The Connection Between Jesus Miracles and Lifestyle

Even irreligious Americans are loosely aware that Jesus worked miracles. In pop culture, they are parodied in comedy TV—jabs at Christians intended to make them look silly for believing Jesus did the undoable. But if Jesus really was God the Son, we should expect him to do the undoable. After all, evidence for Jesus’ miracles can even be seen in historical documentation—the Bible isn’t our only resource dealing with Jesus’ miracles. Even so, quick Google search will show that just a little more than 50% of Americans believe in Jesus’ divinity. Just as in Jesus’ day, there are lots of opinions about who He was.

In Luke 4:31-44, Jesus performs many miracles. The first is the healing of a demoniac in v. 35, followed by healing Peter’s sick mother-in-law in v. 39, closing with a spectacle where Jesus healed an untold number of those brought to Him with “various kinds of sickness” or in need of exorcism. It’s no wonder He’s remembered for His acts of healing—it’s one of the main things that drew people to Him as he traveled from town to town during His ministry, after all.

Interestingly, the day after all the miracle-working, Jesus flees from the attention of the previous day, pursuing solitude and declaring His need to teach—the reason for which He was sent.

In my most recent article, I examined the events leading up to Jesus’ temptation at the beginning of Luke 4. I highlighted that if we consider the way Jesus lived life, constantly pursuing solitude and remaining connected to his Father, what we see is life lived in relationship to God the Father that is unparalleled. The principle this teaches is that we, too, can live closely connected to the Father if we learn from the fervency with which Jesus pursued God.  

In v. 32, we’re given further evidence of Jesus’ close relationship to the Father because, unlike a typical sermon in Church, Jesus wasn’t just preaching ways to apply the words of scripture—His sermons were scripture.

Here’s my point—yes, Jesus spoke like no one ever had before, and performed miracles never before seen—but don’t forget what preceded AND followed His teachings and miracle acts: hours spent in prayerful solitude and pursuit of God. I mean, just look at the design of Luke 4—this passage begins and ends with Jesus in solitude with His Father. Theologians have a fancy name for this type of literary structure—inclusio. Inclusio is basically a literary device where the beginning of a passage and the end of a passage concern the same ideas in order to reinforce a major theme. In this case, we see the teaching and miracle working sandwiched between descriptions of Jesus spending time in the wilderness alone with God. This is no accident!  “Solitude with God” was a major theme in the life of Jesus.

Consider the implications for us today. The apostle John records a particularly relevant statement from Jesus dealing with the idea of Jesus’ connection to the Father:

John 14:12-14:

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus is literally saying that we can do what He did if we believe in Him. Yet, believing in Him also means we must do life His way and not our own. And while trading the way we naturally operate in life for Jesus’ way is hard, consider the tradeoff! Who wouldn’t want to do the things Jesus did out of faith, trust, obedience, to have closeness with the Father!

Today, consider what it would mean for you to live more closely aligned to Jesus’ lifestyle. It’s been said that the Church gives way more attention to Jesus’ words compared to the attention we give to His lifestyle. And one of the most obvious things to notice concerning His daily lifestyle, was His pursuit of the Father. Where are the places, times, and moments in your ordinary day you can pause to reflect on God, who invites us to call Him Father just as Jesus did? How can you better prioritize the discipline of solitude to be with God, not staring at the clock waiting to move-on to the next thing, but remaining with Him even when you feel the urge to stop? Taking-up Jesus lifestyle doesn’t have to wait till tomorrow.

What’s next on your agenda for the remainder of today? Why not pause before checking-off the next item on your list, and give your next five minutes to God through prayer, meditation, or scripture reading? Time with God doesn’t have to be a one-off event. Resolve to check-in with Him throughout your day—a small practical way to take-up the lifestyle of Jesus.