And He Did No Miracles

Modern rendition of the baptism of Jesus

It is not often I get to go to the temple. The reasons have always been a mixture of time on hand and laziness. However, I did have a chance to go to the Provo Temple two weeks ago and performed vicarious ordinances.

The journey was not without any personal enlightenment. I came across a passage in the New Testament that helped gain a better understanding about the Lord's servants and what we can do in our lives that's applicable even today.

It is said by the Apostle Luke that there's no greater prophet than John the Baptist except for the Savior (Luke 7:28). He is, after all, the man who prepared the way for Christ's ministry. John was not only a prophet, but also the cousin of Jesus. The genealogy of that family can be found in detail in Matthew.

I don't claim to be a scripture guru, so feel free to correct me if I get the context of the biblical passages wrong. I am merely sharing my experiences.

Of course, that is not the passage I read in the temple. The verse I came across was John 10:41-42. "And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man (referring to Christ) were true. And many believed on him there." Note the phrase "John did no miracle". That caught my eyes as soon as I opened up the Bible at a random spot.

(For those of you who don't know, I usually go for the random shot in the dark when I pick a spot to  read the scriptures in the temple.)

For many, the days of Christ-like healings and earth-shattering phenomenons have passed. The distant past is where all the well-known prophets dwelled. I know I have had my own definition of what prophets are supposed to be like, and I admit, I used to think they should be able to perform mighty miracles because of their faith.

Depending on your definition of a prophet, it may affect your expectations. Even the LDS Bible Dictionary recognizes the fact that the designation of a prophet includes a person with testimony of the Lord (Rev. 19:10). In that sense, John was probably not a seer, but he was nevertheless a preacher of righteousness.

What did John do? He taught people about the coming of the Savior. We don't have all the details of his ministry besides baptism unto repentance to his humble exit and eventual execution at the hands of the Jewish puppet government.

Bottom line is, great things can be accomplished without grandiose deeds. If we feel otherwise, we are misguided. In popular culture, this idea is reflected by Gandalf in the Hobbit movies. Little things that we do together tend to have more effect than one tremendous deed once in a blue moon. Refer back to the Nephites after Christ's visit. They lived in harmony and prosperity because everyone did the right thing.

As for the miracles, that's another story. Mark and Moroni has some interesting commentaries about the lack of miracles in our days (Mark 6 & Mormon 9).