In the mid-2000s, my mother Sara (the lady in the photo) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We all know that this type of cancer is fatal, and the doctors at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital in Madrid quickly predicted that she would have about three more months to live. I was recently working abroad (in Peru) while she was in Spain, and I felt very sad but I took refuge in the Lord. In our church in Peru, we proclaimed fasting and prayer for her for several days. The thing is, months later she was operated on, and God healed her through a miracle, giving her 12 more years of life.
In those 12 years, she came to know the Word of God and surrendered her life to Christ. But this story is not about her, but about the people around her, including close family and friends who knew her and experienced everything that happened. They all saw the miracle and its magnitude, as it was cataloged by the doctors who treated her (I was in several medical consultations and in all of them, several doctors told me how it had really been a miracle). However, the vast majority of the people close to her who experienced it did not change their lives or convert to Christ. In the Word, we have several interesting cases to reflect on.
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
The first of them was that of the Rich Man and Lazarus [Luke 16:19-31] . The story is splendid in teaching and explains how a poor man named Lazarus goes with Abraham and the rich man goes to Hades, and while he is tormented with fire, he begs Abraham to send Lazarus to preach the Word of God to his five brothers because he does not want them to come to the same place of torment where he was:
“So he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'” Luke 16:27-30
In the passage, we see how the rich man insists to Abraham and tells him that if his brothers see something amazing or miraculous, like someone rising from the dead and preaching the Word, they will repent. And Abraham tells him bluntly that no, because it will be of no use, indicating the following:
“But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.‘” Luke 16:31
“Listening to Moses and the prophets” means reading the Bible, knowing the teachings of Christ, in short, being interested in the things of God. And it’s true because throughout our lives, we see a multitude of miracles that happen to us or to people close to us. God delivers us from accidents when we drive, works miracles in incurable diseases, allows us to achieve goals that we never thought we could reach, etc. God is constantly demonstrating to all human beings His existence. However, not everyone wants to believe or seeks reasons not to believe.
Returning to the example of my mother, the impact she had on her close circle was like what Abraham indicated to the rich man (“If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead”), and it is exactly what usually happens. There were those who looked for excuses or evidence to say that it was thanks to the doctors, thanks to chemotherapy, or “pure luck of nature.” When they were preached to and the miracle that happened was used as an example (as I mentioned earlier, even the doctors called it that), they tried to avoid the conversation and continue in their justifications. I still use my mother’s example in that circle to preach the gospel.
JESUS HEALS TEN LEPERS
Another interesting passage related to this topic is when ten lepers are cleansed [Luke 17:11-19]. Of the 10 lepers, only one of them, upon seeing that he had been healed, returned to Jesus shouting, “Praise be to God!” He fell to the ground, at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him for what He had done:
“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.” Luke 17:15-16
These lepers had much to thank God for. They were miraculously healed by Jesus. They were completely condemned by society, as these men had leprosy, and at that time, a person could not be in a worse situation. They were forbidden from having contact with anyone, living isolated, miserable, and lonely lives.
But these ten men called out to Jesus and asked for His healing touch… and Jesus performed His miracle on them. However, only one of them took the time to return and give thanks to God. The Bible tells us that this man was a Samaritan. Perhaps it doesn’t mean much to us today, but at that time, Jews and Samaritans had no dealings with each other because they were considered unclean, and therefore Jews despised Samaritans. Yet, it wasn’t one of the sons of Abraham who returned to give thanks, but it was a Samaritan.
Not only did this man return and give thanks, but the Word indicates that he did so “glorifying God with a loud voice.” The term “glorifying God with a loud voice” is translated from the same Greek words that form our word “megaphone.” The Samaritan was a megaphone of praise. Jesus took the opportunity to ask a question:
“Jesus answering, said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?’” Luke 17:17
Indeed, the Lord continues to ask this question today. Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God? We see how the Lord manifests Himself daily with miracles that happen throughout the world, but do we give Him glory?
THE PARALYTIC OF BETHESDA
Another passage that makes us reflect is the healing of the paralytic at Bethesda [John 5:1-18].
This person had been paralyzed for 38 years, and God healed him of his illness. The miracle was so astonishing that the Jews wanted to arrest Jesus, alleging that He had done it on the Sabbath. But the passage implies that after Jesus performed the great miracle, instead of seeking God, the healed man may have continued in his old life. Jesus finds him and says these words:
“Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.’ The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.” John 5:14-16
The attitude of the healed man was detestable. Not only did he fail to thank God for his healing, but he even went out of his way to accuse the one who had cured him before the Jews.
CONCLUSION
As we see from all these biblical passages, people do not necessarily start believing just because God performs a miracle. If you are waiting for a miracle from God in your life, all you have to do is surrender your life to Christ, and you will begin to realize the miracles that God performs constantly.
If you want to change your life, we invite you to receive God in your heart, as only Jesus Christ can make you a new person. Visit our page KNOW CHRIST.
