Chapter Jesus Heals Eight Rev. 2010

Sections of Chapter Eight I Jesus’ Deeds Are as Important as His Words II Why are Miracles Challenging? III The Jews and Miracles IV Understanding Miracles Today

I. Jesus’ Deeds Are as Important as His Words A.) Significance of Jesus’ miracles demonstrated that the power of God was truly manifested in him. 2.made his words more believable; gave his words “credibility.”

I. Jesus’ Deeds as Important As His Words B. Four Kinds of Miracles 1. Healing Miracles Curing fever, paralysis, deafness, leprosy, etc Exorcisms Accounts of Jesus’ driving evil spirits, “demons,” out of people

B. Four Kinds of Miracles 171 Three stories of Jesus raising people from the dead: - Lazarus - Widow’s Son - Jairus’ Daughter 3. Restoration to life 4. Nature Miracles Control over the forces of nature: walking on water, calming storms, multiplying loaves of bread, etc.

I. Jesus’ Deeds as Important As His Words C. The G GG Gospel of John John calls miracles “signs” of God’s power present in Jesus.

) J o h n ’ s m i r a c l e s t o r i e s f o c u s n o t o n t h e m i r a c l e s t h e m s e l v e s, b u t o n J e s u s a s t h e Son of God, through whom God is revealed. 3. John symbolic meaning:symbolize deeper spiritual truths 3. John focuses on their symbolic meaning: physical miracles symbolize deeper spiritual truths.

173 The raising of Lazarus from the dead shows not just God’s power over life and death, but shows Jesus’ identity identity as “the resurrection and the life.” An example of deeper meaning:

Sections of Chapter Eight I Jesus’ Deeds Are as Important as His Words II Why are Miracles Challenging? III The Jews and Miracles IV Understanding Miracles Today

II. Why are the Miracles So Challenging? A. Miracles in the Modern World We view the world differently from the way the Jews of Jesus’ time did. 174 We want proof, evidence, and logical “explanations” for everything

A. Miracles in the Modern World 1. Two typical Responses to Miracles: a.) “Take ‘em” 175 b.) “Leave ‘em”

a.) “Take ‘em” 175 i) Accept all Gospel miracles at face value (just as written) ii) Reject modern scientific and biblical findings

a.) “Take ‘em” 175 iii) Allow only a literal reading of bible, with no possibility that a passage might be symbolic. This is called “ F u n d a m e n t a l i s m ”

1. Two typical Responses to Miracles. b.) “Leave ‘em” 175 i) Reject any possibility of miracles ii) Dismiss miracle stories as illusions of primitive people or as simply made-up tales

1. Two typical Responses a.) “Take ‘em” 175 b.) “Leave ‘em” “In-between” option c.)

The “Middle Ground” i) Don’t treat all miracle stories the same. 175 c.)

175 ii) Don’t get so caught up in “explanation” that you miss the “meaning.”

175 iii) Each story has some- thing true and valid to say about the Kingdom.

175 iv) We can be sure that Jesus worked at least some wonders.

iv) We can be sure that Jesus worked at least some wonders - Non-Christian historians refer to him as a “wonder-worker” 175

iv) We can be sure that Jesus worked at least some wonders -- None of his enemies ever denied that he worked miracles 175

iv) We can be sure that Jesus worked at least some wonders --- Certain eye- witnesses were willing to die for their faith in Him 175

v) The major concern in this chapter is to understand the meaning of the miracles

B.) a Persistent Problem with miracles in the NT is that the Gospels themselves seem to disagree with one another about the same events 176

B. A Persistent Problem 2. Raises two questions: 177 a.) How can we approach and judge the truth of the miracles? b.) How are we to understand them if not as historically accurate accounts of events? (Not for notes)

Sections of Chapter Eight I Jesus’ Deeds Are as Important as His Words II Why are Miracles Challenging? III The Jews and Miracles IV Understanding Miracles Today

A. Two Different Worldviews 177 a) We tend to rely on science to explain the world 1. Modern view: Western culture b) So we see miracles as “events that contradict the laws of nature.”

Jews of Jesus’ Day A. Two Different Worldviews a) explained everything in the world in terms ofthe power and presence of God. b) So miracles were not special interventions in the law of nature:God caused everything in nature anyway. - the rain and the breeze were direct results of God’s activity.

Jews in Jesus’ Day c) Jews accepted miracles, too, as acts of God, if somewhat unusual ones, - they were awed by such displays of power, but not surprised by them.

Jews in Jesus’ Day d) in ancient Jewish view, every- thing was an expression of either God’s creative power The power of evil (a soft rain, a birth, etc.) (blindness, leprosy, death, etc.) - or -

Jews in Jesus’ Day e) More miracles and miracle workers i) Jews recognized things as “miracles” more easily than we do. ( An unusual event today makes us search for scientific causes)

e) i.) Cont’d Their explanation for such a mystery was that God was doing it!

179 2.) Jews in Jesus’ Day e) More miracles and miracle workers ii) In Jesus’ day, more people were recognized as “miracle-workers,” with strange powers over people and events.

179 2.) Jews in Jesus’ Day e) More miracles and miracle workers iii) The Jews had wonder-working rabbis, Greeks had their miracle-workers, too.

179 3.) Seeing the hand of God TODAY. Today we do not need to choose between the ancient faith-based view and a modern godless scientific world view.

179 3.) Seeing the hand of God TODAY. i.) Christians can gain a greater sense of appreciation and awe for God’s creative power through the discoveries of modern science. Not for notes:

179 c.) Seeing the hand of God TODAY. ii.) We can see God’s loving presence in everyday events or extraordinary ones Not for notes:

179 B.) The world in Jesus’ time was a different world (There were no hospitals, or mental institutions!) Blind and crippled beggars were a common sight on the streets, as were raving maniacs 1. Common scenes

182 B.) The world in Jesus’ time was a different world 2. Cruelty or Fear? a.) Sickness and insanity were seen as direct evidence of the power of evil. So healthy people were often terrified of those who were sick.

182 B.) The world in Jesus’ time was a different world 2. Cruelty or Fear? b.) Some Jews believed that sickness was a punishment from God for personal sins, or the sins of ancestors.

183 B.) The world in Jesus’ time was a different world 3. The Reign of God: No More Evil a.) If sickness and insanity were direct manifestations of the power of evil, then the coming of the Kingdom would involve overcoming disease and insanity. i) Through Jesus, God was destroying evil in all its forms and expressions. ii) Because God was using Jesus in this way, Jesus must be the Messiah, the one sent by God to establish the Kingdom.

Sections of Chapter Eight I Jesus’ Deeds Are as Important as His Words II Why are Miracles Challenging? III The Jews and Miracles IV Understanding Miracles Today

A. Introduction B. Faith Question & A Faith Answer C. Miracles and the Kingdom IV Understanding Jesus’ Miracles Today D. The Gospel Understanding of Jesus the Miracle Worker 184

“For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not believe in God, no explanation is possible.” -- Rev. John La Farge, S.J. (This is typed in already at bottom of page)

A. Introduction 1. We don’t need to see all the miracles in the gospels as “miracles.” IV Understanding Jesus’ Miracles Today 184 a.The power of the brain over the body: - psychosomatic illnesses that disappear when patients’ attitudes change. - The power of suggestion, hypnosis b. Other gospel cures may be explained as exaggerations by the evangelist.

1. We don’t need to see all the miracles in the gospels as “miracles” in our time. c. But modern insights do not explain all the miracles of Jesus d. Nor do they negate Christianity’s unbroken tradition of accepting miracles.

true just as described Historically true just as described totally symbolic Not historical at all -- totally symbolic real but exaggerated Based on a real incident, but exaggerated Not sure Not sure what to believe about it miracle

A. Introduction B. Faith Question & A Faith Answer C. Miracles and the Kingdom IV Understanding Jesus’ Miracles Today D. The Gospel Understanding of Jesus the Miracle Worker

B. A Faith Question & a Faith Answer 1. “What do the miracles mean? This is the question we need to keep asking. 186 Not yes/no questions about the historical reality of individual miracles

1. Meaning of the Miracles a. The first requirement Faith - Faith was as necessary for people who witnessed Jesus’ miracles as it is for us today Jesus required belief on the part of people who wanted to be cured.

1. Meaning of the Miracles b. Jesus was not into show business Jesus was not showing off his power, His job was to reveal God’s nature and relationship with people by revealing the kingdom. 186

A. Introduction B. Faith Question & A Faith Answer C. Miracles and the Kingdom IV Understanding Jesus’ Miracles Today D. The Gospel Understanding of Jesus the Miracle Worker

C. Miracles and the Kingdom The key to understanding Jesus’ miracles 187 is grasping their relationship to Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God

God’s promise of Unconditional Love God’s commitment to the Poor and Outcasts God’s complete Control over the power of Sin and evil God’s offer of Complete Reconciliation The Five “Kingdom realities” God’s Presence incarnated in the Jesus of History

a. Out of compassion for people who needed to be healed. b. He wanted to work miracles to show God’s power over creation, and esp. over sin and evil Two reasons Why Jesus Healed C. Miracles & the Kingdom

The miracles were signs meant to lead people to belief in Jesus. a. Healing Miracles Special Signs Jesus heals and restores fullness of life Not for notes

The miracles were signs meant to lead people to belief in Jesus. b. Exorcisms 187 God, in and through Jesus can confront and conquer the power of sin. Not for notes

The miracles were signs meant to lead people to belief in Jesus. c. Nature Miracles 187 God’s reign over all creation is present in Jesus, and is being revealed through him. Not for notes

1. Jesus was n nn not some sort of biblical Superman or m mm magician a. He constantly refused any such designation 189 D. The Gospel understanding of Jesus the Miracle Worker b. he got angry with people who expected him to work miracles

2. Jesus did not want his miracles to cloud or confuse the far more important reality Jesus the Miracle Worker that “the Kingdom of God is among you!”

End of Chapter