http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=10&article=1772
“The Very Works that I Do Bear Witness of Me”
The Bible begins with the miracle of Creation (Genesis 1:1), and ends
with a reminder of the miraculous Second Coming of Christ (Revelation
22:20). Like polka dots on a Dalmatian, wondrous miracles wrought by God
and His messengers spatter the biblical text. God created the Universe
out of nothing (Genesis 1), and centuries later flooded the entire Earth
with water (Genesis 7). He sent ten plagues upon the Egyptians (Exodus
7-12), parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14), and caused water to come from a
rock twice during Israel’s forty years of wandering in the wilderness
(Exodus 17; Numbers 20). He healed a leper (2 Kings 5), raised many from
the dead (1 Kings 17; Matthew 27:52-53), and on two different occasions
translated men from Earth to heaven so that they never tasted death
(Hebrews 11:5; 2 Kings 2:1-11). Even the Bible itself is the result of
the miracle of God supernaturally guiding Bible writers in what they
wrote. Rather than being the result of man’s genius, the Bible claims to
be “
God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16,
NIV). According to the apostle Peter, “[P]rophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were
carried along by
the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21,
NIV,
emp. added). From revelation to inspiration, from God’s Creation to
Jesus’ incarnation, miraculous (supernatural) explanations lay at the
heart of numerous biblical (and therefore historical) events.
Some people adamantly claim that any type of miracle is absolutely
impossible. Why do they say “no” to miracles? There are many reasons,
but perhaps most significant is that they do not believe that God exists
(or that if He does, He does not intervene in the natural world). A
person who believes that the Universe and its contents evolved through
natural processes over billions of years cannot believe in miracles
because he or she thinks that nothing exists outside of nature. As the
late, eminent astronomer of Cornell University, Carl Sagan, put it: “The
Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be” (1980, p. 4). Since a
miracle is an extraordinary event that demands a supernatural
explanation, no such event ever could occur in a world where only
natural forces operate. Once a person denies God and the miracle of
Creation, then he or she is forced to deny that miracles of any kind can
occur. Christians believe in miracles because they believe that God
exists and that the Bible (which reports some of God’s miracles) is His
Word, whereas atheists reject miracles because they do not believe in a
higher, supernatural Being.
Those who hold to an atheistic viewpoint are correct about one thing:
If God does not exist (or as the deist believes, if He does exist, but
is unwilling to intervene in His creation), then miracles cannot occur.
On the other hand, if God does exist (and evidence indicates that He
does—see Thompson, 2003), then miracles not only are possible, but also
probable. It makes perfectly good sense to conclude that if God created
the Universe, then on occasion He might intervene through supernatural
acts (i.e., miracles) to accomplish His divine purposes.
MIRACULOUS CONFIRMATION
Since the world began, God has revealed messages to mankind “by the
mouth of His holy prophets” (Luke 1:70; cf. Luke 11:49-51; Acts 3:21)
and worked various miracles through them for the purpose of confirming
His Divine will. God gave Moses the ability to turn a staff into a snake
and water into blood in order that his hearers “may believe the
message” that he spoke (Exodus 4:1-9). Fire from Heaven consumed an
altar on Mount Carmel so that Israel might know the one true God and
that His faithful prophet Elijah spoke on His behalf (1 Kings 18:36-39).
Centuries later, as the apostles went about preaching the Gospel, Mark
wrote that the Lord was “working with them and confirming the word
through the accompanying signs” (16:20). According to the writer of
Hebrews, the salvation “which at first began to be spoken by the
Lord...was confirmed to us by those who heard Him” (2:3). God bore
witness “with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the
Holy Spirit, according to His own will” (2:4). Indeed, throughout the
Bible God’s spokesmen worked miracles in order to validate their divine
message.
In view of the fact that miracles have served as a confirmation of
God’s revelation since time began, it should be no surprise that “when
the fullness of time had come” (Galatians 4:4), and the promised
Messiah, the Son of God, came to Earth for the purpose of saving the
world from sin (Luke 19:10; John 3:16), that He would confirm His
identity and message by performing miracles. Centuries before the birth
of Christ, the prophet Isaiah foretold of a time when “the eyes of the
blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped....
[T]he lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing”
(35:5-6). Although this language has a figurative element to it, it
literally is true of the coming of the Messiah. When John the Baptizer
heard about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus
asking if He was “the Coming One” of Whom the prophets spoke. Jesus
responded to John’s disciples by pointing to the people whom He had
miraculously healed (thus fulfilling Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy),
saying, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind
see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the
dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them”
(Matthew 11:4-5; cf. Mark 7:37). Jesus wanted them to know that He was
doing exactly what “the Coming One” was supposed to do (cf. Isaiah 53:4;
Matthew 8:17), and what the Jews expected Him to do—perform miracles
(John 7:31; cf. John 4:48; 1 Corinthians 1:22).
Jesus’ miracles served a different purpose than those wrought by Moses,
Elijah, or one of the New Testament apostles or prophets. Unlike all
other miracle workers recorded in Scripture, Jesus actually claimed to
be the prophesied Messiah, the Son of God, and His miracles were
performed to prove both the truthfulness of His message
and His divine nature. Whereas the apostles and prophets of the New Testament worked miracles to confirm their message that
Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus performed miracles to bear witness that
He
was, in fact, the Son of God. In response to a group of Jews who
inquired about whether or not He was the Christ, Jesus replied,
I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s
name, they bear witness of Me.... I and My Father are one.... If I do
not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though
you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe
that the Father is in Me, and I in Him (John 10:25,30,37-38).
Similarly, on another occasion Jesus defended His deity, saying, “[T]he
works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I
do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me” (John 5:36). While
on Earth, Jesus was “attested by God...with miracles and wonders and
signs which God performed through Him” (Acts 2:22,
NASB).
And, according to the apostle John, “Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but
these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31, emp.
added). As would be expected from the One Who claimed to be God
incarnate (cf. John 1:1-3,14; 10:30), Scripture records that Jesus
performed miracles throughout His ministry in an effort to provide
sufficient proof of His divine message and nature.
REASONS TO BELIEVE IN THE MIRACLES OF JESUS
Regardless of how much credible evidence one is able to set forth in a
discussion on the miracles of Christ, certain individuals will never be
convinced that Jesus is the Son of God. The Bible makes clear that even a
number of those in the first century who saw the miraculous works of
Jesus firsthand were not persuaded that He was the promised Messiah (cf.
Mark 6:6). Rather than fall at His feet and call him “Lord” (as did the
blind man who was healed by Jesus—John 9:38), countless Jews refused to
believe His claims of divinity. Instead, they attributed His works to
Satan, and said things like, “He has Beelzebub,” or “By the ruler of the
demons He casts out demons” (Mark 3:22). In light of such reactions to
Jesus’ miracles by some of those who actually walked the Earth with Him
2,000 years ago, it should not be surprising that many alive today also
reject Him as Lord and God. As previously stated, one of the main
reasons for rejecting His deity and the miracles which the Bible claims
that He worked is simply because many people deny God’s existence (even
in the face of the heavens declaring His handiwork—cf. Psalm 19:1) and
the Bible’s inspiration (which also has been demonstrated with an
abundant amount of evidence—see Thompson, 2001). Obviously, if one
refuses to accept these two foundational pillars of Christianity, he
will never be convinced that Jesus worked miracles. Still, both theists
and atheists should consider several of the following reasons as to why
the miracles of Jesus are credible testimonies of His divine nature and
teachings.
Countless Thousands Witnessed His Miracles
Aside from the fact that Jesus’ miracles are recorded in the most
historically documented ancient book in all of the world (see
Butt, 2000, 20[1]:4-5), which time and again has proven itself to be a reliable witness to history (see Butt
2004a,
2004b),
it also is significant that Jesus’ miracles were not done in some
remote place on Earth with only a few witnesses. Instead, the miracles
of Jesus were attested by
multitudes of people all
across Palestine throughout His ministry. Jesus began His miracles in
Cana of Galilee by turning water into wine at a wedding feast in the
presence of His disciples and other guests (John 2:1-11). [Considering
how much wine was made after the hosts had already run out
(approximately 120 gallons—2:6), it would appear there were many guests
at the feast. Exactly how many witnessed the amazing feat, we are not
told. But, the apostle John did record that “the servants who had drawn
the water knew” of the miracle (2:9), as well as Jesus’ disciples
(2:11).] On more than one Sabbath day, Jesus performed miracles in
Jewish synagogues where countless contemporaries gathered to study
Scripture on their holy day (Mark 1:23-28; Mark 3:1-6). Jesus once
healed a sick man at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem where “
a great multitude” of sick people had congregated (John 5:3), and He healed a paralytic in a Capernaum house
full
of “Pharisees and teachers of the law...who had come out of every town
of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem” (Luke 5:17). The house was so crowded
with people, in fact, that those who brought the paralytic could not
even enter the house through the door. Instead, they uncovered part of
the roof, and lowered him through the tiling. Matthew recorded how Jesus
“saw a
great multitude; and He was moved with
compassion for them, and healed their sick” (14:14, emp. added). Then,
later, He took five loaves of bread and two fish and miraculously fed
5,000 men, plus their women and children,
while afterwards taking up twelve baskets full of leftovers (Matthew
14:15-21; Mark 6:33:43; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14). On another occasion,
Jesus took “a few little fish...and seven loaves” of bread and fed
4,000 men, besides women and children (Matthew 15:32-39).
Truly, countless thousands of Jesus’ contemporaries witnessed His
miracles on various occasions throughout His ministry. They were not
hidden or performed in inaccessible locations incapable of being tested
by potential followers. Rather, they were subjected to analysis by Jews
and Gentiles, believers and unbelievers, friends and foes. They were
evaluated in the physical realm by physical senses. When Peter preached
to those who had put Jesus to death, he reminded them that Christ’s
identity had been proved “by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did
through Him in your midst,
as you yourselves also know”
(Acts 2:22, emp. added). The Jews had witnessed Christ’s miracles
occurring among them while He was on the Earth. In the presence of many
eyewitnesses, Jesus gave sight to the blind, healed lepers, fed
thousands with a handful of food, and made the lame to walk.
The Enemies of Christ Attested to His Works
Interestingly, although many of Jesus’ enemies who witnessed His
miracles rejected Him as the Messiah and attempted to undermine His
ministry, even they did not deny the miracles that He worked. After
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in the presence of many Jews, “the
chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall
we do? For
this Man works many signs’ ”
(John 11:47, emp. added). According to Luke, even King Herod had heard
enough reports about Jesus to believe that He could perform “some
miracle” in his presence (Luke 23:8). Once, after Jesus healed a blind,
mute, demon-possessed man in the midst of multitudes of people, the
Pharisees responded, saying, “This fellow does not cast out demons
except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons” (Matthew 12:24). While
many of Jesus’ enemies did not confess belief in Him as being the
heaven-sent, virgin-born, Son of God, but attributed His works as being
from Satan, it is important to notice that they did not deny the
supernatural wonders that He worked. In fact, they confessed that He
worked a miracle by casting a demon from a man, while on another
occasion they scolded Him for healing on the Sabbath (cf. Luke
13:10-17).
Even when Jesus’ enemies diligently investigated the miracles that He
performed in hopes of discrediting Him, they still failed in their
endeavors. The apostle John recorded an occasion when Jesus gave sight
to a man born blind (John 9:7). After receiving his sight, neighbors and
others examined him, inquiring how he was now able to see. Later he was
brought to the Pharisees, and they scrutinized him. They questioned him
about the One who caused him to see, and then argued among themselves
about the character of Jesus. They called for the parents of the man who
was blind, and questioned them about their son’s blindness. Then they
called upon the man born blind again, and a second time questioned him
about how Jesus opened his eyes. Finally, when they realized the man
would not cave in to their intimidating interrogation and say some
negative thing about Jesus, “they cast him out” (9:34). They rejected
him, and the One Who made him well. Yet, they were unable to deny the
miracle that Jesus performed. It was known by countless witnesses that
this man was born blind, but, after coming in contact with Jesus, his
eyes were opened. The entire case was scrutinized thoroughly by Jesus’
enemies, yet even they had to admit that Jesus caused the blind man to
see (John 9:16-17,24,26). It was a fact, accepted, not by credulous
youths, but by hardened, veteran enemies of Christ.
Furthermore, there were some of those among Jesus’ strongest critics
who eventually did come to believe, not simply in His miracles, but that
the wonders He worked really were from Heaven. John hinted of this
belief when he wrote about how there was a division among the Pharisees
concerning whether Jesus was from God. One group asked, “How can a man
who is a sinner (as some among the Pharisees alleged—
EL/
KB)
do such signs?” (John 9:16). Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee and a ruler
of the Jews, came to Jesus by night and confessed, saying, “Rabbi, we
know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs
that You do unless God is with him” (John 3:2). Years later, after the
establishment of the church, Luke recorded how “a great many of the
priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). Truly, even many of
those who were numbered among Jesus’ enemies at one time eventually
confessed to His being the Son of God. Considering that positive
testimony from hostile witnesses is the weightiest kind of testimony in a
court of law, such reactions from Jesus’ enemies are extremely
noteworthy in a discussion on the miracles of Christ.
Multiple Attestation of Writers
The case built for the authenticity of Jesus’ miracles is further
strengthened by the fact that His supernatural works were recorded, not
by one person, but by multiple independent writers. Even unbelievers
admit that various miracles in Jesus’ life (including His resurrection)
were recorded by more than one writer (cf. Barker, 1992, p. 179;
Clements, 1990, p. 193). If scholars of ancient history generally
rendered facts “unimpeachable” when two or three sources are in
agreement (see Maier, 1991, p. 197), then the multiple attestation of
Jesus’ miracles by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul (cf. 1
Corinthians 15:1-8) is extremely impressive. Unlike Islam and Mormonism,
each of which relies upon the accounts/writings of one alleged inspired
man (Muhammad and Joseph Smith, respectively), Christianity rests upon
the foundation of multiple writers. Consider also that certain miracles
Jesus performed, specifically the feeding of the 5,000 and His
resurrection, are recorded in all four gospel accounts. Furthermore, the
writers’ attestation of Jesus’ life and miracles is similar enough so
as not to be contradictory, but varied enough so that one cannot
reasonably conclude that they participated in collusion in order to
perpetrate a hoax. Truly, the fact that multiple writers attest to the
factuality of Jesus’ miracles should not be taken lightly and dismissed
with a wave of the hand.
Interestingly, Bible writers were not alone in their attestation of the
wonders that Jesus worked. The first-century Jewish historian,
Josephus, mentioned Jesus as being One Who “was a doer of wonderful
works (
paradoxa)”
and Who “drew over to him many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles”
(1987, 18:3:3, emp. added). Josephus used this same Greek word (
paradoxa)
earlier when referring to Elijah and his “wonderful and surprising
works by prophecy” (9:8:6). The only instance of this word in the New
Testament is found in Luke’s gospel account where those who had just
witnessed Jesus heal a paralytic “were all seized with astonishment and
began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, ‘We have
seen
remarkable things (
paradoxa) today’” (5:26,
NASB, emp. added). A reference to Jesus’ amazing works was also described in one section of the
Babylonian Talmud (known as the
Sanhedrin Tractate) where Jewish leaders wrote, “On the eve of the Passover Yeshu [Jesus—
EL/
KB]
was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald
went forth and cried, ‘He is going forth to be stoned because
he has practiced sorcery
and enticed Israel to apostasy....’ But since nothing was brought
forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of Passover” (Shachter,
1994, 43a). Even though the Talmud describes Jesus’ amazing deeds as
“sorcery,” and although we may never know for certain whether Josephus
truly believed Jesus could work legitimate miracles, both acknowledge
that Jesus’ life was characterized by remarkable wonders—testimony that
would be expected from certain unbelievers who were attempting to
explain away the supernatural acts of Christ.
Bible Writers Reported Facts—not Fairy Tales
It also is important to understand that the Bible writers insisted that
their writings were not based on imaginary, nonverifiable people and
events, but instead were grounded on solid historical facts (as has been
confirmed time and again by the science of archaeology). The apostle
Peter, in his second epistle to the Christians in the first century,
wrote: “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made
known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eyewitnesses of His majesty” (1:16). In a similar statement, the apostle
John insisted: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our
hands have handled, concerning the Word of life...that which we have
seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with
us” (1 John 1:1,3). When Luke wrote his account of the Gospel of
Christ, he specifically and intentionally crafted his introduction to
ensure that his readers understood that his account was historical and
factual:
Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of
those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from
the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them
to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of
all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most
excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things
in which you were instructed (Luke 1:1-4).
In a similar line of reasoning, Luke included in his introduction to
the book of Acts the idea that Jesus, “presented Himself alive after His
suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty
days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts
1:3). In addition, when the apostle Paul was arguing the case that Jesus
Christ had truly been raised from the dead, he wrote that the
resurrected Jesus
was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over
five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the
present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James,
then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by
one born out of due time (1 Corinthians 15:5-8).
This handful of verses by Peter, Paul, John, and Luke, reveal that the
Bible writers insisted with conviction that their writings were not
mythical, but were based on factual events. Furthermore, they
specifically documented many of the eye-witnesses who could testify to
the accuracy of their statements. As Henry S. Curr remarked more than
half a century ago,
We are not asked to believe in myths and legends of the kind
associated with paganism, classical and otherwise, nor in cunningly
devised fables or old wives’ tales. We are besought to accept sober
stories of incidents which cannot be accounted for in any other way save
that God was directly and intimately at work in the matter (1941,
98:478).
The claim that the Bible is filled with miracle myths can be made, but
it cannot be reasonably maintained. The evidence is overwhelming that
the Bible writers understood and insisted that their information about
Jesus and His miracles was accurate and factual, just as were all other
details in their narratives and letters. Furthermore, their claim of
factual accuracy has been verified time and again by the discipline of
archaeology as well as by refutations of alleged discrepancies between
the various writings and history.
Jesus’ Signs were Many and Varied
Another characteristic of Jesus’ miracles is that more than a few are
recorded in Scripture. One is not asked to believe that Jesus is the Son
of God because He performed one or two marvelous deeds during His
lifetime. On the contrary, genuine “miracles cluster around the Lord
Jesus Christ like steel shavings to a magnet” (Witmer, 1973, 130:132).
The gospel accounts are saturated with a variety of miracles that Christ
performed, not for wealth or political power, but that the world may be
convinced that He was sent by the Father to bring salvation to mankind
(cf. John 5:36; 10:37-38). As Isaiah prophesied, Jesus performed
miracles of healing
(Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:16-17). He cleansed a leper with the touch of
His hand (Matthew 8:1-4), and healed all manner of sickness and disease
with the word of His mouth (cf. John 4:46-54). One woman who had a
hemorrhage for twelve years was healed immediately simply by touching
the fringe of His garment (Luke 8:43-48). Similarly, on one occasion
after Jesus came into the land of Gennesaret,
all who were sick in
all
of the surrounding region came to Him, “and begged Him that they might
only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made
perfectly well” (Matthew 14:34-36; Mark 3:10). Generally speaking, “
great multitudes
came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many
others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them”
(Matthew 15:30, emp. added). “He cured
many of infirmities, afflictions...and to
many blind He gave sight” (Luke 7:21, emp. added). Even Jesus’ enemies confessed to His “many signs” (John 11:48).
Jesus not only exhibited power over the sick and afflicted, He also showed His
superiority over nature
more than once. Whereas God’s prophet Moses turned water into blood by
striking water with his rod (Exodus 7:20), Jesus simply willed water
into wine at a wedding feast (John 2:1-11). He further exercised His
power over the natural world by calming the Sea of Galilee during a
turbulent storm (Matthew 8:23-27), by walking on water for a
considerable distance to reach His disciples (Matthew 14:25-43), and by
causing a fig tree to whither away at His command. In truth, Jesus’
supernatural superiority over the physical world (which He
created—Colossians 1:16) is exactly what we would expect from One Who
claimed to be the Son of God.
Jesus’ miracles were not limited to the natural world, however. As further proof of His deity, He also revealed His
power over the spiritual world by casting out demons. “They brought to Him
many
who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word”
(Matthew 8:16, emp. added). Luke also recorded that “He cured
many
of...evil spirits” (Luke 7:21, emp. added). Mark recorded where Jesus
once exhibited power over a man overwhelmed with unclean spirits, which
no one had been able to bind not even with chains and shackles; neither
could anyone tame the demon-infested man (Mark 5:1-21). Jesus, however,
cured him. Afterwards, witnesses saw the man with the unclean spirits
“sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind” (Luke
8:35-36). On several occasions, Jesus healed individuals who were
tortured by evil spirits. And, “they were all amazed and spoke among
themselves, saying, ‘What a word this is! For with authority and power
He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out’” (Luke 4:36).
Finally, Jesus even performed miracles that demonstrated His
power over death.
Recall that when John the Baptizer’s disciples came to Jesus inquiring
about His identity, Jesus instructed them to tell John that “the dead
are raised” (Matthew 11:5). The widow of Nain’s son had already been
declared dead and placed in a casket when Jesus touched the open coffin
and told him to “arise.” Immediately, “he who was dead sat up and began
to speak” (Luke 7:14-15). Lazarus had already been dead and buried for
four days by the time Jesus raised him from the dead (John 11:1-44).
Such a great demonstration of power over death caused “many of the Jews
who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did” to believe in
Him (John 11:45). What’s more, Jesus’ own resurrection from the dead was
the climax of all of His miracles, and serves as perhaps the most
convincing miracle of all (see Butt,
2002, pp. 9-15).
In all, the Gospel records contain some thirty-seven specific
supernatural acts that Jesus performed. If that number were to include
such miracles as His virgin birth and transfiguration, and the multiple
times He exemplified the ability to “read minds” and to know the past or
future without having to learn of them through ordinary means (cf. John
4:15-19; 13:21-30; 2:25), etc., the number would reach upwards to
fifty. Indeed, the miracles of Christ were varied and numerous. He
healed the blind, lame, sick, and leprous, as well as demonstrated power
over nature, demons, and death. The apostle John, who recorded the
miracles of Christ “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John
20:31), also commented on how “Jesus did
many other
signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this
book” (20:30, emp. added). In fact, Jesus worked so many miracles
throughout His ministry on Earth that, “if they were written one by one,
I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that
would be written” (John 21:25).
|
Power over Affliction
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Cited In
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Royal official’s son
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John 4:46-54
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Peter’s mother-in-law
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Matthew 8:14-18; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41
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Leper
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Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-14
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Paralytic
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Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:3-12; Luke 5:18-26
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Lame man at the Pool of Bethesda
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John 5:1-16
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Man with withered hand
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Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11
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Paralyzed centurion’s servant
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Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10
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Hemorrhaging woman
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Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48
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Two blind men
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Matthew 9:27-31
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Deaf and mute man
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Matthew 15:29-31; Mark 7:31-37
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Blind man outside of Bethesda
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Mark 8:22-26
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Ten lepers
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Luke 17:11-19
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Man born blind
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John 9
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Crippled woman
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Luke 13:10-17
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Man with dropsy
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Luke 14:1-6
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Two blind men near Jericho
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Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52
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Malchus’ ear
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Luke 22:50-51
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Power over Nature
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Cited In
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Water changed into wine
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John 2:1-11
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First catch of fish
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Luke 5:1-7
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Calming a turbulent storm
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Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:36-41; Luke 8:22-25
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Feeding 5,000
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Matthew 14:15-21; Mark 6:30-34; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14
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Walking on water
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Matthew 14:22-32; Mark 6:45-46; John 6:15-21
|
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Feeding 4,000
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Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-9
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Money in the fish’s mouth
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Matthew 17:24-27
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Fig tree withers
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Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-24
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Second catch of fish
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John 21:1-11
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Power over Demons
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Cited In
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Man in synagogue at Capernaum
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Mark 1:23-28; Luke 4:33-37
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Mute, demon-possessed man
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Matthew 9:32-34
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Mary Magdalene
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Luke 8:2
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Two men at Gadara
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Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-21; Luke 8:26-40
|
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Blind, mute, demon-possessed man
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Matthew 12:22-30; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 11:14-23
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Syro-Phoenician’s daughter
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Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30
|
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Epileptic, demon-possessed child
|
Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43
|
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Power over Death
|
Cited In
|
|
Widow of Nain’s son
|
Luke 7:11-18
|
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Jairus’ daughter
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Matthew 9:18-19,23-26; Mark 5:21-24,35-43; Luke 8:40-42,49-56
|
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Lazarus
|
John 11
|
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Jesus’ own resurrection
|
Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20
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The Miracles of Jesus were neither Silly nor Overboard
Admittedly, for some, a number of the miracles that Jesus performed are
more easily accepted than others. The fact that a group of fishermen
let their nets down into the sea and caught so many fish that the
netting began to break (Luke 5:1-11) is not difficult for critics to
accept (although not as a miracle). The idea of Jesus raising Lazarus
from the dead after already being in the tomb for four days, however, is
much harder for skeptics to believe. But, neither this miracle nor any
other that Jesus worked is unworthy of our consideration because it is
silly or overboard. People may reject the miracles of Christ because of
their disbelief in the supernatural altogether, or because of their
inability to attach naturalistic explanations to various miracles.
However, His miracles cannot be denied on the grounds that they are
characterized by the absurd and ridiculous—that they are not. As Furman
Kearley once stated, “The gospel records are marked by restraint and
sublimity in the description of miracles” (1976, 93[27]:4).
The miracles of Christ certainly were
extraordinary
(otherwise they would not be miracles), yet they were performed (and
recorded) with all sanity and sobriety—exactly what one would expect if
they really were signs from God. After all, He
is the author and finisher of that unspeakable machine which we call
the universe, ever working in accordance with its constitution on the
strictest principles of law and order, and thus proclaiming that its
Architect is no capricious being but one whose mental attributes are as
marvelous as His moral and spiritual qualities. In these circumstances,
it would be very strange if the Biblical miracles represented the
contradiction of orderly things (Curr, 1941, 98:471).
Since the omnipotent God has chosen to
control His infinite power, and to use it in
orderly and
rational
ways, one would expect that when God put on flesh (John 1:1-3,14) and
exerted His supernatural power on Earth, it likewise would be
characterized as power under control—miracles performed with infinite
sobriety and rationality.
Unlike the stories of many alleged miracle workers from the past (or
present), Jesus’ miracles are characterized by restraint and dignity.
Consider the miracle that Jesus performed on Malchus, a man who was
about to arrest Jesus. Instead of doing something like commanding the
left ear of Malchus to whither or fall off (after Peter severed his
right one with a sword), Jesus simply touched the detached ear “and
healed him” (Luke 22:51). A man who was about to turn Jesus over to His
enemies has his ear cut off with a sword, and Jesus simply (yet
miraculously) puts his ear back in place. What’s more, that is all any
Bible writer wrote about the matter. An amazing miracle was worked the
night before Jesus’ death, and the only thing revealed is that Jesus
“touched his ear and healed him.” As with all of Jesus’ miracles,
[t]here is no attempt to magnify the supernatural features of the
incident. The happening is left to speak for itself. If truth be best
unadorned, then there are no more effective illustrations of that
doctrine than the Biblical records of signs and wonders. The writers do
not dwell upon them. They rather take the marvels in their stride. They
tell the story as succinctly as they can, and then pass on to deal with
something else. That is exemplified very clearly in the Synoptic
Gospels. We are told of the moral and physical miracle wrought in a
house at Capernaum when four men bore a sick friend to the feet of
Jesus, having removed part of the roof and lowered the pallet through
the aperture. The man’s sins were forgiven. This was a sign from heaven
if there ever was one. His infirmity was also removed and that was
another demonstration of our Lord’s claims to be God manifest in the
flesh. Matthew then proceeds to recount his call to discipleship and
what followed. Procedure like that is repeated again and again. The
writers do not linger over the supernatural as a modern novelist might
do. The miracle is mentioned at greater or less length, and then the
narrative goes on its way. It is true that reference is often made to
the amazement created in the crowds which witnessed these mighty works
of God; but even that is not emphasized inordinately (Curr, 1941,
98:473).
Furthermore, unlike those in other writings, Jesus’ miracles were not
characterized by the sorcerer’s hocus pocus. In fact, there are few
parallels to Jesus and the magicians of the ancient world. Even Rudolf
Bultmann, the twentieth-century German writer who sought to explain away
the miracles of Jesus, admitted that “the New Testament miracle stories
are extremely reserved in this respect, since they hesitate to
attribute to the person of Jesus the magical traits which were often
characteristic of the Hellenistic miracle worker” (as quoted in
Habermas, 2001, p. 113). Jesus could have performed any miracle that He
wanted. He could have pulled rabbits from hats for the sole purpose of
amusing people. He could have turned His Jewish enemies into stones, or
given a person three eyes. He could have turned boys into men. He could
have lit the robes of the Pharisees on fire and told them that hell
would be ten times as hot. He could have formed a dozen sparrows out of
clay as a child, and then, in the midst of a group of boys, turned the
clay birds into live ones at the clap of His hands, as is alleged in the
non-inspired apocryphal book, the
Gospel of Thomas (1:4-9;
The Lost Books..., 1979, p. 60). Certainly, Jesus
could
have done any number of silly, outlandish miracles. But, He didn’t. In
contrast to the miracles recorded in any number of non-inspired sources,
Jesus’ miracles were not characterized by
endless tales of wonders with which literature and folklore of the
world abounds. There is no suggestion of magic or legerdemain about the
mighty works of God described in the Bible. On the contrary, they are
invariably characterized by a sanity and sobriety and reasonableness....
There is nothing extravagant or bizarre about them.... When the
miracles of our Lord which are described in the four Gospels are
compared with those derived from other sources, the difference is like
that of chalk and cheese” (Curr, 98:471-472).
Jesus Worked Wonders that are not Being Duplicated Today
Finally, neither the modern alleged “faith healer” nor the
twenty-first-century scientist is duplicating the miracles that Jesus
worked while on Earth 2,000 years ago. Pseudo-wonder workers today stage
seemingly endless events where willing participants with supposed
sicknesses appear and act as if they are being healed of their diseases
by the laying on of hands. Nebulous aches and pains and dubious
illnesses that defy medical substantiation are supposedly cured by
prominent “faith healers” who simultaneously are building financial
empires with the funds they receive from gullible followers. Frauds like
Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn, and a host of others have made many millions
of dollars off of viewers who naively send them money without stopping
to consider the real differences between the miracles that Jesus worked
and what they observe these men do today.
Jesus went about “healing
every sickness and
every
disease” (Matthew 9:35, emp. added). His miraculous wonders knew no
limitations. He could cure anything. Luke, the learned physician
(Colossians 4:14), recorded how He could restore a shriveled hand in the
midst of His enemies (Luke 6:6-10), and heal a severed ear with the
touch of His hand (Luke 22:51). He healed “many” of their blindness
(Luke 7:21), including one man who had been
born blind
(John 9:1-7)! What’s more, He even raised the dead simply by calling out
to them (John 11:43). What modern-day “spiritualist,” magician, or
scientist has come close to doing these sorts of things that defy
natural explanations? Who is going into schools for the blind and giving
children their sight? Who is going to funerals or graveyards to raise
the dead? These are the kinds of miracles that Jesus worked—supernatural
feats that testify to His identity as the heaven-sent Savior of the
world.
CONCLUSION
As should be expected from the One Who claimed to be God incarnate (cf.
John 1:1-3,14; 10:30), Scripture records that Jesus performed miracles
throughout His ministry in order to provide sufficient proof of His
divine message and nature. Countless thousands witnessed His miracles.
He performed them throughout His ministry—miracles that in countless
ways are unlike the alleged wonders worked by sorcerers, scientists, or
“spiritualists” of the past or present. Even Jesus’ enemies attested to
the wonders that He worked, which later were recorded, not by one
person, but by multiple independent writers who were dedicated to
reporting facts rather than fairy tales.
Jesus worked miracles, not for the sake of entertaining individuals or
in order to make a profit off of His audiences, but that the world may
know that Jesus and God are one (John 10:30,38), and that the Father
sent Him to Earth to save mankind from sin (John 5:36). He “did many
other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in
this book; but
these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31, emp.
added). Certainly, among the greatest proofs for the deity of Christ are
the miracles that He worked.
REFERENCES
Barker, Dan (1992),
Losing Faith in Faith (Madison, WI: Freedom From Religion Foundation).
Butt, Kyle (2000), “The Historical Christ—Fact or Fiction,”
Reason and Revelation, 20[1]:1-6, January, [On-line],
URL:
http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/157.
Butt, Kyle (2002), “Jesus Christ—Dead or Alive?”
Reason & Revelation, 22:9-15, February, [On-line],
URL:
http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/121.
Butt, Kyle (2004a), “Archaeology and the Old Testament,”
Reason and Revelation, 24[3]:17-23, March, [On-line],
URL:
http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2502.
Butt, Kyle (2004b), “Archaeology and the New Testament,”
Reason and Revelation, 24[10]:89-95, October, [On-line],
URL:
http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2591.
Clements, Tad S. (1990),
Science vs. Religion (Buffalo, NY: Prometheus).
Curr, Henry S. (1941), “The Intrinsic Credibility of Biblical Miracles,”
Bibliotheca Sacra, 98:470-479, October.
Habermas, Gary (2001), “Why I Believe the Miracles of Jesus Actually Happened,”
Why I
am a Christian, eds. Norman L. Geisler and Paul K. Hoffman (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House).
Josephus, Flavius (1987),
The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus, trans. William Whitson (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson).
Kearley, F. Furman (1976), “The Miracles of Jesus,”
Firm Foundation, 93[27]:4, July 6.
The Lost Books of the Bible (1979 reprint), (New York, NY: Random House).
Maier, Paul L. (1991),
In the Fullness of Time: A Historian Looks at Christmas, Easter, and the Early Church (San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins).
Sagan, Carl (1980),
Cosmos (New York: Random House).
Shachter, Jacob, trans. (1994),
The Babylonian Talmud: Sanhedrin Tractate (London: Soncino Press).
Thompson, Bert (2001),
In Defense of the Bible’s Inspiration (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press), second edition.
Thompson, Bert (2003),
The Case for the Existence of God (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).
Witmer, John (1973), “The Doctrine of Miracles,”
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