Humans have lost many privileges by becoming separated from God by their disobedience. This miracle shows Jesus acting like God, having power over the sea and the wind. This indicates that Jesus was united with God and was able to show what it was like to be Lord of nature.
The next miracle that Luke puts in his Gospel, is 'Jesus and the Man with the Demon at Gadara'. This miracle and the previous one were probably positioned next to each other to show that Jesus not only has power over nature, but over all evil as well. In this miracle, Jesus once again cures a man who has been possessed by evil spirits for some years. In this, there is an implication that to Jesus, everyone is equal. The man would have been an outcast, who was rejected by his local community. However, Jesus does not show the same brutality and discrimination. Instead, he accepts the man and helps him. Luke wants us to know that to Jesus everyone is welcomed into the kingdom of God. This miracle shows the kingdom of God defeating Satan's army of evil. It tells us that Jesus with his gift of speech alone, he can heal anyone of anything. It is implying that Jesus is not afraid, for the trusts in the power of his father. He has faith in the power God has entrusted in him, for his is the Son of God.
Jesus did not only have power over evil and the natural world. He also controlled death and illness. In "Jesus and Jairus' Daughter" Luke is illustrating Jesus' power over death. Many Jewish leaders were against Jesus, unlike Jairus. However, in this story, Jairus shows his courage by asking Jesus for his help. He is devastated that his only daughter, who is twelve, is dying. Just as Jairus is speaking with Jesus, a Jewish official delivers the news that his daughter is dead. Jairus is distraught and Jesus, being a truly compassionate person, responds to Jairus' heartache. He sees how unhappy Jairus is and as an act of love, he brings his daughter back to life. This story shows the depth of God's love. When Jesus sees Jairus his own heart is also touched with grief and sorrow. The miracle does not only show Jesus' ability to perform the impossible, but also that Jesus has a genuine love and compassion for Jairus and the whole human race. The miracle demonstrates to people something of the power of God and how much God cares for us.
On his way to Jairus' house, Jesus shows his power over illness. There is a woman who is suffering with continuous haemorrhages. She has marvellous faith in God and genuinely believes that Jesus can cure her. She had been classified as dirty by her society and considered unclean to worship publicly by all those around her. She touches Jesus' cloak and from her touch he is able to recognise the great faith she has in him. So, with one simple touch she is healed, through Jesus. The importance of this story is shown by the persistence of the woman. Jesus did not want to embarrass the woman, but he did not want her to feel that it was just his power that had helped her, but also the faith that she had in him. This is a story about faith, the faith that Jesus expects us to have in him, more than the healing power of Jesus.
In "Jesus Heals a Man," Jesus shows his compassion for those who are outcastes or for those who are shunned by their society. There was a man with leprosy, a dreaded skin disease who had great faith in Jesus. He threw himself at Jesus screaming, "Sir, if you want to you can make me clean". He has great faith in Jesus and Jesus, determined to help, tries to show the man that to him everyone is equal. His way of doing this was to perform a miracle and heal him. Although most people believed that God punished the man by receiving leprosy, Jesus did not feel that this kind of unkindness was fair. This miracle demonstrates the importance of touch. Jesus has the authority to forgive sins and cure people. He was not afraid of the man and his dreaded skin disease and touches him because he knows that he can defeat evil in any form. This miracle is a sign of God's salvation and it shows God breaking into history and saving the lost and the outcast.
"Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man, " shows how Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. The fact that Jesus tells the man that his sins are forgiven shows the power of God. Not only did the man himself have great faith in God but his friend also did. They are so sure of Jesus' power that they make an opening in the roof of the house and lower him down to Jesus in the middle of the crowd. Jesus has mercy on the man because of the faith of the group as a whole. Although the people around did not know that Jesus is the Son of God, this story shows to them that he is. Jesus performs the miracle as a declaration of who he is." I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on Earth to forgive sins." Although the man has sinned, Jesus heals him to show the love of God reaching to those who are suffering.
The healing of "The Centurion Servant" is Jesus' response to people's faith in him. In Capernaum, a Roman officer was there with his servant who was dying. Although the officer was Roman, he had faith in Jesus and sent some Jewish elders to ask for Jesus' help. They told Jesus that the man was a well-liked good person who deserved his help. So Jesus, seeing the mans' faith, went with them. The officer did not consider himself worthy enough for Jesus to come to his home and expressed confidence that even if Jesus would only speak a word from a long distance away, the servant would be cured. Jesus was astounded by the mans great faith and when he had healed him, he turned to the crowd and said, "I tell you, I have never found faith like this, not even in Israel." The centurion's faith became part of Jesus' miracle. It was not only the healing which was important but also the fact that the centurion recognised Jesus' healing ability came from God. The miracle helped people to have faith in God and therefore brought them closer to God's kingdom.
Another miracle that shows Jesus' power over nature in Luke is when he feeds a crowd of five thousand people. This miracle shows signs of victory over the world. Miracles are not just proof that Jesus is the Son of God; each miracle illustrates different aspects of what it means to be a Christian. This miracle also shows us again the lack of faith of the disciples as they query how they will feed so many people on five loaves and two fish. They do not believe that God will feed his people.
The most important reason that Jesus worked miracles was to prove to people that God was coming through him to offer salvation. Some miracles were performed to show the power of God and his kingdom and to give people a taste of what the kingdom of God is really like. These miracles are the direct intervention of God. In them, evil, sickness, and natural phenomena's are all being overcome or harnessed in some way. Jesus was a very powerful individual and Luke wants us to know, from the miracle stories, that there is nothing that Jesus cannot do with the help of God.
(iii) Do healing miracles happen today?
Today, we have a very different opinion to the Christians of Jesus' time. In Jesus' time, a 'healing miracle' was referred to as when someone has physical, mental, or spiritual problems and is instantly cured of them by something that possesses supernatural abilities.
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.
However, at the moment, many people would say that in their minds they think of a 'healing miracle' as something that is non-understandable. For example: if a heart transplant was performed, someone who didn't know a lot about the procedure may say that the operation was a 'miracle'.
The reason most people come up with this explanation is because people do not have as much faith as people did during the beginnings of Christianity. Also, they have came up with this explanation because people are not used to marvellous things happening unlike the Christians during Jesus' time, or if they do happen, we think there is a scientific explanation.
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.
If one of these healing miracles did happen, I think that the general public would get excited as it would be a completely new experience for them and would want the person / thing that performed the miracle to do more miracles and so he would become famous. An example of this is if a man walked into a hospital, touched every patient in that hospital and they instantly recovered from their problems, walked out of the hospital and never had another illness ever again.
One event that the media covered in Early 1999 talks about a man who was cured from multiple sclerosis after receiving the 'sacrament of the sick' at the Lourdes shire. For twelve years, the Lourdes medical experts have been studying the case of medical worker, Jean-Pierre B, who recovered from his illness on 9th October 1987, which was one day after receiving the 'sacrament of the sick'. He was the 66th person in the history of Lourdes whose claims to be cured by a visit to the shrine have been approved by the Catholic Church. 6,500 other cases like this have been dismissed.
The churches attitude to 'healing miracles' is that they only accept miracles which have been confirmed by a committee (e.g. the Lourdes Medical Office and the Lourdes International Medical Committee) or if it was performed by a biblical figure (e.g. Jesus).
I think that in time, all of these miracles will be explained by science and that all of these miracle workers will become known as a type of magician, but until then they will always be looked on as a message from God showing that he cares.
An example of a miracle in the bible which 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.
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.
(B) Discuss and explain the meaning of healing miracles with reference to the 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 5:13-14c
Through 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.
In Jesus’ day, the attitude towards miracles was very different to today. When Jesus performed miracles, they were expected and were part of peoples’ lives. But now that we have gone through changes in science, religion, etc, we have came to completely forget about miracles as they very rarely happen.
The Christian Churches often help people searching for God’s help by organising parish pilgrimages and prayer groups for local members of the congregation amongst other things to try and help a group to find the help they need from God.
