The Greatest Miracles of Jesus
When we read about the many miracles the Savior performed during his ministry, there are many things we should consider about the effects of each. If you were blind and now you can see, or deaf and now you can hear, lame and now you can run, I can only imagine the joy you would feel. But are the physical blessings of these miracles the only ones these people experienced? Today I want to explore how miracles affect us.
I begin with a story told by Matthew Cowley, an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 1945 to 1953. As a young man, he served as a missionary in New Zealand and later returned as an apostle. In a speech, he told a story of visiting a church where he was asked to bless a young two-year-old Maori boy who had not yet been given his name and blessing as an infant. Having been a missionary in New Zealand, I am unsurprised that the parents hadn’t gotten around to it in two years. What the Maori people lack in motivation, they more than make up for in faith. As the story goes, when the parents approached Elder Cowley and asked him to give the child a name, they also requested that he give him his eyesight, as he was born blind. The blessing was given, and the boy not only got his name on church records but was no longer blind.
The reason for telling this story is not to say that miracles happen today but to illustrate that the physical effects of miracles are not necessarily the most important. While this young man was no longer blind and definitely had benefits, his faith in adulthood waned, and he was not stalwart in the faith that provided the miracle. This makes me wonder about those Jesus healed. Several of them immediately disobeyed Jesus when told not to tell others about what had happened to them. We have few or no follow-up stories of those whose lives were changed by the physical healing the Savior offered.
Another curious yet understandable consequence of casting the evil spirits out of two individuals in the country of the Gergesenes was that some people were affected negatively. The devils negotiated with Jesus to be able to possess the bodies of a herd of swine that was feeding nearby. The effect was that when the devils entered them, they ran violently off a cliff and into the sea, where they perished. While the two previously possessed people were blessed, the rest of the city was not impressed and asked the Savior to leave the area. That is understandable because the swine were probably sustenance or income to them.
So, out of all the miracles performed, what do you suppose the most impactful and meaningful ones are? I submit that forgiveness of sins is by far the greatest of all. Not only did the Lord offer forgiveness to many during his ministry, but this divine gift also continues to transform and bless us today.
When you think of forgiveness of sins, is it not better than being able to see or hear or walk? Is it more important than good health? Sin is devastating to happiness and mental well-being. In some cases, it takes more faith to be forgiven than to be physically healed. If our past is stained with immorality, deception, dishonesty, violence, or addiction, would we consider the idea that God would not remember those things in the final judgment genuinely miraculous?
In the end, the resurrection will correct any physical deficiency we have. On the other hand, sin follows us beyond the grave as it is part of who we are, not what we are.
So when we ask for some miracle to be performed by God, I think we should first ask to be forgiven of our sins. When that happens, our physical problems seem less bothersome. Because the Savior has compassion on us, whatever blessings we need to come to him will be granted for our good and the glory of God.