JESUS’ MIRACLES AS EVIDENCE OF HIS DIVINITY

6- JESUS’ MIRACLES AS EVIDENCE OF HIS DIVINITY 

 

The Gospels mention thirty-five miracles, which Jesus (PBUH) performed, and Christians take these miracles as proof of his divinity. These miracles are, his birth without a father, giving life to the dead, curing the sick and telling the unseen.

 

Miracles are Divine Gifts

 

The Quran mentions and confirms Jesus’ (PBUH) great miracles, and affirms that he did these miracles by the will and the help of Allah (S.W). “And (appoint him) an apostle to the Children of Israel. (with this message), "'I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God's leave, And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by God's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses.”(Holy Quran 3: 49)

 

The Gospels’ passages confirmed this, and reported about Jesus (PBUH), as when he performed his miracles he declared that they were from Allah (S.W), he did not attribute them to himself. Jesus (PBUH) said, “It isby the Spirit of God that I cast out demons.”(Matthew 12/28)

 

He also said, “It is by the finger of God that I cast out demons.”(Luke 11/ 20).

 

When he (PBUH) came to give life to Lazarus, “And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard meI knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”(John 11/40-41). He thanked Allah (S.W) for His acceptance of his prayer, and supplication when he raised his eyes to Allah (S.W), then God responded to him and gave life to Lazarus.

 

He also prayed to Allah (S.W) to help him when he wanted to feed the crowd with the five loaves and two fish. “And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves.”(Matthew 14/19).

 

When he cured the deaf, he prayed to Allah (S.W) as well,“And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened”. And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.” (Mark 7/34-35). Allah (S.W) did not disappoint him in his supplication, praying and asking for help.

 

Talking about his miracles and wonders, Jesus (PBUH) said,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”  (Means from Allah (S.W)) (Matthew 28/ 18). All what he had were gifts from Allah (S.W). If he was God, his miracles would come from his divine nature, and need no one to help or give them to him.

 

In addition, the same authority was given to the devil without being God, he said to Jesus (PBUH), trying to mislead him of the earth’s property. “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.”(Luke 4/6).

 

Jesus (PBUH) declared also that he was helpless without Allah’s (S.W) help and aid. He said, “I can do nothing on my own.”(John 5/30), and these miracles were Allah’s (S.W) gifts, which prove his prophethood only. “For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.”(John 5/36).

 

Furthermore, those who witnessed Jesus’ (PBUH) miracles knew that what he was performing were miracles, which Allah (S.W) gave to his messengers. No one understood that those miracles were evidence of his divinity.  When the boy recovered from the unclean spirit, everyone was astonished by the greatness of Allah (S.W). “And all were astonished at the majesty of God.”(Luke 9/43)

 

Moreover, when he cured the hunchback woman, she stood straight and praised Allah (S.W). “And immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.”(Luke 13/13)

 

When the crowd saw Jesus (PBUH) curing the paralytic, they were astonished, and praised Allah (S.W) who gave man such power. “They were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.”(Matthew 9:8)

They considered Jesus (PBUH) as one of the people, a man, and not God, and his ability to cure was from Allah (S.W), the Healer.

 

The blind man, whom Jesus (PBUH) healed, according to the Gospel of John, considered Jesus (PBUH) as a man only. “So they said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened? He answered, "The man called Jesus”.”(John 9/10-11) Do those people, who conclude Jesus’ (PBUH) divinity for curing the blind man, know, love and care for Jesus more than that blind man?

 

When Jesus (PBUH) rebuked the wind and the sea and they obeyed him, the witnesses did not understand that he was divine, in spite of the greatness of this miracle, but instead they wondered about the power of Jesus the man. Matthew said, “And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”(Matthew 8/27).

 

At the time when Martha, Lazarus’ sister, asked Jesus (PBUH) to give life to her brother, she assured him of her knowledge that these miracles were from Allah (S.W), who gave it to Jesus (PBUH) to aid and support him.  She said, “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”(John 11/22).

 

Confirming the same idea, Peter, the leader of the disciples said to the crowd, “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him.”(Acts 2/22).

 

Nicodemus, the teacher of The Law, realized the secret of Jesus’ (PBUH) great miracles, and that they were from Allah (S.W) and because of His help and aid to Jesus (PBUH). He said to Jesus (PBUH), “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”(John 3/2).

 

The Gospels also declare that these miracles are no more than gifts from Allah (S.W), and Jesus (PBUH) was cautious that he could not do it all the time. Therefore, when he came to the dead man Lazarus, he was worried that he might not be able to do a miracle. “Some of them said, "He gives sight to the blind. Why couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying? Jesus was still terribly upset.”(John 11/37-38. Contemporary English Version)

 

At other times, the Pharisees asked him for signs, and he (PBUH) could not or did not do them. “The Pharisees came out and started an argument with Jesus. They wanted to test him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus groaned and said, "Why are you always looking for a sign? I can promise you that you will not be given one!”  (Mark 8/11-12).

 

When the crowd of the Jews gathered asking him (PBUH) for a sign, he did not respond. Instead, he said,“Jesus replied: You want a sign because you are evil and won't believe! But the only sign you will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah”(Matthew. 12/38-39).

 

Moreover, if what Jesus (PBUH) was doing and performing were evidence of his divinity, why did he ask people to hide it, even though it was the way, which people will know his identity? Jesus (PBUH) said to the leprous that he healed,“Don't tell anyone about this.” (Mark 1/44),

 

Regarding the healing of the two blind people, Matthew said, “and Jesus strictly warned them not to tell anyone about him.”(Matthew 9/31 International Standard Version) Jesus (PBUH) also said to a third blind man, when he healed him, "Don't go into the village or tell anyone in the village.”(Mark 8/26).

 

He (PBUH) said that frequently: “Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all. and ordered them not to make him known.”(Matthew 12/15-16). By hiding his miracles, Jesus (PBUH) did not want the people to be occupied by his miracles and forget his real mission. If it was evidence of his divinity , he should have told them.