Signs and Wonders
Read Luke 16.
"If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." (Luke 16:31).
For anyone who cares about lost people, this is a hard parable to read. Is it a parable? It's the only one of Jesus' stories that uses names (i.e., Lazarus), so some suggest this might be an actual account, a story of course only Jesus could tell because only he is able to report from both sides of eternity. But, putting that intriguing possibility aside, what father Abraham says at the end of this parable (reprinted above) is fascinating. It speaks to us about the nature of convincing proofs.
We tend to think that if something supernatural were to happen, people would be immediately convinced to follow Jesus. If people were raised from the dead, if miraculous healings happened right in front of them, if there were the evidence of spiritual gifts—on and on the "ifs" could go—then, we say, those we love would believe. We think there's a direct connection between "seeing" and "believing." But Jesus, through the parabolic character father Abraham, says that's simply not the case. They already have everything they need to believe, to go from being lost to being found, in the written word, the Scriptures ("Moses and the Prophets"). If they will not believe because of that, they will not believe.
So what is the point of such signs and wonders (as we've come to call them)? What is the point of the gifts and the breaking-in of supernatural power? The Scriptures seem to indicate that such gifts are for believers, to bolster our faith and to give us strength and power to reach those who are lost. We are given gifts and graces to carry out the ministry Jesus calls us to. The gifts are not meant to be "convincing" because a faith that relies on supernatural exhibitions pretty quickly withers (or spends its time looking for the next "high"). Our faith rests on truth and is empowered by the Spirit.
In the Wesleyan-Methodist tradition, we talk about discerning our faith through four "lenses:" Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience. There are not meant to be equal, however! Our challenge in these days is that we rely far too much and put way too much emphasis on experience—the exact error the rich man was making in assuming his brothers would be swayed if someone rose from the dead. But our tradition has always been clear, from the days of our founder John Wesley: Scripture ("Moses and the Prophets") has always been primary. It still is. God has spoken. Our calling is to listen.
For anyone who cares about lost people, this is a hard parable to read. Is it a parable? It's the only one of Jesus' stories that uses names (i.e., Lazarus), so some suggest this might be an actual account, a story of course only Jesus could tell because only he is able to report from both sides of eternity. But, putting that intriguing possibility aside, what father Abraham says at the end of this parable (reprinted above) is fascinating. It speaks to us about the nature of convincing proofs.
We tend to think that if something supernatural were to happen, people would be immediately convinced to follow Jesus. If people were raised from the dead, if miraculous healings happened right in front of them, if there were the evidence of spiritual gifts—on and on the "ifs" could go—then, we say, those we love would believe. We think there's a direct connection between "seeing" and "believing." But Jesus, through the parabolic character father Abraham, says that's simply not the case. They already have everything they need to believe, to go from being lost to being found, in the written word, the Scriptures ("Moses and the Prophets"). If they will not believe because of that, they will not believe.
So what is the point of such signs and wonders (as we've come to call them)? What is the point of the gifts and the breaking-in of supernatural power? The Scriptures seem to indicate that such gifts are for believers, to bolster our faith and to give us strength and power to reach those who are lost. We are given gifts and graces to carry out the ministry Jesus calls us to. The gifts are not meant to be "convincing" because a faith that relies on supernatural exhibitions pretty quickly withers (or spends its time looking for the next "high"). Our faith rests on truth and is empowered by the Spirit.
In the Wesleyan-Methodist tradition, we talk about discerning our faith through four "lenses:" Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience. There are not meant to be equal, however! Our challenge in these days is that we rely far too much and put way too much emphasis on experience—the exact error the rich man was making in assuming his brothers would be swayed if someone rose from the dead. But our tradition has always been clear, from the days of our founder John Wesley: Scripture ("Moses and the Prophets") has always been primary. It still is. God has spoken. Our calling is to listen.
Comments
Post a Comment