What's the Point of a Miracle?
On the Purpose of Jesus' Miracles
Jesus changed the water to wine. What’s the point? Why does Jesus perform these miracles?
Miracles are either:
Signs communicating or authenticating who Christ is
Acts of mercy designed to overcome the immediate effects of sin
While it is possible to say, “both are true,” we still need to know which is the primary purpose of miracles, because this primary purpose should drive our primary understanding of each miracle narrative.
If we hold the primary purpose of Jesus’ miracles is to communicate who he is, we will see the life of Christ as a mission of education, and salvation through changing what people believe. If we hold the primary purpose of Jesus’ miracles is dispensing mercy, we will see the life of Christ as a mission of mercy, and salvation through changing what people feel.
There is another aspect to these miracles—the question of whether Jesus’ miracles inaugurate a current Kingdom of God in some way. This question, with its dividing power between the various eschatological systems, will be left for another dispatch.
Jesus’ Miracles as Dispensations of Mercy
Jesus’ miracles of healing—and even the miracle of changing water to wine at the wedding at Cana—all seem to be instances of mercy. For instance, in Luke 8:
And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.
In this case, Jesus appears to be unaware of the woman’s need. She does not approach him, nor does she ask, she just touches the hem of his cloak. This is also one of the few instances where Luke does not record Jesus stating why this miracle occurred.
The argument for miracles as dispensations of mercy, however, is an argument from silence. In Luke 8, Jesus says:
And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
Jesus never says: “Because of your need you are healed.” Nor does Jesus heal every person he finds in need. In Acts 3, we encounter a man born lame:
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.
Jesus went to the Temple many, many times during his ministry—especially during his last week. We can infer, then, that Jesus passed by this man many times. And yet, Jesus did not heal the man born lame. Why not?
We have no idea, because the Scriptures do not tell us. What we can know is there were many who were lame, demon possessed, blind, having issues of blood, lepers, and many other ailments when Jesus rose from the dead. If there was no element other than mercy involved in the miracles of Jesus, why were these people left without healing? If the miracles were primarily about showing mercy, then why was anyone left hungry?
These things will all happen in the Kingdom. The Kingdom is not now (nor even after the Resurrection), so Jesus’ miracles cannot be “just” merciful acts. Jesus’ miracles must be something more.
The Miracles as Authentication
The second option—that Jesus’ miracles are primarily designed to authenticate who Jesus is—is not an argument from silence. Jesus himself says miracles are signs for unbelievers in John 2:
So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”
The word used for sign here means a sign in the literal sense, an object that points to, or validates, something else.
A strictly literal translation of σημεῖον as ‘sign’ might mean nothing more than a road sign or a sign on a building, and therefore in some languages σημεῖον in a context such as Jn 2:23 may be rendered as ‘a miracle with great meaning.’[1]
Miracles as signs serve two purposes.
First, miracles cause people to stop and look. For instance, in Exodus 3:
And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
Second, miracles authenticate the messenger, as we find in Exodus 4:
Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
Notice the subtle difference between miracles authenticating the messenger and the message. Why do we make this distinction?
Miracles generally certify to the truth of doctrine, not directly, but indirectly; otherwise a new miracle must needs accompany each new doctrine taught. Miracles primarily and directly certify to the divine commission and authority of a religious teacher, and therefore warrant acceptance of his doctrines and obedience to his commands as the doctrines and commands of God, whether these be communicated at intervals or all together, orally or in written documents.[2]
In Acts 2, Peter says:
Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know…
We’ll consider the two ways miracles authenticate who Jesus is in another dispatch.
[1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. (2nd Edition (Electronic), New York: United Bible societies, 1996).
[2] Augustus Hopkins Strong, Systematic Theology, p 129 (Bellingham, Wa.: Logos Research Systems,, 2004).