Believing is Seeing

"where are all His miracles?"

Judges 6:13

I learned something interesting last week, about the difference between "miracles", "signs" and "wonders"... It was in my Bible study homework, and it involved etymology, which I love. 

The word "sign" comes from the Greek "semeion".  It points out not only the miraculous deed itself, but the purpose behind the deed.  It's also an identifier, as in John 2, when Jesus cleansed the temple, and the religious leaders asked for a sign to show He had the authority to do so.

The word "wonder" is from the Greek word "teras", or the word "pele", both of which point us to the reaction of the audience.  A wonder is meant to astound those who see it.

The word "miracle" doesn't appear very often in Scripture.  I found it only three times in the New King James.  It's from the Greek word "dunamis", from which we get our word "dynamite" and it means "power".  As you can imagine, when that word is used, the author is emphasizing God's power.  I guess that's why we don't see the word "miracle" very often ~ the word "power" is used, instead. 

It never ceases to amaze me how much my understanding is deepened when I look at the original language in the Bible.  The men through whom the Holy Spirit wrote, and those of us who read, all come from a different place, with a different language, and a different understanding of our language. 

Well, while I was doing all this thinking about miracles and signs and wonders, I kept thinking of Jesus' words in Matthew, Mark and Luke ~ "A wicked and perverse generation seeks for a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  When I was a kid, I wondered why He would refuse to give a sign to those who asked.  I thought, "that might be what will help the unbelieving to believe!"

But I think Jesus was specifically talking to those who wanted a sign to help them believe.  There are several instances ~ Matthew 16:1, Mark 8:11, Luke 11:16 and the aforementioned verse in John ~ where Scripture tells us that Jesus was being tested by those who asked.  They were cynical and suspicious, not earnestly seeking.  He wasn't interested in being a genie for skeptics.  Besides, there are people every day who see miracles, and call them a lucky break or a coincidence.  Some people are just never gonna give credit to the One to Whom it is due, ya know?

And I think maybe Jesus' miracles weren't for non-believers, to help them believe; but for believers.  For those who were seeking and already had some faith, so that they ~ and we ~ could know the scope and magnitude of His power.

They say seeing is believing, but the truth is, believing leads to seeing. 

~ "God bearing witness both with signs and wonders, 

with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit,

according to His own will" ~

Hebrews 2:4

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