Christ performs physical miracles to demonstrate spiritual realities.
Christ’s Physical Resurrection was the sign that He had power over Spiritual Death.
By Tuese Ahkiong
MARK 2 Jesus Heals a Paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8; Luke 5:17-26)
John 10:31-39
Matthew 16:1-12 The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand SIGNS
And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And WHEN JESUS SAW THEIR FAITH, HE SAID TO THE PARALYTIC, “SON, YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? HE IS BLASPHEMING! WHO CAN FORGIVE SINS BUT GOD ALONE?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 WHICH IS EASIER, TO SAY TO THE PARALYTIC, ‘YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN,’ OR TO SAY, ‘RISE, TAKE UP YOUR BED AND WALK’? 10 BUT THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT THE SON OF MAN HAS AUTHORITY ON EARTH TO FORGIVE SINS”—He said to the paralytic— 11 “I SAY TO YOU, RISE, PICK UP YOUR BED, AND GO HOME.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
**Yeshua performs a physical miracle to demonstrate a spiritual reality that He was GOD and has authority to forgive sins. It is easier to just say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven.” It’s more difficult to say to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” Yeshua performed the miracle so THAT (they, the scribes) MAY KNOW THAT THE SON OF MAN HAS AUTHORITY ON EARTH TO FORGIVE SINS.
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I HAVE SHOWN YOU MANY GOOD WORKS FROM THE FATHER; FOR WHICH OF THEM ARE YOU GOING TO STONE ME?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because YOU, BEING A MAN, MAKE YOURSELF GOD.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing THE WORKS OF MY FATHER, then do not believe me; 38 BUT IF I DO THEM, even though you do not believe me, BELIEVE THE WORKS, THAT YOU MAY KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE FATHER IS IN ME AND I AM IN THE FATHER.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
***The miraculous works of Christ were the signs that pointed to fact that He was the prophesized prophet like Moses that the Jews were to listen to and live.
Deut 18:15-19
15 “The Lord your God will RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM AMONG YOU, FROM YOUR BROTHERS—IT IS TO HIM YOU SHALL LISTEN— 16 just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I WILL RAISE UP FOR THEM A PROPHET LIKE YOU FROM AMONG THEIR BROTHERS. AND I WILL PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH, AND HE SHALL SPEAK TO THEM ALL THAT I COMMAND HIM. 19 AND WHOEVER WILL NOT LISTEN TO MY WORDS THAT HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME, I MYSELF WILL REQUIRE IT OF HIM.
Acts 3:17-26
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BROTHERS. YOU SHALL LISTEN TO HIM IN WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU. 23 AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERY SOUL WHO DOES NOT LISTEN TO THAT PROPHET SHALL BE DESTROYED FROM THE PEOPLE.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also [PROCLAIMED THESE DAYS.] 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
Acts 7:37
This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BROTHERS.’
Luke 11:29-32 The SIGN of Jonah
29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “THIS GENERATION is an evil GENERATION. It seeks for a SIGN, but no SIGN will be given to it except the SIGN of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a SIGN to the people of Nineveh, SO WILL THE SON OF MAN BE TO THIS GENERATION. 31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of THIS GENERATION and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with THIS GENERATION and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
***Notice how Christ compares himself to Jonah and says that He will be the sign to that "this generation." The sign was Yeshua's resurrection.
Matthew 12:38-45 The SIGN of Jonah
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a SIGN from you.”39 But he answered them, “AN EVIL AND ADULTEROUS GENERATION seeks for a SIGN, but no SIGN will be given to it except the SIGN of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, SO WILL THE SON OF MAN BE THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with THIS GENERATION and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with THIS GENERATION and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with THIS EVIL GENERATION.”
***”THIS GENERATION” in this passage is the evil and adulterous generation to whom Christ spoke to in the 1st century. The Sign that Christ gives is His resurrection. The sign pointed to His power over spiritual death and separation from YHWH.
16 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a SIGN from heaven.2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the SIGNS of the times. 4 An EVIL AND ADULTEROUS GENERATION seeks for a SIGN, but no SIGN will be given to it except the SIGN of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.
***THE EVIL AND ADULTEROUS GENERATION was the apostate generation of Jews that Yeshua was speaking to. They eventually crucified and murdered Yeshua. The Sign of Jonah was Christ’s physical resurrection which pointed to His power and authority over spiritual death and separation from God The Father. How else would people know that He had power over spiritual death unless He gave them a sign.