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Peter is speaking of miracles performed through Christ in their "midst." Because Peter's audience had seen these miracles, to them they constituted proof. The text does not suggest that one should rely exclusively on miracles. Also, we have assumed that the text means "miracles" in the literal and physical sense. It is worth noting that this is an interpretation of which we cannot be sure. Many of the miracles performed by Christ have been explained in a number of reasonable ways. The Bible itself sometimes suggests a symbolic meaning. For instance, in the Gospel according to Matthew it is recorded that Christ fed an entire multitude with only seven loaves of bread (mat 15). However, shortly after, Christ equates the leaven of bread with doctrines (mat 16:5-12). Therefore, the miracle of feeding the multitude can be understood as Jesus imparting the Word of God (john 1:1-14) and the "bread of God" (john 6:33). As long as there is a reasonable and spiritual explanation, there is no compelling reason to insist that the miracle involved intervention in the laws of nature. Moreover, since most miracle may be symbols concerning the teachings of God, Peter's reference to such spiritual miracles may be another way of referring to the teachings.
(129:3)
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