Why Did Jesus Perform Miracles?
Open Your Bible
Matthew 11:2-5, Isaiah 61:1-3, John 2:11, Matthew 12:28-42
BY Guest Writer
Scripture Reading: Matthew 11:2-5, Isaiah 61:1-3, John 2:11, Matthew 12:28-42
Most of us have been there. It’s not just painful, but confusingly painful.
Didn’t God hear?
Doesn’t He love me?
Did I not have enough faith?
Why wasn’t it a yes?
These are the questions we ask when the miracle doesn’t come.
Perhaps it was the cancer that wasn’t cured, the chronic illness that never healed, the marriage that couldn’t be saved, or the money that didn’t come through. In the absence of a miracle, these stories about Jesus can be tough to swallow. They can even feel cruel. Why are they here, if not to tease us?
God knows we feel this tension, which is perhaps why He included Matthew 11:2-5 in His perfect Word. Here, John the Baptist asks Jesus if He is, in fact, the “one who is to come”—the Messiah. Jesus answers with a clear allusion to Isaiah 61: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up” (Matthew 11:4-5). He’s essentially saying, “Yes. All the things that were foretold, I am fulfilling them.”
Jesus’ answer to John tells us a lot about the purpose of His miracles: They are a sign of the prophecies fulfilled, a sign that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. They are a sign of His authority, His power, and His glory. And they are a sign of God’s love for us, a sign that we can trust Him.
But here’s what we shouldn’t miss about Jesus’ answer, because John certainly wouldn’t have. Isaiah 61 also says this of the coming Messiah: He will “proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (v.1). It’s a message of hope for prisoners, which is exactly what John was; John received Jesus’ message while sitting in a prison cell. And yet, John the Baptist was never set free. Three chapters later, he’s beheaded. Scripture tells us that when Jesus got word of John the Baptist’s death, “he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself” (Matthew 14:13).
Our God is not indifferent to our pain.
Matthew 11:2-5 contains all the power and the glory and the complexity and confusion of Jesus’ miracles. It attests to Jesus’ divine identity, but it also attests to the reality that miracles don’t always come. In this tension, we learn more about what Jesus’ miracles mean.
Jesus’ miracles weren’t only about Him, but about the Kingdom to come. Tucked into every miracle we can almost hear God whisper, “This is what the Kingdom is like. It’s complete healing, total wholeness, freedom, awe, and joy.” Miracles provide a foretaste of this in-breaking Kingdom, but they were never meant to replace it.
We’ll never have the perfect peace and restoration we desire this side of eternity, but miracles point to the place where we will.
Whenever we read stories of miracles, and grapple with their surpassing mystery, we can do so knowing our God is not casual or removed from our pain. Jesus’ very presence on earth reminds us that He entered into it, experiencing the pain along with us. Jesus joined us in waiting for the Kingdom, longing for the day when the need for miracles will be no more.
Sharon Hodde Miller is a writer, speaker, pastor’s wife, and mom of two boys. She is a regular contributor to Christianity Today and recently completed her Ph.D, which focused on cultivating the gifts of women in the church.
134 thoughts on "Why Did Jesus Perform Miracles?"
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I am trying hard to focus on “what would Jesus do” in different situations that have come up lately in our family. I have felt slightly disrespected, hurt, and taken advantage of by other family members. If I am honest, I’d like to behave badly in return, but I keep going back to that one question, “What would Jesus do?” It really helps me to refocus and try harder to be better.
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“We’ll never have the perfect peace and restoration we desire this side of eternity, but miracles point to the place where we will.” Miracles pointing to the eternal life we were promised instead of a comfortable life on earth. Great teaching point against the prosperity gospel!
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So true Evie!
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I also never read that scripture about John in that way. So profound. I’m always amazed by the obedience Jesus had. It was literally always about his Father’s will. He walked the straightest path the world has ever seen. The fact that he did it is a miracle in itself.
I think the fact that God walks with us today is a miracle in itself too. We have all been Judas, yet God is forever faithful. I think his unconditional love is the greatest miracle we can receive in our lives. And although John wasn’t freed physically, I would like to believe Jesus’ confirmation freed him mentally and spiritually. John got to see the miracle he obediently preached. He went to his death knowing his life was not in vain and that he had served his purpose. What a relief. Perhaps he knew it was his time. Perhaps he even died with joy.
That’s what I aspire to. Certainly not execution lol. But to live a life of love demonstrated by Jesus. To remind myself daily that no matter what happens, God is by my side. There is heaven in trust. I hope to experience that heaven before I pass.
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I love what you said about John being freed by Jesus’ words and how Heaven is in our trust. Thanks for sharing!
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Beautiful words & thoughts!
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This devotional is such a blessing! I am really finding myself meditating on the miracles in a new way.
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I love how it implies how miracles are little pieces of what it is like in heaven – being perfect following a challenging life on the Earth.
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*aren’t getting the answers they desire..
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In the face of the unanswered prayer for that miracle in which we seek, let us not forget the miracle every believer gets in our futures.. heaven.. the greatest miracle ever is life eternal with Him for in His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.. Father for my sisters who are suffering and begging You for their miracle.. I pray You grant them their requests..oh how are humanity wants all things good.. but in our limited ability to see the full panoramic view of our lives and what You are working in and through them, we trust You with the no and the wait answers.. grant those whom I pray for peace in the midst of heartache and confusion.. faith even though they are getting the answers their desire, patience to continue waiting and perseverance to keep seeking, keeping asking, and keep believing Your best for them.. please wrap Your arms of love tightly around them this day and comfort hearts in ways only You can..
in the life giving name of Jesus I pray.. amen -
My aunt had a stroke 3 weeks ago. And her recovery hasn’t been anything short of miraculous. The doctors are amazed and, even though she isn’t fully recovered, she she was discharged yesterday.
Unfortunately, selfishness and Evil has been looming over our extended family during this time. And for some reason we as a family, my mom and I, have been targets of their selfishness, hypocracy, and Evil.
My cousin has unleashed all his anger and hurt on my mother. And yesterday we were caught up in the biggest of storms. He got upset and he kicked her out with my aunt’s house. We were devastated , we couldn’t understand why God allowed for this to happen.
Then in the quiet and calm of our home, we thought of Jesus and we praised our God because he’s no stranger to the pain that we were feeling. Knowing Jesus experienced all this and more, feels miraculous.We saw reflected in him what our lives could be like without Jesus. We saw the evil and the brokenness of those that don’t have the Spirit in them.
And thanks be to God, for the miracle of washing us clean and making us a new creation.“The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” —Matthew 12:35
We’re still praying for a miracle. That my aunt would get to know God in a deep, personal way and praise Him for what He’s been doing in her life. All this, in spite of the people she’s surrounded with.
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I’m so sorry you’re going through this trial in your family. How awesome that you can turn to God and trust in Him through it all.
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