Jesus Christ is God wrapped in Human Flesh

Jesus never claimed to be anyone other than God in the flesh. In the Gospel of John, there are many instances where Jesus makes a statement alluding to His own divinity. These are known as the "I AM" statements. When Moses asked God how He should be identified to the Israelites, God said "I AM WHO I AM"…Say this to the people of Israel: "I AM has sent me to you". This phrase implies the simplest expression of God's nature: He just is, He must be. When Jesus uses this phrasing, He is deliberately invoking that same essence. The Jews knew exactly what Jesus was saying, He was claiming to be Yahweh (YHWH), the Hebrew name for God. The Jewish elite considered this declaration to be blasphemy and used it to have Him killed.

• "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." Exodus 3:14 written 600 B.C.E.

• "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:56-58

• "I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10:30-33

• "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am He, you will indeed die in your sins.” John 8:24

• "But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 And they all said, “So You are the Son of God?” And He said to them, “You say correctly that I am." Luke 22:69-70

Genesis 3:15 declares God’s judgment on Satan the serpent for his part in the fall of Adam by deceiving Eve. Even in this judgment, there is mercy. God’s curse on the serpent, in particular, was laced with words of hope. The woman mentioned is Eve. Eve's offspring or "seed" would eventually produce Mary the mother of Jesus who ultimatly defeated Satan on the cross. Just when Satan thought he had won the spiritual battle by Christ's death (strike his heel), but then he realized he was defeated or crushed instead through His payment of our sins, burial and our eternal restoration by His resurrection. 

• "And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman (Eve), and between your offspring and hers (Christ); He (Christ) will crush your head, and you (Satan) will strike His (Christ) heel." Genesis 3:15

We believe the antagonism of the Satan's seed against the woman’s seed in the first half of the verse refers to the ongoing spiritual battle raging between the ungodly children of Satan (John 8:38-44) and the godly seed of the woman or those who fear God, obey His Word and love others (1 John 3:1-10). The second half of the verse becomes more personal. It clearly refers to a battle between Satan himself and one specific man from the woman’s many offspring (identified simply as “He”). This prophecy promised that one special man from the woman’s seed would destroy the works of the Satan, although He would be wounded in the process.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase."

 — Martin Luther King, Jr.

 American Baptist Minister & Activist 

Jesus’ “I am” statements would have particular significance to the first-century Jewish listener. God had revealed Himself to Moses with a resounding “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus used the same words to describe Himself (John 4:26; 6:20; 13:19). Below is a list of Jesus’ “I am” statements found primarily in the Book of John. 

1. “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51) As bread sustains physical life, so Christ offers and sustains spiritual life.
2. “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) To a world lost in darkness, Christ offers Himself as a guide.
3. “I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7,9) Jesus protects His followers as shepherds protect their flocks from predators.
4. “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) Death is not the final word for those in Christ.
5. I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11, 14) Jesus watches over those Believers who are His.
6. “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the source of all truth and knowledge.
7. “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1-5) By attached ourselves to Christ, we enable His life to flow in and through us. Then we cannot help but bear fruit that will honor the Father.
8. "Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58) This is the most profound "I am" statement because Jesus makes two improbable claims that rocked the Jewish world to whom he was speaking and should give us pause. He said that he existed before Abraham who had died perhaps 2,000 years prior to Jesus existence. He also equated himself to God, taking the holy name that God revealed to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), and which was so holy that the people of Jesus’ day would would consider this blasphemy.
9. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." (Revelation 22:13) Jesus is the eternal God
10. "I am the first and the last." (Revelation 1:17)

The Messiah was known as the Redeemer (Savior). Jesus called himself the Savior in 1 John 4:14 and so does God in the following verse. Jesus also called Himself the first (alpha) and last (omega) in Revelation 1:8 which God is also referred to below. Therefore, Jesus and God are equal. This is a great statement of the Trinity in how we can have one Savior ans also have two individuals identifying as Him.

• "This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts, says: I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but Me." Isaiah 44:6 written 740 - 686 B.C.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

― C.S. Lewis

Mere Christianity 

What makes Jesus the "perfect blood sacrifice" is that Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life serving others. If He had committed 1 sin, Christianity as a faith goes out the door. 

Jesus was arrested after Judas Iscariot betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver. He was taken to the Sanhedrin (Jewish Council) by Temple guards who mocked Him because Pontius Pilot and King Herod couldn't find a crime to charge Him with. There was no legitimate trial for Jesus. His life was traded in exchange for Barabbas, a well-known criminal, who already been thrown into prison for an insurrection in Jerusalem and murder.

• "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns (king) and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe (royalty) 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. 4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” 7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” John 14:9-15

There has been much debate over whether some of these or all of these rules were in place back in 33 A.D. When Jeusu was killed, since the Mishnah was not written and codified until about 200 A.D. For several centuries oral tradition had passed down these set of laws. The fact that these were primarily Pharisaical laws, and not written until after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D. leads to a second objection. However, the absence of any mention of the Pharisees after Jesus’ arrest may indicate that the proceedings of the Sanhedrin was completely dominated by the Sadducees who cared very little about the laws endorsed by the Pharisees. Below is a list of the 22 laws that were broken by the Sadducees when it came to Jesus' conviction.

1. There was to be no arrest by religious authorities that was affected by a bribe.  (Exodus 23:8)
2. No steps of criminal proceedings were to occur after sunset.
3. Judges or members of the Sanhedrin were not allowed to participate in an arrest.
4. There were to be no trials before the morning sacrifice.
5. There were to be no secret trials, only public.
6. Sanhedrin trials could only be conducted in the Hall of Judgment of the Temple compound.
7. During the trial, the defense had the first word before the prosecutors could present the accusations.
8. All could argue in favor of acquittal, but all could not argue in favor of conviction.
9. There were to be two or three witnesses, and their testimonies had to agree in every detail. (Deuteronomy 19:15–19)
10. There was to be no allowance for the accused to testify against himself.
11. The high priest was forbidden to rend his garments. (Leviticus 21:10)
12. Judges could not initiate the charges; they could only investigate charges brought to them.
13. The accusation of blasphemy was only valid if the name of God itself was pronounced.
14. A person could not be condemned solely on the basis of his own words.
15. The verdict could not be announced at night.
16. In the case of capital punishment, the trial and guilty verdict could not occur at the same time but had to be separated by at least 24 hours.
17. Voting for the death penalty had to be done by individual count, beginning with the youngest, so the young would not be influenced by the elders.
18. A unanimous decision for guilt showed innocence, since it is impossible for 23 to 71 men to agree without plotting.
19. The sentence could only be pronounced three days after the guilty verdict.
20. Judges were to be humane and kind.
21. person condemned to death was not to be scourged or beaten before his execution.
22. No trials were allowed on the eve of the Sabbath or on a feast day.

When Jesus was nailed to the cross he experienced more suffering than any human could ever experience. We have good reason to believe that He recited King David's entire Psalm 22 while hanging on the cross. 

• "About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46

Two criminals were executed along with Jesus at place called the Skull (Golgotha in  Aramaic ). Jesus was crucified with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left. What's important to notice is how each criminal reacted to the peoples mocking and sneering at Jesus. 

• "The people stood watching and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” Luke 23:35-37

• Criminal #1: "One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

• Criminal #2: "But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The reason criminal #2 went to paradise was not because he was a guilty, it was the way he reacted to Jesus. 

1. He recognized Jesus as Lord 
2. He humbled himself, admitted he was guilty and deserved to be punished
3. He knew Jesus was innocent and he knew he couldn't save himself from his immorality

Criminal #2 also knew that he didn't have much time left to seek forgiveness. Because of his actions, Jesus brought him into His paradise that day. It's not very wise to wait until the last minute to seek salvation since we never know when our final moment on earth will come. Jesus was forsaken on the cross, so we would never be forsaken by God.

The time between Matthew 27:46 and Luke 23:46 was the time in which Jesus was paying for our sins. The Bible records that darkness covered the earth for this three hour period. We know in Matthew 27:46 Jesus was separated from God, but in Luke 23:46 He is back with God and the Holy Spirit. Peter says that when Jesus died he traveled to one part of Hades in order to pay for our sins. Jesus descended into Hell, but not into torment. Jesus first went into the place called Paradise as he promised the thief on the cross in Luke 23:43. Then He traveled to another part of Hades called Tartarus that held unbelievers and fallen angels from the time of Noah's flood (2 Peter 2:4, 1 Peter 3:18-20). Before the flood, Satan tried to commingle the human race with The Sons of God (fallen angels) to the point where there would be no more true humans left on earth (Genesis 6:1-4). Their offspring we called Nephilim. Satan did this so there could be no Savior of the world because Jesus would have to be born part fallen angel. Scripture states that Jesus Christ had to be the Son of Man (100% human flesh, 1 Timothy 2:5), not part fallen angel. If there were no more true human beings, Satan's ploy was to go before God and say that God cannot condemn him or any fallen angel because they are also part of this human race. Jesus went to those were disobedient at the time of Noah's Flood to announce that He still succeed in paying the penalty for mankind's sin despite all their efforts to prevent His birth. He didn't go there to preach to them that they might be saved because they were destined to die once, and after that to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

Jesus would remain in Paradise until He was resurrected from the dead the 3rd day. Before He was resurrected, He emptied the part of Hades that held believers from the Old Testament called Paradise (Ephesians 4:8-10). Before Christ's death on the cross, Satan owned the title deed to the earth because of Adam and Eve's fall, so that is why all the believes before Christ's death were held captive in Paradise. When Jesus died on the cross, he got the land deed to the earth back and immediately He went to claim His believers in Paradise that did the singular "good" deed which is believe and the evil deed is to reject it. (John 5:28-29).

• "From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God (God the Father), my God (God the Holy Spirit), why hast thou forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46

• "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water" 1 peter 3:18-20

• "Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last." Luke 23:46

The moment Jesus died on the cross the curtain that blocked access to the Holy of Holies (God) located in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The curtain measured 20 feet by 20 feet and was four inches thick. This was truly a miraculous event. The curtain was put there as a symbol making the point that because of our sin we are not able to come into the presence of God. Christ death on the cross caused the curtain to be torn which now made it possible for us to have direct access to God and come into His presence though Christ if we receive the offer of redemption.

• "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split." Matthew 27:51

Jesus last word on the cross was recorded in Koine Greek as "TeTelesTai" meaning "it is finished" or "paid in full". In Jesus day, when a person paid off a load they were issued a receipt that was stamped with the word “tetelestai” which meant that their debt was "paid in full." When Jesus died on the cross, he was paying off our sin debt once and for all.

• "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished (paid in full).” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." John 19:30

There are many miracle of healings that Jesus performed during His ministry. Jesus performed many physical healings in order to bring people to a spiritual healing. The problem was that most of the healings led some to people focus more on the physical healing which is temporary, not the spiritual healing which is eternal. We believe the greatest of these miracles are the ones that defy the laws of physics and natural order. In order to perform these miracles He must have control over all matter in the universe. 

  Jesus Walks on the Water

• "A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, 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." John 6:18-21

 Jesus Calms the Storm

• "Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:23-27

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

• "Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” 11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him." John 2:6-11

All the miracles Jesus performed were designed to teach some greater truth. Jesus performed many miracles in the gospels and we'd like to analyze one of them for its deeper meaning. First, there are 3 Greek words used in the original  gospel text for describing the word "miracle"; 

1. Dunamis (dynamite): the miracle's power that is released.
2. Téras: Emphasizes the awe or wonderment of the miracle.
3. Semeion: Emphasizes how the miracle sign influences the person observing it for a deeper spiritual meaning.

The word "semeion" is used exclusively in the Book of John to describe a miracle. John builds his gospel around seven (God's number of perfection) specific instances where he observed the "semeion" Jesus performed. In John 2:6-11 (below) is Jesus' first recorded miracle. What was the deeper, hidden meaning of changing the water into wine at the wedding ceremony performed near the city of Kafr Kanna (Cana). 

In Jesus' first miracle there were six earthen jars (30 gallons each) that Jesus asked the servants to fill them up with water. The stone jars were typically filled wit water and used in the Jewish ceremonial system of purification. The number six represents the number of man because Adam was created on the sixth day. The jars are a physical vessel just as man is a living vessel that needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit (water). The subplot is that Jesus is doing something that can be done in any man regardless of the vessel. The vessel only needs to be available and clean. The association of wine wit the Messianic age was prophesized in Jerimiah 31.12 and Amos 9:14 as a time of abundance in the Old Testament. This could also have been why Jesus chose wine. Earthen jars were typically filled with water for ceremonial cleansing of the feet. The water in the jars represents the Holy Spirit and filling the jars represent the physical act of baptism or being filled with the Holy Spirit. People in the first century would go to a bath house to wash their entire bodies. When they would walk or return home their feet would get dirty on the way, but not the rest of their bodies. Once we get baptized or born again, we are cleansed forever by the Holy Spirit in us, but our feet will always need to be cleansed with our daily walk with Christ because we sill have our sin nature. We wash our feet daily by confessing our sin to God and are immediately forgiven because all sin has already been paid in full by Christ's death on the cross. The "red" wine represents the blood Christ shed on the cross. That's why it's hard to be in fellowship with God when your feet are dirty or there is known sin in your life that we have not confessed. If we claim we don't have sin, then God says we are a liar (1 John 1:6).

• "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

When the servants filled the jars with water it symbolized the "living water" or "Holy Spirit". Notice the vessels are already empty meaning they are "available" and they are "clean". Those are the only two requirements God asks of any man to enter His kingdom. Then the transformation miracle occurs and water becomes wine. It's not the cheap wine either, but the fine wine that is produced. The good wine is a symbol of a life filled with joy once we are baptized in the spirit (Ecclesiastes 9:7, Psalm 104:15). God is also saying that once we are transformed we too have this power from God in our living bodies in the light of the Holy Spirit. He is describing the joy a Christian life brings because the things we do in His name from that point on are the things that are eternal. They say "you can't take it with you", but that's not true for a Christian. Every time a Christian is faced with a circumstance that we have no control over and instead of panicking, we believe and rest in God's promises, we are granted an eternal reward. This reward also applies to us for reaching out to others who can't repay you and sharing the message of Gods salvation promise in Jesus Christ.

• "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:7

In John 11:1–44, Jesus resurrects Lazarus of Bethany who was very ill and the brother of Mary and Martha Magdalene. Lazarus died and had been deceased for four days when Jesus commands him to come out of the tomb. Jesus waited four days on purpose so there was no mistake that Lazarus was deceased because the body was in a state of decay. For Jesus to do that should be enough evidence for anyone as to His identity because no one could do that except God alone. This was the ultimate, miraculous sign in the Gospels as to Jesus identity. This was a sure sign that should convince any rational person that Jesus must be the son of God and Messiah. It brought everyone who witnessed the grieving and Lazarist's resurrection to a point where they had to make a decision. The religious ones from Jerusalem who had come to comfort the family of Lazarus during his time of death were still divided in their repose. Still some had seen all the evidence and turned it down. There was plenty of evidence The issue goes to to the heart and something much deeper which is their religious blindness.

• "Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. 46 But some of them (unbelievers) went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done." John 11-45-46

The following verse explains why the Pharisees refused to believe what they saw. They were more interested in controlling and preserving the temple, while not having their authority compromised.

• "Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.  “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” John 11:47-48

In the Old Testament Elijah raises a widows son from the dead, but he was only dead for a few hours. In the case of Lazarus he had been dead for four full days. It's also interesting in this verse that there's a foreshadowing reference to Christ's resurrection.

• "Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!” 22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived." 1 Kings 17:21-22

At the entrance of the Temple people with disabilities would gather so that others would take pity on them and make charity offerings. One day Jesus uses a blind mans disability to glorify God to the Pharisees (Jews) who were searching for an excuse to kill Him. The Jews you would lead you to believe that the only reason anyone would suffer from some tragedy, especially physical disability like blindness, is because they are being punished for their sins, their parents sins or because they don't have enough faith and don't positively confess Gods word. Indeed, bad things happen to to good people like the blind man because God has a greater, eternal purpose.

• "Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." John 9:3

God is setting the stage using the mans physical blindness to demonstrate to the Jews, in real life form, that to be blind to the real light (Jesus is the Messiah) or to be spiritually blind to the truth is the worse types of blindness.

• "While I am in the world, I am the of the world.” 6 When He had said this, He spit on the ground, and made mud from the saliva, and applied the mud to his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is translated, The Sent One). So he left and washed, and came back seeing." John 9:5-7

The "Pool of Siloam" means the pool of the one that will be sent (their Messiah). People would go to the pool to pray for the Messiah to come and solve all of their problems. The pool became a place where the disabled stayed waiting to be healed by the water itself which was not the living water Jesus was preaching about. Jesus purposely uses saliva mixed with dirt to put it in his eyes and there are several reasons He does this; 

1. He wanted to pick a good fight with the religious leaders because it was the Sabbath, He also knew all of their made up rules that had been elevated to be more important than the word of God, For instance, saliva and wine were considered as a means of healing people and you could only apply it over the eye, but not under the eye because that would be considered work (work cannot be performed on the Sabbath). We know it sounds crazy, but that's how twisted the law had become. Jesus not only mixed the water with mud to make clay which is work, He also applied it to the blind mans eyes which infuriated the Pharisees.

2. There is a symbolic meaning from Genesis 2 when God formed Adam from the earth he uses dust and breath life into his nostrils. Here Jesus is using His saliva and dirt from the earth to form mud to put in the blind mans eye to heal him. He did something the blind man could feel and know that this person stepped into his dark world to solve his problem. Then Jesus sends him over to the pool which represents "the Messiah" to was the mud from his eyes. The man born blind could now see the Messiah that he and the others had been waiting for. Of course this event went right over the Pharisees' heads because they were blind to Jesus being their Messiah. There were some that were determined not to believe their own eyes, even the blind man was still spiritually blind. The Pharisees were only concerned that Jesus broke one of their rules on the Sabbath and not that a miracle had just occurred.

• "Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was dissension among them. 17 So they *said again to the man who was blind, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.” John 9:16-17

The Jews then did not believe that he had been born blind and had received sight. They went to the extreme to call on the blind mans parents and question them saying, “19 Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 20 His parents then answered and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.”  His parents were afraid if they said it was Jesus Christ who healed him that they would be excommunicated from the synagogue which meant you were cutoff from people, the covenants of God and would going to hell.

The feeding of 5,000 Jews miracle occurred near the small fishing village of Bethsaida (Luke 10:13) which is also the same town where the blind man was healed. This was also home to three of Jesus disciples (Peter, Andrew and Philip). He performed the miracle here instead on Tyre or Sidon because the people were open to His message of repentance and redemption.

• "Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages 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." John 6:7-12

The numbers in these two miracles is the key in understanding the underlining meaning. Jesus disciples were told to reflect on the miracles giving special attention to the number of baskets collected. 

• There were 12 baskets full of loaf pieces were left over when feeding the 5,000 Jews representing the 12 Tribes of Israel (Matthew 14:20). The 12 baskets confirm that Jesus came for the Jews.

• There were 7 baskets full of loaf pieces were left over when feeding the 4,000 Gentiles representing the God number of completion, perfection and rest (Mark 8:8-9). The number seven had long been associated with the Gentiles representing the seven pagan nations that lived in the promise land prior to the Israelites arriving. So the seven baskets confirm that Jesus came not just for Israel, but for all mankind and the Gospel was intended for all mankind as the completion of God plan.

Manna is an edible substance God provided to the Israelites while they were in the desert for a 40-year period following the Exodus from Egypt. What does the word "Manna" mean? Manna in Hebrew means "what is it"

Did you know that the same God that parted the Red Sea also parted the Jordan River. He parted the Jordan river afterwards to remind the younger generation of the first miracle.

• "It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were [a]lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before." Joshua 4:18

The basic assumptions of physics is that the laws of physics are the same at all times and places throughout the universe. That constancy is foundational to the scientific method and is the basis for all scientific research. Recent advances are yielding an even stronger case for unchanging physical laws, a development that also supports the claim of ancient biblical texts.  

The millennia before scientists established the principle of unchanging laws of physics, the Bible stated that the fundamental physics of the universe has not and does not change. In Jeremiah 33 God declares that he is not like humans who seem to always change their minds. God offers an analogy. As he “established the fixed laws of heaven and earth” so, too, God’s nature and character attributes are fixed. 

• "This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth." Jeremiah 33:25

The constancy of the laws of physics that govern the universe and Earth, if scientifically established, would affirm the Bible’s reliability in describing the natural realm and in accurately predicting future scientific discoveries. It would also refute young-earth creationist models. Young-earth creationists acknowledge that if the laws of physics indeed are fixed throughout Earth’s history, Earth must be several billion years old (4.53 billion). Hence, they posit (assume to be fact) that radical alterations in the laws of physics, by factors of millions or billions of times, occurred either when Adam first sinned or during Noah’s flood, or both. God's laws of physics do not change and nether does His character attributes.  

• "For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." Malachi 3:6

The laws of physics have been constant since the creation event. There are instances in the Old and New Testament where these laws are violated, but it's always by the hands of God. There are many miracle that Jesus performs that violet the laws of physics. Any violation is always at the hands of God who is not subject to the laws of physics. We are subject to these laws and all other matter in the universe, but the God who transcends the universe can.