The Jews saw themselves as being still in ‘exile’ so long as the Romans occupied their land. God had promised that he would send his people a deliverer, the Messiah, who would save them from captivity. Jesus fulfilled this role, but he also redefined it. It was much broader than the Jews thought. Jesus wasn’t coming to save them from Roman oppression; he was coming to reverse the exile of humanity since Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden. Jesus had come, not just to give Israel authority in the promised land but to give humankind authority on the earth. What Jesus is doing through his ‘works of power’ is demonstrating what this looks like. These works are not just demonstrations of what God can do. It goes without saying that God can do anything. These mighty works are demonstrating the authority that God gave to human beings in the beginning to subdue the earth and rule over it (Genesis 1:28). Jesus portrayed himself as the second Adam who had come to restore to humankind what the first Adam lost. Following the series of mighty works described in chapters 8-9 we find Jesus sending his disciples out to do the same things that he did (10:1ff). This doesn’t mean that we are to be walking miracle sideshows. That’s not the point. God wants to restore humankind to a position of authority on earth. But note that authority implies responsibility. When you take responsibility, you step into authority. God has committed himself to working through us. Take responsibility for your world and the people around you and see what God will do through you.
Reflect on the situations and the people you will encounter today. Take responsibility for what God is calling you to be and pray for those people.
Read Matthew 8:14-9:8.
