“Unless
you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” John 4:48
I think I have heard it too many
times to count. Why doesn’t God just show Himself and prove that He is real?
Wow! I even hear that statement from believers, and it makes me sad. Let’s just
look at a brief history of why it saddens me. In Exodus God delivered the
Israelites from Egypt with many signs and wonders. But when they got to the
other side of the Red Sea, they belly-ached and cried and moaned that Egypt was
better and even made themselves a golden calf and called it god. Signs and
wonders did not convince them. Centuries later Elijah called for God to send
fire from heaven. God did and the people believed and followed God for about a
month. Signs and wonders again didn’t do the trick.
Jesus showed signs and wonders all
the time. Just count up how many miracles He did. What did the people do with
Him? The crucified Him! Today’s verse wasn’t a commentary on what the people
needed; it was a sad criticism of what they thought they needed. And people
still ask for the same things today and then still don’t believe. Paul wrote to
the Romans, “The just shall live by faith.”
What God desires from us is faith that He is true, that His Son was the perfect
sacrifice for sin, and that Christ’s resurrection from the dead provides
eternal life to all who will believe in Him. Signs and wonders are not the
means to salvation. Faith is.
Dear
Father, help me to live by faith in the truth of Your word and in the death and
resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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