Victor R. Claveau, MJ
On page 20 of the Watchtower magazine dated January 15, 1992, there is an article entitled: “What do the Scriptures Say about the Divinity of Christ?” The last line on page 21 began with, “But do not Jesus’ miracles prove that he was a God-man? No, for Moses, Elijah, Elisha, the apostles Peter and Paul, and others performed miracles without being God-men.” (Exodus 14:15-31; 1 Kings 18:18-40; 2 Kings 4:17-37; Acts 9:36-42, 9:11-12) Like them, Jesus was a human who performed miracles with God-given power (Luke 11:14-19).”
Let’s take a close look at these scriptural references using the New World Translation. The first Scripture cited by the article. Exodus 14:15-16 states: “Jehovah’ now said to Moses: ‘Why do you keep crying out to me? Speak to the sons of Israel that they should break camp. As for you, lift up your rod and stretch your hand out over the sea and split it apart, that the sons of Israel may go through the midst of the sea on dry land.’” When we continue on to verse 21, we find, “Moses now stretched his hand out over the sea; and Jehovah began making the sea go back by a strong east wind all night long and converting the sea basin into dry ground, and the waters were being split apart.”
It is obvious that God performed this miracle using Moses.
When we review the other Scripture passages cited by the Watchtower article, we find that God performed each miracle. In each of these instances, it was reality apparent that the individuals involved did not themselves have the power. Each of them called on the power of God, or God directly intervened.
The New Testament cites 36 miracles attributed to Jesus. Each of the three synoptic Gospels –– Matthew, Mark, and Luke –– contains the story of the hemorrhaging woman. Luke 8:43-46: “And a woman subject to a flow of blood for twelve years, who had not been able to get a cure from anyone, approached from behind and touched his [Jesus] garment, and instantly her flow of blood stopped. So Jesus said” ‘Who was it that touched me? When they were all denying it, Peter said: ‘Instructor, the crowds are hemming you in and closely pressing you.’ Yet Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me, for I perceived that power went out from me.’” If only Jehovah God had the power to perform miracles and Jesus had the power to perform miracles, then it stands to reason Jesus must be God.