“Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (John 4:4848Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. (John 4:48)) is an old-fashioned barrier to blessing. It comes, in the unbelief of our hearts, from the desire to have something for sight or sense to rest on rather than the Word of God and the Person and work of Christ. How soul-refreshing it is to see that nobleman of John 4, turning from the reasonings of his own heart to lend a willing ear to, and find a satisfying sufficiency in, “the word that Jesus had spoken” (John 4:5050Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. (John 4:50)).
Sooner or later we all have to fall back upon that. When the well-known preacher, Dr. Chalmers, was dying, he said to some of his theological friends standing near him, “Give me a bit of the pure Word of God to die upon.”
And who hasn’t heard of the Christian boy who, when the cold hand of death had dimmed his natural vision, said, “Find me John 3:16,16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) mother? Now place my finger on the word ‘whosoever,’ and let me die with my finger there. Whosoever means me, mother.” The Word of God was enough for him. I knew a farmer in the fens of Lincolnshire who, in great perplexity of soul, asked God to give him some token of acceptance. He had a flock of sheep in the farmyard at the time, wandering about in various places within the farmyard enclosure, and he asked God, if there was any hope of salvation for him, that ten of these sheep might be in a certain wagon-shed when he went that way. Shortly afterwards he went to that side of the yard, and eagerly counted the sheep under that shed. To his great relief; he found exactly ten. Was this, do you think, enough for his anxious soul? No, it only gave him a temporary flush of hope, which soon passed away. Was it a mere accident, or was it a genuine sign from God in answer to his prayer? However, once more he boldly repeated his request, and once more desired that ten sheep in another corner of the yard might be his proof. With increased excitement, doubtless, he went to count the sheep; and once more, to his comfort and astonishment, found just ten “And did this give you peace and assurance?” we inquired. “No,” he said, “nothing gave me the certainty of my blessing until I got the sure word of God for it.” He was all in a fog of uncertainty until he planted his foot firmly on “Thus saith the Lord,” and took his bearings by the chart of Scripture.
If you open your Bible and turn to Luke 1, you will find a striking contrast between simple faith and sign-seeking unbelief. As soon as Mary heard the heavenly message she said, “Be it unto me according to thy word”; and the answer to her faith was, “Blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord ” (Luke 1:38,4538And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38)
45And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. (Luke 1:45)).
On the other hand, when Zacharias had heard Gabriel’s message, he said, “Whereby shall I know?” and was unable to speak in consequence. Instead of his mouth being opened in praise, as Mary’s was, it was closed in mute silence by the judgment of God.
Oh that you might be brought, like the centurion of the Bible, to say to the Lord, “Speak the word only,” and that will be enough. For “Hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:1919God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)). Let it not be said to you, “Except ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe.” What greater wonder could be shown than what has been shown at Calvary — the Son of God dying for guilty rebels? What better token of safety than this, “The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”?