Who Is This Man Jesus?

Without the evidence and clear demonstration of power and authority revealed through His miracles, Jesus would be no more to us than a powerful teacher who made grandiose claims and was later martyred for what He believed.1 It was the miracles that displayed the amazing demonstrations of power and authority which gave the evidence to support the claims that Jesus as aki g. The i a les alo g ith His fulfil e t of p ophe e e Ch ist s i th e tifi ate, passport and d i e s li e se i p o idi g us ith o e hu d ed poi ts of ide tifi atio . The miracles of Jesus as recorded in the Synoptic gospels are fundamental to our understanding and revelation of who Jesus is. They clearly show that Jesus is the Son of God, that He is the Messiah, and not only do they give evidence, but they prove that He is God. From the miracles we gain insight into the character and person of Jesus; His power and that He is moved by compassion and faith. They are significant because they mark the entrance of the Kingdom of God over all the Earth, in such a manner so people would believe and receive healing and deliverance of their souls. In short, the miracles show us two main things; who Jesus is and why He was here. There is a danger in seeking to extrapolate an extraordinary amount of significance from the miracles Jesus performed. All too frequently the recorded events have been over analysed in the attempt to find the ever elusive new revelation or a fresh way to consider their significance; almost as if the truth they revealed at the time of occurrence is no longer sufficient for our day and age. Whe po de i g the sig ifi a e of Jesus i a le of feedi g the fi e thousa d as told i Ma k : - 44, Imbach is surely looking far beyond what can reasonably be attributed to it when he says, …the e a gelist e pressl e tio s that Jesus i ites the people to sit do upo the gree grass . I this a he also u derli es hat Jesus is talki g a out; he a ts to ri g his countrymen back to their actual shepherd, to Yahweh. For he is the Lord, a d I shall ot a t. 1 (Bruce 1929) Page 286 2 (Imbach 1995) page 106 2 It is highly doubtful that on the day that the five thousand ate the bread and fish multiplied by Jesus, they stopped to consider the significance of the green grass upon which they sat. Whilst the connection made to the green pastures of Psalm 23 is comforting, it can not be used to add meaning to this miracle. The green grass was simply a descriptive term used in the narrative to describe where the people sat. The miracles must be understood by us today as they would have been understood by the people witnessing them at the time, and also with the same significance as they would have held for the intended audience for whom the gospels were written. In this case, the intended audience were the non-Jewish citizens of the Roman world. It is unlikely the common Roman citizen was that well versed with the Jewish scriptures and Psalms. In a similar way it is too simplistic to merely believe that the miracles had no significance at all beyond their amazing nature. As noted by D.S. Cairns, some will say that miracles are, …e ide tial portents which were external signs, and had little or no meaning in themselves for the Christian view of God a d the orld. 3 However, to give one example, all through the gospels we see the expression, (or similar), by those witnessing the miracles; Who is this man?! The expression itself implies that the miracles were revealing something about Jesus that was causing people to wonder who He was. Thus, beyond the immediate obvious there is very real significance to be grasped. Kallas writes, It see s a surd that gi e the eight of the i the gospels so a people ig ore the as ei g i porta t or the te d to tr a d fi d the hidde pra ti al appli atio or spiritualizi g . ea i g o er 4 Therefore as Laidlaw suggests, ...the miracles are to be studied in their symbolic or didactic aspects as ell as their e ide tial hara ter… 5, without betraying the narratives into the hands of those who would see in what they record, not actual occurrences , but only figures of speech.6 3 (Cairns 1954) page 17 4 (Kallas 1961) Page 1 In order to gain some significance from the miracles as to what Jesus purpose was, we must first be able to understand, from the same events, who Jesus is. Upon reading the synoptic gospels, one very quickly grasps that Jesus is the Holy One of God. In fact the first miracle of Jesus recorded in both the gospel of Mark and the gospel of Luke, the healing of the man with the unclean spirit, gives evidence to show this. (Mark 1:21-28 and Luke 4:31-37). When seeing Jesus, the unclean spirit immediately recognised and confessed that He was the Holy One of God. The Jews would definitely have taken notice of this because The Holy One of God, otherwise called Messiah or Christ, was the awaited king, saviour and redeemer upon which all of Is ael s hopes ested. Wethe the Messiah as a figure of whom the Roman citizens were aware or not, does not completely detract from the significance of this miracle. At the very least they were confronted by someone whom they heard was sent by God, and now, for Jews and Romans alike, they had witnessed the evidence of this by His authority to command unclean spirits and have them obey him. Jesus hi self ade this lea i His espo se to Joh the Baptist s uestio , A e ou the o e ho is to o e, o a e e to ait fo a othe ? (Luke 7:19 NRSV) John the Baptist had just heard of the i a ulous aisi g of the ido s so at Nai ould a o pa Luke : -17), and he recognised this as signs which the p ophesied Messiah. Jesus epl se es to fu the o fi so not by merely repl i g, es , ut telli g Joh s dis iples to poi t out to hi this, a d He does all the othe miracles that they had seen and heard. (Luke 7:22) In this particular miracle mentioned, it is important to note that Jesus was motived to raise the ido s so His compassion for her. Ve se 5 (Laidlaw 1956) page 17 6 (Laidlaw 1956) page 17 Ma of Jesus i a les e e oti ated compassion, for example, the feeding of the five thousand, the feeding of the four thousand, and the healing of blind Bartimaeus, in which he was also commended for his faith. To understand and get a gli pse of Jesus ha a te th ough His i a les is i po ta t because it enables us to know how to best approach Him ourselves. Jesus also responds favourably to examples of bold faith. Jesus seems to greatly cherish any unusual display of faith and would respond with granting the request of the person by whom He was approached.7 The example of faith by the centurion, who believed Jesus would heal his servant merely by saying the word, caused Jesus to turn to the crowd in amazement and comment on his remarkable faith. (Luke 7:9) Likewise the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:34) and the Canaanite woman whose daughter was tormented by a demon (Matthew 15:28) were both commended for their faith. A significant truth is made evident i the th ee faith i a les e tio ed a o e. I all th ee examples, the recipients of the miracle were social or religious outcasts.8 Yet this did not stop Jesus from bestowing their requests. Anyone who witnessed or heard about this would instantly be filled with hope, due to the ealisatio that Jesus good ill as ot li ited o est i ted to Is ael alo e, but to all people from all nations who would go to Him in faith. The miracles not only show that Jesus looks for faith, but that He also draws it out of people.9 In what is a breathtaking serious of events, when Jesus approaches the father of the boy seized by the unclean spirit, (Mark 9:14-29) the clearly distressed father, though doubting, just barely believes that Jesus can help. In this case e see Jesus uestio the fathe s state e t, if ou a e a le.. , a d e see Jesus d a a espo se of faith f o 7 (Stalker 1909) Page 176 8 (Roberts 2005) 9 (Stalker 1909) Page 177 hi ; I elie e; help u elief! I this state e t e see the fathe s faith that Jesus ill help hi to elie e - faith that Jesus will help increase his faith! Returning with regard to how the miracles show Jesus as the Messiah, possibly the clearest example can be seen in the miracle of feeding the five thousand. Merely the response of the crowd who wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him king, clearly shows that they, to some extent, understood He was the Messiah. (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:1-15) So significant was this miracle that it is mentioned in all four of the gospels. This miracle resonated strongly with the Jews as it loudly echoed the provision of manna and quail by God as their ancestors wandered in the desert before entering their promised land. In fact, the discourse between Jesus and the Pharisees in the gospel of John brings up the very issue of manna. (John 6:31) The attempt by the crowd to make Jesus king surely was motivated by the opinion that there is no one better to be the ki g of Is ael, tha the a ho a p o ide the ead of life out of thi ai ! The order of the narrative in the gospel of Luke shows that the author intended the recipients of the gospel message to also understand that Jesus is the Messiah. This is seen in Luke 9:18-20 by the a ou t of Pete s o fessio of Jesus as Messiah, i ediatel follo i g the a ou t of Jesus miracle. In fact, it is very interesting to note that in Matthew and Mark are accounts of a remarkably similar miracle when Jesus fed the four thousand (Matthew 15:32-39 and Mark 8:1-10), and it is sho tl afte the telli g of this i a le that the a ati e i oth gospels the o e to Pete s confession of Jesus as Messiah. That Jesus performed this amazing miracle twice, commands all witnesses and hearers to pay attention and see the significance of them. The Pharisees saw the significance but were unwilling to believe without a sign from heaven. Pe haps the easo fo the dou li g of these i a les is hi ted at the a e the blind man of Bethsaida was healed, (Mark 8:22-26). One can not help but think that the gradual improvement of the li d a s sight as a illust atio , as also is it s positio i the a ati e, of fi st di l seei g the significance of the miracle of the loa es a d the fish, a d the seei g o e lea l afte Jesus se o d, tou h . Ce tai l the people ealised at this stage that Jesus as thei a ti ipated ki g, however, they did not fully grasp what kind of king and what His kingdom were like. They did not grasp as mentioned by Laidlaw, … its s the ode of its distri utio to Whilst st i tl a ki d. oli eari g o the spiritual pro isio of the Ki gdo a d 10 ot o e of Jesus , the man miracles, the account of His virgin birth in Matthew and Luke show the fulfilment of prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 of the coming Messiah. Yet another example where a miracle of Jesus has been recorded as an example of fulfilment of Messianic prophecy is he He healed the fe e f o Pete s othe -in-law and the many healings and exorcisms that followed as recorded in the gospel of Matthew (chapter 8:14-17). This was in fulfilment of Isaiah 53:4 and thus adding further evidence to His claim as the Messiah. Another conclusion to be made through Jesus miracles is that He is the Son of the Most High God. Once again it is by a de o s o o fessio that this is made obvious in the miracle of the Gerasene Demoniac recorded in Mark 5:1-20, Matthew, 8:28-34 and Luke 8:26-39. It is worth noting that this demon possessed man could previously not be restrained by anyone or anything (Mark 5:4), and would break apart even chains and shackles. Now we have an example of the Son of God who is able to not only subdue them, but command their obedience and worship. This time we see the demons not only recognise and submit to Jesus authority, but also bow before Him. The miraculous events surrounding Jesus death confirmed Him to be the Son of God by the e tu io s o fessio i Ma k : a de e o e e pli itl i Matthew 27:54. When the centurion saw the darkness come over the whole land and felt the earth quake beneath him at the 10 (Laidlaw 1956) Page 80 poi t of Jesus death, he a e to this o e o lusio , T ul this a as God s “o ! Matthe 27:54) The disciples of Jesus, in the boat, after He walked on water and calmed the storm, (Matthew 14:2233, Mark 6:45-52), also confessed Him to be the Son of God. Once again, it is interesting to compare the si ila i a le he Jesus al ed the sto . Matthe : -27, Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:22- 25) On that occasion the disciples were amazed by His command and authority over the wind and as. The se o d i sta e of Jesus al i g the the waves, and it led them question who this man storm and also walking on water now brought the dis iples f o this a ? , to the a k o ledge e t that, T ul Aside f o Jesus o a positio of uestio i g, ou a e the “o of God. Matthe ho is : lai s to e the “o of God, a d God s de la atio as hea d at Jesus baptism and again at the transfiguration, we have confessions acknowledging Jesus to be the Son of God from three different sources; demons, the Roman centurion and His disciples. Most would agree that the miracles of Jesus do not prove that He is God, but rather give evidence that He is God. In regard to this, Bruce says, …to a atheist, a ira le or u usual e e t of hi h its ause is u k o a ot e used to prove the existence of God. However, they can tell us more about a God already believed in. For example – the te plagues learl ake God k o as the Deli erer of the oppressed. 11 However, the scriptures show the opposite is true. The miracles do prove that Jesus is God, both to the people witnessing them and to the audience of the gospels. In fact Jesus himself used the miracles as His proof of divinity to the Pharisees in his discourse with them. (John 10) The Pharisees a ted to kill Hi 11 e ause He lai ed to e God s (Bruce 1929) Page 284 , the i e se Jesus eplies, But if I do it, even though ou do ot elie e e, elie e the i a les… NIV At this the Pha isees t ied to seize Jesus to kill Him. This as ot the fi st ti e that Ch ist s di i it as ade lea to the Pha isees. Whe Jesus healed the paralytic who was lowered through the roof (Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26), He clea l de o st ated His di i it . Jesus, ho as o ed thei faith, fo gi es the pa al ti s si . The Pharisees and Scribes upon hearing this objected, knowing that to forgive a person of their sin is itself a divine act and can only be done by God. For years, regular and consistent sacrifices to atone for sin had been offered to God as a means to forgiveness, and now they are confronted by a man who claims He can forgive sins. This is a claim by Jesus unto divinity. The events which followed left them all amazed and is p oof of Jesus autho it to fo gi e si s. I Luke : you may have evidence… , i stead He said, …so ou …to fo gi e si s. N‘“V O e a , Jesus did ot sa , …so a know that the Son of Man has authorit … ot k o so ethi g if all the ha e is e ide e, the a e el suspect. However, if proof is presented concerning something, then, one can confidently know. This i a le ot o l sho s Jesus di i it , ut also reveals some of His purpose. We see here a case of not just a physical healing of the body, but also a spiritual healing of the soul. As Stalker says, His ira les, for e a ple, ere i te ded to e oke ot o l faith i Hi as a o der – worker, but faith in Him also as a source of higher benefits. While many reasons may be assigned for the working of miracles, the chief must always be this – that the healing of the body illustrated the sal atio of the soul. 12 Further proof that Jesus is God is seen in the nature of His miracles and the dominion He exerts over all realms. For example, Jesus shows His power and command over nature when calming the storm, with the withered fig tree (Matthew 21:18-20), the miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11), and the coi i the fish 12 (Stalker 1909) Page 184 outh Matthe : -27). He shows His power of the spiritual realm with the many exorcisms and demons bowing to Him. He shows His power to work above the normal rules of nature with miracles such as walking on water. He shows His power over the physical body with His many healings. He shows His power over death with the raising of the dead, and to top it all, He shows His immortality when He, himself resurrects from the dead in triumphant victory over death! Given all this proof one must o ede that Jesus is a a i u e elle t ei g o to put it simply, God. Only a divine being can do what Jesus did. In response to Bruce, there must be a distinction drawn between seeing proof that Jesus is God and surrendering ones will to God. Pharaoh acknowledged and recognised God because of the plagues, ho e e e e though he had p oof, he efused to e d to God s ule. E odus : atheist, e e afte ei g o f o ted ith p oof th ough Jesus Jesus autho it . The easiest a fo the -28) Likewise, an i a les ill still refuse to bend to to do this is to efuse to a k o ledge the p oof set before them. Ulti atel it a e said that the ai easo fo Jesus i a les is as a sig of the i - eaki g Kingdom of God, through which a foretaste of the physical and spiritual restoration promised by God is coming to fulfilment through Jesus.13 The many examples of physical healing accompanied with forgiveness of sins give show the restorative nature of the coming Kingdom. They show the holistic nature of this Kingdom as we see that they were motivated by genuine compassion. They show that “ata s oppressive reign is being swallowed up by the encroaching Kingdom of God and that the curse of sin upon Israel, and indeed the world, is being undone. This is obvious in the freeing of many held in bondage by demons, and the reversal of the curses listed in Deuteronomy 28, through the 13 a heali gs a d the lessi gs i Jesus (Strauss 2007) Page 466 i a ulous p o isio of fish, ead a d e e ta money. The very nature of the miracles being a response to faith, teaches that entry to this Godly Kingdom is attained by faith that Jesus can, and will, change ones current state and predicament. Jesus miracles showed His power and authority over all dominions, thus ushering in more than just a mere physical kingdom, but also a more powerful, more glorious and eternal spiritual kingdom. Furthermore, this Kingdom was not just for the Jews, but for the whole world. Having seen the significance of the miracles one can confidently say that Jesus is the Son of God, that He is the Messiah, and that He is God. One can surrender themself with assurance to His authority knowing that He is moved by compassion and our faith in Him. We are invited to partake in the ever increasing Kingdom of God over all the Earth, and share this news so others would believe, and receive healing and deliverance of their soul. As stated by Kallas, The ira les ha e pre isel the sa e o e trated o the a ki gdo essage as the ords of Jesus. The ou e e t of the ki gdo of God ould e like. of God… a d the essage of Jesus ira les sho ed hat the 14 The miracles show us a glimpse of what the Kingdom of God is like and the nature of its rule and they reveal the person of Jesus and His relation to the Kingdom of Heaven which He came to establish. 14 (Kallas 1961) Page 77 Bibliography Bruce, Alexander Balmain. 1929. The miraculous element in the Gospels. New York,: Hodder & Stoughton. Cairns, D. S. 1954. The faith that rebels; a re-examination of the miracles of Jesus. [6th ed. New York,: Harper. Imbach, Josef. 1995. Miracles - A 21st Century Interpretation. Translated by J. Wilde. English Translation ed. Springfield, Illinois: Templegate Publishers. Kallas, James. 1961. The significance of the synoptic miracles. Woodinville, WA: Sunrise Reprints. Laidlaw, John. 1956. The miracles of Our Lord; expository and homiletic, Baker reprint library, 6. Grand Rapids,: Baker Book House. Roberts, Michael Symmons. 2005. The miracles of Jesus. Grand Rapids, Mich.: BakerBooks. Stalker, James. 1909. The ethic of Jesus according to the synoptic Gospels. London: Hodder and Stoughton. Strauss, Mark L. 2007. Four portraits, one Jesus : an introduction to Jesus and the Gospels. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan.