the miracles of jesus (english)

8/6/2019 The Miracles of Jesus (English)

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THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

1. WHAT IS A MIRACLE?

The common definition of miracle is an event that is an exception tothe laws of nature. In the Bible, however, the miracles are described assigns and wonders or acts of power attributed to God.

John P. Meier, New Testament scholar, observes that a miracle hasthree basic components:

1. It must be an unusual event that can be perceived by others.2. It has no natural explanation.3. It appears to be the result of an act of God.

2. MIRACLES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

The history of the world is filled with miracles. Gods first miracle is thecreation of the world and all the other miracles must be seen from thispoint of view. In other words, God has a project of salvation for theworld and mankind and it must be successful. Since mankind hasabandoned Gods project and path, the miracles are signs to showthem the way back to God. God offers his miracles when evil hasreached its climax in the world. In this situation without exit, only Godcan find the way out.

The most important event in the history of Israel is the liberation fromthe slavery in Egypt and the exodus to the Promised Land. This specialis filled with miracles stories: the ten plagues (Ex 7-12); the crossing ofthe Red Sea (Ex 14:15-31); the manna in the desert (Ex 16), the waterfrom the rock (Ex 17:1-7) These signs and wonders performed byMoses showed the people of Israel that God was with them, cared, andprotected them in time of need.

In the OT, there are also prophets, Elijah and Elisha, who can performmiracles in Gods name and with Gods power: Miracles of Elijah(1Kings 17-18) and miracles of Elisha (2Kings 4-5).

During the 1st century, in Israel and other countries (like Greece andRome) there were many healers or miracles makers. They performedwonderful deeds that were written in books that we can read today.From this perspective, it is obvious that at Jesus time some people hadthe ability to make different kinds of miracles and their stories weretold from generation to generation. Therefore, everybody believed in

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miracles or in the capacity of certain people to perform them usuallyinfluenced by a divine power (God).

3. MIRACLES IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Jesus spreads the kingdom of God not only with words, but also with

powerful actions. The gospel of Mark includes 18 miracles of Jesus (15miracles in the first part and only 3 in the second part). The othergospels, even though they are longer than Mark, do not have a greatnumber of miracles: Matthew (20), Luke (21), and John (7). Thesemiracles (31% of the gospel) are the skeleton that gives unity andconsistency to the teachings of Jesus. There are four types of miraclesin the gospel: healings, exorcisms, nature, and resurrections. There arethree summaries of miracles as well.

3.1. List of the miracles of Jesus

A. Miracles of Healing:

1. The healing of Simons mother-in-Law (1:29-31)2. The healing of a leper (1:40-45)3. The healing of a paralytic (2:1-12)4. The healing of a man with a withered hand (3:1-6)5. The healing of a woman with a hemorrhage (5:25-34)6. The healing of a deaf-mute man (7:31-37)7. The healing of a blind man at Bethsaida (8:22-26)8. The healing of the blind man Bartimaeus (10:46-52)

B. Miracles of Exorcism:

1. The exorcism of a demoniac at Capernaum (1:21-28)2. The exorcism of the Gerasene Demoniac (5:1-20)3. The exorcism of the daughter of a Syrophoenician

woman (7:24-30)4. The exorcism of a boy with a demon (9:14-29)

C. Miracles of Nature:

1. The calming of a storm at the Lake of Galilee (4:35-41)

2. The feeding of the five thousand (6:30-44)3. Jesus walking on water (6:45-52)4. The feeding of the four thousand (8:1-10)5. The withered fig tree (11:12-14.20-25)

D. Miracles of Resurrection:

1. The resurrection of Jairus daughter (5:21-24.35-43)

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E. Summary of miracles:

1. The healings at Capernaum (1:32-34)2. The crowd look for Jesus (3:7-12)

3. The healings at Genesaret (6:53-56)

3.2. The vocabulary of the miracles

Mark normally uses popular language or terms when talkingabout the miracles: the fever left her (1:31); cured many whowere sick and drove out many devils (1:34); the wind dropped(4:39).

Sometimes he uses technical terms too:

- Sign (semeion): The Pharisees demand a sign from heaven

to prove that he is truly the Messiah (8:11-12); Signs andportents (semeia kai trata): Jesus warns the disciplesagainst the wonderful signs of the false prophets (13:21-22). In conclusion, Jesus is against this kind of powerfulsigns for considering them a demonstration of Satanspower.

- Actions of power or mighty works (dynamis): Thehealings and exorcisms of Jesus are often associated to theword power, normally in plural (actions of power): see5:30; 6:1-6.14; 9:39-40. In all these cases, this term refers

to Jesus miraculous activity without any negative remark.

3.3. Literary structure of the miracle stories

The miracle stories normally follow this pattern:

1. SETTING OF THE MIRACLE:

o LOCATION: Place where the miracle happen

o SITUATION: Presentation of the sick and the sickness.

o INFORMATION-PETITION: Jesus is informed or asked to act.

2. THE HEALING OR TRANSFORMATION:

o HEALING WORDS/ACTIONS: Description of the healing.

3. CONCLUSION:

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o DEMONSTRATION: Description of the full recovery of the

sick.o REACTION: Words of the people after witnessing the

miracle.In Marks Gospel only three miracles follow this pattern to the letter:

1:29-31; 7:31-37; 8:22-26.

3.4. How did Jesus perform his miracles?

Jesus, in Marks gospel normally realizes his miracles by using words,actions, or both of them.

A. Words: Jesus uses powerful words to perform his miracles:

- Be quiet! Come out of him! (1:25).- I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home (2:11).

- Stretch out your hand! (3:5).- Quiet now! Be calm! (4:39).- Come out of this man, unclean spirit (5:8).- Jesus said to the woman: for saying this you may go homehappy; the devil has gone out of your daughter (7:26).- Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit: Deaf and dumb spirit, Icommand you: come out of him and never enter him again(9:25).- Jesus said to the fig tree: May no one ever eat fruit from youagain (11:14).

B. Actions:

- Jesus touches a part of the body of the sick person or Jesus istouched: 1:31; 1:41; 5:27; 8:22.- Jesus imposition of hands: 5:23; 8:23.25.- Jesus uses saliva on the sick person: 8:23.- Jesus got into the boat with them and the wind dropped (6:51).

C. Words and Actions:

- Mark 5:41: Jesus takes the little girl by hand and says: talitha

kum, which means, little girl, I tell you to get up.- Mark 7:33-34: Jesus put his fingers into the mans ears andtouched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven hesaid to him: Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.- Mark 6:41 and 8:6-7: Jesus took the loaves and the fish, raisedhis eyes to heaven, and said the blessing: then he broke them,gave them to his disciples, and the disciples distributed themamong the crowd.

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4. WHY DID JESUS PERFORM MIRACLES?

4.1. Signs of Jesus identity: Messiah and Son of God

This is the reason why there are so many miracles in Mark and most ofthem are narrated in the first part of the gospel. They show that Jesusis much more than a teacher, a prophet, or a miracles worker: He isthe Messiah and the Son of God.

The problem with the miracles is that they show that Jesus is a type ofMessiah-King who can perform wonderful actions with Gods power.However, Jesus knows that he will not be the king of the Jews nor will

expel the Romans from the country. He will be the suffering and dyingMessiah who gives up his life on the cross so that everyone can besaved from the sin and everlasting death.

The miracles only show partially the identity of Jesus. For this reason,Jesus imposes the command of silence on the demons when castingthem out of the possessed people (1:25; 1:32-34; 3:7-12) and on someof the sick who have been healed (1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26). The trueidentity of Jesus will be completely revealed at the moment of thecrucifixion (15:39). Therefore, Jesus is the Son of God in his powerfulmiracles as well as in his powerless death.

4.2. Signs of the presence of the kingdom of God in the world:

Jesus miracles do not attempt to increase his popularity or fameamong the crowd, but to show practically that the kingdom of God isalready present in the world, among Gods people, through the wordsand the powerful actions of Jesus. A kingdom that wants to bring Godshealing, liberation, forgiveness, compassion, and love to a brokenworld that excludes and marginalizes people. This idea is confirmed inthe accusation of the scribes from Jerusalem: Jesus casts demons withthe power of the prince of devils, so he is possessed by Beelzebul.

Jesus showed them that any kingdom divided inside is doomed; it canbe easily destroyed and erased from the face of the earth (3:22-30).

The miracles show also that Jesus is the bearer or carrier of thekingdom of God. He casts demons out and heals the sick with Godspower, the Spirit within him (1:10). Consequently, everyone who wantsto join this kingdom must make a personal option: with Jesus or againsthim (3:29).

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The miracles also show that the kingdom of God belongs not only toIsrael, but also to the gentiles who are willing to welcome it (miraclesin gentile land: 5:1-20; 7:24-30; 8:1-10).

4.3. Signs of faith:

The miracles are strictly related to faith. Without faith, Jesus cannotmanifest his power on the people who seek his help: he could work nomiracle in Nazareth He was amazed at their lack of faith (Mk 6:5-6).In fact, for a miracle to happen it is necessary that those who come toJesus looking for a miracle show their faith in him (sometimes withwords and other times with actions: begging on his knees; letting thesick man down through the roof; touching Jesus clothes): the father of

the epileptic boy said to Jesus: if you can do anything, have pity on usand help us. If you can? Retorted Jesus. Everything is possible for onewho has faith. The father answered, I have faith, but help my lack offaith! (Mk 9:22-24). That is why Jesus said many times to those whohad been cured: your faith has saved you (Mk 10:52).

Faith (pistis appears 5 times in Mark and always connected withmiracles: 2:5; 4:40; 5:34; 10:52; 11:22-24) is mainly an act of trust inJesus, in his power, and in his person. Its dynamic nature facilitates theway to conversion, to following Jesus (Mk 10:52), and to be his witnessamong the people (Mk 5:18-20). Faith is not an internal attitude; it

must be shown through prayer, positive reactions, amazement,praise The faith of a person before a miracle, even if it is small, canbecome stronger after the miracle. Even though the faith is necessaryfor a miracle to happen, it does not create or provoke a miracle;miracles only come from the real power of Jesus.

5. STUDY OF MIRACLE STORIES

5.1. THE DEMONIAC AT THE SYNAGOGUE OF CAPERNAUM (1:21-28)

The first miracle: This is the first miracle in Marks gospel. It happensat the beginning of Jesus public ministry, after the calling of the firstfour disciples; therefore, miracles are very important in order tounderstand Jesus activity.

The demons know Jesus true identity: They know who Jesus is,that is why in v. 24 they call him The Holy one of God, which means,the Son of God (1:1). They also know his mission in the world: To

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destroy them and their power over human beings. Because he comesfrom God, the demons are powerless in front of him and must obey hiscommands.

Relationship between miracles and teachings: In Marks gospel,

there is a close relationship between the miracles and the teachings ofJesus. In fact, the crowd says that Jesus teaches with authority, not likethe scribes (1:22); later, the crowd were amazed and said: here is ateaching that is new, and with authority behind it: he gives orderseven to unclean spirits and they obey him (1:27). Jesus teaches bothwith words and exorcisms.Jesus becomes famous: Jesus fame spread all over Galilee (1:28).The miracle cannot be hidden because it happened in the synagogue;the entire town witnessed it and now begins to spread the news allover Galilee: they were astonished (1:27).

5.2. THE BLIND MAN BARTIMAEUS (10:46-52)

The last healing story in the gospel: There is another one in Mark11:12-14.20-25 (the withered fig tree), but it is more a curse orprophecy than a miracle. This healing story closes the section aboutdiscipleship; we must remember that this section started after thehealing of another blind man at Bethsaida (8:22-26). The reader isinvited to see in these two blind men the image or portrait of thedisciples and Jesus attempt to opening the eyes of the blind disciples:they do not understand his true identity neither his mission of givingup his life on the cross (incomprehension is a synonym of blindness).

The situation of Bartimaeus: Bartimaeus is the most importantcharacter of the story and everything rotates around him. There is atriple change from the beginning to the end of the story:

Beginning EndBlind man (sick person) His sight returned (healed)Sitting (no movement) Follow (movement)At the side of the road(excluded by people: beggar)

Along the road (member of acommunity)

The faith of Bartimaeus: The change manifested in his life is foundin Jesus words: Your faith has saved you (v. 52). He is a man of faithand his attitude of faith will bring him healing (physical sight) andsalvation (Jesus follower). Bartimaeus, being blind, is told that Jesuswas passing by and this information is enough for him to startshouting: Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me (v. 47b); not even thecrowd can keep him quiet, he stills shouts even louder: Son of David,have pity on me (v. 48b). The cry of Bartimaeus is a kind of prayer

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that perseveres in front of opposition. Bartimaeus calls Jesus Son ofDavid, meaning he is the Messiah-king they are waiting for. ThenJesus begins a dialogue with the blind: What do you want me to do for you? Rabbuni, let me see again (v. 51). The word Rabbuniemphasizes the experience of a personal encounter with Jesus and the

beginning of a close relationship. At the same time, his prayerbecomes very specific: he wants not pity only, but also his sight back.At the end of the story there is a clear connection between the healingand his faith. In fact, Jesus said: your faith has saved you (v. 52) andimmediately he recovered his sight. The healing is part of the salvationthat Bartimaeus has got due to his faith.

The attitude of Bartimaeus: Description in two different moments:

a) Bartimaeus reaction after being called by Jesus: throwing off hiscloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus (v. 50). The gesture of

throwing off the cloak means abandoning the old man (blind) inorder to become a new one (disciple of Jesus); in order to get close to Jesus, he must free himself from his past condition. Free from theobstacles, the blind man must go to Jesus without delay; there is notime for doubt or thinking about Jesus calling.

b) Bartimaeus reaction after the healing: at once his sight returnedand followed him along the road (v. 52). This is the only case in Markwhere Jesus allows a cured person to follow him. Why did he make anexception with the blind man? Because this is the logic of faith: 1)Asking for healing; 2) Being called by Jesus; 3) Encountering him face

to face; 4) Receiving the gift of sight; 5) Thankful response: followinghim on the way to the cross.

The attitude of Jesus: The first reaction of Jesus, after hearing thecries of the blind man, is to stop (v. 49) and get information about thesick person. The episode presents three expressions of Jesus regardingthe blind:

a) Jesus speaks to the crowd: call him here (v. 49a). He wantsto see the person face to face.

b) Jesus asked the blind man a question: what do you want me

to do for you? (v. 51a). This is an occasion for the blind manto show his faith.

c) Jesus dismissed the blind man: go; your faith has saved you(v. 52a). Jesus attributes the healing to the faith of the blindman. Now he is free to go home and start a new life (no morebegging), but Bartimaeus has found Jesus, a gift better thanhis sight, and wants to follow him all the way to the cross.

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The followers of Jesus: In this story, Jesus is leaving Jerichotogether with his disciples and a great crowd (v. 46). After this, thereis no distinction between the disciples and the crowd. They intervenethree times in the story:

a) At first, they inform Bartimaeus that Jesus of Nazareth ispassing by.b) Later, many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet

(v. 48a). They are an obstacle for those who want to get closeto Jesus.

c) In the end, Jesus himself heard his cry and asked the crowd tocall the blind to him. Now, they become mediators betweenJesus and the person in need. This is their mission: to helppeople get close to Jesus.

This story is a graphic demonstration of what it means discipleship or

to be a follower of Jesus: it is going with Jesus all the way, even if theroad takes us to experience suffering and death in his name.5.3. THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND (6:30-44; cf. 8:1-9)

Context of the story: Between the responses of people and Herodabout Jesus identity (Elijah or John the Baptist resurrected) and theexecution of John the Baptist. It happens some time after the return ofthe disciples from their missionary trip, when Jesus wants to go to adeserted place, far from the crowd, to rest (6:30f). From this view, thedisciples play an important role in the story.

The crowd are like sheep without shepherd: When Jesus and hisdisciples arrived to the Jewish side of the lake, he saw a great crowdwaiting for him and was filled with compassion because they were likesheep without a shepherd (develops the ideas of the OT: see Numbers27:17; 1Kings 22:17; Ezekiel 34:5). By feeding the people, Jesus ispresented as the Messiah who shows compassion by providing for theneeds of Gods people (6:43), just as God fed with the manna theIsraelites wandering in the desert (Exodus 16; Numbers 11).

Jesus asks the disciples to feed the hungry crowd: They justreturned from a successful mission where they taught and made

miracles, so they should be ready to feed the crowd as well. Theirproblem is seeing everything from a human perspective and forgettingthat, if they have faith, everything is possible. Jesus showed them thepower of faith and prayer when he fed the whole crowd. Even thoughthe disciples cannot perform the miracle, they still can help byorganizing the crowd in small groups (50 and 100) and distributing thefood.

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Connection between the feeding and the Eucharist: Even thoughduring the last supper, the fish is substituted for the wine, it is obviousthe connection between the feeding and the Eucharist: Jesus taking,blessing, and breaking of the bread portrays the Eucharist and Jesusself-giving sacrifice. In fact, the execution of John the Baptist prepares

us for the theme of self-sacrifice.

5.4. THE RESURRECTION OF JAIRUS DAUGHTER (5:21-24.35-43)

Sandwich stories: Mark likes using this literary strategy to narratetwo stories or miracles at the same time, like if they were only one. Hebegins to tell the first, adds another in the middle, in this case thehealing of the woman with a hemorrhage (5:25-34), and concludeswith the first one.

Faith is the key theme: The motif of faith is not mentioned explicitly,

but it is clearly expressed in the actions of Jairus: he is a powerful,wealthy, and influential member of the Jewish society (president of thesynagogue) who, without caring about what people gathered theremay say or think, shows his deep faith by falling at Jesus feet andbegging him to heal his daughter. Jairus believes that Jesus is amiracles worker; he is the only one who can save his daughters life.

Jairus faith is tested in the next scenes: a) Jesus, before going tohis house, stops to solve the problem of who touched his cloak whenhe was surrounded by a large crowd; b) Later, Jairus is told that hisdaughter has died and there is no point in disturbing Jesus any longer

(5:35).

Right attitude in times of discouragement: Jesus tells Jairus whatthe right attitude is in difficult times: Do not be afraid; only havefaith (5:36). If Jairus had faith in Jesus capacity to heal his sickdaughter before she was dead; now he must believe that Jesus canraise her up from death. The fact that Jairus permitted Jesus toaccompany him to his house is a clear sign that he trusts in Jesusability to resurrect his daughter. But Jairus faith was tested again whenseeing the people in mourning (5:38) and laughing at Jesus because hesaid the little girl was not dead, but sleeping (5:39). However, in the

end, Jairus faith was rewarded by Jesus raising the girl from death(5:42).

Marks vocabulary (the crowds laughter and the presence of hisclosest disciples, Peter, James, and John) reminds us of the passion anddeath of Jesus himself, but with the confidence that after all thesufferings, there will be a resurrection.

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Reaction of the crowd: The episode concludes with the crowdsamazement and astonishment in front of such a powerful action. Onceagain, Jesus commands silence about the miracle because he does notwant people to get the wrong idea about his identity: Suffering Messiahand Son of God.

5.5. SUMMARY OF HEALINGS AT CAPERNAUM (1:32-34)

First busy day in Jesus public activity: This episode is theconclusion of a very active Sabbath Day for Jesus: exorcism in thesynagogue (morning); healing of Simons mother-in-Law (noon);summary of healings (evening).

Jesus is becoming a famous healer: News about Jesus exorcism inthe synagogue has spread and the whole town brought the sick andpossessed by demons to Simons house. Jesus is a great miracle

worker. The gospel says that many got cured, but not all. This meansthat only those who believed in him and in his power obtained thehealing; those who did not believed went home empty handed. Thetheme of faith as a condition to obtain a miracle is stressed in Mk 6:5-6: and he could work no miracle there, except that he cured a fewsick people by laying hands on them. He was amazed at their lack offaith.

The summary ends with Jesus commanding the demons to be silent orkeep quiet about his identity (see also 1:34). Jesus could be easilyconfused with the powerful Messiah they all are waiting for. He is

different kind of Messiah and his true identity will be revealed at theend of the gospel (15:39).

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the miracles of jesus (english)

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