Verified Document

God And Nature Jesus Performed Term Paper

Jesus then becomes a supreme secondary cause. Paradoxically, though, Jesus is both primary and secondary cause because of His divine nature. Jesus asks the servants to fill up the jars with water, which they do "to the brim," (John 2:7). Then the servants do Jesus's bidding by delivering some of the water to the banquet. Upon serving, the water has been turned into wine. The servants "knew" how the water had turned into wine; they ascribed the miracle to Christ and therefore to divine power.

The water into wine miracle also illustrates the way God acts in the world as a "master builder," (McGrath 116). As a master builder, God works with whatever construction materials are available at the moment of creation. If Jesus is viewed a divine, then His actions during the water into wine miracle perfectly explain the role of God as carpenter to the world. Jesus transforms one substance into another. The one substance is readily available and occurs throughout the world. Water is God's creation. Wine, on the other hand, is the creation of human actors. If human beings did not mash grapes and allow them to ferment in a controlled manner, then wine would not be produced. The creation of wine by human beings can be considered to be another proof of God's action in the world via secondary causes. In the case of the miracle of water into wine, the creation of wine more aptly demonstrates God's ability to construct and reconstruct the world.

When water becomes wine via human intervention and the process of fermenting mashed grapes, God acts in the world via secondary causes. Before the discovery of yeast, fermentation must have seemed like the direct intervention of God via secondary causes. In the miracle of water into wine, God acts in the world as a creator. The manner of this creation is best described as construction. God, as Christ, is working with the building block of life (water) and turning...

The character of God is visible in the end product, the wine. The appreciation of wine vs. water allows Jesus to prove the glory of God.
The miracle of water into wine is similar to most of the other New Testament miracles in that they can be used to illustrate deism. Deism suggests that God acts in the world by not acting in the world. As God's Son, Jesus performs a miracle whereby he transforms water into wine. God the Father does not turn water into wine; God's Son does.

While the deistic interpretation of the miracle of water into wine would seem to contradict the inherent divinity of Christ, the deist view can also serve as a way to highlight the paradox of Creation. That is, God creates the world and instates natural laws. The natural laws take over and God is no longer an active participant in the universe. God's Son acts on His behalf. In other words, God as demiurge takes a back seat and allows creation to unfold according to the laws of nature. Those laws of nature happen to include the messiah.

Deism suggests that God created the world in a manner that is rational and precludes further involvement. Although Jesus is that further involvement, once Christ is born, God the Father speaks to and through Jesus. Jesus is now the new covenant with God, allowing God to once again take a back seat and allow life to unfold. Of course, deism cannot completely explain how God acts in the world. Jesus's divinity itself means that God is acting as Jesus in the transformation of water into wine. God's actions in the world through the miracle of water into wine can much better be explained via God as Creator-Constructor; God acting through Persuasion; and God acting through Secondary Causes.

Work Cited

McGrath, Alister E. Science and Religion: A New Introduction. Blackwell, 1999.

Sources used in this document:
Work Cited

McGrath, Alister E. Science and Religion: A New Introduction. Blackwell, 1999.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Jesus & Mohammed Comparison and
Words: 1649 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

In truth, much of the negative connotations given to the Islamic religion are inaccurate (Rogers, 2006). Most Muslims are peaceful individuals who want to submit to the will of God and live their lives without being bothered by other individuals. They have tolerance for other religions, and do not set out to kill any individuals who choose not to belong to the Islamic religion (Rogers, 2006). There is very

Jesus, Jew or Christian the
Words: 5150 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

His followers claimed He had risen as He said He would, bodily appeared to them and then bodily ascended into Heaven, as Elijah prophesied. This experience emboldened them to come out of hiding and they gathered at the upper room of the Cenacle on the Day of the Pentecost. From then on, they openly preached the radical ethic taught by Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is the origin of

Jesus in the Quran Vs.
Words: 4804 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

" And to exercise the opposite acts and forms of behavior befitting the followers of Jesus, in whom dwells His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23): But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such, there is no law." Islam believes that Jesus was a messenger of God, but that there were other messengers and prophets before him, like Adam, Moses and Muhammad (McVey). It

Jesus a Glimpse of the
Words: 4187 Length: 13 Document Type: Thesis

He describes how he dines with the members of Antipas' court, "thus maintaining the table-fellowship connection of Mark and Daniel," (Freyne 98). Therefore, the account of government practices which can be validated by other reliable sources show the New Testament as presenting clear and reliable sources for the historical validity of the figure of Jesus. Thus, modern researchers have found great truths and reliable correlations between the figure of

Jesus' Teachings, Prayer, & Christian Life He
Words: 35411 Length: 109 Document Type: Dissertation

Jesus' Teachings, Prayer, & Christian Life "He (Jesus) Took the Bread. Giving Thanks Broke it. And gave it to his Disciples, saying, 'This is my Body, which is given to you.'" At Elevation time, during Catholic Mass, the priest establishes a mandate for Christian Living. Historically, at the Last Supper, Christ used bread and wine as a supreme metaphor for the rest of our lives. Jesus was in turmoil. He was

Jesus, Was He a Revolutionary
Words: 2110 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Oscar Cullmann, Nolan, and Genezio Boff. Oscar Cullmann can be described as a Christian theologian within the Lutheran tradition. His most notable work involved the ecumenical movement. He was in part accountable for the formation of dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Lutheran traditions. Nolan was born in the city of Cape Town, South Africa. He is of English descent and is a fourth-generation South African. Influenced by Thomas Merton,

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now