It starts with your assumptions. Before we talk about Jesus’ miracles we have to examine our assumptions. Do you start with the assumption that “miracles aren’t possible,’ or the assumption that “miracles are possible”? To assume that miracles aren’t possible because they violate the laws of nature reveals a misunderstanding of what the “laws of nature” actually are. The laws of nature as we know them are not rules that should be obeyed (like traffic laws). Rather, they are our observations of the way our world usually operates. We have to remind ourselves that we are finite observers and have observed our universe only in brief relative to the large span of history, time, and location. It’s like watching a basketball game for the first half during which no time-outs were ever called then concluding that in the game of basketball, time-outs can never happen. However, if you watch the game long enough or go to another game, you’ll discover that time-outs actually do happen.
With regard to the miracles of Jesus, we start first with the assumption that while miracles are unlikely, they are indeed possible. Second, we assume (based on the above arguments and more) that the writings of the Gospels are historically legitimate in every other way. Therefore, the burden of proof lies with the reader to discount the legitimacy of the eyewitness accounts of the miracles.
Let’s look at a few possible criticisms of these accounts (as pointed out by Norman Geisler in his book “Living Loud”).
- Jesus Walks on the Water (and then commands Peter to join him)
Read: Matthew 14:22-32, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21
What the cynics say and a response:
- Jesus never actually walked on the water, but instead tip-toed on the shallow shore.
The records say that he walked out to the middle of the sea.- Jesus used props. floating shoes, plywood, or possibly an underwater pier.
There is no such archaeological evidence of a pier that could account for this sighting having ever existed. Props, shoes, or wood may be possible but highly unlikely.- Jesus walked on ice.
The sea could not have been covered with enough ice for Jesus to walk because the boat had to be able to sail across it.
- Jesus Calms the Storm
Read: Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25
What the cynics say:
- Jesus was some sort of weatherman who could predict the exact time a storm would stop and start.
To be able to do this would still be pretty close to a miracle and therefore doesn’t discredit his ability to perform miracles. Furthermore deceit is counter to Jesus’ teachings and character as revealed elsewhere in the records.- There was no storm that night, but a shadow from the moon made the sea look stormy and uneven.
The moon’s shadows cannot cause that much of an illusion on the sea.- The disciples never went through a storm, but dreamed that they did.
It is highly unlikely that all the disciples would’ve had the same dream without discrepancy in their stories.- Jesus fabricated a storm.
This too would be a miracle. And, again, deceit is counter to Jesus’ teachings and character as revealed elsewhere in the records.
- Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
Read: Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14
What the cynics say:
- Jesus hid all the bread and the fish in the field the day before he fed the crowd so it would look like he was multiplying it.
The fish would’ve spoiled. The bread would’ve been eaten by wildlife.- No one was really hungry, so the 5 loaves and 3 fish was plenty.
It’s unlikely that no one was hungry in a crowd of 15,000 people (including the women, children, and elderly that accompanied the 5,000 men).- The disciples lied about many of his miracles in what they wrote and they aided him in pulling off these “tricks.”
As mentioned before, there is no motive for such deceit. The disciples only died for their convictions and preaching regarding Jesus. They never gained any political power, money, or anything else.
Assuming Jesus was real (based on the reasonable support presented above), assuming the New Testament writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are legitimate historical records containing eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus, and, assuming that miracles are possible (regardless of their likelihood), then based on the many responses like the above presented here, we can reasonably conclude that Jesus did perform amazing miracles.
Jim Murphy
Jim@BemidjiCovenant.com
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I admit that my time and energies for research and writing are limited. I will probably make mistakes and post errors. If you find one, please, feel free to email me at jim@bemidjicovenant.com. This is not an arena for debate so comments are disabled. I will gladly, though, post any counter points and corrections that improve the “reasonableness” of this series.
