In briefly checking my email, the number of iPads that I have supposedly won far exceeds the number of iPads that I own, single girls in my area want to chat with me, and several people with ties to Nigerian Royalty have chosen to ask me for help transferring a large sum of money into the United States.
Carefully positioned billboards line the freeway, reminding me how desperately I crave an In-N-Out Double Double, or that the closest emergency room has a 13 minute wait, or that some famous singer will be performing soon.
With the internet, there are websites dedicated to practically anything imaginable. Videos of people having surgery are intermingled with videos of people cooking food. Pictures of beautiful natural wonders are mixed with the latest renders of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Having such a variety of things that actively seek attention, and seeing how successful some of them can be, could make a Christian wonder why God doesn't do more to attract attention to his message. If a little creative advertising can make people brave long lines to purchase the latest tech products, why couldn't God do something similar with his messages? If people get excited to attend conventions to meet sci-fi and fantasy celebrities, why doesn't God have a "miracle-con" where he lets people have photo ops with angels, cures terminal diseases, and offers personal and accurate prophesies about the future? Wouldn't that get people excited about God's message? Wouldn't a bit of positive PR ultimately help his children?
As though Jesus knew that this question might be asked, he told the following parable:
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said... I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send [Lazarus] to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
"Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." (Luke 16:19-31, emphasis added)
How could he be so confident that additional attention would not work? Certainly we have seen amazing corporate success from carefully executed marketing strategies that capture the attention and imagination of the public...
Of course, he knew because he lived it. In spite of the miracles that he personally wrought, his enemies actively sought opportunity to kill him. He fed thousands with a few scraps, he healed the lame, the blind, the deaf, the afflicted, and even brought the dead back to life. While he garnered some attention, there were many who rejected his message.
Additionally, his prophets have performed great feats to no avail. The ten plagues were not enough to convince Pharaoh to let Moses go, nor did the parting of the Red Sea prevent many of the Hebrew children from proclaiming that a newly created pair of golden calves were responsible for their deliverance.
The worship of Baal was not immediately stopped even after the dramatic demonstration of Elijah the Tishbite on Mount Carmel, and the goods of Naaman the Syrian were more precious to Gehazi than being honest with Elisha the son of Shaphat.
Perhaps one of the saddest examples is that of Jeremiah. He stood by the gates of Jerusalem and preached to everyone he could (Jeremiah 17). He presented unusual object lessons such as burying a belt by the Euphrates river, and retrieving it after it had rotted away to show how the people were not doing their job (Jeremiah 13). He predicted accurately the result of attempted rebellions, and ultimately was ignored (Jeremiah 43).
In the end, God does not need a better advertising campaign. He needs people to choose him over other sources. He does not need a constant stream of miracles to keep the people coming to him... he needs people to develop the faith necessary so that they can see miracles. He does not need to produce exciting new demonstrations of his power, these demonstrations did not convince everyone anyway.
Perhaps the question that a Christian should ask is, if God didn't do anything new to get my attention, would I still believe? What if he didn't heal anyone else? What if he didn't help me be successful? What if I didn't have everything I needed? What if the people in his church were sometimes unpleasant? What if his scriptures were written with archaic language constructs, and some of his prophets had slow monotonous voices? What if I had nothing more than what he had already given me... would I still believe? Would that be enough for me?
With a bit of reflection, the honest man should be able to examine his life and realize that God has been present in diverse ways and at different times, and that he has done many things to try to get our attention. He has done things to help and guide us. This was the realization that came to the men who walked the road to Emmaus after Christ was resurrected:
"And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32)
Wise is the man who is able to hear that still small voice that comes from God. (1 Kings 19:12-13) Though it may not always be exciting, and it may not grab our attention the way other things do, it carries with it the divine promise of Jesus Christ himself:
"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:18)
