Hearts big enough for the miracles!

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mark 6:1-6)

An interesting and disturbing picture emerges from this story recorded in the gospel according to Mark. Jesus returns to his home town. As he teaches in the synagogue and the word gets around about the miracles that he has performed what grows in the heart of those who hear and see him is indignation. They take offense. How dare Jesus think that he could say and do such things there. So hardened are the hearts of the people that Jesus is unable to reveal the fullness of God’s work and will there. Mark tells us that only “a few sick people” were healed. The work of God and faith are tightly linked here. Sadly we see how human small-mindedness and hard-heartedness can cut off the God of grace and stop him from working not only in the individual’s life, but also in the life of the community. All of Nazareth missed out, not just a few selected people.

What was it that offended them so? From the text it appears that the people of Nazareth thought they knew Jesus too well. He was ordinary, one of them. He had a mother and some brothers and sisters who stilled lived in the town. “If he really is God’s son...if he really is the messiah...then he just can’t be so much like us!” is the way the people were thinking. Ironically the opposite is true.
For Jesus to be the messiah, the chosen one sent by God to deliver us, he has to be ordinary. He has to be one of us. Jesus must live under the law, face the temptation of sin, and experience the darkness of death in order for you and me to be freed from the power and our fear of sin, guilt, death and the devil. It is when we try to make Jesus ‘superhuman’ that we find ourselves struggling to believe and cutting ourselves off from the gracious God who is seeking to pour his blessing, his power, his grace, his love into our lives.

In an article entitled Miracle Worker, based on the above text, Jim Callahan writes:

“Yes, his mama was Mary, and he had sisters and brothers with names and faces and backaches. The Gospels proclaim that God was his father, and he proclaimed that God is your father and mother too, and mine everyone’s. When we begin to really believe that, when we seek God in the ordinary, daily wash of things and find God in nothing more complicated than each other and in God’s beautiful, dangerous, gorgeous creation, "mighty works" begin to happen. Works of mercy and compassion. Works of healing and commiseration. Works of forgiveness and understanding and of great laughter. Frederick Buechner was right, I believe, in asserting that miracles do not evoke faith so much as faith evokes miracles.” (The Christian Century, June 21-28, 2000, p. 679)

Underlying all this is that miracles, the mighty works of God, are as much dependent on us as they are on God’s action. What if the paralysed man had not gotten up and picked up his bed? What if the friends had not brought the sick man to Jesus? What if the woman with the haemorrhage had not pushed through the crowd to touch Jesus? What would have happened if Lazarus instead of coming out of the tomb and simply called out to Jesus, “But I’m dead!?”? At some point in every miracle the individual must participate or respond in some way.

So often we pray for miracles, look for miracles, hope for miracles to help us deal with life and its difficulties and hardships. We do this because the belief in God’s action gives us hope and assurance that we can prevail...that we can overcome...any and everything that comes our way. But the truth is more difficult in that sooner or later the rubber has to hit the road. Sooner or later we need to step out in faith believing in the promises of God and act in faith believing that God is answering prayer. Like the people of Nazareth we need to see that God comes in ordinary ways and works in ordinary things and through ordinary people. Pray for a job, but it helps to register on job.search and read the employment ads. Pray for relief from financial hardships, but you might want to get some financial advice or talk to your bank and begin tightening up on the budget. Pray for the church to grow, but start participating in the life of the church yourself and invite others to come and be gracious to all you meet each day so that the light of Christ can shine through you so people can see.

I believe in miracles. I believe in praying for miracles to take place. But I also believe that what is needed are hearts big enough for the miracles to take place. Hearts large with grace, generosity, kindness, compassion, mercy and love.

How big is your heart?