Why do so many people seek after signs and wonders?

Another means of arresting attention is the power of miracles. Men are attracted by any appearance of the supernatural. Witness the Samaritans (Acts 8), whom Simon Magus had a long time bewitched with his sorceries. Herod rejoiced when he saw the Lord, because he had heard many things of Him, and hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him. (Luke 23:8.) Many at Jerusalem believed on Him when they saw the miracles which He did (John 2:23); but Jesus did not commit Himself to them. At Nazareth the people in the synagogue were evidently on the tip-toe of expectation for some display of supernatural power (Luke 4:23), but He made none. At Capernaum all were amazed when they saw the devil cast out in the synagogue; "and they glorified God being filled with fear saying, We have seen strange things to day," when the paralytic man walked out of the house carrying with him that whereon he had lain. (Luke 4:36; Luke 5:26.) So many were His miracles that men questioned whether, when the Christ came, He would do more miracles than Jesus had done. (John 7:31.) Holding John high in estimation as a prophet, they drew a contrast between him and Jesus in favour of the latter, saying, "John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true. And many believed on him there." (John 10:41-42.) The raising of Lazarus from the dead attracted many to Bethany; and, as the Lord entered Jerusalem in triumph, the people who had witnessed it bare record of it, and for this cause many more swelled the royal procession. (John 12:9, 17-18.) Here again was something which appealed to the natural man, an argument in favour of the Lord it must be confessed of no mean power. By the exhibition of supernatural power on the part of the magicians of Egypt Pharaoh's heart was hardened to disobey God. (Ex. 7:22.) By miraculous power, to be exercised in a future day, the second or two-horned beast will deceive them that dwell on the earth. (Rev. 13:14.) Miraculous power has a voice for all classes; yet we never find the Lord using it to draw disciples after Him. On the contrary we find Him retiring from observation, desiring that the miracle should not be made known, or working it outside the city, and before the multitude could collect. (Mark 1:34-38, 44-45; Mark 5:43; Mark 7:33-36; Mark 8:22-26; Mark 9:25.) In a word, whilst the Lord could use all that influence which appeals irresistibly to the natural man, He did not use it to make disciples of the multitude. And why? Because He aimed at the gaining of the heart, not the moving merely of the feelings; the conscience, and not simply the intellect. He desired the welfare of the souls around Him, and not mere personal popularity, however great or lasting. And is not this what labourers in the work at the present day should aim at? How are they to accomplish it? The Lord has shown us.

Where these "gifts" are exercised a stir is created, and this is particularly so in regard to the former. Huge crowds assemble for healing campaigns and this is not surprising; nor is it surprising that many zealous believers are attracted to it all. Feeling keenly the low spiritual state of the mass of believers, to say nothing of the condition of the immense number of people who are Christian in name only, they naturally long for something that will act as a spiritual tonic, something so supernatural and divine that the incredulous may be convinced and Christianity itself freshly vindicated in the eyes of a sceptical world.

In these modern signs and wonders they think they have found the very thing that their souls desire. But have they? — that is the question.

At the present moment many excellent Christians are filled with a great longing for some display of spiritual power of a wholly extraordinary sort. Impressed, doubtless, with the low estate of the professing church, they long for something unprecedented — at all events in these latter times — something miraculous which may rehabilitate her in the eyes of the world, rally her scattered forces, and close the mouths of her critics. The desire runs particularly into two channels just now — miraculous powers of bodily healing and speaking with tongues.

How marvellous! And yet we need not marvel if we know aught of our own hearts. Anything for the poor human heart but the naked word of the living God. A sign, a token, something that the eye can see. The word of God is not enough for unbelieving nature.

Here we have divine provision made for all cases of false teaching, and false religious influence. We all know how easily the poor human heart is led astray by anything in the shape of a sign or a wonder, and especially when such things stand connected with religion. This is not confined to the nation of Israel; we see it everywhere and at all times. Anything supernatural, anything involving an infringement of what are called the ordinary laws of nature is almost sure to act powerfully on the human mind. A prophet rising up, in the midst of the people, and confirming his teaching by miracles, signs and wonders, would be almost sure to get a hearing, and obtain an influence.

It must have been deeply interesting to behold a man heal the sick, cast out devils, cleanse the lepers, and raise the dead to life. There was something attractive to the natural senses in seeing such miraculous power put forth. Jesus had just before cast out many devils from a man, and was on his way to a ruler's house to raise his dead child to life. There was, I say, something deeply interesting in all this. People liked to see such wonderful works. They thus made Jesus an object of interest to their minds; but, lamentable to say, they knew Him not as their Saviour. They did not regard Him as the Redeemer of the lost, but as a worker of miracles. They knew Him only as an object of present interest, but not as the author of "eternal salvation." This is very solemn; but, I ask, are not the same principles at work now? Is there not a vast religious crowd all around us? Are not multitudes making Christian religion, as they call it, a subject of interest and conversation, without knowing Christ crucified as their Saviour? It is astonishing how many people in this and other countries like to be accounted Christians. If English people go to the land of Hottentots, or to idolatrous India or China, do they not generally wish to be considered Christians? Oh, my reader, beware of any religion that comes short of present forgiveness of sins, and eternal salvation through the finished work of Christ! Do not rest, I beseech you, until you can truthfully say, "Christ has cleansed me from all my sins, and I am in Him."

But Jesus distinguished between the touch of faith and the jostle of idle curiosity. It has been said, "Flesh presses; faith touches." The multitude were there to hear or see some new thing. They were impelled by the common craze for novelty. Such a superficial desire could be satisfied for the moment by any unusual event — by the occult wonders of Simon Magus, by some strange natural phenomenon, by a fairy tale, by anything out of the common. But the touch of the woman was of a different order. The contact of her finger gave expression to a deeply-felt need for the interference of Jehovah's mercy on her behalf. It also expressed the confidence that the requisite mercy of Jehovah was available for her in the person of Jesus, and nowhere else in this sad and disappointing world. The Lord recognised what motive impelled the woman to touch His robe, and He said with gentle gracious dignity in answer to the harsh ungracious remarks of His followers, "Someone did touch me; for I perceived that power went forth from me" (Luke 8:46). "This was not a result of His taking careful note of peculiarities of action and character manifested to the eye by those around Him, but of His perceiving in His spirit and knowing in Himself the unuttered reasonings and volitions which were taking shape, moment by moment, within the secret souls of men, just as clearly as He saw physical facts not ordinarily appreciated except by sensuous perception."

The numerous cures wrought by the Lord Jesus incited those that had plagues to push forward among the crowd in the hope that they might get near enough to touch Him and obtain healing for themselves in this manner.

Such was the interest that His presence excited! No one in Galilee could be ignorant of it. And however much He sought retirement, He could not ensure it, for the crowd pursued Him, whether to the wilderness, the lake side, or into the house. Those who had need of healing rejoiced evidently at the power which He could put forth, and sought it earnestly.

Multitudes followed our Lord Jesus Christ, not because of Himself, the blessed Son of the living God, but because they had seen the miracle of the multiplied loaves and desired to be fed continuously by Him. His wonderful works in their midst were signs, showing the glory of Him who did them, but it was not for Himself but because they did eat of the loaves and were filled that they sought Him.