Jesus performed his miracles as signs of God’s presence and power.
The day on which Jesus came into Peter’s home and cured his mother-in-law of a fever would be indelibly impressed upon his memory. The healing action of Jesus arose from his compassion and his determination to carry the rule of God into effect over physical evil, just as he had already demonstrated its authority over the demonic powers. His power was further demonstrated that same evening.
What is the place of Jesus’ healing power in the gospel message today? An older form of Christian apologetic used to argue: because Jesus worked miracles, he must have been divine. Today, others, more skeptical about the very possibility of miracles, prefer to work in the opposite direction: if Jesus was divine, then he could have worked miracles. In other words, if they believe on other grounds that Jesus was divine, they will be prepared to consider the possibility that he wrought miracles.
The following points are relevant:
The popular modern supposition that “miracles do not happen” is only a supposition and is scientifically unprovable. The scientist’s assumption that nature behaves uniformly is a necessary one if he is to pursue his scientific research, but it is only an assumption, and it cannot be used to rule out the occasional, apparently arbitrary irruption of the supernatural into the world.
Granted, however, that miracles are not impossible events, the factor that weighs most with many scholars is Hume’s celebrated argument that it is in general much more likely that the witnesses were lying or mistaken (a very common occurrence!) than that a miracle occurred. Can we trust the witnesses on whose evidence the stories of Jesus’ power rest? On this point all that we can do here is to note that so critical a scholar as G. Bornkamm, who would admit the presence of much legend in the miracle stories, says plainly that it is hard to doubt that physical power to heal emanated from Jesus.
It was possible for men to see the miracles of Jesus and yet not to believe that he was divine or commit their lives to him. In a sense they were not compelling signs (John 12:37).
Jesus performed his miracles not as wonders to impress people with his supernatural power but as signs of the gracious presence and kingly power of God. It was their spiritual significance that mattered ultimately, but they could never have had any significance whatsoever if they had not taken place.
