Fortuitous Coincidences and Happy Timing

“generally all natural phenomena, but the timing was supernatural.”

Grunt: Practically every “miracle” I’ve ever experienced or heard of has been perfectly explainable as “fortuitous coincidence” or “ordinary circumstances” (even if the explanation did require a bit of a stretch sometimes.) One “just happened” to meet that certain person, find that book, take that detour. Almost seems like such things were built into the system from the beginning of time…! (Which is why I always say, appreciate the detours and delays.)

God isn’t blaring with trumpets saying, “I did this!”

When Jesus healed, he always emphasized “your faith,” not his power. It even happened without his conscious assent. He didn’t do it to show off or impress; we can understand, so I know he did, how wonders may make temporary believers out of the weak and gullible, but they don’t inspire true faith. And let’s face it, the most astonishing physics-defying miracle can be explained away if skeptics want to. Jesus wasn’t really dead on the cross, you know, ’cause, usually, it took about three days to die on a cross, so the guys that took his body took him away for healing, and that’s why the tomb was empty… (etc).

That said, two examples come to mind of Jesus’ wonder-working that were intentional and for “show” and how that worked out:

One, feeding 5000. That amazing work caused the masses to call for him to be king, and when he refused, you can bet at least four thousand forgot about him, because he wouldn’t be what they wanted him to be. So much for the holding power of a miraculously filled belly.

The other, healing the blind man. Unasked for, out of the blue, and not in response to faith. Again, though, not to show off or to “make believers out of people.” The blind man had a purpose, bringing Jesus’ final offer of mercy to the Jewish leaders. He is for me one of the most inspiring people in the Bible. “I told you already and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too? … If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” The meerest mearest of the mere testifying before the learned and powerful.

Eek! I’ve run off at the keyboard again. Sorry And I really started out to answer Chrissy’s post. Guess I’ll take another slot. Charge my account.

A Mindful Webworker February 4, 2013 at 8:14 pm

See if I can keep this shorter. (Turns out, nope.)

It was not Passover. It was just supper the day before, as your calculations correctly demonstrate. Very nice work! A special supper, to be sure, but not Passover. Jesus understood he was going to be busy the next day and wouldn’t be partaking of Passover with his friends. The clueless eleven didn’t know it was their last supper with their Master, though; but they wouldn’t've thought a thing about it being meatless.

Those who need to reconcile scripture with scripture because they believe it’s all perfect, just look away now. Gone? Okay. Please understand, I mean no disrespect here. I revere and appreciate the Gospels which taught me to love and follow Jesus all my life, but I have no problem seeing the bugs in the Bible (and I don’t mean the locusts).

The synoptics have a problem which those of us who use computers can appreciate. If you cut-and-paste what’s right, you get a perfect copy. If you cut-and-paste what’s erroneous, you get a perfect copy… of the error. The authors of Matthew 26:17-18 and Luke 22:7-13 presumably copied directly from copies of the earlier Mark 14:12-16. Copied quite well, and I’m not questioning the sincerity of any of those scribes involved. By the time John’s Gospel was written, John’s authors surely had copies of the earlier Gospels, and John 13:1 sets the record straight. A further fat clue, to which you alluded, is John 19:42, the crucifixion “was the Jewish day of Preparation,” which is why the menfolk did a hasty job on the burial, which caused the women to try to go out to the tomb to do the job right the next day.

(If I seem to err in my understanding or scripture reading, beside the inerrancy thing I mean, someone let this hasty-speaking armchair bloviator know, all right?)

The values of the Last Supper are undiminished because MM&L have a technical glitch; John’s clarifying bug fix causes me no stress. Just as, if there is confusion over whether there were one, three, or no angels or shiny-clothed men at the empty tomb, it changes nothing about the eternally-enduring value of Mary’s testimony of speaking with the risen Master. I can’t read or even think of him saying her name without weeping.

Dear Fundamentalists, for expressing my heathen attitude, I shall go lash myself twenty times with a wet noodle. Thanks, Chrissy, for driving me into the Gospels. Sometimes I get busy and forget to take the time to refresh.