Jesus’ miracles served an important purpose outside the immediate need they met. As written in the account of his miracle at Cana, “Jesus revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.” He could have abused this gift as a way to wield power over others, but he was a good steward of his talents. He used them sparingly and strengthened the faith and belief of generations to come.
The Holy Spirit gives us all talents, as Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians—“distributing them to each person as the spirit wishes.” Combined with the Father’s gift of free will, we can use those talents as we wish, for good or evil. There are plenty of examples of the latter—computer whizzes who use their technical skills to scam people out of their hard-earned money. Wall Street executives who game the system to do the same. Politicians? Enough said.
Jesus’ greatest miracle is the continued existence of his church, built on two solid pillars: love of God and love of each other. In their purest forms, we can achieve the power to overcome our self-love and do what’s right for the sake of others. When that power wavers, all we have to do is look at the symbol of Christ’s last earthly miracle—the cross—to resurrect it. And that miracle continues.