2006 P.J.

McHugh
SIGNS OF GODS KINGDOM

St Marks Gospel includes many more miracle accounts than parables.
This underlines the reality of Gods Kingdom backed up by signs of Gods
power. The disciples, like any Jew, accepted the possibility of miracles. In
ancient times God worked wonders to liberate Israel: the sea dividing,
manna from heaven, and so on.

The Gospel presents Jesus as God come to earth to liberate it from sin
and death. Jesus miracles are signs of the Kingdom of God breaking the
chains of sin and death. Christians believe that the greatest miracle is the
resurrection of Jesus, showing the final victory of the true Messiah.

What is a miracle?

Miracle can mean:

1. an incredible coincidence or an unusual
happening:
It was a miracle that the fall didnt kill
her, a million to one chance...

2. a dramatic and unusual sign of Gods
power above the ordinary laws of nature.
Christians view the miracles of Jesus as
miracles in this second sense.

What kinds of miracles did Jesus work?

1. nature miracles
power over the forces of nature, for
example, the Calming of the Storm
(4:35-41).

2. healing miracles
power over sickness and evil, for
example, the Cure of Simons mother-
in-law (1:29-31).

Miracles and Faith

St Marks Gospel highlights the importance
of faith before the miracle. Miracles are not
magic shows. Miracles are given in
response to real faith. Your faith has saved
you, Jesus would often say after working a
miracle. In the miracle accounts, faith is
shown in two ways: faith in word and faith in
gesture.




Faith in word
Some showed their faith by confidently
asking Jesus. For example, Jairus asked
Jesus to make his sick daughter well
again (Mk 5:21-43).

Faith in gesture
Some believed that if they simply
came into contact with Jesus or
touched his garment theyd be made
well. For example, the sick woman
(Mk 5:25-34).

Jesus the Saviour

Saviour is a modern title although it is
undercover in St Marks Gospel. Every
time the name Jesus is written, its
meaning -God is salvation- goes with it.
Mark uses the personal name Jesus
regularly throughout his gospel. The name
wasnt uncommon at the time; an
alternative version is Joshua.

Christians believe that the salvation God
offers is intended for all. Only God can save;
to call Jesus saviour is to call him God. The
miracles are great signs of the saving work
Jesus came to do. Christians believe that
work goes on - Jesus still saves. His
salvation is for all humans, and for all time.
He saves us from sin and death, winning for
us eternal life. Jesus salvation is more than
just a rescue, a saving from; it is a saving
for. Jesus saves us from sin and death, and
for eternal life.


2006 P.J. McHugh
Calming of the storm 4:35.41

Jesus stood up and
commanded the
wind, Be quiet! and
he said to the
waves (4:38-41)

Hills partially surround
Lake Galilee. This
gives the Lake some
strange quirks
storms can blow up at a moments notice
and cease just as quickly. Galilees
fishermen have always needed to be brave.

In Hebrew Scriptures, only God could control
natural forces: God our saviour... you calm
the clamour of the ocean, the clamour of its
waves. (Psalm 65:5- 7). Jesus does what
God does control the weather. The
disciples are awe-struck. Hence the
question: Who is this man?

There is a message for
the early church (a boat),
rocked on a sea of
persecution: Why are
you afraid? Have you
no faith? (4:40). Jesus
will save them.

Jairus Daughter (5:21-24, 35-43)

He took her
by the hand
and said to
her,
Talitha,
koum,
which
means,
Little girl, I tell you to get up. (5:41)

Jairus shows his faith right from the start: he
doesnt merely ask Jesus to see his
daughter, but to make her well again. He
and his wife, with the inner circle of Peter,
James and John, get to see this miracle.
Those outside show no faith and do not
witness firsthand Jesus power over death.




Woman with a haemorrhage 5:24-34

If I can touch even his clothes I shall
be well again. (5:28)

This poor woman had
suffered for twelve years,
spent all her money on
unsuccessful treatments,
and was getting worse.
Jesus was her last hope.
Her faith is shown in a
gesture: the touching of
Jesus garment.

The power of faith is shown vividly here.
Think of the dozens of people pressing
around Jesus. At least some of them would
have sicknesses and pains. Touching his
garment doesnt give them a magical cure.
Only the touch of faith brings a miracle.

There is another beautiful, but hidden, detail.
The womans complaint probably
menstrual bleeding made her religiously
unclean and unable to take part in worship.
Her undercover approach to Jesus was
partly because others would not wish to
have contact with her and themselves be
made religiously unclean. Thats also why
she secretly touches Jesus, and why shes
terribly afraid when found out. Jesus praises
her faith it has saved her. In other words,
shes not just physically cured, but also
brought into Gods Kingdom.

Feeding of the 5000 (6:30-44)

They all ate as much as
they wanted. They
collected twelve
basketfuls of scraps of
bread and pieces of fish.
(6:42-43)

This miracle points backwards and forwards:

Backwards, because it echoes the scene in
Exodus when God fed the Israelites with
bread in the wilderness. The crowd here are
gathered in a lonely place. Through Moses
God saved his people from slavery, and
continued to uphold them. In the same way,
Jesus he saves his people by feeding them
in the wilderness.

2006 P.J. McHugh
Forwards, because it points to the Last
Supper and Eucharist, where Jesus
becomes the Bread of Life. Perhaps its also
a preview of the messianic banquet the
joyful feasting that was for Jews a picture of
what Gods Kingdom in all its fullness is like.

Notice that Jesus spends hours teaching the
crowds before the miracle itself. They didnt
follow him for a free supper so much as to
hear his words. For Christians this suggests
the crowd had another hunger beside
physical hunger the spiritual hunger for the
good news.

Syro-Phoenecian womans daughter
7:24-30

Sir ...even the dogs under the table eat
the childrens leftovers. (7:27-28)

Quite often miracles are preceded by a test
of faith. In the Calming of the Storm, Jesus
is asleep at the moment of crisis; in the
Feeding of the 5000, Jesus tells the
disciples to feed the crowd themselves. In
the healing of the daughter, Jesus tests the
mothers faith by appearing to rudely dismiss
her appeal. She passes the test.

This incident highlights the one qualification
needed for salvation: faith. Jesus did not just
come for the Jews. This gentile woman will
not be put down: she shows faith and
determination. The daughter doesnt even
have to present for the cure to work.
Message for the early Church: Jesus saves
the person with faith - Jew or gentile.

The epileptic boy (9:14-29)

Have pity on us and help us, if you
possibly can! Yes, said Jesus, if you
yourself can. Everything is possible for
the person who has faith. (9:23)

Happening straight after the Transfiguration,
the lack of faith comes as a blow to Jesus
brings him down to earth.
The people believed that evil spirits were
behind illnesses. The boys symptoms point
to epilepsy, though his father testifies that an
evil spirit is within him, trying to hurt him. If
you possibly can shows a weakness of faith
in the father. Nonetheless, he tries again to
show faith and Jesus heals the boy.

Although Jesus had given the disciples
authority to heal (cf. 3:15), they were not
able to do so here. The Greek used for not
able also means not strong enough. Jesus
shows the Messiahs strength to overcome
evil.

At the end he tells them that lack of prayer
was behind their failure. The message is that
deep faith springs from prayer. Jesus sets
the example. He spent nights in prayer (cf.
1:35, 6:45) hours of communion dialogue
with his Father.

Activities

1 Write a sentence with the correct ending
for each of the options below.

For Christians, the miracles of Jesus are
extraordinary
A coincidences.
B acts of magic.
C signs of Gods power.

An example of a nature miracle is
A the cure of a blind man.
B the calming of the storm.
C the raising of Jairus daughter.

An example of a healing miracle is
A the walking on water.
B the cure of the paralysed man.
C the calming of the storm.

Before working a miracle, Jesus often
A wanted an audience to see it.
B wanted to see signs of faith.
C wanted some kind of payment.

The greatest miracle is
A the feeding of the 5000.
B the Resurrection of Jesus.
C the raising of Lazarus.

For Christians the miracles are signs
of
A mysterious natural powers.
B the final victory of Gods
Kingdom.
C the peoples wish for magic.

2006 P.J. McHugh
2 Pick and read one of the miracle
accounts beside.

a) Analyse the miracle account.

Was it a nature or healing
miracle?

Did Jesus test the faith of the
person(s)?

Was faith shown?
By word, gesture, both?

Did Jesus say anything as he
worked the miracle?

Reactions of those around?

Why was it important that Jesus
backed up his preaching with
miracles?





3 a) Imagine St Mark is defining the word
miracle. Use the meanings of the
Greek words for miracle to put
together his definition.










b) Read the true stories beside. What
does the word miracle mean in
these stories?

c) Do you think miracle means the
same here as it does for miracle of
Jesus? Explain.































































(A) Calming of the Storm
Mk 4:35-41

(D) Feeding of 5000
Mk 6:30-44
(B) Daughter raised
Mk 5:21-43
(B) Woman cured
Mk 5:25-34
Semeion = sign
Dunamis = power
Ergon = work
A man interested in
old cameras came
across one in an
antiques shop. He
bought it. He
discovered that
there was still film in
the camera, which
he had developed.
The pictures turned
out to be over forty
years old. One was
a picture of a boy
fishing at the rivers
edge. The boy was
none other than he.
It seemed a miracle.
POLICE monitoring
traffic on the M6 were
appalled to see a
motorist changing a
flat tyre. He was
carrying out his repair
in the overtaking lane
of one of the busiest
roads in Europe. A
police officer said: "
Cars coming round
the corner could not
see him until they
were just yards away.
Its a miracle no one
was seriously injured."