Ronnie Tabor ID# 864479 Signs/Miracles Paper
Signs/Miracles Paper Jesus ministry was marked by incredible acts he performed. These acts manifested His glory 1. John used the word semeion which is interesting due to the word miracles being described by five different words throughout the New Testament. Because Jesus used these signs to demonstrate who He was and the power He had semeion is a great choice as it is translated signs, these signs performed by Jesus were meant for a nation of Jews to realize that he was the Christ. These signs also demonstrated that Jesus Christ was also the Son of God in flesh. The first sign which is the considered the starting point of Jesus three years of ministry was when He turned water into wine. The story starts off with Jesus and six of His disciples having travelled from Bethany to Cana. They arrive during the middle of a wedding celebration. Jesus mother was one of the hostesses for this wedding, she was in the background serving food most likely serving for a relative. I find support for this position that she was working with the food because of her directness with Jesus about the wine being gone, and the implication on her part that Jesus do something about the situation. I don t believe that she was expecting Jesus to perform this particular miracle. It is more likely that she was asking Jesus to go and get more wine or politely requesting that he and his band of disciples exit gracefully. Knowing God s will Jesus chose to use what was already present. Six purification water pots were available and Jesus told the servants to fill them completely, this being done He instructed them to take the water out and give it to the governor..many will argue when the water became wine. While this 1 Towns, Elmer L. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Old Tappan, N.J.: F.H. Revell, 1990. Print.
is an interesting question it is not that important as John didn t bring this into the story. What is important is that water went into the water pots and at the direction of Jesus the water that came out was turned into wine, demonstrating his power to create. Jesus second miracle was when he healed the nobleman s son. Jesus had recently turned the water into wine and the word began to spread. For many who had attended the wedding and undoubtedly were speaking of this feat. After having ministered to the Samaritans Jesus returns to the city he performed the first miracle in. After his arrival he is approached by a Roman dignitary, who no doubt, had heard of Jesus miracle at the wedding. With his son on his deathbed he seeks out Jesus in Cana as the word had spread. He wanted Jesus to come and heal his son. Jesus response was for the man to return home because his son lived. Knowing how far he had to travel this took faith on his part. At some point on his way his servant met him to inform him that his son was healed. His question was, when did this happen? Confirmation came in that response, so much so, that his belief in Jesus power was unshakeable. Jesus demonstrated with this healing, through His words, that he controlled space and could heal anyone anywhere. John gives us another sign performed by Jesus when he tells the story of a different healing. When Jesus and his disciples were heading to Jerusalem, they entered the city by the Pool of Bethesda. John states that In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 2 Jesus in his omnipotence knew that the man had been lame for thirty eight years and even knew that he was unable to get to the pool, even 2 The Holy Bible : King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. Bellingham WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995, S. Jn 5:3
though he asked. Jesus met the man s need by healing him of his ailment by commanding Rise, take up thy bed, and walk 3 This demonstrated not only could Jesus heal, but that no matter the duration of the sickness, Jesus authority was preeminent. My personal favorite miracle or at least a tie for first is when Jesus fed the 5000. This miracle takes place after a year of Jesus ministry. With his fame of miracles he drew a crowd everywhere he went. Trying to avoid the crowds he takes his disciples across the sea and into the mountain. This was to no avail, the masses followed them there. Since they were in an isolated place Jesus was concerned about their physical need for food. Testing Phillip He asks how much money will be necessary to feed the group. Phillip s answer was a practical one, while Andrew brought a lad with his own personal lunch to Jesus. Did Andrew know that their Master could do the supernatural? The evidence seems to affirm this. Jesus demonstrated his power of material things as he divided the food up so that the multitude was fed and each disciple had an abundance left over. The next sign Jesus performed was when he walked on the water. Performing this Jesus demonstrated his power of the natural world as we know it. After feeding the 5000 and knowing that these men were prepared to name Him king, he slipped off by Himself. His disciples eventually left to cross the sea later in the night. During this trip a storm had them fearing for their lives when Jesus appeared unto them walking on the water. Even the laws of nature could not control Jesus. He controlled nature. Our next sign finds a spiritual discussion revolved around a physical cure. Jesus comes across a blind man stricken since birth. His disciple s natural response was to ask whose 3 Ibid
sins created this situation. Jesus changed the subject by stating that it wasn t sin that created the circumstance but rather that God should be glorified. Dr Towns states that this demonstrated Christ s power over physical laws 4. While not disagreeing with this assessment I think that Christ used the physical to prove the spiritual. Through healing a man blind from birth. I guess if I were forced to break my tie and pick a favorite miracle, it would be when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This miracle is so rich with lessons for Christians to learn. John starts off by telling us that Jesus received messengers telling of Lazarus imminent condition. Instead of rushing to his bedside and healing him as he had done many times in the presence of Lazarus family, he waited. By the time Jesus gets to the tomb it has been four days since his death. Each time Jesus spoke of the situation whether with His disciples or Mary and Martha, Jesus affirmed that Lazarus would indeed live again. They had no problem believing that Jesus could have healed him, but they spiritualized Jesus promise of life. It wasn t until Jesus called him from the grave and he appeared in his grave clothes that they understood. This miracle proved Jesus power over death, one He would repeat soon Himself. What was the emotional state that the disciples were in when Jesus performs his eighth sign miracle recorded in John? They would be classified spiritually as backslidden. Maybe even for a good reason, they had recently seen their Rabbi crucified, raised from the dead and perform 4 Towns, Elmer L. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Old Tappan, N.J.: F.H. Revell, 1990. Print.
many miracles in their presence. What was most disheartening after His resurrection, was that Jesus appeared and disappeared frequently to His disciples. 5 This must have been frustrating, because they went back to their old lifestyle, fishing. After spending the night in fruitless attempts at fishing they are greeted by Jesus, unknown to them, and commanded to cast their net on the right side. These were professional fisherman who had tried everything they knew only to be frustrated. When the stranger gives his advice, their frustration is evident in the fact that they listened to it. As they pulled in the record catch John immediately recognizes it was Jesus and Peter jumps into the sea and swims to shore. Jesus was back among them and I am sure they expected more miracles. When discussing miracles throughout scripture sometimes the argument is brought that the occurrence was a unique act of nature and can be explained away. When we look at the miracles Jesus performed there is no natural explanation possible. Water becomes wine, a young boy is healed at the moment Jesus spoke, a man lame for thirty eight years picks up his bed and walks, 5000 men are fed from the lunch of a young lad, Jesus walked on water and healed a blind man from birth, raised his friend from the dead and caused a swarm of fish that almost capsized their boats. The only explanation that can be offered is that Jesus had the power to perform these miracles. Jesus stated this Himself in Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 6 5 Jamieson, Robert ; Fausset, A. R. ; Fausset, A. R. ; Brown, David ; Brown, David: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. Jn 21:1 6 The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 28:18
Works Cited Jamieson, Robert ; Fausset, A. R. ; Fausset, A. R. ; Brown, David ; Brown, David: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. Jn 21:1 Robertson, Archibald Thomas. Word Pictures in the New Testament,. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman, 1930. Print. Towns, Elmer L. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Old Tappan, N.J.: F.H. Revell, 1990. Print. The Holy Bible : King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. Bellingham WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995, S. Jn 5:3 The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 28:18