A Few Words On "The Word"

December 16, 2007
The 3rd Sunday in Advent, Year A
Matthew 11:2-11

More Than a Magician

Have you ever seen a real magician at work? I’m not just talking about a run of the mill magician who owns several items that happen to perform tricks. The type of magician I’m talking about really makes you wonder how they’re pulling the trick off. They leave you truly amazed, not just mildly entertained.

Essentially, great magicians seek to entertain us in ever new and creative ways. Famous magicians like David Copperfield, Penn and Teller, and David Blaine find a way to continuously amaze and entertain their audiences. The whole point of the show is to make us say, “Wow!” However, even when we can’t make total sense of the trick we witnessed, we still know that it was actually nothing more than just a clever deception.

People during Jesus’ day were also fond of watching magicians. The bible even mentions some. Moses and Aaron encountered some magicians when they went to Pharaoh and demanded that he release the Hebrews. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter encounters Simon the Magician who wants to pay Peter for the secrets behind the many miracles Peter was working.

If you look at Jesus objectively, having no opinion of who he is, you might say that he’s a type of magician. He performs a lot of miracles. He heals people, multiplies loaves and fishes, turns water into wine, and raises the dead to life. A magician might be able to find a way to perform similar illusions. However, we know Jesus isn’t a magician. He’s so much more! But how is he really any different?

Perhaps the easiest explanation is that Jesus’ miracles definitely point to something deeper. They tell us a lot about who Jesus is. In today’s gospel, John the Baptist’s followers are asking Jesus if he is in fact the Messiah they’ve been waiting for. Jesus tells them to think about what they’ve seen him do. He’s restored sight to the blind, cleansed lepers, and raised the dead. He’s fulfilled the prophecies that the prophet Isaiah wrote about in the Old Testament.

In addition to Jesus’ miracles emphasizing his claim as Messiah, they also do much more than the magic tricks we see today. Magic doesn’t really change people – Jesus’ miracles do. People are healed and fed, demons are driven out, and the dead are raised to new life.

So what’s the point? The bottom line is this: Jesus’ miracles have a lot to do with faith. Unlike magicians, Jesus didn’t really seek out opportunities to perform miracles; he wasn’t trying to just entertain people. Usually, people approached Jesus believing that he could heal them.

It’s the same way for us today. Jesus wants us to have faith. He wants us to trust that he truly will come into the world and change us, just like he came into the world that first Christmas. Jesus wants us to believe that he is the only one who can truly heal us and restore us to everlasting life.

This Advent, let’s continue to prepare our hearts for the coming of the one who is so much more than a magician. Let’s pray for the strength to believe in the promise of a Messiah who will change our lives in ways we never imagined!

Reflection Question

In what ways has Jesus been “more than a magician” in your life?

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