When we speak about the supremacy of Jesus it’s not enough to say that he is over all things. What does that mean anyway? It doesn’t do him enough justice. In this study we’ll try to quantify just a little bit of who he is by looking at a few of his miracles. We’ll attempt to do this with a bit of a scientific bent so we can expand our understanding when scripture says things like:

…in everything he might have the supremacy.
Colossians 1:18 NIV

Changing Water to Wine

Jesus and his disciples were at a wedding and during the celebration they ran out of wine. And this is what transpired.

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.
John 2:7-9 NIV

So what did Jesus do here? He started with something, water and changed it to something totally different, wine. We need to drink this section in because it speaks something amazing of Jesus. Think for a moment what obstacles must be overcome to change water to wine. Instead of just thinking of it as a miracle, which it was, think a little deeper. What did it take? It would first of all take an understanding of the building blocks of the universe, the smallest pieces.

Let’s take a step back and explore for a bit. Our periodic table of elements identifies around 120 different elements. Of those, under 100 of them are naturally occurring. The rest of them are man-made. When we think about this we see that God has created the vastness and diversity of the universe with different combinations of these 100 pieces.

The chemical equation for water is different than wine, so Jesus would have had to find the missing pieces and then add them to the water in the right combination, or would he? There wasn’t time for that. He simply told servants to draw the water out and take it to the headwaiter. It gets even more interesting because these 100 elements are themselves made up of fewer pieces. From our days of science class, if you remember, the elements themselves are comprised of smaller particles called protons, neutrons and electrons. The 100 different elements are different combinations of theses subatomic particles.

Jesus then could have taken the oxygen atoms and rearranged the neutrons, electrons and protons and produced carbon atoms, with which he would have needed to combine with the hydrogen and oxygen to make alcohol. Or he could have operated at an even lower level than that. Protons and neutrons can themselves be subdivided into even smaller particles called quarks. So you see the possibilities.

Jesus turning water into wine revealed his supremacy at the design layer of creation. Without even talking about the supernatural realm, there is a layer of reality that is just too small for us to see, that science has just begun to explore. It has characteristics that seem incompatible with our views of science on a larger scale. It is like a universe unto itself, a universe of the small. Jesus demonstrated his supremacy at this level.

Walking on Water

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
John 6:16-21 NIV

The disciples were three and a half miles from land in choppy waters when Jesus came along walking on the water. The disciples were terrified. Do you blame them? We’ve heard this story a thousand times. But to be in the presence of the supernatural can be terrifying. No amount of study can really prepare you for a direct experience with the supernatural. You end up scared out of your wits. The one way you can prepare for this is to be grounded in the love of God, so that you know that whatever happens God will protect you.

But what happened here? Jesus demonstrated his supremacy over gravity. What is gravity? Well it is a force one body exerts on another. The reason we don’t float is that the earth is exerting an attractive force upon us. The reason the moon stays in orbit around the earth is because the earth exerts a force upon it. The reason the earth doesn’t leave the solar system? The sun exerts a force upon it and so on and so on. The latest theories of the universe is that the universe is like a rubber sheet and stars are like bowling balls that create dimples in the sheet and bend everything that travels along it, including light. Jesus walking on the water demonstrated his supremacy over gravitational forces.

Remember Jesus changing water into wine is his dominance over the small pieces. His walking on water shows his dominance over gravity, which is the force that governs the interactions of the largest pieces like the earth, the stars, and galaxies. Scientists dedicate their whole careers to studying either the large pieces, or the small forces, gravity or quantum physics. Before he died, Einstein was working on a common set of equations to define the behavior of the small and large forces together. It was called the Unified Field Theory. At this point it has not been accomplished. Jesus though sits in supremacy at the smallest levels of the universe and the largest levels. He rules over the interactions of the pieces too small to see as well as those too large to comprehend.

Multiplying the Loaves and Fish

Jesus was teaching a group of people that could easily have exceeded 20,000 in size. That number is estimated because the Bible tells us that there were 5,000 men. Everyone knows that at every church gathering there are almost 2 to 3 times as many women, right? An estimate of 20,000 including the children would seem pretty conservative. Anyway, it was a large crowd and they didn’t have enough food to feed everyone.

This is what happened:

"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
John 6:10-11 NIV

From observation and experimentation, scientist surmise that there is a property of the universe called the Law of Conservation of Energy. They call this a law because they believe that it has been soundly supported through physical evidence. This is also called the First Law of Thermodynamics. The concept is that in a closed system like the universe, energy can be neither created nor destroyed. Energy can only be transferred from one state to another. Energy within the universe is a constant and nothing can be added to it nor removed from it.

Jesus multiplying the bread and the fish was fundamentally different than changing water to wine. In changing water to wine, he made an equal amount of water into wine. It could be said that the amount of energy in the universe remained constant and he only manipulated the small pieces. In multiplying the loaves and fish, he added energy into the universe. He made something out of nothing. He showed his supremacy over the universe. Not only can he manipulate the very small and the very large but he can also operate outside the universe as a system. He can override its laws.

Raising the Dead

Jesus had heard that his friend Lazarus was ill, yet he purposely delayed visiting him. By the time he got there, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. Once he got there he went to the tomb with Lazarus’ sisters.

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
John 11:38-44 NIV

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. When he did this, so many things happened that it is hard to know where to start. Ever take a CPR class? The technique of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, coupled with the chest thrusts simulate 2 actions, the work of the lungs and the work of the heart. This keeps oxygen enriched blood circulating in the body until emergency personnel can arrive. The reason this is so important is that if blood flow is cut off from the brain for more than 3 minutes, there will likely be permanent brain damage. That’s the value of CPR especially since emergency personnel never seem to come in just 3 minutes. Now, if 3 minutes are so critical to the body, what do you think happens after 4 days?

Every cell in the human body needs oxygen to survive. That oxygen is delivered to the body through oxygenated blood. The oxygen gets in the blood via the lungs through respiration. When cells are deprived of oxygen they will die. After 3 to 4 hours, the process becomes irreversible and the body starts to decay.

When Jesus got to Lazarus, the decay would have been well underway. That’s why Martha warned there would be a bad odor. Every cell in Lazarus’s body would have died. When Jesus called him forth, and gave him life. He wasn’t just getting his heart to start beating again. He had to restore and reverse the decay of every single cell in his body. He had to reactivate every complex function from lungs, to heart, to brain activity including memory, kidneys, the senses and digestion. He had to affect every single cell and every single function as if he were creating the man. Guess how many cells in the human body? The current estimates vary from 10 to 100 Trillion. How large is 10 Trillion. Well think if every person in the world, man, woman and child came by a gigantic tub and each dumped 1500 pennies in the tub. That would be 10 trillion.

This shows his supremacy over human creation and his supremacy over death, as well as the dynamic of death. The restoration of Lazarus included his consciousness and his spirit as well.

Jesus Himself

The greatest miracle of Jesus was Jesus himself. His resurrection is the highest of any of the miracles of the Bible. I always say that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the most important event in human history, in the universe or in space-time. This was of higher order than Lazarus. When Jesus raised Lazarus he restored him from an untimely death but he didn’t alter the nature of his humanity. Lazarus would later die again, someday of something.

When Jesus rose from the dead everything changed.

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
John 20:26-28 NIV

Jesus came back to life and he could be touched so he was physical, yet he could also pass through the locked door. Paul clarifies what had happened.

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
Romans 6:9 NIV

Jesus is of a different level of creation. He will no longer die. His cells will not decay. The second law of Thermo Dynamics states that things move from order to chaos or usable energy to unusable energy. Jesus’ resurrection to a state in which he will no longer die overrides this law. His supremacy is more than over death itself, it is over every law of the universe. He is the embodiment of a new set of principles that describe energy.

Conclusion

Wasn’t that fun. When the Bible says the following:

And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Colossians 1:18 NIV

This is not figurative or flowery language. He has supremacy over everything. His miracles prove it. When Paul says:

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:2-3 NIV

Truly then, in Jesus are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He embodies a new universal order that defies the accumulation of all our wisdom and knowledge to date. Think about him like we did today. Just focusing on him changes you. When we limit him or doubt him, maybe the problem is not our faith. Maybe we just don’t understand him and the extent of his authority and power. To limit him is to limit your own destiny, your own possibilities and your own hope. When you focus on him you focus on truth, on love, on life, on the possibilities and wonders of God. Dedicate your life to him. Seek him. He lives. He is more than worthy of your worship, your energy, your allegiance, your focus and your praise. Don’t you think?

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