I started a series last year examining my view of Jesus. It is not easy to capture in writing. This post focuses on the miracles of Jesus. But, because this is not a comprehensive summary, I will focus on some of the interesting things that I don’t hear talked about very often.
Previously, I wrote about how Jesus broke with tradition as a rabbi. Some of you may feel discomfort (or even skepticism) exploring his miracles. But, I urge you to lean in.
Miracles of Jesus
Every gospel contains many of the miracles of Jesus. The authors attribute great power to him and describe in detail the performance of signs and wonders. There appears to be very little that he could not do.
Jesus displayed total mastery over the human body, healing the sick and bringing the dead back to life. He cast out demons from people who were possessed. He transformed water into wine and multiplied a few loaves and fishes to feed thousands.
I must admit that, since returning to the faith as an adult, I am still captivated by these works. Even in the familiar, I find fresh insights. But lately, I am awed by what I believe to be subtle demonstrations of his power–the wisdom and knowledge he exhibited.
These are often things that you could miss in a casual reading of the text. But, when examined critically, they demonstrate the miraculous. For lack of a better term, I consider them mental miracles.
The Mental Miracles of Jesus
I am grateful that we have access to Jesus’s words, as recalled by his closest followers. The way they detail their own confusion at Jesus’s teaching makes Him so much more approachable for me. I, too, struggle to grasp the mind of Christ.
Looking at the New Testament, I see his mental miracles exhibited in three distinct ways: Jesus demonstrated unparalleled comprehension of the Hebrew scriptures; he confounded the wise; and, He delivered timeless lessons on righteousness.
What Was Jesus’ First Miracle?
Commentators agree when answering, “What was Jesus’ first miracle?” In fact, John 2:11 answers it explicitly: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”
I won’t dispute that. But, there is evidence from earlier in Jesus’s life that demonstrates his unparalleled comprehension of the scriptures. When his parents lost him in Jerusalem at the age of 12, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers.
“And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” Luke 2:47
Before we can really grasp what that meant, let’s get some context. At the time of Jesus, the average Jew learned to read and write from the scriptures.
By the time he was 12 (as depicted in this story), his instructors expected him to be able to recite much of the first five books of the Bible from memory. Boys who demonstrated exceptional aptitude were encouraged to interview with a rabbi, or teacher.
Rabbis selected only the best and brightest as proteges, teaching them the oral law and traditions. These proteges spent their lives in study of the law. They believed that to know the scriptures was to know God.
The best and brightest of the students went on to become rabbis in their own right. Different sects held different opinions on the interpretation of scripture, much as it is within the body of Christ today.
These teachers knew their subject matter inside and out. Yet, they were amazed by Jesus when he was only 12.
Confound the Wise
The religious leaders challenged Jesus frequently. They had studied their whole lives, trying to understand how to follow the law. They knew exactly where it was most challenging, if not impossible to follow. But, Jesus confounded the wise.
They saw contradiction in it. But, Jesus revealed the problems in their premise, their traditions. They tried to trap him repeatedly, and he outmaneuvered them. He challenged them into silence. He exposed self-righteous hypocrisy without mercy.
The Greatest Commandment
My favorite depiction of this dynamic appears in the gospels of Matthew (chapter 22) and Mark (chapter 12). They asked for the greatest commandment in scripture, and Jesus delivered the core of the Shema: “You shall love the lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your strength.”
Then, without pausing, he continued. Speaking with authority, Jesus asserted that the second greatest command was to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
The gospel of Mark says that Jesus asserted, “there is no other commandment greater than these.” Sacrifices? Sabbath? Nope. Love your neighbor.
In Matthew, Jesus says that the second command is like the first, then goes on to say, “all of the law depends on these commandments.” This was not some accepted fact, as we Christians receive and know it today. This was a bold claim. But, he threw the gauntlet down, ready to defend it.
Think about that for a moment. Jesus took arguably the most recognizable and influential piece of the Hebrew scriptures, the bedrock of how Jews related to the Ancient of Days…and then He asserted that loving your neighbor is akin to that.
Matthew and Mark agree on the outcome of the incident. They wrote “after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.” To me, this is nothing short of a miraculous display of power.
The Teachings of Jesus
The third subtle demonstration of power I see is revealed in the teachings of Jesus. Within the New Testament, there are dozens of parables, answers, challenges, and other sayings given by Jesus.
In each of the synoptic gospels (Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33), Jesus asserts that the words he speaks to his followers will endure for all time. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Two thousand years later, we can look back and see this truth. Jesus delivered timeless lessons on righteousness. His teachings were novel to his listeners.
He revealed the triune nature of God as three persons within one being: a loving Father, a comforting Spirit, and a sacrificial Son. He upended their understanding of the law, while upholding it.
No longer were they bound to a salvation through works to achieve righteousness. Jesus offered access to a loving eternity through his sacrifice for free. And, not just to the Jews, but to everyone. The first believers received this news with joy.
The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is the most famous collection of teachings by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Western culture has been greatly shaped by the passages in Matthew and Luke which contain this sermon.
In it, Jesus covered a number of moral and ethical issues. He pointed out that the human view of righteousness is insufficient, and challenged his listeners with the impossible standard of true holiness.
Most famously, perhaps, Jesus gave his followers the golden rule. This was not an entirely new teaching: God had already given this instruction to his people how to treat others. “…you shall love your neighbor as yourself…” Leviticus 19:18
There were other systems of belief which advocated similar principles (e.g. Confucianism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Ancient Greece). But, only the negative case was expressed. Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you.
This principle was captured by Hillel the Elder, the leader of one of the most prominent schools of rabbinic thought in Jesus’s day.
According to the Talmud (Shabbat 31a), a gentile came to Hillel and told him he would convert, if he could teach him the entire Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel responded: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation of this—go and study it.”
Just as with murder, adultery, mistreatment, and forgiveness, Jesus’s teaching took his audience further than what was commonly accepted. Avoiding grievance was not enough. We must proactively consider and treat others the way that we want to be treated.
Prayer for Today
My prayer for today is that God would continue to open my eyes and my heart to understand the works of Jesus. And, that I will be transformed to be more like Christ. I pray that He will use me to share the good news of what Jesus has done.
The gospels are a wonder that I will continue to explore. A child can relate to Jesus and anticipate the kingdom of heaven. But, we will spend our whole lives in study and still never plumb the depths of who God is and what He has for us.
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