25 Days of AdventSample

Advent -- Day 14

Isaiah 35:4-6

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 53:4-5

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Malachi 4:2

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.

Matthew 4:23

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 9:20-22

Just then, a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

John 11:45-48

Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

Mark 12:24

Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?

Meditation

Jesus’ life began as a miracle. Virgins do not give birth to children. His deliverance from Herod’s infanticide could be considered another miracle. The flight to Egypt and the return to Nazareth. The way he grew up, and the depth of knowledge he showed at such an early age in the Temple. Perhaps these were miracles as well. And then, when people began to suspect that he was more than just a traveling rabbi, they asked him, “Are you the expected one, or should we look for someone else?” His answer was simple: “Look at the things I am doing.”

Blind people gained their sight. Crippled people straightened up and leapt for joy. Sometimes he healed with a word or a touch. Sometimes he was not even present; he healed from a distance. Food seemed to materialize out of thin air, and thousands feasted until their bellies were full. Miracle after miracle validated the message and person of Jesus until no one could deny his power over creation, over disease, over demons, over death itself. Jesus’ miracles were proof that God was with him, proof for the skeptics who would not otherwise realize that he was the One sent from God.

More importantly, they added to the mounting evidence that he had the power to forgive sins. Seeing miracles today may be a matter of refining your definition of the word itself, knowing what to look for, and understanding the purpose of God’s miraculous activity. If we open our hearts and minds to such activity, we would be wise to remember that God’s purpose is not merely to help people. He means for us to look beyond the miracle -- to the Miracle Worker himself.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, the Gospels proclaim the abundance of marvelous things you said and did during your brief public ministry. You made claims no one else ever made before or since, and you had the authority to back up those claims with your extraordinary works. You demonstrated your supremacy over creation, demons, disease, and death. Yet you did all this in a context of profound humility, never calling attention to yourself but instead pointing to your heavenly Father. Thank you that you are able to breathe new life and strength into me, and to make me a new creation in your Kingdom. Open my eyes to see your glory as I wait in anticipation for the day when I will receive a resurrected body that will be in conformity with the body of your glory. In your powerful name I pray. Amen.