He said to them, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

           There have been a few times when I have heard someone say, “If only I could see a miracle…it would mean so much for my faith if I could witness something truly miraculous.” Well, allow me to make a rather bold statement—a little something to peak your interest. And please bear with me. But perhaps miracles can be overrated. Miracles can be overrated.

           I was in my first appointment out of seminary. Southern part of the state. A woman from one of the churches I served was diagnosed with cancer. It was pretty serious. The diagnosis was first made in Fairmont. A trip to Rochester for a second opinion confirmed the worst.

           So I was visiting with her one evening. This was just after she had received the second opinion. Treatment options were in the works. She was obviously anxious. During the course of our conversation, she mentioned that she heard of a faith healer who was going to be in a nearby Iowa town. She wondered if it might be an okay idea to go visit him. It was like she was asking me for permission. What do you say? I mean, I told her it would be great. But I also assured her we would pray together for her healing before I left.

           Which we did. We talked a bit more. Then it was time for me to leave. So I went and knelt beside her. I took her hand. We prayed. The prayer was very specific. It was a prayer for healing. It was a prayer in which we asked God to remove the disease from her.

           It was about a week later. She was back at the doctor. I will just jump to the conclusion. The cancer was gone. It was gone. I know there are skeptics when it comes to the miraculous. So whenever I share this story, I like to add that I just do not know how this fits into the skeptic’s thought process. Nor do I know why these things seem to happen so arbitrarily. You know, the old why-some-are-healed-and-others-are-not discussion. Not the point here. All I know is in this particular case, the miraculous happened.

           Praise God, right? I mean, wouldn’t we be praising God? That woman’s family actually had discussions and entertained their possible legal options for the emotional pain caused by a possible mis-diagnosis.

           So…maybe miracles can be overrated. Again, bear with me.

           Jesus told a story about two men. One had everything and the other had nothing. The rich man got his clothes from the finest tailor. Great costume. He ate exotic and costly meals. There are those who will say he earned the money, so he had a right to his extravagant lifestyle. Or he may have inherited it. Whatever. He was fortunate in his financial dealings. The issue here, though, had to do with how he used his wealth once he had it. He provided very well for himself. But at his gate there was a poor man named Lazarus. Lazarus was covered with sores. He was so poor that he hoped to satisfy himself with what fell from the rich man’s table. The only redeeming kindness in this poor man’s life seemed to be in the dogs who came to lick his sores.

           Quite a contrast is presented in this story.

           Both men died. Death is the great equalizer. It is a road all travel. Some may be able to postpone the trip—but never cancel it. And here we get another contrast. Lazarus journeyed in style. Angels carried him to Abraham’s side. It is like that line in the great spiritual, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, “…a band of angels—coming after me—coming for to carry me home.” I wonder if the writer of that song received his inspiration for that line from this story.

           The rich man did not fare so well. Jesus’ words were short and to the point. He said the rich man died and was buried. The next thing we know…well, the rich man was in hell—a place of torment.

           Interesting. In this life, Lazarus desired just the crumbs from the rich man’s table. In the next life, the rich man desired just a bit of cool water from the tip of Lazarus’ finger. The rich man made his request to Abraham—his request for pity—and a bit of cool water. Abraham responded kindly. He called the rich man, “Son.” Abraham reminded him that he had received his good things in life, while Lazarus received bad things. Now Lazarus enjoyed comfort. Besides, Abraham said, there was a chasm between them, and there was no crossing over.

           The rich man then asked that Lazarus be sent to his father’s house to warn his brothers so that they would not end up in the place of torment. The rich man had a rather limited scope—limited only to his brothers. Perhaps he could have had a bigger vision of human need.

           Abraham’s response, as Jesus reported it, was, “They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.” It was at this point when the rich man made his plea for a miracle. “No, father Abraham,” he said, “but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” To which Abraham responded, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

           This seems to contradict the assumption that if we see a miracle, we will believe. Not so, Jesus said. If we are not convinced by Moses and the Prophets—if we are not convinced by Scripture—then we may not be convinced by miracles, either.

           So much in this text. There is a bit of a lesson on stewardship. In this story, we see a man who did not use well his blessings. He hoarded them, and did not help a person in need. I think I expend a good deal of energy focusing on what I do not have. I worry about what I do not have. This passages teaches me that maybe I need to be concerned more with what I do have—and how I am using it.

           But then there is this thing about miracles. You know what? If we do not begin from a position of faith, we will not even see a miracle when it happens. Or put another way, if we observe events through the eyes of faith, we will see miraculous things. They are happening all the time all around us.

           What if Lazarus or someone else had risen from the dead and gone to the rich man’s brothers. Would they have repented? Maybe. Hard to tell. Perhaps for a time they would have been impressed. But, also, as time went on, they may have found a way around the miracle. A skeptic would search for a natural explanation. It takes faith to witness a miracle in the first place.

           It seems to me that Jesus placed far more emphasis upon the Scriptures—and believing what they had and have to say.

           There is that story at the end of this Gospel of Luke. Jesus had risen from the dead. Two men were walking on the road to Emmaus. They were discussing the events that had just happened. Jesus began walking with them, but they did not recognize him. He asked them what they were talking about. They told Jesus of the events of the past days. The death. And how the tomb was discovered to be empty. Jesus called them foolish and slow to believe what the Prophets had said. Then beginning with Moses and the Prophets—

beginning with Moses and the Prophets—he explained to them what was said in the Scriptures concerning himself. It was later their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus. Jesus then disappeared from their midst. They, then, went to Jerusalem and said it was true that Jesus had risen from the dead.

           I wonder why Jesus just did not reveal himself right away. “Hey, guys, it’s me. I am alive. It is a miracle. I have come back from the dead to share some truth with you.” Instead, he opened the Scriptures. Perhaps Jesus knew that down the road there could be moments of doubt for them. Did he really rise? Did we really see him? Or is there some other explanation? And when those doubts arose, they would need the abiding truth and witness of Scripture.

           I suspect many of us have our moments of doubt. That’s okay, by the way. Doubts about miraculous things. Doubts about the miracle of grace and the truth that God loves us without condition. If only we could see a miracle, it would mean so much to our faith. No. It is not a miracle we need. What we need is simply to trust the abiding witness of Scripture, the Word of God. It is true. It is enough.

           He said to them, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”