3. Miracles, Signs of His Divine Power (1)

Miracles Are Supernatural Acts of God

What is a miracle?  As evidence to the deity of Jesus, a miracle is simply a supernatural act of God. To avoid confusion and bypass non-constructive debate whether specific events are truly miraculous, we limit our discussion to acts that meet the following four characteristics:

• Significance: An event must be significant to be considered a miracle. There has to be a dramatic result that belies the charge of a “remarkable coincidence.”
• Immediate: The effect has to be immediate. If it takes hours, days, weeks or longer to occur, the change likely can be caused by other factors.
• Defy the laws of nature: A real miracle cannot be explained by any natural law or phenomena. Breaking or superseding these laws proves it was a supernatural act.
• Witnessed by multiple people: As miracles are extraordinary events, they require an extraordinary burden of proof, so multiple witnesses.

Anyone who does not believe in God finds the concept of a miracle, any event that contradicts and even suspends the laws of nature, impossible to accept. That is, if God does not exist, only nature controls life. Therefore no miracle is possible and any account of a miracle cannot be true. This logical argument against miracles was first formulated by Benedict Spinoza (1632-1677).  Spinoza’s argument can be summarized as follows:[1]

• A miracle violates natural laws.
• Natural laws are immutable.
• It is impossible to violate immutable laws.
• Therefore, miracles are impossible.

However, if God exists, He created the natural laws, so it should be no problem for Him to move beyond or outside these laws, nor can He be restrained by these laws.

Why and When Did Jesus Perform Miracles?

Jesus used miracles as signs to his credentials as the Son of God. Without miracles it would be exceptionally difficult to believe His claims. As John wrote in John 20:30-31:

“Jesus’ disciples saw Him do many more other miraculous signs besides the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life.”

Observe that the miracles of Jesus not only showed His power over nature, but also revealed His approach to ministry: helping others, speaking with authority, and connecting with people. The keyword is compassion. Almost all His miracles were driven by compassion. He healed people who sought His help. He raised the dead to comfort grieving families. He quieted storms to calm the fears of His friends. He fed multitudes to avert their hunger. Don’t fail to notice that Jesus never performed a miracle for His own benefit or gain. The miracles aided others, not Him. On five occasions Jesus performed a miracle as a sign solely for the disciples: walking on water; cursing of the fig tree; both miraculous catches of fish by the disciples; and the coin for the temple tax. All other miracles sprang from compassion for the people around Him.

As F.F. Bruce remarks: [2]

“In literature there are many kind of miracle stories; but the Gospels do not ask us to believe that Jesus made the sun travel from west to east one day, or anything like that; they do not even attribute to Him such monstrosities as we find in the apocryphal writings of the second century. In general, the miracles are ‘in character’ – this is to say, they are the kind of works that might be expected from such a person as the Gospel represents Jesus to be.”

 

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(1) Miracles are supernatural	(2) Exhibit #2: Jesus' miracles signs of divine powers	(3) Feeding of the 5000
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