Today at church, in our continued study of the gospel of Matthew, my pastor focused in on the miracles of Christ (of which about 40 were actually documented in the Bible) and how believers can follow and respond to the Miracle Worker. Many aspects of this particular message cut me to the core. Throughout my life, I have continually struggled with the “problem of pain” as C.S. Lewis describes it – why the good suffer so often, and more than that, why we don’t see miracles today in the Holy Spirit’s presence similar to those Jesus performed during his life here on earth.
I have to admit, in my travels to do work with communities in Mexico, China and LA, I experienced God in vastly different ways than I do at “home.” I still to this day carry with me miraculous stories of safety against all odds, health when there was no good reason we shouldn’t be sick, funds and supplies appearing out of nowhere and many other experiences that were clearly not from us, but from God. However, I still struggle when attempting to compare these events to the healing of a woman by her faith when she reached out to touch Jesus’ cloak while en route to raise a 12 year old girl from the dead.
When you get down to the bare bones of miracles – Lazarus and this 12 year old girl, the woman with the hemorrhage and all the lepers and blind people Jesus healed still ultimately suffered death just as I will some day. So the miracle is not the end-all-be-all of the ministry of Christ. Of course, it’s AWESOME to imagine how quickly my faith would turn around if I saw Jesus pick a paralytic up by the hand and see him walk for the first time, and certainly the miracle of Jesus raising from the dead after being executed to cover up all the sins I commit is the pinnacle of the Christian faith. But, it isn’t the only part of the story. If you take a look at Matthew 8-9, you will see that intertwined with all the stories of healing, Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners, challenges the Pharisees, teaches about the cost of following Him and encourages the disciples to pray for others. Jesus' ministry was focused on eternal significance, not a Band-Aid quick fix. You’ll also notice that Jesus often instructs the recipients of his physical healing power to tell no one. Now, I always thought that was strange. Jesus just did something that no one else can do, and he doesn’t want optimum props for it? What kind of man IS this?! I have heard many people explain this, and I believe the reason is that Jesus doesn’t want us to think of him as just that cool dude who makes the blind see, but rather wants us to follow him because of the spiritual healing he does in our lives, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life he can offer – and that’s the big payoff. I’m starting to see that the biggest miracle of all is the turning over of a person’s life fully to Christ, and that definitely happens in modern day!! This true love that Jesus has to offer all of us trumps even the raising of the dead. Perhaps it is too easy to see the birth of a baby, the beautiful nature all around us, compassion, kindness and health as hum-drum everyday occurrences, but I beg to differ.
I love what Philip Yancey writes on the subject:
“I readily concede that Jesus, with a few dozen healings and a handful of resurrections from the dead, did little to solve the problem of pain on this planet. That is not why he came. Nevertheless, it was in Jesus’ nature to counteract the effects of the fallen world during his time on earth....The miracles he did perform, breaking as they did the chains of sickness and death, give me a glimpse of what the world was meant to be and instill hope that one day God will right its wrongs. To put it mildly, God is no more satisfied with this earth than we are; Jesus’ miracles offer a hint of what God intends to do about it.”
This begs the question, then – what miracles have been happening in my life lately? So glad you asked...
I made it up to Mt. Bachelor park after about 18 miles of grueling climbing on my bike and didn’t die! Miracle #1.
I endured a three-day long business trip/class in Santa Barbara on Light Scattering of molecules whilst a huge forest fire raged and snowed ash down on us (so much for the beach). Miracle #2.
I am making some new friends and trying to take in as much of the beauty of Bend as I can while I live here. Miracles #3 and #4.
My perception of modern-day miracles was challenged today in such a way that I pray it will provide me the inspiration to further and deepen my identity in Christ - something I have been craving intensely. I have (thankfully) been receiving encouragement from people, experiences, long-awaited introspection, sermons and reading lately which I believe is pushing me in a new direction. Where I’m going next, I’m not sure. Timeline? No clue. But, I am realizing there’s a lot of work to do on myself in preparation for what God will hopefully drop right in my lap. May we have the drive to rejoice in the miracles and “wonders” we can see daily, but moreover I hope we realize the love of Christ and how radically that acceptance changes lives.
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