MIRACLES Flashcards
What was the thought surrounding miracles at the time in 1st Century Palestine
Miracles were believed to have happened in the first century, though they were not common place (associated with emperors, greek heroes, healers etc.)
Therefore Christ was neither seen as original nor particularly divine - both a claim of divinity and a challenge to divinity
what is the core question / problem that the miracles pose
The problem in question was not whether Jesus performed miracles or not, for that was taken for granted, but the authority/ power that Jesus used to perform these deeds: legitimises his self-proclaimed connection with God/ offers us evidence for him as the Son of God - it is his claim of divinity
Jesus expressed the reasoning for his miracles
his miracles as signs that God’s kingly rule was breaking in: “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt 12:28 = Luke 11:20)
why did Jesus run the risk of ridicule in his performance of miracles
Jesus ran the risk of ridicule and rejection - it was often believed that that miracle workers at the time had gained this ability as a result of a collision with Beelzebul, the prince of demons
possibile motives for performing the miracles
compassion? - often yes, but at other time there were ulterior motives.
The miracles attracted crowds: Mark 1:28 ‘his fame began to spread throughout Galilee, pro-claiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. - links to conflict with the authorities as they did not like that Jesus was gathering such a crowd
How do the miracles help Jesus’ claims about who he was
Authenticates Jesus’ claims about who he was
Jesus as a figurehead between good and evil
Mark 5: The demon has possessed the man, the control over him shows that hell is winning at this point
miracles as eschatological case studies
i.e. reveals the reality of God’s rule
Matthew 12:28 Realised example (mentioned above)
John uses the word ‘sign’ = more futurist - pointing to/ indicating something to come in the future - more like a trailer
how are they a fulfilment of the OT God
Make cultural touchstones with the OT - particularly in John
how do the evangelists show a distancing from contemporary miracle workers
they used spells, dancers etc - Jesus did not work like this
Jesus is distancing himself from the contemporary miracle workers of the time
how do they show Jesus as the covenant for ALL nations
Heals people from all places (far and wide) not just for the people of Israel - OT miracles contrast to this as they were just for the Jews
The undiscriminating nature of the performance of the miracles
he heals even the poor and the outcasts - shows Jesus as having a closeness with those who suffer
Healing people with disabilities (e.g. skin disease)
the leapers may have had some kind of skin disease - he healed them even though it was seen as violation of purity regulations: Mark 1:41 The Leper asks Jesus if he will choose to make him clean: “I do choose. Be made clean!” - The demon recognises J as divine
Healing those considered ‘off limits’ by the standard of Jewish piety
(because of their race) - indicated his full acceptance of those who were socially and religiously marginalised
woman with a flow of blood healing miracle
Mark 5:25+ “had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years”. - she gets healed simply by the touch of his cloak
Here the emphasis is on the woman being healed as opposed to the healer (i.e. Jesus). Illness is seen as a sign of sin (in yourself or your family) therefore Jesus does not deal with the actual illness, but rather the takes away her sin - which is the cause of her illness.
This removing of sin is a claim to divinity - it is blasphemous - only God has the power to remove sin. Pharisees would have been against this, seeing it as a threat to their authority.
Proving that Jesus is both divine and human
name for this union
hypostatic union: the combination of divine and human natures in the single person of Christ
Demonstrate Jesus as a teacher
the miracles themselves are kind of like parables because they teach things
Mark 7:31 - Jesus cures a deaf man, Mark 8:22 - Jesus cures a blind man : the literal deafness and blindness of the people is presented in parallel to the metaphorical blindness and deafness of the disciples (- a theme in mark of the disciples struggling to understand Jesus’ abstract saying and parables) - Mark saying to his audience: it is ok if you don’t quite understand - Mark plays with the idea of see and hear in his gospel
John directly addresses his audience about the significance of the miracles (‘signs’ - in john)
he has recorded these signs ‘so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name’ - suggesting he is trying to convince the audience to start to belief in him (though could be saying so that you may continue to belief as the Greek is ambiguous)
Matthew begins with the birth - what does this show
Miraculous birth: the miracle narrative begins from the very start - sets up from the outset the idea of J as miraculous
