In other words, the miracle tradition becomes a vehicle for expressing the faith convictions of the early Church. While we often think of miracles as supernatural events or a suspension of the laws of nature, the biblical mind expected miracles and interpreted them as a manifestation of God s control over the world, life and evil. Think for the moment about the purpose of a road sign. It indicates or points to a direction. To make this point clear to our university students, I use the example of travelling to Seattle from Spokane on spring break.
Biblical signs are important because of what they indicate.
In the Gospels, the signs tell us something about Jesus as healer and about the power of God at work in and through Jesus. The people who witnessed these signs reacted with awe and wonder because of the power of God acting on their behalf. Many followed Jesus in faith and proclaimed the Good News as a result of these signs. The Gospel of Mark contains some insightful episodes about the healing power of Jesus. The controversies in Mark s Gospel lead to confrontations between Jesus and his opponents over new interpretations of Jewish laws and rituals.