Has anyone ever asked you if you were hungry? Chances are, they asked not purely because they cared about your well-being, but because they were hungry too. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course—it’s not like we should take offense to such a question—but the point is that motivations can be more complicated than meets the eye.
That’s important to remember as we look at Jesus’ miracles. There is not one simple reason why Jesus performed miracles, rather, it is a combination of two critical reasons, each of which we need to understand to appreciate what Jesus did.
Jesus’ Miracles Show Us His Love
As we think of the miracles that Jesus performed, it becomes apparent that He did many of them because He cared for people. We cannot miss this. Jesus was not utilitarian, merely looking at people as object lessons. Jesus loved the people He encountered in the Gospels as He loves us today.
When people were hungry, He wanted to feed them.
When people were hurting, He wanted to heal them.
When people were ostracized, He wanted to comfort them. (I suspect this is why Jesus often touched lepers to heal them; He did not need to touch them, but physical touch was something they had not experienced for a long time.)
Love motivated Jesus, but we need to be careful not to reduce His reasons for performing miracles to just this one. If we do so, we are in danger of holding a human-centered theology, one that puts us a the center of it all and sees us as most important. Jesus, in this flawed theology, cares more about us than anything else—which would include the Father and the Father’s glory. That takes us to the second critical reason Jesus performed miracles.
Jesus’ Miracles Show Us His Identity
The miracles Jesus performed revealed His identity to those watching, and by extension, we who read of them.
Jesus showed His power over nature.
Jesus showed His power to heal.
Jesus showed His power to bring life from death.
In all of His miracles, Jesus showed that He was not a mere man, but rather the Son of Man—the promised Messiah who had come to earth. Jesus’ miracles show that He can do what normal people cannot do. He is special. He is divine. And that takes us to Jesus’ greatest miracle—His resurrection.
Jesus’ Greatest Miracle Shows Us His Victory
In Jesus’ death and resurrection, we discover both of these motivations wrapped up together. Jesus gave up His life on the cross because He loves us and He wanted to bring glory to the Father. He was the perfect sacrifice that none of us could be. Then, in the resurrection, the Father’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s power to give life were on display. The empty tomb, therefore, boasts of Jesus’ identity, love, and His ultimate victory over sin and death.
*Devo from Pastor Brian, from The Gospel Project.
#JesusJams for today!
---> And here's this week's story!!
Christ Connection: Jesus’ miracles proved that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. They strengthened people’s faith and met their needs. Through Jesus, God did what is impossible for us to do on our own. He provided forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.
If you have a bible at your house, you'll be turning to Mark 1 to read with your family this week! If you don't have one, that's okay! CLICK HERE.
OPTION 1: Listen, watch, follow Instruct the kids to stand on one side of the room. Stand opposite them and instruct them to mimic your movements and obey your commands. Begin making simple movements, such as waving a hand, patting your belly, or standing on one foot. Sprinkle in spoken commands, telling the kids to do something you are not doing. SAY • It was a little bit difficult to follow both my words and my actions, especially when I wasn’t doing what I said. You had to listen carefully and watch closely. Today we will learn about some things Jesus did that caused people to listen carefully to His words and watch closely His actions. And still some people misunderstood who He is!
OPTION 2: Help-o-matic Provide each kid with paper and a pencil. Ask kids to draw a picture of a machine that could help them do something they have trouble with or really don’t like doing. Allow kids opportunities to share about their machines. What do they do? How would their machines work? How much might they cost? SAY • It can be fun to imagine machines that help us in our everyday lives. Maybe someday you all will even find a way to invent your machines for real! Today we are going to learn about some things Jesus did to help people and heal them. But He did not need special machines or technology because He is God and has power to do miracles.
