i) What is meant by the term 'miracle'?

1. (ii) Describe how Jesus was presented as a worker of miracles giving examples from Mark’s gospel.

Jesus is shown in Marks’s Gospel to us as a worker of miracles through three different forms. Mark presents Jesus as the son of God. The miracles can be divided into healing and exorcism-nature-life/death. Here is an example of a healing miracle from Mark’s gospel. It takes place in Capernaum on the Sabbath. The person being healed is a Jew. Jesus heals the man directly (meaning that he was there right next to the man) not from a distance. At the time he is teaching in a synagogue. Then a man with an unclean spirit comes in and cries “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” Then Jesus spoke and said “Be silent, and come out of him!” and when Jesus had said this the unclean spirit threw the man into a convulsion and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. Jesus’ fame began to spread around Galilee. Jesus showed them that he had authority over everyone including Satan. When he left the synagogue he went to Simon’s house and saw his sick mother in law and lifted her up and the fever left her. Later that evening he had all of the sick people in Capernaum on his door step wanting to be cured from their diseases and daemons. Mark (Chapter 1: 21-34) This shows that Jesus can rid people of their illnesses, diseases and evil spirits.

                Here is an example of a life/death miracle. The leader of a synagogue came up to Jesus and says ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be well and fine’ His name was Jairus. A woman came up to Jesus and said she had been haemorrhaging for twelve years. A man came up to Jairus through the crowd and said ‘your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further.’ They went to Jairus’ house with Peter, James and John. He said to the little girl ‘Talitha cum’ which means little girl get up. The girl got up and instructed the father not to tell anyone and to give her some food to eat. Mark (Chapter 5: 21-43) This shows us that Jesus can bring people back from the dead.

                Here is an example of a nature miracle. The calming of the storm is a nature miracle. One evening he said to his disciples “Let us go across to the other side.” And they got into a boat and left everyone behind them. There were other boats around and a storm arose. Waves were beating onto the boat and it was being swamped. Jesus was in the stern asleep and the disciples came and woke him saying “Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?” he woke up and then rebuked the wind and said to the sea “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind stopped and everything was calm and nice again. He said to the disciples “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” they were filled with awe and amazement and said to each other “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” This shows us that Jesus has power and can control nature and the world around us.