discourse on the miracles of jesus

8/3/2019 Discourse on the Miracles of Jesus

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Discourse on The Miracles of Jesus (Yeshua)

THE MIRACLES OF JESUS FACT OR FICTION?

People brought him [Jesus Christ] as shown at Matthew 8:16, "And when

even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he

cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick:"

(American Standard Version; ASV). And Mark 4:39 states, "And he awoke,

and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the

wind ceased, and there was a great calm." (ASV). How do you view

these statements? Do you believe that scribe actual, historical

events, or do you feel that allegorical stories, mere myths?

Some individuals today express serious doubts about the historicity ,

miracles. To these individuals this era of scientific technology and

genetic engineering leaves little room for reports of miraculous works

and devine experiences.

These individuals consider accounts of miracles as hard to believe or

fantastic.

Other misguided individuals view Jesus' miracles as outright frauds.

The false charge of deception is sometimes hurled at Jesus himself.

Justin Martyr of the second century C.E., stated some detractors "even

ventured to call him a magician and a deceiver of the people." Some

falsely allege that Jesus "did not perform his miracles as a Jewish

prophet, but as a magician, an initiate of the heathen temples," which

is of course utter foolishness as we all well know that magicians can

not perform miracles.

Defining Impossibility You may feel that behind such doubts, there is a

fundamental reason why people are reluctant to believe in miracles.

They just find it difficult, even impossible, to accept the thought

that supernatural forces could be at work. "Miracles just do not

happen-period," said a young person who called himself an agnostic.

He then quoted the words of 18th-century Scottish philosopher David

Hume, who wrote: "A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature."

However, many would be very cautious about asserting that a certain

phenomenon is impossible. The World Book Encyclopedia calls a miracle

" an event that cannot be explained through the known laws of nature."

By that definition, space travel, wireless communication, and satellite

navigation would have seemed to most to be "miracles" just a century

ago. Surely it is unwise to assert that miracles are impossible simply

because we cannot explain them based on present knowledge. If we

examine some of the Scriptural evidence surrounding miracles ascribed

to Jesus Christ, what will we find? Are Jesus' miracles fact or

fiction?

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN?

You may be surprised to learn that the Bible accounts of Jesus' life on

earth never use the original language word for "miracle." The Greek

word (dy'na.mis) sometimes translated "miracle" literally means

"power." Per Luke 8:46, " But Jesus said, Some one did touch me; for I

perceived that power had gone forth from me." (ASV). It may also be

rendered "ability" or "powerful worksm" as shown at Matthew 11:20;



25:15, " Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty

works were done, because they repented not." (ASV) and 25:15, " And

unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each

according to his several ability; and he went on his journey." (ASV).

According to one scholar, this Greek term "emphasizes the mighty work

that has been done, and, in particular, the power by which it was

accomplished. The event is described in terms of the power of God in

action." Another Greek term (te'ras) is usually rendered "portent" or

"wonder," John 4:48, " Jesus therefore said unto him, Except ye see

signs and wonders, ye will in no wise believe," (ASV), and Acts 2:19,

" And I will show wonders in the heaven above, And signs on the earth

beneath; Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:" (ASV). This

expression highlights the effect on observers. Quite often, the crowd

and the disciples were amazed and astounded at Jesus' powerful works as

shown at Mark 2:12, "And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and

went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and

glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion." (Authorized

King James Bible; AV); and Mark 4:41, "And they feared exceedingly, and

said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and

the sea obey him?" (AV); and Mark 6:51 "And he went up unto them into

the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselvesbeyond measure, and wondered." (AV); and Luke 9:43, "And they were all

amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at

all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples," (AV).

A third Greek term (se.mei'on) referring to Jesus' miracles denotes a

"sign." It "focuses upon the deeper meaning of the miracle," says

scholar Robert Deffinbaugh. He adds: "A sign is a miracle which

conveys a truth about our Lord Jesus."

Illusion or God-Given Power?

The Bible does not describe Jesus' miracles as tricks or illusions

designed to entertain people. They were manifestations of "the majestic

power of God," as in the case of a boy from whom Jesus expelled a demon

per Luke 9:37-44, "And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they

were come down from the hill, much people met him. 38 And, behold, a

man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon

my son: for he is mine only child.

39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it

teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth

from him. 40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they

could not.

And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long

shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. 42 And as

he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus

rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him

again to his father. 43 ¶ And they were all amazed at the mightypower of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which

Jesus did, he said unto his disciples," (AV). Would such powerful

works be impossible for Almighty God-the One who is described as having

at Isaiah 40:26, "Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created

these, that bringeth out their host by number; he calleth them all by

name; by the greatness of his might, and for that he is strong in

power, not one is lacking." (ASV) clearly showing God's (YHWH's) force

or power.



The Gospel accounts refer to some 35 miracles of Jesus. But the total

number of his miracles is not revealed. For instance, Matthew 14:14

states: "And he came forth, and saw a great multitude, and he had

compassion on them, and healed their sick." (ASV). He [Jesus

(Yeshua)] saw a great crowd; and he felt pity for them, and he cured

their sick ones." However, we are not told how many sick people he

cured on that occasion. Such powerful works were central to Jesus'

(Yeshua) claim that he was the Son of God, the promised Messiah. The

Scriptures did indeed show that God-given power enabled Jesus to

perform miracles. The apostle Peter referred to Jesus (Yeshua) at

Acts 2:22, "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a

man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which

God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:" (AV).

On another occasion, Peter pointed out at Acts 10:37-38 that, " that

saying ye yourselves know, which was published throughout all Judaea,

beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38 even

Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with

power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed

of the devil; for God was with him." (ASV).

The miracles of Jesus were intertwined with his message. Mark 1:21-27reveals the reaction of the crowd to Jesus' (Yeshua) teaching and to

one of his miracles as follows, "And they go into Capernaum; and

straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and

taught. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching: For he taught

them as having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And straightway

there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried

out, 24 saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene?

art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of

God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out

of him. 26 And the unclean spirit, tearing him and crying with a loud

voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that

they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? a new teaching!

with authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey

him." (ASV). Both Jesus' (Yeshua's) powerful works and his message

provided proof that he was the promised Messiah.

Jesus did not merely claim that he was the Messiah; along with his

words and other deeds, the God-given power displayed in his miracles

furnished evidence of his Messiahship. When questions about his role

and commission arose, Jesus boldly replied at John 5:36 "But the

witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which

the Father hath given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear

witness of me, that the Father hath sent me." (ASV).

Authenticity Indicators:

Marks of Authenticity, why can we be certain that Jesus' miracles werereal, authentic? Now let's consider some of the marks or proofs of

authenticity.

In performing his powerful works, Jesus (Yeshua) did not seek to get

attention for himself. Jesus (Yeshua) made sure that the result of

any miracle he performed gave glory to his Father, God (YHWH), and that

he received all the credit and the glory. One time before curing a

blind man Jesus strongly stressed that the healing would take place as

recorded at John 9:1-3, "And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from



his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned,

this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? 3 Jesus

answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works

of God should be made manifest in him." (ASV); and in the healing of

Lazarus of Bethany as testified to at John 11:1-4, "Now a certain man

was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister

Martha. 2 And it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and

wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 The

sisters therefore sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou

lovest is sick. 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is

not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be

glorified thereby." (ASV). This is quite unlike the fakers, magicians,

and faith healers, Jesus (Yeshua) never used hypnotism, trickery,

spectacular displays, magic spells, or emotional rituals. He did not

resort to superstition or the use of relics as some clergy do. He

accomplished all in an unassuming way in which Jesus healed two blind

men as recorded at Matthew 20:29-34, "And as they went out from

Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30 And behold, two blind men

sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus was passing by,

cried out, saying, Lord, have mercy on us, thou son of David. 31 And

the multitude rebuked them, that they should hold their peace: but theycried out the more, saying, Lord, have mercy on us, thou son of David.

32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that

I should do unto you? 33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be

opened. 34 And Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes;

and straightway they received their sight, and followed him." (ASV).

No hockos pokes, showy display, ritual, etc. was involved. Jesus

(Yeshua) performed his miraculous works in the open, usually before

numerous eye witnesses. Jesus (Yeshua) used no special props,

lighting, etc. as recorded at Mark 5:24-29, " And he went with him; and

a great multitude followed him, and they thronged him. 25 And a woman,

who had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things

of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing

bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 having heard the things concerning

Jesus, came in the crowd behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she

said, If I touch but his garments, I shall be made whole. 29 And

straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her

body that she was healed of her plague." (ASV), and Luke 7:11-15, " And

it came to pass soon afterwards, that he went to a city called Nain;

and his disciples went with him, and a great multitude. 12 Now when he

drew near to the gate of the city, behold, there was carried out one

that was dead, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and

much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he

had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came nigh

and touched the bier: and the bearers stood still. And he said, Young

man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began

to speak. And he gave him to his mother." (ASV); ; whereas, modern-day

so called miracles often defy documentation.

Sometimes Jesus (Yeshua) acknowledged the faith of those he healed, but

in other cases he did not as the individuals did not believe until he

cured them. In Capernaum in Galilee, many brought sick and demon-

possessed individuals to him and he cured the sick and expelled demons

from the possessed ones as shown by Matthew 8:16, " And when even was

come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out

the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick: " (ASV).



Jesus (Yeshua) did not perform miracles to satisfy curiosity, but to

meet the actual physical needs of the people as shown by Mark 10:45-52,

" And they come to Jericho: and as he went out from Jericho, with his

disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a

blind beggar, was sitting by the way side. 47 And when he heard that it

was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son

of David, have mercy on me. 48 And many rebuked him, that he should

hold his peace: but he cried out the more a great deal, Thou son of

David, have mercy on me. 49 And Jesus stood still, and said, Call ye

him. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good cheer:

rise, he calleth thee. 50 And he, casting away his garment, sprang up,

and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered him, and said, What wilt thou

that I should do unto thee? And the blind man said unto him, Rabboni,

that I may receive my sight. 52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way;

thy faith hath made thee whole. And straightway he received his sight,

and followed him in the way.' (ASV); and Luke 23:8, " Now when Herod

saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was of a long time desirous to

see him, because he had heard concerning him; and he hoped to see some

miracle done by him." (ASV). Also, unlike the so called healers of

today, he NEVER took any money and/or benefited in any personal way as

shown at Matthew 4:2-4, " And when he had fasted forty days and fortynights, he afterward hungered. 3 And the tempter came and said unto

him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become

bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by

bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of

God." (ASV), and Matthew 10:8, " Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse

the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give."(ASV).

What Were the Gospel Accounts?

The four Gospels have transmitted to us the facts about Jesus'

miracles. What are the reasons we can rely on these accounts as we

examine the authenticity of the miracles attributed to Jesus. As

previously noted, Jesus' miracles were performed in public, before many

eye witnesses. The earliest Gospels were penned at a time when most

of those eye witnesses were still alive. Regarding the honesty of the

Gospel writers, the book, "The Miracles and the Resurrection," states,

"To accuse the gospel evangelists of indiscriminately submerging

historical fact in a flood of miracle-mongering to serve the interests

of theological propaganda would be outright injustice. . . . They meant

to be honest recorders."

In fact, the Jewish opponents of true Christianity never challenged

the powerful works described in the four Gospels. They questioned

only the power by which these were performed as clearly testified to at

Mark 3:22-26, " And the scribes that came down from Jerusalem said, He

hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons casteth he out the

demons. 23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables,How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against

itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against

itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan hath rise

up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end."

(ASV). Neither could later detractors successfully deny the miracles

that Jesus (Yeshua) performed. On the contrary, during the first and

second centuries AD., there were references to miraculous works

performed by Jesus. Thus, we have every reason to view the Gospel

accounts of his miracles as authentic.



The Man Behind the Miracles:

An examination of Jesus' miracles would be incomplete were it to be

limited only to the logical arguments about their authenticity. The

Gospels reveal a man of deep feelings and unrivaled compassion, with a

keen interest in the welfare of fellow humans.

Consider the case of a leper who approached Jesus with the desperate

plea recorded at Mark 1:40-42, " And there cometh to him a leper,

beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou

wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And being moved with compassion, he

stretched forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will;

be thou made clean. 42 And straightway the leprosy departed from him,

and he was made clean." (ASV). By this act, Jesus (Yeshua)

demonstrated his empathy that moved him to use his God given power to

perform miracles.

Another good example of his empathy was when Jesus (Yeshua) met up with

a funeral procession coming out of the city of Nain;

What happened then? The deceased young man was the only son of a

widow. "Moved with compassion" for the woman, Jesus approached her andsaid, as recorded at Luke 7:11-18, " And it came to pass soon

afterwards, that he went to a city called Nain; and his disciples went

with him, and a great multitude. 12 Now when he drew near to the gate

of the city, behold, there was carried out one that was dead, the only

son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was

with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and

said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came nigh and touched the bier: and

the bearers stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee,

Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave

him to his mother. 16 And fear took hold on all: and they glorified

God, saying, A great prophet is arisen among us: and, God hath visited

his people. 17 And this report went forth concerning him in the whole

of Judaea, and all the region round about. 18 And the disciples of John

told him of all these things.' (ASV).

This example, permits us to be comforted by how we see Jesus (Yeshua)

acting in performing miracles, i.e., he was "moved with compasion" and

as always he sought to help people. Such miracles are not simply

history. Jesus (Yeshua) Christ is the same yesterday and today, and

forever," says Hebrews 13:8, " Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and

to-day, [yea] and for ever." (ASV). However, He now rules as heavenly

King, ready and able to use his God given powers, and has been made the

only mediator between his Father, Almighty God (YHWH) and mankind as

stated at 1 Timothy 2:5, " For there is one God, one mediator also

between God and men, [himself] man, Christ Jesus," (ASV), so he can use

his God (YHWH) given miraculous powers in a far grander way than he

did when he was on earth as a human.

Now to know the truth, go to:

1) http://religioustruths.yuku.com/

2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/

3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/



If you wish more information and/or wish to ask a question or what

ever, contact me by leaving a PM (personal message) at

http://religioustruths.yuku.com/

Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the

image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579,

written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does

The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today!

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