Explain the term ‘miracle’

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Georgia Smith 10H April 2001

(a) (i)

Explain the term ‘miracle’

The word miracle can have different meanings for different people and when it is applied to different situations its meaning can alter. From a religious perspective, a miracle is a word used to describe a phenomenal event for the good of a person, which is believed to have a divine cause, i.e, it is linked to God’s action. In today’s secular society it could be any wonderful or surprising event like the birth of a baby. Whether a person believes this is an act of God or not, they may still look upon at as a miracle. The word miracle is sometimes used for manufacturing purposes; ‘This moisturiser works miracles!’ Again, it depends on ones personal definition of a ‘miracle’ as to whether this is true or not.

For Christians a miracle is a sign, or something of significance pointing towards Jesus, showing his divine power which includes the power of God acting in, with or through Jesus. Miracles didn’t just take place when Jesus was alive, The Old Testament shows they happened before his time and still take place today. In Luke’s Gospel, the miracles that Jesus performed were significant events taking place through, what appears to be God’s power to save and resulting in something astonishing to marvel at. It is rarely suggested that Jesus performed magic or violated the laws of nature for evil purposes.

(ii)

Describe how Jesus was presented as a worker of miracles giving examples from Luke’s Gospel.

Throughout Luke’s Gospel it is clear that he is concerned with presenting Jesus as a worker of miracles and as the Messiah. Luke viewed his miracle stories as actual signs that the power of God was at work within Jesus. Jesus lived at a time when the sick, lame, simple, weak, and sinful were looked upon as burdens of society and frequently cast out from the community. Luke presents Jesus as having the complete opposite view to this. In the miracle stories Jesus shows compassion and understanding towards those who were so unfairly labelled outcasts. What Jesus said and did made him particularly unique for his time, his actions fulfilled scripture in a world riddled with sin;

The blind can see,

The lame can walk,

Those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases

are made clean,

The deaf can hear,

The dead are raised to life

and the Good News is preached to the poor.

Issiah 35:5-6

This was a brave quote from Issiah for Jesus to make especially within a community where people like the Qumran Monks believed that excluding outcasts from entering the community was acceptable.

Luke’s Gospel focuses on the many miracles performed by Jesus through the power of God; this is what makes us believe he is being presented as a worker of miracles. Luke 7:2-10 records the miracle of Jesus healing a Roman officer’s servant. The humble faith of the Roman officer and belief he had in Jesus caused his servant to be healed.

‘I do not deserve to have you come into my house, neither do I consider myself worthy to come to you in person.’

Luke 7:6-7

The Roman officer recognises Jesus’ divine authority as that of a great prophet;

‘I, too, am a man placed under the authority of superior officers, and I have soldiers under me.’

Luke 7:8

In this story Jesus comments on the man’s great faith.

Luke presents Jesus mainly as a worker of miracles through his ability to heal and cure all that prevents people living fully. In Luke 14:2-6 when Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath he is shown as caring and powerful. The people with him were questioning whether it is right or wrong to heal somebody on the Sabbath but Luke shows that Jesus sees that it is important to help people whenever possible.

Jesus is presented to have power over nature in a world in disharmony with man. In Luke 9:10-17, the story of the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus performs the miracle of feeding five thousand hungry people with five loaves and two fish. He blesses the food and gives thanks to God, showing his love and faith in God. This is a clear demonstration that the kingdom of God had come to these people and that Jesus is the Messiah, the one who came to establish the kingdom of God. This is recognisable because Jesus is following in the footsteps of the great prophets. In the Book of Kings there is a similar story to the healing miracle stories in Luke, where Elisha healed somebody through the power of God.

Luke does not focus on how wonderful or amazing Jesus’ miracles were but rather on the significance of the indication that God was at work within Jesus. He presents him as the worker of miracles this time, by his power over demons and over the Devil. In Luke 4:33-37, Jesus heals a man with evil spirits. When Jesus commands it, the demon quietly and harmlessly leaves the man. Jesus’ authority of good over evil made this strange and miraculous event possible. In Luke 4:40-41 Jesus heals many sick people with their friends and causes the demons within them to ...

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‘Jesus gave the demons an order and would not let them speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah.’

Luke 4:41

In this healing miracle Luke shows Jesus as having a close relationship of great friendship with his disciples and as a result is concerned with the welfare of even their relatives. Simply by the spoken word Luke displays the power of Jesus. When this was recorded Jesus was just becoming well known and his reputation was spreading. This story shows how touch is important in healing; ‘he placed his hands on every one.’ The story goes from physical healing and develops into the casting out of demons, which is spiritual healing. There was widespread belief at this time that sickness was often the result of being possessed by the devil. Luke is presenting Jesus as battling with the forces of evil and defeating them. Luke often focuses on Jesus’ role of the Messiah; the one sent by the Lord to establish the Kingdom of God, a place where evil has been defeated.

This also shows how Jesus did not perform miracles so people would idolise him or so he would gain in any material way, and he always refused those who tested him, as in Luke 4 where the devil tried to tempt Jesus to betray his beliefs. The miracles show that Jesus had compassion and love for the people around him.

Luke also presents Jesus as a worker of miracles in his ability to set people free from the world’s final limitation - death. In Luke 7:11-17 Jesus raises a young man who has died. He sees the sadness and desperation of the man’s widowed mother, and through his compassion for her suffering he gives the man new life and both of them a new hope. Many people find this miracle difficult to believe because it is completely unexplainable. Luke may have told the story to emphasise Jesus’ compassion and thought for others, especially those less fortunate in the community, like widows, the diseased and the outcast.

Jesus’ continuous concern for all the different people in society especially the marginalised like his public recognition for the outcast and for women was a miracle in itself. Luke never presents Jesus as a wonder worker or magician but rather as a guide who, through the power of God, taught people how to gain eternal life.

Georgia Smith 10H April 2001

Discuss the meaning of healing miracles with reference to present day belief and Christian life.

Healing miracles are events which take place through extraordinary circumstances, by divine cause and result in a form of healing. These sorts of miracles do not just happen today but have been taking since before the time of Christ. Many healing miracles were recorded in Luke.

Today Christians follow Christ because they believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the one God has chosen to establish the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ healing miracles not only show that this is a place where people have been healed, they also for Christians today to help them live out Christ’s work. It is evident that there is great importance placed on forgiveness. Christians today see forgiveness essential because of stories like the healing of the paralysed man. Luke shows that forgiveness was part of Jesus’ healing of the man, therefore displaying the importance of forgiveness. In the Roman Catholic tradition this has resulted in three healing sacraments; reconciliation, healing of the sick and the Eucharist. Confession and reconciliation is where people are individually healed, where the priest acts for Christ (in persona Christi) and your sins are forgiven in the eyes of the Lord. The Church has done it’s duty by passing in the important teaching of forgiveness but it is up to the individual to live this example. At the end of a person’s life they are given the chance to confess their sins with the last rites, through the power of God something wonderful happens and our sins are forgiven.

There are well known places of pilgrimage for healing the sick like Lourdes which are directly related to healing miracles. Just as the friends of the paralysed man went to great lengths to take their friend to Jesus so today people also go to great lengths to take their sick friends to Lourdes. Mary points to the love of her son, this is the reason Lourdes links with Jesus. There is no denying that there is something spiritual about Lourdes, it is as if God has picked it out, among a small handful of other places, to be a place of great significance in healing. Understandably some people find it difficult to believe in healing miracles but with cases like that of Jean-Pierre Bely it is hard not to. Bely was paralysed with multiple sclerosis and had attended the traditional October Rosary Pilgrimage at Lourdes in 1987. Within hours he felt an indescribable change, God had touched him personally and he could walk again. It wasn’t until twelve years later that this was officially recognised as a healing miracle. By 1978 sixty-four official miracles had been recorded at Lourdes, which is not only recognised as a place of historic importance but also for Christians, a modern wonder a source of Jesus’ continuing power to heal today

The Eucharist itself is recognised as an act of reconciliation within the community. People are able to receive the word of God, forgive each other especially in the sign of peace and go away feeling inspired by their experience. People who are willing to show humiliation and approach God, to believe in and be open to the healing powers of Christ can be helped. It is simply; if you are willing then God can help you. The story of the Roman soldier signifies the importance of belief and faith. People can go to church and receive the strength of the Holy Spirit through Jesus. Anointing the sick is another link to the Holy Spirit. The priest lays his hands on a person like in the healing miracle in Luke 13 where Jesus lays his hands on a crippled woman and heals her. This represents the great meaning of touch and how special it is in life. The early Christians anointed the sick with oil, this shows that endeavours follow Christ’s example in healing people have been passed on over the years;

Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

James 5:13-14

Through class discussion and internet research I discovered that HCPT is a modern organisation where groups visit parishes, and through fundraising take disabled children to Lourdes. This shows group effort, solidarity and support for one another directly relating Christian life with organisations like Catholic Aid for Overseas Development (CAFOD). This is an example of people working to follow the example of Christ, where His effect has made such an impact, that people feel compelled to help. They have devoted their time and life to healing people by defeating evil of sickness through good works, and helping the less fortunate to lead normal lives again.

All Christians have a role to play within healing in the world. As Christ showed, the defeat of evil is necessary in order to create the kingdom of God. As in Luke 11: 16-20 when Jesus said;

“…it is rather by means of God’s power that I drive out demons, and this proves that the kingdom of God has already come to you.”

This story is recorded by three Gospel writers, which shows the great importance it has. Christians still believe that Jesus established God’s kingdom and by praying the ‘Our Father’ they pray for this kingdom to be fulfilled, as Jesus taught his disciples.

The great doctor of the church Theresa of Avila once said, “We are Christ in the world to do his work, to fight evil, to heal this broken world, and share in God’s creation of his kingdom.” Our role is to help fulfil this kingdom of God. We are Christ’s body and blood and are sent out to serve him as we are reminded to at the end of every Eucharist. We also have an individual duty to aid healing in the world, through prayer and good works. Groups like HCPT and CAFOD bring healing miracles to life today and can significantly change the lives of many people, just as Jesus did. By doing this they are living what has been taught.

Christianity has clearly made a tremendous impact on belief in and meaning of healing and healing miracles. The individuals and groups that have felt driven to dedicate their lives to helping to heal others have transformed lives and contributed greatly to achieving to kingdom of God that Jesus first established.

Georgia Smith 10H April 2001

(c)

‘Healing miracles do not happen today.’

Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Christianity in your answer.

In 1999, the healing miracle of the paralysed, Mr Jean-Pierre Bely was made official. Bely had apparently been cured 12 years previously at Lourdes, a place renowned to many for having a special connection with the power of God. In a society where the sick and old are frequently hidden, Lourdes is a place of peace and acceptance for everybody, attracting over five million visitors each year, where both physical and spiritual healing have taken place. This, it is often said takes place though the power of Christ and people’s great belief in him. That is why miracles are believed to have a divine cause, so it could be said that healing miracles do happen today.

The changing concept of a miracle has led some people to believe that healing miracles do not or could not take place in this day and age. The Christian view of a miracle is of Jesus’ wonderful, divine power. However, in today’s world it is natural for people to think that the sort of healing miracles that were taking place two thousand years ago could not happen now. In an age where most things can be scientifically explained and proved, many people now completely disregard the idea of miracles. In our secularised society there are believers, agnostics and atheists. Some people may just not agree with the ‘divine’ aspects of a miracle. It is very courageous to believe in something like God when you cannot actually ever see him or his actions. Many people seek a more practical answer to miracles, like medicine or that anything healed by a miracle was originally only in the mind.

In recent years a belief in spiritual healing has developed. Films like the Exorcist and daytime television programs devoted to American Evangelists healing people in front of the nation have brought the meaning of healing miracles into a different light. “In the name of Jesus” they put their arms on a person and heal them. There is some scepticism in this activity but it gives people the freedom to express their belief in different ways.

Charismatic healing is an example of a modern form of the healing miracle. Andy O’Neill, a long-term sufferer of painful arthritis has documented his experience of the healing effects of charismatic healing in his book. I used his account to look at whether healing miracles do, or do not, happen today. Charismatic healing is about people who rely on the power of prayer, invoking the help of the Holy Spirit to heal. When Andy received a book on this healing method he was sceptical about what it could do for him, but after he and his friends and family prayed the sickness left him. There are many charismatic renewal prayer groups in parishes, and it is encouraging for those who do not believe healing miracles happen today to hear other people’s experiences as it provides them with hope and evidence that they do.

The case of Sister Briege McKenna is another charismatic healing which has proved to be very effective. Sister McKenna, a member of the charismatic groups, had a vision when she was quite young. She always had a very strong prayer life and a great devotion the Blessed Sacrament but after much suffering from the incurable condition of rheumatoid arthritis she experienced a crisis of faith in Christ’s ability to heal in everyday life. Despite this crisis she continued to pray and persisted in attending a prayer group. She explained that a healing miracle proceeded to occur, and her condition was completely healed.

Some miracles of the Bible could be scientifically explained today, for example the miracle of Moses parting the Red Sea. After hearing about the explanation I did some research on the internet and discovered one popular theory. The parting of the Red Sea is explained by that at a certain time of the year there is an area of the sea bed, which is completely exposed due to seasonal winds, and stretches from one side to the other. Or with relevance to explanation of the healing miracles in Luke; the story of The Feeding of the Five Thousand. It has been suggested that Jesus was standing quite near to the entrance cave where the Quamran community kept their supplies, so he had easy access to a large supply of bread. These theories attempt to remove any mystery from the stories, as though was the gospel writers simply trying to show that the Kingdom of God had come to heal the world.

For many Christians today, ‘miracles’ are events that make God real to them and enable them to feel as if Jesus was the Messiah and did establish the Kingdom of God. Even if a person’s disease is cured medically, with the help of modern science it could still be described as a healing miracle. Their cure may have been inspired by a person under the guidance of Christ through prayer or may contain a natural substance which God put on the earth.

It is impossible to make a statement on whether or not healing miracles take place today as it is a personal and individual response to a situation. In my opinion healing miracles do happen but I can understand the reluctance to believe in miracles at all. It has been established that the miracles Jesus performed were not magical but actions filled with compassion and aided by the power of God. Therefore, there is no reason why these sorts of miracles could not happen today, as illustrated in the life and work of contemporary Christians discussed in the previous section.