Right after Jesus fed four thousand people with just seven loaves of bread, the religious elite, who I guess hadn’t gotten the word, asked him to do something to prove his credibility. He refused and instead told a riddle.
People come to Jesus for different reasons. Some aspire to learn and live according to his teachings. They sit at his feet for prolonged periods, and – like the four thousand – their needs surface as a result. Jesus meets and fulfills such sincere seekers, no matter what it takes.
Others expect the Son of God and his followers to do certain things and act certain ways. They think that spirituality can be accomplished through formulas, how-to lists, specific activities, and rules. These are the signs that validate the walk of faith, they think. But people in this camp most often come up empty-handed. Their iron-clad answers just raise more questions, and they walk away perplexed.
The pursuit of God can barely be explained or understood. It’s experienced through acts of love, both given and received, not by efforts designed to make a point.
So, do divine encounters result in miracles or riddles? I’d have to say “Yes.”