We want next to consider God's testimony through the miracles. Remember, there are three words--signs, wonders, and miracles--used to signify works that are, by nature, miraculous. Let us examine some of the miracles recorded in the gospel of John.
Nicodemus. "This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." {John 3:2} This man, who was part of the Jewish leadership, could not disregard the works he witnessed with his own eyes. He had an honest heart.
The Jewish multitudes. "And many of the people believed in Him, and said, When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?" {John 7:31} "Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him." {John 11:45} "For this reason, the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, 'You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!'" {John 12:18,19} Could all of these folks have been nothing more than gullible people, tricked by a master con man? They saw, and they believed!
Pharisees--the enemies of Christ. "Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation." {John 11:47,48} Even though they tried to discredit Him, to turn the people against Him, to trap Him with the finer points of the law, it was all to no avail! They could not prove as fraudulent, or to have never taken place, the works He had done!
The guests at the wedding feast. "...Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him." {John 2:10,11}
The nobleman and his family. "And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household." {John 4:51-53} What about the faith of the one who was healed? He was not even present; nor did he ask to be healed!
The lame man. "Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your bed and walk. And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked." {John 5:8,9} All the Jews could do was try to discredit this miracle because it occurred on the Sabbath!
The apostles. "So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid." {John 6:19} He displayed power over the laws of nature. Do the present-day "miracle" workers walk on water? Do you wonder why?
The blind man. "When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing." {John 9:7,8} What did they do about this miracle?
After Jesus healed the blind man, his neighbors weren't sure he was the man who had been born blind. So they took him to the Pharisees who wanted answers to their questions. "They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." {John 9:13-15} How did they reply? "Therefore some of the Pharisees said, 'This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.' Others said, 'How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?' And there was a division among them." {John 9:16}
In their efforts to discredit Jesus, they brought the man's parents for questioning. "But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, 'Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?' His parents answered them and said, 'We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.'" {John 9:18-21} Why were the parents so hesitant to admit he was their son? "His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue." {John 9:22} Sadly, people today still cave in to such pressures.
Again, they brought the young man in to question him. They were hoping to confuse him and get him to contradict himself. He listened to the discussion, then put the burden back on their shoulders. "He answered and said, 'Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.' Then they said to him again, 'What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?' He answered them, 'I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?'" {John 9:25-27} They'd heard enough; they cast him out. Why? He was a sinner who could not teach them anything! (John 9:30-34) After all was said and done--the miracles stood and could not be denied!
Lazarus. Jesus' friend, Lazarus, had been dead four days. His sisters, Mary and Martha, knew he would not have died had Jesus been there. What did Jesus do? "Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!' And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go.'" {John 11:43,44} This caused quite a reaction among the Pharisees? The people were flocking to Him; something had to be done. From that day forward, they sought opportunity to kill Him! These so-called "men of God" even wanted to kill Lazarus because He bore evidence of Jesus' power! {John 11:53 - 12:10}
What will you do with the evidence of the miraculous works that Jesus did? Many who witnessed His miracles quickly believed that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. Yet, the Jews of the day tried in vain to find way to discredit Him in the eyes of the people. Try as they did, they were unable to prove even one of His miracles to be a hoax! Can the so-called faith healers of our day make such claims? These signs were done that they--MIGHT BELIEVE!