Acts: Signs, Wonders, and Miracles, Part 2

In the last post we looked at the direction that signs, miracles, and wonders of Acts point. In this post, I want to discuss another way in which these extraordinary events are instructive. We talked about their affirmation of the Person of the Lord and his resurrection. That all has implications for us where we are now; and we will never reach the end of exploring the implications of his resurrection; but we can try.

One such implication of the resurrection, and the continuing witness that these signs, wonders, and miracles provide, is best seen in Peter’s life. Let’s take a look.

But first a question. What did God intend to happen through these extraordinary events? It’s obvious isn’t it? To awaken or stir or cultivate or nurture our faith in Him. Our faith, or rather our unbelief, is in view because without faith it is impossible to please God. See Hebrews 11:6. This next story frames the issue quite well.

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been with him?” “From childhood,” he said. “It often throws him into the fire or into the water, trying to kill him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” “If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All things are possible to him who believes!” Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” See Mark 9.

We struggle with unbelief. The signs, wonders, and miracles are to therefore meant to awaken our hearts to believe—not in power and might—but in the way He uses His inherent strength in goodness. See, when a young boy is delivered, when a leper is embraced and touched—this is Jesus loving mightily and caring mightily; he is powerfully kind, compassionate, and longsuffering. His love to you and me is stronger than death.

In this way, the signs, miracles, and wonders not only reveal the true nature of his person, but also the true nature of his character.

Keeping all of this in mind, let’s turn to Peter. In the beginning, what did he know of God, or his Christ? Not much. What did he know about the ways of God? Even less. If you will think over the course of Peter’s life from his nets to his two letters, which we know as 1 Peter and 2 Peter, you cannot help but to notice the man at the end is markedly different than the man in the beginning. His understanding of God, and His ways, have matured and has borne fruit such that we too can still learn from him.

Peter has gotten hold of “the just shall live by faith,” but even with Jesus present, we see Peter struggling to learn what that means in practice. Just because Jesus was present does not mean that Peter had Jesus in full view. But as Peter sees him more and more, we see Peter growing the knowledge of God. Jesus is the seedbed for a heart of faith. Faith is not something within us as much as it is the fullness with which he see him births more and more faith in his nature and his character.

Let’s turn to the sea; it’s unstable, and unruly, driven by the wind which blows where it wishes. Both Jesus and Peter are walking, or standing, on the surface of the water. The means by which Jesus is standing there are very different; even the winds and the waves are subject to him. He has dominion over the earth, fundamentally because he has dominion over himself. (Jesus is the antithesis of Cain and Adam.) See e.g., John 8:28.

Peter on the other hand is standing there because his eyes are on Jesus. He is exercising faith, not in himself, but in Jesus in nature and character demonstrated in power—in this instance, power over water itself. Jesus is challenging Peter’s understanding of this life, his life, which had up to that point largely been dictated by the natural and material. The sea is a very different thing with Jesus standing on it, than with Peter fishing in it. I can see how he stumbled, and sank. Certain things just shouldn’t be; but in Jesus they likely are.

Signs, wonders, and miracles open up these possibilities in Jesus, as well—not so much in the walking and leaping in the Temple, but in the walking by faith. Peter’s legs are strengthened every bit as much as the lame man’s at the Beautiful Gate (see Acts 3). And that strengthening of Peter’s walk with Christ by faith, after Jesus had just ascended, was of greater import to God than a physical healing although that was lovely. The just shall live by faith—and these extraordinary episodes go a long way build faith in Peter so that he can obey the command of Jesus (“Come and follow me”) and his command to “Go therefore . . . .”

But there is something about the extraordinary that breathes new life into the ordinary. We can look at that in this way. Peter’s mother-in-law was down with a high fever; and Jesus healed her; and immediately she served them. See Matthew 8:14-15. The personal healing led to personal time and attention to Jesus. The super-natural healing by Jesus resulted in a more complete natural response to Jesus from the mother-in-law.

I think there is more to this. Most of us do not need extraordinary miracles; we just need to make it through the day. Each of us brings a variety of reasons why that could be. The question for most of us is not “will I ever walk again.” Our cares and concerns are more pedestrian. But, that Jesus can make a lame man walk, and has done, invites us to believe that he can make us walk by faith where we are weakest.

The message is this: if he will walk with you in the darkest night, he most certainly will not leave you in the brightest light of day. And the issue for us then is to exercise our faith there, where most of live, in the highways and byways of life—and reject the temptation to tell him, “I’ve got this well in hand. The night is over.”

To be candid, walking with him, whether dark or light, whether difficult or easy, whether troubled or in peace—that is the miracle. That is seeing the fullness of him on both nature and character such that he is all that matters. And in so doing, and in the loveliest manner, our lives become a sign, a wonder, and a miracle pointing to Jesus, both author and finisher of our faith..