As In a Mirror

Ever heard it said that miracles are impossible? Yep, me too. Why? We can say, “But look at this situation. How do you not call that a miracle?” They sometimes respond, “Oh, but there is a natural explanation!” And they might be so kind as to give an example. Sometimes their answers are valid. But just because a situation seems to have a natural explanation, or at least, seems to go along with nature, does not mean it is not a miracle. I am a believer in miracles. But I don’t believe in magic. A lot of folks might think those two one and the same, but they are not. Let me explain why:

God is the author of miracles; He is also the author of time and nature. However, as the creator of time, He is not limited by time, and as the creator of nature, He is not limited by the natural; He is over and above the natural (supernatural: over, above, beyond the natural realm).
Take the story of Jonah, we tend to think of God’s mindset something like this:
“Hmmm. What should I do about this Jonah character? I know! I will take this great big fish out of his natural habitat, or I will just make this great big fish with no other kind like it, put it right where Jonah is, have it swallow him, then swim to Assyria, and spit him up three miles away from Ninevah! And I will make it so Jonah doesn’t get digested within that period! Tada! He ought to learn something by then!”

Ummm… I don’t believe so. I am going to assume that God, who was smart enough to create the world and the human mind in the first place, is smart enough to know how to handle them. Did you know that there is actually a species of giant fish that swallow people and later spit them out alive onto the shore? Just because this situation was not unique to Jonah does not prove it was not a miracle. That the sequence of events was exactly the way God said it would be proves it was no coincidence. It is a process of nature, yes, but it did not happen by chance; it worked to fulfill the same will God had revealed to a man days before! We call such an instance “miraculous.” I think God, the Creator of time and nature, did not find Himself in a situation one day and make up something obscure. HE is the author of these things, He controls them, He knows them before they happen, yet He is not limited by them.

And how about this story?

“When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”
He said, “Yes.”
And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”
Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”
Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.” (Matthew 17: 24-27)

Sounds a bit outlandish, doesn’t it? However, recent studies have revealed that there are a species of fish in the Galilee region who pick up things like bottle caps and pebbles in their mouths. So a coin did not magically appear in a fish’s mouth. Does this prove Peter’s situation was not a miracle? NO! How did Jesus know how long it would take Peter to get out fishing, when he would get some fish, exactly which fish would be first, and that there would be the perfect unit of money in its mouth? How did He know that type of fish even existed? I think this proves one thing: that Jesus is the Creator, Author of time and nature; He is the Son of God.

Of course, no natural explanation has been found for the five loaves that fed five thousand people and turned into twelve baskets full of leftovers. Nor for the raising of dead people. Nor for the blind receiving sight and the maimed becoming whole at the touch or the word of Jesus. Nor for the calming of the sea. Nor for the turning of water into wine. I think God does what He does because He is smart. He shows us a few things through all the kinds of miracles He does: (1) that He is the author of the universe, knows the universe, controls it, and works in it to fulfill His purpose, (2) that He is also above the universe, not limited by it, and never at a loss for what to do, (3) that He is a just Judge, and no sin cannot escape His judgment, (4) that He cares for us and desires our well-being, and (5) that these stories in His Word are not made up. He is the author of Creation and of the Bible; science is the study of His works, theology is the study of His words.

Next time you hear someone say miracles are impossible, ask him, “For whom, sir, are they impossible?” You could also try, “Do you believe in evolution?” If he responds “yes,” then there is a serious problem, because while denying miracles, he will be affirming what is no less than “magic” (the scientific term for that is spontaneous generation).

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