Nature Miracles

Definition and Meaning

Nature miracles, as distinct from miracles of healing or exorcism, are miracles that directly affected the natural world, such as the sea, wind, water, food, and plants. The term is a classification used by biblical scholars who divide the miracles of the Gospels into categories such as healings, exorcisms (the casting out of demons), raisings of the dead, and nature miracles. The term itself does not appear in Scripture.

Biblical Background

The principal nature miracles recorded in the New Testament Gospels include the following:

• The calming of the storm (Mark 4:35-41)
• Walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33)
• The feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand
• The changing of water into wine at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11)
• The cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14)
• The miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11)

The Old Testament also records nature miracles, such as the crossing of the Red Sea, the manna and the quail, the contest on Mount Carmel, and the sun and moon standing still (Joshua 10:12-13). The Gospel of John calls miracles "signs" (indications that reveal who Jesus is); this subject is treated in the seven signs of the Gospel of John.

Historical Interpretation

For centuries the church accepted the nature miracles as recorded. During the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, David Hume and others questioned the credibility of miracle accounts in light of the laws of nature, and subsequently some within liberal theology explained nature miracles as natural phenomena or interpreted them as symbolic stories. In the twentieth century, Rudolf Bultmann is known for advocating "demythologization," which regarded the New Testament miracle stories as ancient mythological expressions and sought to uncover the existential message within them. By contrast, evangelicalism and conservative theology regard nature miracles as historical facts and connect them with the confession that God governs the world he created by his providence.

Practice in the Korean Church

• Many conservative Korean Protestant denominations teach the nature miracles as historical facts and address them in connection with biblical inerrancy.
• In preaching, the storm narrative is commonly applied to faith amid life's trials, and the feeding of the five thousand to small acts of devotion and sharing.
• Denominations differ in emphasis on whether miracles still occur today. Some in the Reformed tradition hold that miracles were concentrated in the apostolic age, when they served to confirm revelation, while Pentecostal groups emphasize that miracles such as divine healing continue today. This debate centers mainly on healing and speaking in tongues; for details, see cessationism and continuationism.
• Some seminaries and denominations in the progressive theological tradition also present interpretations that focus on the theological and symbolic meaning of miracles rather than on their historicity.