We begin with: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. There is so much revelation contained in this one verse yet for the most part we have missed the deeper revelations made available to us until this period in time. The Apostle John penned these words. He was known as The Beloved Disciple who placed his ear over the heart of The Lord. (John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.) His name meant "Jehovah is a gracious giver". John wrote from a perspective of love. Not the "love" that is so misused today, but the love that Jesus revealed to the disciples. The fullness of love is a mystery. God is love. What a character trait! Just as Moses was unable to see the fullness of God on Mount Sinai, we are unable to see the fullness of love in our current humanity. Jesus walked the earth to reveal the character of The Father. As we study about the various facets of love in the Scripture, we will begin to comprehend what love is as well as what love is not.
In John 3:16 the motivation or intent of giving his son was love. The object of this love is all of mankind. There is not one exclusion. Although we make think we can help God determine who ought to be included, He needed no assistance in His selection of who would be included to receive His love. Every person who has ever lived on this earth was included in that one verse. We must understand where John was coming from when he wrote this verse. Jesus had twelve disciples but three of those disciples, Peter, James, and John, were separated out for additional instruction and revelation. In Mark 9:2 (And after six days Jesus taketh [with him] Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.) we find that Jesus revealed an amazing revelation to them.
How was Jesus able to be transfigured before them? He had not yet gone to the cross. He had not been raised from the dead. He had not been glorified and presented his blood at the Throne of God as the perfect lamb. There is clearly a mystery to be revealed concerning his ability to be transfigured while operating lawfully with the same human qualities possessed by those He came to redeem. What revelation did Jesus possess that gave Him command over all the atoms of His body. Was it Godlike hope? Could it be faith or was it the love of God? Jesus had authority over his body and was able to transform it as was necessary. In John 8 Jesus passed among the people without being seen. Jesus’ transfiguration had more than one purpose. In one account, Jesus was seen with Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Spirit. Peter wanted to build three Tabernacles at the time. This of course was pointing to the third feast of the year, the feast of Tabernacles. Mark 9:2 began with the phrase "after six days", denoting the beginning of the millennium of rest, another reference to that feast. Could it be that we will gain the revelation of transfiguration at the fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles? Could love be the source of this ability?
What is a miracle? Miracles were all around Jesus. A miracle is an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature. I have been a witness to many miracles as well as recipient. Miracles of healing provide us with a practical frame of reference. In the 1990’s I participated in a missionary trip to Romania. The trip lasted three weeks. My team was made up of a retired state highway patrol commander, an auto mechanic, and myself. Each morning we came together in prayer on behalf of the people we would minister to that evening. The Lord would pick one of us to present the Gospel to the people that night. The message would be simple. We spoke by translator. After a short message we would "wait" on The Lord for a word of knowledge about a need among the people. Most often The Lord would share with us an infirmity of one of the attendees. The person would come to us and we would lay hands on them an pray for their healing. The Lord would immediately heal them. Once the others saw the healing, we would be overrun with prayer needs. This would last for hours. One night a young girl about eighteen years of age approached us. She wore glasses with "coke bottle" lenses. She asked for normal eye sight. We had her take off her glasses and she had a glazed, dull look in her eyes. We began to pray. We observed an immediate change in her eyes. The dullness was gone. We requested a Romanian Bible for her to read. Without her glasses, she read beautifully. The glasses were no longer necessary. Her miracle superceded the natural course of events. There was no hope for normality. She was resigned to the fact that she would live in a near blind state for the rest of her life. However, that night changed everything. That miracle was a witness to the power and love of God. The people of the village knew her history. The miracle brought hope to a people who had been conquered throughout much of their history. The miracle brought hope and faith. But most of all it displayed the love of God toward a young Romanian girl for all to see.
1Cr 13:2
And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not Love (charity), I am nothing.
Love is necessary for miracles to occur. Jesus and His Father were one. Jesus walked in love and thus miracles followed his ministry. We went to Romania solely because we loved those people. They had nothing materially to offer us. We took no collections. They would feed us from their humble pantry. They were so grateful for our ministry. Love was all around. Miracles followed. For God so loved…