Tag Archives: miracles

The odd healing of the blind man of Bethsaida

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The healing of the blind man of Bethsaida, one of the few incidents unique to Mark’s gospel, must be the oddest of Jesus’ miracles. It says that when he got to Bethsaida, the townspeople brought a blind man to him and begged him to heal him. Begged? It’s almost as if he seemed unwilling at first.

Then, Jesus took the man by the hand and led him out of town. And at first, the healing seemed not to work. The man could see, but not clearly. Jesus had to try again.

Did Jesus have an “oops” moment? Or did he have a reason for performing a two-step healing?… Read the rest

The subversive healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate

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Healings occur frequently in the New Testament. They testify both to the power and compassion of God. Acts 3 describes the first healing after Jesus’ resurrection: Peter and John’s healing of the lame man at the temple and the speech Peter gave immediately afterward.

The same people who hated Jesus hated Peter and John for this deliberate act of subversion.  It’s easy for us to understand its life-changing impact on the beggar. It’s less easy to notice it’s meaning in the life of the church.

… Read the rest

Exodus: a roundabout road to victory

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God leads us, but his ways often seem to make no sense. Consider the exodus from Egypt. Israel left Egypt armed and in battle formation. But not as ready for battle as they may have thought. They could have taken a major trade route and gotten to the Promised Land quickly. That wasn’t God’s plan. Instead, they headed to the desert, apparently aimlessly.

I don’t know about you, but I always try to find the most direct route to where I want to go. When I’m driving somewhere, I get there quickly. When I’ve tried to reach life goals that way, it hasn’t worked out so well.… Read the rest

God’s grace to the wicked: the case of Ahab

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God is good -- God's grace to AhabWhen people lack thorough knowledge of the Bible, they’ll make some sweeping generalizations that are completely wrong. For example, they’ll say that the Old Testament is all about law and judgment, and that grace comes only in the New Testament. In fact, every book of the Bible proclaims both grace and judgment. Often, both occur in the same passage.

Some people also get the idea that God gives grace to “good” people and judgment to “bad” people. In fact God offers grace to the worst of people: King Ahab of Israel for example.

“Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those who came before him” (1 Kings 16:30).… Read the rest

Lessons in faith: Jairus and a sick woman

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Faith can move a mountain. Scripture might not record any instances of moving a literal, geographic mountain, but it certainly shows astounding results of faith in action. Mountain-moving faith has four imperatives: believe, speak, act, and stand. The hardest part is the last part, to stand.

Consider Jairus, a synagogue official whose daughter was dying. Jesus healed her, but only after an awkward interruption. Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56 tell the story.

Synagogue officials, by definition Pharisees, often disapproved of Jesus. But not all of them. Jairus obviously believed Jesus would heal his daughter. What’s more, he must have believed that Jesus would agree to do so if asked.… Read the rest

First Things First: Jesus’ Miracle at Cana

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Are you ever offended at Jesus? He upset people from the very beginning. Some of us in the church haven’t liked everything he did for 2,000 years–least of all his sense of timing.

Jesus’ first miracle took place at a party, much to the consternation of those who think religion ought to be dignified and serious.

He brought the wine, much to the consternation of Christians who believe that anything alcoholic is evil. What was Jesus doing there in the first place, and what does it all mean?

According to John 2:1-11, Mary was at a wedding in Cana. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited, apparently some time later than Mary.… Read the rest

How Gideon failed at success

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Everyone wants to succeed at what they try. The alternative is failure.

Successful people know failure. They have learned from it, worked out problems, and tried again until they succeed. That’s the way the world works.

Unfortunately, the world also has pitfalls that can ultimately destroy the successful if they’re not vigilant. The Bible has many examples. Let’s look at Gideon.

… Read the rest

Mary and the sneakiness of God

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There is nothing subtle about how the world operates. We measure power by size. Each industry has one or two dominant and large corporations.

The most powerful nations have some combination of the largest economies, international trade, military power, and diplomatic reach. Politicians vie to amass the most money so they can parlay their fundraising into the most votes.

God doesn’t work that way.

Just look at how he prepared Mary for her role in God’s sneaky counterrevolution against the devil.

Satan appeared to win a great victory in Eden by corrupting the man and the woman God had made. God declared that the seed of the woman would ultimately defeat him.… Read the rest

Stubbornness and faith: the man with the withered hand

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At the height of his popularity, but when the Pharisees were beginning to view him with suspicion, one Sabbath Jesus entered a synagogue, by definition a Pharisee stronghold. Not that it was unusual for him to attend synagogue services; he probably attended somewhere every Sabbath of his life. But on the occasion Mark describes, a man with a withered hand was there.

All the Pharisees looked Jesus and the man with the withered hand, and what they saw was not so much a man in need as a reputed law breaker in their synagogue.

Would Jesus have the audacity to heal the man on the Sabbath?… Read the rest

Trusting Jesus when it makes no sense: healing the blind man of Bethsaida

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blind man of bethsaida
Christ Healing the Blind Man of Bethsaida (14th. c.)

Mark’s gospel records a very odd healing. Some people in Bethsaida brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch him. Usually in Scripture we see Jesus instantly moved to compassion, but these people had to beg him.

Then, instead of laying his hands on the man, he led him out of town, where the story becomes odder still.

Implicitly Jesus had challenging questions for the blind man, his disciples, and all of us: Do you believe me? Is trusting me still an option for you?

In Luke 10:13, Jesus pronounced woe to Bethsaida for its unbelief at the miracles performed there.… Read the rest