A first grade teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs. She came to the part of the story where the first pig was trying to acquire building materials for his home. She said, "And so the pig went up to the man with a wheelbarrow full of straw and said, ˜Pardon me sir, but might I have some of that straw to build my house?'" Then the teacher asked the class, "And what do you think that man said?" A little boy raised his hand and said, "I know! I know! He said ˜Holy smokes! A talking pig!'"
What would you think if you encountered a talking pig? Would it shake you up? Would it challenge some of your deepest held beliefs about the nature of the universe? Would you consider it a miracle?
Think about that while I tell you about a hospital where everyone was awaiting a visit from Pope John Paul II. A doctor with a handful of paperwork took a seat in a wheelchair and busied himself with his notes. The Pope swept in, and blessed the doctor, who immediately stood up and walked forward. At that, devout believers in the Pope's entourage instantly crossed themselves and rolled their eyes upward. (1) Surely an act of God had occurred in their midst. Surely they had seen a miracle.
What is a miracle, in your estimation? How can you tell when a miracle has occurred?
It was Easter Sunday evening. The disciples had heard reports that their Master had risen from the dead. They were meeting behind locked doors out of fear. Suddenly Jesus stood among them! After greeting them, he showed them his hands and side. One of the disciples, named Thomas, "The Twin," was not present. The disciples told him what had transpired, but he said that unless he saw the wounds of Christ for himself, he would not believe.
Eight days later it happened. The disciples were together again; this time Thomas was with them. Again, the doors were locked; but suddenly, Jesus stood among them again. And he said to Thomas, "Put your finger into my hands. Put your hand into my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" You know how the story ends. Thomas exclaims, "My Lord and my God!" Then the Gospel of John adds an important postscript: "Jesus' disciples saw him do many other miracles besides the ones told about in this book, but these are recorded so that you will believe that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in him you will have life." (v. 31, LB)
JESUS DID MANY OTHER MIRACLES. How do you feel about miracles? Do you look for miracles in your own life? Do you believe that real miracles are restricted to Bible times? What would you consider a genuine miracle? If you saw a genuine miracle, would it increase your faith? If your faith was increased, how would it affect your life?
On May 7, 1985, an Eastern Orthodox monk named Father Pangratios was cleaning the chapel of the Christ of the Hills Monastery in Blanco, Texas. At first Father Pangratios thought nothing of it when he discovered that one of the icons of the virgin Mary had moisture on it. When he wiped the moisture off, however, he smelled the familiar fragrance of myrrh. He was curious, but thought it a one-time occurrence, and saying a quick prayer, he left for other duties. Returning a few hours later, he found that this same icon of Mary appeared to be "weeping." The tears continued, and after a full investigation by church officials, the Russian Orthodox church declared the "weeping Mary" to be a miraculous event. It was not to be the cause of celebration, however. They declared it "a call to repentance." Father Pangratios observed, "God is saddened by our sins. He wants us to change our lives to fasting and prayer, love of God and neighbor."
The tears of the weeping Mary reportedly resulted in miraculous healings for some. Blind twins had their sight restored after an anointing. A woman with cancer spontaneously recovered. A man due brain surgery found it unnecessary. And cases of mental illness and depression disappeared. Even today, as thousands of people visit Christ of the Hills monastery, the icon still weeps its fragrant oil. (2)
Well, what do you think? Was it a miracle? Let's consider one more reputed miracle, just for fun. Arlene Gardner of Estill Springs, Tennessee, claims to have seen the face of Jesus on her General Electric freezer on the front porch of her mobile home. Not everyone in the town was impressed with the heavenly vision. People magazine reports that Mayor John Gaul, of Estill Springs said, "If Jesus were coming to this town, he would have come somewhere different than on a [blankety-blank] freezer."
I have to confess to you, I find myself somewhat in agreement with Mayor Gaul. WE NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL WHAT WE CALL A MIRACLE. A major magazine reports that 76 percent of Americans believe in miracles and 39 percent report that they had "personally experienced or witnessed a miracle." (3) So, what is a miracle? For many of us, the birth of a child is a miracle or the unfolding of a flower on a spring morning. Who can argue with that? But for our discussion today, we need to be more specific. Let's consider for a moment miracles that are found in the Bible.
BIBLICAL MIRACLES DEFY EXPLANATION. This is something you and I need to come to grips with. You may or may not believe literally in some of the events recorded in the Bible, but you are wasting your breath trying to explain them away. People have tried to do that through the years. The Red Sea that opened for the children of Israel became the Sea of Reeds, a marshy area that could easily be diverted by a stiff breeze. The feeding of the 5,000 became a potluck dinner where people pulled out their picnic baskets and there was food galore. People have found scientific explanations for many biblical miracles, but it's difficult to explain someone walking on water (according to the old joke, he knew where the rocks were.) It's difficult to find a scientific parallel to the sun standing still. It's difficult to explain Lazarus walking out of the grave after four days interment. In fact, things like that don't occur nowadays! That's a fact. Put it down. Carve it in stone. Biblical miracles are reserved for biblical times. They defy explanation.
Michel A. Robuck of East Chicago, Indiana tells about a Mrs. Gonzalez who was his neighbor when he was growing up. Mrs. Gonzalez had dug up her whole yard and enshrined the virgin Mary in a bathtub. And, according to Michel, Mrs. Gonzalez had the most incredible roses imaginable surrounding the shrine. Mrs. Gonzalez swore it was Mary's influence that made her flowers so beautiful. Her bathtub Mary roses were the envy of the neighborhood. Much later, however, Michael and his neighbors discovered that Mrs. Gonzalez' husband would go fishing and clean the fish he caught in the basement of their home. At dawn he'd bury the fish guts in Mrs.
Gonzalez' grotto rose garden. Now, it did no harm for Mrs. Gonzalez to believe that her roses were supernaturally fertilized. Still, a mature faith does not insist on dramatic acts of God for confirmation.
THERE ARE BASICALLY TWO KINDS OF MIRACLES. There are what we might call "property miracles." And there are what we might call "personal miracles." Property miracles refer to our physical world. When Jesus walked on the water, it was a property miracle. Laws of nature were involved. The law of gravity, for example. When you see somebody walk on water unaided--without props or trickery of any kind--you are seeing a miracle of biblical proportions. The parting of the Red Sea was a property miracle. Even the raising of Lazarus--assuming he had been literally dead for four days--was a property miracle. His decomposing body was given new life. If anybody gives witness to such a miracle today, be very skeptical. Place it in the category of a talking pig. Look for a scientific explanation--however unlikely that might seem. These types of miracles which we are calling property miracles seem to be reserved for biblical times and they serve one purpose and one purpose alone: to attest to the truth of scripture.
John writes, "Jesus' disciples saw him do many other miracles besides the ones told about in this book, but these are recorded SO THAT YOU WILL BELIEVE that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in him you will have life." That is the sole purpose of property miracles. Jesus did not give Mary and Martha back their brother Lazarus out of compassion for them. He did have compassion for them. He wept when he saw their grief, but Jesus cares about everybody's grief. He cares about your grief and mine, but he does not raise our loved ones from the dead in this physical world. John tells us plainly that he gave Mary and Martha back their brother so that people would know that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus did this miracle so that the Father would be glorified through him (John 11:39-42).
"In the Gospel of John," says James E. Carter, "the word SIGN is used rather than MIRACLE. A sign points beyond itself to a major truth about God made known through Jesus Christ. A miracle is never a miracle for its own sake. As used by the writer of John's Gospel, the miracle is always a sign that points beyond the event to a greater truth." (4)
I said there seem to be two kinds of miracles: property miracles and personal miracles. MANY OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED PERSONAL MIRACLES. These are miracles that occur within people. A healing takes place. Perhaps that healing is physical; perhaps it is emotional; often it is spiritual. And we say, I have seen a miracle. The doctors can't explain it. The psychologists can't explain it. The people who know us best can't explain it, but healing comes. The lump is no longer there. The anger and hurt are no longer there. The old rebellious spirit is no longer there. God has worked a miracle, but God didn't have to break any of the Laws of Nature to work this miracle. God worked within the chemistry of our body, in the same way that doctors work within the framework of that chemistry. God worked within the longings of our heart, just as the therapist works within those longings. God responded to the prayers of our spirit as a good friend might respond, and healing came. No laws were broken, but a higher law was experienced. Saint Augustine put it this way: "Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature." You and I have seen such miracles--especially in answer to prayer.
But here is the important message of our Scripture lesson: JESUS PRAISED FAITH IN THE ABSENCE OF SIGNS AND MIRACLES. Jesus says to Thomas: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Authentic Christian faith does not depend on signs and miracles! Be wary of people who put too much emphasis on the dramatic or the supernatural. Christian faith is an ongoing relationship with the living Christ that perseveres even when God seems to be silent.
A few years ago, Elaine St. Johns and a friend were riding down a twisting canyon road and somehow left the road. I would like to report to you that a hand came out of the clouds and caught their car and somehow miraculously placed it back on the road. Unfortunately that is not what happened. Their car ended up upside down in some bushes. Elaine's friend was thrown clear of the wreck, but Elaine was pinned underneath. Her neck was broken; she was completely helpless. And a miracle occurred. Elaine should have been overcome by fear, she wasn't. Elaine writes that suddenly she knew she was in the presence of God. She heard a voice in her head saying soothingly the words from Matthew 28: 20, "Lo, I am with you always." She felt complete peace as her friend eased Elaine's broken body out of the car. She didn't panic or go into shock. Throughout the whole frantic evening, Elaine remained calm. She knew she was wrapped in God's love, so she didn't need to fear. (5)
Friends, that's a miracle. Crowds won't gather in amazement. Church inquiries won't bother to test its authenticity. It is not as dramatic as a talking pig, but it is a miracle. Do I believe in miracles? Yes. As long as we are clear in their meaning. The miracles of the Bible defy explanation. They were instituted to confirm the truth of Scripture, and they seem to be limited to biblical times. But there are personal miracles that occur every day--instances in which people feel the presence of the divine in their lives bringing healing and help in all of life.
1. L. M. Boyd, Crown Syndicate, January 1984.
2. Gurvis, Sandra, Way Station to Heaven; New York, NY, Simon and Schuster MacMillan, Inc., 1996, pp. 177-179. From a sermon "Number One in the Nation" by Don Emmitte.
3. Faith Popcorn & Lys Marigold, Clicking--17 Trends That Drive Your . . . (New York: HarperBusiness, 1997), p. 107.
4. James E. Carter, Layman's Bible Book Commentary, Volume 18 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1984), p. 28.
5. Elaine St. Johns, quoted in Dawnings: Finding God's Light in the Darkness, ed. Phyllis Hobe (Waco, TX: Word, 1981), pp. 36-37. Cited in Richard Exley. Strength for the Storm (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), pp. 66-68.