no other generation. The power of the Christ is still the same today as it was when He was personally here on earth. Its time for that same practical power of deliverance to be manifest in the church. He will delegate His power to a believing people. incomplete 08:16 2/10/2005 formatting edited eof