Dave spoke tonight from Matt 21:12-17, when Jesus overturned the tables at the Temple and accused people of turning God’s house into a den of robbers. This episode does not match our image of Jesus as ‘meek and mild’, but shows us how Jesus cared passionately about injustice. He did not want the money-lenders and others to exclude people through their practices and wanted all people to have access to worship and to a personal relationship with God.

Whilst this episode shows us Jesus in justifiable anger, we also see that He cared about people and wanted to ensure that all could draw near to God. He was frequently criticised for spending time with tax collectors, sinners and prostitutes, but this shows us how He welcomed everyone. People were drawn to Him; they liked Him. They recognised a warmth and acceptance which was not at all incompatible with holiness but which was very different to the sanctimonious pride shown by religious leaders.

We too need to draw people to God, welcoming them and accepting them as they are. God welcomes the rich and the poor, the clever and those not-so-clever, the able and disabled, the ‘good, bad and ugly.’ We too must work like Jesus to bring freedom to our society and to break down barriers of separation.

The origin of evil, and why God allowed it in the first place, is a mystery that has been debated throughout the ages. The Bible tells us that Satan (also known as Lucifer and the devil) was originally an angel. Isaiah 14:9-14 speaks of a ‘morning star’ cast from heaven to earth as a result of pride, the desire to be like God (see also Luke 10:18); other Bible passages indicate that other angels also rebelled with Lucifer, and that these demons still have influence in our world today. (Rev 12:3-4, Jude 1:6) It seems from Revelation 9:1 that this ‘star’ is actually referring to Satan and that the judgments described in these chapters are carried out by demons released from the Abyss.

We may never understand why God allows any authority at all to the devil, but it is clear from the Bible that this is not a contest between equal adversaries. God is all-powerful and all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus. (Matt 28:18-20) Even when God allows the devil to do harm (as happened with Job, for example), this is restricted and limited. We are urged to submit ourselves to God and to resist the devil. (James 4:7) Though the judgments described in the book of Revelation are fearsome, we can be assured that God is the ultimate victor and the devil will not be allowed to do evil forever. Moreover, we see throughout the Bible that God calls people to repentance, giving them ‘countless second chances’ (in the words of a Rend Collective song) to us. What is frightening about Revelation 9:20-21 is that people refuse to repent, just as Pharaoh did when the plagues came on Egypt (Ex 8:15, 32; Ex 9:34). We should heed the command to ‘repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near’ (Matt 4:7) while we have chance.

Room 101 features in George Orwell’s novel ‘1984’. It’s a torture chamber within the Ministry of Love, one which is effective because it is particularly designed to torture an individual with their own worst fears. The Party, which investigates and spies on every citizen, is in a unique position to know the things which an individual fears the most, and so the torture chamber is attuned to each person. As O’Brien says, ‘the worst thing in the world varies from individual to individual. It may be burial alive, or death by fire, or by drowning, or by impalement, or fifty other deaths.’ For Winston, the worst thing in the world is to be in a confined space surrounded by rats. This is enough to break him, to cause him to betray his beloved and to become aligned with the evil plans of a government which do not allow individuality or freedom to flourish.

All of us have ‘worst fears’, things which affect us adversely, and as O’Brien points out, these things may well not even cause a flutter of anxiety in someone else. Fear is not rational, and so it is hard to understand how some people may fear some things. But there is no doubt that fear can be triggered by some creatures (a fear of spiders, birds, insects and other animals, for example) and that the harm done by these things can be very real.

Revelation 9 taps into our worst fears by introducing demonic creatures released to torture those who have not been sealed by God. The images used to describe these creatures are of creatures which may well cause fear (locusts, scorpions), but these creatures are like nothing ever seen before. The locusts have gold crowns and human faces (Rev 9:7), with long hair and teeth as fierce as lions’ (Rev 9:8). They wear armour and have stinging tails. (Rev 9:9-10) This is like a horror movie, with no escape possible. Whether we interpret these creatures literally or see a more allegorical twist (as in modern warfare machinery, for example), the outcome is one that is enough to strike fear into any heart.

Yet it is worth remembering that this fifth trumpet comes to those who have deliberately and persistently rejected God. (Rev 9:4) God’s people do not have to fear this kind of judgment because Christ has taken all the judgment that we deserved. God has given people numerous opportunities to repent and escape these judgments, but as the end of this chapter makes clear, they ‘still did not repent of the work of their hands.’ (Rev 9:20) Rather than being paralysed by fear, God’s people are told that perfect love drives out fear. (1 John 4:28) We are told that the only one we should fear is God. (Matt 10:28) When we do that and change our lives in accordance with His word, we do not have to live in fear of anything the world can throw at us (even Room 101!) Our lives are safe in God; those who must face these judgments do not wish to change.

John 6:1-5 tells us the story of the feeding of the five thousand, the fourth of the ‘signs’ recorded in John’s Gospel and a miracle that features in all four gospels (see also Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44 and Luke 9:10-17). Once again, we see how the miraculous is earthed in the ordinary (one boy’s five loaves and two fish going on to feed five thousand men),rooted in thankfulness (there are no magic incantations used by Jesus, simply thankfulness to God and trust in His provision). This miracle of provision defies our usual understanding of mathematics (five and two just don’t ‘go into’ five thousand!) and shows us not only what God can do, but who Jesus is, for He goes on to teach that He is the bread of life who satisfies all our spiritual (as well as our physical) needs. (John 6:35)

The miracle shows us that Jesus had compassion on the crowds, despite having wanted to escape from the crowds to grieve the death of John the Baptist privately. Even though He would have preferred to have time alone to process what had happened, He put the needs of others before His own and stretched His disciples’ faith by asking them where they could find food for the large crowd. The disciples were unable to see beyond the impossible, but as we are repeatedly discovering, every miracle arises from an impossible situation. The generosity of one boy is multiplied by Jesus and all are not only fed but satisfied.

This miracle reminds us not only that God is our provider; He is our provision. He meets our daily needs (see Matt 6:25-34, Phil 4:19), but Jesus then goes on to explore the crowd’s spiritual needs. We need to understand that God cares for us both on a practical and spiritual level and expects us to do the same (see Matt 25:31-46, 1 John 3:17-18) Jesus said, ‘For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:40) We have to care for people’s spiritual needs as well as meeting their practical needs, because that is the Jesus way.

Dave spoke this morning from Matthew 14:22-33, where Jesus (and subsequently Peter) walk on water. Trusting Jesus was essential for Peter to walk on water. So often, we think that trusting God means having no problems or difficulties, but in actual fact, faith is often proven and tested in the storms of life. Here, immediately after the feeding of the five thousand (a miracle which must have seen the disciples’ faith grow), they face a storm on the lake and are startled to see Jesus walking on the water towards them. Peter surprises himself by asking to do the same, and while he keeps his eyes on Jesus, he actually walks on water himself. Once his attention is on the wind and the waves, however, he becomes like a sinking rock, going down, down, down!

Life is full of both adventure and accidents, good things and catastrophes, but we can trust Jesus to bring us through both. In the challenges and difficulties of life, will we learn to trust God? Peter experienced the impossible when he walked on the water; with God, all things are possible. We have to let go and let God do what He can. It is so much easier to doubt God and wonder if He really wants us to do things, but even in difficult times such as we are experiencing at present, we must learn to trust God to do what only He can do. He will be us through it all.