“He saw a man blind from birth…He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes…the man went and washed, and came home seeing” — John 9:1-6, NIV
What do you think would happen if a preacher did that today? If the man was healed, the peculiar method might be accepted. But skeptics would still say, “That’s just plain weird.”
Jesus healed a lot of people. But He varied the method.
Not everyone got mud in the eye. Sometimes, He simply touched someone. Other times He spoke the word. One woman touched the hem of His garment. He cast out demons, raised the dead, and healed the lame, the sick, the poor, and the rich.
But He never did things exactly the same way.
Why?
Because He didn’t want us to get hung up on a method. The emphasis of Jesus’ life and ministry is His message, the Gospel of His saving grace. Even then, He used a variety of methods to communicate.
He preached to large crowds, taught small groups, and spoke to individuals at wells, in trees, at weddings, and over meals. He mingled with the religious crowd, as well as “tax collectors and sinners.”
Jesus performed miracles and healed people, but He also told practical parables, filled with spiritual truths that spoke to people in language they understood. He confronted the theologians of His day, challenging them with deep, spiritual concepts such as being “born again,” and their hypocrisy.
Jesus and the apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, varied their approach to keep people from focusing on methods and miracles rather than God. The Lord will never be boring or predictable in His pursuit of us. He is willing to meet each of us where we need to be met, in whatever circumstances. He will speak to us in creative ways that will surprise, delight, and cause us to realize how much we need Him.
So be listening, watching, and anticipating.
The Lord is on the move.
