“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” – Matthew 11:21
Jesus understood the limitations of miracles. They can be useful for drawing a crowd but they’re very limited for producing genuine, lasting faith. Here Jesus decries the faithlessness of the places that had seen Him perform countless miracles. These towns in Galilee had seen Jesus heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and get the paralyzed walking and jumping. They’d seen Jesus cast out demons. They’d followed Jesus out into the countryside and eaten the bread He produced miraculously. Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority of those people had put no faith or trust in Jesus.
They certainly appreciated the miracles. They thought Jesus was great entertainment. But they weren’t about to turn their life over to Him as Lord. They didn’t want to change anything. They just wanted a show. And that is the limited impact of miracles. They stir interest but seldom produce life change. They can draw a crowd to hear the Gospel preached, but don’t cause most people to believe. Rather, building faith involves the difficult daily work of making disciples: sharing the Gospel, baptizing those who believe, and teaching them to obey Jesus.
We sometimes wonder why we see so few miracles like those in the 1st century. Did God change His mode of operation? Is He less powerful? Is there something defective with our faith? No. The difference between then and now is that today, in this part of the world, there are many who are able to bear witness to Jesus. Many who are making disciples. There is little need for the dramatic but limited impact of miracles like these. Instead, there are men and women, boys and girls, who are being salt and light in their everyday lives. And that is more world-changing than any miracle! #FollowJesus