What Is Miracle?
A miracle in the Bible is an event showing God at work beyond the ordinary course of things; the texts call these 'signs', 'wonders' and 'mighty works'. The great miracles of the Old Testament belong to the story of deliverance: the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the sea, the manna in the wilderness. In the New Testament Jesus' miracles are inseparable from his ministry: he heals the sick, commands nature and raises the dead. These works are not spectacle; Jesus refuses demands for a show. John especially names the miracles 'signs': each points to who Jesus is — the multiplying of the loaves is read with 'I am the bread of life', the raising of Lazarus with 'I am the resurrection and the life'. John states his purpose plainly: these are written 'that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God'. In Scripture miracles are interwoven with compassion: Jesus feeds the crowd he pities and touches the untouchable; the sign is love made visible.