Unbelief Blocks the Supernatural

From the desk of Pastor Ben

“He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.”
                        (Matthew 13:58)

Jesus did His miracles to strengthen the faith of those who trusted Him. Although God could have worked through Him to perform miracles in the absence of faith, He chose not to do so when there was willful unbelief. The Lord possessed all His supernatural power at Nazareth, but the Jews’ unbelief caused Him not to fully exercise that power (Matthew 7:6). His signs were beneficial only as they led sinners to faith in Him or strengthened those who already believed. Miracles did not benefit those who were fixed in their unbelief — miracles were not for entertaining the crowds or satisfying ungodly curiosity.
We would do well to consider the case of the man born blind in John 9:1-3.
“As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him’”
After Jesus restored the man’s sight, he was brought before the Pharisees who debated Jesus’ credibility in the miracle and questioned the man. The man’s favorable testimony of Jesus only served to harden the Pharisees in their unbelief. But when the healed man realized that Jesus was the Messiah, he turned to Him in saving faith.
The Pharisees stubbornness in John 9 illustrates that when unbelief meets Christ’s miracles, it rejects them (see vs. 6-41). Unbelief rejects God’s works because it rejects His truth.

Ask Yourself:
You are within your rights and privileges as a follower of Christ to ask Him for miracles, to pray for seemingly impossible things. But how would a positive response from Him advance your faith or serve as a beacon of His power to others? That is an important question to answer.