WHY DID JESUS DO MIRACLES?

by Ivan Maddox

Decatur, GA

Matthew 11, 12 and 13 mark a major turning point in Jesus’ ministry. Indeed, we will miss the primary significance of much of what Jesus said in these chapters if we do not understand what has changed.

When Jesus first began his ministry, his message was,

Matthew 4:17b.

...Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

That message does not convey to us the excitement and urgency that it should have conveyed to those who heard it then, because, for the most part, we have lost sight of the promise of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Throughout the Old Testament, by means of His prophets, God foretold the establishment of His Kingdom physically on Planet Earth, under the reign of His chosen man, the Messiah (the Anointed One). Under him, Israel and Jerusalem would hold center stage in a kingdom of righteousness that would never end.

Jesus’ original message to Israel was, “Now is the time for the Kingdom of God to be established on earth! Get yourselves right with God, so that you are ready for it!”

No news could have been better for a Jew! The Kingdom of God meant deliverance from all enemies, peace on earth, and the establishment of Israel as a nation of priests, teaching all the world about God.

But when the reality showed up in the person of Jesus, the nation of Israel suddenly realized that it really didn’t want what it proclaimed so loudly and so piously that it wanted. What Israel really wanted was to be on top in this same, corrupt world system.

What Jesus offered was what the prophets of God had always offered: Get right with God, so God can bless you. He got the same reception from the nation that those prophets had gotten.

In John, one passage of scripture gives, in a nutshell, the primary reason for the miracles Jesus did.

John 20:30-31.

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

The primary reason that Jesus did miracles was not to meet people’s needs! The primary reason was so that people would believe on him as the Messiah, and receive life everlasting from him; in short, that they might be reconciled to God.

II Corinthians 5:18-19.

And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

In Matthew 11, Jesus warned that there are dire consequences for witnessing and receiving miracles from God, and still not doing what is necessary to be reconciled to God.

Matthew 11:20-24.

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

Most of us get excited when we think about signs, miracles and wonders, and we want to see them manifested in our lives and ministries. But do we have the same heart toward them that Christ did? Do we want them for the same reason that Christ did?

God has promised us signs, miracles and wonders -- but He has also given us the reason for them.

Mark 16:15-20.

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with [them], and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

If we understand the heart behind signs, miracles and wonders, then we will understand that the surest way to see them is to preach the Word to people, to exercise our God-given ministry and responsibility of reconciling men and women to God. They may or may not choose to believe; many didn’t believe when Jesus spoke! But when you do speak God’s Word to people, you can expect the Lord to work with you, confirming the Word with signs following to make it clear that you are not speaking on your own authority, but in obedience to Him who sent you.

Why do you want miracles? To meet your own needs (John 6:26)? To see something supernatural happen (Matthew 12:38-45)? Or to see men and women reconciled to God? Are your eyes focused on your will, or on God’s will? Think about it.