What do miracles do?

Signs and Wonders alone do not Prove Deity or God’s Message

 

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” John 3:1-2

 

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31

 

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs. Mark 16:15-20

 

Certainly Jesus’ miracles helped people to accept Jesus as sent from God, and the apostolic gospel as the word of God, but it takes more than signs and wonders to confirm God’s presence and God’s truth.

 

After all, false teachers and Satan’s demons also performed deceptive wonders and signs. The Roman historian and orator, Cornelius Tacitus, wrote of Emperor Vespasian healing a blind man and another with a withered arm!

 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23

 

Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. Matthew 24:23-25

 

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

 

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10

 

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. Revelation 16:12-14

 

It's the quality of the message and the messengers which the signs and wonders accompany – that’s the key.

 

So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. John 6:24-36

 

Jesus’ signs and wonders were intended to point sinners to Jesus to hear His teaching and be saved for eternity.

However, shallow people only saw in Jesus a quick supply of food or power for militaristic purposes. They did not see the signs in the context of Jesus’ claims about Himself, and then believe His warnings, promises and teachings. This was especially true of the Pharisees because Jesus was winning the crowd’s attention away from their leadership, and also attracting the wrong kind of Roman interest! John 11:45-48; 12:17-19.

 

The conversion of the Roman Proconsul of Cyprus is extremely educational in this regard:

 

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Acts 13:4-12

 

Sergius Paulus, the Roman Proconsul of Cyprus, had summoned Barnabas and Saul to hear the word of God. A magician tries to turn the proconsul from the faith, but Paul, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, strikes the magician blind. The outcome of all this was that “the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.”

 

Note that the Proconsul had not wanted Paul’s power, as Simon had done in Samaria (see Acts 8). Not at all. The teaching of Jesus was what had impressed him, and he became a believer. That’s how it’s supposed to work!!

 

If all you’re impressed by are spectacular wonders, and not the credentials of the wonder-worker, and what kind of life the wonder-worker is pointing you to, then you will fall prey to all manner of charlatans.

 

This is the problem with the Charismatic or Pentecostal Movements. People are attracted to Jesus for the wrong reasons. They’re after spectacular shows, quick fixes and an end to their pain. They want heaven now!

 

David Carr