Miracles, Wonders, and Signs
On Pentecost, Peter talked about “miracles, wonders and signs” which Jesus did as evidence that He was truly the Son of God (Acts 2:22). These words can be used to refer to the same event, but each of them emphasizes a unique aspect to those events. Take a moment to consider them.
They are described as miracles for they are not natural events which can occur and can be explained by mortals. They are far above this level and demand a super-natural explanation. When Jesus cured the cripple man the response was so graphic. “So that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this’” (Mark 2:12). There was no natural explanation that any mortal could give. It was SUPER-natural!
These miracles are described as wonders. This word emphasizes the impact they had on those who saw them. It was truly a sense of “wonderment.” When Jesus stilled the tempest, the apostles “…were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled” (Mark 6:51). It was God’s way of calling attention to His Messenger in an awesome way.
They are called signs because they bring another message when they happen. As seen above, they gave confirmation to the One who did them. They bear witness, and they testify. They are a message from heaven authenticating the one who performed them. This is why the apostles were empowered for each miracle, as sign of authority from heaven.
What is remarkable is that those in the first century understood some signs but failed to see the most important one. When they asked Jesus to give them a sign, He pointed out a grave situation in their lives which had an eternal consequence. The color of the clouds helped them decide about the coming weather. We express it this way in America, “Red sails at night, sailors’ delight. Red sails at morning, sailors taken warning.”
Jesus rebuked them saying, “Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times” (Matt. 16:3). Think of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, they had seen Jesus heal, but they ignored these signs of the time when the Messiah was in their midst.
This is why He refused to give the “performance” they asked for. They had seen the myriad of signs already given. He then called their attention to the ultimate sign—His resurrection after being in the grave for three days and nights. How did they respond to this event? They ignored it like they did all the other miracles, wonders and signs. Imagine being them on the Day of Judgment. However, do our lives show that we too can by faith see these signs and ignore them?