Victor R. Claveau, MJ
“Jesus accompanies his words with many ‘mighty works and wonders and signs,’ which manifest that the kingdom is present in him and attest that he was the promised Messiah.”[1]
The Jews had a false notion of the Messiah. They expected a great political warrior/leader, who would restore the kingdom of Israel and conquer the Roman armies. Jesus corrected this erroneous prejudice, and taught his disciples that the Messiah announced by the prophets of old was described as a humble, patient, and loving; ready to sacrifice his life for the redemption of many (Mt. 20:28).
“And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.”[2]
The Gospels are replete with the descriptions of Jesus’ various miracles. He truly appears as the sovereign Master of nature. The infirm and the sick of all kinds were brought to Him in great numbers, not only from Judea, but from Syria and other neighboring countries; and Jesus cured them by a word, by the imposition of His hands, by the contact with his clothing, or even at a distance.
The miracles of Jesus that cleanse, heal, and restore to life are signs of the transformation of His followers into sons and daughters of the Father. “A miracle is a visible trace of the change effected in the human heart. Miracle and conversion, miracle and salvation, miracle and holiness: these are inseparable pairs. In the risen Christ invisible salvation and transformation of the world come together. In him the human person is renewed, even in body, while the cosmos too experiences the blessed effects of this renewal. Through his Spirit Christ gives life to all flesh and sanctifies it. Thus, the resurrection is the sign of signs, the supreme sign.”[3] “The empty tomb and the linen cloths lying there signify in themselves that by God’s power Christ’s body had escaped the bonds of death and corruption.”[4] The Resurrection is “the definitive proof” of Christ’s divine authority.[5]
“The signs worked by Jesus attest that the Father has sent him. They invite belief in him. To those who turn to him in faith, he grants what they ask. So miracles strengthen faith in the One who does his Father’s works; they bear witness that he is the Son of God. But his miracles can also be occasions for ‘offense’; they are not intended to satisfy people’s curiosity or desire for magic. Despite his evident miracles some people reject Jesus; he is even accused of acting by the power of demons.”[6]
Christ claimed to be the Messiah
The word Messias means the anointed one. He is the one chosen by God to save mankind. He is described in great detail in the Jewish writings which we call the Old Testament, and was eagerly expected by the Jewish nation. Other names designating the Messias are: the One who is to come; the Servant of Yahweh (God); the Son of David; the King of Israel; the Son of Man; the Son of God, having the same divine nature as God the Father.
Christ Expressly Teaches That He Is the Messias.
In the synagogue He publicly applies to Himself the prophecy of Isaias describing the Messias. “This day is fulfilled this scripture in your ears.’’ Lk. 4:16 to 30.
When He stood before the Jewish supreme court, with His life depending on what he said, he affirmed without any qualification that he was the Christ, the Son of God. ‘‘Again, the high priest asked him and said to him: ‘Art thou the Christ, the Son of the blessed God?’ And Jesus said to him: ‘I am’” Mk. 14:61-62.
Read also Lk. 22: 66, 69; 24; Mt. 11:2 to 14; 16:17; 26:63-64; Jn. 4:25-26; 5:33f; 7:38; 9: 27.
[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 547.
[2] Matthew 4:23-25.
[3] Latourelle, René, The Miracles of Jesus and the Theology of Miracles, (New York: Paulist Press), 1988, p. 4.
[4] Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 657.
[5] Ibid. no. 651
[6] Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 548.