Monday, July 4, 2022

Mark Jones (Trinitarian): Jesus Performing Miracles Is Not Proof, In and of Itself, for the Divinity of Jesus

  

Miracles

 

Jesus not only preached—though that was the reason why he came (Mark 1:38)—but he also performed many mighty miracles, which were visible evidence that his authority was from God (Matt. 9:1-8). Most Christians believe that Christ could do such mighty works because he is God, but here we must tread with some caution.

 

Miracles are visible sermons conveying spiritual truth, often concerning the person and work of Christ. When Christ gave sight to the blind man (John 9), for example, it provided evidence that he was the divine Messiah (Isa. 29:18; 35:3-5; 42:7; Matt. 11:5; Luke 7:22). The miracle spoke to who he was, as well as to the fact that he had inaugured the kingdom of God in their presence. Likewise, his first ‘sign’ in John 2—the turning of water into wine—proved that he was the divine Messiah (when read against the Old Testament background of Isaiah 25:6-12 and Amos 9:13-15). In all of this, however, the means (or ability) by which he performed these miracles was the power of the Holy Spirit. (Mark Jones, Knowing Christ [Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2015], 57-58)


 On Jesus walking on water (Mark 6:48, 50):

 

What Jesus did was hugely significant: he was testifying to who he was. Nevertheless, while the miracle of walking on water in that context proved that Jesus was God, he was able to do it because of the power of the Holy Spirit upon him. (Ibid., 58)

 

Christ performed miracles because the Holy Spirit enabled him. Sometimes, however, Christ could not perform mighty works (Mark 6:5) because the Spirit did not enable him. God’s power is greater than man’s sin, but nevertheless, in Mark 6:5, we have striking testimony to the fact that Jesus in his human nature was entirely dependent upon the Holy Spirit to perform miracles. This can only be explained if Jesus was under the authority of his Father, who was the great orchestrator of all Christ’s prophetic, priestly, and kingly acts while on the earth. If the Father withheld from Christ the prerogative to perform mighty works, he could only say, ‘for such is your perfect will.’ He could have depended upon the will of the Father, who gave to him the spirit as he needed. (Ibid., 59)