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Self-discovery - Introduction continued

The miracles of Jesus are some of the best known and the best loved stories in the world. Turning water into wine, casting out demons and calming a violent storm. And we know about these dramatic events because they written down within 60 years of Jesus' death by the writers of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But we live in a rational age. We associate miracles with either medical advances or bizarre coincidences. And it makes us wary about Biblical stories speaking about God intervening in the world. "It is a nice idea, but surely it can't have happened like that".

But whether we believe in miracles or not, Jesus' world of the first century was very different. For people then, miracles part of the fabric of life. Medical technology was primitive and for those who were sick an act of God was often their only hope.

Jesus lived here in the village Capernaum on the shores of the sea of Galilee...And if the Gospels are to be believed, it's here that Jesus is said to have performed half of his miracles. The Gospels contain records of over 35 miracles, and of these the majority were healings, of the lame, the deaf, the blind.

Archaeological evidence from the time reveals that mortality rates were high, especially amongst children. And scholars claim that on any given day, a quarter of the population were sick, disabled or in need of medical attention. In a society like this, a healer was held in high esteem.

Whatever really happened, however it happened, Jesus' friends and foes alike were in agreement, they believed Jesus was a miracle worker. But it wasn't his ability to do these things that so astonished them - after all, first century Palestine was full of magicians and wonder workers - what people questioned was the meaning of his miracles. And that's what I want to find out.

If the miracles of Jesus were signs, then what were they saying to people in the first century? And can they answer a question so vital that people have lived and died for it for centuries? Who was Jesus?

So far in this series I've discovered that through his miracles Jesus was seen as a long awaited saviour. Some showed him as a prophet, like Moses, heralding a new age of peace and prosperity. Others revealed his as the Messiah – the mighty warrior who would set the Jews free from Roman occupation.

But in one particular miracle, there's a glimpse of a third possibility, that Jesus was someone far greater than either a Jewish holy man or even the Messiah.

Miracles of Jesus

Part 2   Signs of Divinity?  2

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