Miracles

Matthew 11:20 states:

Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 

I haven't mentioned much about Jesus'  miracles and don't anticipate doing so in the future. My point today will be based on what Jesus intended for his miracles to accomplish.

The Bible is full of miraculous signs, going all the way back to Moses and his first appearance before Pharaoh, when his staff turned into a snake in Exodus 7:10-12. That passage makes clear that the purpose of Moses' abilities to perform miracles was in order "that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers...has appeared to you" (Exodus 4:1-5). Jesus' goals were exactly the same--granted, he showed great compassion in healing these people, even those whom he inadvertently healed when they touched his garment (Mark 5:25-34), but he had a specific purpose in mind, actually a two-fold one:

1. To prove his divinity

2. To cause the people to repent and change their ways

If we were to transplant a person from Jesus' time into the modern world, he would consider our entire life a miracle. Our modes of transportation, abundance of food, access to virtually all the world's knowledge at our fingertips, mastery over disease and so much more would have that 1st Century person asking us why we complained about anything. When people claim that the miracles of Jesus no longer occur, are they saying that the lame no longer can be made to walk? Modern medical advances make that possible. Leprosy has been conquered, and even death, in terms of life expectancies growing by almost 30 years over the past century, has been cheated. 

Given these miracles,  have we acknowledged God's power and granting of these magnificent gifts and repented?

My last point is simple--Jesus used his miracles the same way Moses did, to get people's attention and get them to believe. We have 2,000 years of commentary, reflection and indwelling of the Holy Spirit to prove Jesus' divinity--what more would modern-day miracles accomplish that we don't  already possess?

Scott