The Miracle of a Missing Miracle

Posted: January 12, 2010 | Author: Andrew Robb | Filed under: Reflections | 7 Comments »

For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home.

Matthew 9:5-7

It is in times of sickness and sorrow that men seek miracles from God, and sometimes find them. Yet far more often they are disappointed; disputes lead to families torn asunder, mistakes lead to ruin, and sickness leads to death. Has God forgotten His people? Has the world spun out of His control? Is He unable to answer men’s pleas?

Not at all!

The Purpose of Miracles

Jesus makes it plain that God is in control in Matthew 10:29-30: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” If God takes concern for even the smallest of things, how much more attention will he give to greater things? If He has power to ensure that not even a hair can fall from your head, how much more control does he have over your health and family? Surely men are not disappointed because God does not hear their pleas.

Men are disappointed because they have forgotten the purpose of miracles.

If miracles simply serve to heal and rejuvenate, then miracles are entirely superfluous; God is more than capable of preventing sickness in the first place. If He can heal sickness, how much more can He stop the sickness before it begins!? No, miracles cannot simply serve the purpose of healing. Instead, as Jesus tells us here, miracles serve a greater purpose: that men would know the power and authority of God.

Purpose Beyond Healing

It is an easy thing to claim to forgive sins; who can prove your wrong? The Pharisees scoffed at Jesus’ claim to forgive sins, so He gave them a display that they could not scoff at: healing that man’s lameness.

Healing was not the purpose of this miracle; Jesus healed the man so that the people would know that the Son of Man has the authority to forgive sins. Similarly, in John 9:3, we see that Jesus gave sight to the blind man to display the works of God in him. Again, the miracle served a greater purpose than mere healing.

A man’s spiritual state is far more important to God than his physical, for a man’s spiritual state affects him for eternity, while his physical state will soon pass away.

Jesus knew what this paralytic needed most.

Forgiveness from sin.

Being lame would not damn him for all eternity; his sins would.

Healing in Suffering

Miracles heal the soul as well as the body. The lame man and the blind man both rejoiced and praised God. The blind man believed and worshiped Christ, as the lame man likely did as well. The miracle healed their illness, but more importantly it served to turn them away from their sin.

Far more often though, God heals the soul through the sickness and suffering. Many are the children of God who will tell you how their faith blossomed because of suffering; in their cases, God would have been cruel had he given them the miracles they sought and left them in their sin.

Paul understood this well; in Romans 8:28 he tells us “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” All things, even suffering, work together for the good of those who love God.

How can this possibly be? How can suffering and pain work together for good? What about suffering that culminates in death? What good can there be then?

The Greatest Good

The next verse gives us our answer: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

This conformity to Christ is the good Paul spoke of in Romans 8:28. All things work together to conform us to Christ’s image, which is our ultimate good. It is in this conformity to Christ that the sons of God are brought to eternal glory.

This is why God can cause a child to be born with Down Syndrome.

This is why God can cause a teenager to struggle with suicidal depression.

This is why God can cause a man to watch his wife die a slow and agonizing death.

Miracles can open our eyes and make us see God’s glory; suffering can often open our eyes even better. God gives those who love Him whichever is best. God thought it fitting that Christ be perfected through suffering (Hebrews 2:10); it is fitting that we be conformed to Christ in the same way.

The greatest Miracle of all is for our poor and wretched hearts to be remade into the image of the perfect and holy Christ. Often God never gives us the miracle we want, so He can give us this Miracle that we desperately need.

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