Why multitudes ignore the miracle-working Messiah
While Christians around the world are in tune with the historical events of Holy Week, multitudes of people seem as oblivious as ever to the miracle-working Messiah who gave His life on the cross for the salvation of sinners. What about you? Is Jesus on your radar, and perhaps even in your heart?
One day some Jews “picked up stones to stone Jesus … for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). Jesus told them, “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may learn and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father” (John 10:37-38).
Rather than believing the miracles and believing in Christ, these men were inflamed with rage at Jesus and wanted to kill him. Why all the hostility? The Lord told His disciples the reason for this hatred: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world” (John 15:18-19).
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The sad reality is that multitudes of people ignore the miracle-working Messiah, even if they do not necessarily have any hatred in their heart toward Jesus. Those who “belong to the world” love the things of the world rather than the Lord. So, do you belong to the world, or do you belong to Christ? Who currently sits on the throne of your heart: yourself, or King Jesus?
In spite of the religious leaders' animosity toward Jesus, the Messiah performed one miracle after another. For example, Jesus supernaturally multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed 5,000 men, plus the women and children who were present (see Matthew 14:13-21). The same Lord will begin feeding your soul the moment you turn to Him in repentance and faith. You see, there is no greater miracle than being born again through faith in Jesus.
What is your opinion of the One who walked on water? (see Mark 6:45-52). Do Christ's supernatural abilities spark any interest in your heart? Do you know anyone else who can walk on water? You would be wise to come to the miracle-working Messiah and accept Jesus as your Savior from sin. Is there anything stopping you today from confessing your sins to Jesus and trusting the Lord to forgive you?
During His earthly ministry, “Great crowds came to Jesus, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the dumb and many others, and laid them at His feet; and He healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the dumb speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel” (Matthew 15:30-31).
What about you? Do you praise the Lord because of the mighty miracles Jesus performed? Or do you ignore Jesus and live life as your own god? It is easy to ignore the Lord, while loving the world and loving your sin. None of us would ever turn to God apart from the power of the Holy Spirit who produces repentance and faith in man’s heart.
So, are you resisting the Holy Spirit even as you read these words? Or are you open to the idea that you need Jesus and the forgiveness that only He can give you? Do you realize why Jesus endured the agony of the cross? He did it to pay for your sins so that you do not have to pay for your sins forever in Hell (see Matthew 8:10-12). Will you ignore the cross once again this Easter, or will this be the year when you finally get serious about your sin and your need for the Savior?
Like everyone, a day will come when you experience tremendous storms in your life. Perhaps you are going through a terrible storm right now. Jesus has the power and authority to calm storms, just like He did when His disciples encountered a “furious squall” one day while out in a boat (see Mark 4:35-41. Jesus rebuked the wind, and it became completely calm, and His disciples were “terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!’” (v. 41).
Who will you turn to in the midst of the personal storms that lie ahead of you? The longer you ignore the Messiah, the harder your heart will become toward the Savior. On the other hand, the miracle-working Messiah will save your soul the moment you come to Christ in faith. The Apostle John explained it beautifully: “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). In other words, you could choose to follow the Messiah's miracles all the way to Paradise.
One day “the Jews demanded of Jesus, ‘What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days’” (John 2:19). The miracle of miracles was the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The Messiah who had raised Lazarus (see John 11:38-44) and others from the dead (see Matthew 9:23-25; Luke 7:11-17) would Himself come back to life after His crucifixion.
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to many of His followers, including “more than 500 of the brothers at the same time” (1 Corinthians 15:6). Why else would the apostles have laid down their lives for the Gospel? If they had not seen and touched the risen Christ, Christianity would never have gotten off the ground (see John 20:24-31). Christ’s enemies couldn’t track down His body because Jesus did in fact rise from the dead.
So, are you spiritually dead, or spiritually alive? Have you risen from your tomb of unbelief? You can either ignore the miracle-working Messiah, or you can trust Him to forgive your sins and perform the miracle of the new birth within your soul (see John 3:1-8; 1 Peter 1:3-5). You will never know what you have been missing until you give your life to Christ and become one of His followers. Whatever you do, please don’t ignore this soul-saving invitation: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
