We had almost finished dinner at the restaurant when a man in a black suit approached us and asked whether he could perform a few magic tricks for us. I politely thanked him and said that the meal itself had been sufficiently “magic” and that we didn’t require anything beyond that.
He then quite happily made his way to the next table, and I couldn’t help but to curiously watch him ply his tricks there. And what he did was quite amazing. He threw a red ball high into the air and it simply disappeared! The look of surprise and fascination was evident on everyone seated at that table.
“Is seeing believing?” I wondered.
A friend of mine once lamented that he never had seen any miracles in his life. By this I think he implied that our belief in what really matters might be enhanced a little by being witness to some supernatural acts. Here the Bible certainly lays claim to dozens of such events. For example, we read of an axe head floating on water, oil from an empty jar, fire from heaven, seas parted, and people healed as well as resurrected from the dead. It’s easy to think that our lives today are quite mundane when compared to the heroics of the past – I certainly haven’t seen anyone turn water into wine!
It’s easy to sometimes think that if only I could see a miracle, an irrefutable act of divine intervention – that cannot be adequately explained by any physical, natural laws – my faith would be strengthened. If only.
Well, consider, didn’t the magician do just that? He really had me fooled when he apparently made a coin disappear into his arm. Everyone gasped when he made a white dove appear out of thin air.
I left the restaurant wondering how he did his tricks. Of course, I knew they were just tricks, but still wondered how his sleight of hand had so easily fooled me.
Did you know that Jesus told a story that illustrated that even the most awe inspiring of miracles are still insufficient to convince an unbelieving heart? A rich man stated his opinion that if someone were to rise from the dead, then his five unbelieving brothers would be convinced to change from their evil ways. The rich man, however, was told quite bluntly that his brothers should instead be listening to the words of Godly teachers: “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:31 NKJV)
According to Jesus, the emphasis on attaining a strong and enduring faith is based more on hearing than on seeing or experiencing.
So how do we make sense of all this? There are ample scriptures in the Bible that direct us toward finding a strong and true basis for our beliefs. For example, we read that, “Faith comes by hearing the words of God.” (Romans 10:17) The emphasis in this verse is on hearing (as opposed to seeing).
Jesus distinctly appealed to our capacity to listen, as recorded in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, when he said, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
This overture is further supported in God’s appeal to us when he says, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Hebrews 3:7-8)
So, is there any place for the visual/experiential? An interesting “out of this world” experience occurred when Jesus took his closest disciples, Peter, John and James, high up a mountain. He then became “transfigured” before them, shining like the sun. In this vision talking together with Jesus were Moses and Elijah. Before the disciples could get a grip on what this experience meant, a cloud enveloped them and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)
The disciples were no doubt amazed by this immersing visual and auditory experience, and yet the voice that spoke to the disciples distinctly told them to, “Listen to Jesus.”
According to the scriptures, faith and understanding are obtained and established more by hearing than via a visual one. God wants us to be persuaded of his existence and of his purpose more by hearing his word as opposed to seeing certain manifestations.
A couple of real life examples here may help. Remember, God told Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden not to touch or eat of a certain tree. That is what God simply said. Notice then how Satan used visual appeal to deceive Eve:
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. (Genesis 3:6)
Satan used the same ploy, thousands of years later, when he tried to tempt Jesus. He showed Jesus stones and suggested he turn them into bread. Jesus, however, resisted only on the strength of God’s word: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
Satan then “showed” Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth, a temptation embellished by a dizzying, heightened experience, to which Jesus again responded: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve.” (Matthew 4:10)
Satan certainly knows how to utilise our visual references to completely fool us. One of Jesus’ disciples John warned about the “lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16) – the risk of placing undue emphasis on physical and naturally desirable “things”.
Knowing and understanding comes from hearing. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) An intelligent, cognisant relationship with Jesus is not based just on visual experience alone, but more on hearing, listening and the weighing up of those words.
God appealed to an ancient people who, not unlike ourselves, still unduly cherished and valued materialism over the value of really listening:
“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you…” (Isaiah 55:2-3)
A friend recently sent me a cartoon that skilfully illustrated the challenge we face in today’s climate of multimedia clamour.
The question then remains, do we know what it is to really “listen”?
How much peace and quiet exists in your busy, multimedia enhanced days? Have you ever switched off the radio or television, put away the headphones, and just sat on the verandah and enjoyed the setting sun with nothing more than the song birds in the trees? Have you ever allowed yourself total silence – where you are comfortable with your own thoughts and meditations?
A recent article that appeared on ABC online titled, “On The Seventh Day He Logged Off“, espoused the benefits of having a regular digital sabbatical – of being free from social networks, calendar appointments and the latest tweets. Is there always a radio in your ears or an LCD screen before your eyes?
Do you really want to find and know God? The secret then is in “listening” for him. Take quiet time every day. Learn to pray to him. God will listen to you.
A blind man who had just been healed by Jesus said: “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears him.” (John 9:31)
John also wrote of the faith he placed in prayer: Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1John 5:14)
Not only does God hear our prayers, but he also wants us to listen to him. Words are powerful. Apparently we’ll also be judged for every idle word we speak! (Matthew 12:36-37) James exhorts us: “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak…” (James 1:19)
There is, of course, a role for sight; scripture encourages us to view life through the “lens of faith”: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV)
Of course, not everything we hear should be denied common sense scrutiny! The secret is in the “listening”, and knowing that our eyes fall prey too easily to deceit.
In one way, I’m glad we resisted the temptation of having the magician entertain our family at the restaurant. We all know that magicians have learned how to trick our minds into “seeing” what is really not there, and vice-versa. Apparently our brains process only ten percent of the information our eyes see, cleverly substituting what it intuitively already assumes to be true.
So, if you happen to meet a magician making red balls disappear into thin air, or pulling rabbits out of hats, or predicting the future with a pack of cards, count yourself lucky if he later confides in you that, “Looks are deceiving”. His words will be truer than his art.
Copyright (C) John T Klassek, 2011