THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

1. WHAT IS A MIRACLE?
The common definition of miracle is an event that is an exception to the laws of nature. In the Bible, however, the miracles are described as signs and wonders or acts of power attributed to God. John P. Meier, New Testament scholar, observes that a miracle has three basic components: 1. It must be an unusual event that can be perceived by others. 2. It has no natural explanation. 3. It appears to be the result of an act of God.

2. MIRACLES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

The history of the world is filled with miracles. Gods first miracle is the creation of the world and all the other miracles must be seen from this point of view. In other words, God has a project of salvation for the world and mankind and it must be successful. Since mankind has abandoned Gods project and path, the miracles are signs to show them the way back to God. God offers his miracles when evil has reached its climax in the world. In this situation without exit, only God can find the way out. The most important event in the history of Israel is the liberation from the slavery in Egypt and the exodus to the Promised Land. This special is filled with miracles stories: the ten plagues (Ex 7-12); the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 14:15-31); the manna in the desert (Ex 16), the water from the rock (Ex 17:1-7) These signs and wonders performed by Moses showed the people of Israel that God was with them, cared, and protected them in time of need. In the OT, there are also prophets, Elijah and Elisha, who can perform miracles in Gods name and with Gods power: Miracles of Elijah (1Kings 17-18) and miracles of Elisha (2Kings 4-5). During the 1st century, in Israel and other countries (like Greece and Rome) there were many healers or miracles makers. They performed wonderful deeds that were written in books that we can read today. From this perspective, it is obvious that at Jesus time some people had the ability to make different kinds of miracles and their stories were told from generation to generation. Therefore, everybody believed in

miracles or in the capacity of certain people to perform them usually influenced by a divine power (God).

3. MIRACLES IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Jesus spreads the kingdom of God not only with words, but also with powerful actions. The gospel of Mark includes 18 miracles of Jesus (15 miracles in the first part and only 3 in the second part). The other gospels, even though they are longer than Mark, do not have a great number of miracles: Matthew (20), Luke (21), and John (7). These miracles (31% of the gospel) are the skeleton that gives unity and consistency to the teachings of Jesus. There are four types of miracles in the gospel: healings, exorcisms, nature, and resurrections. There are three summaries of miracles as well. 3.1. List of the miracles of Jesus A. Miracles of Healing: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. The healing of Simons mother-in-Law (1:29-31) The healing of a leper (1:40-45) The healing of a paralytic (2:1-12) The healing of a man with a withered hand (3:1-6) The healing of a woman with a hemorrhage (5:25-34) The healing of a deaf-mute man (7:31-37) The healing of a blind man at Bethsaida (8:22-26) The healing of the blind man Bartimaeus (10:46-52)

B. Miracles of Exorcism: 1. The exorcism of a demoniac at Capernaum (1:21-28) 2. The exorcism of the Gerasene Demoniac (5:1-20) 3. The exorcism of the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman (7:24-30) 4. The exorcism of a boy with a demon (9:14-29) C. Miracles of Nature: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The calming of a storm at the Lake of Galilee (4:35-41) The feeding of the five thousand (6:30-44) Jesus walking on water (6:45-52) The feeding of the four thousand (8:1-10) The withered fig tree (11:12-14.20-25)

D. Miracles of Resurrection: 1. The resurrection of Jairus daughter (5:21-24.35-43) 2

E. Summary of miracles: 1. The healings at Capernaum (1:32-34) 2. The crowd look for Jesus (3:7-12) 3. The healings at Genesaret (6:53-56) 3.2. The vocabulary of the miracles Mark normally uses popular language or terms when talking about the miracles: the fever left her (1:31); cured many who were sick and drove out many devils (1:34); the wind dropped (4:39). Sometimes he uses technical terms too: Sign (semeion): The Pharisees demand a sign from heaven to prove that he is truly the Messiah (8:11-12); Signs and portents (semeia kai trata): Jesus warns the disciples against the wonderful signs of the false prophets (13:2122). In conclusion, Jesus is against this kind of powerful signs for considering them a demonstration of Satans power. Actions of power or mighty works (dynamis): The healings and exorcisms of Jesus are often associated to the word power, normally in plural (actions of power): see 5:30; 6:1-6.14; 9:39-40. In all these cases, this term refers to Jesus miraculous activity without any negative remark.

3.3. Literary structure of the miracle stories The miracle stories normally follow this pattern: 1. SETTING OF THE MIRACLE: o LOCATION: Place where the miracle happen o SITUATION: Presentation of the sick and the sickness. o INFORMATION-PETITION: Jesus is informed or asked to act. 2. THE HEALING OR TRANSFORMATION: o HEALING WORDS/ACTIONS: Description of the healing. 3. CONCLUSION:

o DEMONSTRATION: Description of the full recovery of the sick. o REACTION: Words of the people after witnessing the miracle. In Marks Gospel only three miracles follow this pattern to the letter: 1:29-31; 7:31-37; 8:22-26. 3.4. How did Jesus perform his miracles? Jesus, in Marks gospel normally realizes his miracles by using words, actions, or both of them. A. Words: Jesus uses powerful words to perform his miracles: - Be quiet! Come out of him! (1:25). - I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home (2:11). - Stretch out your hand! (3:5). - Quiet now! Be calm! (4:39). - Come out of this man, unclean spirit (5:8). - Jesus said to the woman: for saying this you may go home happy; the devil has gone out of your daughter (7:26). - Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit: Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again (9:25). - Jesus said to the fig tree: May no one ever eat fruit from you again (11:14). B. Actions: - Jesus touches a part of the body of the sick person or Jesus is touched: 1:31; 1:41; 5:27; 8:22. - Jesus imposition of hands: 5:23; 8:23.25. - Jesus uses saliva on the sick person: 8:23. - Jesus got into the boat with them and the wind dropped (6:51). C. Words and Actions: - Mark 5:41: Jesus takes the little girl by hand and says: talitha kum, which means, little girl, I tell you to get up. - Mark 7:33-34: Jesus put his fingers into the mans ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he said to him: Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. - Mark 6:41 and 8:6-7: Jesus took the loaves and the fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing: then he broke them, gave them to his disciples, and the disciples distributed them among the crowd. 4

4. WHY DID JESUS PERFORM MIRACLES?

4.1. Signs of Jesus identity: Messiah and Son of God This is the reason why there are so many miracles in Mark and most of them are narrated in the first part of the gospel. They show that Jesus is much more than a teacher, a prophet, or a miracles worker: He is the Messiah and the Son of God. The problem with the miracles is that they show that Jesus is a type of Messiah-King who can perform wonderful actions with Gods power. However, Jesus knows that he will not be the king of the Jews nor will expel the Romans from the country. He will be the suffering and dying Messiah who gives up his life on the cross so that everyone can be saved from the sin and everlasting death. The miracles only show partially the identity of Jesus. For this reason, Jesus imposes the command of silence on the demons when casting them out of the possessed people (1:25; 1:32-34; 3:7-12) and on some of the sick who have been healed (1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26). The true identity of Jesus will be completely revealed at the moment of the crucifixion (15:39). Therefore, Jesus is the Son of God in his powerful miracles as well as in his powerless death. 4.2. Signs of the presence of the kingdom of God in the world: Jesus miracles do not attempt to increase his popularity or fame among the crowd, but to show practically that the kingdom of God is already present in the world, among Gods people, through the words and the powerful actions of Jesus. A kingdom that wants to bring Gods healing, liberation, forgiveness, compassion, and love to a broken world that excludes and marginalizes people. This idea is confirmed in the accusation of the scribes from Jerusalem: Jesus casts demons with the power of the prince of devils, so he is possessed by Beelzebul. Jesus showed them that any kingdom divided inside is doomed; it can be easily destroyed and erased from the face of the earth (3:22-30). The miracles show also that Jesus is the bearer or carrier of the kingdom of God. He casts demons out and heals the sick with Gods power, the Spirit within him (1:10). Consequently, everyone who wants to join this kingdom must make a personal option: with Jesus or against him (3:29). 5

The miracles also show that the kingdom of God belongs not only to Israel, but also to the gentiles who are willing to welcome it (miracles in gentile land: 5:1-20; 7:24-30; 8:1-10).

4.3. Signs of faith: The miracles are strictly related to faith. Without faith, Jesus cannot manifest his power on the people who seek his help: he could work no miracle in Nazareth He was amazed at their lack of faith (Mk 6:5-6). In fact, for a miracle to happen it is necessary that those who come to Jesus looking for a miracle show their faith in him (sometimes with words and other times with actions: begging on his knees; letting the sick man down through the roof; touching Jesus clothes): the father of the epileptic boy said to Jesus: if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us. If you can? Retorted Jesus. Everything is possible for one who has faith. The father answered, I have faith, but help my lack of faith! (Mk 9:22-24). That is why Jesus said many times to those who had been cured: your faith has saved you (Mk 10:52). Faith (pistis appears 5 times in Mark and always connected with miracles: 2:5; 4:40; 5:34; 10:52; 11:22-24) is mainly an act of trust in Jesus, in his power, and in his person. Its dynamic nature facilitates the way to conversion, to following Jesus (Mk 10:52), and to be his witness among the people (Mk 5:18-20). Faith is not an internal attitude; it must be shown through prayer, positive reactions, amazement, praise The faith of a person before a miracle, even if it is small, can become stronger after the miracle. Even though the faith is necessary for a miracle to happen, it does not create or provoke a miracle; miracles only come from the real power of Jesus.

5. STUDY OF MIRACLE STORIES

5.1. THE DEMONIAC AT THE SYNAGOGUE OF CAPERNAUM (1:2128) The first miracle: This is the first miracle in Marks gospel. It happens at the beginning of Jesus public ministry, after the calling of the first four disciples; therefore, miracles are very important in order to understand Jesus activity. The demons know Jesus true identity: They know who Jesus is, that is why in v. 24 they call him The Holy one of God, which means, the Son of God (1:1). They also know his mission in the world: To 6

destroy them and their power over human beings. Because he comes from God, the demons are powerless in front of him and must obey his commands. Relationship between miracles and teachings: In Marks gospel, there is a close relationship between the miracles and the teachings of Jesus. In fact, the crowd says that Jesus teaches with authority, not like the scribes (1:22); later, the crowd were amazed and said: here is a teaching that is new, and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him (1:27). Jesus teaches both with words and exorcisms. Jesus becomes famous: Jesus fame spread all over Galilee (1:28). The miracle cannot be hidden because it happened in the synagogue; the entire town witnessed it and now begins to spread the news all over Galilee: they were astonished (1:27). 5.2. THE BLIND MAN BARTIMAEUS (10:46-52) The last healing story in the gospel: There is another one in Mark 11:12-14.20-25 (the withered fig tree), but it is more a curse or prophecy than a miracle. This healing story closes the section about discipleship; we must remember that this section started after the healing of another blind man at Bethsaida (8:22-26). The reader is invited to see in these two blind men the image or portrait of the disciples and Jesus attempt to opening the eyes of the blind disciples: they do not understand his true identity neither his mission of giving up his life on the cross (incomprehension is a synonym of blindness). The situation of Bartimaeus: Bartimaeus is the most important character of the story and everything rotates around him. There is a triple change from the beginning to the end of the story: Beginning Blind man (sick person) Sitting (no movement) At the side of the road (excluded by people: beggar) End His sight returned (healed) Follow (movement) Along the road (member of a community)

The faith of Bartimaeus: The change manifested in his life is found in Jesus words: Your faith has saved you (v. 52). He is a man of faith and his attitude of faith will bring him healing (physical sight) and salvation (Jesus follower). Bartimaeus, being blind, is told that Jesus was passing by and this information is enough for him to start shouting: Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me (v. 47b); not even the crowd can keep him quiet, he stills shouts even louder: Son of David, have pity on me (v. 48b). The cry of Bartimaeus is a kind of prayer 7

that perseveres in front of opposition. Bartimaeus calls Jesus Son of David, meaning he is the Messiah-king they are waiting for. Then Jesus begins a dialogue with the blind: What do you want me to do for you? Rabbuni, let me see again (v. 51). The word Rabbuni emphasizes the experience of a personal encounter with Jesus and the beginning of a close relationship. At the same time, his prayer becomes very specific: he wants not pity only, but also his sight back. At the end of the story there is a clear connection between the healing and his faith. In fact, Jesus said: your faith has saved you (v. 52) and immediately he recovered his sight. The healing is part of the salvation that Bartimaeus has got due to his faith. The attitude of Bartimaeus: Description in two different moments: a) Bartimaeus reaction after being called by Jesus: throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus (v. 50). The gesture of throwing off the cloak means abandoning the old man (blind) in order to become a new one (disciple of Jesus); in order to get close to Jesus, he must free himself from his past condition. Free from the obstacles, the blind man must go to Jesus without delay; there is no time for doubt or thinking about Jesus calling. b) Bartimaeus reaction after the healing: at once his sight returned and followed him along the road (v. 52). This is the only case in Mark where Jesus allows a cured person to follow him. Why did he make an exception with the blind man? Because this is the logic of faith: 1) Asking for healing; 2) Being called by Jesus; 3) Encountering him face to face; 4) Receiving the gift of sight; 5) Thankful response: following him on the way to the cross. The attitude of Jesus: The first reaction of Jesus, after hearing the cries of the blind man, is to stop (v. 49) and get information about the sick person. The episode presents three expressions of Jesus regarding the blind: a) Jesus speaks to the crowd: call him here (v. 49a). He wants to see the person face to face. b) Jesus asked the blind man a question: what do you want me to do for you? (v. 51a). This is an occasion for the blind man to show his faith. c) Jesus dismissed the blind man: go; your faith has saved you (v. 52a). Jesus attributes the healing to the faith of the blind man. Now he is free to go home and start a new life (no more begging), but Bartimaeus has found Jesus, a gift better than his sight, and wants to follow him all the way to the cross.

The followers of Jesus: In this story, Jesus is leaving Jericho together with his disciples and a great crowd (v. 46). After this, there is no distinction between the disciples and the crowd. They intervene three times in the story: a) At first, they inform Bartimaeus that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. b) Later, many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet (v. 48a). They are an obstacle for those who want to get close to Jesus. c) In the end, Jesus himself heard his cry and asked the crowd to call the blind to him. Now, they become mediators between Jesus and the person in need. This is their mission: to help people get close to Jesus. This story is a graphic demonstration of what it means discipleship or to be a follower of Jesus: it is going with Jesus all the way, even if the road takes us to experience suffering and death in his name. 5.3. THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND (6:30-44; cf. 8:1-9) Context of the story: Between the responses of people and Herod about Jesus identity (Elijah or John the Baptist resurrected) and the execution of John the Baptist. It happens some time after the return of the disciples from their missionary trip, when Jesus wants to go to a deserted place, far from the crowd, to rest (6:30f). From this view, the disciples play an important role in the story. The crowd are like sheep without shepherd: When Jesus and his disciples arrived to the Jewish side of the lake, he saw a great crowd waiting for him and was filled with compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd (develops the ideas of the OT: see Numbers 27:17; 1Kings 22:17; Ezekiel 34:5). By feeding the people, Jesus is presented as the Messiah who shows compassion by providing for the needs of Gods people (6:43), just as God fed with the manna the Israelites wandering in the desert (Exodus 16; Numbers 11). Jesus asks the disciples to feed the hungry crowd: They just returned from a successful mission where they taught and made miracles, so they should be ready to feed the crowd as well. Their problem is seeing everything from a human perspective and forgetting that, if they have faith, everything is possible. Jesus showed them the power of faith and prayer when he fed the whole crowd. Even though the disciples cannot perform the miracle, they still can help by organizing the crowd in small groups (50 and 100) and distributing the food.

Connection between the feeding and the Eucharist: Even though during the last supper, the fish is substituted for the wine, it is obvious the connection between the feeding and the Eucharist: Jesus taking, blessing, and breaking of the bread portrays the Eucharist and Jesus self-giving sacrifice. In fact, the execution of John the Baptist prepares us for the theme of self-sacrifice. 5.4. THE RESURRECTION OF JAIRUS DAUGHTER (5:21-24.35-43) Sandwich stories: Mark likes using this literary strategy to narrate two stories or miracles at the same time, like if they were only one. He begins to tell the first, adds another in the middle, in this case the healing of the woman with a hemorrhage (5:25-34), and concludes with the first one. Faith is the key theme: The motif of faith is not mentioned explicitly, but it is clearly expressed in the actions of Jairus: he is a powerful, wealthy, and influential member of the Jewish society (president of the synagogue) who, without caring about what people gathered there may say or think, shows his deep faith by falling at Jesus feet and begging him to heal his daughter. Jairus believes that Jesus is a miracles worker; he is the only one who can save his daughters life. Jairus faith is tested in the next scenes: a) Jesus, before going to his house, stops to solve the problem of who touched his cloak when he was surrounded by a large crowd; b) Later, Jairus is told that his daughter has died and there is no point in disturbing Jesus any longer (5:35). Right attitude in times of discouragement: Jesus tells Jairus what the right attitude is in difficult times: Do not be afraid; only have faith (5:36). If Jairus had faith in Jesus capacity to heal his sick daughter before she was dead; now he must believe that Jesus can raise her up from death. The fact that Jairus permitted Jesus to accompany him to his house is a clear sign that he trusts in Jesus ability to resurrect his daughter. But Jairus faith was tested again when seeing the people in mourning (5:38) and laughing at Jesus because he said the little girl was not dead, but sleeping (5:39). However, in the end, Jairus faith was rewarded by Jesus raising the girl from death (5:42). Marks vocabulary (the crowds laughter and the presence of his closest disciples, Peter, James, and John) reminds us of the passion and death of Jesus himself, but with the confidence that after all the sufferings, there will be a resurrection.

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Reaction of the crowd: The episode concludes with the crowds amazement and astonishment in front of such a powerful action. Once again, Jesus commands silence about the miracle because he does not want people to get the wrong idea about his identity: Suffering Messiah and Son of God. 5.5. SUMMARY OF HEALINGS AT CAPERNAUM (1:32-34) First busy day in Jesus public activity: This episode is the conclusion of a very active Sabbath Day for Jesus: exorcism in the synagogue (morning); healing of Simons mother-in-Law (noon); summary of healings (evening). Jesus is becoming a famous healer: News about Jesus exorcism in the synagogue has spread and the whole town brought the sick and possessed by demons to Simons house. Jesus is a great miracle worker. The gospel says that many got cured, but not all. This means that only those who believed in him and in his power obtained the healing; those who did not believed went home empty handed. The theme of faith as a condition to obtain a miracle is stressed in Mk 6:56: and he could work no miracle there, except that he cured a few sick people by laying hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. The summary ends with Jesus commanding the demons to be silent or keep quiet about his identity (see also 1:34). Jesus could be easily confused with the powerful Messiah they all are waiting for. He is different kind of Messiah and his true identity will be revealed at the end of the gospel (15:39).

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