Some Said it Thundered

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“The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.” (John 12:29 KJV).

This fascinating verse of Scripture is tucked away in the Bible, capturing for all time an extraordinary moment in the life of Jesus. It happened right after the celebrated Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, where Jesus came riding upon the colt of a donkey. A large and exuberant crowd had gathered about Him, buzzing with wonder over the recent news of Lazarus having been raised from the dead.

Jesus, troubled in his heart, prayed a very pointed and public prayer -- “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.” And then He concludes with, “Father, glorify thy name.” (John 12:28).

At that moment there came a voice from heaven, saying, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Now here’s where it gets fascinating -- “The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.”

Think about it. Almighty God just spoke in an audible voice to His Son, Jesus. This is the unmistakable Voice of God. Yet, for some people who were there – it was nothing but thunder, while others marveled that it was the voice of an angel.

How remarkable that God Himself can do a thing so openly and yet some dismiss it as nothing other than a rather ordinary natural occurrence. And then others veer off into the realm of the phenomenal, and miss the real point altogether.

This sort of response to the Divine is still going on to this day. Some blow it off altogether as nothing unusual, and others grow wide-eyed with spooky wonder. May God grant you grace to fall into neither of these groupings.

May you hear God speak as He glorifies the Names of Jesus, and may the result be that you are attracted to Him, and gather with others who are following Him in these crazy days!

Back when this happened, Jesus answered the crowd and said -- “This voice didn't come for Me but for you. At this moment the world is in crisis. Now Satan, the ruler of this world, will be thrown out. And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around Me." (John 12:30-32 The Message).
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