Miracles that Never Happened!
Matthew 13:54-58
And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? 55Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? 57And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 58And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
A great part of the ministry of Jesus Christ consist of His miracles.
There are 35 miracles recorded in the gospels.
23 times it is stated that He healed “them all” and “everyone”!
These miracles were meant to teach, to reveal, and to demonstrate His deity.
They served as illustrations to deeper spiritual truths.
But these miracles also were a reminder of the consequences of sin- sickness, blindness, death- and the power of God to do something about those consequences.
The bible lets us know that these 35 miracles recorded are but a few selected miracles among many others that were not recorded.
John 20:30-31
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
John 21:25
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
But as impressive as these miracles are, there are hints and even more than hints, of miracles that might have happened had the hearts of men been receptive, that would have been beyond anything that he did!
It is clear that more than once he was at the point of working a miracle but was somehow hindered.
There are needs here today that only the miraculous power of God can meet!
He who had all power was hindered by causes He could not overcome without invading the human will, in which He will never do.
Luke 4:16-21
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
There were in all likelihood, sick, and leprous, and devil possessed, and sorrow-burdened, and unburied dead in Nazareth.
Mark 6:5
And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
The total effect of their attitude was that of closed and shuttered windows toward the light.
There was but a short step between them and eternal life, but it was a step they had to take, and they never took it.
There were miracles that never happened that could have!
Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
At the end of his life He stood and looked over the city of Jerusalem and wept.
What miracles He must have had in mind for this city had they only known and received Him.
Had Caiaphas, Herod, and Pilate arisen from their evil dreams and opened the opportunity knocking at their many doors, it dazzles one to think of what might could have happened!
Luke 4:25-27
But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
Matthew 8:28
And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
Matthew record two demon possessed men, the record records one that was delivered!
What about the men of the city who came out, and prayed that Jesus would depart from their coast.
The saddest pray request I ever heard.
Their pigs where more important that their deliverence!
The woman with the issue of blood touched him!
There had to be more in that crowd that day that needed miracles but never touched Him!
Matthew 14:29
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
What about the others in the ship, they missed a miracle that could have happened to them!
Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus went was exiting Jericho, He had passed through the entire city and no one had cried out to Him, what miracles were missed and never happened in Jericho.
He never came back there again!
John 5:1-9
After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
Was this man the only one healed that day at the pool?
Luke 9:51-56
And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 52And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 54And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
What might have happen in this Samaritan Village, but they missed their chance for a miracle.
Judas was the man who could have been!
They were looking for a Lion, He can as a Lamb, and they missed Him!
They were looking for a warrior, He came as a Peace Maker, and they missed Him!
They were looking for a King, He came as a Servant, and they missed Him!
They were looking for a Liberation from Rome, He submitted to the Roman cross, and they missed Him!
They were looking for a fit to their mold, He was the mold maker, and they missed Him!
They were looking for their temporal needs to be met, He came to meet their eternal need, and they missed Him!
His presence, however we may be made aware of it, sets up a judgement-seat which none can evade!
When He comes into our midst, it is with an offer of the miraculous to meet the sin-created need of our lives.
He is the same yesterday today and forever!
Will there be unopened gifts setting on these seats today when we leave this house?
Miracles that never happened, that God longed to preform!
