The Works of God

The LORD is risen!

And this risen Lord made disease and disability a central part of his ministry.

As God, he declared to Moses: “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Exodus 4:11)

He showed us how a king behaves when David actively sought to keep his promise of care and redemption to the disabled grandson of the man who wanted him dead:  “Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.” (2 Samuel 9:11)

He confirmed he has authority over sin: “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose. . . (Mark 2:10-12a)

He sees people with disabilities: “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.” (John 9:1)

He taught us disability brings him glory: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3)

He demonstrated he is the One: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Luke 7:22-23)

He blinded Paul for three days (Acts 9:3-5) and made him spend a lifetime of suffering so that Paul could teach us: For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. . . (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Even as he died, powerful men understood who he was: And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:37-39)

Dead people rose to talk about him: And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:51-53)

He is the risen King of Kings!

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.”  Luke 24:1-6a