No matter how wondrous a happening might be, for those who disbelieve in miracles they can always be described as a coincidental occurrence and Jesus knew full well that signs, as John called them, would not bring people to faith in either Him or His Father as described in (Matt.12:39-39).
Whether a miracle happens through the actions of Christ Himself or by those to whom He gives a portion of His power, one has to accept that the Word (as John describes Jesus in his Gospel) who made all things seen and unseen and without Who nothing was made that was made, is able to control the quantum aspects of the universe He created in order to achieve whatever outcome He desires as stated unequivocally in Matt.3:9
Nevertheless the Miracles of Jesus, whilst not insignificant, were nevertheless small when compared to the continuous life sustaining works of His Father and are so by comparison that we might better understand them. Poor indeed was the miraculous making of wine in the stone jars at the marriage feast in Cana when compared to the abundant growth of vines throughout the world with their clusters of ripening grapes gathering from the earth the water that had to be carried in pitchers and then poured into the stone jars at Cana. The same can be said with the feeding of the five thousand from a few loaves and fishes when compared to the world's bounteous grain harvest and the fish-teeming oceans, both being the work of God. In each case with Jesus' miracles they were always a reflection of the life sustaining works of His Father. Stones were not turned into either bread or fish but existing bread and fish were multiplied to abundance as exhibited by the baskets of leftovers that were gathered up afterwards at the feeding of both the five and the four thousand.
Disbelieve in miracles and the Resurrection itself, the greatest miracle of all, would have to be disbelieved. Miracles today happen just as they did over 2000 years ago in answer to prayers but not always in the way that the petitioner might ask, for if we knew that an event occurred definitively each time in answer to prayer then a belief in our own powers would be an ever present temptation.
It is self evident that Infinite Wisdom might on occasion refuse that which finite humanity in their ignorance might request, for God knows that which we need whilst we know only that which we want.
Whether a miracle happens through the actions of Christ Himself or by those to whom He gives a portion of His power, one has to accept that the Word (as John describes Jesus in his Gospel) who made all things seen and unseen and without Who nothing was made that was made, is able to control the quantum aspects of the universe He created in order to achieve whatever outcome He desires as stated unequivocally in Matt.3:9
Nevertheless the Miracles of Jesus, whilst not insignificant, were nevertheless small when compared to the continuous life sustaining works of His Father and are so by comparison that we might better understand them. Poor indeed was the miraculous making of wine in the stone jars at the marriage feast in Cana when compared to the abundant growth of vines throughout the world with their clusters of ripening grapes gathering from the earth the water that had to be carried in pitchers and then poured into the stone jars at Cana. The same can be said with the feeding of the five thousand from a few loaves and fishes when compared to the world's bounteous grain harvest and the fish-teeming oceans, both being the work of God. In each case with Jesus' miracles they were always a reflection of the life sustaining works of His Father. Stones were not turned into either bread or fish but existing bread and fish were multiplied to abundance as exhibited by the baskets of leftovers that were gathered up afterwards at the feeding of both the five and the four thousand.
Disbelieve in miracles and the Resurrection itself, the greatest miracle of all, would have to be disbelieved. Miracles today happen just as they did over 2000 years ago in answer to prayers but not always in the way that the petitioner might ask, for if we knew that an event occurred definitively each time in answer to prayer then a belief in our own powers would be an ever present temptation.
It is self evident that Infinite Wisdom might on occasion refuse that which finite humanity in their ignorance might request, for God knows that which we need whilst we know only that which we want.
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