Miracles
Sometimes I wonder whether the miracles done by God, and through his messengers, are not really there to prove his power over nature alone, but infinitely more.
Many marvel at such stories about the opening of the Red sea, the healing of the lame and the blind etc. But sometimes I wonder to myself whether the signs that we often hunger to see, and that thrill us the most, are not simply the lesser of two blessings. Maybe we are keeping our eyes fixed on the wrong wonder…
Read this short passage…
Luke 5:17-26 (New International Version)
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
17One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Jesus asks the question: what is more impossible for me to do? Ask this man to get up and walk, or forgive his sins. The miracle which he then goes on to perform is the full stop of an argument, more than a “crowd-winner”. Jesus was saying: I can heal you inside and out.
What is harder, to open the Red sea or to open a human heart? What is more impossible? To break down the walls of Jericho, or break down our walls of prejudice? Isn’t spiritual blindness as hard to cure as physical blindness? Yes, Jesus fed the 5000, but he feeds thousands today with His Word. What is more impossible? To create life in barren womb, or to create hope in a hopeless soul?
Our God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. He has not stopped doing wonders, and we will truly see the wonders of our God. He is Lord over the sea, and our hearts; our legs and our minds. What is too hard for the Lord to do?
