Have you ever noticed that what we do often reveals something about ourselves?
The person who never misses their favorite football team's televised games reveals how much of a fan they are. The person who reads through several books each year reveals how much of a book lover they are. The person who frequently hosts friends and family at their home reveals how much they love spending time with the people in their lives.
The same was true for Jesus as he performed miracle after miracle during his earthly ministry. Each miracle said something about him. Sometimes, his miracles revealed his compassionate and merciful nature, as when he healed the blind man (Luke 18:35-43). At other times, his miracles revealed his care for his people, as when he fed the five thousand (Luke 9:12-17). And still at other times, his miracles revealed his authority over creation, as when he calmed the storm (Luke 8:22-25). But in all his miracles, there was one overarching truth Jesus was revealing about himself: his divine nature.
The Apostle John recognized this. So much so that he gave a purpose statement to his gospel account of Jesus's earthly life and ministry. At the end of his gospel, we wrote, "Jesus performed many other 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 Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:30-31, emphasis mine). If there's one thing Jesus wants all of us to recognize in and through his miracles it's that he is the eternal Son of God in the flesh, and he wants us to believe this, so that by believing we would be forgiven of all our sins and have eternal life extended to us (cf., John 3:16).
Here's the thing: a lot of people agree that the historical Jesus was a good and compassionate teacher. But he was also more than that. He was and is and continues to be God in the flesh, and if you believe, his Spirit also continues to be the same compassionate, merciful, and caring God in our hearts today. This week, if you're someone who has trusted in Christ, give God thanks that he enabled you to see his Son, Jesus, with eyes of faith. And if you're someone who hasn't trusted in Christ just yet, I plead with you: believe and trust in him today! Through his miracles alone, he has given us so much evidence of who he truly is. Believe, and receive eternal life in his name today!
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