| One of the most important parts of Christianity lies in | | | | demonstrated that people come through him through |
| recognizing the fact that Jesus Christ was divine, | | | | their own faith rather than through his compulsion. |
| himself an extension of the Jewish God. One of the | | | | Miracles of Nature Jesus' miracles sometimes did not |
| ways in which his divinity is proved by Biblical scholars | | | | involve people, although they usually served an |
| is to point out the many miracles that Jesus was | | | | illustrative purpose (the main one being to demonstrate |
| recorded performing during his time on Earth. In | | | | his divinity). These miracles are known as miracles of |
| academic circles, Jesus' miracles are often | | | | nature. Jesus' first miracle of nature recorded in the |
| categorized according to the act that was carried out. | | | | Biblical canon is turning water into wine at a wedding. |
| Thus, miracles that involved healing are cures, those | | | | His mother Mary was a guest at the wedding, and he |
| that involved overcoming physical barriers are | | | | and his followers also came. When the wine ran out, |
| considered miracles of nature, and those wherein | | | | Jesus' mother approached him, and he told her that his |
| Jesus cast out demons are known as exorcisms. | | | | time had not yet come. However, he proceeded to |
| Healing Miracles Jesus' miracles of healing are the | | | | turn the water that was to be used for cleansing into |
| most well documented in the Bible, perhaps because | | | | wine, which the master of ceremonies declared to be |
| so many of the diseases he encountered and cured | | | | the best wine he had ever tasted, in stark contrast to |
| were considered a death sentence by the cultures of | | | | normal conventions which had the host brining out the |
| the time. Jesus' healing miracles also tended to have a | | | | inferior wine second. This miracle can be interpreted to |
| second dimension which offered some insight into his | | | | demonstrate Jesus making the unclean clean, of using |
| character and his mission as a whole. For example, | | | | all things to his ends, and of being straightforward in the |
| lepers were the outcasts of society. Everyone lived in | | | | presentation of his message. Miracles of nature also |
| deadly fear of catching the disease which caused | | | | included feeding large crowds with relatively little food, |
| digits and limbs to rot and then fall off in a painful and | | | | walking on water, and causing his disciples to catch |
| incurable manner. When diagnosed with leprosy, a | | | | many fish though they had been failing all night. (He |
| person was sent away from the rest of society to live | | | | also walked through a crowd that wanted to hurl him |
| out their remaining days in colonies consisting of | | | | off of a cliff, and several times raised people from the |
| similarly struck people. They had to carry bells and cry | | | | dead). Miracles of Exorcism The last category of |
| "unclean" whenever they approached other people. In | | | | miracles that Jesus performed involved casting |
| order to cure lepers, Jesus would often touch them, to | | | | demons out of afflicted individuals. These differ from |
| the dismay of his followers. The examples of the | | | | the miracles of healing in that they clearly portray a |
| lepers offer several insights into Jesus' character. First | | | | struggle of good versus evil instead of conquest over |
| of all, he was determined to overcome social barriers. | | | | the natural. He is recorded as having cast demons out |
| He would approach even the most avoided people in | | | | singly and in large groups, after having them name |
| society. He also demonstrated his storied mission of | | | | themselves and recognize his authority. All of Jesus' |
| loving the unlovable, all the while of course | | | | miracles were enacted on different individuals, and |
| demonstrating his divinity. Jesus also made it clear | | | | many served several purposes. All, however, had the |
| through his healing that it was the faith of the people | | | | ultimate point of pointing to himself as a divine being, |
| that he healed that caused the cure. His words after | | | | sent by God. |
| healing several people are the same; "through your | | | | Wine Gift, Riedel wine glasses, Rabbit corkscrews, |
| faith, you are healed" (Matt 9:22). Through this, Jesus | | | | wine decanters. |