Oh Yeah?

Exodus 7:8-13

It is my understanding that in the days of Jesus there were wonder-workers who did many of the same sorts of things he did. I hasten to add, however, that the things Jesus did were of an entirely different order (e.g. observation in John 9:30-33). Moreover, I believe that Jesus was recognized as one with authority and from God in a unique way because of the way his words and actions, each remarkable in themselves, worked together. John’s Gospel refers to Jesus' miracles as ‘signs’; They indicate the character of the kingdom of God for those with eyes to see. That’s part of the interplay of meaning between the response of the man given sight in John 9 and the religious leaders, who, though highly learned, saw nothing.

Rewind the Bible story to Exodus 7, and we find Pharaoh’s magicians performing the same wonder as Aaron. The one-step-better move of Aaron’s staff swallowing the magicians’ staffs should not lead us to overlook the disconcerting fact that the ‘pagan’ magicians were able to do equally well what the Lord instructed Aaron to do. This wasn’t just a trick of Aaron that the Egyptian dudes figured out how to replicate. This was a miracle given from the LORD, the father Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who would be the I AM with them and who would overpower these same Egyptians. Maybe the answer is that this just makes the fact that Aaron’s staff swallowed their staff all the more significant. It points in a broader sense to our assurance that although there are powerful forces as work in the world that would seem to equal or overwhelm divine purposes, the promise of deliverance is to be trusted.

Ultimately, as will be seen in the ministry of Jesus in such a way that people recognized his authority, God’s word and action are one. That character of the Lord will be prescribed for translation into the life and character of his people in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, where it is made clear that no matter what impressive kind of stuff we do, stuff that others may be able to do just as well, what makes it different and worthy is the Christ love in it.

Prayer:
Examine my heart, O Lord, to see that what I do is truly for you and others. That will be miracle enough. Through Christ. Amen.