Miracles and Repentance

Many times I have heard people suggest how ideal a miraculous intervention by God would be due to the potential prompting of unbelievers to believe in Jesus Christ as LORD and receive the Gospel.  One issue I have with this suggestion is the implication God has not already provided ample evidence in the Bible, the testimony of history and the lives of Christians transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Besides, how many people saw the miracles of Jesus and still chose to reject Him?  God has done and continues to do miracles without number, and the miracle man needs most is not in healing a sick body but the redemption of lost souls.

As Jesus went through Judea and preached repentance and the kingdom of God, He confirmed the truth of His words with miraculous signs and wonders.  Many times He did miraculous healings so people would believe He was the Christ.  This, however, was not the only reason He did miracles.  His purposes reached far beyond the being motivated by human pity, power or sympathy:  Jesus did miraculous signs so people would repent of their sin.  I do not often hear this provided as a reason for God to do a miracle, that He would miraculously heal people so they and their families would exercise faith in repentance.  Though repentance may not be a popular reason, it is a biblical one.

Matthew 11:20-24 says of Jesus, "Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: ²¹ "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²² But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."  The sound rebukes of Jesus came for the witnesses lack of repentance, and with divine insight said should those miracles had been done in other cities--ones infamous for their iniquity--people would have repented in dust and ashes.  Because they did not believe Jesus was the Christ they did not see their need to heed His command to repent, as they harboured unbelief they ought to have repented of.

Had I been numbered among the unbelieving in Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, what cause would there be for repentance?  I suspect I would need to repent of unbelief Jesus could have done anything to heal sickness, cast out demons, open the eyes of the blind, cleanse lepers and raise the dead.  As Jesus preached the law to the proud there would have been much evidence of sin of which I was guilty and had no excuse to deny.  I would repent of pride that caused me to justify myself according to the Law when I was only condemned by it, and that I had trusted in my own works to save me rather than faith in Christ alone.  I could repent of my stubbornness to repent!  How patient is God and marvelous His works to provide opportunity to repent by faith in Jesus Christ.  Faith in ourselves or tradition cannot save, but Jesus is a Saviour we ought to forsake all to follow.