Miracles of Jesus

A.J. Pell is rector of Christ Church in Hope, B.C., editor of the
Canadian Evangelical Review, and an instructor of Liturgy, Anglican
Studies Programme at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C.

Miracles of Jesus is the second of four proposed Jesus Speaks Today
books conceived by John McLaughlin and published by Novalis. In this
volume, Richard Ascough deals with each of the 27 miracles of Jesus
found in the four gospels (13 in Mark, five in Luke, two in Matthew, and
seven in John). Each miracle is discussed in terms of historical and
social background, theological issues, and application to the life of
faith in today’s world.

Writing for the average lay Christian, Ascough uses non-technical
language to make his points. He doesn’t let himself be drawn into the
debate about the historicity of the miracles, but rather seeks to
discover what a person of faith can learn from them. He is strongest
when setting each miracle in the context of the historical era and of
Jesus’ ministry.

Less successful is his treatment of application, which leans very
heavily toward a political reading of Jesus’ ministry. Every ill
person healed seems to be an outcast, living on the margins of society
and family life. The healings are as much of relationships as of body or
mind: “For Jesus there is little difference between physical, social
and spiritual healing: they go hand in hand.” Such an interpretation
makes Jesus seem less compassionate and more didactic—not a
particularly attractive portrayal.