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Rev. 2010. Chapter. Eight. Jesus. Heals. 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. 172. I. Jesus’ Deeds Are as Important as His Words. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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
172
1. 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 Miracles1. Healing Miracles
Curing fever, paralysis, deafness, leprosy, etc.
171
2. 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 Gospel of Gospel of JohnJohn
172
1. John calls miracles “signs” of God’s power present in Jesus.
173
2.) John’s miracle stories focus not on the miracles themselves, but on Jesus as the Son of God, through whom through whom
GodGod is revealed. is revealed.
3. John 3. John focuses on their symbolic symbolic meaning:meaning: physical miracles symbolizesymbolize deeper deeper spiritual spiritual truthstruths.
173
The raising of Lazarus from the dead shows not just God’s power over life and death, but shows Jesus’ identityshows Jesus’ identity as “the resurrection and the life.”“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
“Fundamentalism”
1. Two typical Responses to Miracles.
b.) “Leave ‘em”
175
i) Reject any possibility of miraclesii) Dismiss miracle stories as illusions of primitive peopleor as simply made-up
tales
1. Two typical Responses
a.) “Take ‘em”
175
b.) “Leave ‘em”
““In-between” In-between” optionoption
c.)
The “Middle Ground”The “Middle Ground”
i) Don’t treat all miracle i) Don’t treat all miracle stories the same.stories the same.
175
c.)
175
ii) Don’t get so caught up ii) Don’t get so caught up in “explanation” that in “explanation” that you miss the you miss the “meaning.”“meaning.”
175
iii) Each story has some- iii) Each story has some- thing thing truetrue and valid to and valid to say about say about the Kingdom.the Kingdom.
175
iv) We can be sure that iv) We can be sure that Jesus worked Jesus worked at least at least somesome wonders. wonders.
iv) We can be sure that Jesus iv) We can be sure that Jesus worked worked at least someat least some wonders wonders
- - Non-Christian historiansNon-Christian historians refer to him as a refer to him as a “wonder-worker”“wonder-worker”
175
iv) We can be sure that Jesus iv) We can be sure that Jesus worked worked at least someat least some wonders wonders
-- None of -- None of his enemieshis enemies ever denied that he ever denied that he worked miraclesworked miracles
175
iv) We can be sure that Jesus iv) We can be sure that Jesus worked worked at least someat least some wonders wonders
--- Certain eye---- Certain eye-witnesses witnesses were willing were willing to die for to die for their faith in their faith in HimHim
175
175
v) The major concern in v) The major concern in this chapter is to this chapter is to understandunderstand the the meaningmeaning of the of the
miraclesmiracles
B.) a Persistent Problem with miracles in the NT is
thatthe Gospels themselves seem to disagree with one another about the same events
176
B. A Persistent Problem2. 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 Worldviews177
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.”
177
2. 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.
1792. 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.
1792. 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 -
1792. Jews in Jesus’ Day
e) More miracles and miracle workersi) 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!
1792.) 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.
1792.) 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:
179B.) 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.
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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. Introduction1. We don’t need to see all the miracles in
the gospels as “miracles.”
IV Understanding Jesus’ Miracles Today184
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.
Historically true just as true just as describeddescribed
Not historical at all -- totally totally symbolicsymbolic
Based on a realreal
incident, but but
exaggeratexaggerateded
Not sureNot 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 Answer1. “What do the miracles mean?
This is the question we need to keep asking.
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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.
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- 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 LoveGod’s commitment to the Poor
and OutcastsGod’s complete Control over the
power of Sin and evilGod’s offer of Complete
Reconciliation
187
1. 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
187
1. Two reasons Why Jesus Healed
C. Miracles & the Kingdom
The miracles were signs meant to lead people to belief in Jesus.
a. Healing Miracles
187
3. 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 not some sort ofnot some sort of biblical SupermanSuperman or magicianmagician
a. He constantly refused any such designation
189D. 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 --
189Jesus the Miracle Worker
that “the Kingdom
of God is among
you!”
End of Chapter