jesus the miracle worker

• Miracle

  An extraordinary and mysterious event that does not follow the usual laws of nature and cannot be explained by natural or scientific laws, and can be said to be an act of God
• Types of miracles Jesus performed

  • Healing
  • Exorcism
  • Raising to life
• Healing miracles

  • Jesus heals someone of a physical or mental illness
  • Jesus casts out evil spirits or demons
• Nature miracles

  • Jesus performs miracles that go against the laws of nature, such as calming a storm
• Jesus often healed on the Sabbath
• Sabbath

  A day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday
• Faith

  Accepting what God wants and trusting in him
• Jesus did not perform miracles to make people believe in him
• In Mark's Gospel, faith is shown when people ask for healing and a miracle is the response
• Many people in the first century believed that illness was punishment for sin
• Many people in the first century believed that mental illness was caused by possession by an evil spirit
• Many people in the first century believed that physical illnesses such as epilepsy were caused by evil spirits
• Many people in the first century believed that demons caused blindness, leprosy and heart disease and could turn good fortune into bad
• First-century Jewish people believed that the coming of the Messiah would be accompanied by miracles
• Contemporary beliefs about the miracles Jesus performed

  • Modern science shows miracles are impossible
  • First-century Christians misunderstood Jesus' miracles as something modern belief would consider luck or coincidence
  • Mental illness is not understood today as possession by evil spirits
  • Nature miracles can now be explained through modern scientific discovery
  • Some believe physical illness is caused by the mind and healing miracles could be explained as resolving mental issues rather than curing physical illness
• Interpretations of miracles by Christians

  • Fundamentalist and literal interpretation - miracles are 100% accurate
  • Conservative interpretation - miracles are possible but accounts may have changed over time
  • Liberal interpretation - the symbolism in a miracle is more important than if it really happened
• The early Church believed Jesus worked miracles
• If Jesus was raised from the dead then healing a paralysed man is surely possible
• Mark would have checked his facts with Peter and other eyewitnesses
• Jesus understood the power of faith healing and was able to make people believe they were healed
• The miracles were made up and Jesus and his disciples were frauds
• Miracles belong to an age of superstition where people did not fully understand the natural world
• Marginalised

  A group or class of people that is regarded as less important than others or is relegated to a secondary position
• Outcast

  One that is cast out or refused acceptance by society
• Who are the marginalised today?

  • Alcoholics
  • The homeless
  • Drug addicts
  • Ethnic minorities
  • The poor
  • Refugees
  • HIV/AIDS sufferers
• Leprosy initially caused ulcers and growths, leading sufferers to lose their fingers and toes. Eventually it caused mental decay, coma and death, over a long period of gradual misery. Therefore it was feared by all.
• The Jewish Law had strict rules about the treatment of those diagnosed with leprosy to limit the spread of the disease. Lepers were banished to camps outside villages, separated from their family and all of society.
• In the first century many people believed that there was a battle between good and evil on Earth and people could be possessed by evil spirits or demons.
• Many illnesses associated with possession can be explained today as illnesses such as epilepsy or schizophrenia.
• What do miracles teach us?

  • Jesus was compassionate and caring towards others who were sick or in pain
  • Jesus was powerful and had authority from God to perform miracles and share in God's saving power
  • They show what the Kingdom of God will be like in the future
  • Healing miracles show healing on two levels - both body and mind
  • Miracles are like acted-out parables
  • The miracles are signs of God's presence in the world
  • They prove that Jesus was who he claimed to be
  • They met a serious human need and were not performed casually
  • They display Jesus' power over the natural and the spiritual world
  • They fulfil Old Testament prophecies
  • They teach Christians today how they should treat others