The Most Amazing Thing You’ve Ever Seen

By Danny Saavedra

“While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.’”—Matthew 9:32-33 (NIV)

What’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen?

What comes to my mind is my wife giving birth. That’s easily the most amazing and miraculous thing I’ve ever witnessed. Some others amazing things are simply acts of nature that God created, while others are based on the skill and creativity of man, which is also given by God. Today’s passage, though, speaks of something that defies nature and makes no natural or logical sense. A demon-possessed, mute man—the word used in the original language also implies that in addition to being mute he was also deaf—was healed and miraculously given his voice. 

This miracle came on the heels of a blind man being healed. Theologian Joseph Barnes points out that the man’s friends likely saw what happened with the blind man and as a result, brought the man to Jesus in hopes of a similar miracle.

And just as He did with the blind man, Jesus cast out the demon and healed the mute and deaf man. Barnes states, “The miracle is narrated in the briefest terms; but the effect was immediate and the restoration was complete.” No trace of the affliction, no residual, just complete life-change and miraculous healing.

For the people watching, this series of events was the most amazing thing they’d ever witnessed. And much more than that, they pointed out that nothing like it had ever been seen in Israel. 

Now, if we were to step back for a second and look at the whole picture, that statement is really huge. Israel as a nation has seen no shortage of amazing, miraculous works from the hand of the Lord. From the plagues in Egypt to the parting of the Red Sea, to the walls of Jericho, to the works of the Judges, to the consuming of the 400 prophets of Baal, to the fiery furnace of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to Elijah’s chariot ride . . . so many wonders! But what Jesus had been doing, the works and the words, was unlike anything that had ever been seen in Israel or anywhere else in the world. They recognized the truth that Jesus, His power, and His work were unlike any other. 

Nothing can compare to what Jesus did . . . But here’s the craziest and most amazing part: It was only the beginning. Greater things were yet to come. His death and resurrection, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the salvation of the saints. And even with all of that, we still haven’t seen anything yet! Just wait until His return; wait until we see heaven!

DIG: What’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen?

DISCOVER: How have you seen the Lord move in amazing ways—in ways you’ve never seen, in ways you never thought possible?

DO: Take note of the big and small miracles you’ve seen this year. Write them down and reflect on what they tell you about who God is.