I admit that I’m somewhat ambivalent about miracles. It’s not that I don’t believe that Jesus performed them. I don’t doubt that for a second. My ambivalence relates to just how excited we should get about them. Clearly, miracles played an important role in Christ’s ministry. However, the writers of the gospels don’t try to hide the fact that miracles didn’t always produce the result one would expect.
Let’s review the miracles we’ve read about so far this week.
The disciples were appropriately awed by Christ’s ability to still a storm. Jesus, on the other hand, was not so impressed by them. “Where is your faith?” he asked them. It was their fear that had prompted them to wake Jesus. It’s as if Jesus were saying to them, “Why were you so afraid? Why didn’t you trust God? Did you really think God would let this boat sink? Why did you need to wake me up? Why did you need a miracle?” It seems almost like Jesus would have been happier NOT to have performed this miracle. Faith, in this instance, might have precluded the miracle.
Jesus casts multiple demons out of a man who had become a local nightmare, restoring him to his right mind, and this is the result this act of divine power produces: “all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them.”
The word “faith” is often used in connection with miracles, but the relationship is tricky. Jesus calmed the storm in spite of (or even because of) the disciples’ lack of faith. It would certainly be a stretch to say that Jesus freed the demoniac because of his faith. Jesus did that out of his own compassion, not in response to anyone’s faith. On the other hand, Jesus tells the woman with the bleeding problem: “your faith has healed you.” No one’s faith is mentioned in the resurrection of the dead girl, but one can safely assume that if faith were involved, it was the parents’, not the girl’s. My point is this: one is hard pressed to establish a strict faith formula when it comes to Jesus’ miracles.
If the purpose of miracles is evangelistic or to give God glory, then why does Jesus command the blind men whom he healed: “See that no one knows about this.” Strange! It sounds like Jesus doesn’t want anyone to know.
Here’s how the Pharisees evaluated Jesus’ miracles, particularly his power in casting out demons: “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.” That’s not complementary.
“What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?” wondered the people in Jesus’ home town. Were they proud of their home town miracle worker? No! Mark records: “They took offense at him.” Mark also tells us that Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith. Because of this lack of faith, Jesus was only able to perform a few miracles.
So, what are we to make of all this?
Miracles do not necessarily produce faith. The gospels record way too many instances where they do the opposite. Nonetheless, faith, it seems, is important for miracles (although one should avoid turning that into a formula or trying to measure it). Grace is ALWAYS involved when Jesus does miracles.
The most important miracles are the miracles related to the PERSON of JESUS himself. The incarnation and the resurrection are two miracles in which one must believe in order to be redeemed. These miracles were not the result of our faith but rather of the unconditional love of God. These miracles are the foundation and substance of our faith. I’m not ambivalent about that.
Here’s the bottom line. Faith in Jesus is what pleases God and leads to eternal life. Faith in Jesus may very well lead to miracles; however, faith in miracles does not necessarily lead to saving faith in Jesus.
Miracles are good. But Jesus is even better. Let’s put our faith in Him.
Kip
