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J. P. Moreland said, “The New Testament writers say, ‘These things were not done in a corner [Acts 26:26], they were done in public, and you know,’ they say to their audience, ‘that these things really happened.’ Why that is so important is this, when it comes to the New Testament, the miracles of Jesus are actually signs that He was who He claimed to be. Jesus repeatedly said, ‘Don’t believe Me because of my words. Don’t believe Me because I say I’m a prophet from God or that I’m His Son. Believe Me because the signs I do simply can’t be explained if I’m simply a man.’ ” What would be the significance of miracles done publicly instead of privately?
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Miracles publicly done with widespread witness could not be denied and hard to ignore. Privately done miracles could be denied much easier and very likely ignored. One reason I think miracles were done publicly instead of privately is to provide another reason we are “without excuse”.
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The significance is that many could see the miracles Jesus performed. People may not have believed Jesus or the disciples, but Jesus gave proof of his miracles by showing others.
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When the miracles were done publicly, groups of people would experience the same event. If done in private, there could be things that were not true but reported to be so. By having them done in public, there was eyewitness testimony from other people than just those who were disciples or close followers of Christ on earth.
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These miracles had to be done publicly in order to show everyone that He was indeed the Son of God. His goal was to save as many as He could and this would not be possible if He did them in private. Yes, not everyone did believe, but the disciples would carry on by telling His story to all who would listen.
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Privately done miracles would still have a mystery surrounding them. Miracles done publicly were undeniable. Jesus said to look to the signs as belief, and public signs would have made most impact.
