Do miraculous signs make any difference?

MGBurke said:

Jesus performed a lot of miraculous signs, and He had this to say about some of the cities that witnessed those things (and some of the cities that didn't) "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." (Matt. 11:21-23.) That would seem to mean that witnessing miraculous signs increase your responsibility, and can make a difference. In fact, Jesus once said this about some of the people who saw the things he did "If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father." (John 15:24.) But Jesus also gave us the story of Lazarus and the rich man, and this is what I don't understand. The rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his father's house, to warn his five brothers of what awaits them after death if they don't repent. And "Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." And the rich man says "Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And Abraham says "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." (Luke 16:27-31.) So why would Abraham say that to the rich man if the things Jesus did in Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum would have led Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom to repent? Do such things (like the appearances of Mary, and the miracles that took place in Egypt back in the 60's) make a difference or not? I feel like there's a contradiction here, and it bothers me. Can anyone help? Maybe part of the answer is that the rich man's brothers weren't the same people who would have repented centuries earlier if they had seen the things Christ did in Capernaum? But if that's it, and God had given Abraham enough insight into their character to know that sending Lazarus to them wouldn't make any difference, why would he say "if they won't listen to Moses and the prophets..."? If he knew they wouldn't repent even if they were given a warning from beyond the grave, because God shared that knowledge with him, wouldn't he have also known they weren't going to listen to Moses and the prophets? I don't understand this, and it really bothers me can someone help?

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Sabertooth said:

Some People They Never Believe, David Meece (1983)​

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ArmyMatt said:

this isn’t the place to post this. please read the purpose of St Basil’s.

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MGBurke said:

Jesus performed a lot of miraculous signs, and He had this to say about some of the cities that witnessed those things (and some of the cities that didn't) "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." (Matt. 11:21-23.) That would seem to mean that witnessing miraculous signs increase your responsibility, and can make a difference. In fact, Jesus once said this about some of the people who saw the things he did "If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father." (John 15:24.) But Jesus also gave us the story of Lazarus and the rich man, and this is what I don't understand. The rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his father's house, to warn his five brothers of what awaits them after death if they don't repent. And "Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." And the rich man says "Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And Abraham says "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." (Luke 16:27-31.) So why would Abraham say that to the rich man if the things Jesus did in Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum would have led Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom to repent? Do such things (like the appearances of Mary, and the miracles that took place in Egypt back in the 60's) make a difference or not? I feel like there's a contradiction here, and it bothers me. Can anyone help? Maybe part of the answer is that the rich man's brothers weren't the same people who would have repented centuries earlier if they had seen the things Christ did in Capernaum? But if that's it, and God had given Abraham enough insight into their character to know that sending Lazarus to them wouldn't make any difference, why would he say "if they won't listen to Moses and the prophets..."? If he knew they wouldn't repent even if they were given a warning from beyond the grave, because God shared that knowledge with him, wouldn't he have also known they weren't going to listen to Moses and the prophets? I don't understand this, and it really bothers me can someone help?

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Sabertooth said:

It seemed to agree with the sentiment of the OP.
I was not seeking to rebut it.

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