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through the works of the Apostles, for it is the quintessential sign of a true apostle, as Paul reiterates, to perform “signs, wonders and mighty deeds and works” (2 Cor 12:12; Rom 15:18,19).12
Since Jesus accomplishes both, the physically and morally miraculous, he exemplifies God’s action and presence when he accomplishes the extraordinary and superhuman. For how do Jesus’ physical and moral miracles, in addition to his faith, serve to enshrine the Christian message? They do so by rebuking Old Jewish tradition with the authority of the Son on Man (Dan 7:13) and by promoting a new tradition where compassion overrules the Pharisees’ orthodox ritual observance. Thus, on the Sabbath Jesus heals a man with a withered hand (Mt 12:9,14; Mk 3:1,6; Lk 6:6,11) and a crippled woman (Mk 13:10,17). He heals the faithful paralytic by forgiving his sins with authority (Mt 9:2; Mk 2:1,12; Lk 5:17,26). He defies the costly procedures prescribed in biblical law by curing a leper (Mk 1:40,45), thus liberating him from stigma. When he feeds the five thousand, Jesus threatens Passover, for the crowds are with him rather than at the Temple in Jerusalem (Jn 6:1,15).13 Jesus’ “authoritative” transgressions, added to his act of transferring daemons to a swineherd that perishes at sea, are symbolic of the approaching drowning of the old order. Without a doubt, Jesus’ words and deeds reject the fatalistic, Judaic association between sin and disease and its enduring
12 The Learning Company. Quick Verse, Bible Study Software. USA: The Learning Company, Inc., 1999. 13 Coogan, D. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Third Edition. Cambridge: Oxford University
Press, 2007. The New Testament. Notes 6.1-15. 157
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