MIRACLES AREN'T ENOUGH by Jeff Steele

“And behold the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.” Matthew 9:34

Most people in our modern scientific age believe that if they could just see a true miracle, all the objections against belief in God would melt away, and multitudes would become Christians on the spot. The reality is quite different. Miracles in and of themselves are not a guarantee of faith in anyone, not in Jesus’ day and certainly not in our day.

When Jesus landed in the region of the Gadarenes, He was a confronted by two demon-possessed men, who had haunted this region for sometime. They wandered the hills and the graveyards naked, were extremely violent and terrorized the people who lived there. At times, people couldn’t walk the main road due to their threats.

When Jesus got out of the boat, these men immediately confronted Him. Jesus rebuked the legion of demons in the men and sent them into a herd of swine grazing nearby. The pigs rushed down the hill and off the cliff into the sea and drowned. When word reached the city about what happened, many came out to see Jesus. They found the two men, seated, clothed and in their right mind (Mark 5:15).

Our first thought is that surely revival followed with many people from Gadara trusting in Jesus. But it was just the opposite. Instead of embracing Jesus, the people of the area begged Him to leave. An actual miracle done in their midst did not compel them to believe. It merely hardened their hearts against Jesus and made them want Him gone from their town.

Miracles have never guaranteed faith (look at Moses and Pharaoh) and never will. What brings us to faith is the conviction of sin and the humbling of our hearts before the Lord. That is a work of the Holy Spirit. We need to ask Him to work in the hearts of unbelievers to help them see their sin and lostness. That’s what brings them to Christ. Miracles alone aren’t enough.

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