It’s hard not to be cynical in our world today. Internet ads make ridiculous claims to unwary consumers. Fake testimonials promote bogus products. Glory-seeking preachers claim miraculous healings. One by one, the frauds are exposed, but they’re replaced by new ones just as quickly. Not surprisingly, objective, rational people are left scratching their heads. Why can’t people be more critical? Why don’t they check the facts? Why won’t they listen to science? Enter the gospel stories. While they contain some good teaching and moral advice, the claims of miracles make them hard for a rational person today to take seriously. Walking on water? Feeding the 5,000? Giving sight to the blind? What do you do with these?

In the first century, people struggled to accept the Christian message for similar reasons. In 1 Corinthians 1:22, the apostle Paul described said the challenge of finding a hearing for the gospel saying, “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom.” When he tried to talk to people about Jesus, the Greeks felt his message lacked a certain philosophical flair. Not enough wisdom, they complained. The Jews, on the other hand, said, ‘Don’t tell us, show us!’ Teaching that was this revolutionary should be proven by supernatural wonders. They were actually making the opposite criticism that people make today. They wanted more miracles not less. The point isn’t so much whether they were right, or we are. But it begs the question of whether our objections reveal more about us than they do about the Bible.

Could our modern objection to miracles be a result of having become fed up with one too many imposters? Could our refusal to believe what science can’t explain be the result of our almost religious belief in the limitless power of science? Do we really want to allow for the possibility of a God so powerful He can do things we can’t control and don’t understand?

Jesus’ miracles are only hard to believe if we assume that He’s an imposter. His supernatural acts only detract from His message if we don’t allow for the possibility of an all-powerful God. If God broke into our world, we would expect Him to do things so amazing that they couldn’t be explained apart from His unique power. His miracles confront us with our heart response to our Creator and the Saviour that He sent. The miracles stand. But they invite our response.

Reflect on your response to Jesus’ miracles and what it might reveal about you. And if you want to examine the evidence for Jesus’ miracles, the place to start is the resurrection. Countless people, including me, have been brought to faith by the evidence that Jesus died and rose again. Here’s an article I wrote introducing it (See: Easter resurrection). May God guide you as you consider these things!

In awe of Him,

Paul