Miracles
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” (John 3:1-2)
Cloaked in the darkness of night, Nicodemus approached Jesus, the all-encompassing light, cloaked in flesh. Nicodemus was a “Who’s Who” of the Jewish people–a Pharisee, a scholar, a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. He was a man of authority in Jerusalem. This man noticed the miraculous signs Jesus performed. He knew enough to know that these things could not have been accomplished by mere man–the fingerprints of God were all too obvious. “Pala” works–things too hard for man to do–point us to the Creator.
I love how Jeremiah states this fact in his prayer:
Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
(Jeremiah 32:17)
-Matthew Henry
You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. (Jeremiah 32:20)
Job, after being confronted and questioned by God responded similarly:
I know that you can do all things ;no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. (Job 42:2-3)
Indeed, Jesus speaking to the father of the boy with an evil spirit appears taken aback when the man asked if there was anything Jesus could do to help them:
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21-24)
Later in Mark Jesus tells us:
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)
The miracles of Jesus prompted Nicodemus to want to learn more. Approaching Jesus at night, he desired to talk with Him alone without the constant interruptions of the public fanfare. While others were perhaps resting, sleeping, or at their leisure, Nicodemus pursued further knowledge.
-John 10:37-38
Take It to Heart
Miracles show us the fingerprints of God, spurring us to seek Him. One of the ways we can do this is by pursuing further knowledge of God through His Word of. We are called to be zealous in this pursuit:
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
(2 Timothy 2:15)
“Always make it a practice to stir your own mind thoroughly to think through what you have easily believed. Your position is not really yours until you make it yours through suffering and study. The author or speaker from whom you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn’t know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly struggled, give it expression, and speak it clearly and boldly.” (Oswald Chambers)