"Then (Jesus) began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent."
(Matthew 11:20)
"Deeds of power." That's what he called them. Opportunities to display God's amazing glory. Healing the sick... curing the blind, lame, deaf, mute... casting out demons... walking on water... feeding the multitudes... even raising the dead! They must have been incredible to witness. The crowds would have been electrified!
Had we been there, our response probably would have been one of wonder & amazement: "Awesome! Did you see that!?!? Wonderful!" We may have told others about it... journaled about it... or even alerted the media. Heck, on a good day, we may have even offered up a silent prayer of thanks to God. But that wasn't Jesus' intent.
According to Matthew 11:20, the goal of Jesus' deeds of power was to lead people to repentance. Not to impress us... or exalt him... or provide a topic of conversation in the workplace. No. It was to lead us to repent. I wonder how many deeds of power I've witnessed over the course of my lifetime, and simply exclaimed, "Awesome!" How many opportunities for repentance have I let slip by?
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