Jesus had told John's disciples to remind John of the miracles. The people in the towns Jesus had visited had seen the miracles first hand, yet they had failed to learn the lesson.
Note that the primary lesson was the need to repent. It was not "Jesus can heal", it was "I need to repent". Miracles and healings should be a part of the church's ministry, but the goal is that people repent. Any man or woman's greatest need is to repent and turn to Christ.
So how should miracles help lead someone to repentance? Miracles and healings demonstrate very clearly that Jesus is greater than anyone or anything else. They demonstrate that we do not understand or control everything. They demonstrate that we need God. They demonstrate God's love and compassion for us. So they should cause is to realise how foolish we have been in living life on our own terms instead of on God's terms.
Tyre, Sidon, and especially Sodom, were places that in the Old Testament were regularly associated with severe judgement. Jesus tells the people in no uncertain terms that they are in a worse position than these places because of their failure to respond properly to Jesus.
When God does anything He is looking for a response from us. This applies to miracles, it also applies to less dramatic events. We might hear an excellent sermon, but whether or not we liked the sermon, found it interesting or amusing, or thought provoking, really is neither here nor there. What matters is how or if we respond to what God is saying.
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