Jesus, hidden in the miracles
2 Kings 4 shares five miracles that were performed by Elisha each of those five being a shadow of a similar miracle performed by Jesus Himself. The first significance lies in the number of miracles being five. Five refers to the number of grace. Grace performed the miracles. Miracles cannot be earned or worked for; they are done through God’s Grace, Jesus.
Let’s shed Jesus’ light on each of the shadow of Elisha’s miracles:
- “And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped.” (2 Kings 4:4-6 NASB)
Elisha took the little oil the woman had and multiplied it and for as long as she had the means to receive, the oil kept on flowing, but once her capacity to receive stopped, the oil stopped flowing. Similarly, in John 2:10 we read about Jesus at the wedding when the wine became less, He ordered His disciples to fill the vessels with water and He turned it into wine which was even better than the wine given by the bridegroom. The manager of the wedding observed: “And said to him, Everyone else serves his best wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then he serves that which is not so good; but you have kept back the good wine until now!” (John 2:10 AMPC)
When Jesus provides, it is in abundance as His goodness overflows. When we turn our needs to Him, He uses whatever we have and blesses us by His grace into a position of overflowing.
- “Later Elisha said, What then is to be done for her? Gehazi answered, She has no child and her husband is old. He said, Call her. [Gehazi] called her, and she stood in the doorway. Elisha said, At this season when the time comes round, you shall embrace a son. She said, No, my lord, you man of God, do not lie to your handmaid.” (2 Kings 4:14-16 AMPC)
Elisha brought the good tiding that in due season the childless woman will give birth to a son. And the son was born.
In Genesis 11 we read about Sarah who was childless and long passed her child-bearing years, yet the Angel of the Lord, Jesus, appeared to Abraham to bring them the good news that Sarah will bear a son. And the Lord kept His promise of the promised son, and Isaac was born in due season.
Jesus sees the desires of our hearts and through His kindness and grace He wants to bless us. No barren situation is beyond His reach and so far astray that He cannot turn it around.
- “When Elisha arrived in the house, the child was dead and laid upon his bed. So he went in, shut the door on the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. He went up and lay on the child, put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself on him and embraced him, the child’s flesh became warm.” (2 Kings 4:32-34 AMPC)
Just like Elisha raised the woman’s child from the dead so did Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead in Luke 8. Jairus loved His daughter very much and as he sought Jesus, his daughter died while Jesus was on His way to her. But death did not keep Jesus away as He continued to Jairus’ house and by touching her, He commanded death to leave her body and for life to return and she was raise from the dead.
“And grasping her hand, He called, saying, Child, arise [from the sleep of death]! And her spirit returned [from death], and she arose immediately; and He directed that she should be given something to eat. And her parents were amazed, but He charged them to tell no one what had occurred.” (Luke 8:54-56 AMPC)
No dire circumstances are beyond Jesus’ touch. Jesus can bring life into any situation, no matter how dark and deadly it seems.
- “But he said, Bring meal [as a symbol of God’s healing power]. And he cast it into the pot and said, Pour it out for the people that they may eat. Then there was no harm in the pot.” (2 Kings 4:41 AMPC)
Elisha turned around a situation that was meant to cause harm. Elisha did not only remove the harm from the pot the men were about to eat but even death. In a similarly fashion, when Daniel and his friends were thrown into the fiery furnace with the intention to be killed, Jesus turned a life threatening situation around by giving Himself to save them. Jesus entered the fiery furnace with them and protected them so that the deadly situation did not cause them any harm.
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”” (Daniel 3:24-25, NKJV)
Stretch your faith that no poison or dangerous situation can harm you. Not because of anything you do right but because of the presence and goodness of Jesus in your life. (Mark 16:18)
- “[At another time] a man from Baal-shalisha came and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain [in the husk] in his sack. And Elisha said, Give to the men that they may eat. His servant said, How am I to set [only] this before a hundred [hungry] men? He said, Give to the men that they may eat. For thus says the Lord: They shall be fed and have some left. So he set it before them, and they ate and left some, as the Lord had said.” (2 Kings 4:42-44 AMPC)
Christ twice fed those to whom He preached. Christ’s feeding of His hearers was a miracle far beyond this; but in both instances we learn the valuable lesson that no need is too great for Jesus to satisfy and when He supplies, He does so abundantly. In Matthew 14:13-21 Jesus fed the five thousand men: “Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.” (Matthew 14:19-20, NKJV)
In Matthew 15, Jesus again fed the four thousand: “And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.” (Matthew 15:36-37, NKJV)
Instead of seeking miracles in our lives, let’s seek Jesus and the miracles will flow from Him in His time and in His way.
Maretha Retief
Illustration by Jeanne de Villiers