If I Could Perform Miracles

He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. 2 Kings 2:23-24

Growing up in the church, I viewed the protagonists in Bible stories as my heroes, and I wanted to be like them. Of course, reading of the miracles of Jesus healing the sick, I wanted that kind of faith and power. Later, becoming a physician, dedicating my life to the health of others, I’ve had to look at Jesus’ miraculous power with some jealousy. It would be amazing to be able to heal others with just a word. Often, I’ve wondered what it would be like to be able to have the gift of healing. Honestly though, I don’t think I could be trusted with that kind of power. I feel quite certain that if I could perform miracles, that I’d find some way to use it to serve myself.

Power often corrupts the one that wields it. To me, that is the lesson of today’s passage. In the story, Elisha had just healed the waters of Jericho and must have been seen as something of a hero. As he traveled from Jericho though, a bunch of kids mocked him, calling him baldy. Offended, Elisha used the power God had given him to curse the boys, at which point two bears attacked and mauled them. To me, this story is about a prophet, whom God had entrusted with great power, using that power for his own petty purposes. As I said, power corrupts. Elisha went on to do other great miracles, but in my view, this event stands as a stain on his ministry.*

As I said, I feel confident that if I had miraculous powers, that I’d use them for my own petty purposes. I know this because I’ve already used the gifts God has given me for my own petty purposes. I’ve misused the power of prescribing medications to divert opioids for my own use. I can’t imagine how much worse I’d fail if I had even greater power.

The challenge now, trying to live in faith and recovery, is to use what gifts God has given me for his will, not mine. This means I must daily point my life at him, abandoning my way for his. This isn’t easy or natural, and it requires daily purposeful choice. If, however, I want the life God intends for me, then daily, I must seek God and his will for my life.

*I must make an admission. Most of the commentaries that I’ve read on this passage don’t agree with my interpretation. Most commentaries suggest that the young boys in the passage had it coming and that it was God’s will for the bears to maul them. So, I’m probably wrong in my interpretation, but the principle – power corrupts – is still a useful lesson.