I received an interesting email in response to my most recent post. The conversation advanced and clarified my blog so I thought it might be useful to post here.

First the email:

Kevin,

I have tried ignoring your blog comments from Monday, but find they keep haunting me. It looks like a wise person decided that this blog needed to be pulled and I can understand why. My initial reaction would have been unprintable. And I thought you must have finally gone off the deep end.

But I am left with these questions that I hope you can clear up...

I do understand transactional and transformational, but what makes you say that Jesus' miracles were only transactional? Is there evidence that proves that those who experienced these miracles were NOT transformed, in big ways or small? What is the point of referring to Jesus' miracles as "second-rate"? Is there someone else who performs better miracles that we are, somehow, unaware of? Why would you need to diminish Jesus' work in order to make any point? And finally, what is your point with these blog comments?

Thanks for your input.

Now my response:

The blog has not been pulled. A wise person decided it needed to stay put.

1. Transactional Leadership results in material change (from paralyzed to being able to walk) but no change at the level of human values. Transformational Leadership results in a change at the value level. Read about the one miracle that led to transformation in Mark 10:46-52. Bartimaeus chooses to follow Jesus. Following Jesus constitutes transformation in the gospels.

2. Is there evidence that those who experienced miracles were not transformed? The crowd crying out, “Crucify him!” Is the same crowd that experienced/witnessed/heard reports of Jesus’ miracles.

3. Jesus’ miracles were “second-rate” because they were transactional. A first-rate miracle is a transformed life. This is what Jesus means when he says to his disciples, “Greater works than these.” See John 14:12-13. I have never seen you heal a man born lame (second-rate miracle). But I have seen you transform a life (first-rate miracle). You yourself have done “greater works” in Jesus’ name.

4. Is there someone who performs better miracles than Jesus? Yes there is. You do.

5. I am not diminishing Jesus’ work. Jesus is not trying to impress anyone. When Jesus can speak the Cosmos into existence with a casual word, “Let there be Light,” healing a man with a bum leg is a second-rate miracle. Jesus’ miracles manifest his love, not his ego. As Jesus said to the Leper who asked, “If you want to, you can make me clean.” Jesus said, “I want to.”

6. My point in the blog is this: The Kingdom of God is not a magic trick performed by the Holy Spirit . If that was the Kingdom of God, what does Jesus need disciples for? No. The most challenging miracle of all is for Jesus to get us to love one another. God does not have the power to make us love if we insist on not loving one another. What did Jesus do, what miracle did Jesus perform to try to get us to love one another? He died on a cross.

Given that Jesus was willing to die for you, are you willing to learn to love me? That is the transforming power of Jesus at work. That is first-rate miracle.

Does this help?