Introduction
We are five weeks
into our series on “The Essential Jesus”—Jesus’
3+ year public ministry as reported by the four New Testament
gospels. Matthew summarizes what characterized the early stages of
Jesus’ ministry (read Matt. 4:23-25). He
taught and preached about the kingdom of God, and he performed
miracles of healing and exorcism. Later in the series, we’ll
look more closely at his teaching on the kingdom of God. This
morning we’ll take a closer look at his miracles.
Mark gives us a
rapid-fire sampling of Jesus’ early-ministry miracles in
Mk. 1:21-2:12--let’s read straight through it (read). I
want to take a closer look at this aspect of Jesus’ public
ministry (and the miracles we just read) by asking two
questions . . .
Did Jesus really perform
miracles?
It’s not surprising that people have trouble
believing that Jesus really did this! After all, things like this
don’t happen normally. (But it wasn’t normal to Jesus’
audience either--note their amazed reaction.) So we seek more
plausible explanations: Aren’t the gospel accounts just like
ancient miracle myths/legends? Weren’t Jesus’ “miracles”
just like present-day “healer-dealers?” But the gospels’
accounts of Jesus’ miracles are fundamentally different
from either of these. Here are some highlights . . .
The gospels’
accounts of Jesus’ miracles are very different from ancient
mythical/legendary miracle stories. If you simply read both, you
can’t miss the differences.
The gospels are
based on eye-witness accounts that are rooted in space and time. Mark’s gospel is the memoir of Peter,
so we see vivid details that we would expect from an eye-witness
(demoniac in Capernaum synagogue; Peter’s mother-in-law serving
a meal; Jesus’ non-verbal response to leper; 4 men digging
through roof). Ancient miracle legends, by contrast, were normally
placed in the distant past (“once upon a time”) or
outside time altogether.
Because the
gospels are historical narratives, much of what they report has been
corroborated by other (extra-biblical) sources. The synagogue in
Capernaum has been excavated. Early Jewish attacks on Christianity
implicitly acknowledge Jesus’ miracles, preferring to explain
them as acts of sorcery (demonic works).
Ancient miracle legends (because they are placed outside of history)
have no such corroboration.
The gospels’
accounts of Jesus’ miracles are serious accounts of Jesus
delivering people from terrible suffering. So Jesus exorcises a
demon-possessed man, heals a leper, and restores a paralytic.
Ancient miracle legends (including legendary accounts of Jesus’
miracles) are usually silly stories designed to entertain or satisfy
people’s curiosity.
There are also key
differences between Jesus’ healing ministry and contemporary
“healers.”
Jesus clearly
prioritized teaching over miracles (1:37,38). Notice Jesus’
concern that news about his miracles would hinder his teaching
ministry (1:44). This is why most of his miracles were performed
privately. Contemporary “healers” clearly reverse this
order. If they “teach” at all, it is clearly subordinate
to the “miracle-show.”
Unlike
contemporary healers and exorcists, who often blame all sickness on
demons, the gospels differentiate between physical illness and
demonic oppression (1:34).
Jesus never tried
to benefit financially or politically from his miracles. He never
charged, asked for, or accepted money for his healings or exorcisms.
He regarded the crowds that resulted as an impediment to his mission
(1:45), and he refused the opportunity to gain political power based
on his miracles (Jn. 6:15).
Did Jesus perform miracles? Yes. Despite the
extraordinary nature of Jesus’ miracles, they cannot be written
off. They formed an integral part of his ministry, they are
essentially different than what is done in his name today, and there
is strong historical evidence for their authenticity.
The more important question is not historical
(“Did Jesus perform miracles?”), but rather interpretive
(“Why did Jesus perform miracles?”). What was the
point of his miracles? Why were they so integral to his ministry?
The answer to this question makes Jesus’ miracles relevant to
our lives.
Why did Jesus perform
miracles?
The key is to remember that Jesus’ miracles
accompany his preaching (1:14)—the kingdom of God was imminent
because he (King Messiah) had come. The point is that Jesus’
miracles both validate his claim to be God’s King and
demonstrate what God’s Kingdom is like. Let’s
think about these miracles again—this time asking what they
demonstrate about God’s Kingdom.
They demonstrate
that God’s kingdom has compassion for human sufferers.
Virtually every
one of Jesus’ miracles alleviated human suffering. What is
implicit in all of these miracles is made explicit in his healing of
the leper. Read 1:40. Explain leprosy. What’s worse, lepers
were regarded by the religious leaders as sinful and unclean—and
anyone who touched them also became unclean. This is what makes
Jesus’ response so significant (read 1:41). Jesus was moved by
compassion not only to heal this man, but to “grasp” him
as he healed him. Though he could have healed him without touching
him, Jesus touched this man to demonstrate his love for him.
Whatever problems
you may have with the God of the Bible allowing human suffering,
Jesus’ miracles demonstrate that God both cares about human
suffering and has the power to alleviate it. Jesus’ miracles
are foretastes of the fullness of God’s kingdom, when he will
fully heal all suffering of his subjects (Rev. 21:4). In the
meantime, it is not a coincidence that the Christian movement has
spawned more hospitals, orphanages, etc. than any other religious
movement. And in the meantime, whether he removes
the cause of your suffering or not, you can experience his compassion
and comfort if you open your heart to him. Are you suffering? Have
you become hardened and cynical because of people’s lack of
concern? Will you open your heart to Jesus’ love?
They demonstrate
that God’s kingdom has the power to defeat demonic evil.
The Bible doesn’t
view the broken human condition as normal or as something that God
did. It views it as the symptom of a world occupied evil
supernatural rulers. That’s why
the coming of Messiah had to involve direct (and often violent)
encounters with those evil rulers. Read Matt. 12:28,29 - Jesus
came to invade Satan’s kingdom and bind him so he could deliver
his captives.
This is why Jesus’
exorcisms often highlight both the defiance of the demons and Jesus’
clear superiority over them. Re-read 1:24-26. The demon knows that
Jesus has come to destroy them, and he defiantly attempts to gain
control over Jesus by using his name.
Jesus needs no ritual or incantation (like other “exorcists”)--he
silences him and drives him out by the authority of his word.
I don’t know
what you think about the reality of demons. 30 years ago, there was
a lot more skepticism about them than there is today. All I can say
is that I have experienced their reality first-hand, both in my own
life and in working with other people. And I have seen scores of
people delivered from various forms of demonic bondage by the
authority of Jesus’ word. Do you live in bondage to demonic
oppression? Jesus can liberate you if you come to him.
They demonstrate
that God’s kingdom has the authority to forgive our sins.
On one level,
Jesus performed miracles to meet specific people’s physical
needs. But they were also far more than that. They were “signs”
(sumeia)—miracles that pointed beyond themselves to
Jesus’ unique authority to meet humanity’s spiritual
needs. This is why Jesus’ miracles are often linked with
related claims about himself. Briefly explain Jn. 6,9,11.
This is also what
Jesus is doing when he heals the paralytic in Mk. 2. On one level,
Jesus physically heals a paralyzed man. But the point of the miracle
goes beyond healing paralysis. He diagnoses a deeper, spiritual need
in the man (the guilt of his sins), he links the man’s
paralysis and guilt—so that his healing demonstrates and
validates Jesus’ authority to forgive all people’s sins.
On a personal
level, the man got more than hoped for from Jesus. His most
obvious problem was his paralysis, but his deepest problem
was his guilt before God. He was probably perplexed (even
disappointed) when Jesus said “Your sins are forgiven”--but
Jesus’ forgiveness was a greater healing because it healed his
soul. I know people who have recovered from serious illnesses but
never experienced forgiveness, and I know people who have experienced
forgiveness but never been healed from serious illness--and there is
no comparison.
This should be
instructive to us. You may be inclined to diagnose your deepest
problems as physical (ugliness; sickness) or social (no
romance, bad friends) or circumstantial (boring job; mediocre
house; live in Ohio). You may even pray, asking God to fix these
problems--and then be disappointed with him if he doesn’t
fulfill your request. Why--because he doesn’t care? No,
because he knows that you’re focusing with symptoms rather than
root problems. We come to him asking “Will you fix my
circumstances?”--but he responds with “I can forgive your
sins.” We think “Whoa, what does that have to do with my
problems?” But God is saying “It has everything to do
with your problems. I could change your circumstances and you’d
still be fundamentally messed up because you’d still be
alienated from me because of your guilt. Why don’t you let me
forgive your sins?” It is a wonderful thing to be forgiven by
God. You get reconciled to God, you have a basis for forgiving
others, etc.
Jesus has the
authority to forgive your sins. This because he went to the Cross to
pay for them. And just as he announced to this man “Your sins
are forgiven” the moment he saw the man’s faith (2:5), he
will do the same for you. Don’t make faith in Jesus
complicated--it just means choosing to put your trust in him. You
don’t have to convince him to be willing to forgive you. He is
already willing, and waiting for you to come to him in simple trust
and ask him. You could leave here this morning with more than you
expected!
Footnotes
Copyright 2005 Gary DeLashmutt