This is Our Faith, Part 4
Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
JESUS, THE MIRACLE WORKER
“All who had people sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. Demons also came out from many.” (Luke 4:40-41))
An essential part of the mission of Jesus was to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to make it present through his person and actions. He explained through parables what the Kingdom of God was like; and he showed the nature and saving role of the Kingdom through the many MIRACLES he performed, such as the casting out of demons, the multiplication of bread and fish, the quelling of storms, the cleansing of lepers, and other forms of healings.
Miraculous events had been prophesied by Isaiah and other prophets as “signs” of the messianic time and of the presence of the Messiah. (See Is 26:19; 29:18-19; 35:5-6.) Jesus recalled such prophecies to the delegation sent by John the Baptist to inquire whether or not he was the expected messiah. (See Mt 11:2-5.)
Miracles were very much a characteristic of the apostolic life of Jesus. They were an integral aspect of his proclaiming the “Good News” – the Good News of the Kingdom and of its presence, and effective means to arouse faith in the people who witnessed those miracles. (See, for example, Jn 2:11.)
There was an intrinsic connection between Jesus’ teaching (his “words”) and his actions – his “powerful deeds” that we call “miracles.” Both were connected with the proclamation and the establishment of God’s Kingdom and the salvation that Jesus had come to bring about.
Jesus’ miracles are usually divided into three categories:
* Nature miracles,
* Healings, and
* Exorcisms (casting out of evil spirits).
“NATURE MIRACLES”
Through the “nature miracles,” Jesus showed his divine identity and power over nature. He proved that he was the “New Moses” and the “New Elijah,” (who had performed some miracles to prove the divine origin of their mission). Jesus’ more numerous and more astonishing miracles, however, proved also that he was more powerful than the two great figures of the Old Testament. Another important difference was also the fact that Jesus performed those wonders by his own power, and not by asking God to produce those extraordinary effects.
Some of Jesus’ “nature miracles” were:
• the calming of the storm (Mk 4:37-41);
• the multiplication of bread and fish (Mk 6:34-44. See also Jn 6:1-13);
Some of Jesus’ “nature miracles” were:
• the calming of the storm (Mk 4:37-41);
• the multiplication of bread and fish (Mk 6:34-44. See also Jn 6:1-13);
• the changing of water into wine (Jn 2: 1-11);
• two large catches of fish (Lk 5:1-11 and Jn 21: 1-14); and
• several resuscitation of the dead (Mk 5:38-42; Lk 7:11-15; Jn 11:38-44).
Some of the “Nature Miracles” were also “prophetic signs,” a sort of “foretaste” or “advance manifestation” of much more important events which would take place in the future.
Thus, the multiplication of bread and fish was a prophetic sign of the Eucharist as the “Bread of Life”; while the extraordinary catch of fish was a symbol or a “foretaste” of the extraordinary fruitfulness of the missionary work of the apostles.
People reacted to Jesus’ “nature miracles” such as the quelling of a storm, by asking: “Who is this whom even wind and sea obey?” (Mk 4:41); and to the resuscitation of the son of the widow of Naim by shouting, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst!” and “God has visited His people!” (Lk 7:16).
THE “HEALING MIRACLES”
These miracles were:
• manifestations of Jesus’ compassion, mercy, and love for those afflicted by different forms of sickness or physical handicaps;
• extraordinary displays of his divine healing power;
• external confirmation of the authenticity of his message [This is why Jesus could say to his opponents that if they did not believe his words, they should at least believe the “works” (miracles) that he was performing. (See Jn 10:37-38.)];
• proofs that the Messianic times announced by several prophets, and especially the prophet Isaiah, had finally arrived; and
• means to establish God’s Kingdom and to offer proofs of its presence among the people.
EXORCISMS (casting out of demons)
The numerous exorcisms performed by Jesus were:
• Clear proofs of Jesus’ authority over the devil and of Jesus’ undisputable victory over him;
• powerful interventions against Satan through which Jesus showed that he had victoriously challenged the devil’s power over mankind; and
• clear signs that the Kingdom of God was firmly established.
Jesus’ miracles targeted the very source of all evils that tormented mankind.
Like nature miracles and healing miracles which, in the past, had been performed by holy people, such as Moses, Elijah, Elisha, the exorcisms that were performed by Jesus were –
• not only much more numerous and impressive, but also
• had the unique feature that he performed them by his own power and not by asking God’s intervention to effect them – a clear sign that Jesus himself was God.
Jesus’ exorcisms brought about spiritual healing and liberation from the condition of enslavement, which Satan had imposed on mankind over long centuries as a consequence of sin.
THE GREATEST OF JESUS’ MIRACLES
The greatest, most astonishing, and the one that had the farthest-reaching effects among Jesus’ miracles was his own RESURRECTION.
This was the best of his healing miracles and “nature miracles.”
A detailed presentation of this fascinating miracle and its universal effects will be featured in “This Is Our Faith,” Part 6 (“He Rose Again on the Third Day”), Word & Life magazine, August-September 2013 issue).
If you like to see the sample .PDF file, you can click on the link below.
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