Mark 6:5-6: Jesus was not able to do any miracles there except the healing of some sick people by laying his hands on them. He was surprised that the people there had no faith. Then he went to other villages in that area and taught.
Every now and then, a missionary from some far-flung, exotic part of the world comes to speak at your church, and they regale you with stories of miracles and signs and wonders. Have you ever had that experience?
So you listen to them and you wonder to yourself, is it all true and if it is, how come we don’t see those sorts of amazing miracles, here, at home … where we live?
Some people have become very sceptical about claims of so-called miracles. And look, with the crazy things that some Christians get up to, who can blame them. So on that basis, they’ve come to the conclusion that here, in the twenty-first century, there are no more miracles. That God’s miracles dried up way back at the end of the apostolic age. It’s a view called “cessationism”. Miracles have ceased, in other words.
And yet these same people will still pray for someone to be healed. Now, look, I frankly don’t see any biblical or historical support for that view.
So why does it seem, at least in some places, in the comfortable west where many Christians live, that miracles have dried up? Why no miracles? Well, that’s exactly how things happened for Jesus.
When He was out and about, travelling the dusty roads of first century Israel, He performed some amazing miracles.
But back in His home town of Nazareth, it was quite a different story:
Jesus was not able to do any miracles there except the healing of some sick people by laying his hands on them. He was surprised that the people there had no faith. Then he went to other villages in that area and taught. (Mark 6:5-6)
So we’re told that Jesus was unable to perform many miracles at all. UNABLE! So what stopped Him? Well, it was because these people had known Jesus the carpenter all His life, so they didn’t expect that this Jesus, could possibly be a miracle man.
What stopped Him, was their lack of faith. Think about that, a lack of faith blocked God’s miracles. And so He left, amazed at their unbelief.
Maybe the reason we don’t see too many miracles at home, is that we just don’t expect them. Jesus never, ever criticised anyone for having too much faith in Him. Never.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
