Jesus Heals Signs of the Kingdom

Jesus’ Miracles: Your Opinion What do you think about religious fundamentalism compared to scientific facts?

Jesus’ Marvelous Deeds The Gospels are filled with a variety of “works of wonder” by Jesus. 1. Healing miracles: Many times Jesus is shown relieving the suffering of people afflicted with fever, paralysis, deafness, etc.

2. Exorcisms: Dramatic accounts portray Jesus as driving evil spirits out of people 3. Restorations of Life: Three stories tell of Jesus raising people from the dead

4. Nature miracles: Frequently the Gospels demonstrate Jesus’ apparent control over the forces of nature

Why the miracles are so Challenging Today, we expect and need proof, evidence, and logical explanations for virtually everything we encounter. All of the miracles exactly as described None of the Miracles

Jesus Did Work Some Miracles Most do believe that Jesus did work some wonders: Supported by historical records: Some non-Christian historians of the ancient times referred to Jesus as a “wonder-worker”.

Not denied by the Pharisees: Even the Pharisees in the Gospels do not deny that Jesus worked many wonders. Instead, the Pharisees charge him with doing so through the power of the devil Affirmed by eyewitnesses: An undeniable historical fact is that many eyewitnesses to the work of Jesus believed so firmly in him that they became committed followers.

Persistent Problems Again, difference in accounts between each Gospel: Example: In Mark’s Gospel, a man approached Jesus and pleads, “My daughter is at the point of death”. Where in Matthew: “My daughter has just died.”

Example: The Gospel of Mark says that Jesus “cured many who were sick”, while the Gospel of Matthew says that Jesus cured all who were sick Example: The healing of one blind man in Mark’s Gospel becomes the healing of two in Matthew’s Gospel

In other words, the Jews EXPECTED God to work that way. The Jews and Miracles To the Jews, miracles were evidence of the presence and power of God. Because God was ALWAYS present and powerful, miracles were the law of nature. In other words, the Jews EXPECTED God to work that way.

All sickness, insanity, and disease was seen as the direct manifestation of the power of evil. Sheer terror (not cruelty) motivated people to distance themselves from all of these people.

Understanding Jesus’ Miracles Today The requirement of faith for accepting Jesus’ miracles is first and most important. The key to understanding the miracles of Jesus is grasping their relationship to his proclamation of the KOG.

At the core of each miracle are the following: God’s promise of unconditional love God’s commitment to the poor and outcasts of society God’s complete control over the power of sin and evil God’s offer of complete reconciliation