I love those commercials that used to run about cheese. One of my favorites was of two fish in bowl that noticed a plate full of cheese just out of their range. They began to swim into the side of the bowl sliding it ever closer to the plate, and when they were close enough, they swam in circles picking up enough speed to launch out of the water onto the plate. Unfortunately, at just the last second the plate was moved and the fish landed on the table. At that point, the announcer said, “Behold the power of cheese.” That was not the only funny one, but whether it was the fish, Santa leaving extra gifts for a child who put out cheese instead of cookies, or a political candidate derailing his campaign because he did not like cheese, the power cheese had really moved them. Who would have thought that cheese of all things had that kind of power? I guess I have sorely underestimated its power all of these years. Cheese is not the only thing that we underestimate. Every day people underestimate God’s power to do amazing things in them and through them.
In reading and studying in the book of John, I have been so impressed as I saw Jesus in those early passages begin to gather those that would lead the New Testament church. Who would of thought that men like Simon (Peter), Andrew, John, Philip or Nathanael would have amounted to anything more than a common Jewish man. They did not have the pedigree to be chosen by the Rabbi’s for a higher education. They were not Priests or Levites. They were ordinary men that God used for extraordinary things. Even Jesus took the Jews by surprise, they never saw Him coming. Isaiah prophesied this would be the case. He wrote, “ For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2 ESV)
It was not Jesus’ good looks, or stately appearance. It was not His charming personality, and it was not His winsome way. Later, John clearly portrays that people begin to follow Jesus, and His following grows because they see God’s power and glory evident in His life. He changed water into wine, revealed His glory, and people believed (John 2:11). He went to Jerusalem for the Passover, and people believed in Him because of what they saw Him do (vs.23). Jesus was a walking revelation of God’s glory and power. When people initially followed Him they did not understand the full extent of His identity. What they saw for certain was a man of God.
All too often we disregard this same power in our own lives. We say in one breath that we trust God for our salvation, but then underestimate His power for life. Remember After His resurrection and just before He ascended, Jesus told His followers, “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” Not only were they sent but they were sent in the same power and with the same authority. The power was not their own, and the authority was not their own. Those still find their source in the Father. Yet, that is what makes them so real, so amazing, so affective. If it were our limited means, our good looks, or our charming personalities there wouldn’t be much hope. However, it is the mark of God’s glory and power that distinguishes us as believers from all others and ultimately empowers us to make a real difference in the lives of those around us.
As His children, each of us has been touched by God. We have been transformed. We have been given life, and that life shines so brightly into the darkness around us. Forget the power of cheese, and never again underestimate the power of God not only to transform you but also transform others through you. Jesus starting with five ordinary students began a revolution that would build into a movement that has lasted for over two thousand years, and will last for all eternity.
