Jass Singh has gone through long winded arguments to seek acceptance of the miracles contained in the New Testament. He laments that the scientist or the naturalist does not understand the supernatural acts, that all miracles are acts of God or his representatives, and that miracles must have religious significance. He seems to believe that miracles represent theism.
The word “Miracle” is often used in different senses. For example: There are cases of some people missing a flight that later crashes. My niece who was working at the World Trade tower in New York, got late in going to work on Sep 11, 2001. Before she could get there, the towers had come down and no harm was done to her. Incidents such as these are miracles. Another example refers to Jesus as in Matthew 11:5 where he boasts of miracles. To my way of thinking, the latter is an effort to show human ego, and not an act of God.
Jass Singh has particularly mentioned two miracles of the New Testament (NT): Jesus’ virgin birth and his resurrection.
On the issue of virgin birth, it is apparent that Christian Bibles have twisted the original Hebrew OT (Old Testament, Isaiah 7:14) and the Greek NT (Matt 1:23), both of which describe the mother as a young woman and not a virgin. It is a case of using twisted facts, and then calling these as acts of God. Virgin birth is also one of the arguments used to prove that Jesus was the Messiah prophesied in the OT. The NT (Matt 3:14) tells us that John the Baptist had declared Jesus as the promised Messiah of the OT. However, later seeing what Jesus was doing, he doubted and sent two men to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah or they should look for another (Matt 11:3).
Clearly John the Baptist did not consider someone performing miracles to be the representative of God. But lo and behold “Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matt 11:4-5). In other words miracles were all Jesus could show he had assumed his ministry for. But there is another question, to which I have not received an answer despite many requests to Christian sources and that is:
What was the Messiah to achieve and if Jesus was the Messiah, how did he do that?
I request Jass Singh to answer this question if he can. However from the above it would appear that in Jesus’ view he came only to perform miracles.
On the subject of resurrection, Jass Singh was confronted on this site but he evaded the issue and quietly withdrew from the discussion. There are many reasons to believe that the resurrection story is made up but I shall quote only one. It is well known that Mary Magdalene had a close relationship with Jesus. However, when the man who had been in the tomb (after crucifixion) was later presented to her after being ‘resurrected’, she could not recognize him (John 20:14). If resurrection of Jesus were a reality Mary Magdalene could not have failed to recognize the man.
The purpose of human birth is to enable the soul to reunite with God. In the Christian thinking the soul is not separated from the body but in practice many Christians do believe in the soul going to God leaving the body behind. After crucifixion, Jesus himself says “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit”: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost (Luke 23:46). So Jesus separates the soul from the body and does not subscribe to the idea of physical resurrection. This was started by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14 and later included in the gospels with varying details.
As may be seen both the virgin birth and resurrection are made-up stories, but Jass Singh calls them miracles and ‘acts of God’.
A miracle is defined as an extraordinary occurrence that cannot be explained by the laws of nature. Examples of this might be: someone escaping from almost sure death, an illness being cured by means other than medical intervention or a baby being safely transported by flood waters. Other examples could be a man flying like a bird, someone walking on water, a dead person suddenly coming alive, child prodigies performing amazing feats in the fields of education or games, and the like. This word is also used for happenings like help arriving unexpectedly. In other words any event that causes surprise is referred to as a miracle. Miracles are of two types. The first type is a result of Divine action like saving a life, a child surviving a flood or help arriving when not expected. The only explanation for such occurrences is that God willed it that way. The second type is shown to be caused by human design and action.
Display of a miracle is indeed a display of supernatural powers by a practitioner. As claimed, such powers may be gained by people through observance of austerities and penances or Divine grace. Almost in all cases people perform miracles to try to get followers and collect money. Some years ago, a gentleman, who claimed he was self-educated, said in a discourse that Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, had performed miracles. I went to him after the discourse and submitted that Guru Nanak had in fact always spoken against performing miracles.
It is recorded that during conversation with the Sidhas who practiced display of miracles, the Guru was asked to show a miracle but he declined saying he had no miracle to show. He further said everything that happens is controlled by the Master Himself; miracles take a person on a route away from God (Ridhi sidhi avraa saad, SGGS, P. 6). Not only did the man ignore all this but the next day told his congregation about me in terms as stated above. He further said “Who would have accepted Guru Nanak if he had not shown miracles”? Further he went on, “The trouble with these people is that their preceptors have nothing to show.” I gave up on the gentleman.
A similar feeling comes to mind when reading in the New Testament that when two disciples of John the Baptist, wanting to know whether Jesus was the Messiah as forecast in the Old Testament, asked Jesus “John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? Or look we for another” (Matt 11:3)? And Jesus replied “Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached” (Matt 11:5). This would show that miracles were enough to justify that Jesus was the Messiah.
I feel in both cases overzealous followers have tried to over-praise their preceptors. The Bible is on record saying that Jesus had refused to perform a miracle when he was tempted to command that the stones be turned into bread, (Matthew 4:3-4). Again after he cured a leper he told him “See thou tell no man” (Matt 8:4). In my humble opinion, these verses represent the real Jesus. He should be accepted for what he is, for his teachings and not because of miracles. The fundamental requirement in spirituality is humility and to say that any particular preceptor boasted as mentioned above is being unfair to him. My belief is that such verses have been inserted in the New Testament later by lesser mortals in order to let their preceptor be seen superior to the earlier ones.
Let us take the case of revival of the dead by Jesus. No death takes place except with the Will of God and if a revival takes place it is also God’s Will. Jesus, the son of God, would not have done anything to repudiate the Will of God, his father, because God is quoted as saying about Jesus “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:17). It should be believed that the son carried out the Will of his father. For example when death of a person occurs according to the Will of God, Jesus would not to try to revive the person.
Jesus emphasizes the supremacy of God but it has been made out that Jesus can do what God can. For example he is quoted as saying “Verily, verily I say unto you. The son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things so ever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19). The first part of this statement clearly shows that Jesus is not equal to God, but the second does and has obviously been inserted to show that whatever God can do Jesus can too.
This situation of showing Jesus to be god is faced throughout the New Testament. If one takes the New Testament as it exists now at its face value, then obviously it was because of such things that Jesus was forsaken by God, for he says “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me” (Matt 27:46). I do not want to believe he was forsaken, but that is possible only if he did not repudiate God’s Will.
It is surprising to see so much importance being given to miracles in Christianity that proof of miracles is required before any one can be declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Take the example of the late Mother Teresa; she was a saint by popular accounts while she lived and served. The Vatican however required at least one miracle connected with her before she could be considered for sainthood. I wonder if those who are to decide on her beatification have led a life more devoted to service than she did.
The way I look at the miracles in the New Testament is this: Jesus as the teacher would have revived many from their moral death by his teachings. The examples of healing should be looked at similarly in the context of faith healing mostly from immoral or unethical afflictions.
In India in the late 17th and early 18th centuries there was considerable effort put in by the Mogul emperor Aurangzeb to convert all other communities to Islam by force. In this connection the oppressed Hindu Pundits of Kashmir came to the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur for help. The Guru asked them to tell the emperor that if the Guru could be converted they would follow. They did likewise. The Guru was arrested and asked to convert to Islam or show a miracle if he wanted to save his life. The Guru rejected both saying that everyone had a right to choose his religion, and that showing of miracles was only showmanship, and his faith taught against it. He was beheaded.
The ability to ‘perform miracles’ is used by the practitioner to attract gullible people by showing himself as a spiritual teacher. He in fact tries to equate himself to God. The path of occult powers therefore leads away from God and is spiritually undesirable. Miracles, if at all possible, may give some physical gains, but they cannot take one forward on the spiritual path. They are therefore of no use to a spiritual seeker. In many cases nefarious activities like depriving people of their wealth with a promise to multiply it or sexual exploitation have come to light. One pursuing a spiritual life refrains from showing any miracles even if he has the ‘powers’. He considers the practice of miracles as theater and a method to attract people:
Some perform miracles like plays on stage;
Some wear various types of garbs and form seminaries;
Others employ spells and mantras in their shows:
I engage only in the service of my Lord and Master (SGGS: pp. 912-13).
If a person has ‘supernatural powers’ then he should be happy and contented; he should not be running around to attract followers. A thoughtful person would tell him:
If you can perform miracles whenever you like;
Why do you look to others?
What can I say about your claims?
I feel ashamed even to talk about it (SGGS: p. 1103).
Guru Nanak not wishing to perform miracles prays:
If I were to attain powers to show miracles,
Have wealth on call,
Become unseen or seen at will,
People are impressed and follow me,
O’ Lord, spare me from these,
For I might forget to remember You (SGGS: p. 14).
Only those people who do not have faith in God go to the practitioners of miracles. They are victims of duality and for the sake of illusory comforts wander from place to place and person to person. They are ever trying to please others forgetting the Lord who is ever with us all. Those who place faith in God remain contented; they do not even have to wish for any benediction. God’s hand of grace does that automatically; all the benedictions are there in that grace. At first sight this seems to be a prescription for doing nothing. No, God does not like an idle person. Every one must:
Make efforts to make a living;
Practice scriptural teachings to be at peace;
Remember God to be with Him,
This way you shall shed all your worries (SGGS: p. 522)
Benedictions can only be granted by one who does not wish to gain from doing so. There is none else than God who meets this qualification. SGGS says:
What benediction it is if when can get on his own,
Real miracle lies in receiving grace of the Master (SGGS: p. 474).
