Humans get fascinated by miracles to the point of shutting their reasoning capacity. All this stems from the powers of darkness, whose origin is ignorance. An ignorant person can be duped to believe anything—hence belief in idolatry. The opposite of ignorance is knowledge, which enlightens anyone to become willing to learn and understand things. The now commonly accepted feats in technological advancement, have ceased to be regarded as miraculous.
The mega Churches derive their popularity in miracles. The fundamental teachings of Jesus, as recorded in the four gospel books, are clouded in miracles that He performed. This is just as such scriptures show that Jesus attracted multitudes through those miracles. The actual facade in those multitudes came to light when they deserted Him at the crucifixion.
Miracles, ignorance, mythology, fear, and darkness can all be classified as synonymous. Nothing else accounts for humanity’s insurmountable challenges. Still stuck in mythological activities, Africa leads with unpleasant problems of survival nature. The way of escape lies in the discovery of there being nothing miraculous in this world. Elijah is recorded as having been removed from the scene, by means of the chariot of fire:
“As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two” (2 Kings 2:11-12) (NIV).
Of course, Elisha did not understand what was going on, at that time. Hence crying out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” Most readers of that particular Scriptural reference consider that chariot of fire to have been nothing other than one of God’s miracles. But I suppose those people would not marvel when such a story appears in today’s news headlines? Indicating that a helicopter came to take away the man of God, for instance.
What makes the story of Elijah miraculous is lacking knowledge of who God is. But the knowledge of God starts by knowing who the person fascinated by miracles is. Just at that moment of cognition, the same person can never be fascinated by things called miracles. All problems of humanity result from not knowing this fundamental reality of personal identity. This information is clearly highlighted in the book of Genesis:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27) (NIV).
This can be described as the miracle of all miracles. In other words, one cannot talk about any other miracle, without acknowledging the miracle implying the Supreme Being, creating that which resembles Himself. But that would be as preposterous as assuming that the Creator gets fascinated by what He Himself, would have created in His own image.
Jesus is the only Man who ever lived to appreciate the significance of being created in God’s image. It is only amazing to notice that His own people from the Jewish community chose not to believe Him. They had Scriptures at their disposal, which included the passage giving details of God creating mankind in His own image. The significance of Jesus, when saying He was the way, the truth and the life, implies that the fascination about miracles is unrealistic.
Jesus came to show humanity the way to their origin. But, unfortunately, their unbelief appears as having been too strong for them. The unbelieving people remained stuck in unbelief, throughout His teachings, and what is considered to have been miraculous. Jesus is recorded as having lamented, time and time again, against the display of unbelief, by his audience:
“A man in the crowd answered, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.’ ‘You unbelieving generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me’” (Mark 9:17-19) (NIV).
Unlike the known healers of our time, Jesus was frustrated by those who could not appreciate their identity. Jesus had been around to show humanity the way towards their true identity. He was not here to show humanity how powerful He was, necessarily. He was more concerned with mankind’s failure to appreciate that they were created in God’s image. That knowledge alone takes them out of all challenges on the face of the earth.
Many people talk about believing in Jesus when assuming that to mean believing that Jesus is capable of performing miracles. But believing in Jesus, basically, means believing that Jesus represents who the person would be. Jesus is the only express image of God, as portrayed in Genesis—showing us that significance. This is clearly articulated in one of my publications, entitled [Believing in Jesus is different from having faith in Jesus].
The unbelieving generation, as Jesus lamented, finds being created in God’s image, unfathomable. This is why they prefer removing Jesus from humanity, making Him a member of the Trinity. All this is designed to ensure that humans remain in condition of idolatry and mythology. Today’s advocates of such stupidity are Theologians, declaring themselves as authorities of everything that is Biblical. During the time of Jesus, such advocates were the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law.
Many people appreciated the miracle of Jesus, more than what Jesus taught. Similarly, many people are fascinated by miracles, as to even close their reasoning capacity. The most popular Christian leaders, today, are the ones who perform miracles of healing and issues of prosperity. But all this stems from the condition of ignorance, mythology, fear, and darkness.
The miracles of Jesus were only extraordinary to those mired in the condition of ignorance and mythology. Such people appear as totally incapable of ever seeing the light. Just as Jesus was frustrated, the truthful ones can also become frustrated. Paul and his colleagues in the early Church also got frustrated by such idolatrous people.
“When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form!’ Barnabas, they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:
‘Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.’ Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them” (Acts 14:11-18) (NIV).
There was no way Paul and Barnabas could help the idolatrous people. Those people were more fascinated by miracles than the message of the apostles. Even when they displayed disapproval by tearing their clothes, the crowd could not move from their state of idolatry. Probably, miracles are the most hindering obstacle of the gospel? This is why in Africa we have more problems, yet having more people claiming to be Christians.
Unlike Paul and Barnabas, the unscrupulous preachers of our time, actually, encourage such stupidity. Such preachers make a fortune out of it. The popularity of Magaya, T. B Joshua and others stems from their inability to deter people from such behavior. Obviously, most people in our modern environment would impress on not being like the idolaters of Paul’s time. Although being, actually, the worshippers of Magaya and company.
Their leaders are just as ordinary as any other person, except being gifted with the abilities to perform miracles. But, if truth be told, there is no person without his/her own unique ability that others are not equipped with. It is a question of discovering one’s own ability. When appreciating what being created in God’s image means, one ceases to be the victim of ignorance. That person controls the environment, instead of being controlled by the environment. A person becomes a cause-point rather than being the effect of what goes on in the environment.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27) (NIV).
One of the fundamentals of the teachings of Jesus is taking the position of being a servant when desiring to be a leader. There is not a single Scripture showing that another person ought to be given a position of prominence if Christ’s teachings are taken as authentic. Jesus, actually, taught His disciples to behave differently from how ordinary people behave in this world:
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:8-12) (NIV).
The idea of making another person greater than others has never been from God, who created man in His own image. The only reason why what Jesus taught is unpopular to most people is that it feels good to be conferred with leadership. It also feels good to worship another person. Those in the leadership are not, necessarily, to blame, as if forcing people to worship them. Just, as in Paul and Barnabas’ case, the idea of putting someone in leadership comes from the people themselves. Leadership should only be conferred on Jesus who came to show us the way.
But after seeing the way, even Jesus becomes undesirable, because one would have become united with the Father. This is why Jesus taught His disciples to call no-one on earth their ‘father’, except the Father who is in heaven. This is easy to understand when appreciating the significance of being in God’s image. It baffles the mind, to see people clamoring to have another fellow human being as their leader.
“So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, ‘You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.’ But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you, they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you’” (1 Samuel 8:4-8) (NIV).
The Israelites were a chosen nation that should have been exemplary. But the appetite of having a leader above them appears as having been overwhelming. God declared that the Israelites, actually, rejected Him from the time He brought them up out of Egypt. It is, therefore, only for the sake of His covenant, that God never abandoned those rebellious Israelites. They were obsessed with idolatry—causing all other sins.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99