Miracles and the Kingdom of God

My assurance to all readers and learners is that miracles are normal for the kingdom. Christ sent His disciples out and said, “Whatever city you enter, and they receive you … heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10:8–9). Until the time of Christ, miracles were rare, being special historic visitations of God, and were divinely initiated by His sovereign will.

There were no gifts of healing for the blind, crippled, or deaf. Outstanding people such as David, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, and Esther never once witnessed a physical wonder, and some never witnessed anything they could call supernatural. 

Ezra never saw a vision or heard a call or a voice. He was not a prophet, nor did he feel the moving of the Spirit. He could only trust the Word alone. 

Generally, the few signs and wonders that were seen were demonstrations to teach rulers, such as the despotic lords of Egypt, Babylon, and Israel. These wonders were designed to humble them, as it did Nebuchadnezzar. He was forced to admit that “His [God’s] dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation.… I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven” (Dan. 4:34, 37).

Usually, such events as the plagues of Egypt were judgments. John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets, expected that kind of judgment when the Messiah came. But the higher marks of kingdom power are kindness and mercy. 

John spoke of the fire cleansing and burning up the chaff, but when Jesus baptises with fire, it does not bring destruction or judgment, but it brings a blaze of love. Jesus sent John the Baptist a message to show that His fire was His rage against the evils that men suffered. He was the One who should come. The gifts of the Spirit are benevolent and kind.

The same kind of contrast that was between John and Jesus is seen between Elijah and Elisha. Elijah was a prophet of fire and judgment; his successor was a prophet of kingdom mercies.

When Jesus met a blind man, He said, “I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day” (John 9:4). By this, He showed that the restoration of the blind was His Father’s work. 

Kingdom mercies continued as long as Jesus was in the world, and they subsequently resumed after He had gone. In that same verse Jesus told His disciples, “The night is coming when no one can work.” He meant that soon He would be crucified, night would fall, and there would be no blind receiving their sight. He also said to the disciples, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Neither did they for a time. Then came what Jesus had promised them— power, when the Holy Spirit came.