Look at the settings in which first century miracles took place. The first miracle of Jesus’ public ministry was at a wedding feast (John 2:1-11). Matthew 8 describes a number of early miracles. They took place near the entrance to a town, in a private home, on a boat, and in the countryside. The man with a withered hand was healed in a synagogue (Matthew 12:9-10). The man suffering from dropsy was healed in the house of a Pharisee (Luke 14:1-4). Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, among the enemies who came to capture him, Jesus healed a severed ear (Luke 22:51).
Many miracles took place “as He passed by,” to use the wording of John 9:1. Such ordinary, every-day settings meant that those who saw the miracles were of all types, not just those of a sympathetic religious view. The miracles were also of such a nature as to be open and clearly visible to those present.
Great crowds came to [Jesus], bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at His feet, and He healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel (Matthew 15:30-31).
Jesus was simply going about His business, but He was not seeking publicity. Indeed, He actively resisted it. The New Testament repeatedly states the Lord’s general policy of discouraging publicity over His miracles.