He also appears on the chimney of the Town and Country bowling alley in suburban
Chicago. All agree the four-foot high image is formed from rusting metal, but locals are split on whether it's
Jesus or Popeye.
Jesus makes national news when He appears in the strands of spaghetti on 35 Pizza Hut billboards in Atlanta.
And just recently, a ten-year-old grilled cheese sandwich allegedly bearing the image of the Virgin Mary was sold on EBay for $28,000! That's a lot of bread!
Appearances by Mary, the mother of Jesus, have also been reported since medieval times in Europe and more recently in the New World. Visions as well as weeping and bleeding statues of Mary have also been reported. In a few cases the site of the appearance becomes a permanent shrine, such as Lourdes, where believers come to pray for healing.
So, are these visions and visitations actually, well, visions and visitations?
The Bible does describe "visions," "visitations," "dreams," "miracles," "signs," and "wonders." The purpose of the miracles of the Bible seems to be specifically designed to show God and His power to His creations. Many commentators believe the mega miracles (parting the Red Sea, raising the dead, etc.) ceased in the first century since God was now revealed through the Holy Spirit and the written Word of God, the Bible. We no longer need visions and signs from heaven to communicate God's truth.
So, what about visions and miracles today?
First, Jesus warns us not to seek visions and signs.
Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."
He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!" (Matthew 12:38-39).
Second, Jesus tells Thomas, who had initially refused to believe He was resurrected, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Obviously, God is God and can perform miracles as well as appear in visions anytime He wants to. And at the end of time, God will once again perform the mega miracles we read about in the Bible book of Revelation.
But for now, I would be very skeptical of a 900-foot Jesus or "Our Lord of the Soybean Oil Storage Tank." Likewise, the Roman Catholic church has actively and consistently refused to recognize the authenticity of most visions of Mary. It has recognized a small number of healings as "miraculous," but rejected the vast majority of claims as unfounded.
Unfortunately, visions, dreams, signs, wonders, and the like, don't always build our faith in God. Almost as soon as God parted the Red Sea for His people to escape the Egyptian army, the Israelites built an idol to one of the Egyptian gods. As soon as Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead--which ought to be proof enough He is God--the religious rulers plotted to kill both Jesus and Lazarus.
Yes, it's exciting to hear stories about modern day signs and wonders! But that's not always God's plan. Rather, He would rather have us believe in Him through His Word and through His Holy Spirit, than a ten-year-old grilled cheese sandwich!
(Adapted from The Why Files: Are There Really Ghosts? Buy it at amazon.com.)
Leave a comment, tell a friend, send me money . . .
Email your comments to jim@jameswatkins.com.
And if this page was helpful, please . . .
a) save it as a favorite at
delicious.com
b) subscribe to the RSS feed
c) recommend it to digg.com and
StumbleUpon.com and
d) tell a friend:
And if this page was really helpful, please . . .
e) please consider a donation to our sponsor XarisCom.
You can donate securely with any major credit card through PayPal. Thanks!
Legal stuff and warnings
Copyright © James Watkins. All text and graphics on my sites, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted © in my name,
James N. Watkins, and are protected by United States copyright law and international copyright law under the Berne
Convention. Please visit the press room for information on reprinting any text or
graphics. Thanks!
WARNING: Reader assumes full responsibility for the proper and prescribed use of this
site. For external use only. Discontinue if rash, redness, irritation, or swelling develops. If swallowed, do not
induce vomiting. Side-effects may include drowsiness or mild to severe agitation. Do not read while consuming alcohol or
operating heavy machinery. Keep away from open flame. Do not store above 451 degrees. Do not use near or place in water.
Void where prohibited, taxed or licensed. Any medical information provided is for general educational use only and should
not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.
Views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of
any other person—real or fictitious, living or dead—using the name James
N. Watkins.
