Given that Jesus was doing many miracles, how is it that the Pharisees wanted a “sign” and Jesus said they wouldn’t get a sign other than Jonah. It made us wonder what the difference was between a miracle and a sign.
Some say all signs are miracles but not all miracles are signs. It can also be said that a real miracle is purposeful and we can therefore ignore crying statues and images that appear in the clouds or trees and vegetables that might look like Mary or Jesus; those, I think, are either coincidences or just plain frauds.
It has also been said, though not in the Bible, that there are two kinds of miracles; signs and wonders. Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. A wonder, on the other hand, is something that causes people to be astounded, like the events found in Exodus. Exodus 7:3 But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
In any event or by any definition, the Pharisees were just trying to undermine and embarrass Jesus in order to maintain their religious monopoly. Perhaps Jesus was saying that these people weren't going to get a miracle or sign on demand. Our group is working on a good definition of signs vs. miracles.
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