The Working of Miracles

.... Now let's discuss the spiritual gift known as 'the working of miracles' (1 Corin- thians 12:10). As we've noted in an earlier posting, all miracles are designed to carry an associated testimony. In some unique way they are supposed to tell us who Jesus is, or provide us with an insight into His character if we will consider them thoughfully.

.... For example, let’s recall the occasion when Jesus fed 5,000 men (about 20,000 persons in all) and He did so with only five loaves of bread and two small fish (John 6:4-13). If we'll consider this miracle thoughtfully, we'll find that it illustrates a closely associated teaching; and comparing the miracle and the teaching allows a testimony about Jesus Himself to emerge with power:

.... "And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst’."

(John 6:35)

.... Let's start by think about the teaching carefully. Someone may have heard Jesus claiming to be the bread of life and wondered if it could be true. At the time itself, many were offended at this teaching and left Him. But then in hindsight they would have to consider the miracle that occurred in close correlation, and make the obvious connection. "Well," they might eventually admit to themselves, "This Man did multiply five loaves among twenty thousand people, so He certainly knows something about bread! So maybe there was a spiritual truth behind His words. Maybe, in that sense, He really is the bread of life! Hmm, maybe I need to think about this further, and how He really meant it to apply to me . . . "

.... We, too, can see the intended correlation with a little thoughfulness. The miracle became a proof with power that the teaching was true, and it got us thinking about His significance in our lives. And in turn, this will help us understand a little more about who Jesus is.

.... Or again, let’s recall the story of the man who was born blind, whom Jesus healed, which was quite a notable miracle; for "since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind!" (John 9:32). And with this miracle came a message for us all, so let's think about that message as well:

.... "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

(John 9:5)

.... Perhaps someone over heard Jesus claiming to be the light of the world and wondered if it could be true. But then they saw the miracle of granting sight to the blind, and made the obvious connection: "Wow, anyone who can open the eyes of a person who was born blind must really be the light of the world!" So once again the miracle became a proof, with power, that the teaching was true, gave us something to think about, and helped us see the significance of Jesus in our lives more clearly.

.... Or in another familiar story, let's recall how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. And what teaching did He offer at the same time?

.... "Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live’."

(John 11:25)

.... Someone may have heard Him saying this and wondered. "Jesus said that He is the resurrection? That is a very tall claim!" but then the miracle quickly followed and Lazarus did come forth. "Well!" they would have to acknowledge in dismay. "If He can raise the dead like that, I guess He knows what He’s talking about! He really is the resurrection, so I guess I really should believe in Him!" The teaching and miracle have matched once again to testify, with a little thoughtfulness, of who Jesus is and how we should relate to Him.

.... Because miracles and teachings go together, we would naturally conclude that, in the context of spiritual gifts, there is no exception in God’s mind. Thus we should most naturally expect to see this gift in conjunction with a teaching ministry, especially that of an evangelist (1 Thessalonians 1:5), or perhaps a prophet:

.... "For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power."

(1 Corinthians 4:20)

.... For let us remember that the overall intention of this gift, as with every spiritual gift, is to make us witnesses for Jesus, of who He is, and of His amazing significance to each of us in our lives. Therefore, miracles will always be a testimony with power of His greatness and of His relationship with us all.

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Daily Bible Reading: Galatians 2