As an example, apply the process to Mk 1-3. As a residue we lia\e —
1. The account of the Baptist's preaching (without the refer- ence to the prophetic witness).
2. The Baptism of John (robbed of the spiritual endowment of Jesus and its accompaniments).
3. The bare mention of a temptation in the wilderness (with angels excluded. The story cannot be filled up by reference to the other Evangelists, for their account presupposes a miracle- working power in Jesus).
4. John's imprisonment, and announcement of the Kingdom b\' Jesus.
5. Call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
6. Teaching of Jesus in the synagogue, and spread of His fame (tlie latter left like a pyramid on its ape.\ without the restoration of the demoniac).
7. Entrance to house of Peter (healing of wife's mother ex- cluded).
S. Account of solitar.v prayer (with no action of Jesus to account for such prolonged prayer).
9. Preaching in synagogue (mere repetition apart from heal- ing of leper and casting out devil).
10. -Account of sudden popularity (with no adequate reason given for it).
11. Another repetition of the statement that He taught the people (•2''i'- all being e.xcised as entirely complicated with miracle).
VI. Call of .Matthew.
13. Conflict with scribes and Pharisees in regard to eating and drinking with publicans and sinners, and fasting, and His teaching consequent thereon.
14. Piiarisees and Herodians take counsel to kill Him (but no reason given— the healing of withered hand being removed).
\h. Withdrawal of Jesus (following by multitude being omitted because of motive given in v.S).
Iti. Call of disciples (commission reduced to preaching and teaching. Teaching in 320-3« cut out as entirely dependent on His exorcism of ;lemon.>;).
17. Teaching of true relationship to Himself (strongly savour- ing of presumption, apart from reasons which have disappeared in process of excision).
The whole narrative is rendered colourless and dislocated, the only section which is left fairly umnutilated being 2i-"'-^. "I'hat the healing ministry was not only a fact, b\it a great outstand- ing fact, is attested by the popularity of Jesus and by the various theories which were invented to account for the remark- able phenomena' (.\. B. Bruce, I.e.). The abov e anal}sis forcibly illustrates this assertion.
4. Chronological list of miracles of Jesus.
(n) PnELiMiXAftr Period, from Baptism to
CALL OF LEADING APOSTLES.
1. Water made wine
2. Cleansing of the Temple ....
3. Son of nobleman restored ....
FOUND IN
. Jn. . Jn. . Jn.
(b) First Period of Galil^han Ministry, TO Death of John the Baptist.
4. Escape from hostile crowd
5. Draught of fishes
6. Capernaum demoniac
7. Peter's wife's mother
8. General healings and exorcisms
9. Leper
10. Palsied man ....
FOUND IN
Lk.
Lk.
Mk.
Lk.
Mt.
Mk.
Lk.
Mt.
Mk.
Lk.
Mt.
Mk.
Lk.
Mt.
Mk.
Lk.
11. Impotent man of Bethesda
12. Man with withered hand
13. General healings and exorcisms
14. Centurions servant
15. Son of widow of Nain raised .
16. General healings and exorcisms
17. Dumb demoniac healed .
18. Tempest stilled
19. Gadarene demoniac or demoniacs
20. Raising of Jairus' daughter
21. Issue of blood ....
22. Two blind men healed
FOUND IN
Mt. Mt. Mt.
Mt. Mt. Mt. Mt. Mt. Mt.
Jn
Mk.
Lk.
Mk.
Lk. Lk. Lk. Lk.
Mk.
Lk.
Mk.
Lk.
Mk.
Lk.
Mk.
Lk.
((•) Second Period of Galilean ministry, to its close.
Five thousand fed .... Jesus walks on sea .... Daughter of Syro-Ph<Enician woman Deaf and dumb restored . General healing of infirmities Four thousand fed .... Blind man restored .... Deaf and dumb epileptic Stater in fish's mouth
FOUND IN
Mt.
Mk. Lk. 1
Mt.
Mk.
Mt.
Mk.
Mk.
Mt.
Mt.
Mk. Mk.
Mt.
Mk.
Lk.
Mt.
Mk.
Jn.
(d) Ministry in Jud.ha and PerjEa.
32. Man blind from birth restored
33. Impotent woman restored
34. Man with dropsy healed .
35. Ten lepers cleansed
36. Lazarus raisetl
37. Two blind men near Jericho .
(c) Closing Days of Life.
38. Withering of fig-tree
39. Cleansing of Temple
40. Healing of Malchus ....
41. Falling to ground of soldiers .
FOUND IN
1
Lk. Lk. Lk.
Mt.
Mk.
Lk.
Jn
Jn.
FOUND m
Mt.
Mk.
Mt.
Mk.
Lk.
Mt.
Lk.
Jn. Jn.
Examining the above list, we may remark —
(1) The same event is probably referred to in 2 and 39. Possibly also, but on the whole not prob- ably, 3 and 14 refer to same healing.
(2) Instances which seem to come so near to familiar human experience as to need no assump- tion of miracle are 2, 4, 41.
(3) In 31 no indication is given that the com- mand of .Jesus was meant to be obeyed. It may readily have been understood bj^ the disciple as a parabolic expression of the surety of providential care.
(4) Cases where the reporting of the healing is so casual that nothing as to the method of Jesus can be securely built upon the narrative are 10, 12, 33, 34, 40. The chief interest of the Evangelist lies in the other part of the story. In the case of Malchus, St. John, who reports the injury, makes no mention of any healing, and the interest of St. Luke is evangelical rather than medical, empha- sizing the generosity and compassion of Jesus.
(5) 'Nature miracles' are found {a) in each period ; {b) in the Fourth Gospel ; {c) in the Syn- optic tradition, both in the Double and Triple Synoj^sis. They are therefore as well attested as the works of healing. The walking on the sea is found in the Double Synop.sis ; the stilling of the storm and the withering of the fig-tree in the Triple Synopsis ; the feeding of the multitude in all four Gospels.