Today we speak with Fred Wehba about the miracles of Jesus Christ.
Q: Good evening. Thank you for joining us.
Fred Wehba: It’s my pleasure.
Q: We are interested in speaking today about a topic we feel gets nowhere near enough attention. We’d like to talk about Jesus.
Fred Wehba: I think that’s a remarkable subject.
Q: Christians believe that Jesus is the physical incarnation of God. What acts did He perform while in the flesh that remain notable today?
Fred Wehba: Of course, everything that Jesus did in his short time on Earth was important. But, the ones that offer perhaps the most hope even in modern society are his cures.
Q: Can you tell us about them?
Fred Wehba: Sure! Jesus cured lepers, paralytics, the blind… Sometimes, these miracles were performed with just a few words.
Q: Where do the stories about these miracles first appear?
Fred Wehba: The first story I am aware of that speaks of Jesus healing the blind is in the Gospel of Mark.
Q: What stories are in the Gospel of John?
Fred Wehba: There is a story featured during the festival of Tabernacles, which took place approximately half a year before the crucifixion. In it, Jesus takes a man who is blind from birth and restore his sight immediately.
Q: Were there any details as to what caused that man’s condition?
Fred Wehba: Though many of the disciples believed that the blindness was caused by the sins of the man’s parents, Jesus insisted it was not. Perhaps the man was born blind so that Jesus could bestow upon him the gift of sight.
Q: Are there any other significant healings recounted in the Gospel of John?
Fred Wehba: John also tells of Jesus healing paralytics at the pool of Bethesda.
Q: There are a number of stories of Jesus healing women. Why do you think these stories were so important?
Fred Wehba: Women represent life. I think that illustrating these stories – such as that of the bleeding woman – just illustrates the love that God had for his children by allowing his physical embodiment to cure these precious givers of life.
Q: Can you elaborate on the bleeding woman?
Fred Wehba: The gospel speaks of a time when Jesus was approached by a young woman who touched the fringes of his garment. In that moment, her bleeding – from which she had suffered for 12 years – stopped instantly.
Q: She touched him uninvited?
Fred Wehba: Uninvited by words, yes. But, her faith was the only summons she needed. At this point, Jesus told this now-healed woman to go in peace.
Q: Did Jesus perform any miracles on the Sabbath?
Fred Wehba: There are many, yes. One that is notable is the cure of the man with the withered hand.
Q: A withered hand?
Fred Wehba: Yes, in this miracle, Jesus enters a synagogue on the Sabbath. Inside, he found a man with a hand that was withered and badly misshapen. Of course, upon his touch, the man was healed.
Q: This is told in the Gospel of Mark, correct?
Fred Wehba: The Gospel of Mark elaborates on this miracle noting that the Pharisees were so angered by this act that they started thinking about killing Jesus.
Q: Jesus was quite generous with his healing powers.
Fred Wehba: The book of Matthew actually elaborates on times where Jesus visited many towns and villages. During these visits, he would go about healing all of the town’s illnesses and afflictions.
Q: And you have been very generous with your time today. Thank you for chatting with us.
Fred Wehba: Anytime.