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The nature of miracles in new testament
What are the significance of the biblical miracles
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The Logistics
Mt 14:18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
Mr 6:39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
Lu 9:14 For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty." 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.
Joh 6:10 Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
It is interesting that four accounts that have shown significant divergence to this point suddenly agree almost totally in all but the smallest of details. It is as if the four strands of thought cross at exactly this point. I suspect that it is also the Spirit ensuring that the miraculous part of this miracle is well attested. The accounts are sufficiently similar that I shall break from the previous pattern and discuss the four accounts together rather than sequentially.
The first thing we note from all four accounts is that the Lord instructed that the multitude should sit on the ground. From the previous section we knew that the mob was advancing and had the potential to become unruly. The Lord was not prepared to be hustled into a miracle. Matthew implies that the Lord commanded the multitude; the other three make clear that the Lord transmitted the command through the disciples.
I will begin by talking about the miracles and God’s message to the Sages. Then I will discuss why this seemingly simple and uninteresting argument meant so much to these sages and how they are so steadfast in their opinion that they contradict God with his own words. My next argument is that
Jesus wished to feed the crowd of five thousand who was following him, watching him perform miracles. However, there were only 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. Jesus turned the food into a bountiful feast, feeding everyone.
And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto Him, if thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written that man shall live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking Him up to a high mountain,shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him,all this power will I give thee, and the glory of them:for that is delivered unto me; and to whosoever I will I give
McGrew, Timothy, "Miracles", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .
Jesus used parables to his disciples as a way to educate them on how important lessons could get overlooked by many people. At some point, Jesus seemed to be limiting his audience when he suggested that, “To His disciples, the kingdom
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” So begins Matthew chapter 6, the biblical book containing the story of Jesus Christ’s temptation. After his baptism Jesus is said to be led by the Holy Spirit into the wild, for forty days and forty nights of spiritual meditation, in preparation for his ministry. He fasted for the entirety of this time, fed only through prayer communication with the heavens. After this time had passed he was faced by the devil who, noticing his emaciated state, demanded that “If thou shall be the son of God, command that these stone be made bread.” But Jesus denied this request, stating that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.” Frustrated
... Egyptians close behind. As the bible explains the miracle takes place the Red Sea splits leading the Israelite’s to freedom. As the Egyptians were crossing the sea it closed it’s gates and let them drown with in the waters of the sea. In justifying whether Hume would discredit this miracle he would definitely see how one may say it is a miracle, but again would have a hard time validating the testimony of the miracle. Again we see the pattern of the fact that there is no one to testify for the event. We can only view this as a truthful experience through our belief in God and the bible. It is what we are taught to believe through religious texts, and our house of worship. It is the individuals perception of reality and what he or she believes to be a valid event. In conclusion, a miracle is actually based on an individuals own perception of past and present experiences. The belief in a miraculous event tends to have no real evidence through mans hope, it tends to be something better through our expectations. I can not debate the belief of a miracle. There is no right or wrong belief. It is viewed through our own individual perception and faith, our existence and sense of reality.
...s and have nothing to eat” (Mark 8:2). Jesus commanded his disciples to give them something to eat. This wellspring of concern for those in need is like a genetic trait passed down to the followers of Jesus. While the book of James is perhaps the most forthright in expressing the church’s need to honor the poor and warn the rich, concern for those in need pervades the New Testament.
...day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.” He gave us water: John 4:13-14 says, “Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” He gave us food: John 6:35 says, “Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever.”
and looked up tp heaven and blessed them. He then broke the loaves and gave them to His disciples and also divided the two fish among them. The people were satisfied and then picked up the wicker baskets and drank from them. Jesus had shown compassion towards the people and had feed them, after he wanted to rest (Mark6:33-44).
McClenon, James. "The Scientific Investigation of Wondrous Events." Wondrous Events: Foundation of Religious Belief, University of Pennsylvania Press(1994): 185-207. Print.
When Jesus called His disciples, His invitation was simple. He invited them to follow Him. The same is true today. In Matthew 28, Jesus gave His last charge to His disciples, and the charge was simple. He called his followers to go and make disciples. Much effort has been placed by Christians to fulfill this charge, commonly referred to as the Great Commission. Jesus chose to fulfill the implementation of the New Covenant through 12 men who He called, appointed, and commissioned, and he only had a few short years to prepare them for the task (Willson, 1990). His methods were unconventional and were revolutionary for that time. His disciples were to be trained extensively by Jesus, living with Him for three years prior to His ascension. He taught about servant leadership and its meaning for both the leader and follower Matt. 20:25-28). From the beginning, Jesus put in place a careful plan, and an examination of His actions in the Gospels showed that Jesus left behind the pattern to be replicated. His methods, which included the incorporation of three different levels of discipleship, included His interaction with Peter, His closest three (Peter, James, and John), and finally the group of 12. This paper identified and analyzed the three levels of discipleship Jesus modeled, these discipleship methods were then measured against modern leadership theories, and Jesus’s level of involvement and interaction with his disciples were critiqued in light of these modern theories in an effort to determine the effectiveness of this approach.
During the year of Jesus death and resurrection, the disciples all gathered for Pentecost, which ...
Jesus’ mother told the servants to do whatever they were told, and she left it at that. Jesus then gave instruction to the servants to fill six stone, ceremonial water jars to the brim with water. After the jars were filled the servants were instructed to draw some of the water and take it to the master of the banquet. When the master had tasted the water that had now...
But he answered and said, ‘It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and cast it to dogs.’ And she said, ‘Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered