Sabbath School Summary

By Elder Dr Masimba Mavaza

Signs of Divinity

Lesson 2

Memory Text:
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26, NKJV).

Introduction
Two weeks ago my brother Josephat Mavaza affectionately known as Mukoma Joe passed on. As we buried him I asked God one question. “Father. Does it Please you to see your Picture covered in soil every time? For how long shall we grieve and mourn? For How Long Father.?”
An answer came to my mind.
“I Am Coming Quickly – He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20
The Bible is clear that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son, one with the Father, underived and uncreated. Jesus is the One who created all that was made (John 1:1-3). Thus, Jesus has always existed; there never was a time when He didn’t exist. Though Jesus came to this world and took upon Himself our humanity, He always kept His divinity. And at specific times, Jesus said and did things that revealed this divinity. Since we know his divinity we should find comfort in his name.
This truth was important for John, which is why, when recounting some of Jesus’ miracles, John used them to point to Christ’s divinity. Jesus not only said things that revealed His divinity but backed up His words with works that manifested His divinity.

This week’s lesson looks at three of the greatest signs of Jesus’ divinity. What is striking is that, in every case, some people did not believe the miracle or perceive its significance. For some, it was a time of turning away from Jesus; for others, a time for deepening blindness; and for others, a time to plot Jesus’ death. And for others—a time to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

SABBATH:
The greatest discovery in life is to know that Jesus Christ is God. He is the One who created all things (John 1:1-3). During the incarnation, divinity & humanity were blended into one. His work & teachings testify of His divinity. At the cross, it was His human nature that died. Divinity held its place. John used some of His miracles to reiterate this fact. We’ll look at 3 great signs of Jesus’ divinity & how people reacted to them.

SUNDAY:
Christ became our Passover Lamb. He bore our guilt (1 Cor. 5:7, GC, p. L). When He fed the 5,000, it was near the Passover, a Jewish custom that dates back to the Exodus. John uses the signs to reveal that Moses, a prophet & savior of Israel, is a type of Christ (Deut. 18:15); Jesus is divine. Both went up a mountain (John 6:1-14). He tests Philip as Moses did with Israel. The loaves recall the fall of manna. The 12 baskets left are the same as the 12 tribes of Israel.

MONDAY:
There are 2 difficult things to do in war; to feed the troops & care for their wounds. Jesus could do both. He fed the 5,000 to show that He as God, is the bread of life. His word “I AM” points to Exodus 3 where God shows Himself to Moses as the great I AM (John 6:14, 15, 26-36). He said, I AM the light, door, Good Shepherd, resurrection & the life, the way, the truth, & the life. But people missed it (John 6:35; 8:12, 10:7, 9; 10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5, DA, p. 385).

TUESDAY:
There is a link between sin & sickness. The disciples knew this. But they should’ve also known such a cause -and – effect link doesèn’t always occur. Job got sick when he was an “upright” man. All things should lead to God’s glory. Jesus provided a remedy for the sin-sick soul to God’s glory (John 9:1-16; Exod. 20:5, 2 Kings 5:15-27, 15:5, 2 Chron. 26:16-21). He used clay to heal the blind to point to the creation of man (Gen. 2:7). It was on Sabbath & He was seen as a lawbreaker.

WEDNESDAY:
The Pharisees saw Jesus as a sinner for healing the blind on the Sabbath (John 9:17-34). They became blind in their understanding of Christ & His divinity. In contrast, the healed man came to see more & more the divinity of Christ. John writes that Jesus is the Light of the world (John 9:5; 8:12), His origin is a mystery (John 9:12, 29; 1:14), He’s like Moses (John 9:28, 29; 5:45, 46, 6:32, & One accepted & rejected by many (John 1:9-16, 3:16-21, 6:60-71).

THURSDAY:
John 11 portrays sadness & hope. We find the death of a dear friend of Jesus, the weeping over his death, the lament of his sisters’ about Jesus’ delay in coming to heal Lazarus, & the tears of Jesus. But Jesus’ delay even made the miracle more glorious (John 11:1-45). After 4 days, Lazarus’s body was rotting. As the Creator, Jesus had power over death. By raising him from the dead, He showed that He’s the resurrection & the life (John 20:30, 31).

FRIDAY:
The life of Christ, which brings life to the world, is found in His word. Through His word, Jesus performed miracles and demonstrated power. The Bible embodies Christ, and His followers are to draw strength from it, especially in His absence. Just as physical life needs food, spiritual life is nourished by the word of God, which each individual must study personally with the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Live by the Word!

— Ellen G. White, “The Crisis in Galilee,” pp. 383–394; “ ‘Lazarus, Come Forth,’ ” pp. 524–536; and “Priestly Plottings,” pp. 537–542, in The Desire of Ages.

Keywords

DA- The Desire of Ages

GC- The Great Controversy

Passover- It was a commemoration of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

Captions

SUNDAY- The Feeding of the Five Thousand
MONDAY- “Surely, He Is the Prophet”
TUESDAY- The Healing of the Blind Man: Part 1
WEDNESDAY- The Healing of the Blind Man: Part 2
THURSDAY- The Resurrection of Lazarus

Discussion Questions

📌 This week we looked at Jesus feeding the 5,000, healing a man blind from birth, and then raising Lazarus from the dead. In each case, Jesus provided powerful evidence for His divinity. Yet, these miracles, as amazing as they were, created division. Some responded with faith, others with doubt. What does this teach us about how, even in the face of powerful evidence, people can still choose to reject God?

📌 These stories all point toward Christ as the divine Son of God. Why is His divinity so important to faith in Jesus as the Savior?

📌 Look again at 1 Corinthians 1:26–29. In what ways in the twenty-first century do we see this same principle at work? What are some of the “foolish things” that Christians believe, things that the “wise according to the flesh” mock and reject? What do we believe that also “put to shame” the “things that are mighty”?

For October 5–11. Happy Sabbath.