|
The meaning in the Miracles
'The Meaning in the Miracles' - Jeffrey John, Canterbury Press.
I've just finished reading 'The meaning in the miracles' by Jeffrey John.
(Remember him?) It outlines how each of the miracles had a point to make -
as well as showing Jesus's compassion and supernatural power (both of which
John affirms).
First point: all the categories of 'excluded' people under the 'levitical
code' were shown now to be included by God in his kingdom through the
miracles. Especially: lepers, the paralysed, blind, deaf, dumb, people with
withered arms, gentiles, menstruating women, children, the dead, etc. Also
included were women generally, children, tax collectors, etc. And
homosexuals. John arrives at this conclusion (it's really no more than a
suggestion in the book) by historical research into relationships of Romans
to their conquered peoples and male servants in the fields of their
conquests.
John also relates the feeding miracles to Israel and the Gentiles, in
sequence - through a bit of numerology: 5 = Jews (Pentateuch etc); 4 =
gentiles (four winds, corners of the earth etc) X 1000 (huge number). Jesus
is the 2nd Moses (wilderness, miraculous provision of 'bread' etc. The sea
miracles also relate him to Moses (parting of the waves), but more
particularly to God (eg calming of the roaring seas in psalms). Hearing
echoes of psalms and other scriptures in these miracles is especially
revealing.
I find it helpful to see that there are different levels of strategy in
Jesus's miracles, as well as symbolic and literary devices - which provide
depth to our understanding of who Jesus was and why he came, and what God
was trying todo and show through him. Rethink the miracle of the
haemhorraging woman and the dead boy in the light of this. (Blood and dead
bodies - untouchable - unclean).
Not everything John says is necessarily to be agreed with. But where you
disagree, you find yourself having to think hard as to why you disagree, and
come up with some better reasons.
|
Peter Wilkinson, 15/05/2005 |
|
|
