Signs and Wonders

My reading last night included:

Matt 15:30-31  And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

Amen. what an amazing passage!

There are those who say, “Well, if Jesus really did it back then, how come he doesn’t do it today?” Then there are those who say, “We can expect the same today.” I thought about both when I read this. My conclusion? Both labor under a misunderstanding.

What about miracles, signs and wonders today? Jesus spoke to this twice, once before the cross and once after the resurrection:

John 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Mark 16:17-18  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Amen. I believe this. I believe that through faith we can receive great things and through unbelief we can miss great things. The Book of Acts and subsequent Church history reveal that God has often done great things when the gospel is preached. And I believe we should still pray: And now, Lord…grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

Yet, in another and very important way, the ministry of Jesus was unique. As Peter preached, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. The signs and wonders in the ministry of Jesus were signs that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised Savior.

I believe we should read the Gospels and see the miracles, signs and wonders in Jesus’ life and ministry for what they are: evidence that Jesus is the Coming One. The works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And, If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. Seems clear to me that we can tell the Gospel stories and say, “See, Jesus is the One sent from God. He is the Son of God. He is the Messiah.”

So what about signs and wonders today? As I have already said, I believe we should pray for and expect mighty works from God, but this is a different and further post. My point in this post is simply to stress, the…works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. Our first emphasis should be: “See what mighty and wonderful things this man Jesus did? That is because He was sent from God, He is the promised Savior. He is the Son of God. These miracles, signs and wonders are the proof. Believe in Jesus.”

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.