Miracles

“Mirror of the Passion” Lent devotion for March 23, 2022. Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. (Luke 23:8)

So where have you been for the last three and a half years, Herod? You’re the ruler of Galilee and you never got a chance to see Jesus? Entire towns showed up to see Jesus. Crowds followed him from place to place. You could have caught his show at any number of places.

And let’s face it. That’s all it really was for Herod. A show. Herod wasn’t a believer. He was curious, but he was just part of that “wicked and adulterous generation” who always wanted a miraculous sign.

Do we ever come to see the “Jesus show?” Do we ever come to church simply to be entertained by musical talent or an inspirational speaker? Sure we do. And that’s just fine with the church, who will strive to provide entertainment and inspiration so that you’ll come to the “Jesus show.”

I know that’s harsh. But in our culture, we do expect to be entertained. We expect to be entertained all the time. And while there’s nothing wrong with entertainment, that’s not why Jesus came. He didn’t come to do card tricks or make balloon animals or make an elephant disappear. He came to save us from sin and death. He performed miracles to verify that he was the Savior. He performed miracles to help those who were suffering from so many different ailments. He performed miracles because of his great power and his great love. But he never played to the crowd.

There are plenty of folks who would like to see a miracle. I’m one of them. A wise friend commented, “There are miracles all around us, if you just take time to look for them.” How true. We can talk to just about anyone anywhere in the world at anytime during the day. That’s miraculous. A baby is born, breathes, cries, looks up at you, and smiles. What a miracle! The human eye can distinguish over 10 million different colors. Whoa. A really, really good cup of coffee smells and tastes so good. Same goes for bacon and freshly baked bread. Oh, yeah. You wake up fifteen seconds before your morning alarm goes off. How does that happen?

There are a lot of people who would like to see Jesus, too. I’m one of them. But not just for a miracle. Forever and forever.

Thanks for all the miracles, Lord. Amen.