In John chapter nine, when Jesus healed a man born blind it created huge problems for His enemies: It meant that Jesus actually had the power to heal people!
“The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight.”
Later they call in the blind man himself:
“And they reviled him, saying . . . “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man [Jesus], we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. . . . Never since the
When they could no longer deny the fact of the miracle, they rejected its obvious significance by attacking the man who had been healed and casting him out of their synagogues.
Not long after this when Jesus raised His friend, Lazarus, from the dead they faced the same problem:
“When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.” (John 12:9–11)
The miracle itself was undeniable, yet they are willing to commit murder rather than admit its significance.
Later, after Jesus had been raised from the dead and His disciples had been sent out to preach, they healed a forty-year old man who had been lame from birth. Once again the enemies of the Christ were faced with the same problem: an undeniable miracle. They ask themselves:
“What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” (Acts 4:16–17 )
We scratch our heads in amazement. How could the Jewish leaders face the apostles’ undeniable miracles and yet order them to silence? Or earlier, how could the crowd who knew that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead turn around and cry out for Him to be crucified?
Their behavior is irrational, but there is an explanation. Centuries earlier God had explained to the prophet Ezekiel:
“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house [of Israel], who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 12:2)
And there is the root cause! It’s not in their thinking; it’s in their rebellious heart.
“Ah! This all makes sense to me,” I smugly think; “I’m a Christian. I’m glad that my heart is not like that.” And then the Spirit brings to my mind the warning written in the Old Testament and repeated to Christians in the book of Hebrews:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:15)
What about me? Do I hear God warning or correcting me, and yet refuse to hear? Do I see God’s hand directing my path and yet refuse to see? Believer or unbeliever, none of us is immune to the disease of a rebellious heart. The anti-dote is to pray as David did:
10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
(Psalm 51:10 )