Re-evaluation of Jesus' Miracles

Assignment: Re-evaluation Of Jesus' Miracles
Below shows the 3-d summarys in “dialogue” form of what Jesus did with Miracles through the district of Galilee, the region of Gadarenes, inside homes of those whom he healed.

Mark 1:21-28 - They (Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John - the newly called disciples) arrived at Capernaum, and on the Sabbath day Jesus walked straight into the synagogue and began teaching. They were amazed at his way of teaching, for he taught with the ring of authority - quite unlike the scribes. All at once, a man in the grip of an evil spirit appeared in the synagogue shouting out, "What have you got to do with us, Jesus from Nazareth? Have you come to kill us? I know who you are - you're God's holy one!"

But Jesus cut him short and spoke sharply, "Hold your tongue and get out of him!"

At this the evil spirit convulsed the man, let out a loud scream and left him. Everyone present was so astounded that people kept saying to each other, "What on earth has happened? This new teaching has authority behind it. Why he even gives his orders to evil spirits and they obey him!"

And his reputation spread like wild-fire through the whole Galilean district.

Luke 4:31-37 - So (after preaching in the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth, and being rejected by the people there) he came down to Caphernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath day. They were astonished at his teaching, for his words had the ring of authority.

There was a man in the synagogue under the influence of some evil spirit and he yelled at the top of his voice, "Hi! What have you got to do with us, Jesus, you Nazarene - have you come to kill us? I know who you are all right, you're God's holy one!"
Jesus cut him short and spoke sharply, "Be quiet! Get out of him!"

And after throwing the man down in front of them, the devil did come out of him without hurting him in the slightest. At this everybody present was amazed and they kept saying to each other, "What sort of words are these? He speaks to these evil spirits with authority and power and out they come."

And his reputation spread over the whole surrounding district.

(Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56)

Matthew 9:18-26 - While he was saying these thing to them (parables such as the bride and the bridegroom, and the new cloth sewn onto old; also after healing the madman in the region of the Gadarenes) an official (or synagogue ruler or president) came up to him and, bowing low before him, said, "My daughter has just this moment died. Please come and lay your hand on her and she will come back to life!"

At this Jesus got to his feet and followed him, accompanied by his disciples. And on the way a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years approached him from behind and touched the edge of his cloak.

"If I can only touch his cloak," she kept saying to herself, "I shall be all right."

But Jesus turned right round and saw her.

"Cheer up, my daughter," he said, "your faith has made you well!" And the woman was completely cured from that moment.

Then when Jesus came into the official's house and noticed the flute-players and the noisy crowd he said, "You must all go outside; the little girl is not dead, she is fast asleep."

This was met with scornful laughter. But when Jesus had forced the crowd to leave, he came right into the room, took hold of her hand, and the girl got up. And this became the talk of the whole district.

Mark 5:21-43 - When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side of the lake (after the incident of the madman and the Gadarene swine), a great crowd collected around him as he stood on the shore. Then came a man called Jairus, one of the synagogue presidents. And when he saw Jesus, he knelt before him, pleading desperately for his help.

"My little girl is dying," he said. "Will you come and put your hands on her - then she will get better and live."

Jesus went off with him, followed by large crowds jostling at his elbow. Among them was a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years and who had gone through a great deal at the hands of many doctors (or physicians), spending all her money in the process. She had derived no benefit from them but, on the contrary, was getting worse. This woman had heard about Jesus and came up behind him under cover of the crowd, and touched his cloak, "For if I can only touch his clothes," she said, "I shall be all right."

The hemorrhage stopped immediately, and she knew in herself that she was cured of her trouble. At once Jesus knew intuitively that power had gone out of him, and he turned round in the middle of the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?"

His disciples replied, "You can see this crowd jostling you. How can you ask, 'Who touched me?'"

But he looked all round at their faces to see who had done so. Then the woman, scared and shaking all over because she knew that she was the one to whom this thing had happened, came and flung herself before him and told him the whole story. But he said to her, "Daughter, it is your faith that has healed you. Go home in peace, and be free from your trouble."

While he was still speaking, messengers arrived from the synagogue president's house, saying, "Your daughter is dead - there is no need to bother the master any further."

But when Jesus heard this, he said, "Now don't be afraid, just go on believing!"

Then he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John, James's brother. They arrived at the president's house and Jesus noticed the hubbub and all the weeping and wailing, and as he went in, he said to the people in the house, "Why are you making such a noise with your crying? The child is not dead; she is fast asleep."

They greeted this with a scornful laugh. But Jesus turned them all out, and taking only the father and mother and his own companions with him, went into the room where the child was. Then he took the little girl's hand and said to her in Aramaic, "Little girl, I tell you to get up!"

At once she jumped to her feet and walked around the room, for she was twelve years old. This sight sent the others nearly out their minds with joy. But Jesus gave them strict instructions not to let anyone know what had happened - and ordered food to be given to the little girl.

Luke 8:40-56 - On Jesus' return (again after healing the madman), the crowd welcomed him back, for they had all been looking for him.
Then up came Jairus (who was president of the synagogue), and fell at Jesus' feet, begging him to come into his house, for his daughter, an only child about twelve years old, was dying.

But as he went, the crowds nearly suffocated him. Among them was a woman, who had a hemorrhage for twelve years and who had derived no benefit from anybody's treatment. She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, with the result that her hemorrhage stopped at once.

"Who was that who touched me?" said Jesus.

And when everybody denied it, Peter, whom he started to call the Rock of his Church for it was a universal Church that Jesus wanted to start all along and his disciple Peter was his staying-power in the matter, replied with defense for Jesus with a warning voice, "Master, the crowds are all round you and are pressing you on all sides ...."

But Jesus said, "Somebody touched me, for I felt the power went out from me."
When the woman realized that she had not escaped notice she came forward trembling, and fell at his feet and admitted before everybody why she had to touch him, and how she had been instantaneously cured.

"Daughter," said Jesus, "It is your faith that has healed you - go in peace."

Now this is something we say each Sabbath as a gesture of goodwill towards others in the Catholic Church. Handed down from Jesus’ own words, it becomes an incredibly meaningful ethical moment as Church members in our particular worship of Him offer their hands as a handshake to others and say, “My peace be with you, and so to you.”

While he was still speaking, somebody came from the synagogue president's house to say, "Your daughter is dead - there is no need to trouble the master any further."

But when Jesus heard this, he said to him, "Now don't be afraid, go on believing and she will be all right."

Then when he came to the house, he would not allow anyone to go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's parents. All those already there were weeping and wailing over her, but he said, "Stop crying! She is not dead, she is fast asleep."

This drew a scornful laugh from them, for they were quite certain that she had died. But he turned them all out, took the little girl's hand and called out to her, "Wake up, my child!"

And her spirit came back and she got to her feet at once, and Jesus ordered food to be given to her. Her parents were nearly out of their minds with joy, but Jesus told them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Matthew 9:27-34 - As Jesus passed on his way (after bringing the daughter of Jairus back to life) two blind men followed him with the cry, "have pity on us, Son of David!" And when he had gone inside the house these two came up to him.

"Do you believe I can do it?" he said to them.

"Yes, Lord," they replied.

Then he touched their eyes, saying, "You have believed and you will not be disappointed."

Then their sight returned, but Jesus sternly warned them, "Don't let anyone know about his." Yet they went outside and spread the story throughout the whole district.

Later, when Jesus and his party were coming out, they brought to him a dumb man who was possessed by a devil. As soon as the devil had been ejected the dumb man began to talk. The crowds were simply amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." But the Pharisees' comment was, "He throws out these devils because he is in league with the devil himself." Oh, dear,what a comment! The evil of such a comment when Jesus Christ had been accompanied by such great angels since his birth in Nazareth.

Knowing that Aristotle coined the phrases “ethos”, “pathos” and “logos” we can see how emotional, how logical and how ethical Jesus’ words were. He was himself , a holy man, in his own right as he passed on words and performed the certain method of healing he did with these miracles we speak of.

Rhetoric is under Webster’s Dictionary “the art of speaking or writing effectively. And according to Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, rhetoric is “the ability in each particular case say of an explanation of one-said Miracle of Christ which makes it believable.” And we know that thousands instantly believed in Jesus Christ as he taught and performed his amazing works. Was it undoubted proof that he was good, just, and truly the Son of God? It amazed enough, I’m sure.

For me, I am in awe of everything he did. Now that we are studying all these Miracles and I am destined to be a Jewish believer, I, Elena,(for now) must admit I was not as well-versed on them as some IC Characters might be. Being that I came along with a contrite heart, believing, wondering, gesturing that I had needed an exorcism and got one from Jesus Christ, I am happy to give explanations and follow those such as dear, Amos, to the planned destination we are working on arriving at.