Aren’t a lot of miracle claims just plain weird?

By Lee Strobel & Mark Mittelberg

Aren’t a lot of miracle claims just plain weird—like people who see Jesus’ face on their burned burrito?

Absolutely. And as much as I like burritos, I have to wonder whether Jesus would manifest a miracle with something so obviously fattening!

But it gets weirder than that. Just scan the Internet for “strange miracles” and you’ll read stories about birds that consulted with saints, religious people levitating above the clouds, statues and paintings that weep, and, of course, Jesus’ face showing up not only on burritos, but also on pieces of toast, potato chips, tortillas, pizzas and pancakes, sliced oranges, inside the caps of Marmite jars, on Walmart receipts, garage doors, in the clouds, and even on the moldy trim next to an old bathtub.

Is it possible some of those are actual signs from God? I guess that’s possible, but to most observers these things come across as fake news or speculative rumors. Generally, these are easily discarded or at best become interesting curiosities. But they have no bearing on our lives—and they certainly don’t tell us anything about the validity of serious miracle claims.

Worse, these kinds of examples can sometimes be used by deceitful people to draw the gullible into their religious group or sect. Peter distanced himself from such things when he said, “We did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). He also warned about false prophets who, “in their greed . . . will exploit you with fabricated stories” (2 Peter 2:3).

Paul was even more pointed: 

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. (Colossians 2:18-19)

Also, these strange examples almost always miss the mark of what the Bible describes as a legitimate miracle.

So, my advice would be to ignore these odd and meaningless claims. Focus instead on finding the truth about the genuine works of the Creator, with the goal of knowing him and his supernatural blessings in your life.

Lee Strobel is founding director of The Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics at Colorado Christian University. He is the New York Times best-selling author of The Case for Christ and three dozen other books.

Mark Mittelberg is a bestselling author, speaker and apologist. He is the Executive Director of the Lee Strobel Center at Colorado Christian University.

This is an excerpt from The Miracles Answer Book by Lee Strobel & Mark Mittelberg. Used with permission.