Jesus Is No Magic Trick

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by magic and magicians.  I remember buying toy magic kits and checking out magic trick books from the library.  Occasionally, I would try to show off the tricks I learned to my parents and friends.

I'm a youth pastor now, so you can rightly assume I never got very good at magic.  Outside of a few easy tricks, I never could pull if off enough to fool people with my sleight of hand.

And that's the thing about magic:  it's not real.  It's all a series of illusions made to focus your attention AWAY from what is really happening.  We marvel at how trained magicians pull off tricks we can't understand.  Yet, all they are doing is simply getting us to look, think or concentrate on one particular thing while they do the trick somewhere else.

It's all about fooling our mind (or eyes).  Often, the trick itself is quite easy, once it's explained.  Yet, it looks so amazing that we often spend hours trying to figure out how the trick was done.  I guess that's why a magician never reveals his secrets.  It's much more fun trying to figure it out.

As cool as magic is, it's not real.  It's a trick.  It can be taught and passed down and put in book or shown on videos.  One person can teach another person a magic trick and continue to pass down the trade.

The power of God is quite different.  I can't teach you how to perform a miracle.  I can't give you the Holy Spirit.  I can't make you commune with God.  Those only happen through the power of Jesus Christ.  Only God can work miracles.  Only the Holy Spirit can enter into you through belief in Jesus.  Only the Holy Spirit can open your eyes to the scriptures' true meanings.

Simon the Sorcerer thought he could purchase the power of God.  Simon was a magician and he had lots of people fooled.  Then Philip came to town with the message of Jesus.  His words were powerful.  The acts of God were amazing.  Miracles happened.  And Simon, as a magician, thought he could learn this power.  He even tried to buy it. 

However, he quickly learned, the power of God is not for sale.  It's not magic trick.  Salvation is real and only possible through a relationship with Jesus.  Jesus, who rose from the dead, is the only one capable of doing these acts. 

Simon learned that truth, but he never embraced it.  He just wanted more tricks.

Often, we're the same way.  Jesus offers true change in our lives, but we settle for the latest trick and fad.  We don't want real change.  We just want a quick fix or a trick to satisfy us.  Instead of believing and taking on Christ, we get amazed by some other, foolish, thing and get distracted by some sleight of hand.

Don't be fooled.  Jesus is real.

He is the only way to eternal life.  He is the only way to real peace.  The power he has can't be learned or taught.  It can only be accepted. 

Magicians don't reveal their secrets.  Jesus did.  He is the one and only Son of God sent to earth to save you of your sins.  There is no trick there.  Only truth.

But, will you accept it?