45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
I think it incredibly interesting, albeit unbelievably sad, that amongst the viewers of the miraculous work of our Lord we see those who believed and put their faith in Him and those who remained obstinately infidel – refusing to yield to one of the most powerful means of conviction. Seriously, what does it take for some hardened hearts? Sadly, unbelief has always been and will always be – until Christ returns that is. Then every knee will bow before Him, whether forced or out of love and devotion. Both had been privy to His power and His presence. Both had been eyewitnesses to the account. Both chose different roads – one the narrow which leads to life the other the wide leading to destruction. Jesus tells us in Matthew:
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matt 7:13-14 (NIV)
“Luther was right: the root behind all other manifestations of sin is compulsive unbelief—our voluntary darkness concerning God, ourselves, his relationship to the fallen world and his redemption purpose... If the fall occurred through embracing lies, the recovery process of salvation must center on faith in truth, reversing this condition.” Richard Lovelace, Renewal as a Way of Life
Works that are “Pala” – wondrous signs and miracles, God sized actions, things that are simply too hard for man to do, are given by God to point us back to Him. This holds true throughout all of Scripture. He moves mountains to move hearts. We find in Exodus:
31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. Ex 14:31 (NIV)
Indeed, in Old Testament times the nations were not so much afraid of the Israelites per se as the God of the Israelites. The signs and wonders He displayed had unmistakably the finger marks of God all over them. Oftentimes we are led by God into positions in which we find ourselves like the Israelites, helpless and often hopeless. This is allowed in order to show us our desperate need for a Savior. He is our deliverance and it is on Him that we can depend. It is His desire for us to live a life of dependence on Him – not simply turning to Him in dire distress alone. Yet human nature often forgets this.
“You cannot be your own Saviour, either in whole or in part.” Hudson Taylor
“When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father’s full giving is only begun. His love has no limit; His grace has no measure. His pow’r has no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!” Annie Johnson
When God’s deliverance occurs, He warns us to remember. It is His desire for us to set up standing stones for reminders and to be faithful to tell our children of God’s faithfulness. We are to pass on this truth because, quite frankly, human nature has a tendency to forget when things get easy and good and everything is smooth sailing. I am reminded of Moses’ admonition to the Israelites prior to their entrance into the Promised Land:
10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Deut 6:10-12 (NIV)
Instant prosperity carries with it an inherent danger. It is easy for us to lose focus from Whose hand we have received such blessings. We so badly want to take the credit! Our hearts have a tendency to become proud and hardened. We tend to forget the One who brought us to the dance. I am certain that was the thinking behind the following Proverb:
7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: 8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. Prov 30:7-9 (NIV)e wat