Earlier today I came across a video on Yahoo of a kid doing some pretty amazing dance moves on a TV program in Norway – what struck me was not the video but a comment someone made about commenters on the video, which was something to the effect of “it can be hard to amaze people anymore…” and I thought, isn’t that the truth?
It got me thinking about how all through the Gospels, in the ministry of Jesus, we see the people “amazed” at Jesus and his teaching, miracles, power, and the authority with which he went about his ministry and proclaiming the gospel. For example:
Matthew 8:27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Mark 1:22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
Mark 2:12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Luke 5:26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Luke 9:43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples…
John 7:21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed.
Now as to the authenticity of the people’s “amazement,” we’ll just leave that aside for the moment – and talk about “amazement.” You will have to excuse me as I am not at a computer with Bibleworks and languages material but the last I checked… the word used in these verses for “amazed” has to do with the sense of jaw-dropping, mouth gaping wide open, eyes popping out of their heads. breathtaking amazement, maybe even a degree of disbelief (as in totally blown out of the water). lol!
Maybe that is a little too exaggerated but I am guessing in the more “primitive” culture of the first century seeing the deaf hear, and the lame walk, and the blind see, and the dead raised – demons fleeing, the wind and the waves suddenly going calm, fish overwhelming nets, walking on water, feeding up to 10,000+ (?) folk on four loves and two fish…. teaching with authority and not uncertainty or doubt, etc…
would be pretty
dang
amazing,
would it not? 
I mean, even today, would not, should not these things practically knock the wind out of us in utter and complete amazement??!! Or have we become too dull anymore to be amazed at the demonstration of the supernatural power of God – even maybe a bit suspicious? Would we need proof? A doctor’s note? Documentation? Evidence that demands a verdict?
These kinds of things still happen you know. The question is, are we still amazed by God and the gospel?
My guess is maybe some are but I am concerned that many have lost the ability to be amazed at God and the power of the gospel anymore. I even wonder would I be amazed or would I be too dull to care? or think, wow, that’s neat, and then move on with my own business in my own little world?
I realize there is a lot of fakery out there. Jokesters and pranks. Lots of falsehood and deception – and possibly situations that are more in the psyche than in the body and so on. “Demons” are really just psychological disorders and such…
But I wonder, if due to the fact that much of this stuff is seen as a joke anymore, have we run the risk of having stopped giving God the benefit of the doubt and maybe actually believe in his ability to work his supernatural power in and through the power of the Spirit?
Truly, it can be hard to amaze people anymore.
what say you?
I am amazed all the time, every day, at our amazing God and His Gospel! His thoughts and ways are so far above my own! I try and convey how amazing it all is when I lead Bible studies, too. I don’t think any person, if he gets deep into Bible study at all, cannot be amazed at it all, especially as it becomes more and more real to us.