Part I
If some atheists or agnostics were to concede that some of the extraordinary events in the Gospels actually happened, could they just say that “strange things happen”? Are the extraordinary works of Jesus just strange events, weird events that lie outside normalpatterns, without any rationale? Or are they works of God that reveal his purposes? And if so, what purposes do they reveal?
The Gospels do not treat the miracles of Jesus as if they were weird or irrational events. They are certainly extraordinary, but they make good sense as indicators of the character of Jesus’s ministry as a whole. The people who saw Jesus’s miracles interpreted what happened. For example, when Jesus raised from the dead a widow’s son in Nain, the people reacted in this way:
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” (Luke 7:16)
There is some evidence that Nain may have been near to Old Testament Shunem, where Elisha restored to life the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:18–37). Elijah also raised a widow’s dead boy to life, in Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17–24). The people saw that Jesus’s miracle was analogous to those of the two Old Testament prophets. The miracles showed the power of God at work, and they attested to the authenticity of the prophet. So the people saw Jesus’s miracle as a work of God: “God has visited his people!” And they saw Jesus as a prophet of God: “A great prophet has arisen among us!” The people did not yet realize that Jesus was God come in the flesh. But they did realize that God was at work through him.
Modern Relevance
The miracles of Jesus were relevant to the people back then. But what about now? The Gospels record the miracles in order to indicate what happened. But the Gospels also have a religious purpose. Through understanding who Jesus is and what he did, we are invited to place our faith in him. John is the most explicit about this purpose of miracles:
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30–31)
The Gospels indicate that Jesus lived on earth long ago, but now continues to live in heaven, having ascended to the right hand of God (Acts 2:33). The same Jesus who acted with power and compassion on earth still acts with power and compassion now. He acts to save people from their sins, restore them to fellowship with God, and give hope for a future resurrection from the dead. At the future time of resurrection, God’s purposes for individuals and for the cosmos as a whole will be fully realized (Rom. 8:18–25).
Each of the miracles of Jesus happened uniquely at one time and at one place. In their detailed configuration they will never be repeated. But they have pertinence for us now, because they are “signs.” The Gospel of John characteristically uses the word sign (Greek semeion) rather than other words like miracle and wonder. It thereby indicates that the miracles have permanent meaning. They signify truths concerning God, concerning Christ, and concerning the salvation he has brought. John—and the other Gospels as well—urges us to listen. By taking to heart the significance of signs, we hear what God himself is saying to us; and by hearing we may be transformed, both now and in the future.
Three Kinds of Significance
The miracles of Jesus have at least three kinds of significance, corresponding roughly to three aspects of who Jesus is. (1) Jesus is God. (2) Jesus is fully human, and as a human being performed miracles in a way analogous to the miracles of Old Testament prophets. (3) Jesus is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, the one mediator between God and man. (See fig. 2.1.)
Fig. 2.1: Significance of Jesus’s Miracles
But the people who originally saw Jesus’s miracles did not understand their full significance right away. We already observed that in Luke 7:16 the people identified Jesus as “a great prophet.” He was indeed a prophet; but he was more. He was God come in the flesh (John 1:14).
Consider the miracles in the Old Testament that took place through prophets like Elijah and Elisha. These miracles were works of divine power. God brought them about. Elijah and Elisha did not accomplish them by their own innate power. Should we say exactly the same thing about Jesus? No, because Jesus made claims that went beyond those of Old Testament prophets. He is the unique Son of the Father, and his name is honored alongside the name of the Father and the Spirit as a divine name (Matt. 28:19).
When we understand the miracles of Jesus in the context of who he is, we see that they are works that Jesus did by his own divine power, not merely works of God done through a human prophet:
. . . the Son gives life to whom he will. (John 5:21)
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take itup again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:17–18)
A second kind of significance arises because of Jesus’s full humanity (again, see fig.2.1). Beginning with the time of his incarnation, Jesus is fully man as well as fully God (Heb. 2:14–18). He is one person with two natures, the divine nature and a human nature. This is a deep mystery. As a man, Jesus performed works similar to those of Old Testament prophets. This is true in addition to the truth that we just observed about Jesus doing works by his own divine power.
A third significance concerns Jesus’s unique role as the Messiah, the great deliverer in the line of David who is prophesied in the Old Testament. For example, Isaiah 9:6–7 and 11:1–9 foretell the coming of the Messiah in the line of David. Isaiah 61:1–2 describes the servant of the Lord as one filled with the Holy Spirit in order to release captives. Jesus quoted from the passage in Isaiah 61 while in the synagogue at Nazareth, and indicated that it was fulfilled in him (Luke 4:18–21). When John the Baptist sent messengers to Jesus, Jesus pointed to his miraculous works as signs of fulfillment (Luke 7:22), againstthe background of Isaiah 35:5–6:
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped, then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
Thus, Jesus’s miracles fulfill Old Testament prophecy. It is now almost two thousand years since Jesus accomplished his miracles. The people of God have had much time to reflect on his miracles. Much has been written that is profitable. But we may still add to it by noting ways in which each of the miracles functions as a small picture of Christ’s glory and of his mission of salvation. The miracles tell stories that show analogues to the grand story of redemption. God redeems people from sin so that they may enter into the glory of God’s presence. The small stories of redemption point especially to the climax of redemption in Christ’s crucifixion, death, resurrection, ascension, reign, and second coming.
These stories have pertinence to us because God’s call to salvation still goes out to sinners today:
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. (Acts 17:30–31)
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Rev. 22:17)
In the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century, the appreciation for analogies among redemptive stories has faded somewhat among scholars, for various reasons. So it is important to explore these analogies. Other books have laid theoretical groundwork to justify the process.
I have also found one book by Richard Phillips that explains, in a pastoral way, the implications of Jesus’s miracles for today by relying on redemptive analogies.
In this present book I intend to show the nature of these redemptive analogies. God has built redemptive analogies into history. It is these redemptive analogies, which lie behind Phillips’s book, that enable him to do such a good job in expounding the significance of miracles.
Phillips’s book focuses on the miracles in the Gospel of Luke. To complement his work, I will focus primarily on the miracles in John and in Matthew.
To be continued...
INTRODUCING MIRACLES
The Significance of MiraclesIf some atheists or agnostics were to concede that some of the extraordinary events in the Gospels actually happened, could they just say that “strange things happen”? Are the extraordinary works of Jesus just strange events, weird events that lie outside normalpatterns, without any rationale? Or are they works of God that reveal his purposes? And if so, what purposes do they reveal?
The Gospels do not treat the miracles of Jesus as if they were weird or irrational events. They are certainly extraordinary, but they make good sense as indicators of the character of Jesus’s ministry as a whole. The people who saw Jesus’s miracles interpreted what happened. For example, when Jesus raised from the dead a widow’s son in Nain, the people reacted in this way:
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” (Luke 7:16)
There is some evidence that Nain may have been near to Old Testament Shunem, where Elisha restored to life the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:18–37). Elijah also raised a widow’s dead boy to life, in Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17–24). The people saw that Jesus’s miracle was analogous to those of the two Old Testament prophets. The miracles showed the power of God at work, and they attested to the authenticity of the prophet. So the people saw Jesus’s miracle as a work of God: “God has visited his people!” And they saw Jesus as a prophet of God: “A great prophet has arisen among us!” The people did not yet realize that Jesus was God come in the flesh. But they did realize that God was at work through him.
Modern Relevance
The miracles of Jesus were relevant to the people back then. But what about now? The Gospels record the miracles in order to indicate what happened. But the Gospels also have a religious purpose. Through understanding who Jesus is and what he did, we are invited to place our faith in him. John is the most explicit about this purpose of miracles:
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30–31)
The Gospels indicate that Jesus lived on earth long ago, but now continues to live in heaven, having ascended to the right hand of God (Acts 2:33). The same Jesus who acted with power and compassion on earth still acts with power and compassion now. He acts to save people from their sins, restore them to fellowship with God, and give hope for a future resurrection from the dead. At the future time of resurrection, God’s purposes for individuals and for the cosmos as a whole will be fully realized (Rom. 8:18–25).
Each of the miracles of Jesus happened uniquely at one time and at one place. In their detailed configuration they will never be repeated. But they have pertinence for us now, because they are “signs.” The Gospel of John characteristically uses the word sign (Greek semeion) rather than other words like miracle and wonder. It thereby indicates that the miracles have permanent meaning. They signify truths concerning God, concerning Christ, and concerning the salvation he has brought. John—and the other Gospels as well—urges us to listen. By taking to heart the significance of signs, we hear what God himself is saying to us; and by hearing we may be transformed, both now and in the future.
Three Kinds of Significance
The miracles of Jesus have at least three kinds of significance, corresponding roughly to three aspects of who Jesus is. (1) Jesus is God. (2) Jesus is fully human, and as a human being performed miracles in a way analogous to the miracles of Old Testament prophets. (3) Jesus is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, the one mediator between God and man. (See fig. 2.1.)
Fig. 2.1: Significance of Jesus’s Miracles
- Jesus is Lord - Miracles show deity.
- Jesus is fully human - Miracles show Jesus as a prophet in his humanity.
- Jesus is the Messiah the promised deliverer - Miracles show that Jesus is the Messiah.
But the people who originally saw Jesus’s miracles did not understand their full significance right away. We already observed that in Luke 7:16 the people identified Jesus as “a great prophet.” He was indeed a prophet; but he was more. He was God come in the flesh (John 1:14).
Consider the miracles in the Old Testament that took place through prophets like Elijah and Elisha. These miracles were works of divine power. God brought them about. Elijah and Elisha did not accomplish them by their own innate power. Should we say exactly the same thing about Jesus? No, because Jesus made claims that went beyond those of Old Testament prophets. He is the unique Son of the Father, and his name is honored alongside the name of the Father and the Spirit as a divine name (Matt. 28:19).
When we understand the miracles of Jesus in the context of who he is, we see that they are works that Jesus did by his own divine power, not merely works of God done through a human prophet:
. . . the Son gives life to whom he will. (John 5:21)
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take itup again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:17–18)
A second kind of significance arises because of Jesus’s full humanity (again, see fig.2.1). Beginning with the time of his incarnation, Jesus is fully man as well as fully God (Heb. 2:14–18). He is one person with two natures, the divine nature and a human nature. This is a deep mystery. As a man, Jesus performed works similar to those of Old Testament prophets. This is true in addition to the truth that we just observed about Jesus doing works by his own divine power.
A third significance concerns Jesus’s unique role as the Messiah, the great deliverer in the line of David who is prophesied in the Old Testament. For example, Isaiah 9:6–7 and 11:1–9 foretell the coming of the Messiah in the line of David. Isaiah 61:1–2 describes the servant of the Lord as one filled with the Holy Spirit in order to release captives. Jesus quoted from the passage in Isaiah 61 while in the synagogue at Nazareth, and indicated that it was fulfilled in him (Luke 4:18–21). When John the Baptist sent messengers to Jesus, Jesus pointed to his miraculous works as signs of fulfillment (Luke 7:22), againstthe background of Isaiah 35:5–6:
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped, then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
Thus, Jesus’s miracles fulfill Old Testament prophecy. It is now almost two thousand years since Jesus accomplished his miracles. The people of God have had much time to reflect on his miracles. Much has been written that is profitable. But we may still add to it by noting ways in which each of the miracles functions as a small picture of Christ’s glory and of his mission of salvation. The miracles tell stories that show analogues to the grand story of redemption. God redeems people from sin so that they may enter into the glory of God’s presence. The small stories of redemption point especially to the climax of redemption in Christ’s crucifixion, death, resurrection, ascension, reign, and second coming.
These stories have pertinence to us because God’s call to salvation still goes out to sinners today:
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. (Acts 17:30–31)
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Rev. 22:17)
In the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century, the appreciation for analogies among redemptive stories has faded somewhat among scholars, for various reasons. So it is important to explore these analogies. Other books have laid theoretical groundwork to justify the process.
I have also found one book by Richard Phillips that explains, in a pastoral way, the implications of Jesus’s miracles for today by relying on redemptive analogies.
In this present book I intend to show the nature of these redemptive analogies. God has built redemptive analogies into history. It is these redemptive analogies, which lie behind Phillips’s book, that enable him to do such a good job in expounding the significance of miracles.
Phillips’s book focuses on the miracles in the Gospel of Luke. To complement his work, I will focus primarily on the miracles in John and in Matthew.
To be continued...
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